feature
In North Carolina, the number of Schedule 1 & 2 systems was very small,
on the order of about 120 systems total. However, the number of Schedule
3 & 4 systems is around 2100, all of which will begin Stage 2 compliance
monitoring on October 1, 2013. The majority of Schedule 3 & 4 systems
are very small systems with a population under 500 (approximately 70%),
often having minimal resources and a nominal understanding of the
intricacies of the various Rules. Through the collaborative efforts of the
PWS Section and the NC Rural Water Association (NCRWA), we have
held a vast series of almost weekly CMPworkshops across the entire state
in an effort to not only provide training to the NCRWA, regional office
staff, and water system operators in the preparation of these plans, but to
provide valuable Stage 2 information and assist with the on-site completion
and approval of the CMPs. PWS Section staff developed a comprehensive
presentation for these workshops to provide Stage 2 and CMP information,
while NCRWA provided copies of the CMP forms, the presentation, and
survey sheets to gauge the success of the workshops. NCRWA canvassed
the state for a variety of locations willing to host our efforts, including
water treatment plants, regional offices, and town halls while providing
a great deal of publicity and pre-workshop system preparation for these
workshops in addition to the promotional work of the PWS Section
regional staff. At each workshop, PWS Section begins the day with our
Stage 2 presentation, and then PWS Section and NCRWA staff spend
several hours assisting individual systems with the completion of the
plans. Often, NCRWA is able to help a system complete their plan so that
a brief review by PWS Section central office staff is all that is needed for
an approval. By providing hands-on assistance with the completion of
the plans in an intimate and friendly setting, water system operators and
owners are able to obtain the help they need without being afraid to ask
questions. At the end of each workshop, the majority of systems leave
with an approved CMP.
Through these joint efforts, we have seen a marked increase in the
number of CMPs submitted and approved, and we have seen a large
increase in the number of attendees at each progressive workshop.
NCRWA has also provided a large amount of on-site help to specific
water systems outside of the workshops as well, thereby increasing the
number of plans received immediately following each workshop. We
believe strongly that at least a third of the received plans (approximately
1,050 as of May 15, 2013) are in direct response to the CMP workshops
and the efforts of NCRWA and PWS Section regional staff, and many
of the plans are from system representatives who indicate that they
would have had significant difficulties completing their plan correctly
on their own (based on NCRWA evaluation sheets from the seminars
and personal discussions between system and PWS Section staff). To
date, the PWS Section has approximately 750 plans approved, with
approximately 80 additional plans currently under review.
