WASHINGTON, D.C. – Water professionals stood and applauded as Fred Sheldon, president of the National Rural Water Association, stands with the Farm Service Agency’s Dennis Taitano, a $5 million check between them. The big check is symbolic of a $5 million grant the association received for source water protection. It was presented as part of the NRWA’s annual Rural Water Rally, held April 19-21 in Washington, D.C.
      “This is in recognition of rural waters good and hard work to protect their communities’ drinking water,” said Taitano, the Acting Administrator of FSA, and division of the United States Development Authority.
      The check also came with praise for the assembled water professionals, who had come to the capitol to meeting with elected officials. The annual grassroots lobbying effort has been credited for raising the NRWA’s FSA appropriation from $3.5 million to the $5 million total.
      “Thank you for those who work to inform our leadership about these programs,” Taitano said. “They are the ones that make this work.”
      The check presentation was the part of a opening session filled with special guests and exciting announcements.
      Jacki Ponti-Lazaruk from The Rural Utilities Services came and shared stories about the past and future of rural water. Ponti-Lazaruk told a familiar story from Jim Newby, the Acting Administrator of RUS and a long-time friend of rural water. Newby remembered working in Oklahoma Government – a man would come ask for a grant every year for a rural water project.
      “Let’s give him a grant, or he’ll just keep coming back,” Newby finally said.
      The man turned out to one the founders to the NRWA and father of Rob Johnson, the current CEO.
      “We are proud to be partners with NRWA,” she added. “We have a strong commitment to ensuring rural America continues to advance.”
      Ponti-Lazaruk explained that RUS was working to improve rural water infrastructure, highlighting a $1.5 million project in Louisiana and a $2 million project in West Virginia. She also discussed the growing interrelation of utility services.
      “The three components of rural utilities are water, power and telecom,” Ponti-Lazaruk explained. “Water utilities use two percent of the generated power, according to the EPA, and power generation is the second-largest consumer of water, after agriculture.”
      In addition to the connection of water and power, both utilities are using more communications technology to increase their control and efficiency. These technical developments are only reveal part of the future issues facing rural water, the other primary issue being staff.
      “Kids usually don’t growing up wanting to be wastewater technicians,” Ponti-Lazaruk said, inciting laughter from the audience. “If they do, they’re usually an interesting sort.”
      Industry research has estimated that the water industry will lose 50 percent of its certified operators within ten years. Those positions may be difficult to replace, because the water industry is not often pursued as a career, but as a job that “just happens” or is pursued part-time. Ponti-Lazaruk explained efforts to create information, education and apprenticeship programs that would train the next generation of water professionals. Professionals that are more critical than most understand.
      “These are environmental careers, these are business development careers,” Ponti-Lazaruk explained.
      “In a community, it’s a life or death job,” added Steve Heare, from the EPA office of ground water and drinking water. “It’s as important as police officers or firefighters.”
      In addition to future workforce issues, Heare discussed the current swell of funding for rural water, both through normal appropriations and through the economic stimulus bill or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The stimulus will provide the water industry with the most funding ever, but the distribution of those funds will not be easy.
      “It’s a challenge, making all the provisions work,” Heare explained, citing Buy American Provisions, fair distribution and time restraints. “We have to make them all work and make them work fast.”
      The benefit of the extra funding, though, is that NRWA will be able to restore its source water protection program, a personal favorite of Heare’s.
      “Source water protection is more important now than ever,” he said. “The work that has been accomplished by your state affiliates has been nothing short of phenomenal.”                The rural water audience cheered the slate of guest speakers, and then began the first of two days of visits and lobbying on Capitol Hill.

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