The deadline of March 31st is fast approaching for submitting your application for this year's Curtis E. Lloyd Scholarship.

The Curtis E. Lloyd Scholarship Program was created by the FRWA Board in 2008, in memory of one of its longest serving Circuit Riders. Mr. Lloyd joined the FRWA staff in 1980 and worked for the association for seventeen years. He retired in 1997 and stayed active until his untimely death in December 2007.

Since 2008, the Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) has been awarding scholarships to outstanding high school and college students helping them to realize their potential in tomorrow's water and wastewater industry. The scholarships have been awarded to 83 recipients over the years to assist them with their tuition, educational fees, books, and room and board.

One of our recipients (Richard “Tripp” McCreary, pictured above, second from the left) expressed his appreciation for the scholarship as follows, "Thank you for making the Curtis E. Lloyd Scholarship Program what it is. I am so grateful for your support and dedication, and for the general generosity of the Florida Rural Water Association. This scholarship means so much to me, and it will allow me to go to college with less financial burden. I cannot thank you enough for making this opportunity a reality and for supporting me along my journey to a higher education."



For more detailed information and to complete an application click here. If you need further assistance, please email Amanda.Read@frwa.net.

Remember, the deadline for applying is March 31st so get your application in today!

It's hard to believe that it is less than a week to our first 2025 Focus on Change. This year's agenda is filled with timely topics needed to keep your system in regulation. If you know anyone that still needs to get CEUs before the April 30th deadline, let them know about Focus on Change that is being held at six different locations throughout the state.

To register online, click on the location below. To complete a registration form and register by mail, click here. For complete information, click here.

See you there!

NATIONAL NEWS

EPA chief eyes 65% workforce reduction, Trump says-U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin is planning to cut 65% of his agency's workforce, a move that came as a surprise to agency staff. more

Women in Rural Water Webinar-Learn about how NRWA started its Women in Rural Water Event and the plans to grow a culture of empowerment, support, and inspiration among women across the nation. more

DOGE, EPA team up to claw back $67 million in 'environmental justice' grants-The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is teaming up with Elon Musk's cost-cutting department to draw back environmental grants issued by the former Democratic Administration. more

Kevin J. McOmber appointed to lead EPA’s Southeast Region-Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that President Donald J. Trump has appointed Kevin J. McOmber, P.E., to serve as regional administrator for the EPA’s Southeast Region (Region 4). McOmber will lead the implementation of President Trump’s environmental agenda in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and with six federally-recognized Tribes. more

EPA sends mobile drinking water lab to support Eastern Kentucky communities affected by flooding- On Saturday, February 22, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will deploy its mobile laboratory to assist the state and local health departments ensure public water and drinking water from private wells is safe to drink. EPA is closely coordinating drinking water testing with FEMA, the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (KDEP), the Kentucky Department for Public Health and local health departments, including Pike, Martin and Perry counties. more

STATE NEWS

Upper Keys construction project causing traffic issues put on hold-A Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority project at Mile Marker 91 that has been causing significant traffic disruptions has been temporarily postponed by the Florida Department of Transportation, authorities confirmed Tuesday. more

Riviera Beach starting construction on a new water treatment plant in 4 months-The city of Riviera Beach said it will start building a new water treatment plant in June 2025, according to an appropriations project request submitted to the Florida House of Representatives. more

Florida Drinking Water to Change Under New Proposal-Florida's drinking water could change statewide as a new bill banning local governments from using "water additives" has been filed. more

Florida Surgeon General questions Fluoride in drinking water-Dr. Ladapo recently visited a Lee County meeting, where commissioners voted to remove fluoride earlier this month. more

Implementation of Advanced Water Filtration Systems-Advanced water filtration systems improve home water quality by removing contaminants like chlorine, bacteria, and heavy metals, ensuring safer drinking water. more

DEP, SFWMD clear Hobe-St. Lucie, The Grove, Atlantic Fields in St. Lucie River pollution-The state has closed two investigations into St. Lucie River pollution without finding the source of turbidity that turned the water a chalky, chocolate milk brown near Halpatiokee Regional Park in Stuart on Jan. 27

more

At Least One Florida Sewage System Is Swimming With Alligators, Study Shows-According to a new study in the journal Urban Naturalist, the reptiles were recently documented traveling throughout Gainesville’s Alachua County sewage system along with other animals. more

A Primer on Chlorine Gas Disinfection-The disinfection of water using chlorine gas has been practiced in the United States for over a century. more

PFAS COST RECOVERY PROGRAM UPDATE-If your water utility has tested for PFAS and had detects at any level prior to May 15, 2024, you may be eligible to participate in these settlements. more

February 23, 1893 Interstate Quarantine Act becomes law."In 1893 Congress passed the Interstate Quarantine Act to reduce the spread of communicable diseases through interstate commerce. The act gave the Department of the Treasury broad powers to establish regulations preventing the spread of disease from one state to another in the following clause (Cumming 1932; Kraut 1994):

'The Secretary of the Treasury shall, if in his judgment it is necessary and proper, make such additional rules and regulations as are necessary to prevent the introduction of such diseases (communicable) into the United States from foreign countries, or into one State or Territory or the District of Columbia from another State or Territory or the District of Columbia ....'

This clause was not immediately perceived as requiring any regulations relating to drinking water. In fact, methods of bacteriological analysis and water treatment were not sufficiently developed at this time for the establishment of quantitative standards."

Reference: Fischbeck, Paul S. and R. Scott Farrow eds. Improving Regulation: Cases in Environment, Health and Safety. Washington, DC:Resources for the Future. 2001, p. 52.

FLORIDA RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION http://www.frwa.net

2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309

850.668.2746 | Contact Us