National Rural Water Association
2915 S. 13th Street
Duncan, OK 73533
580-252-0629 FAX 580-255-4476
Contact:
Chris Wilson, nrwacw@nrwa.org
June 10, 2009
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Aust nominated for EPA Workgroup
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Mel Aust has been nominated to serve on the
EPA’s new workgroup on water system sustainability. Aust
was appointed to represent the National Rural Water Association by the
Association President, Fred Sheldon.
“I
selected him because he operates a small system, he has lots of
management experience and he’s a hard worker,” Sheldon said of Aust.
“President Sheldon appointed me to represent small systems, and I’m
delighted to do that,” Aust said.
The
workgroup was convened to discuss the future sustainability of water and
wastewater utilities.
“Money
was put into the EPA budget to look at the sustainability of water
systems,” explained Ed Thomas, NRWA Engineer and EPA Specialist. “They want to create a process to determine how funding is distributed through
the State Revolving Loan Funds.”
Any
changes to these SRFs would affect a large amount of funding that flows
through states to utilities.
“Ultimately, this group will influence decisions that will affect
utilities nation-wide,” Aust said.
First
appointed as the California representative to NRWA in 2001, Aust was
elected to the Executive Board in 2002. In 2008 Aust was elected
Treasurer of the NWRA Executive Board, and as Treasurer, serves as chair
for the NRWA Finance Committee. He also serves on the NRWA/AWWA Finance
Committee.
With an extensive 38-year
background in the drinking water and wastewater industry and a native
Californian, Aust began his career in 1971 with the City of Garden Grove
finishing as their Water Quality Manager. Between 1984 and1989 he
served in the capacity of General Manager for Glen Avon Mutual Water
Company and Assistant General Manager to Jurupa Community Services
District in Riverside. In 1989, Aust assumed the General Manager’s
position of Stonehouse Mutual Water Company and oversaw the merger with
Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District in 1993.
Aust is a Director for
the California Rural Water Association. He has served on the Water
Quality Committee and the Management & Development Committee for the
California/Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association.
Aust was awarded “Manager
of the Year” by the Wine Country Water Works Association. He’s authored
two papers: “Reclamation Balances Resources in an Adjudicated Basin” and
“Land Use Planning & Relationship to Recycled Water” both of which were
presented at Wateruse Association of California Conferences.
Aust
has a degree in management from Rancho Santiago College and is currently
employed as General Manager of the Hidden Valley Lake Community Service
District in Middletown, CA.
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