Oklahoma Rural Water Association

PROJECT PURPOSE

This project will provide a multitude of benefits for the water industry, rural, municipal, and small community water systems, industry equipment/supply vendors and system personnel that receive technical assistance, training, and education. These systems will have greater opportunity to withstand negative economic impacts, emergencies, and disasters as well as the communities surrounding these water systems. This project will provide opportunity for ORWA to develop, expand, and collaborate with municipalities, electric cooperatives, other energy providers, and certification boards in the water industry to ensure needs and standards are not only met, but exceeded. ORWA is well positioned to deliver a stronger, well-trained workforce in the water industry that further assists Oklahoma in its effort to attract businesses to the state that will also provide growth and economic development. Opportunities in the Business Command Center would include: Operator Training, Board Member Training, Environmental Training, Career Training for Water & Wastewater Systems, Business Management Training, Technology Training & Development Lab, Advanced Applications, System Remote Operations Center, Sustainability Planning & Training, Regulatory Compliance Support, and Emergency Management.

EVIDENCE

The Business Command Center will provide statewide long-range sustainability planning and training for rural and small community water systems. It is imperative systems utilize Long-Range Sustainability Planning (LRSP), a requirement for their business viability. As LRSPs are developed and implementation begins, there will be an ever-increasing need for sustainability training. Our Project will provide a consistent venue for this critical training for Oklahoma water sustainability planning. ORWA has created a checklist of over twenty-five functions that must be completed to develop a LRSP. Components of our LRSP include Rate Analysis, Leak Detection, Cybersecurity, Emergency Response Planning, Policies and Procedures, Asset Management, Capacity Development, Mapping, Drone technologies with infrared cameras, DuPont Analysis, Energy Auditing, Hydraulic Analysis, and Water Auditing. As such our metrics are validated through each of our partners, members and agencies awarding contracts and grants that require specific reporting as required by ODEQ, Office of Energy & Environment, Oklahoma Department of Commerce, OWRB, Cherokee Nation and other tribal entities, Oklahoma Workforce, and the National Rural Water Association that includes EPA, DOL and USDA. Impact is also measured through trained personnel, job creation/retention, system sustainability, and evaluation of trainings.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

The most impacted communities have been smaller water systems in rural areas, with significantly low-income populations. They operate with minimum personnel and many of their operators, staff and customers contracted Covid, disrupting their families, businesses, and finances. Rural communities and their respective water systems are geographically located in remote areas and are disproportionately impacted due to lack of services, materials/supplies and other resources readily available in metropolitan areas. Rural water systems are frequently disadvantaged due to cost-share per customer limitations; meaning each rural water customer carries a larger burden of the cost, as opposed to systems serving a larger customer base. Located in rural and impoverished areas, many water systems have not replaced aging infrastructure or adopted newer technologies that would allow better efficiencies in managing their systems. This Project would reduce several of these burdens.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

We use Microsoft Project to track the entire educational program, including manpower loads, costs, schedules, and financial metrics for all training and business projects. Since the Business Command Center will not only be a training center, but an operations control center and emergency management response center, we are required to track the performance of our staff and programs. Performance will also be measured through attendance of trainings, trained professionals, licensed professionals, and system impact and participation. Additionally, we have a Program Manager on our staff that oversees our programs and collects required programmatic data through required contract and grant reporting.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma