JAY VILLAGE, Maine – When a massive water leak drained the tanks of the Jay Village Water District and threatened to consume the supplies of the Livermore Falls Water District, experts from the Maine Rural Water Association worked through a blizzard to help locate the leak and restore water to the communities. “I got the… Read more »
DUNCAN, Okla. – When extremely cold temperatures moved through the Southern U.S in January, several water utilities struggled with hard freezes, broken pipes and low pressure. Rural Water professionals from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi worked to find leaks, make repairs and restore service to the impacted communities. News reports indicated that weather-related boil orders doubled… Read more »
NARANJITO, Puerto Rico – The Las Cruces water system in Naranjito, Puerto Rico lost power when Hurricane Maria made landfall on Sept. 20, 2017. The system was without power for over 100 days before officials from the National Rural Water Association arrived to assess the system. “They were the first to visit us, they were… Read more »
Interview with Kathy Horne, Executive Director of Alabama Rural Water Association and member of NRWA Emergency Response Committee. Emergency Response Training in Cairo, Ga.
CAIRO, Ga. – Emergency: A Rural Water team starts loading diesel generators onto a semi-trailer while others methodically work through the process of connecting generators and bypass pumps. It’s only a few weeks after hurricanes like Harvey and Irma made landfall, and 83 Rural Water experts from 23 states are in Cairo, Georgia, training for… Read more »
CAIRO, Ga. – After Hurricane Irma left a swath of communities in Georgia without power, the Alabama city of Fort Payne sent a crew of workers and generators into their neighboring state. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources honored their efforts by presenting them coins at the emergency response training held on Oct. 11 in… Read more »
EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. – Hurricane Irma left Everglades City, Fla. devastated – there was no power, storm surges left a coat of filthy, grey mud on everything, and the city’s sewer system was dangerously close to overflowing. Emergency assistance from the Florida Rural Water Association helped keep the system working until workers could make repairs…. Read more »
DUNCAN, Okla. – Emergency Response teams from the Florida Rural Water Association and Georgia Rural Water Association staged personnel, equipment and supplies outside the heaviest areas of the storm and have begun assisting utilities after Irma’s landfall. Associations started making detailed plans as the storms approached, assessing potentiality-impacted systems and outlining the generators and equipment… Read more »
HOUSTON, Texas – The Immediate Response Information System, or IRIS, is proving its value to water and wastewater utilities after hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The IRIS system gives organizations the ability to broadcast information through phone calls, text messages, email and social media. “The IRIS system sent notifications to thousands of subscribers in Texas and… Read more »
DUNCAN, Okla. – Staff from the Texas Rural Water Association and the Louisiana Rural Water Association have begun providing assistance to the small water and wastewater utilities affected by Hurricane Harvey. As flood waters recede, these water professionals are beginning to assess systems, provide emergency power generation and provide assistance with repairs. TRWA has already… Read more »