The Public Information Committee announces Drinking Water Week May 4-10 2008. Provided below are resources for your use during Drinking Water Week.

• Article for your website
• Drinking Water Week banner graphic for your website
• Draft press release announcing Drinking Water Week
• Draft proclamation for a city or government official
• Logo from the “Only Tap Water Delivers” campaign

Please contact Lynn Proctor for more information 757.385.8476 or lproctor@vbgov.com.

A report examining the potential impacts of global climate change on drinking water supplies, Implications of Climate Change for Urban Water Utilities , is now available on AMWA's new climate change webpage, www.amwa.net/cs/climatechange. Click here to view the report.

The presentations made at the 2007 VA AWWA Research Committee Seminar, entitled The Total Coliform and Distribution System Rules: Where are we Headed?, are available for download below:

• Chris Owen - A Utility's Perspective on the Total Coliform Rule
• Jon Standridge - E. Coli as a Drinking Water Public Health Indicator
• Kala Fleming - Susceptibility of PWS to Negative Pressure Transients
• Gregg Kirmeyer - Design, Operation and Maintenance of Distribution Systems to Address
Public Health Risks
• Steve Allgeier - EPA's Water Security Initiative
• Tamim Younos - Pathogens in Natural and Engineered Water Systems: Emerging Issues

The VA AWWA Water Resources & Environment Committee has made the presentations from its 2007 Water Supply Planning Seminar available for download. The presentations are as follows:

• Andrea Putscher - Data Sources for Self-Supplied Users
• Angela M. Neilan - Who Cares about Water Supply Planning
• Bob Hume - regulatory perspective
• Dee Hartman - Alternatives
• Erik Hagen - Risk Analysis with Multiple Sources
• Joe Hassell - Water Demand Projections & Safe Yield
• Paula Dye - Tampa Bay Water, A Regional Water Supply Authority
• Scott Kudlas - Water Supply Planning Requirements and Permitting Issues
• Tom Fredrick - Public Participation in Water Supply Planning and Development
• Whitney Katchmark - Hampton Roads Water Supply Planning Process

VDH will be holding its series of informational meetings on the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and Water Supply Assistance Fund (WSAGF) programs for 2007 in each region of the state during February 21-28, 2007. Source water protection, construction fund, and set-asides applications for this year are due March 30, 2007, and planning & design grant applications are due August 24, 2007. For more information and grant application materials visit VDH's Drinking Water Funding Page.

Looking for ways to conserve water? Check out AWWA's WaterWiser, a comprehensive, interactive web site where you can find news and information, participate in discussion forums, search for conservation programs, and much more.

Does your utility serve 10,000 or fewer? If so, consider the resources AWWA offers through its Small Utility Network (SUN). The SUN offers assistance to all small utilities, through online calculators and spreadsheets, topic specific pages, links, and more! Small utilities can also contact the Small Systems Helpline (800-366-0107) for technical assistance.

Interested in improving your utility's performance, efficiency, and customer satisfaction? Check out QualServe, AWWA's voluntary quality improvement program. QualServe offers self-assessments, peer reviews, benchmarking, accreditation, and customer satisfaction surveys to help your utility continually improve its performance.

Attention surface water utilities: consider joining the Partnership for Safe Water (PSW), a voluntary program designed to help you optimize your treatment plant performance and minimize the risk of microbial protection. Benefits of participating in the PSW include development of a customized performance plan, increased public and regulator confidence, and access to methods and benchmarking data.