Water Equation raises funding to support AWWA volunteer project teams across the country. These teams assist with engineering services for communities that would not otherwise have the opportunity to address water and wastewater system issues. We have found that many times these are communities of migrant workers, elderly, or those living under the national poverty level. This partnership of AWWA, Engineers without Borders-USA, and American Society of Civil Engineers continues to recruit volunteers to help communities in need of projects like those mentioned below.
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The St. Clairsville Area Water Company (SCAWC) is a small water system which supplies an average daily demand of 25,000 gallons per day (gpd). to about 400 residents, is owned by its customers and is located in Bedford County in south-central Pennsylvania. The current St. Clairsville sources of supply and treatment plant were constructed on donated private property, are managed and operated by volunteers with supplemental twice monthly visits from a certified operator.
In recent years, the water system components have begun to age, and repairs or replacement are needed. Even though the operators pride themselves with maintaining good water quality, the community volunteers have struggled with maintaining compliance with the many and varied regulatory requirements of a community water system. In the last few years SCAWC has received numerous notices of violations and citations from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). The CECorps project team is a group of volunteers recruited from AWWA, the University of Pennsylvania student chapter and RCAP.
The team conducted a feasibility study which looked at several future water supply options including installing a new treatment system (three alternatives examined) for the existing spring sources; drilling new groundwater wells; and inter-connection with a nearby water system. Organizational and management options examined included keeping local ownership and outsourcing operations; merger with another municipal system; and sale to a municipal authority or private company.
The project goals for SCAWC are to address current PA DEP violations, stay in full compliance with all drinking water regulations, continue to provide sufficient quantity of high-quality water to its customers and find a long-term solution to organizational and management needs.
Team is made up of the following individuals (not all are from the Section, some are from the Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania) Andrew Crew is the Project Lead Gene Koontz is the Responsible Engineer in Charge Ryan Khan Heath Edelman William Griski Denise Pereira Ahmad Mubarok
The Dairy Springs Water Association (DSWA) is a 501-C3 non-profit water association which oversees supplying safe drinking water to the Dairy Springs Campground and 50 surrounding summer cabins at Mormon Lake, Arizona on the Coconino National Forest between May 1st and October 15th.
After years of trying to reduce their turbidity below 1 ntu with their anthracite filter system and flocculant, they have requested assistance to explain how to properly operate their water filter to consistently obtain cleaner water.
The scope of work currently being carried out by the team is to provide the system owners with an operations and maintenance manual for their system, construction plans relevant to any improvements suggested, and regulatory submittals that pertain to those engineering design improvements.