Due to website issues, we have not been able to open the registration for this year's Annual Conference. We hope to be able to have it up and running on Tuesday, May 6th.

In the meantime, you can go ahead and start making your plans to attend and booking your room at the Hilton by clicking here. If you would like to reserve a booth, please email Admin@frwa.net and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

We apologize for the delay. See you in Daytona!

EPA has designated funding to the SRF program for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. These funds are for systems impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. 

Approximately $806 million for Clean Water SRF (CWSRF)

• Approximately $845 million for Drinking Water SRF (DWSRF)

• Approximately $36 million for CWSRF Decentralized Projects

• 0% Finance Rate

• Principal Forgiveness

• 50% all communities

• 100% financially disadvantaged communities and decentralized projects

• CWSRF – Communities Per Capita Income (PCI) < State’s PCI

• DWSRF – Communities Median Household Income (MHI) < State’s MHI

Who Can Apply?

• Counties

• Municipalities

• Special Districts

• Private non-profit (Drinking Water Facilities only)

• Eligible projects must be CWSRF-eligible or DWSRF-eligible, whose purpose is to reduce flood or fire damage risk and vulnerability or to enhance resiliency to rapid hydrologic change or natural disaster at treatment works, as defined by section 212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (i.e., POTWs) and/or section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

• Decentralized eligible projects to connect homes served by decentralized wastewater treatment systems to centralized wastewater treatment systems. Installation/construction of collection system components and equipment in the public right of way is eligible. Work on private property is not eligible.

How to Apply

• Submit Request for Inclusion (RFI) by 11:59 P.M. EDT on June 30, 2025 to SRFRFI@FloridaDEP.gov. 

• Clean Water RFI - https://floridadep.gov/wra/srf/documents/cwsrf-request-inclusion

• Drinking Water RFI - https://floridadep.gov/wra/srf/documents/dwsrf-request-inclusion-form-word

Also include: 

• Description of the project, 

• Facility ID number, 

• Project location, 

• Proof of impacts to the system (e.g., photographs, power outage reports, mutual aid costs, Water Tracker reports, FLAWarn reports, etc.)

• Explanation of how the project is eligible for SA-HMW funding.

There will always be a need for water and wastewater professionals and there is no better time than now to encourage high school seniors to become the next generation of respected professionals in the most vital industry in the world: water. FRWA is putting words into action by teaming up with Junior Achievement South Florida to train graduating high school seniors to become successful Water and Wastewater Operations Specialists in the Pre-Apprenticeship Program. The Pre-Apprentices will do a boot camp with FRWA Trainers this summer to have classroom instruction and hands-on treatment plant experience, topping off the time with testing for their D Certificate. Utilities that hire these Pre-Apprentices and take advantage of continuing with them in the FRWA Apprenticeship program will have the opportunity to receive wage reimbursement for their first three months of employment. Being paid to hire well-trained young people – what more could you ask?!

To find out more about the Pre-Apprentice program, you can visit jasouthflorida.org/preapp or attend the breakfast at the Junior Achievement of South Florida offices in Coconut Creek on May 19th from 7:30 to 11:00 am. To register: Scan the QR on the left.

May 3, 1911 Municipal Journal article. Deodorizing Sewer Gas. “While fortunately the majority of American cities do not seem to be troubled with sewer gas, as are so many English cities, there is occasionally one on this side of the ocean which, on account of poor construction or lack of proper maintenance, finds it necessary to adopt some method of diminishing the nuisance from such gas. Among these is the city of Winnipeg, which has been troubled with this question for many years. The latter part of last year a test was made of the Beeman deodorizing machine, ten of these being placed in sewer manholes, where they were operated for three months.

The machine consists of a reservoir containing wood alcohol, the fumes from which impinge upon a disk of platinized porcelain 1 1/2 inches in diameter. This disk, when heated cherry red, remains incandescent so long as the alcohol fumes are supplied to it, which fumes are changed into formaldehyde during their passage over the disk. In addition to the reservoir and disk there are a series of baffles and protectors through which both the formaldehyde and the air from the sewers must pass and which insure a thorough mixing of the two. The whole machine measures about 20 inches in diameter and 40 inches high and is suspended within an air-shaft from the sewer or in the sewer manhole. In the machines used in Winnipeg it was found that one gallon of wood alcohol, costing 62 1/2 cents, lasted nine days. It is suggested that it would not be necessary to place such an appliance in each manhole, but that if one were placed, say, in every fifth manhole the openings in the other four could be closed. City Engineer Ruttan reported that sufficient formaldehyde was produced to deodorize the sewer air that emerged from the manholes. The city of Winnipeg has recently contracted for so of these deodorizers at $75 each.”

Reference: “Deodorizing Sewer Gas.” 1911. Municipal Journal article 30:18(May 3, 1911): 613.

Commentary: Every once in a while, I come across an article in the literature from the turn of the 20th century that is crazy beyond belief. Putting an open flame into a sewer system seems just madness. Several articles in this blog have chronicled sewer gas explosions when open flames come in contact with methane from anaerobic decomposition. Using formaldehyde to “deodorize” sewer gas also seems to be an idea born of madness. They knew back then that formaldehyde was used in the embalming process. They could not have believed that inhaling it would be good for you. Sometimes I just have to shake my head in disbelief. Let’s just say that the Beeman deodorizing machine did not catch on in a big way in U.S. sewer systems.

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

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