Illinois Section AWWA

Legislative Update - August 31, 2011

2011-08-31T14:41:00.000-05:00

They don’t refer to August as “dog days” for nothing, and government and political activity generally follows that tenet, with government and political activity taking a breather from the hectic pace of legislative sessions while girding for upcoming policy and election battles. As the month of August began the legislative session had been over for a few months, the budget had been enacted, and the review of legislative initiatives sent to the Governor by the General Assembly had pretty much been completed, with a few exceptions. The only real news-worthy public activity taking place was the parade of gubernatorial bill signings, and those ended yesterday.

What’s left that’s publication “newsworthy” isn’t much, so the press and others tend to focus on minutiae that probably wouldn’t be afforded space at any other time of the year. For politicians, the month of August is almost like a month of Sundays. Elected officials often schedule press conferences on Sundays because they can be notoriously slow news days and present a better chance of generating press coverage. In August, those opportunities arise almost every day. The press almost prays for huge events, such as Hurricane Irene, because that gives them something of substance to report. Otherwise, the news would be completely filled with such earth shattering stories as Governor Quinn criticizing Speaker Madigan for attending a fund-raiser where U.S. House Speaker John Boehner had appeared, or the incessant bickering between Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel.

However, as far as the state’s fiscal condition is concerned, August has been a month where some interesting developments have occurred. The press has reported on some, but not others.

Little has been reported on legislative hearings that have taken place over the past few months for the purposes of hearing ideas from the business community on reducing the overall corporate tax burden. Businesses complained about the impact of the income tax increase and the hearings were announced as the legislative session adjourned. During the hearings business interests have urged such policies as the corporate income tax being reduced to a more competitive level, extending Research and Development Tax credits, and a number of other suggestions. However, there has been some suggestion that any tax reductions or credit expansions be “revenue neutral,” meaning cuts in other business incentives would have to take place to offset such actions. That idea hasn’t found much favor, but many legislators have indicated that in light of the nagging deficits there may be no other way. At one point the suggestion was made to reduce the corporate income tax but remove all other corporate tax incentives in exchange. So far that idea has very little traction. It is expected that some report or recommendations may arise by the beginning of the legislative veto session in October, but it’s also a good bet that the hearing might have been a forum to allow the business community let off steam with little else occurring as a result.

For the last number of years a managed care program for Medicaid has been touted as a way to get expenses under control. Two years ago a pilot program was approved to determine how Medicaid managed care might work but the result may not have been “what the doctor ordered.” Efforts are now underway to establish the pilot program in the Chicago metropolitan area but many doctors and hospitals are refusing to join, saying that they don’t want to deal with the bureaucracies or other managed care requirements. With an eventual goal of 50% of the state’s Medicaid recipients being targeted for inclusion in managed care, there needs to be some real attention paid to this issue.

Illinois law requires hospitals to provide charity care in exchange for property tax exemptions that those hospitals received. An acceptable threshold of charity care has never been defined in the statutes or by administrative rule, and there has been some, but not cacophonous, controversy over the issue in the past. Not anymore. In a highly controversial ruling the Illinois Department of Revenue has denied the property tax exemption of three Illinois hospitals, Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago, Edwards Hospital in Naperville, and Decatur Memorial Hospital based on an insufficient amount of charity care. The hospitals, obviously, are appealing. But, when the dust settles one way or another there will be an impact on health care policy in the state of Illinois.

Reapportionment Challenge Update

The League of Women Voters has joined the suit asking that the reapportionment of Illinois legislative and congressional districts be overturned. However, their argument in urging the courts to trash the maps is one that has never been used in such a case before, the First Amendment. Historically, reapportionment challenges have been based on voting rights and other such issues. The League of Women Voters suit hinges on a comment made by a U.S. Supreme Court justice in a 2004 opinion on a reapportionment issue from another state.

In the meantime, candidates and office holders are busy trying to determine their futures, or lack thereof. There have already been a number of legislators who have indicated they will be taking a pass on 2012, or who will be trying to run for other offices. They need to start to finalize plans quickly because reelection petitions can officially be on the streets on September 6, and candidate filing begins on November 28. The reapportionment lawsuits that have been filed have asked courts to delay the filing date until legal issues are resolved. That may or may not happen. And with the odds of having the maps being thrown out being very long in the first place, the general expectation is that things will stay as they are so an early start is preferable.

There is one forthcoming House legislative race that sticks out like a sore thumb because of the oddity of circumstances. When any political party draws maps they try to protect their members while creating havoc with the other party. As a result, it’s not uncommon to see the losing party’s members drawn into new, unfamiliar districts or thrown in a district with another incumbent of the same party. It’s one of the rules that all candidates and office holders accept as part of the process. However, it’s very unusual for the winning party to draw a district that has their own incumbent living in the same district as an incumbent of the other party, but it’s happened. The newly drawn northwest Cook County/Lake County 59^th District includes both incumbent Republican Sid Mathias and Democrat Carol Sente. The neighboring districts all contain other incumbents so there is nowhere else to go for either of them … so both Mathias and Sente have announced that they will square off against each other. The district leans Democratic but Mathias has been in office for 14 years and was once the mayor of Buffalo Grove that makes up a healthy portion of the new district. This will be a real interesting race to watch.

Gaming Still At Square One

There has been no resolution on gaming expansion, but there may at least be some timetable so that some decisions can be made. There are three questions the Governor has to answer before the makes up his mind on what to do. First, does the amount of expansion equate to being excessive, as he has suggested? Second, can he afford to pass up potentially billions in revenue by vetoing it? And, third, is there a middle ground?

A parliamentary maneuver has kept the gaming bill from the Governor’s desk, but Senate President John Cullerton has indicated that he may time the removal of that roadblock with the last day of the legislative veto session, so that if some a compromise can be negotiated the legislature can approve a “trailer bill” in November and the Governor can then sign one after the other. A “trailer bill” is one that modifies a bill that has already passed and contains only the changes in the original bill. It spares the legislature from having to debate the whole bill again while clearing up whatever flaws might exist in the original.

There have been many discussions and demonstration regarding the pros and cons of expansion. But, until the Governor has the bill all those efforts are meaningless, and it looks like that day may be arriving soon.

Senate Bill 83 Approved

Against the wishes of the Water Utility Council and others, Governor Quinn gave final approval last weekend to Senate Bill 83, legislation that will profoundly impact the way that municipalities can acquire water systems by eminent domain.

The new law disregards basic tenets of fairness such as consideration of the populations of municipalities that are served by the current water utility. The legislation was designed to impact a situation in Will County where municipalities with 1% of the population can dictate a direction opposed by municipalities representing 99% of water users. Other provisions in the bill also create questionable public policy.

The municipalities that prompted the legislation have been at odds with their water supplier for a long time and have attempted numerous times to have legislation approved to tilt the playing field. All previous efforts failed. There is little doubt that a court fight looms if the provisions of this Act are put into play.

Drinking Water Protection Bills Signed

Earlier this month Governor Quinn signed three bills designed to help protect the water supply, one of which was result of direct negotiations and discussions with the Water Utility Council.

House Bill 248 was designed to allow the North Shore Sanitary District to enter into agreements to sell, convey, or disburse treated wastewater with any public or private entity located within or outside of the boundaries of the sanitary district. However, the Water Utility Council raised concerns with District as well as bill sponsors about oversight and the need for appropriate EPA or PCB rules. Subsequently the bill was amended to address Water Utility Council concerns, requiring that any agreements be subject to orders of the Pollution Control Board.

The Governor also signed two other bills, House Bill 2056 and House Bill 3090 that address safe pharmaceutical disposal. House Bill 2056 creates a pharmaceutical collection and disposal program to safely dispose of excess medications and House Bill 3030 allows cities and villages to use city halls and police departments as places to locate suitable receptacles for used, unwanted or expired pharmaceuticals. Last year, the Water Utilities Council testified before a legislative committee investigating pharmaceuticals in drinking water, the potential impact, and possible solutions.

Legislative Announcements

Sens. Larry Bomke (R-Springfield), Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora) and David Koehler (D-Peoria) and Reps. Jerry Mitchell (R-Sterling) and Franco Coladipietro (R-Bloomingdale) have announced they will retire after their current terms and not seek reelection. Lauzen indicated he plans to run for Kane County Board Chairman, and Koehler announced that he will be a candidate for Congress.

State Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) has resigned. He has been replaced by Rep. Paul Evans.

Veto Session

The General Assembly will convene on October 25, 26, 27 and November 8,9,10 for its veto session.

Bills of Interest

Only bills that are still alive are listed.

HB 248 – Rep. May/Sen. Garrett - Amends the North Shore Sanitary District Act. Authorizes the board of trustees of a sanitary district to enter into an agreement to sell, convey, or disburse treated wastewater with any public or private entity located within or outside of the boundaries of the sanitary district. Provides that any use of treated wastewater by any public or private entity shall be subject to the orders of the Pollution Control Board. (Current Status: Approved – PA 97-500)

HB 308 – Rep. Tryon/Sen. Link - Creates the Closed Loop Well Contractors Certification Board. Provides that the Closed Loop Well Contractors Certification Board shall advise and aid the Director in (i) preparing subject matter for continuing education sessions, (ii) adopting rules, (iii) holding examinations, (iv) holding hearings, (v) submitting recommendations to the Director, (vi) grading all tests and examinations, (vii) performing other duties, and (viii) conferring with the Water Well and Pump Installation Contractors Licensing Board. Amends the Illinois Water Well Construction Code. Provides that the Department shall by rule require a one-time fee for permits for the construction, modification, or abandonment of closed loop well. Provides that all closed loop contractors shall be certified by the Department. Provides that all closed loop contractors who are certified may not engage in the occupation of closed loop well contractor unless he or she is registered with the Department. (Current Status: Approved – PA 97-363)

HB 1657 – Rep. Bellock/Sen. Althoff - Adds an Illinois congressional delegation member, or his or her designee, to be appointed by the Governor to the Task Force on the Conservation and Quality of the Great Lakes. Provides that no later than June 1 of each year, the Task Force shall submit a report to the General Assembly outlining its recommendations concerning legislative actions to protect the water quality and supply of the Great Lakes. (Current Status: Approved – PA 97-213)

HB 2056 – Rep. Osmond/Sen. Schmidt - Excludes from the definition of "pollution control facility" the portion of a site or facility used to incinerate only pharmaceuticals from residential sources that are in the possession or control of a law enforcement agency. Authorizes a law enforcement agency to collect pharmaceuticals from residential sources and to incinerate the collected pharmaceuticals in a manner that is consistent with rules adopted by the Agency. Authorizes the Department of State Police to use moneys in the Household Pharmaceutical Disposal Fund to make grants to local law enforcement agencies for the purpose of facilitating the collection and incineration of pharmaceuticals from residential sources. Defines "law enforcement agency". Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Requires a $20 assessment to be levied against persons who commit specified drug offenses. Authorizes the Circuit Clerk to retain 5% of the penalties collected. Provides that a law enforcement agency may collect pharmaceuticals from residential sources and transport those pharmaceuticals to an incinerator permitted by the Environmental Protection Agency to be incinerated in accordance with the permit, permit conditions, the Act, and rules adopted under the Act. (Current Status: Approved – PA 97-545)

HB 3090 – Rep. Arroyo/Sen. Delgado - Provides that any city, village, or municipality may authorize the use of its city hall or police department to display a container suitable for use as a receptacle for used, expired, or unwanted pharmaceuticals. Provides that the used, expired, or unwanted pharmaceuticals may include unused medication and prescription drugs. Provides that the receptacle shall only permit the deposit of items, and the contents shall be locked and secured. Provides that the container shall be accessible to the public and shall have posted clearly legible signage indicating that expired or unwanted prescription drugs may be disposed of in the receptacle. (Current Status: Approved – PA 97-546)

2011-08-29T08:15:00.000-05:00

Illinois Section AWWA – Water Utility Council
Legislative Update – August 25, 2011
Jerry Bever, WUC Chair

You Win Some and Then You Win Some More!

Water Utility Council Has Positive Impact on Legislation.

The Illinois Section AWWA’s Water Utility Council (WUC) monitors and responds to legislation that may affect water utilities within our state. The WUC worked closely with legislators and stakeholders to positively impact this new legislation. The following link is a press release by Governor Quinn’s office regarding three of the bills that the WUC worked on this past year.

http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/PressReleasesListShow.cfm?RecNum=9678

CHICAGO -- Gov. Pat Quinn has signed three bills he says will help conserve and protect drinking water in the state.

One bill allows recycled, treated wastewater to be used for purposes that don't include consumption, such as watering golf courses or parks. Experts say this would save drinking water used for the same purposes.

Two other bills that Quinn signed Wednesday deal with safely disposing of pharmaceuticals and prescription medicines to keep them out of the water system. The first of these bills, creating a pharmaceutical collection and disposal program, is a result of efforts by students at high schools in Pontiac and Antioch. The final bill will allow municipalities to display containers to collect used, expired or unwanted medications.

House Bill 248 allows the North Shore Sanitary District to sell gray water for non-potable use. The original bill raised numerous concerns for the protection of the public coming in contact with the gray water, and the protection of source water that may come in contact with the gray water. The WUC worked with Senator Susan Garrett and other legislators to make our concerns known, and were successful in getting the following amendment added to the bill. The amendment places the responsibility back on the Illinois Pollution Control Board to insure that only properly treated (disinfected) gray water is able to be sold.

Senate Committee Amendment No. 1
Further amends the North Shore Sanitary District Act. Provides that any use of treated wastewater by any public or private entity shall be subject to the orders of the Pollution Control Board.

House Bills 2056 and 3090 both provide additional means of safeguarding our source water from contamination of improperly disposed of pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs. WUC members testimony and contact with legislators helped to support the passage of these bills.

Risky Business - Water Utilty Council Update

2011-08-01T12:03:00.002-05:00

Risky Business

After a rocky beginning, the road has been anything but smooth during the first month of the state fiscal year. The Governor signed off on the budget late on June 30. In the process he surprised everyone by pretty much going along with what the General Assembly sent to him … it had been expected that he would trim and create a pool or revenue that could be reallocated according to his wishes by the legislature in the fall. But he did have one surprise up his sleeve when he announced that he was axing state employee cost of living increases that had been negotiated last year, explaining that the legislature didn’t provide enough money to fund them.

State employee unions have gone ballistic at Governor’s action and have gone to court and arbitration seeking to force payment of the increases. And so far, they’ve been victorious in each contested hearing or court proceeding, arguing that an agreement is an agreement and the state has a duty to fulfill its contractual obligations. In the press they have insinuated that if the negotiated raises are allowed to be sacked then the whole idea of future multi-year collective bargaining is at risk.

As of this past week there is still a stalemate with Governor Quinn insisting that the legislature has the appropriating power and the responsibility to provide enough to fund any raises or personnel costs and that his hands are tied. The General Assembly, on the other hand, insists that the Governor has other personnel moves that could be made, such as layoffs or elimination of other positions, to allow the raises to be paid.

The Governor has also requested that the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) approve deferring the raises by rule. JCAR members, comprised of twelve legislators, have treated the Governor’s request as a hot, hot potato, deferring any action until the issue is resolved by the courts.

Notwithstanding the push by the Governor to throw blame in other places, there are a few factors that boomerang the issue right back to is front door. First, he wasn’t much of a factor or participant in budget negotiations this past session, the legislature creating their own plan using conservative revenue and spending plan estimates almost $2 billion below that of the Governor’s initial request. Second, this is a contract that the Governor himself negotiated last summer and fall so the burden for the raises falls squarely on his shoulders, and in the end the speculation is that the courts will determine the same. Recalling some of the court decisions rendered during the recent legislative overtime sessions, when judges ruled that state employees had to be paid regardless whether or not a budget was in place, suggests that the Governor is on very shaky ground and should be looking in every nook and cranny for a way to identify the $75 million that will be needed to fund the increases.

Reapportionment Maps Challenged

Both the newly drawn state and congressional maps have been challenged in federal court, the lawsuits having been filed this past week. Even though the Illinois Supreme Court, according to the Illinois Constitution, has “exclusive jurisdiction” over the state map it is being challenged in federal court based upon voting rights issues, namely lack of an appropriate number of Hispanic/Latino districts as a primary basis. There is no timetable for any decisions but it is expected that the process will be expedited so prospective candidates can make decisions as quickly as possible.

The lawsuits have been filed by coalitions representing the Republican Party, who stand to lose the most if the new maps are approved. One important Hispanic/Latino organization, MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund), that has had some success in past redistricting court battles has not joined this battle but is reviewing it. With MALDEF joining the chances of a court victory are slim. Without them, it’s almost nil.

Historically, the losing side in redistricting fights will squawk and file a bevy of court suits. Similar activities are taking place throughout the nation where state legislatures are cutting up the remap “pie”. One thing to remember is that the GOP triumphs and takeovers in numerous states last November will allow them to maximize their ability to retain their current incumbents and creating as many new GOP state and congressional seats as possible. The GOP in Illinois wasn’t very lucky, but a victory in their court suit could jeopardize Republican gains in tens of other states where they hit the jackpot last year.

In the meantime, there is an expectation that the courts will uphold the Illinois maps. Congressman Tim Johnson (R-Champaign) even refused to join the suit, essentially saying he felt it was a waste of time. And, with petition filing set for early December candidate petitions can be on the streets in early September so candidates are making plans and preparing announcements. Expect that August will be very, very busy in that regard as incumbents and others weigh options and make decisions.

“Round and Round It Goes …”

Gaming expansion legislation and the efforts to convince the Governor to either sign or veto it have become more and more intense. The bill represents a huge increase in the number of additional casinos (five) as well as slot machines at race tracks. And, since the legislation was approved by the legislature with hardly a vote to spare, anything other than a gubernatorial signature puts the whole package in jeopardy. It’s anyone’s guess as to where the ball will drop at this point. The Governor has said the package is “excessive” but has not said he’ll veto it. The Chairman of the State Gaming Commission, the Chicago Tribune, and others are pressuring Governor Quinn to reject or change the plan. The impacted municipalities and others who see the additional revenue as a means of helping the state extricate itself from its fiscal morass are urging approval.

As all these forces put pressure on the Governor he doesn’t even have the bill before him and won’t until the President Cullerton withdraws a parliamentary motion that has kept the legislation in the possession of the Senate. If you recall, just moments after the expansion bill passed the Senate Cullerton filed a “motion to reconsider”. This common procedure prevents a bill from moving to the next stage … in this case the Governor’s desk. It may be that the push and pull of the gaming expansion debate will continue until the legislature reconvenes in late October. By that time there will either be a compromise that can muster the appropriate number of votes, or the Governor will have to make a decision that is sure to both elate and disappoint large numbers of Illinoisans.

Also, just a few weeks ago the Illinois Supreme Court nixed efforts to stop legislation that was approved for the purposes of funding capital construction projects. Part of the bill included legalizing video gaming and that portion was not part of what fueled the lawsuit, but a negative ruling by the Supreme Court would have required the legislature to reapprove it or go back to the drawing boards. The unanimous Supreme Court opinion approving the legislative procedure in question now injects thousands of video poker machines into the state gambling mix, in addition to providing one of the key revenue sources for construction projects throughout the state.

Legislative Appointments

Rep. Kent Gaffney has been appointed to complete the term of former Rep. Mark Beaubien who passed away in June.

Rep. Jerry Costello, Jr. has been appointed to replace former Rep. Dan Reitz who resigned.

Representative Dave Winters (R-Rockford) and Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) have announced they will not seek reelection in 2012. There may be quite a few such announcements in the coming weeks.

Veto Session

The General Assembly will convene on October 25, 26, 27 and November 8,9,10 for its veto session.

Bills of Interest

Only bills that are still alive are listed.

Questionable Strategy

2011-06-30T07:03:00.003-05:00

“What were they thinking?” That seems to be the gist of the post-mortem commentary on the ill fated attempt by the state Senate to add $431 million to the budget in the closing hours of the legislative session that ended on May 31. The anticipated showdown over that strategy ended with a whimper when the Legislature returned to Springfield last week to quickly and quietly remove the added funds by withdrawing an amendment to the capital construction bill that that threatened to halt billions of dollars worth of projects.

It may have seemed like a good idea at the time, and the strategy was fairly simple … approve the budget bills but throw additional spending on a bill that simply had to be passed, the bill for capital construction projects. In other circumstances the strategy might have paid off, but when a moving force meets and unmovable object then something has to give. When the unmovable object happens to be Speaker Michael Madigan then, most likely, the force will crumble. And crumble it did.

Madigan and House Minority Leader Tom Cross agreed early in the session to work together to rein in spending, jointly adopted and preserved a spending estimate that was $2 billion below what the Governor requested in March and $1 billion below the spending goal adopted by the Senate, and they were steadfast in their refusal to budge. A coterie of Democratic senators, mostly relatively new, girded for battle and ready to go to the mat for the higher spending levels. Exasperated by a May 31 deadline and little cooperation from the House for a compromise they embarked upon and convinced their Democratic brethren to adopt the capital bill amendment strategy. After the capital bill with its additional spending reached the House Madigan responded by filing a motion to “nonconcur” (the same as requesting a “no” vote) on the Senate amendment that was adopted on a voice vote. As a topper, he then adjourned the House for the summer … leaving the Senate with the choice of removing the amendment or moving the bill to a conference committee. With the House adjourned the only result that could have been achieved immediately would have been to remove the amendment, but that would have meant a strategic loss. So, the Senate adjourned taking no further action and hoped that some groundswell would occur to bolster their position. In the meantime the bill was in a holding pattern.

In the intervening weeks a groundswell did occur, but with the opposite effect. From the Governor to business, union and construction interests, there was very vocal support for withdrawing the amendment and moving construction projects along, which is exactly what happened on June 22 when the legislature reconvened for a few hour session. The Senate removed the additional funding amendment and the capital bill went cleanly to the Governor’s desk.

The Senate strategy contained three major flaws. First, there is an unwritten rule in the legislature that capital construction authorization bills are not fodder for gamesmanship of any kind. And, second, when Madigan is firmly convinced that he’s following the appropriate course there is simply no swaying him. He said early in the session that major spending reductions were an absolute must, especially after the income tax increase enacted last January. He meant what he said, and senior members of the Senate should be well aware of that attribute. Third, from June 1^st until December 31 a three-fifths vote is required to pass laws with immediate effective dates. With Senate Republicans, in particular, prepared to vote no on any spending expecting anything new to be approved post-May 31 was a pipedream. The focus now will be to determine if any budget modifications can be negotiated and addressed next January. That will also allow time to determine whether revenue estimates are on track or higher or lower than expectations.

Budget and Deficit

Illinois new fiscal year is set to begin tomorrow, July 1. While the Governor has not yet signed off on the new budget, he has given an indication that he’ll use his reduction veto powers to try to provide some “room” for future modifications. Since the Illinois Constitution only provides the Governor with the power to reduce, not add, many are waiting to see exactly what strategy he will embark upon. Most likely, it means that he will try to reduce some items hoping that the legislature will take the pool of savings he produces and reallocate those resources in November or January it to areas where he feels it is needed most. It may be a very bumpy ride, especially since the budget that wound up on his desk was a bottom-up spending plan … crafted after weeks and months of hearings and discussions by rank and file legislators. And it’s a budget process that legislators were mighty proud of. While they hated the limited resources they had to divvy up, they felt they did the best they could to listen to advocates and allocated as best they could, including reducing agency administrative, contractual and travel line items in order to find funds for many programs that the Governor zeroed out. If the Governor reduces funding for any of the myriad of programs that were “saved” through legislative intervention then there may be a major veto session battle brewing.

Historically, gubernatorial budget reductions have not found much fancy with the legislature and are commonly overridden and the expectation might be that the General Assembly would just restore the funds. However, the “Catch-22” that Governor Quinn may find himself in is that the cuts he may make will become permanent and not be reallocated. Senate Republicans, on one-hand, may take the position that these are additional cuts and should be permanent. By opposing an override of reductions they would cement those reductions. The legislature could also move to approve the Governor’s reductions. By approving the cuts also become law. So, unless he is able to force some agreement, the path to spending more by reducing is fraught with peril.

In the meantime, the ability of the state to take advantage of additional federal Medicaid matching funds through the stimulus ends on July 1. For the last few months the Comptroller’s Office has been trying to find ways to maximize those matching dollars as much as possible. Additionally, the Comptroller has been processing vouchers that were submitted in January, so the payment cycle is at 5+ months. In its budget bill the General Assembly extended the lapse period until December 31 so services provided and billed prior to July 1 could be paid utilizing normal procedures.

Reapportionment Maps Approved

No surprise, the Governor has approved both of the bills that set new political boundaries for General Assembly and Congressional candidates in 2012. Those maps were drawn by Democrats who controlled the process from beginning to end for the first time in 40 years. Republicans have indicated that they will file court challenges to in the near future but it is expected that their objections will fall short.

Expecting that the approved maps will be the final product, many legislators are reviewing their options, especially those who were lumped into districts with other incumbents. The Illinois Constitution allows legislators in the post-remap election to run in any territory that is created out of any portion of their former districts. Some have already announced their intentions while others are planning announcements soon. The rule is if they choose to run from an area that they don’t live in they have to move into that new area no later than May 1 following the election.

Congressional candidates do not have any residency requirement and are not required to live in their districts should they win.

No Decision on Casino Expansion

An interesting procedural development has placed a strategic hold on casino expansion legislation. Because Governor Quinn has expressed concern about the “heaviness” of the approved bill due to the extent of the proposed expansion, the Senate has decided to give him more time to ponder and proponents more time to convince him of the necessity. Just moments after the bill passed its final hurdle, approval by the Senate, President Cullerton filed a “motion to reconsider” the vote by which it passed. This procedure is common, but it also prevents a bill from moving to the next stage of the process until the matters are disposed of. The next stage of the process is the Governor’s desk, and the motion can’t be disposed of until the Senate is back in session or until the sponsor of the motion withdraws it. If the Governor decides to approve the bill Cullerton can withdraw the motion and let the bill continue to the Governor. If not, then he can keep the bill on hold indefinitely. The point is that sponsors have spent too much time getting this proposal passed to have it scuttled without taking their best shot. One thing is clear … with very few exceptions any veto or even any changes the Governor makes in the bill will doom it.

Legislative Appointments

No replacements have been named yet for Rep. Mark Beaubien who died a few weeks ago, and for Rep. Dan Reitz who resigned last weekend.

Veto Session

The General Assembly will convene on October 25, 26, 27 and November 8,9,10 for its veto session.

Bills of Interest

Only bills that are still alive are listed.

Legislative Update - June 1 - 2011

2011-06-01T11:38:00.004-05:00

A Done Deal

In the end, the expected fireworks never materialized as the House and Senate agreed this week to use the House’s lower revenue estimate of $33.2 billion to fashion the FY2012 state budget. The Senate had approved a budget that was approximately $1.2 billion higher than the House earlier in the month and observers were waiting for the gloves to come off and the budget battle royal, expecting that both chambers would dig in on their own budget versions. On Monday the Senate, generally agreed to the lower House spending level and sent that version of the budget to the Governor.

That’s not to mean that all Senators were happy, however. A few Democrats were downright apoplectic over that decision, and to try to assuage them the Senate added $430 million in spending to a capital projects authorization bill and sent it over to the House for consideration. But the House didn’t bite and moved to reject the amendment before adjourning. By doing so the bill, HB 2189, is in a position to be eventually sent to a conference committee, most probably in the fall, so that possible negotiations can take place and/or budget corrections or changes may take place.

Legislation was also sent to the Governor extending the lapse period from August 31 to December 31. Services must be performed prior to June 30 and vouchers for payment must be submitted no later than August 31. It also appears that the provisions of last year’s Emergency Budget Act that gave the Governor extraordinary budget powers, such as inter-fund borrowing and emergency rulemaking, will disappear on June 30.

As has been mentioned previously, this year the budget negotiations have been member-driven, the legislative leadership having provided members with an opportunity to assist in uprighting the state’s fiscal ship. While there is a great disappointment regarding the severe lack of funds, and even the adoption of a lower spending ceiling than was probably necessary, there is no question that the members rose to the occasion and created a budget document that, within limited fiscal constraints, actually tried to respond as well as possible to requests and concerns of advocacy groups and the public.

The reality of the situation was that the legislature was forced to approve a budget by May 31 and adjourn. State coffers have been below empty for the last few years and legislators realized that the time of reckoning had arrived. Punting, as has been the case over the last decade and a half, has been erased from the rulebook. Many difficult budget and funding decisions had to be made, and kicking them over past May 31, thereby requiring an even higher number of votes to enact the budget would have made an impossible situation even worse, with no telling what the consequences may have been.

One of the more interesting aspects of the budget deliberations this year was the cooperation seen in the House as both Democratic and Republican members joined together to make spending decisions. By doing so they provided cover for each other to justify funding levels that were not going to make anyone happy. Senate budget activity was a stark contrast. Democrats moved their budget ideas forward while Republicans complained about spending being too high. During an early press conference GOP Senators offered a plan to reduce state spending by $5 billion but never attempted to officially offer budget amendments to have aspects of their plan considered. When Senate Democrats actually had a few of the GOP budget cutting proposals drafted and submitted, Republicans didn’t exactly embrace them. So it goes it the game of posturing.

Governor Quinn has had minimal input in crafting the budget that was sent to him, in stark contrast to the way state budgets have been crafted for the last 30+ years. He now will have to decide whether he wants to sign, veto or change what the legislature sent him. Since the Constitution allows him only the right to reduce line items, it’s improbable that he’ll do that … since he wanted $2 billion more in authorization than the legislature sent him. If he vetoes the budget he can no doubt guarantee that he’ll get even less when a “rebound budget” gets to him. So, the odds are high that he’ll take what he’s been given and make the best of it.

Spoil(s) of Victory

The old adage, “to the victor go the spoils” used to be far more meaningful in days past than it is today. Court rulings restricting governmental personnel hiring (“Shakman”, “Rutan”) have hindered the opportunity for utilization of the spoils by office holders over the last 30-35 years, and other statutory limitations have hindered the free exercise of “spoilage” even further. So what’s one of the last huge spoils that remain unfettered in Illinois? Reapportionment. And that once every ten year exercise in constitutional compliance was on full display at the State Capitol over the last two weeks.

One party, Democrats, controlled the entire process for the first time since the adoption of the 1970 Constitution. Previous remap efforts in 1981, 1991 and 2001 were resolved after invoking the tie-breaking procedure enumerated in the Illinois Constitution and, as such, resulted in maps drawn by a commission long after the legislature adjourned. Were those maps partisan? Extremely. Democrats in 1981 and 2001, and Republicans in 1991, took full advantage of their control of the cartographer’s pen and tried to ensure their own legislative majorities for that upcoming decade while heaping a world of hurt on some individual members of the other party. 2011 has proved to be no different.

After months of reviewing new census data Democrats released their new state Senate maps on May 19 and the map of new House districts a day later. Hearings were held on subsequent days with Democrats claiming the new district alignment was “fair” and drawn “in accordance with all legal requirements” while Republicans wailed that, in their eyes, the new districts were “reprehensible”, “punitive” and an outrage. Nevertheless, the bill creating the new districts was rolled out of the House Redistricting Committee on a partisan roll call and moved to the House and then to the Senate where it was passed over vehement GOP opposition. The Governor has said that he will review the map before he acts on it to make sure it’s fair. Anyone who thinks that the Democratic legislature didn’t clear the map with Quinn before they passed it is kidding themselves.

The Constitution says that the map has to be signed into law by June 30. Any changes made by the Governor post May 31 would require a three-fifths vote to be effective immediately … and that would mean Republican votes would be needed. And they’re not voting for anything that would ostensibly make them the minority party for ten years. So will Quinn sign it? If by some long shot he doesn’t, and forces the commission procedure to be invoked, thereby possibly cooking the Democrat’s golden goose, he’ll be persona non grata with the legislature for the rest of his term of office. And he’s in bad enough repute now. So, expect the Governor to “join the team” and sign the map.

There is no doubt that the new map will cause some dislocation, particularly among Republicans. To create more desirable Democratic districts some of the others include two or three GOP legislators housed in the same district that may cause primary election contests between them, or perhaps some semi-forced retirements. Some other Republican legislators found their houses places in completely new territory, and to run in their former areas would have to move. (The Illinois Constitution allows legislators in the post-remap election to run in any territory that is created out of any portion of their former districts. The kicker is that if they choose to run from an area that they don’t live in they have to move into that new area no later than May 1 following the election … a very tough choice that has prompted many retirements rather than uprooting families.)

So, what’s next? The losing side always files suit, and almost always loses. The Illinois Constitution says that the Illinois Supreme Court has “original and exclusive jurisdiction” so any lawsuits will start and end there. Democrats have a 4-3 majority on the Court and presumably would uphold a Democratic map … on legal grounds, of course. But it also provides an interesting example of “what if?” had the intense effort to unseat Democratic Justice Thomas L. Kilbride been successful last November, thereby having given the GOP a majority on the court.

Most certainly suits will also be filed in federal court, but unless there are egregious violations of the Federal Voting Rights Act or other legal precedents they are not expected to get very far. So, for all intents and purposes, what we currently see is what we get.

Illinois is losing one congressional seat, and the congressional maps that Democrats approved took that into account … and then some. There was apparent pressure on state Democrats from Washington to try to embellish the numbers as much as possible. And they may have succeeded. If the prognostications hold, the state congressional delegation will shift from marginally Republican to heavily Democratic. Most, if not all, of the newly elected GOP congressman may be on jeopardy. It’s not surprising, then, to hear the loud complaints from Republicans about unfairness and undoing the results of the recent election. Lawsuits will certainly be filed, but the prospect of court intervention in dim. In 1991, Democrats in charge of the Texas legislature drew their congressional maps. After the 1994 Republican landslide gave Republicans control of Texas state government, then-Congressman Tom DeLay convinced the Texas legislature to “remap the remap”, and they did and in doing so completely reversed the actions that had taken place just a few years earlier. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in their favor so the new Illinois congressional maps might be looked upon as child’s play compared to Texas.

In all cases, legislative and congressional members will be elected from these new areas in November, 2012. Current districts will stay in effect until then.

Bonding Plan Hits The Skids

After numerous discussions and attempts to focus on the need for borrowing to pay arrearages to state vendors, there was one final try over last weekend to force the legislature to take action. Initial estimates from the Governor early in the year suggested that $8.7 billion would be necessary pay backlogs. Later in the session that number was pegged at $4.5 million. Over the weekend the Senate introduced four amendments that, if approved, would have allocated $6.2 billion on bonding authority. After the first of the four amendments was defeated soundly the remainder were never called.

To attempt to show the need, sponsors divvied up the amounts on the amendments to show the need to assist various categories of vendors or providers. $1.5 billion was allocated to private vendors, $1.1 billion for state medical plan expenses, $2.8 billion to governmental entities, and $800 million for corporate tax refunds. That strategy failed.

While a number of legislators and others objected to adding to state debt, under current law the state is required to pay between 12% and 24% for late payments to state vendors and providers. Interest payments on bonds would be between 4% and 6%, so replacing the former with the latter could potentially saving the state millions of dollars. The legislature did approve legislation reducing the prompt pay penalty to 1% per month, or 12% annually but passed on the chance to give state vendors and providers some relief, as well as freeing up a few more precious dollars for purposes other than interest payments.

Pension Reform On Hold

Legislators can be very forceful and full of bluster when speaking in the abstract and in generalities, like balancing the state budget or enacting pension reform. But get down to specifics with some heavy constituent pressure thrown in and it’s often a different story. That’s exactly what happened with efforts to enact pension options for many current governmental employees.

Post election comments from many legislators on both sides of the aisle were replete with demands and suggestions that more pension reform was absolutely necessary. Legislation was prepared to allow current employees two options other than their current retirement benefit, along with some increases in employee contributions. House committee hearings were scheduled in May to consider and adopt the revised plan, and then all hell broke loose.

All last week large numbers of phone calls, the likes of which have been seldom seen in the state capitol, jammed legislative offices. Thousands of these calls, as well as messages and e-mails, certainly caught the attention of members of the General Assembly and the leadership. Suddenly, the bluster seemed to evaporate into thin air, replaced by some concern about whether or not supporting such a plan might potentially cause election problems. As a result of the intense lobbying effort, legislative leaders decided to shelve discussion of further reform until the fall, at the earliest. The same for efforts to force current governmental retirees to pay a portion of health care premiums.

It’s a guarantee that if any such plans were to be approved it would be challenged immediately in court. Legal scholars vary as to the meaning of the provision in the Illinois Constitution that treats pensions as a contract, but a vast majority of them seem to be of the opinion that courts would not approve.

Casino/Racino Supporters Hit The Jackpot

An estimated $1.5 billion in upfront license fees and hundreds of millions of dollars per year in annual gaming taxes will be realized by the state as the General Assembly approved the largest expansion of gaming in the last 20 years. If approved by the Governor, new casinos would be earmarked for Chicago, Park City (Waukegan area), south suburban Cook County, Rockford and Danville. In addition, state horse racing tracks would be permitted to have a specified number of slot machines during their racing meets, and gambling spaces at current casinos would be expanded.

The big conundrum for Governor Quinn will be whether to sign the bill or not. He has stated in the past that while he supported a casino for Chicago he opposed over aggressive gambling expansion. With the failed efforts to try to pass gaming expansion in the past, he also probably thought he’d never have to worry about it. He does now. And can he realistically pass up all that cash with the immense stack of unpaid bills that loom? That’s the $64,000 question.

Illinois Health Benefits Exchange

Prior to adjournment the legislature approved SB 1555 that creates the Illinois Health Benefits Exchange Law in accordance with the federal Affordable Care Act beginning in October, 2013. The purpose of the Exchange is to help individuals and small employers with no more than 50 employees shop for, select, and enroll in qualified, affordable private health plans.

To help prepare for 2013 the legislation describes the functions of the Department of Insurance, the Commission on Governmental Forecasting and Accountability. It also creates a Health Benefits Exchange Legislative Study Committee that issue a report no later than September 30, 2011 with recommendations on the Exchange’s structure, sustainability and stakeholder involvement.

Prescription Drug Disposal

House Bill 2056 that allows law enforcement agencies to collect and incinerate pharmaceuticals from residential sources and incinerate them in accordance with rules to be established by the EPA, was sent to the Governor for his consideration.

Legislative Appointments

Rep. Dena M. Carli has been appointed to take the place of Rep. Susana Mendoza who was elected Chicago City Clerk.

Veto Session

The dates of the veto session have been announced. The General Assembly will meet on October 25, 26, 27 and November 8,9,10.

Bills of Interest

Any bills that did not pass will be removed from subsequent reports.

HB 248 – Rep. May - Amends the North Shore Sanitary District Act. Authorizes the board of trustees of a sanitary district to enter into an agreement to sell, convey, or disburse treated wastewater with any public or private entity located within or outside of the boundaries of the sanitary district. (Current Status: Passed Both Houses)

HB 308 – Rep. Tryon/Sen. Link - Provides that beginning January 1, 2012, the Department of Public Health shall issue permits for the construction and modification of closed loop well systems. Provides for the certification and registration of closed loop contractors by the Department. Amends the Water Well and Pump Installation Contractor's License Act to make a technical and a related change. (Current Status: Passed Both Houses)

HB 1585 – Rep. Sente - Provides that "plumbing" includes rainwater harvesting distribution systems, but does not include any rainwater harvesting distribution system or rainwater harvesting collection system unless otherwise required by the Illinois Plumbing Code. Requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to adopt and publish a minimum code of standards for rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems by January 1, 2012. Requires rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems to be (A) used only for non-potable uses and (B) constructed in accordance with the Illinois Plumbing Code. Defines "rainwater harvesting collection system" and "rainwater harvesting distribution system". (Current Status: Re-referred to Rules Committee - dead)

HB 1660- Rep. Bellock - Creates the Prescription Drug Repository Program Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to establish a prescription drug repository program, under which a healthcare facility may donate a prescription drug or supplies needed to administer a prescription drug for use by an individual who meets eligibility criteria specified by the Department. Sets forth requirements that prescription drugs or supplies must meet in order to be accepted and dispensed under the program. Provides that no drugs or supplies donated under the prescription drug repository program may be resold. Provides that nothing in the Act requires that a pharmacy or pharmacist participate in the prescription drug repository program. Provides for civil and criminal immunity for drug and supply manufacturers and pharmacists in relation to the donation, acceptance, or dispensing of prescription drugs or supplies under the prescription drug repository program. (Current Status: Re-referred to Rules Committee – dead)

HB 1704 – Rep. Bradley - . Provides that NPDES permit applications are deemed approved if not approved or denied by the Environmental Protection Agency within 120 days after being filed with the Agency. (Current Status: Re-referred to Rules Committee – dead)

HB 1955 – Rep. Holbrook - Provides an alternative procedure that a large public utility may choose in establishing the ratemaking rate base of a water or sewer utility that the large public utility is acquiring. Provides that the Commission's order that approves the large public utility's acquisition of the water or sewer utility shall include the Commission's decision establishing (1) the ratemaking rate base of the water or sewer utility and (2) the district or tariff group with which the water or sewer utility will be combined for ratemaking purposes. (Current Status: Re-referred to Rules Committee – dead)

HB 2879 – Rep. Davis - Provides that inspection fees for all commercial fertilizers and custom mixes shall be $1 per ton (up from 25¢ per ton). Provides that seven-eighths (up from one-half) of the $1 per ton inspection fee shall be paid into the Fertilizer Control Fund. Provides that not less than 50% of the funds appropriated to the fertilizer research and education program shall be used for projects designed to avoid or reduce water pollution that may arise from the use of fertilizer in agriculture. Increases the Fertilizer Research and Education Council members to 15 (up from 9) and provides qualifications for the additional members. (Current Status: Re-referred to Rules Committee – dead)

HB 3090 – Rep. Arroyo/Sen. Delgado - Provides that notwithstanding any provision of law, any person who is authorized to dispense prescription drugs in the State must accept, free of charge, expired or unwanted prescription drugs for proper disposal. Provides that the prescription drug dispenser shall make available to its customers or patients a container suitable for use as a receptacle that only permits for the deposit of items and the contents of which are locked and secured for the expired or unwanted prescription drugs. Provides that if a patient or customer is issued a prescription drug from a person who is authorized to dispense prescription drugs in the State and that prescription drug causes an adverse reaction and the patient or customer returns the remainder of the prescription drug to the dispenser, then the dispenser shall refund the full cost of the prescription drug to the patient or customer. (Current Status: Passed Both Houses)

HB 3099 – Rep. Tryon - Requires the rules of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Pollution Control Board to include a process for expediting the issuance of permits and licenses for all projects requiring permitting or licensure. Authorizes the Agency and the Board to engage the experts and additional resources that are reasonably necessary for implementing this process. Specifies that an expedited process applies only upon the request of the applicant and that any additional costs for using the process are to be borne by the applicant. (Current Status: Re-referred to Rules Committee – dead)

SB 38 – Sen. Garrett/Rep. Sente - Provides that "plumbing" includes rainwater harvesting distribution systems, but does not include any rainwater harvesting distribution system or rainwater harvesting collection system unless otherwise required by the Illinois Plumbing Code. Requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to adopt and publish a minimum code of standards for rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems by January 1, 2012. Requires rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems to be (A) used only for non-potable uses and (B) constructed in accordance with the Illinois Plumbing Code. Defines "rainwater harvesting collection system" and "rainwater harvesting distribution system". (Current Status: Passed Senate; House – Executive Committee - dead)

SB 1222- Sen. J. Sullivan - Provides that any public water district organized under the Public Water District Act is authorized to construct, maintain, alter, and extend its water main along, upon, under, and across any highway, street, alley, or public ground in the State. (Current Status: Re-referred to Committee on Assignments - dead)

SB 1682 – Sen. Link/Rep. Tryon - Requires the Illinois Department of Public Health, by January 1, 2012, to (i) establish standards for the certification and licensing of individuals and contractors constructing and modifying closed loop wells and (ii) issue permits for the construction and modification of closed loop wells. (Current Status: Passed Senate; House Consideration Postponed - dead)

SB 1903 – Sen. Clayborne - Provides that NPDES permit applications are deemed approved if not approved or denied by the Environmental Protection Agency within 120 days after being filed with the Agency. (Current Status: Senate – 2^nd Reading - dead)

SB 1981 – Sen. Garrett - Authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to disburse grants from the Illinois Clean Water Fund to other State agencies, local governments, publicly owned entities subject to NPDES permitting requirements, and charitable organizations for the purposes of reducing water pollution and protecting surface and ground water quality and aquatic habitats. Authorizes the Agency to adopt rules to administer this grant program. (Current Status: Re-referred to Committee on Assignments - dead)

ISAWWA Legislative Report 10/31/10

2010-11-01T11:25:00.000-05:00

And The Winner Is …. ?

After all the months political debates, charges, countercharges, and millions of dollars spent on television, radio and mail to convince voters that their opponents are worse than they are, Election 2010 will mercifully draw to a close in two days. By the end of the day on November 2 we should have some idea as to what the next two years, and possibly the next decade, hold politically and governmentally in the state of Illinois.

Democrats want to keep the governor’s office and majorities in the legislature so they can control state policy for the next two years, but also draw the reapportionment map that could put them in legislative control for the next ten. Republicans, on the other hand, feel emboldened and have put on a full frontal assault hoping to capture the governor’s office and possibly into a majority in the House. Either one would give them a 50/50 chance to control the reapportionment process that will begin in the spring.

With literally hours to go in the governor’s race it appears that the race is in a virtual dead heat. The number of targeted legislative races has expanded over the last few weeks so there are as many as 30 house districts being contested along with a dozen or so senate seats. The contested legislative seats are not focused in any one area so observers are going to have to wait for local returns from almost every area of the state. That should make for a long night on Tuesday as results trickle in.

The magic numbers for Tuesday night are 60 and 30. Those are the numbers that a party will need to control each of the legislative chambers. Sixty members of one party control the House and 30 control the Senate. Will Democrats be able to withstand the expected GOP/Tea Party onslaught? Have they been able to create a game plan that will offer different result than in 1994 when Republicans ran the table and captured every state office and control of the legislature? What happens if there is a 59-59 tie in the House? (Quick answer: Very ugly and gridlocked paralysis for two years.) Tune in Tuesday night …

For those who wish to follow the status of the legislative elections during Tuesday night, you might try www.capitalfaxblog. They may have compiled reports from the field that will provide the status of many legislative races, and all in one place.

Lame Ducks

Prior to every post-election season legislative session speculation abounds regarding major policy enactments by the General Assembly with lame duck legislators providing the necessary votes. In reality, such major policy decisions seldom occur.

Lame ducks can be classified in two categories: 1) Retired/defeated and committed, and 2) Retired/defeated and uncommitted.

The first category is comprised of legislators who feel a deep affinity for the legislative process and who feel that it is their responsibility to participate fully in the process until the final session gavel comes down. Most soon-to-be former legislators fit into this category. The second category is generally comprised of a few who may have retired because they looked upon the process as a burden or who are angry because they were “rejected” by their constituents in their reelection efforts. Their commitment to seeing the process through to the end is questionable.

Putting together the votes for a major initiative in the yearly veto session requires an extraordinary number of votes for it to be effective immediately. Generally, committed legislators who will not be returning, by and large, stay true to their philosophies and generally will not cross over and breach their principles. Additionally, some in this category may have plans to run for office again so it is even more unlikely that they will cast an odd vote. On the other hand, the few uncommitted legislators may not even be counted on to be in Springfield during post-election session days, let alone counting on a vote or convincing them to vote on a major piece of legislation.

What all this suggests is that putting together a successful roll call to enact a major initiative, such as a tax increase, is not an easy task. Can it happen? Surely. However, it’s never easy as the lack of such successful efforts in the past can attest.

Disorder in the Court?

One of the important results to watch on election night will be the effort to unseat Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride. Democrats currently hold and traditionally have held a 4-3 majority on the Illinois Supreme Court. In the past the four Democratic votes have come from the three Cook County justices along with the justice elected from southern Illinois. In the past ten years two upsets have occurred that skewed this formula. In 2004 a Republican, Lloyd Karmeier, was elected from the southern Illinois district and in 2000 Democrat Thomas Kilbride was elected from the normally Republican 3rd District that stretches from Will County to Rock Island. Illinois supreme court justices serve for ten years and then appear on a retention ballot. They must receive 60 percent approval to be retained. It’s Justice Kilbride’s turn at bat in 2010 and it’s been a battle royale.

Why? The simple answer is caps on malpractice awards. Twice in the last forty years the legislature has approved malpractice award caps and twice, most recently last February, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled those caps unconstitutional with a four-vote majority. Change one vote and the possibility of major policy change in Illinois becomes possible. Enter Kilbride and his retention effort. The pro-caps, anti-Kilbride groups are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to deny him retention and have been brutal in their representation of his record. Kilbride has countered by presenting testimonials from a bipartisan broad cross-section of prominent persons touting his record. Remember that judicial elections aren’t generally issue-oriented -- judicial candidates are forbidden to be specific on how they would rule on specific issues or cases so races become focused more on background, values and trust.

A possible GOP Supreme Court majority also puts them in a position to rule on the state legislative reapportionment case when it arrives there, as it always does, sometime in mid-to-late 2011. The results in the gubernatorial and legislative races will be the first step in the remap process. The Illinois Supreme Court is the last, final and most important step, especially since they could discard any map presented to it and rule for another. That map will determine the legislative politics in Illinois for the next ten years. So keep an eye on this race Tuesday night. The impact could significantly impact the Illinois governmental and political landscape for years.

Who’s Next?

One of the major and sometimes overriding factors that determine the nature of the General Assembly’s fiscal and policy decisions is the city of Chicago, and the actions of its legislative delegation are very much dictated by leadership philosophy and the perceived needs of the person sitting in the mayor’s chair. In 2011 there may be a void in the direction that the city delegation is given due to the announced retirement of Mayor Richard M. Daley. Not only has his early retirement announcement created a scramble for the legion of mayors-in-waiting who wish to succeed him, but it may also create a rudderless legislative delegation searching for direction at a time when the state and city both are struggling financially.

According to the 2011 election calendar, mayoral candidates must file their petitions no later than November 22. Even though candidates will have a week to withdraw, and some will, it will provide a good glimpse of the expected large number of individuals who want to try to grab for this possible once-in-a-generation ‘brass ring’. The non-partisan primary election is scheduled to be held on February 22. If no candidate receives 50 percent then the top two will face off on April 5. The winner will take office on May 16 … while the General Assembly session adjournment date is May 31, only two weeks later.

If there is a sure winner on February 22 then there probably would be some consultation and coordination between the current and incoming administrations and the Chicago delegation. With the large number of candidates expected to run, however, it is widely expected that April 5 will be the date that the next mayor is elected. Not much time will remain for the new administration to get its priorities in order and its delegation marching in sync.

The needs and desires of the City of Chicago are not always the preeminent factor in legislative deliberation and they don’t always get what they want. But, like it or not, they are a very large delegation and a factor, and sometimes a very large factor, in determining the direction of the state and whoever is mayor helps to set that direction. In 2011, however, it may be one big delegation in search of a leader.

Veto Session (And Other) Dates Reminder

The Senate will be meeting on November 4 for the purpose of considering additional borrowing. It is not a “special session” but rather a session that was “recessed” when the legislature left Springfield in May. Therefore, the subject matter is not limited but it is not expected that anything out of the ordinary will take place.

The legislature is scheduled to meet the week before (November 16, 17, 18) and the week after (November 29, 30 and December 1) Thanksgiving to conduct its annual veto session. The governor vetoed or amendatory vetoed very little so there is some possibility that the number of session days may be cut. Of course, it also leaves time to act on other issues that may be outstanding.

Also expect at least a short legislative session in January. A governor will be sworn in on Monday, January 10. The legislature will probably meet that day and the next, wrapping up the current session before the new General Assembly is sworn into office on January 12. The January session days could be significant because as of January 1, the number of votes necessary to pass a bill and have it effective immediately drops from a three-fifths (36 Senate/71 House) to a simple majority (30/60).

L

2010-11-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

And The Winner Is …. ?
After all the months political debates, charges, countercharges, and millions of dollars spent on television, radio and mail to convince voters that their opponents are worse than they are, Election 2010 will mercifully draw to a close in two days. By the end of the day on November 2 we should have some idea as to what the next two years, and possibly the next decade, hold politically and governmentally in the state of Illinois.

Democrats want to keep the governor’s office and majorities in the legislature so they can control state policy for the next two years, but also draw the reapportionment map that could put them in legislative control for the next ten. Republicans, on the other hand, feel emboldened and have put on a full frontal assault hoping to capture the governor’s office and possibly into a majority in the House. Either one would give them a 50/50 chance to control the reapportionment process that will begin in the spring.

With literally hours to go in the governor’s race it appears that the race is in a virtual dead heat. The number of targeted legislative races has expanded over the last few weeks so there are as many as 30 house districts being contested along with a dozen or so senate seats. The contested legislative seats are not focused in any one area so observers are going to have to wait for local returns from almost every area of the state. That should make for a long night on Tuesday as results trickle in.

The magic numbers for Tuesday night are 60 and 30. Those are the numbers that a party will need to control each of the legislative chambers. Sixty members of one party control the House and 30 control the Senate. Will Democrats be able to withstand the expected GOP/Tea Party onslaught? Have they been able to create a game plan that will offer different result than in 1994 when Republicans ran the table and captured every state office and control of the legislature? What happens if there is a 59-59 tie in the House? (Quick answer: Very ugly and gridlocked paralysis for two years.) Tune in Tuesday night …

For those who wish to follow the status of the legislative elections during Tuesday night, you might try www.capitalfaxblog. They may have compiled reports from the field that will provide the status of many legislative races, and all in one place.

Lame Ducks

Prior to every post-election season legislative session speculation abounds regarding major policy enactments by the General Assembly with lame duck legislators providing the necessary votes. In reality, such major policy decisions seldom occur.

Lame ducks can be classified in two categories: 1) Retired/defeated and committed, and 2) Retired/defeated and uncommitted.

The first category is comprised of legislators who feel a deep affinity for the legislative process and who feel that it is their responsibility to participate fully in the process until the final session gavel comes down. Most soon-to-be former legislators fit into this category. The second category is generally comprised of a few who may have retired because they looked upon the process as a burden or who are angry because they were “rejected” by their constituents in their reelection efforts. Their commitment to seeing the process through to the end is questionable.

Putting together the votes for a major initiative in the yearly veto session requires an extraordinary number of votes for it to be effective immediately. Generally, committed legislators who will not be returning, by and large, stay true to their philosophies and generally will not cross over and breach their principles. Additionally, some in this category may have plans to run for office again so it is even more unlikely that they will cast an odd vote. On the other hand, the few uncommitted legislators may not even be counted on to be in Springfield during post-election session days, let alone counting on a vote or convincing them to vote on a major piece of legislation.

What all this suggests is that putting together a successful roll call to enact a major initiative, such as a tax increase, is not an easy task. Can it happen? Surely. However, it’s never easy as the lack of such successful efforts in the past can attest.

Disorder in the Court?

One of the important results to watch on election night will be the effort to unseat Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride. Democrats currently hold and traditionally have held a 4-3 majority on the Illinois Supreme Court. In the past the four Democratic votes have come from the three Cook County justices along with the justice elected from southern Illinois. In the past ten years two upsets have occurred that skewed this formula. In 2004 a Republican, Lloyd Karmeier, was elected from the southern Illinois district and in 2000 Democrat Thomas Kilbride was elected from the normally Republican 3rd District that stretches from Will County to Rock Island. Illinois supreme court justices serve for ten years and then appear on a retention ballot. They must receive 60 percent approval to be retained. It’s Justice Kilbride’s turn at bat in 2010 and it’s been a battle royale.

Why? The simple answer is caps on malpractice awards. Twice in the last forty years the legislature has approved malpractice award caps and twice, most recently last February, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled those caps unconstitutional with a four-vote majority. Change one vote and the possibility of major policy change in Illinois becomes possible. Enter Kilbride and his retention effort. The pro-caps, anti-Kilbride groups are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to deny him retention and have been brutal in their representation of his record. Kilbride has countered by presenting testimonials from a bipartisan broad cross-section of prominent persons touting his record. Remember that judicial elections aren’t generally issue-oriented -- judicial candidates are forbidden to be specific on how they would rule on specific issues or cases so races become focused more on background, values and trust.

A possible GOP Supreme Court majority also puts them in a position to rule on the state legislative reapportionment case when it arrives there, as it always does, sometime in mid-to-late 2011. The results in the gubernatorial and legislative races will be the first step in the remap process. The Illinois Supreme Court is the last, final and most important step, especially since they could discard any map presented to it and rule for another. That map will determine the legislative politics in Illinois for the next ten years. So keep an eye on this race Tuesday night. The impact could significantly impact the Illinois governmental and political landscape for years.

Who’s Next?

One of the major and sometimes overriding factors that determine the nature of the General Assembly’s fiscal and policy decisions is the city of Chicago, and the actions of its legislative delegation are very much dictated by leadership philosophy and the perceived needs of the person sitting in the mayor’s chair. In 2011 there may be a void in the direction that the city delegation is given due to the announced retirement of Mayor Richard M. Daley. Not only has his early retirement announcement created a scramble for the legion of mayors-in-waiting who wish to succeed him, but it may also create a rudderless legislative delegation searching for direction at a time when the state and city both are struggling financially.

According to the 2011 election calendar, mayoral candidates must file their petitions no later than November 22. Even though candidates will have a week to withdraw, and some will, it will provide a good glimpse of the expected large number of individuals who want to try to grab for this possible once-in-a-generation ‘brass ring’. The non-partisan primary election is scheduled to be held on February 22. If no candidate receives 50 percent then the top two will face off on April 5. The winner will take office on May 16 … while the General Assembly session adjournment date is May 31, only two weeks later.

If there is a sure winner on February 22 then there probably would be some consultation and coordination between the current and incoming administrations and the Chicago delegation. With the large number of candidates expected to run, however, it is widely expected that April 5 will be the date that the next mayor is elected. Not much time will remain for the new administration to get its priorities in order and its delegation marching in sync.

The needs and desires of the City of Chicago are not always the preeminent factor in legislative deliberation and they don’t always get what they want. But, like it or not, they are a very large delegation and a factor, and sometimes a very large factor, in determining the direction of the state and whoever is mayor helps to set that direction. In 2011, however, it may be one big delegation in search of a leader.

Veto Session (And Other) Dates Reminder

The Senate will be meeting on November 4 for the purpose of considering additional borrowing. It is not a “special session” but rather a session that was “recessed” when the legislature left Springfield in May. Therefore, the subject matter is not limited but it is not expected that anything out of the ordinary will take place.

The legislature is scheduled to meet the week before (November 16, 17, 18) and the week after (November 29, 30 and December 1) Thanksgiving to conduct its annual veto session. The governor vetoed or amendatory vetoed very little so there is some possibility that the number of session days may be cut. Of course, it also leaves time to act on other issues that may be outstanding.

Also expect at least a short legislative session in January. A governor will be sworn in on Monday, January 10. The legislature will probably meet that day and the next, wrapping up the current session before the new General Assembly is sworn into office on January 12. The January session days could be significant because as of January 1, the number of votes necessary to pass a bill and have it effective immediately drops from a three-fifths (36 Senate/71 House) to a simple majority (30/60).

URGENT: Stuxnet Worm - Impacts SCADA systems

2010-10-04T19:45:00.002-05:00

Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9185919/Is_Stuxnet_the_best_malware_ever_

attachment

The Stuxnet worm is a "groundbreaking" piece of malware so devious in its use of unpatched vulnerabilities and so sophisticated in its multipronged approach that the security researchers who tore it apart believe it may be the work of state-backed professionals.

"It's amazing, really, the resources that went into this worm," said Liam O' Murchu, manager of operations with Symantec's security response team. "I'd call it groundbreaking," said Roel Schouwenberg, a senior antivirus researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

First reported in June by a little-known security firm based in Belarus, Stuxnet gained notoriety a month later when Microsoft confirmed that the worm was targeting Windows PCs that managed SCADA systems. At the time, researchers believed that Stuxnet exploited just one un-patched (zero-day) vulnerability in Windows and spread through infected USB flash drives.

Iran was hardest hit by Stuxnet, according to Symantec researchers, who said in July that nearly 60% of all infected PCs were located in that country.

On August 2, Microsoft issued an emergency update to patch the bug that Stuxnet was then known to exploit in Windows shortcuts. But unbeknownst to Microsoft, Stuxnet could actually use three other zero-day vulnerabilities to gain access to corporate networks. Once it had access, it would seek out and infect the specific machines that managed SCADA systems controlled by Siemens software. But the Stuxnet wonders didn't stop there. The worm also exploited a Windows bug patched in 2008 - the same vulnerability used to devastating effect by the Conficker worm in late 2008 and early 2009 - to infect millions of machines.

Once within a network - initially delivered via an infected USB device - Stuxnet used the ulnerabilities to commandeer any connected SCADA software. The attack code seemed legitimate because Stuxnet contains at least two signed digital certificates. "The organization and sophistication to execute the entire package is extremely impressive," said Schouwenberg. "Whoever is behind this was on a mission to get into whatever company or companies they were targeting."

So scary, so thorough was the reconnaissance, so complex the job, so sneaky the attack, that neither believe it could be the work even of an advanced cyber crime gang. "They weren't just after information, so a competitor is out. They wanted to reprogram the PLCs and operate the machinery," O' Murchu said.

And the fact that Iran was the main target is significant. "All the different circumstances, from the multiple zero-days to stolen certificates to istribution, the most plausible scenario is a nation-state-backed group," said Schouwenberg, who acknowledged that some people might think he was wearing a tin foil hat when he says such things. "This sounds like something out of a movie, but I would argue it's plausible, suddenly plausible, that it was nation-state-backed."

Legislative Information System

2010-07-15T14:16:00.000-05:00

96th General Assembly (Bill Order)
ISAWWA
click here

Government Strategy Associates 4023 Terramere Avenue Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004

2010-07-15T14:08:00.002-05:00

Government Strategy Associates
4023 Terramere Avenue
Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004

M E M O R A N D U M

To:
Laurie Dougherty
Gerry Bever

From:
Terry Steczo
Maureen Mulhall

Re: Legislative Report

Date: June 30, 2010

Budget D-Day - July 1
Tomorrow, July 1, is the date that the state fiscal year begins. It is also the date that Gov. Quinn will announce the breadth and depth of cuts and changes to the budget that will be the state’s spending roadmap for the next twelve months. When the legislature left Springfield at the end of May they threw an unbalanced budget document in the governor’s lap and, for the second straight year, left him to make the final spending decisions. The following items also pertain to, in essence, legislative abdication of budget making authority to the governor.

Rumors over the last month have abounded as to where cuts will be made and which programs will be impacted. Human services providers, education interests, and others to whom the state owes money are bracing for the worst as the size of the state deficit has been projected at $13 billion, approximately one-half of state generated revenues that are projected at $26 billion.

Thursday’s announcement will help determine whether that spending roadmap will help point the way to fiscal solvency or a fiscal cliff. Pray for the former but expect the latter.

No Will To Borrow
When the legislature departed Springfield a month ago the session ended in a whimper with no solution to the problem of making the required $3.7 billion pension payment. As you will recall, the House approved borrowing that amount but the Senate never considered the matter, indicating that they were one to three votes short of having the required number of votes. Since approving the measure requires a 60% majority (36 votes) and since 33-35 Democrats have committed, the additional votes would have to come from the ranks of Republicans. In the past month the governor and others have been dredging the harbor looking for those three souls … but, alas, they so far have yet to be found.

Will Dems be able to find one to three (wayward or courageous … insert your word preference based on your philosophy) GOP members to provide those needed votes? Very unlikely. Will the Senate be called back into session to approve the borrowing without them? Not a chance. What if the governor decided to show his mettle and call the General Assembly back into session anyway? It would be a huge risk that could call into question his leadership skills just in front of an election … especially since those Republican votes simply are not going to materialize.

The pension payment controversy is the one big issue that the GOP might feels plays into their favor as the gubernatorial races chugs toward November so that puts some pressure on their legislative members to stay put. Moreover, when two House Republicans jumped and provided the margin of victory for borrowing in the House they were vilified by their caucus members and demoted from positions of legislative leadership.

So, it appears that the state will not have the requisite funding available when pension payments are due on July 15 and September 15. The result will be pension systems being forced to sell assets to make the payments, thereby costing them billions of dollars over the long term. The cost to borrow would be approximately $1 billion in interest payments. While more drastic action to curb the state’s fiscal problems would certainly be in order, the borrowing plan can certainly be looked upon as the lesser of two evils … if it were not an election year and if there was not so much at stake in the upcoming November elections.

“No We Can’t”
Looking back at the 2010 legislative session and the lack of fortitude in fashioning a solution to the budget crisis, one of the most telling moments occurred on May 7, the date that had originally been designated as the final adjournment date. During that afternoon Speaker Michael Madigan first offered the plan to borrow to cover the state pension payments. The bill failed (although later in the month it did pass the House but is languishing in the Senate). Stuck with a $4 billion budget hole with no revenue to fill it, he then offered an amendment to Senate Bill 1211 that offered the only other practical solution … reductions. Or, to use another word, cutting … a word that makes conservatives cheer and salute and liberals sob and quake.

So, lacking any other budget balancing alternatives the amendment was approved, right? Wrong. The amendment was defeated 15-99-2. And it was the conservative members of the House that were those 15? Wrong again. The irony of the story is that the 15 House members who voted “yes” were Democrats. The number of Republicans that voted to cut? Zero. As the day of May 7 ended the Speaker announced that he would leave SB 1211 on the order of 2nd Reading so in the three weeks that the legislature would be in recess any House member could file an amendment to cut anything they thought was excess. How many amendments were filed during that time span? One … and it was not filed by anyone who purports to be a budget cutter or fiscal hawk.

The purpose of relating the above is not to suggest any partisanship but only to show that when you push the partisan rhetoric aside no legislator, regardless of party or political philosophy, wants to raise taxes, borrow or cut programs. They can argue all they want and take any positions that they want but when “push comes to shove” there are few, if any, that would qualify to be considered for a mention in “Profiles in Courage”. Secondly, what they do prefer is to have someone else make the tough decisions. So, again this year, they passed the buck to the governor who has the responsibility of making the numbers work, and making taxpayers happy or angry. The relevancy of this item is directly tied to the July 1 beginning of the state fiscal year and the governor’s June 30 announcement of what the state will and won’t be able to afford in FY 2011.

Lobbyist Registration Amendments
All registered state lobbyist and entities have been waiting patiently for the governor to put his signature on SB 1526, the long awaited and debated changes to the Lobbyist Registration and Reporting Act that clarified previous amendments to the Act approved in 2009.

Until January 1 of this year the registration fee was $150 for 501(c)(3) organizations and $350 for everyone else. The new law raised the fee to $1,000 for everyone, and resulted in a lawsuit alleging a violation of free speech. The argument focused on using funds beyond those needed to administer the program for general revenue fund purposes. The courts agreed and negotiations began to determine what the appropriate fee should be. In early May the legislature approved SB 1526 that established the new fee at $300 for all individuals and entities.

The new legislation also provides new lobbing expenditure reporting requirements. For the two, six month periods of 2010 expenditure reports must be filed by July 15 and January 15, 2011. Beginning in January, 2011 expenditure reports must be filed every two weeks within five business days of the close of each two-week period.

The governor received the legislation from the General Assembly on June 4. He has until August 3 to Act but there are some who look at the delay in quick action as a sign of possible disapproval of all or a portion of the final product. If he amends the bill then the soonest that it can take effect is sometime in December, leaving the entire registration process in turmoil and no funds for administration for months. Others suggest that he’s waiting until the beginning of the fiscal year so that all fees paid would be captured in FY 2011. Hopefully, it’s the latter rather than the former opinion that will prevail.

Legislation of Interest
The following is a sampling of bills that have been introduced this legislative session and that are being monitored and the current status. Only bills that remain alive are listed.

SB 580 – DuPage Water Commission. (Current Status – Governor’s Desk)

SB 3070 - Provides that if a carcinogenic volatile organic compound is detected in the finished water of a community water system at a certain level, then the owner or operator of that system must submit a response plan that meets certain requirements to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Requires the Agency to approve, and the owner or operator to implement, the plan. Upon completion of the plan, requires the owner or operator to submit a response completion report to the Agency. Provides that any action taken by the Agency to disapprove or modify a plan or report may be appealed to the Illinois Pollution Control Board. (Current Status – Governor’s Desk)

Keeping Your Employees Safe & Avoiding Emergencies: Electrical Hazard Assessments, Going Beyond The Arc Flash Study

2010-07-13T11:14:00.004-05:00

Tuesday, July 27, 2010 - 8:00am-12:00pm
Ottawa City Hall
301 West Madison Street, Ottawa, IL 61350
Ph: 815-433-0161

Quick Links:
click here for PDF flyer
click here to register now online

TOPIC:
OSHA 29 CFR 1910 requires that employers assess their workplace for hazards. Employers must also provide personal protective equipment (PPE) that must be worn by personnel when working in potentially hazardous areas and training for their employees to understand the hazards they may encounter. These efforts can reduce emergency situations. NFPA 70E and IEEE 1584 provide procedures on “how to” assess electrical equipment, specifically in regards to determining incident energy levels present in a fault condition. These energy levels and the system voltage determine the arc flash limited, restricted, and prohibited approach boundaries.

In the 2009 update of NFPA 70E, new requirements related to Category 1 PPE, an exception for 240 volt and lower voltage equipment, recordkeeping requirements, and a new Annex D with consolidated equations and tables have been added. The update also includes text to define the need for an Energized Electric Work Permit.

The NEC requires electrical equipment that is likely to require examination, adjustment, service, or maintenance while energized
to be “field marked” or labeled.

This training will provide a step-by-step approach to completing an electrical hazard assessment, including an arc flash study, of your facilities. A discussion on how the recent changes in NFPA 70E apply to you and an overview of options to lower an equipment item’s required PPE Category so your staff can operate and maintain equipment more comfortably and safely will be included. Training will also address the benefits of developing a computer model of your electrical distribution system for future system analysis, load flow evaluations, voltage drop calculations, and evaluation of nuisance tripping events.

SPEAKER:
Steve Palac, Greeley and Hansen, spalac@greeley-hansen.com
Dan Dragan, Greeley and Hansen, ddragan@greeley-hansen.com

REGISTRATION & HOURS:
Registration begins at 7:30am The training will start at 8:00am and will conclude by 12:00pm. Earn up to 4 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast will be included.

COST:
$35.00 for AWWA members • $45.00 for non AWWA members • $55.00 for on-site registration

Coagulation in Water Treatment

2010-07-08T09:51:00.005-05:00

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - 8:00am-12:00pm
City Water Light & Power (CWLP)
200 East Lake Shore Drive, Springfield, IL 62712
Facility Ph: 217-757-8660

Quick Links:
click here for PDF flyer
click here to register now online

TOPIC:
The goal of this seminar is to provide information that will help water treatment plant operators effectively control the coagulation process, improve effluent quality and reduce operational costs. This seminar includes the following topics:
• Coagulation mechanisms
• Review of coagulants commonly used in water treatment practice
• Major factors affecting coagulation
• Natural organic matter and its effect on coagulation
• Raw water quality monitoring requirements
• Coagulant feed control methods
• Major principles of selecting optimal coagulant
• Effect of rapid and flocculation mixing on coagulation control and effluent quality
• Effect of coagulation on filtration
• Coagulation and softening
Each topic includes general theory, if applicable, and practical examples.

SPEAKER:
Alex Yavich, Optimization Solutions Environmental, LLC, yavichal@osenv.com

REGISTRATION & HOURS:
Registration begins at 7:30am The training will start at 8:00am and will conclude by 12:00pm. Earn up to 4 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast will be included.

COST:
$35.00 for AWWA members • $45.00 for non AWWA members • $55.00 for on-site registration

Looking for a presenter (s) - Security Technology and Security Measures

2010-05-18T15:23:00.004-05:00

The Illinois Section is in need of a presenter(s) for the following topic - please let us know if you have anyone that can help us out on a previously scheduled seminar.

Security Technology and Security Measures
This course will discuss and address in detail the security concerns that water operators have in the volatile world we live in today. The course will discuss the obstacles water operators have from technology/infrastructure challenges to the budgetary challenges that exist, and how these challenges can be overcome by utilizing the right technologies. The topics of discussion will be:
• Securing the perimeter of a facility or several facilities
• Systems integration - How to integrate access control, video, and other technologies into one platform - and make operations seamless
• How to leverage the existing SCADA systems as a backbone for security
• How to use cameras effectively to secure a facility or facilities - The benefits of using IP vs. Analog cameras
• Is wireless the right way to go?
• How do you know if you have the right systems integrator or engineer designing your security?

Call Lisa at 866-521-3595 ext 2 if you would like to refer a speaker or offer to present on this topic.

ISAWWA - Legislative Update

2010-05-01T15:48:00.001-05:00

Where’s the Beef?

With only one week left until the scheduled adjournment of the spring legislative session, individual legislators are busy as beavers trying to beat next Friday’s deadline for passing bills. As in previous years, appropriations committees have been holding hearings and quizzing state agency personnel about budget requests. The atmosphere in the Capitol Building is such that an uninformed person would have little idea that the state of Illinois is very close to driving over the fiscal cliff. But so far the real budget talks, those between the legislative leaders and the Governor, have not yet begun. There may not be much to talk about, but if the targeted May 7 adjournment date is going to be a reality some fiscal plan and blueprint is going to have to be put on the table soon.

Last year, as the budget prognosis was getting bleaker by the day, large rallies were held at the Capitol on almost a weekly basis to encourage legislators to “do the right thing” and increase state revenues. This year, by contrast, there has been one huge rally attended by an approximate 15,000 people, but by and large demonstrations but they have been far smaller and much less demonstrative. Even with the state’s fiscal condition in far worse shape than last year. And the reason? Perhaps the realization that nothing revenue related will probably happen until after November’s elections. Or, with the Governor himself requesting an education-only increase, at least at this time, the wind may have been taken out of the sails of human services organizations that were the vocal stalwarts in the “Drive for Five” (the increase in the income tax rate to 5% as proposed in HB 174) in 2009.

The expectation is that sometime on or after May 7 the legislature will approve a lump sum budget and head for home. Whether additional borrowing is part of that plan is unknown, but since the approval of additional bonding authority requires a three-fifths majority it may be a difficult chore. Democrats do have a three-fifths vote in the Senate but are one vote shy in the House. There were also reports this week that House Democratic leaders were polling their members to determine their positions on various other points that may be in the mix as a new budget is crafted. Among those are granting the governor emergency fiscal powers, similar to powers given to Governor Edgar a number of years ago; an increase in the cigarette tax; a possible tax amnesty program; borrowing; tapping into the tobacco settlement funds, and program reductions, including human services programs.Stay tuned.

With one week to go there should be some plan details that could emerge shortly about the final budget product and whether or not any effort will be made to vote on any additional revenues to bolster the state’s eroding bottom line. The best guess is no. Will they hit the May 7 target adjournment date? That guess is also no, but it could be very close.

Skewed Battle Lines

In an interesting early twist to what may be a fairly “twistful” gubernatorial race, former Governor Jim Edgar did state Sen. Bill Brady, his party’s candidate, no favors when he made an appearance at Elmhurst College last week.

According to a Daily Herald report on April 9, Edgar commented that, in his opinion, Brady is wrong on Illinois' budget crisis. Edgar was quoted as saying, “There is no easy way out of the mess we are in.,” and "I give Governor Quinn credit for having the courage to call for a tax increase in an election year."

Edgar also mentioned that while it was his feeling that Brady truly believed he could solve the deficit problem without raising taxes, he thought that Brady needed to "flush out his budget policies" more. The report also indicated that previously Edgar had described Brady's plan for a 10 percent across-the-board cut "naïve.”

The criticism of Brady’s position on the budget deficit should not, however, be construed as any endorsement of Governor Quinn. In his remarks Edgar admonished Quinn to think before the makes statements, suggesting that Quinn’s frequent flip-flops have hurt his credibility.

Constitutional Amendments

Keep your eye on May 2, only a few days away. With the exception of proposed amendments to the Legislative Article, all proposed amendments to the Illinois Constitution must be approved by the General Assembly at least six months before they appear on the ballot. The Legislative Article is the only portion of the Constitution where amendments can be proposed via petition, but the six month deadline also applies.

Unlike other states, Illinois is limited to only three constitutional amendment referenda per general election. “Ah,” to quote Hamlet, “There’s the rub.” That limitation could be the Illinois “rub” as we progress toward May 2. Why? Redistricting, why else?

If the upcoming November elections end badly for Republicans and Democrats maintain control of the legislature and the governor’s office it will mark the first time since the adoption of the 1970 Illinois Constitution that one party will be able to control the redistricting process. If that were to come to pass it would also mean that Republicans most probably would be relegated to minority party status for the next decade. Obviously, the GOP wants no part of that so they’ve decided to join in an effort to try to change the redistricting process. There is a petition drive underway to put a redistricting constitutional amendment on the November ballot. Proponents claim it qualifies because it pertains to the legislature. Opponents, on the other hand, state that the constitution limits legislative changes to structure and procedure so a redistricting question would be out of bounds. If enough signatures are gathered and certified, the courts will have to decide what is in bounds or out.

But wait, there’s more. So as not to take chances just in case the redistricting reform movement does qualify for the ballot, legislative Democrats are eying that three question limitation. If they are able to approve three amendment questions before the redistricting question is certified then they may be able to squeeze it out. Last year a question was approved relating to gubernatorial recall so one ballot question will be appearing in November. A host of other ballot questions ranging from abolishing the office of Lieutenant Governor, to approving a graduated income tax, to providing for more explicit judicial qualifications have been introduced. To qualify for the ballot those questions must be approved by a three-fifths majority in both legislative chambers. Democrats have that number in the Senate but fall one vote short in the House. So, it may be that the “squeeze” strategy will fail.

The irony is that if places were reversed the Democrats and Republicans would be following the same game plans. One group trying to protect its constitutional right to remap, and the other wanting to promote a new way to insert “fairness” into the process. The definition of “fairness” in this case would be simply to “stop the other guy from controlling the process”. A second irony would occur if the GOP were able to capture one of the two legislative chambers or the governor’s office in November. It would give them a 50/50 shot at controlling the remap process, and they would be giving themselves a good kick for dallying into the world of reform and “fairness”.

DuPage Water Commission

It’s not unusual to have local problems acted upon by the state legislature. Sprinkle a bit of politics into the mix and things can get pretty interesting on the road to resolution. When charges of mismanagement were levied at the DuPage Water Commission a few months ago the presumptive winner of the race to the helm of the DuPage County Board, state Sen. Dan Cronin, jumped into action, introducing legislation (SB 580) to rectify the problem by abolishing the Commission and transferring its authority to DuPage County government. Various iterations of the legislation followed and debate raged both about the propriety of abolishing the Commission and the manner in which such action, if any, should be taken. The ISAWWA position is that since the Commission was created by voter referendum it should be abolished in the same manner.

This past week a breakthrough occurred that may resolve the issue and limit the resolution to the DuPage County Water Commission itself. The proposed amendment terminates the appointments of current board members. New members will be appointed by the DuPage County Board. The legislation also specifies the powers and duties of various Commission personnel. Lastly, the proposal specifies that beginning June 1, 2016 any taxes currently imposed will no longer be continued unless approved by referendum.

The bill in its amended form was approved by the House on April 30 by a vote of 111-1-3. It now goes back to the Senate for approval of the House amendment.

Legislation of Interest

The following is a sampling of bills that have been introduced this legislative session and that are being monitored and the current status. A re-referral generally indicates that a bill will no longer be considered. However, some sponsors will file motions asking for extended deadlines. Those requests are honored in some limited cases.

HB 5115 - Creates the Prescription Drug Repository Program Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to establish a prescription drug repository program, under which a healthcare facility may donate a prescription drug or supplies needed to administer a prescription drug for use by an individual who meets eligibility criteria specified by the Department. Provides for civil and criminal immunity for drug and supply manufacturers and pharmacists in relation to the donation, acceptance, or dispensing of prescription drugs or supplies under the prescription drug repository program. (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee - Dead)

HB 5347 - Provides that a utility that is regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission that owns power stations or substations located within 200 feet of a lake, river, or stream in the State must file a report with the Commission by June 30, 2011 reporting any possible contamination resulting from the substation in nearby soil and water. Provides that if the utility has already completed a full environmental report on that property within the last 5 years, then that private report must be made available for public viewing by July 28, 2011. Provides that if no environmental report has been completed, then the utility has until August 30, 2011 to conduct and complete a full environmental survey of the property. Provides that the environmental study shall be filed with the Commission and shall include all data from the soil and water samples performed by the utility. Provides that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency must review all surveys by November 30, 2010. (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee - Dead)

HB 5482 - Provides that a water utility official or his or her designee must notify (i) the local fire officials of any hydrant that it finds necessary to take out of service for water main-related work due to emergency repairs or scheduled maintenance, whenever such maintenance work and hydrant out of service condition is expected to last more than 8 hours or if the main will be unattended at any time during the outage and (ii) the dispatcher or designated fire official of any hydrant reported to be inoperable or expected to operate with a rate of water flow less than a normal rate expected for the hydrant as soon as practical, but in no event more than 2 hours, after receiving the notice from an employee, contractor, police department, or other government official, and, under normal conditions, must have the hydrant restored to service within 48 hours. Provides a fine of $100 per day for failure to make the notification or repairs, which shall be paid to the fire department or fire protection district. (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee - Dead)

HB 5485 - Provides that in certain eminent domain proceedings the fair cash market value of waterworks and sewerage system facilities is the depreciated value of the land and easements upon which the facilities are situated and all facilities and fixtures constructed or installed by the utility company (rather than the net earnings attributable to those facilities). Requires the acquiring municipality to reimburse the utility company for payments made by the utility in connection with the dedication or donation of any waterworks or sewerage system to the utility company. . (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee - Dead)

HB 5491 - Provides that any residential property owner who willfully fails to comply with any provision of the Act while engaging in excavation or demolition on such residential property shall not be subject to a penalty under the Act for a first-time offense of the Act, but shall be subject to a penalty of up to $500 for each separate offense for any subsequent willful failures to comply with the Act. Provides that any residential property owner who fails to comply with any provision of the Act while engaging in excavation or demolition on a residential property shall be liable for the damage caused to the owner or operator of the damaged underground utility facilities or CATS facilities unless the damages resulted from the failure of owners or operators of underground facilities to comply with the provisions of the Act. (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee - Dead)

HB 5837 - Provides that no public utility shall impose a sprinkler standby charge on the owners of structures that contain automatic fire protection systems. Provides that "sprinkler standby charge" means additional charges imposed by a public utility on owners of structures because the structures are equipped with automatic fire protection sprinkler systems. (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee - Dead)

HB 6120 - Makes it a violation to fail to (1) submit to the Agency a discharge monitoring report as required under an NPDES permit, (2) perform monitoring as required under an NPDES permit, (3) obtain a stormwater NPDES permit for a construction site, (4) renew an NPDES permit, and (5) maintain at a construction site a stormwater pollution prevention plan as required under an NPDES permit. Authorizes certain violations of the Act and rules adopted under its authority to be enforced by administrative citation. (Current Status – Re-referred to Rules Committee - Dead)

SB 580 – DuPage Water Commission. (Current Status – Passed House; Senate - Concurrence)

SB 2549 - Provides that "plumbing" includes rainwater harvesting distribution systems, but does not include any rainwater harvesting distribution system or rainwater harvesting collection system unless otherwise required by the Illinois Plumbing Code. Requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to adopt and publish a minimum code of standards for rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems by January 1, 2011. Requires rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems to be (A) used only for non-potable uses and (B) constructed in accordance with the Illinois Plumbing Code. (Current Status – Passed Senate; House – Executive Committee)

SB 3070 - Provides that if a carcinogenic volatile organic compound is detected in the finished water of a community water system at a certain level, then the owner or operator of that system must submit a response plan that meets certain requirements to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Requires the Agency to approve, and the owner or operator to implement, the plan. Upon completion of the plan, requires the owner or operator to submit a response completion report to the Agency. Provides that any action taken by the Agency to disapprove or modify a plan or report may be appealed to the Illinois Pollution Control Board. (Current Status – Passed House; Senate - Concurrence)

Gas Chlorination Safety: Scrubbers, Containment & Emergency Shutoff Systems WEBINAR

2010-04-27T12:03:00.002-05:00

Thursday, April 29, 2010
12:00pm - 1:00pm CST - At your computer
click here to register online

Topic:
Many water plants and remote ground water well sites still use gas chlorine for disinfection. Gas chlorine represents a significant safety hazard to operators. Introduction to options available to plants to keep operators safe.

Speaker:
Steve Truitt, PE, Drydon Equipment Inc.
Steve, Truitt, PE. BS in Civil Engineering from University of Illinois. Twenty years experience in water and wastewater equipment industry having worked for two manufacturers and as a sales rep in northern IL for the past 8 years.

Registration & Hours:
This training webinar will begin at 12:00pm and conclude by 1:00pm. Earn up to 1 PDH or RTC hour. After registration, attendee will be furnished with all materials and links needed to participate in the webinar.

Cost:
$15.00 for AWWA members
$25.00 for non AWWA members

Joint Topic Seminar: Sampling Techniques & Porta-Tower Systems & The Advantages of VFD's

2010-04-20T15:45:00.004-05:00

Thursday, April 22, 2010 - Princeton, IL
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - East Peoria, IL

click here to register online

Topics
Sampling collection do’s and don’ts. Also covered will be sampling and testing procedures for IOC’s, fluoride, nitrate and nitrite, SOC’s, VOC’s, disinfection by-products, and bacteriological samples. The seminar will conclude with a discussion of lab procedures to ensure the integrity of your samples and IEPA data filing and compliance procedures.

Traditional methods of taking water towers offline for inspection and repairs involve pressure relief valves and pumping water to waste in order to maintain system pressure. This method results in literally millions of gallons pumped to waste and high electrical costs for pumping treated water to the drain. With everyone having to eventually maintain their water towers, water departments have the option to utilize a Porta-Tower System to maintain system pressure as well as to save on electrical costs and water pumped to waste. The system utilizes VFD’s and large portable pressure tanks to take the place of elevated storage and hydropneumatic tanks while they are out of service. This provides a constant pressure system utilizing the existing pumps that offer cost savings to clients.

VFD’s are used to maintain a constant pressure to the system and to eliminate water hammer in your lines. You can also benefit from the use of variable frequency drives on everyday applications by saving on power consumption as well as offering motor protection. VFD’s are the next generation in starting controls for motors and we will discuss applications and the benefits of them.

Speakers
Andy Groeper, Suburban Labs (morning session on Sampling Techniques)
Andy has over 25 years of marketing management experience, over 17 in the laboratory industry. He completed two years of undergraduate study as a biology major and chemistry minor before switching his major to marketing. While completing his BS in marketing from Bradley University, he was a laboratory research technician performing analytical tests on oils and metals in an industrial lab. After graduation Andy worked in several marketing services firms executing market research studies and developing database driven marketing programs.

Todd E. Kerry, Water Well Solutions (afternoon session on Porta-Towers)
Todd E. Kerry is a graduate of the Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL and worked his way through College as a third generation water well drilling and pump installation contractor with Meadow Equipment Sales & Service, Inc. After graduating, he spent 3 years in the field as a pump installer and drilling assistant on rotary and cable tool projects with Meadow Equipment. In 1998 he was promoted to a Project Engineer were he continued until 2009 when he joined WWS as a Senior Project Manager in Coal City, IL. He also sits on the Board of Directors with the Illinois Association of Groundwater Professionals being elected by his peers to represent them.

Tim Kelly, Water Well Solutions (afternoon session on Porta-Towers)
Timothy L. Kelly is a graduate of the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Mechanization. Tim spent 14 years as project engineer and vice president of Brotcke Well & Pump in St. Louis, Missouri. He joined the Water Well Solutions in the spring of 2004 as project engineer and is now acting Vice President of the Illinois Division based out of Coal City, IL.

Dates & Locations
Thursday, April 22, 2010
City Hall (Fireman’s Training Room)
2 S Main Street
Princeton, IL 61356
Ph: 815-879-8066

Cost
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 for on-site registration

Registration & Hours
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Includes breakfast and lunch.

Legislative Report 3-31-10

2010-04-06T11:57:00.001-05:00

Government Strategy Associates
4023 Terramere Avenue
Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004

M E M O R A N D U M

To: Laurie Dougherty
Gerry Bever

From: Terry Steczo
Maureen Mulhall

Re: Legislative Report

Date: March 31, 2010

The Pause That Refreshes?

A two-week hiatus. The final pit stop in the race (or crawl) toward adjournment of the 2010 legislative session. In approximately six weeks we’ll have an idea as to whether or not the General Assembly will cruise across the finish line, or sputter and choke and leave its owner(s) and crew with a jalopy in horrific condition and a mountainous “repair bill”. The smart odds may be on the latter.

The legislature has reached its technical halfway point and when it returns from its break will begin the process of finalizing action on many of the bills that have been approved by the first chamber and now will be considered by the second. They will also try to get their arms around a budget, and that shouldn’t be a problem this year with the emaciated state of the Illinois treasury.

What many consider to be “Nightmare on Monroe Street” began a few weeks ago when Governor Pat Quinn gave a short, fairly quiet budget message that painted a dismal picture of state finances and that offered cuts, borrowing and a proposed 1% education income tax surcharge to help Illinois get through the next fiscal year. He referred to the state of Illinois’ finances as a “crisis of epic proportions” and indicated that the structural deficit would be in the $13 billion range. But, he also indicated he was “an optimist but also a realist” so, realizing the legislature’s lack of spirit on the question of revenue generation and taxes, he throttled back on any overtly aggressive approach to new revenue.

Rather than throw down the gauntlet to the legislature Gov. Quinn suggested that given the fiscal constraints providing the pared down budget was the best he could do given the lack of available resources. Requesting authority to borrowing $5 billion will, for now provide the revenue stream that will be required to allow the state to provide a minimal level of services, according to the Governor. But, since the issuance of new bonds requires a three-fifths vote in the legislature this scenario can’t occur without at least some Republicans jumping on board … and they’re not even close to approaching the station yet. Nor will they be. So, we’re probably back to square one on that front.

A good deal of the Governor’s initial plan focuses on maximizing federal matching dollars. Efforts are being made to transfer programs and services as much as possible from general revenue funding to Medicaid. In those cases current non-Medicaid caseloads will be grandfathered and new non-Medicaid individuals will either not be served or will be resigned to be placed on waiting lists.

Mental health services were particularly hard hit. During the Department of Human Services budget briefing it was estimated that between 23 and 87 service agencies may fail and 3,800 jobs may be lost due to the cuts that would have to be endured. Thousands of individuals would be unable to receive services. Non-Medicaid related community-based mental health services would also be eliminated, according to the Department.

The Governor’s suggestion of the 1% education income tax surcharge was unexpected and carries great future risk. If there is some chance that the legislature will address this tax issue does that poison the prospect of doing the remainder of what’s necessary later? The 1% represents only about a third of what is needed to only start to straighten out the fiscal hole. The General Assembly does not act on tax questions lightly. If there is only going to be one bite at the apple, is this the bite that is preferred? Second, what happens to human services providers that have been revenue enhancement stalwarts during the last year? They were seemingly left at the gate on Wednesday, having to contend with even longer prolonged payment cycles, devastating cuts and the potential closure of scores of service providers doors while education gets targeted for some relief.

After the speech Sen. Bill Brady, the GOP nominee for Governor, called Quinn’s budget proposal a “catastrophe” but didn’t, and hasn’t, gone into detail about how he would balance the budget with the 10% across-the-board-cut and a tax reductions he recommends.

The proverbial ball is now in the legislature’s court. After the speech House Speaker Michael Madigan seemed to quash the idea of any tax increase saying that people don’t want one because they’re “hurting”. So, with bonding apparently doomed and with the 1% tax surcharge for education on a respirator, the Governor’s initial budget plan is about as sound as a house in Haiti. Shaky, at best.

Don’t expect to see anything too heroic to occur in the legislature between now and the end of the fiscal year. There has been rumor that the legislature may just punt like they did last year, send the Governor a six-month lump sum budget and then deal with it after November. Of all the scenarios it probably seems the most likely at this point in time.

The legislature heads into its own “Final Four” – the last four weeks of the legislative session – beginning April 13 and there’s a full plate of issues to be resolved, all of them overshadowed by the whopping $13 billion projected deficit.

As the clock ticks and the rhetoric from both political parties becomes magnified, look for a series of non-solutions relating to the budget with some resolution of some major policy questions by the end of April. The odds may not be in favor at this point of an adjournment on May 7, but there is no doubt that legislators will be home for the summer/fall campaign season by the end of May at the latest. If not, then it could spell trouble for Governor Quinn. He needs to show that his decisiveness and prove his leadership credentials and the last weeks of a legislative session are a good time to do that. A blunder could prove very costly, even against an opponent that is perceived to be weak. Democrats will be doing everything possible in the coming weeks and months to avoid another 1994 when they lost control of the legislature and all of state government. Republicans, on the other hand, will use their last once of energy trying to invoke the spirit of 1994 to wrestle control of either the Governor’s office or one of the chambers of the General Assembly. With redistricting on the horizon in 2011, their political lives depend on it.

The legislature stunned everyone this past week by passing a huge pension reform package in just one day over the objections of every public employee and teachers union in the state. East coast bond houses wanted some sign from the legislature before April bond sales that the state was serious about getting pensions costs under control. Under threat of having higher interest rates imposed the legislature acted swiftly and decisively and created a new set of pension standards for new hires, including caps on benefits and an increase in the age to qualify for full benefits to 67. With the exception of the Chicago Tribune, observers who had cried out for the need for significant pension reform seemed pleased.

Game On

Nearly two months after the February primary election the tickets are finally complete, so it’s on to November! With Sen. Bill Brady’s nomination certified and Sen. Kirk Dillard’s gracious concession, the top of the Republican ticket for the fall election has been set for a few weeks. Now, with the Democrats having selected Sheila Simon of Carbondale, daughter of former Lt. Governor and U.S. Senator Paul Simon, as their choice as Governor Quinn’s running mate, the campaigns can gain full heads of steam heading into the upcoming campaign season.

The February primary election experiment has now officially come to an end. Governor Quinn has signed legislation to move the primary election back to March in 2012.

Democrats will insist that Brady’s views are Neanderthal and his running mate, 27 year old Jason Plummer is ill-equipped to take the reins of government should there be a gubernatorial vacancy. Republicans, on the other hand, will try to prove Quinn to be an indecisive liberal who wants to pick the taxpayer’s pockets by raising revenue. They’ll also do their best to scare up the ghost of Rod Blagojevich to try to create a link to Quinn. It may be a tough chore, given Quinn’s advocacy of good government and ethics in the past. But since Blagojevich won’t “go away” and continues his media blitz, and he’ll be on the front pages statewide once his trial is scheduled to begin in just a few months, he may prove to be an assist to the GOP either directly or indirectly.

Election Day is 186 days away.

Legislation of Interest

The following is a sampling of bills that have been introduced this legislative session and that are being monitored and the current status. A re-referral generally indicates that a bill will no longer be considered. However, some sponsors will file motions asking for extended deadlines. Those requests are honored in some limited cases.

HB 5115 - Creates the Prescription Drug Repository Program Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to establish a prescription drug repository program, under which a healthcare facility may donate a prescription drug or supplies needed to administer a prescription drug for use by an individual who meets eligibility criteria specified by the Department. Provides for civil and criminal immunity for drug and supply manufacturers and pharmacists in relation to the donation, acceptance, or dispensing of prescription drugs or supplies under the prescription drug repository program. (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee)

HB 5347 - Provides that a utility that is regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission that owns power stations or substations located within 200 feet of a lake, river, or stream in the State must file a report with the Commission by June 30, 2011 reporting any possible contamination resulting from the substation in nearby soil and water. Provides that if the utility has already completed a full environmental report on that property within the last 5 years, then that private report must be made available for public viewing by July 28, 2011. Provides that if no environmental report has been completed, then the utility has until August 30, 2011 to conduct and complete a full environmental survey of the property. Provides that the environmental study shall be filed with the Commission and shall include all data from the soil and water samples performed by the utility. Provides that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency must review all surveys by November 30, 2010. (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee)

HB 5482 - Provides that a water utility official or his or her designee must notify (i) the local fire officials of any hydrant that it finds necessary to take out of service for water main-related work due to emergency repairs or scheduled maintenance, whenever such maintenance work and hydrant out of service condition is expected to last more than 8 hours or if the main will be unattended at any time during the outage and (ii) the dispatcher or designated fire official of any hydrant reported to be inoperable or expected to operate with a rate of water flow less than a normal rate expected for the hydrant as soon as practical, but in no event more than 2 hours, after receiving the notice from an employee, contractor, police department, or other government official, and, under normal conditions, must have the hydrant restored to service within 48 hours. Provides a fine of $100 per day for failure to make the notification or repairs, which shall be paid to the fire department or fire protection district. (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee)

HB 5485 - Provides that in certain eminent domain proceedings the fair cash market value of waterworks and sewerage system facilities is the depreciated value of the land and easements upon which the facilities are situated and all facilities and fixtures constructed or installed by the utility company (rather than the net earnings attributable to those facilities). Requires the acquiring municipality to reimburse the utility company for payments made by the utility in connection with the dedication or donation of any waterworks or sewerage system to the utility company. . (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee)

HB 5491 - Provides that any residential property owner who willfully fails to comply with any provision of the Act while engaging in excavation or demolition on such residential property shall not be subject to a penalty under the Act for a first-time offense of the Act, but shall be subject to a penalty of up to $500 for each separate offense for any subsequent willful failures to comply with the Act. Provides that any residential property owner who fails to comply with any provision of the Act while engaging in excavation or demolition on a residential property shall be liable for the damage caused to the owner or operator of the damaged underground utility facilities or CATS facilities unless the damages resulted from the failure of owners or operators of underground facilities to comply with the provisions of the Act. (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee)

HB 5837 - Provides that no public utility shall impose a sprinkler standby charge on the owners of structures that contain automatic fire protection systems. Provides that "sprinkler standby charge" means additional charges imposed by a public utility on owners of structures because the structures are equipped with automatic fire protection sprinkler systems. (Current Status – House – Re-referred to Rules Committee)
HB 6120 - Makes it a violation to fail to (1) submit to the Agency a discharge monitoring report as required under an NPDES permit, (2) perform monitoring as required under an NPDES permit, (3) obtain a stormwater NPDES permit for a construction site, (4) renew an NPDES permit, and (5) maintain at a construction site a stormwater pollution prevention plan as required under an NPDES permit. Authorizes certain violations of the Act and rules adopted under its authority to be enforced by administrative citation. (Current Status – – Re-referred to Rules Committee)

SB 580 – DuPage Water Commission. (Current Status – Senate – 3rd Reading)

SB 2549 - Provides that "plumbing" includes rainwater harvesting distribution systems, but does not include any rainwater harvesting distribution system or rainwater harvesting collection system unless otherwise required by the Illinois Plumbing Code. Requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to adopt and publish a minimum code of standards for rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems by January 1, 2011. Requires rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems to be (A) used only for non-potable uses and (B) constructed in accordance with the Illinois Plumbing Code. (Current Status – Passed Senate; - House – Rules Committee)

SB 3070 - Provides that if a carcinogenic volatile organic compound is detected in the finished water of a community water system at a certain level, then the owner or operator of that system must submit a response plan that meets certain requirements to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Requires the Agency to approve, and the owner or operator to implement, the plan. Upon completion of the plan, requires the owner or operator to submit a response completion report to the Agency. Provides that any action taken by the Agency to disapprove or modify a plan or report may be appealed to the Illinois Pollution Control Board. (Current Status – Passed Senate – House – Rules Committee)

Chemical Properties, Safety and Security

2010-04-06T08:24:00.005-05:00

Thursday, April 8, 2010 - Waukegan, IL
Register Online: http://tinyurl.com/ISAWWAregister

Topic
The program will discuss properties, safety, equipment, PPE, security and some regulatory issues relating to Liquid Chlorine, Sodium Hypochlorite, fluoridation chemicals, and others related to water treatment.

Speaker
Geza Ehrentreu, Viking Chemical
Geza Ehrentreu is Vice President of Operations and also Vice President of Water Management at Viking Chemical Company in Rockford, IL. He has been in the chemical distribution industry for 33 years, the last 10 with Viking. He has served as a chemical safety educator for over 29 years, working with groups on a variety of chemical, safety, and environmental subjects.

Date & Location
Thursday, April 8, 2010
USA Bluebook Training Room
3781 Burwood Drive
Waukegan, IL 60085
Ph: 847-689-3000

Registration & Hours:
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Includes breakfast and lunch.

Cost:
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 for on-site registration

Smart Wireless Technology, Security and Instrumentation

2010-03-25T10:07:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - St. Charles, IL
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - East Peoria, IL

Speakers
Dan Armstrong, Emerson Process Management-Rosemount
Dan Armstrong works for Emerson Process Management-Rosemount Measurement Division. Dan is a Business Development Manager for Rosemount.

Dave Marszalec, Emerson Process Management-Rosemount Measurement Division
Dave Marszalec works for Emerson Process Management-Rosemount Measurement Division. Dave is a Flow Specialist for Rosemount.

Nick Bibich, Emerson Process Management-Rosemount Measurement Division
Nick Bibich works for Emerson Process Management-Rosemount Measurement Division. Nick is the Central Area Municipality Business Manager for Rosemount.

Topic
Please join us for an educational day focused on the new instrument technologies being deployed in the water industry:
Topics will include:
Wireless
• What’s possible and what’s not?
• Helping reduce capital expenditures for device installation.
• Getting to existing device diagnostic data wirelessly.

Wireless protocol standards and security including
• WiHART Standard
• Encryption
• Authentication
• Anti Jamming Technology
• Network Key Management

Level
• Pressure, radar, ultrasonic…which is best applied where?

Flow
• Ease of compliance with on-board meter verification
• How to use available diagnostics to speed up maintenance and troubleshooting operations.
• Lowering installed cost and increasing reliability with integrated meter design

Pressure
• How to use the computing power of pressure devices to get advanced warning of potential problems (statistical process modeling)
Buses
• How to take advantage of bus technologies on legacy control systems

Dates & Locations
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
University of Illinois Extension Office (Next door to ISA WWA Office)
535 S. Randall Road
St. Charles, IL 60174
Ph: 866-521-3595

Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Festival Building
222 E. Washington Street
East Peoria, IL
Ph: 309-698-4711

Cost
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 for on-site registration

Registration & Hours
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Includes breakfast and lunch.

GIS Implementation for Water Distribution System Management & Analysis WEBINAR

2010-03-23T11:41:00.005-05:00

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - Your Computer

Speaker
Andy Zaletel, Baxter & Woodman, Inc.

Topic
The session will provide general information, technical guidance, and an overview of the process utilized for the application of a Geographic Information System (GIS) for a water distribution system. GIS can provide an organization with the ability to construct, develop, and utilize water system specific data in an innovative format that will assist in the overall analysis and reporting capabilities for the users.

The session will provide the attendees with the concept of GIS and software available to implement GIS into your water system programs. Through this training the process and key components of implementing and utilizing GIS for water
system analysis will be demonstrated. Although each organization is different, the overall process can be applied to better understand and implement a usable and reliable GIS. Particular attention will be given to utilizing the organizations existing information and incorporation in the GIS as well as outline the available options for additional data creation through GPS and field based data collection methods.

Case studies will be provided that relate GIS with comprehensive planning and the type of reports that can be generated to assist the organization in evaluating capital improvement needs. The use of GIS has also enhanced the accuracy and usability of water distribution modeling software.

Date & Location
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Webinar - Your Computer

REGISTRATION & HOURS
This training webinar will begin at 12:00pm and conclude by 1:00pm. Earn up to 1 PDH or RTC hour. After registration, attendee will be furnished with all materials and links needed to participate in the webinar.

COST
$15.00 for AWWA members
$25.00 for non AWWA members

ISAWWA - Legislative Update

2010-02-28T07:47:00.001-06:00

“Who Dat?”

The New Orleans Saints Super Bowl win was a triumph of the underdog over the heavily favored. Little did we know that the Illinois primary election just a few days earlier was a harbinger. Thrills, chills, and, in some cases, disbelief were evident in both “spectacles”.

In the Republican primary election all eyes were on the pre-election poll frontrunners (Ryan, McKenna and Dillard) with the others mentioned only as an afterthought. When the smoke cleared on election night State Sens. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) and Kirk Dillard (R-Westmont) were only a few hundred votes apart in a race still to be decided. How was Brady able pull off a real stunner? First, he was the only Republican candidate from downstate. Second, since coming in third in the 2006 gubernatorial primary election he never stopped campaigning and was able to put together a fairly formidable ground operation, something the others did not and could not do given the small amount of time from announcement in the summer and fall to the February primary election. With election results only a few days away from being certified there is still a chance that Dillard, albeit slim, will come out on top. Dillard has indicated he won’t seek a recount unless the final vote tally is within 100 votes. An important question here is whether or not a protracted recount battle will create disharmony among the GOP faithful and stop their nominee from executing his game plan.

In the Democratic primary election it was a case of “Who Dat?” in spades. As everyone was watching gubernatorial candidates Pat Quinn and Dan Hynes slug it out unknown Scott Lee Cohen spent two million of his own dollars and captured the Lt. Governor nomination. Of course, we all know now that Cohen now the former nominee, as media accounts of his personal life forced him to leave the ticket. The Democratic State Central Committee has the responsibility of selecting the replacement and will do so in the next week or so. Oddly enough, there was also an upset in the GOP Lt. Governor primary election. Twenty-seven year old Edwardsville resident Jason Plummer came out of nowhere to capture the nomination, defeating favorite State. Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), spending over a million dollars in personal funds in the process.

So, now the battle for the hearts, minds and votes of Illinoisans is almost set to begin … the only remaining ingredients are a certified Republican nominee for Governor and a Democratic nominee for the second spot.

With Quinn in the Governor’s chair, expect him to do whatever he can to overcome the criticisms that were leveled at him over the past few months and to try to put the heat on Brady (or Dillard) who are both in the Senate and who will have to make day-to-day legislative decisions that may help or hurt. Brady (or Dillard), no doubt, will use his Senate position to try to assuage Quinn and the Democratic majority as often as possible. Brady has already begun to define his candidacy by introducing constitutional amendments that seek to impose legislative term limits, to require an extraordinary number of votes to approve tax increases, and to ban gay marriage.

The November election “dance card” is almost full. It will be interesting to see which tune voters will prefer to dance to in nine months.

Legislative Session Breezing Along – Storm Clouds Approaching in March

Following a legislative session sometimes resembles watching a new driver … lots of starts and stops before finally reaching a destination. In order to try to complete its business in an orderly fashion the legislature imposes deadlines during the course of its process resulting in frenzy as those deadlines approach with short periods of calm after they pass.

The upcoming few weeks will mark one of those periods of frenzy as committee deadline weeks approach. Because bills not receiving a favorable committee hearing will die, and because sponsors generally wait until the last minute to have their bills heard, the days approaching committee deadlines can be tumultuous.

In the Senate the committee hearing deadline is this coming Friday, March 5. To make matters just a bit more maniacal the Senate Committee on Assignments, the panel that determines if legislation should be heard and, if so, where it will receive a hearing, released 500 bills this past week. Senate committees will be in rare form struggling to hear them all before next Friday.

The House committee deadline is Friday, March 11, giving lobbyists who must sometimes be a seven places at once to cover pertinent committee hearings, two straight weeks of flurry before more frenzy develops after the Governor’s March 10 budget message. With a projected $12 billion budget deficit, the news that is expected to be delivered in the Governor’s address will be about as welcome as a heat wave at the Winter Olympics.

Governor’s Budget Website Unveiled – “See me ,feel me, touch me, heal me”?

In recent years February has been the month that the Governor releases his budget to the public and the General Assembly. In order to allow Gov. Quinn additional time the legislature this week approved a bill that allows the Governor until March 10 to release his budget. However, there’s a populist, and possibly political, twist to this action, in a manner of speaking.

The new legislation requires that the Governor file a report with both the House and Senate by February 24 that provides revenue and expenditure information for both the current and upcoming fiscal years.

For the current fiscal year the report must include a statement of revenues and expenditures for all budgeted funds, both actual to date and estimated for the remainder of the fiscal year.

For FY 2011 that begins on July 1, the report must provide the estimated revenues for all budgeted funds including the affordable General Revenue Funds appropriations for the full fiscal year. It also must provide an estimate of anticipated liabilities for all budgeted funds, including affordable General Revenue Fund appropriations, debt service on bonds, and the amount of the anticipated state contribution to the pension systems.

These reports will be made available to the public and from February 24 and March 10. Members of the legislature, as well as the public, will be able to submit written budget recommendations to the Governor via the internet. Any recommendations will promptly be made available to the public on the Governor’s website. The website, now operational, also provides copies of studies and reports that have been initiated by outside groups such as the Civic Federation and the Illinois Policy Institute.

The Civic Federation this past week issued a report cites the need for “rehabilitating” state finances through a combination of reforms of expenditures and revenues. The report by the Illinois Policy Institute, issued in July, 2009 points the way to the end of the fiscal problems without raising new revenues. Depending on one’s philosophy there is plenty to love and hate about each of the reports. The Illinois Policy Institute report relies on some recommendations that may be controversial but possible over the long term such as Medicaid delivery reform or the implementation of a dual pension system that would provide lower benefits to new state hires. Other recommendations such as reducing payments to localities by abolishing the Local Government Distributive Fund, by freezing education categorical grants, or by forced consolidation of school districts could be considered “nuclear options” that would face a very difficult path toward approval.

Expect that the anticipated revenue and expenditure reports will not look pretty … with an anticipated $12 billion hole taking into account this fiscal year’s deficit along with what is expected in FY 2011. The availability of these reports could allow the public to see and judge the sad state of fiscal affairs for themselves and could allow the Governor to make his case for more revenue.

But, there may also be another side to the story. Could there also be an underlying motive? Not only will this new found method of allowing public participation in the budget process provide transparency and input, but it may also force or goad Republicans to put their ideas for cutting the budget in writing and on the table. Most GOP gubernatorial candidates in the primary election, including Sen. Brady, advocated cutting with no revenue increases. The process of opening up the budget recommendation process could force him to show how he would do it … if he can do it … and who would bear the brunt if he does do it.

Also, judging from his post-primary statements, the Governor’s new-revenue vigor seems to have diminished. We’ll know for sure on March 10 as he starts the search for a responsible budget in motion.

The budget website is: budget.illinois.gov

Lame Ducks in Season

As the new legislative session begins thirteen House members and one Senator will be classified as lame ducks, having chosen to retire or run, successfully or unsuccessfully, for other offices.

House: Republicans (5): Susan Bassi, Robert Biggins, William Black, Beth Coulson, Ronald Wait; Democrats (8): Michael Boland, James Brosnahan, John Fritchey, Paul Froehlich, Julie Hamos, Betsy Hannig, David Miller and Arthur Turner.

Senate: Democrats (1): James DeLeo

Senators Brady, Cronin, Dillard, Hultgren, Murphy, Pankau and Rutherford who ran for statewide, congressional or local offices were in the middle of their terms so they will be able to continue serving. In addition to either Brady or Dillard being the GOP gubernatorial nominee, Sen. Dan Rutherford will be the Republican nominee for State Treasurer and Sen. Randy Hultgren will be the GOP candidate for Congress in the western Chicago suburbs. Sen. Cronin is the Republican nominee for DuPage County Board Chairman.

Legislation of Interest

The following is a sampling of bills that have been introduced this legislative session and that are being monitored. Bills that show in the House Rules Committee must be released and posted to a regular committee no later than Friday, March 4 or they will no longer be able to be considered.

HB 5115 - Creates the Prescription Drug Repository Program Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to establish a prescription drug repository program, under which a healthcare facility may donate a prescription drug or supplies needed to administer a prescription drug for use by an individual who meets eligibility criteria specified by the Department. Provides for civil and criminal immunity for drug and supply manufacturers and pharmacists in relation to the donation, acceptance, or dispensing of prescription drugs or supplies under the prescription drug repository program. (Current Status – House Judiciary I – Civil Law Committee)

HB 5347 - Provides that a utility that is regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission that owns power stations or substations located within 200 feet of a lake, river, or stream in the State must file a report with the Commission by June 30, 2011 reporting any possible contamination resulting from the substation in nearby soil and water. Provides that if the utility has already completed a full environmental report on that property within the last 5 years, then that private report must be made available for public viewing by July 28, 2011. Provides that if no environmental report has been completed, then the utility has until August 30, 2011 to conduct and complete a full environmental survey of the property. Provides that the environmental study shall be filed with the Commission and shall include all data from the soil and water samples performed by the utility. Provides that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency must review all surveys by November 30, 2010. (Current Status – House Rules Committee)

HB 5482 - Provides that a water utility official or his or her designee must notify (i) the local fire officials of any hydrant that it finds necessary to take out of service for water main-related work due to emergency repairs or scheduled maintenance, whenever such maintenance work and hydrant out of service condition is expected to last more than 8 hours or if the main will be unattended at any time during the outage and (ii) the dispatcher or designated fire official of any hydrant reported to be inoperable or expected to operate with a rate of water flow less than a normal rate expected for the hydrant as soon as practical, but in no event more than 2 hours, after receiving the notice from an employee, contractor, police department, or other government official, and, under normal conditions, must have the hydrant restored to service within 48 hours. Provides a fine of $100 per day for failure to make the notification or repairs, which shall be paid to the fire department or fire protection district. (Current Status – House Rules Committee)

HB 5485 - Provides that in certain eminent domain proceedings the fair cash market value of waterworks and sewerage system facilities is the depreciated value of the land and easements upon which the facilities are situated and all facilities and fixtures constructed or installed by the utility company (rather than the net earnings attributable to those facilities). Requires the acquiring municipality to reimburse the utility company for payments made by the utility in connection with the dedication or donation of any waterworks or sewerage system to the utility company. . (Current Status – House Judiciary I – Civil Law Committee)

HB 5491 - Provides that any residential property owner who willfully fails to comply with any provision of the Act while engaging in excavation or demolition on such residential property shall not be subject to a penalty under the Act for a first-time offense of the Act, but shall be subject to a penalty of up to $500 for each separate offense for any subsequent willful failures to comply with the Act. Provides that any residential property owner who fails to comply with any provision of the Act while engaging in excavation or demolition on a residential property shall be liable for the damage caused to the owner or operator of the damaged underground utility facilities or CATS facilities unless the damages resulted from the failure of owners or operators of underground facilities to comply with the provisions of the Act. (Current Status – House Public Utilities Committee)

HB 5837 - Provides that no public utility shall impose a sprinkler standby charge on the owners of structures that contain automatic fire protection systems. Provides that "sprinkler standby charge" means additional charges imposed by a public utility on owners of structures because the structures are equipped with automatic fire protection sprinkler systems. (Current Status – House Public Utilities Committee)

SB 2549 - Provides that "plumbing" includes rainwater harvesting distribution systems, but does not include any rainwater harvesting distribution system or rainwater harvesting collection system unless otherwise required by the Illinois Plumbing Code. Requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to adopt and publish a minimum code of standards for rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems by January 1, 2011. Requires rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems to be (A) used only for non-potable uses and (B) constructed in accordance with the Illinois Plumbing Code. (Current Status – Senate - 3rd Reading)

SB 3070 - Provides that if a carcinogenic volatile organic compound is detected in the finished water of a community water system at a certain level, then the owner or operator of that system must submit a response plan that meets certain requirements to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Requires the Agency to approve, and the owner or operator to implement, the plan. Upon completion of the plan, requires the owner or operator to submit a response completion report to the Agency. Provides that any action taken by the Agency to disapprove or modify a plan or report may be appealed to the Illinois Pollution Control Board. (Current Status – Senate – 2nd Reading)

Illinois Section Legislative Update from GSA

2010-01-31T08:58:00.004-06:00

"…and the lights all went out in Massachusetts…"

With apologies to the Bee Gees, the lyrics to their song from a few decades back could easily have been intoned by Democrats on all levels as a result of the special election to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by the death of Sen. Ted. Kennedy and captured by the Republican Party. Regardless of whether the Democratic loss was due to a bad candidate or unpopular policies, the result has Republicans emboldened and Democrats scurrying on both the national and state levels. Those results in Massachusetts could have major repercussions in Illinois as the General Assembly begins a new legislative session on February 3.

Illinois Democrats will be trying hard to avoid a replay of 1994 when the political stars were aligned just about the same way as they are in 2010. Then, newly elected President Bill Clinton’s botched push for health care reform caused support for Democratic candidates in that off-year election to plummet. The result was an election debacle in Illinois that cost Democrats every major statewide office, and a 13 seat loss and control of the House. With Democrats poised to control the redistricting machinery for the first time ever in 2011 if they maintain control of the General Assembly and the Governor’s office, it’s not a great year to crash and burn at the polls.

Republicans, on the other hand, also remember 1994 and can be expected to do anything that will enhance their fortunes both for their candidate for Governor and for legislative candidates in advance of the November elections. Desperately needing to capture one of the three elements that comprise the redistricting triumvirate, Republicans will attempt to maintain the spirit of the “message of Massachusetts” by forcing legislative Democrats alone to solve the state’s fiscal mess and provide adequate revenues to fund programs. They would love nothing more than to be able to use the bludgeon of a Democratic tax increase to “bring home the bacon” in November.
In fact, because 2011 is a redistricting year nationally where all congressional districts throughout the United States will be redrawn, so expect more of a battle royal than cooperation in Washington, D.C. when addressing issues of controversy. Despite President Obama’s plea for a truce Republicans hope that an anti-Democratic surge occurs that trickles down to state and local levels in November. Power is at stake and the (political) game is afoot.

February 2 and beyond

Strategies for a successful November for each political party won’t be determined until after the ink has dried on this week’s primary election. There will be massive pressure on the candidates from the top two ballot races to be credible and make the case for themselves and to help create additional coattails for other candidates down the ballot. Since straight party voting in the general election no longer exists in Illinois, voters have to select candidates individually as they move down the ballot. In 1994 Republican Governor Jim Edgar was on the re-election ballot and was renominated easily. Democrats nominated a weak candidate (Dawn Clark Netsch) to oppose him and offered no other strong statewide candidates to move voters to the Democratic column. As Tuesday’s winning candidates head toward November there will be one appreciable difference in 2010. Electoral heavyweights Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Secretary of State Jesse White will be nominated by Democrats and may serve as “momentum breakers” as voters peruse the ballot if their top of the ticket falters.

With just hours left before primary election ballots are cast it appears that the fields have narrowed in the top of the ticket races:

According to published polls Republican Congressman Mark Kirk and Democratic State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias appear to be headed for nomination in the U.S. Senate race. Expect millions to be spent on both sides to retain or capture President Obama’s seat in the fall. Both may have to overcome negatives that could impact retention of their base voters. Long shot Democratic Senate candidate David Hoffman, former Chicago Inspector General, has been receiving many newspaper endorsements but has a minute war chest. Should he somehow upset Giannoulias it could make for an interesting race in the fall and could thwart the GOP plan to win that seat.

In the gubernatorial primary election marathon it’s a race to the wire among five candidates:

Governor Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes have been slugging it out for months and, according to polls taken last week, Hynes has closed a 20 point gap and the race right now is a classified as a dead heat. Polling shows that Quinn’s approval ratings appear to have dropped like a rock since the recent prisoner release program fiasco. Trends and newspaper endorsements have been pointing Hynes’ way, but will Democratic voters on Tuesday do the same?

On the Republican side there appears to be a tight, three way battle for the nomination between former Attorney General Jim Ryan, State Senator Kirk Dillard and former state GOP Chairman Andy McKenna. Recent polls have shown each of the three in the top spot at various times. McKenna has skipped recent debates and has been chided by other candidates for doing so. He also has been chastised by the state GOP that he once chaired for doing an early poll on gubernatorial candidates and including himself, without receiving permission from the party executive board. Dillard, endorsed by former Governor Jim Edgar, is receiving criticism for having allowed himself to be in a pro-Obama primary election commercial in 2008. Ryan has been under attack from other candidates for jumping into the race late after having been invisible since his 2002 defeat by Blagojevich. None of the three candidates has offered specifics on how they would put the state back in the black during their primary campaigns. Whoever emerges had better come up with something good and detailed because the public will be demanding that by November.

One year ago, Republicans were gleeful about running against Blagojevich, Burris and Stroger. That glee has been dampened by Blagojevich’s removal from office, Burris’ decision not to seek election to the U.S. Senate seat he was appointed to, and Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s presumed defeat in Tuesday’s primary election. Stroger enacted a hugely unpopular 1% sales tax increase in Cook County and has been incredibly inept in his handling of his office. As his approval rating plummeted to just over 10%, Republicans were licking their chops, dreaming of capturing an office that they hadn’t held since the 1960’s and cutting Democratic vote margins Cook County. Winning or even being competitive in that race in the fall would be a certain game changer. But, Democratic primary voters in Cook County will apparently end that fantasy on Tuesday by dumping Stroger and nominating a reform candidate to replace him.

February 3 and beyond

As mentioned previously, the spring session of the General Assembly begins this week with major uncertainties and no answers in sight to the question of resolving the state’s $12.5 billion fiscal hole. Legislative leaders have targeted May 7 for adjournment … three full weeks early and a sign that not much else but the budget will be considered. Expect any proposals to spend new dollars or create new programs to be non-starters. But, with a perceived jittery electorate at home, will the legislature provide any new revenues or will they try once again to put together a budget using gimmicks and one-time fixes? Yes, but the number of creative fixes beyond sweeps and borrowing have greatly diminished … and the stimulus funds that helped last year will no longer be available.

Is it possible that they will continue last year’s scheme of passing a lump sum budget, washing their hands and telling the Governor to manage as best he can? Yes, but as in the last scenario it would mean that no steps would be taken to close the revenue shortfall.

Could they adopt a six-month budget and then wait until after the November election and determine the next steps based on who the winner of the gubernatorial contest is? Yes, especially if the winner in November is a candidate that has pledged cuts and no tax increases. It’s entirely conceivable that the legislature could approve a budget that gets the state through January and then forces that individual to face a harsh reality from the get-go.

Or, will the legislature use the shortened session to seriously address the ever worsening budget hole? Yes, but expect that it will not be easy, no matter how bad the picture looks. It will take a herculean effort from the “bottom up” to get the revenue stalemate broken. And remember, even if a tax increase is approved a few billion in cuts will be necessary. That’s not a pretty picture. In a system that likes to reward winners, they will be few and far between this year.

Bill Introductions

February 11 is the deadline date for the introduction of new legislation. It is expected that the number of bills introduced this year will be significantly less than in other years due to the fiscal crisis. However, because there are thousands of bills that were introduced last year that are currently inactive, it is very possible that any of those can be resurrected in order to accomplish an objective.

Government Strategy Associates
Illinois Section AWWA

JOBS Bill - need letters to senators

2010-01-27T08:21:00.005-06:00

Please look at the above alert and take action ASAP. Right now, some senators are drafting an $80 billion jobs bill. Two senators are seeking $3 billion for drinking water infrastructure and $3 billion for wastewater infrastructure in the bill. We are trying to help their efforts. There has been some skepticism on the Hill about being able to move water infrastructure funds quickly enough. If you are able to, please describe the projects you have that could be started soon if the money was available. We realize that one reason water projects can’t move real fast is the requirements or procedures or vehicle (SRF) Congress has mandated, but we can discuss that with them further down the road. We are not taking a stand on the jobs bill itself, just seeking funding for water infrastructure should a jobs bill move in the Senate.

Two leaders in drinking water issues in the U.S. Senate are attempting to generate support for funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in a jobs bill being drafted right now. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, a member of Cardin’s subcommittee and of the Budget Committee are the ones leading
this effort. They are circulating what is called a “Dear Colleague” letter in the Senate seeking signatures for a letter they will send to the Senate leadership asking for the funding. (see below)

Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois are the lead writers of the $80 billion jobs bill. It has not been introduced yet, so there is no bill number.
• Call, e-mail or fax your senators and ask them to co-sign the “Dear Colleague” letter being circulated by Sens. Cardin and Whitehouse seeking funding for water infrastructure in the jobs bill. There have been doubts expressed that the funding can be used in a timely manner, so if any of you have projects ready to go, mention these to your senators, not with the intention of seeking an earmark, but as an illustration that the money can be used by water utilities very quickly.
You can find contact information for members of the Senate at www.senate.gov or you can contact me in the AWWA Government Affairs Office at 202-326-6128 or by cell at 202-326-6128 or at tholmes@awwa.org.

Our Planet, Our Stuff, Our Choice Video Competition

2009-12-23T09:44:00.000-06:00

The stuff you use every day affects your environment, your community, and your planet. EPA is sponsoring a video competition to raise awareness of the connection between the environment and the "stuff"
people use, consume, recycle, and throw away. We need your help in creating videos that will inspire community involvement, spread information and lead to action. Your passion, your creativity, and your ideas can make a difference. After all, it's our stuff, our planet, our choice

Last day to submit entries is February 16, 2010.

http://www.epa.gov/waste/wycd/video.htm

AP Enterprise: Feds mull regulating drugs in water

2009-12-23T08:29:00.001-06:00

AP Enterprise: Feds mull regulating drugs in water
By JEFF DONN

Federal regulators under President Barack Obama have sharply shifted course on long-standing policy toward pharmaceutical residues in the nation's drinking water, taking a critical first step toward regulating some of the contaminants while acknowledging they could threaten human health.

A burst of significant announcements in recent weeks reflects an expanded government effort to deal with pharmaceuticals as environmental pollutants:

- For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency has listed some pharmaceuticals as candidates for regulation in drinking water. The agency also has launched a survey to check for scores of drugs at water treatment plants across the nation.

- The Food and Drug Administration has updated its list of waste drugs that should be flushed down the toilet, but the agency has also declared a goal of working toward the return of all unused medicines.

- The National Toxicology Program is conducting research to clarify how human health may be harmed by drugs at low environmental levels.

The Associated Press reported last year that the drinking water of at least 51 million Americans contains minute concentrations of a multitude of drugs. Water utilities, replying to an AP questionnaire, acknowledged the presence of antibiotics, sedatives, sex hormones and dozens of other drugs in their supplies.

The news reports stirred congressional hearings and legislation, more water testing and more disclosure of test results. For example, an Illinois law goes into effect Jan. 1 banning health care institutions from flushing unused medicine into wastewater systems.

The EPA's new study will look for 200 chemical and microbial contaminants at 50 plants that treat drinking water. The list includes 125 pharmaceuticals or related chemicals. This research will help federal water officials decide if regulations are needed.

In the first move toward possible drinking-water standards, the EPA has put 13 pharmaceuticals on what it calls the Contaminant Candidate List. They are mostly sex hormones, but include the antibiotic erythromycin and three chemicals used as drugs but better known for other uses.

They join a list of 104 chemical and 12 microbial contaminants that the EPA is considering as candidates for regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. No pharmaceutical has ever reached the list in its 12-year history, but medicines now make up 13 percent of the target chemicals on the latest list "based on their potential adverse health effects and potential for occurrence in public water systems," the EPA said.

They take a place beside such better-known contaminants as the metal cobalt, formaldehyde, the rocket fuel ingredient perchlorate, and the disease germ E. coli.

"I think this does signal a change in the regulatory and research approaches," said Conrad Volz, a University of Pittsburgh scientist whose research raises questions about the risk of eating fish from waters contaminated with sex hormones. "What's happening is pretty amazing."

Several scientists within and outside government tied the stronger focus on human health to the Obama administration and the president's appointment of Lisa Jackson, a highly regarded former head of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, to run the EPA.

"I think we are trying to be as aggressive as we can. We understand it's a major national issue. We understand it's a major public concern," said Peter Silva, the new water administrator at the EPA.

However, making the candidate list provides no assurance that a chemical will reach full-blown regulation. In fact, no chemical on the list has ever been made subject to a national water quality standard, EPA officials acknowledge. They intend to make preliminary decisions on some of the latest contaminants by mid-2012.

"They've made a lot of good first steps, so now were waiting to see those carried through," said Nneka Leiba, a researcher at the Environmental Working Group in Washington.

Water utilities and drug makers are wary of the federal moves. Difficult scientific questions remain over the possible threat posed to humans by minuscule concentrations in drinking water, where drugs are typically found in parts per billion or trillion. That's way below medical doses.

However, some researchers fear that very small daily amounts of unwanted drugs in water could do cumulative harm to people over decades, possibly in combination with other drugs or in sensitive populations like children or pregnant women.

Alan Goldhammer, a vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said such trace amounts "really do not pose a human health issue."

"We do get concerned if we think that somebody is going to require that the consumers spend money and not get any health benefit," added Tom Curtis, a lobbyist for the Denver-based American Water Works Association.

The U.S. Geological Survey first began taking notice of pharmaceutical contamination several years ago. But until now the federal government has focused on the presence of pharmaceuticals in rivers and streams.

A recently released EPA study found more than 40 pharmaceuticals - everything from antibiotics to heart medicine to antidepressants - at nine publicly owned wastewater treatment plants. The drugs appeared in concentrations measured in parts per billion and trillion. Many passed right through the plants.

Linda Birnbaum, who is director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and also oversees the National Toxicology Program, said some program research is focusing on how much environmental pharmaceuticals can reach animal blood and tissues and how that might compare with humans.

Waste pharmaceuticals reach the environment when people take medicine and excrete the unmetabolized portion. Millions of pounds of waste drugs also escape into waterways from hospitals, drug plants and other factories, farms and the drains of American homes, the AP has reported.

On its new list, the FDA, which regulates medicines, says only 10 active ingredients in controlled-substance drugs need to be flushed to keep them away from children, abusers and pets.

At the same time, the agency announced it is working with partners to develop programs to return unused drugs instead of flushing them down the drain. The agency wants "to encourage their development and future use for all drugs," declared Dr. Douglas Throckmorton, deputy director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Returned drugs are usually incinerated, which destroys most active ingredients. Community drug takeback programs have increased considerably since the AP's PharmaWater reports.

The recent announcements have been striking in their speed and breadth. Just last year, Ben Grumbles, Silva's predecessor at the EPA Office of Water under President George W. Bush, said only one pharmaceutical was under consideration for the list of candidates for water standards. And it was the heart medicine nitroglycerin, better known as an explosive.

Yet some environmentalists say the government should take even bolder action. "Identifying the nature and scope of the problem is not the same thing as addressing the causes of the problem," said George Mannina, an environmental lawyer in Washington.

He said the EPA should do more to keep drugs out of the nation's water supplies and not rely on expensive filtering systems at water treatment plants.

Jon Holder, a vice president at Vestara, a seller of equipment to manage waste drugs, said the EPA should be more aggressive about enforcing hazardous waste laws that already apply to some drugs used by hospitals.

"We applaud the light that's being shined on it, but we also recognize that the simple enforcement of existing law would go a long way," he said.

Kane tap water taste panel picks Geneva's :: The Courier News :: Local News

2009-12-18T07:04:00.000-06:00

Kane tap water taste panel picks Geneva's :: The Courier News :: Local News

EFFECTIVE BACKFLOW PROGRAM SEMINAR - Jan 7 - Collinsville

2009-12-16T07:41:00.000-06:00

ISAWWA BACKFLOW COMMITTEE PRESENTS: EFFECTIVE BACKFLOW PROGRAMS
Thursday, January 7, 2010 - Collinsville, IL

SPEAKER and BIOGRAPHY
Mike Eisenhauer, Backflow Solutions, Inc.
Mr. Eisenhauer’s professional biography includes:
• Licensed Illinois Plumber
• Licensed CCCDI in Illinois, Wisconsin and Mississippi
• Owner of Chicago Backflow, Inc. ( CBI tests 30,000 + backflow assemblies annually)
• Owner of Backflow Solutions ( BSI manages over 25 municipal cross-connection programs all over the country)

TOPIC
Effective Backflow Programs, IEPA Title 35 - What it says in Plain English - Learn how to effectively develop, implement, and enforce an effective cross-connection control program that meets all of the Illinois EPA requirements. Cross-Connection inspections, surveys and record keeping are the three key elements of all effective backflow prevention programs, how does each element relate to the others and how do you move forward from where you are at.

LOCATION
Collinsville Library
408 West Main Street
Collinsville, IL 62234
Ph: 618-344-1112

REGISTRATION and HOURS
Registration begins at 9:00am. The training will start at 9:30am and will conclude by 3:30pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.
To register call 866-521-3595 ext 2.

COST
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 for on-site registration

drug disposal program developed in Pontiac

2009-11-30T08:14:00.003-06:00

PONTIAC -- A prescription drug disposal program developed in Pontiac continues to spread across the country.

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, which works for sustainable solutions to water contamination, soon will have curriculum that allows science teachers to share the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal (P2D2) program.

"With this partnership (of the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant), it gave us the tools necessary to keep going and to reach out to other educators and communities," said Paul Ritter, a science teacher at Pontiac Township High School.

The Illinois - Indiana Sea Grant is working on The Medicine Chest, which provides free educational material and activities on improper drug disposal and contamination, Ritter said.

P2D2 encourages people to discard unused or expired drugs at special collection sites, not simply to throw them in the trash or down a drain, where they pollute groundwater and drinking water.

P2D2 was developed in January 2008 by developed by Ritter; Eric Bohm, now assistant principal at PTHS; and several students.

"I think this program has been an excellent way to involve people in this kind of work, whether it's students, teachers, police departments, local officials or other community groups," said Dennis McMurray, manager of publications for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Ritter said P2D2 is in seven states and in 100 Illinois communities. About 87,500 pounds of drugs have been collected in Illinois since the program began.

"This has just been a dream come true," Ritter said.

Posted in Local on Sunday, November 29, 2009 4:30 pm Updated: 6:58 am.

STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF TANKS USING AWWA D100-05

2009-11-24T11:38:00.000-06:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF TANKS USING AWWA D100-05
Tuesday, December 1, 2009 – Bloomington, IL

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

LOCATION
Doubletree Hotel and Conference
Center Bloomington Illinois
10 Brickyard Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701
Ph: 309-664-6446

COST
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 on-site registration

Call 866-521-3595 to register - extension 3 Sandi.

SPEAKER
Stephen W. Meier, P.E., S.E., Tank Industry Consultants

AGENDA
This seminar is intended for engineers and other highly technical individuals interested in learning more about detailed
design of water storage tanks in accordance with AWWA D100-05. The seminar will include example structural calculations
and structural theory, and a discussion of the behavior of tank shells and roofs.
• Overview of Changes to D100-05
• Design Loads Requirements of AWWA D100-05: Wind, Snow, Seismic
• Membrane Stress: Flat bottom Tank example, Elevated Tank example
• Ringwall Foundation Design: Flat Bottom Tank Example
• Roof Design: Self supporting Dome Example, Umbrella Roof Example
• Seismic Design: Flat Bottom Tank Example, Elevated Pedestal Tank Example
• Anchor Bolt Chair: Design Example

EXCEL 301: FINESSE WEBINAR

2009-11-13T09:44:00.000-06:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
EXCEL 301: FINESSE WEBINAR
Thursday, November 19, 2009 – Your Computer

REGISTRATION & HOURS
This training webinar will begin at 12:00pm and conclude by 1:00pm. Earn up to 1 PDH or RTC hour. After registration, attendee will be furnished with all materials and links needed to participate in the webinar.

LOCATION
Webinar - Your Computer

COST
$10.00 for AWWA members
$20.00 for non AWWA members

AGENDA
This class is for operators who have an understanding of Excel and want to finalize their forms in Excel to use for reporting. Creating graphs and charts will also be covered.
Other topics included:
- Create borders
- Add in headers and footers
- Learn how to create a line graph
- Printing
*All Excel classes may be taken individually

SPEAKER
Tammy E. Hellings, MBA, Aqua Illinois, Inc.
Tammy Hellings has been the Production Manager for Aqua Illinois in Kankakee for the past five years. She is in charge of operations as well as engineering projects at the plant and holds an A license. Tammy also teaches management = leadership, business math, and statistics classes to adult learners at Olivet Nazarene University. Tammy holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration from Olivet Nazarene University.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Lisa Jordan - Education Coordinator
Phone: 866-521-3595x2
Email: lisa@isawwa.org
Fax: 866-521-3591
Website: www.isawwa.org

UNIDIRECTIONAL FLUSHING AND HYDRANT MAINTENANCE

2009-11-12T07:59:00.000-06:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
UNIDIRECTIONAL FLUSHING AND HYDRANT MAINTENANCE
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 – Libertyville, IL

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

DATE
Tuesday, November 17, 2009

LOCATION
Libertyville Sports Complex
1950 N Route 45 & Peterson Road
Libertyville, IL 60048
Ph: 847-367-1502

SPEAKERS AND TOPICS
Hydrant Maintenance - Mark Clark, East Jordan
Unidirectional Flushing - John Van Arsdel, M.E. Simpson Co., Inc.

COST
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 on-site registration

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Lisa Jordan - Education Coordinator
Phone: 866-521-3595x2 - Email: lisa@isawwa.org - Fax: 866-521-3591 -
Website: www.isawwa.org

OSHA 10-HOUR COURSE FOR GENERAL INDUSTRY WEBINAR

2009-11-11T12:57:00.000-06:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
OSHA 10-HOUR COURSE FOR GENERAL INDUSTRY WEBINAR
5 Week Course on Mondays Only - Monday, November 16 through Monday, December 14, 2009

REGISTRATION
Each webinar will begin at 11:30am and conclude by 1:30pm. Earn up to 2 PDH or RTC hours per webinar or 10 hours total. After registration, attendee will be furnished with all materials and links needed to participate in the webinar.

LOCATION
WEBINAR - Your Computer

COST
$50.00 for AWWA members
$100.00 for non AWWA members

DATE
MONDAYS ONLY 11:30am - 1:30pm
Monday, November 16 - December 14

AGENDA
November 16: Introduction to OSHA; Walking and Working Surfaces including fall protection
November 23: Exit Routes, Emergency Action Plans, Fire Prevention Plans, and Fire Protection; Electrical (lockout/tagout)
November 30: Personal Protective Equipment; Hazard Communication
December 7: Ergonomics; Confined Space
December 14: Hazardous Materials, Materials Handling, Machine Guarding, Bloodborne Pathogens, and other Safety/OSHA topics

SPEAKER
Jennifer Coon, Tank Industry Consultants
Jennifer Coon has a Master’s of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from Indiana University, with a concentration in Hazardous Materials Management. Her Bachelor’s degree, also from Indiana University, is in Public Affairs with a concentration in Environmental Science. She is a Certified Environmental Trainer and a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager.

Jennifer is the Safety Director for Tank Industry Consultants where she is responsible for developing, communicating, and monitoring TIC’s extensive Health and Safety program. Jennifer authored, updates, and enforces all aspects of TIC’s construction safety program which include Lead in Construction, Hazard Communication, Personal Protective Equipment, Confined Space, and Lockout/Tagout components.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:
Visit www.isawwa.org or contact Lisa via phone, 866-521-3595 ext. 2 or email, lisa@isawwa.org

BASIC MATH FOR WATER WORKS OPERATORS CLASS C & D - 2 DAY IN DEPTH TRAINING

2009-11-10T08:20:00.000-06:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:

Wednesday, November 11 & Thursday, November 12, 2009 - St. Charles, IL

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 7:30am. The training will start at 8:00am and will conclude by 4:00pm. Earn up to 7 PDHs or RTC hours per day or 14 total. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included both days.

LOCATION
U of I Extension Office
535 S. Randall Rd.
St. Charles, IL 60174
866-521-3595 ext. 2

COST
$100.00 for AWWA members
$150.00 for non AWWA members
$170.00 on-site registration

ABSTRACT
This class is a more in depth look at the following topics:
• Basic mathematical operations
• Calculation of areas and volume detention times
• Hydraulic mathematics
• Chemical mathematics

SPEAKER
J. Warren Green, P.E., Lockwood Andrews & Newnam, Inc.
Mr. Green is a registered professional engineer with the engineering firm of Lockwood Andrews & Newnam, Inc. responsible for engineering management and supervision of complex water supply, treatment and transmission facility projects. He has guided water system improvements through all necessary phases including feasibility studies, pilot testing, design, financial evaluation, land acquisition, construction, start-up, and operation. Prior to joining his current firm, Mr. Green was responsible for the operation and management of a municipal water system utilizing both surface and ground water supplies. He has taught water operation certification courses for approximately 20 years.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:
Visit www.isawwa.org or contact Lisa via phone, 866-521-3595 ext. 2 or email, lisa@isawwa.org

INTRODUCTION TO WATER CONSERVATION WEBINAR Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - Your Computer

2009-11-09T14:12:00.001-06:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
INTRODUCTION TO WATER CONSERVATION WEBINAR
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - Your Computer

Also Missouri Section AWWA Approved!

Water Conservation is becoming a relevant topic in the Midwest and there is a lot to learn both as a water user and a water industry professional. This introductory presentation will include 50 minutes of content related to basic water conservation principles and practices as well as regional drivers and regulations.

REGISTRATION & HOURS
This training webinar will begin at 12:00pm and conclude by 1:00pm. Earn up to 1 PDH or RTC hour. After registration, attendee will be furnished with all materials and links needed to participate in the webinar.

COST
$10.00 for AWWA members
$20.00 for non AWWA members

SPEAKER
Catherine Hurley, MWH Americas, Inc.
Catherine Hurley is a Senior Civil Engineer with MWH located in Chicago, IL and has over five years of experience in the water/wastewater industry. She graduated from the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in 2003 and is a registered professional engineer in Illinois. Her technical experience includes water, wastewater and water resources projects on both the planning and design side.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Lisa Jordan, Education Coordinator
Phone: 866-521-3595 ext. 2
Email: lisa@isawwa.org
Fax: 866-521-3591
Website: www.isawwa.org

INTRODUCTION TO WATER CONSERVATION WEBINAR Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - Your Computer

2009-11-09T14:12:00.000-06:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
INTRODUCTION TO WATER CONSERVATION WEBINAR
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - Your Computer

Also Missouri Section AWWA Approved!

REGISTRATION & HOURS
This training webinar will begin at 12:00pm and conclude by 1:00pm. Earn up to 1 PDH or RTC hour. After registration, attendee will be furnished with all materials and links needed to participate in the webinar.

COST
$10.00 for AWWA members
$20.00 for non AWWA members

SPEAKER
Catherine Hurley, MWH Americas, Inc.
Catherine Hurley is a Senior Civil Engineer with MWH located in Chicago, IL and has over five years of experience in the water/wastewater industry. She graduated from the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in 2003 and is a registered professional engineer in Illinois. Her technical experience includes water, wastewater and water resources projects on both the planning and design side.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Lisa Jordan, Education Coordinator
Phone: 866-521-3595 ext. 2
Email: lisa@isawwa.org
Fax: 866-521-3591
Website: www.isawwa.org

T&O CAUSES AND TREATMENT - Edwardsville - Il. Nov. 3

2009-10-20T13:56:00.001-05:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
T&O CAUSES AND TREATMENT
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 - Edwardsville, IL

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

LOCATION
Environmental Resources Training Center
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
5618 New Poag Road
Edwardsville IL 62026
Ph: 618-650-2030

COST
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 on-site registration

SPEAKERS
Kim Lucas, City Water, Light & Power
Bill Bosler, City of Charleston Water Treatment Plant
Michael Christensen, SolarBee Inc. Dickinson ND
Vince Verdone, Pristine Water Solutions

AGENDA
Tastes and odors in the drinking water represent a leading source of customer complaints at water utilities. Objectionable tastes and odors are perceived by many customers as an indication the water could be unsafe to drink. This seminar will provide methods for determining the causes of tastes and odors in potable water, as well as treatment responses. We will also discuss how to deal with customer complaints and solve the most common complaints.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:
ontact Lisa via phone, 866-521-3595 ext. 2 or email, lisa@isawwa.org

METERS A TO Z Thursday, October 20 - Bloomington, IL

2009-10-15T10:31:00.000-05:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
METERS A TO Z
Thursday, October 20, 2009 - Bloomington, IL

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

LOCATION
Doubletree Hotel and Conference
Center Bloomington Illinois
10 Brickyard Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701
Ph: 309-664-6446

COST
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 for on-site registration

SPEAKER
John H. Van Arsdel, M.E. Simpson Co., Inc.

AGENDA
Accurate water measurement is the means by which water utilities produce revenue to cover expenses, charge each customer equitably, prevent waste of water, and minimize the load on wastewater facilities. During this intensive one-day seminar we will explore meters from A to Z.
• What is a water meter?
• Things water meters do
• A water meter only does two things, register and record
• Types of water meters
• Fire service metering
• Sensus Fireline Meter or the Neptune Protectus Meter
• Application’s for water meters
• Sizing of water meters
• Meter testing
• Repair or replacement
• Conclusion and remarks

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:
Visit www.isawwa.org or contact Lisa via phone, 866-521-3595 ext. 2 or email, lisa@isawwa.org

Water Storage Tank Seminar - St. Charles Illinois

2009-10-14T09:14:00.001-05:00

WATER STORAGE TANKS
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - St. Charles, IL

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

DATES & LOCATIONS
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
University of Illinois Extension Office
(Next to ISAWWA Office)
535 South Randall Road
St. Charles, IL 60174
866-521-3595 x2

COST
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 on-site registration

SPEAKER
Erik Otten, Taylor Coating
James Dooley, Corrpro Companies
Ira Gabin, Dixon Engineering

AGENDA
Protective coatings and linings for the interior and exterior of water storage tanks - Erik Otten

Corrosion Basics and Cathodic Protection System Applications for Water Storage Tanks - James Dooley

Design and Maintenance Considerations for Water Storage Cellular Antenna Installations - Ira Gabin

Water Storage Tank Inspection Basics and Comparison of Drained and Underwater Inspection Methods - Ira Gabin

New Storage Tank Selection: Review of Available Styles, Relative Advantages, and Life Cycle Maintenance Cost Analysis - Ira Gabin

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:
Visit www.isawwa.org or contact Lisa via phone, 866-521-3595 ext. 2 or email, lisa@isawwa.org

Request for Lobbying Assistants - HR3248

2009-10-13T09:34:00.001-05:00

The House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment will on Wednesday conduct a “markup” hearing on HR3258, the Drinking Water System Security Act. This is the bill that would create a new chemical security program for drinking water utilities. We still have outstanding concerns over this bill, primarily over provisions that would place the final decision on what chemicals and processes a water utility could use with state officials, or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency if the state fails to make a decision. A “markup” is a hearing in which a committee or subcommittee accepts or rejects amendments and then votes to send bill language either a full committee or the full House.

While the committee has made some improvements to the bill due to concerns you all have expressed, these provisions, under the section titled “Methods to Reduce the Consequences of an Chemical Release from an Intentional Act” remain a concern. We understand that some amendments to address our concerns will likely be offered. AWWA members are urged to call, fax or e-mail their members of Congress immediately to say that water treatment choices must be made locally. A draft letter follows.

October 12, 2009

The Honorable Xxxxx, XXXXXXX,
U.S. House of Representatives

Dear Representative Xxxxxxxx,

As the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment prepares to mark up HR3258, I ask you to support amendment of the bill to preserve the ability of communities to make their own decisions regarding the treatment of local drinking water. I have first-hand, on-the-ground experience in this as a provider of safe water to XX,XXX people in your district.

In HR3258 there are provisions titled “Methods to Reduce the Consequences of a Chemical Release from an Intentional Act.” These provisions would place the final decision on which materials – primarily disinfectants – or processes a drinking water utility may use with state drinking water primacy agencies.

Drinking water utilities tailor their treatment and distribution processes according to regulatory obligations (such as the federal requirement to use chlorine in some form and to achieve certain levels of disinfection), to critical variations in source water characteristics (such as temperatures, pH, pathogens, etc.), and to other local factors (such as delivery options for disinfectant chemicals, the need to maintain reserve supplies in the event of supply interruption, spatial limitations at the plant site, local ambient temperatures that affect the “shelf life” of chemicals and the attendant chemical degradation and breakdown products, etc.

We also ask that you support amendments that would
• strengthen criminal penalties for disclosure of sensitive information to make them similar to such penalties under the Bioterrorism Act of 2002;
• prevent discovery of sensitive information through civil suits filed via Safe Drinking Water Act citizen suit provisions; and
• provide an appeals process for utilities in case amendments to preserve local decisionmaking are defeated.

We look forward to hearing from you on this issue, and offer the expertise of our staff to further discuss how water utilities choose the materials and processes that we use to provide safe and sufficient water to the people in our community.

Sincerely,

NIMS 100 & 700 FREE TRAINING

2009-10-05T14:48:00.001-05:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
NIMS 100 & 700 FREE TRAINING
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - Elgin, IL

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 4:00pm. Earn up to 6 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

LOCATION
Heritage Ballroom at the Centre of Elgin
West Conference Room
100 Symphony Way
Elgin, IL 60120
Ph: 847-531-7000

COST
This class is offered FREE of charge
CAPACITY IS LIMITED
REGISTRATION CLOSES 1 WEEK PRIOR
NO ONSITE REGISTRATION

SPEAKER
Greg Benson, Battalion chief with the Elgin Fire Department

AGENDA
• Introductions and Course Expectations
• ICS Basics
• Incident Typing, Expanding Incidents, Communications, Briefings, Resource Typing and Transfer of Command
• ICS Q&A
• IS-100 Exam for FEMA certification
• National Incident Management System (NIMS) Introduction
• NIMS Preparedness, Communication. Information Management and Resource Management
• NIMS Command and Management, and Ongoing Management & Maintenance
• NIMS Q&A
• IS-700 Exam for FEMA certification

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:
contact Lisa via phone, 866-521-3595 ext. 2

Plumbing Basics - Seminar - Joliet - Oct 6

2009-09-28T12:03:00.001-05:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
PLUMBING BASICS
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 - Joliet, IL

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude at 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

LOCATION
Strand Engineering Office, 1170 Houbolt Road, Joliet, IL 60431
Ph: 815-744-4200

COST
$40.00 for AWWA members $60.00 for non AWWA members $70.00 for on-site registration

SPEAKER
Tom Tapella, Utilities, Inc. Tom is a Licensed Journeyman Plumber in Illinois and Licensed Plumbing Contractor in Indiana having worked as a plumber since 1993. Tom has performed work as a Plumber, Lead Plumber, Working Foreman and Plumbing Business Owner. In 2007 Tom left the plumbing field to become a Construction Inspector for Utilities Inc. and currently holds the position of Midwest Regional Manager.

AGENDA
Basic Plumbing Systems • Water Systems: Common materials used, Soldering pipe and valves, Sizing water piping and meters • Drain, Waste and Vent Systems: Common materials used, Sizing DWV piping, Gravity drains • Pumps: Sumps, Ejectors, Lift Stations • Illegal Cross Connections • Plumbing Diagnostics: Low Water Pressure, Slow Drains, High Water Consumption. Fixture Values

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION: To register - contact Lisa via phone, 866-521-3595 ext. 2

Chemical Security Hearing Scheduled for October 1

2009-09-22T07:23:00.010-05:00

September 18, 2009

Chemical Security Hearing Scheduled for October 1

Staff for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce say the first hearing on legislation that would create a chemical security program for drinking water utilities will take place on October 1. The bill would place utilities into risk-based tiers, require utilities to assess their risks, and require utilities in the highest risk tiers to “justify” their choice of disinfectant chemicals. State drinking water regulators would be empowered to order utilities in the highest-risk tiers to switch to chemicals they considered safer, such as switching from gas chlorine to sodium hypochlorite.

The bill, H.R. 3258, or Drinking Water System Security Act, would place the program under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Parallel legislation moving through the House, H.R. 2868, would renew the existing chemical facility security program for the chemical industry and create a new program for wastewater treatment utilities, all under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). AWWA has urged the House to place drinking water and wastewater utilities under the same federal agency.

Officials from EPA and DHS announced this week that the Obama Administration wants to see both drinking water and wastewater under EPA jurisdiction for purposes of chemical security regulation. The Administration would like to see EPA adapt DHS’s current security program (called the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards or CFATS program) to the water sector, in consultation with DHS.

AWWA has told the committee that many local factors go into the choice of disinfectant chemicals, and the Association strongly believes the decision should be an informed local one, after review of all relevant factors.

If you agree that the final decision concerning which chemicals to use in
disinfection should remain with local officials after a review of all relevant factors, you are urged to communicate that to your Representative immediately.

AWWA’s letter to the Committee, which you may adapt for your use, is posted in the Government Affairs section of the AWWA website. A copy also follows.

AWWA Submits Perchlorate Comments

After review by the Water Utility Council, the Washington Office submitted comments today on EPA’s supplemental request for input on perchlorate, published August 3 in the Federal Register (74 FR41833). These comments build upon our previous comments submitted in 2008 on EPA’s preliminary regulatory determination to not regulate perchlorate in drinking water. Today’s submission restates our previous comments that supporting that determination, as we believe regulating perchlorate in drinking water would not present a “meaningful opportunity for public health risk reduction” as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The underlying public health issue is iodide deficiency, and that would not be meaningfully addressed through the regulation of the minor source of exposure that drinking water represents.

Sewers May be Superfund Sites
A U.S. district court in California has ruled that a city sewer is not excluded from the definition of “facility” under “Superfund” law. The Sept. 8 ruling ( Adobe Lumber Inc. v. Hellman, E.D. Cal., No. 05-1510) by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California means that the owner of a contaminated site can pursue a municipality for the cost of cleaning up contaminants that leaked from that city’s sewer pipes. “Superfund” is shorthand for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Under Superfund, each party deemed responsible for any part of the contamination can be held liable for all or any portion of the costs associated with cleaning the entire site to Superfund standards, a concept known as “joint, strict, and several liability.” Superfund cleanup standards include restoring underground sources of water to any applicable drinking water standards.

In this case, contamination was caused by a dry cleaner that had been dumping perchloroethylene (PCE) into a drain that led to the city sewer system. In 2001, the property’s owner, Adobe Lumber Inc.,learned that the soil and groundwater on the property were contaminated with volatile organic compounds, including PCE. Adobe sued the city under CERCLA, alleging that the PCE reached the soil and groundwater through leaking sewer pipes. The city sought a summary judgment on the grounds that CERCLA exempted the sewer from the definition of “facility.” The court found otherwise, relying on legislative language which provides: The term “facility” means (A) any building, structure, installation, equipment, pipe or pipeline (including any pipe into a sewer or publicly owned treatment works), well, pit, pond, lagoon, impoundment, ditch, landfill, storage container, motor vehicle, rolling stock, or aircraft, or (B) any site or area where a hazardous substance has been deposited, stored, disposed of, or placed, or otherwise come to be located; but does not include any consumer product in consumer use or any vessel.

This is obviously a big deal for wastewater utilities and we will monitor this case closely.

Washington Office to Begin Government Affairs Blog
Soon your Government Affairs staff will begin a trial run at a government affairs blog, called Washington On Tap, on the AWWA web site. This will involve occasional postings on issues of concern and timely topics, and an opportunity for our members to post in response. As always, please contact your AWWA Washington Office if you have questions or comments.

Sections August 11, 2009
The Honorable Henry A. Waxman
Chair

The Honorable Joe Barton
Ranking Member

Committee on Energy and Commerce
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member,
As the House Committee on Energy and Commerce addresses the issue of chemical security at our nation’s drinking water utilities via H.R. 3258, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) would like to thank you for meeting with us in the development of this legislation, and to share our thoughts about ways in which the bill could be even further improved. We would appreciate this letter being included in the Committee’s hearing record on this bill.
First, AWWA thanks the Committee for the open manner in which chemical security legislative language has been developed over the past few months. We appreciate having been able to provide some input to the issues contained in the bill. We have seen significant improvements in the legislation as it was being drafted. We still have concerns, but we look forward to continuing this dialogue with the Committee in a constructive manner.

In particular, we thank the Committee for two significant improvements in the draft bill. First, we appreciate the fact that disclosure of sensitive information is now a criminal violation in the bill rather than merely a civil one. The public disclosure of a vulnerability assessment or a site security plan is equivalent to publishing a handbook on how to sabotage a specific drinking water treatment plant or distribution system, thereby endangering employees and local citizens.
Prohibiting the disclosure of this information is extremely important, and criminal penalties are appropriate for its unauthorized disclosure.

Second, we also believe the provisions of H.R. 3258 under “Methods to Reduce the Consequences of a Chemical Release from an Intentional Act” have been improved. Early drafts gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the ability to decide which materials and processes a local utility would use in treating and distributing drinking water. As currently drafted, the bill would place the final decision on this matter with state drinking water primacy agencies. State regulators do have greater working knowledge of environmental and other local issues affecting the choice of disinfectant chemicals and processes than do federal officials.

Having said that, we continue to have significant concerns over this provision and believe further changes would significantly improve the bill.

For example, the states will likely be unable to exercise their authority over the choice of disinfectants absent a significant commitment of federal resources to support this work. The bill promises an unspecified amount, and only for the first year. We urge you to work with the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators to ensure that adequate funds are authorized for states to exercise these provisions, if they remain in the bill. There are also significant limitations on state authority built into the bill, such as federal (not state) determination of when a utility “methods” analysis is complete, and federal authority to override the state if EPA determines that the state has not made a timely decision.

Finally and very importantly, the factors the states are allowed to consider in making its decision are limited, and do not allow for a full consideration of risk-risk tradeoffs, risk shifting, and unintended consequences for community impacts and for public health. These must be taken into account, given the serious potential consequences of altering long-established disinfection
practices without fully considering all aspects of the change.

An Informed Local Decision is the Best Approach
AWWA continues to strongly believe the best approach to the issue of reducing the consequences of an intentional release is to require local officials to make an informed decision concerning disinfectant chemicals and processes after a full analysis. Drinking water utilities tailor their treatment and distribution processes according to regulatory obligations (such as the federal requirement to use chlorine in some form and to achieve certain levels of disinfection), to critical variations in source water characteristics (such as temperatures, pH, pathogens, etc.), and to other local factors (such as delivery options for disinfectant chemicals, the need to maintain reserve supplies in the event of supply interruption, spatial limitations at the plant site, local ambient temperatures that affect the “shelf life” of chemicals and the attendant chemical degradation and breakdown products, etc.). Another issue that may be of concern to the Committee is the “energy profile” of disinfection alternatives. For example, many alternatives require significantly greater electricity inputs, compared to gas chlorine, and would thus work contrary to efforts to reduce the utility’s carbon footprint. All of these factors and others must be taken into account in selecting disinfectant processes.

We want to emphasize that many utilities can change disinfection processes without compromising the safety of the community drinking water supply. Indeed, many have already done so. But where that has been done, it has been done as an informed local decision after careful study and full consideration of many important local factors, such as those identified above. Local officials are in the best position to evaluate these factors and to weigh the risk tradeoffs, feasibility, and full range of consequences associated with the available disinfection processes. So while having the state approve this decision is better than having EPA do it, we think the decision is so dependent on local factors and so critical to water safety, that it is vastly better to require an informed local decision.

In order to help utilities and local elected officials undertake an analysis of disinfectant choices and reach an informed decision, AWWA has recently released guidance titled “Selecting Disinfectants in a Security-Conscious Environment” to aid utilities with this decision process. We believe that this guide substantially advances the Committee’s objectives on this issue, and we offer it to the Committee to cite in bill report language as an example of a tool utilities can use in conducting assessments of alternative materials and processes.

The bill could also be improved in a number of other respects:

An Appeal Process is Needed
If the decision of whether to implement alternative methods or materials in water treatment is to remain with state officials, we believe a state-level administrative appeals process should be included in the bill to address disagreements between a water utility and the state. We would be willing to work with the Committee and representatives of state agencies to find an appropriate administrative appeals process, as is found in other environmental laws.

Sensitive Information Must be Better Protected
As noted above, disclosure of sensitive information under H.R. 3258 would be approximately equivalent to a Class A misdemeanor, meaning those found guilty of such a crime would face not more than one year in prison and a fine up to $10,000. AWWA believes it would be more appropriate to consider such a disclosure as tampering with a water system, consistent with the provisions of 42 USC 300i-1, as amended by the 2002 Bioterrorism Act. This would mean that conviction would result in imprisonment for not more than 10 years and a civil penalty of not more than $1,000,000 for such tampering, or not more than $100,000 for attempting or threatening such actions. This would provide an appropriate level of deterrence to such dangerous disclosures.

One Federal Agency Should Oversee Water and Wastewater
Many local governments, such as cities or townships, operate drinking water and wastewater utilities under a single agency or department. In some instances, communities are served by a joint drinking water/wastewater utility that is privately owned or investor owned. In either case, we urge the Committee on Energy and Commerce to work with other House committees to place both drinking water and wastewater utilities under the jurisdiction of one federal entity for the purposes of this bill, respecting, of course, the role of state agencies. This would enable more efficient implementation at the local level, and eliminate the need for officials at joint water and wastewater utilities to operate under the jurisdiction of two different federal agencies for chemical security.

Outsider Participation is Not Appropriate
We agree that supervisory and non-supervisory employees should be included in the development of vulnerability assessments and site security plans because of their hands-on, working knowledge of a facility’s operation. However, we do not agree with H.R. 3258’s specific inclusion in these processes of employee bargaining agents that may not themselves be employees of the utility. As mentioned earlier, there is very sensitive information involved. Therefore, access to this information must be restricted to as few people as necessary, and only to those for whom there is a direct “need to know.” Many entities, including AWWA, have significant expertise, tools and guidance in the area of security and preparedness, and make these accessible to utilities and their employees. However, we do not seek – and cannot support provisions – to mandate the participation of specific types of organizations and/or their representatives from outside the utility itself. If employee safety is a concern with regard to this issue, we note that water utilities already must comply with extensive regulations for employee safety and training under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Clean Air Act.

Again, we thank the Committee for the opportunity to comment and we offer the expertise of our membership as the Committee’s work continues. AWWA is an international non-profit, scientific and educational society dedicated to the improvement of drinking water quality and supply. Our 60,000 members include more than 4,600 utilities that supply roughly 80 percent of the American people with safe drinking water. Many of our utility members also provide sewer and sanitation services.

Sincerely,

Tom Curtis
Deputy Executive Director for Government Affairs
Cc/Members, House Committee on Energy and Commerce

NIMS 100 & 700 FREE TRAINING

2009-09-16T15:58:00.001-05:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
NIMS 100 & 700 FREE TRAINING
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - Elgin, IL

To register call 866-521-3595 ext 2.

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 4:00pm. Earn up to 6 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

LOCATION
Heritage Ballroom at the Centre of Elgin
West Conference Room, 100 Symphony Way, Elgin, IL 60120
Ph: 847-531-7000

COST
This class is offered FREE of charge
CAPACITY IS LIMITED - REGISTRATION CLOSES 1 WEEK PRIOR
NO ONSITE REGISTRATION

SPEAKER
Greg Benson, Battalion chief with the Elgin Fire Department

AGENDA
• Introductions and Course Expectations
• ICS Basics
• Incident Typing, Expanding Incidents, Communications, Briefings, Resource Typing and Transfer of Command
• ICS Q&A
• IS-100 Exam for FEMA certification
• National Incident Management System (NIMS) Introduction
• NIMS Preparedness, Communication. Information Management and Resource Management
• NIMS Command and Management, and Ongoing Management & Maintenance
• NIMS Q&A
• IS-700 Exam for FEMA certification

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:
Visit www.isawwa.org or contact Lisa via phone, 866-521-3595 ext. 2 or email, lisa@isawwa.org

USING OPTIMIZATION TO ASSIST IN PLANNING, OPERATIONS AND EMERGENCY SCENARIOS

2009-09-15T11:54:00.000-05:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
USING OPTIMIZATION TO ASSIST IN PLANNING, OPERATIONS AND EMERGENCY SCENARIOS
Thursday, September 24, 2009 - Glenview, IL

To register call Lisa at 866-521-3595 extension 2.

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude at 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

DATE & LOCATION
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy (NIPSTA)
2300 Patriot Boulevard
Glenview, IL 60025

AGENDA
Optimization can be defined as finding the best solution to a problem from a wide range of possible solutions. When applied to water distribution and wastewater collection systems, it means finding those solutions that are not only hydraulically viable but also least costly. This seminar will provide attendees with an understanding of optimization, how it works, and its applications in the realms of planning, operations, and emergency response.

The format of the seminar will be a mix of lecture, group discussion, and hands on experimentation. The following topics will be presented and discussed:
• What optimization is; different types of optimization techniques and their best uses
• Optimization’s value in water distribution and wastewater collection planning
• Hydraulic models and their role in the optimization process
• Traditional versus Optimized Capital Improvement Plans

Applications:
• Optimization for short and long-term planning
• Optimization for operations
• Optimization for emergency scenarios
• Assessing criticality in pipe rehabilitation and optimizing replacement planning
• Enhancing system reliability/redundancy using optimization

SPEAKERS
Michael E. Canning, P.E., and Elsie Mann, Optimatics

Structural Design of Tanks Using AWWA D100-05

2009-09-15T11:48:00.001-05:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:
Structural Design of Tanks Using AWWA D100-05
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - Countryside, IL
Tuesday, December 1, 2009 - Bloomington, IL

To register call 866-521-3595 ext 2 - Lisa.

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

DATES & LOCATIONS
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Park Place Countryside
6240 Joliet Road
Countryside, IL 60525

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center
10 Brickyard Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701

COST
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 on-site registration
$55.00 Optional D100 Standard

AGENDA
This seminar is intended for engineers and other highly technical individuals interested in learning more about detailed design of water storage tanks in accordance with AWWA D100-05. The seminar will include example structural calculations and structural theory, and a discussion of the behavior of tank shells and roofs.
- Overview of Changes to D100-05
- Design Loads Requirements of AWWA D100-05: Wind, Snow, Seismic
- Membrane Stress: Flat bottom Tank example, Elevated Tank example
- Ringwall Foundation Design: Flat Bottom Tank Example
- Roof Design: Self supporting Dome Example, Umbrella Roof Example
- Seismic Design: Flat Bottom Tank Example, Elevated Pedestal Tank Example
- Anchor Bolt Chair: Design Example

SPEAKER
Stephen W. Meier, P.E., S.E., Tank Industry Consultants

SECURITY WATER SECTOR ROADMAP TRAINING - Free Training

2009-09-15T11:39:00.001-05:00

ISAWWA Information Management & Technology Committee & Water Sector Coordinating Council Presents:
SECURITY WATER SECTOR ROADMAP TRAINING
Thursday, October 15, 2009 – Countryside, IL

To register - call 866-521-3595 extension 2 - Lisa

FEATURING Mark Zanotti, VP of Engineering and CTO of Lofty Perch, Inc. and Jonathan Gray, in the Control System Security Program at Idaho National Laboratory

EXHIBITOR TABLE TOPS AVAILABLE - limited to the first 20

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 7:30am. The training will start at 8:00am and will conclude at 5:00pm. Earn up to 8.5 renewal training credit hours or professional development hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included.

LOCATION
Park Place Countryside
Operator Engineers Local 150 Hall
6200 Joliet Road
Countryside, IL 60525

COST
This class is offered FREE of charge – CAPACITY IS LIMITED
EXHIBITOR TABLES AVAILABLE!
$100.00 for Exhibitor Table Top – LIMITED TO FIRST 20
$25.00 for Additional Exhibitor Personnel

AGENDA
The urgent need to mitigate risks and threats to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) has led the water sector to collaborate with government leaders on an integrated security strategy. A critical component of this effort is equipping utility personnel with the requisite ability to identify, defend against, and reduce the risk from cyber attack.

The Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC) is hosting a series of workshops designed specifically to improve the knowledge and skills of U.S.-based water sector utility employees who are responsible for control system security. The Department of Homeland Security’s Control Systems Security Program will present the workshop training and discuss security products that are available for use by water sector asset owners and operators. These one-day events will include:
• A briefing on WSCC’s Roadmap to Secure Control Systems in the Water Sector
• An overview of cyber risks and threats to utility-based ICS
• Concrete and easy to understand mitigation strategies for securing ICS
• Demonstration and instruction on the Department of Homeland Security’s mitigation and self assessment tools

The Water Sector Coordinating Council is comprised of water and wastewater utilities and other associations representing the water sector. WSCC serves as a policy, strategy, and coordination mechanism for advising U.S. EPA and the Department of Homeland Security. WERF is a founding member association.

ISAWWA letter to IDPH - Pandemic Response

2009-09-14T14:29:00.001-05:00

Illinois Section AWWA
545 S. Randall Road
St. Charles, Il 60174

September 3, 2009
Dr. Damon T. Arnold, Director
Illinois Department of Public Health
535 West Jefferson Street
Springfield, Illinois 62761

Dear Dr. Arnold,

As you know, this nation is taking important steps to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic flu outbreak. History teaches us that pandemics can be characterized by rapid worldwide spread, overloaded health care systems, inadequate medical supplies, and economic and social disruption.

Pandemics are also unpredictable. Historically, the Federal government, as well as Illinois, have made a number of assumptions that need to be taken into account to facilitate the planning efforts of key entities and their infrastructures.

Drinking water and wastewater utilities are such a critical sector. Their role in American communities and their continued operation during a pandemic must be assured. The water sector in Illinois is concerned that critical water utility operational personnel have not been adequately considered in recent guidelines for pandemic response. It is important to note that clean water is the foundation of public health. As such, continuous operation of water and wastewater facilities is fundamental to restoring health to a community during any phase of a pandemic or disaster. Without adequate quantity and quality of water, a community cannot recover. Aside from the multiple hospitals and healthcare providers in the various communities throughout the state, all critical infrastructure and first-line responders rely on clean water as the foundation of public health. In this sense, the water sector provides a lifeline to support and sustain both emergency and everyday functions. It is sometimes easy to forget the importance of the service that the water sector provides, because during normal day-to-day operations, these services go on seamlessly. This may not be the case during a full-scale pandemic, without your assistance in providing us with the necessary vaccines to enable our most critical workforce to perform their essential functions.

While we understand that certain guidelines may be handed down from the federal level for distribution of the initial wave of H1N1 vaccines, we look to our public health

officials in the State of Illinois to make the best decision, as it relates to matters of our state. We strongly feel that critical operational personnel within the water utility sector should be recognized as first responders in dealing with public health issues that affect the entire state or region, as they are under federal law. Specifically:

• Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 – National Preparedness, defines “first responder” as those individuals who, in the early stages of an incident, are responsible for the protection and preservation of life, property, evidence, and environment, including emergency response providers as defined in section 2 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101), as well as emergency management, public health, clinical care, public works, and other skilled support personnel (such as equipment operators) that provide immediate support services during prevention, response, and recovery operations.

• 6 U.S.C. 101 – The term “emergency response providers” includes Federal, State, and local governmental and nongovernmental emergency public safety, fire, law enforcement, emergency response, emergency medical (including hospital emergency facilities), and related personnel, agencies, and authorities.

We believe that this should logically classify water sector first responders (related to critical infrastructure – emergency services sector personnel) as in the first tier of vaccination target groups.

It is our understanding that while federal guidelines may exist, it is ultimately the responsibility of Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to decide on any final prioritization and allocation of vaccines. We understand and acknowledge the limitations on the supply of vaccine, given the reported difficulty in its manufacture. However, we would like to further discuss this with IDPH officials and continually stress that the water sector is every bit as critical to the continued operation of our communities as police, fire, and other emergency personnel.

We look forward to an opportunity to meet or talk with you about this at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,
Illinois Section of American Water Works Association

Gerald W. Bever, Chair
Water Utility Council

cc: Terry McGhee, ISAWWA Chair
Laurie Dougherty, ISAWWA Executive Director

Excel 101 - Webinar - Tuesday - Sept. 22

2009-09-13T10:53:00.001-05:00

Illinois Section AWWA Presents:

EXCEL 101: PRESS THIS BUTTON WEBINAR

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - WEBINAR

This training webinar will begin at 12:00pm and conclude by 1:00pm. Earn up to 1 PDH or RTC hour. After registration, attendee will be furnished with all materials and links needed to participate in the webinar.

To Register call 866-521-3595 extension 2

DATE & LOCATION

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - Your Computer

COST

$10.00 for AWWA members

$20.00 for non AWWA members

AGENDA

This class is for operators who need basic instructions on how to get started in Excel.

• Create an Excel Workbook

• Add additional Excel Worksheets

• Understand rows and columns in Excel

• Learn the basic math functions in Excel

• Copy, paste, and drag functions in Excel

• Change fonts

SPEAKER

Tammy E. Hellings, MBA, Aqua Illinois, Inc.

Elgin Utilities - ILWARN

2009-09-13T08:30:00.002-05:00

September 13, 2009

By MIKE DANAHEY mdanahey@scn1.com
Courier News - Member of Sun Times Group

Utilities helping utilities

Local communities joining forces to aid in getting water flowing again after a disaster

When disaster strikes a town and outside help is needed, there's a big item that often doesn't get high priority.

"Water utilities usually aren't at the top of the list. But to enhance recovery, you need water and wastewater treatment," said Laurie Dougherty, executive director of the Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association, whose office is in St. Charles.

To address that issue, Dougherty is part of a 20-member committee that's been working at a grassroots level for about two years to get the Illinois Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network, or ILWARN, off the ground. The effort is similar to mutual aid agreements between municipalities for police and fire services so that extra manpower and equipment can be provided in emergencies.

Last week, Elgin took a step toward joining the effort when the city council moved along an agreement to become an ILWARN member. It's expected that the measure will be formalized at an upcoming regular council session.

Like Dougherty, Kyla Jacobsen, Elgin's water system superintendent, is a member of the ILWARN steering committee.

According to the document Jacobsen helped draft for Elgin, the group's "purpose is to provide aid to others in the network when a disaster strikes. Disaster can be from simply the loss of water due to power failure, localized flooding or water main breaks, up to and including earthquakes and tornadoes. The purpose is to have a standardized mutual aid agreement that establishes the ground rules between agencies well in advance of a disaster, so that responding utilities can provide aid quickly to fellow water and wastewater utilities in need of assistance."

So when disaster strikes, "You can have people with the understanding and knowledge you need in place," Jacobsen said.

Getting more popular

With the possibility of a bad flu season, that might even mean calling in experienced people from other towns to fill in for sick workers, Dougherty said.

This aid is not to supersede federal or state help that might be coming, but "allows for a neighbor to bring in experts and equipment while bigger help is on the way," Dougherty said.

While there is no cost to be part of the network, reimbursement for incoming services rendered and equipment borrowed typically will be the responsibility of the community requesting assistance.

In Illinois, Dougherty said that 61 utilities covering 70 percent of the state's population have registered to take part in ILWARN. Of those, 21 currently have approved agreements. In the Elgin area, the Fox River Water Reclamation District has signed on board, and St. Charles is in the process.

With ILWARN in its infancy, its only coordinating effort thus far has been helping the city of Chicago find sandbags earlier this year.

Across the country, 42 states and the Washington, D.C., metro area have adopted state or regional water-related mutual aid agreements, said Kevin Morley, security and preparedness program manager for the American Water Works Association.

Morley explained that such efforts began in California in the early 1990s after some natural disasters. A big challenge has been working out the legal issues that arise with intergovernmental agreements. And the movement built steam after the 2003-04 hurricane season when Florida firmed up its WARN agreements, Morley said.

That allowed water and wastewater crews from the Sunshine State to better help out in Alabama and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005. And getting interstate aid capabilities is the next challenge for AWWA and WARN, Morley said.

What is Your Chlorine Status?

2009-09-05T10:10:00.003-05:00

A utility member sent me an email as follows, "When I placed an order for chlorine this week, my supplier informed me that chlorine supplies are tight & that prices are rising.

The reason given is that the caustic market has crashed due to the slow economy & lack of demand by manufacturers. Because of this, caustic manufactures have reduced production. Since chlorine is a by-product of caustic manufacture - chlorine production is also reduced. I was told that they will be able to keep delivering chlorine but that deliveries will be erratic depending on rail car availability.

This was a total surprise. I've seen nothing on any of the water industry internet news services.

You may want to pass this on to members. It looks like we'll need to bump up our chlorine budget for 2010."

Laurie Dougherty
Illinois Section AWWA Executive Director

Illinois Regulatory Update - Drinking Water Regulations

2009-09-03T08:59:00.004-05:00

ANNUAL DRINKING WATER REGULATORY UPDATE
Thursday, September 17, 2009

REGISTRATION & HOURS
Registration begins at 8:30am. The training will start at 9:00am and will conclude by 3:00pm. Earn up to 5 PDHs or RTC hours. Continental breakfast and lunch will be included. To register call 866-521-3595 - extension 2 - Sandi.

DATE
Thursday, September 17, 2009

LOCATION
Park Place Countryside
Operator Engineers Local 150 Hall
6200 Joliet Road
Countryside, IL 60525

COST
$40.00 for AWWA members
$60.00 for non AWWA members
$70.00 on-site registration

AGENDA
This seminar will cover current and upcoming regulations. In addition to reviewing the rules themselves, we will also explore operational strategies that can be employed to meet these regulations. A discussion forum will wrap up the day allowing you time to ask your specific questions. Illinois EPA representatives may be available to answer questions.

Registration - begins at 8:30am
9:00 am – Section 31 Enforcement - M. Reed
9:30 am – Regulatory Update from a Technical Perspective - J. Kuhn
10:30 am - Groundwater Rule - A. Rhodes
11:00 am – Navigating IEPA’s Website & Drinking Water Watch - M. Reed
12 noon – Lunch
1:00 pm – Lead & Copper Rule - A. Rhodes
1:30 pm – Compliance Statistics & Monitoring Issues - M. Reed
2:15 pm – Wrap Up

SPEAKERS
Jerry Kuhn, Permit Section Manager, IEPA, Bureau of Water, Division of Public Water Supplies
Mary Reed, Compliance Officer, IEPA, Bureau of Water, Drinking Water Compliance Unit
Andrea Rhodes, Compliance Officer, IEPA, Bureau of Water, Drinking Water Compliance Unit