Category: Newsletter
Water on Whidbey January 2021
Water on Whidbey December 2020

A monthly newsletter from
Whidbey Island Water Systems Association
December 2020
Welcome to the WIWSA December 2020 Newsletter!
During these challenging times when we cannot meet in person, we are sending a monthly newsletter to keep our community up to speed with water news. We send this newsletter to our email list and post it on our website. We aim to provide an easy place to find all the month’s news and upcoming events.
Please share this newsletter with your fellow water system board members, commissioners, operators, members, friends, neighbors, and anyone who drinks water on Whidbey and beyond, and encourage them to subscribe.
News from Whidbey Island Water Systems Association
- We have a vacancy on the board of directors of WIWSA. Ideally we’d like to fill this position at the Annual Meeting. Please read the full announcement here.
- Our Annual Member Meeting will be December 10th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm via Zoom. Please save the date. We’ll post an agenda and send an invitation email closer to the meeting. Remember that to receive the invitation email with the meeting link you need to subscribe to this email service. We will be voting on a number of items including the 2021 budget and electing directors. Please remember that only members in good standing may vote.
News from our Partners
- AWWA is offering a Water Storage Basics Workshop on December 8th. WIWSA members can attend at the reduced AWWA member rate of $60.
- The Office of Drinking Water is changing reporting requirements for the annual Water Use Efficiency (WUE) report and have scheduled a webinar on Thursday, January 7, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 (noon) to discuss the changes.
Further details of these events are on our website
- BC Water News — Kid of the year: ‘Time’ magazine honors 15-year-old water scientistNPR reports that Gitanjali Rao, a Colorado teenager who invented a mobile device to test for lead in drinking water, is Time’s Kid of the Year for 2020.
- NRWA’s Rural Water Wire for 12/3/2020 has a timely article on preventing frozen pipes.
- Wateroperator.org sent a December Webinar Reminder for a webinar on … how to do an outstanding webinar! December 10, 11 am – 12:30 pm. Free, Registration required.
- WaterOperator.org Newsletter – December 1, 2020 has an interesting article on new technologies for small water systems. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently announced a new funding opportunity for the Deployment of Innovative Water Technologies for Very Small Drinking Water Systems, Areas Served by Private Wells and Source Waters.”
- The AWWA Virtual Summit is now Online
- The WA Ecology/Health Draft PFAS Chemical Action Plan has been issued for comment. The Chemical Action Plan (CAP) team is extending the public comment period on the Draft PFAS CAP until January 4, 2021.
- Langley approves utility rate increases | South Whidbey Record
- The Island County Planning Commission held a public hearing on code changes around Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). The Planning Commission referred the proposed changes back to staff for further work. Most of the concerns were around drinking water impacts.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to catch up with news while giving your eyes a rest. Here are some of the best water podcasts. You can also find the links on the resources page of our web site.
- Circle of Blue What’s Up With Water “What’s Up With Water” condenses the need-to-know news on the world’s water into a weekly snapshot.
- Water Environment Federation Words on Water A podcast featuring conversations with influential and interesting people from the water sector and news from the Water Environment Federation.
- The H2duO Water in Real Life Award-winning communication professionals, Arianne Shipley and Stephanie Corso, aka The H2duO, chat with thought-leaders from both inside and outside of the water industry to serve as a resource for both personal and professional growth. Water in Real Life was created for water professionals who believe that if you desire to build the right relationships with your community, and thereby overcome many of the challenges you face, then your ability to connect with them through storytelling is essential.
Do you have news you want to share?
If you have water news you’d like to share with the water drinkers of Whidbey Island, please send a message to mail (at) whidbeywatersystems.org
Subscribe!
Don”t forget to subscribe to receive our emails including this monthly newsletter and quarterly meeting invitations.
Water on Whidbey November 2020

A monthly newsletter from
Whidbey Island Water Systems Association
November 2020
November 2020 Newsletter
Welcome to the WIWSA November 2020 Newsletter!
During these challenging times when we cannot meet in person, we plan to send a monthly newsletter to keep our community up to speed with water news. We’ll send this newsletter to our email list and post it on our website. We aim to provide an easy place to find all the month’s news and web content.
Please share this newsletter with your fellow water system board members, commissioners, operators, members, friends and neighbors, and anyone who drinks water, and please encourage them to subscribe.
News from Whidbey Island Water Systems Association
- Today is the last day to register for RCAC’s free workshop on Asset Management for Small Water Systems on November 10th. Space is filling up fast, so please download the flyer and register today!

- We still have a vacancy on the board of directors of WIWSA. Ideally we’d like to take this opportunity to boost the representation of Group B water systems in the association by having a Group B member system join the board. Please read the full announcement here.
- Our next Quarterly Member Meeting will be December 10th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm via Zoom. Please save the date. We’ll post an agenda and send a reminder email closer to the date of the meeting. Remember that to receive the invitation email with the meeting link you need to subscribe to this email service.
News from our Partners
- AWWA News
- Following conveniently after our Asset Management Training, AWWA is offering free training on Optimization & Accessing Funding to Improve Small Systems on November 30th and December 1st
- The AWWA Virtual Summit is now Online
- Circle of Blue has a great overview of the varying levels of drinking water regulations from national to local: Explainer: Who regulates U.S. drinking water, and how?
- Also in the theme of asset management and water system finance, WaterOperator.org‘s latest newsletter is devoted to Small Water System Financial Resiliency and includes some great links to usable tools.
- The WA Ecology/Health Draft PFAS Chemical Action Plan has been issued for comment (post updated)
Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to catch up with news while giving your eyes a rest. Here are some of the best water podcasts. You can also find the links on the resources page of our web site.
- Circle of Blue What’s Up With Water “What’s Up With Water” condenses the need-to-know news on the world’s water into a weekly snapshot.
- Water Environment Federation Words on Water A podcast featuring conversations with influential and interesting people from the water sector and news from the Water Environment Federation.
- The H2duO Water in Real Life Award-winning communication professionals, Arianne Shipley and Stephanie Corso, aka The H2duO, chat with thought-leaders from both inside and outside of the water industry to serve as a resource for both personal and professional growth. Water in Real Life was created for water professionals who believe that if you desire to build the right relationships with your community, and thereby overcome many of the challenges you face, then your ability to connect with them through storytelling is essential.
Do you have news you want to share?
If you have water news you’d like to share with the water drinkers of Whidbey Island, please send a message to mail@whidbeywatersystems.org
Subscribe!
Don’t forget to subscribe to receive our emails including this monthly newsletter and quarterly meeting invitations.
Welcome to the WIWSA October Newsletter!
During these challenging times when we cannot meet in person, we plan to send a monthly newsletter to keep our members up to speed with water news. We’ll send this newsletter to our email list and post it on our website. We aim to provide an easy place to find all the month’s news and upcoming events.
News from Whidbey Island Water Systems Association
- Our September Quarterly members meeting was held via zoom. Guest speaker Jeff Tasoff of Davido Consulting Group gave a talk on Small Water System Asset Management, focusing on the equipment inventory part that many small systems find challenging. Jeff’s talk was a great preparation for our forthcoming RCAC Asset Management workshop
- Past president of WIWSA Jim Patton is stepping down from the board to focus on running his own water system. This leaves us with a vacancy on the board. Ideally we’d like to take this opportunity to boost the representation of Group B water systems in the association by having a Group B member system join the board. Please read the full announcement here.
- Our next Quarterly Member Meeting will be December 10th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm via Zoom. Please save the date. We’ll post an agenda and send a reminder email closer to the meeting.
Upcoming Events
- RCAC is holding a free workshop on Asset Management Planning and Resources on November 10th. Save the date, and look for an email with details and a registration link in the next few days.
- AWWA-PNW is holding an online Emergency Preparedness Workshop in two sessions on October 28th and November 4th.
- AWWA is offering free training on Optimization & Accessing Funding to Improve Small Systems on November 30th and December 1st, following conveniently our Asset Management Training
Further details of these events are on our website
Other News
- The October edition of AWWA Opflow is available
- The AWWA Virtual Summit is now Online
- Circle of Blue has a great overview of the varying levels of drinking water regulations from national to local: Explainer: Who regulates U.S. drinking water, and how?
- Also in the theme of asset management and water system finance, WaterOperator.org‘s latest newsletter is devoted to Small Water System Financial Resiliency and includes some great links to usable tools.
- The WA Ecology/Health Draft PFAS Chemical Action Plan has been issued for comment