October 2022 News from Test Gauge, Inc.

Illinois/Minnesota EDITION

VOL 7 | ISSUE10

October 20, 2022

It's That Time of Year Again!

2022-2023 CEU Registration is Open!

***Class dates will fill up quickly! We encourage you to sign up early to ensure you get a spot in one of this year's courses. ***

Same great classes, Same great dinner, Same smiling faced instructors

Putting a Face to a Voice: Meet Our Team

Michael Ottolino

Minnesota Branch Manager

I started my career with Test Gauge in 2015 as part of the shipping and receiving department, while also doing daily deliveries to job sites for customers. In two years time, I moved on to running the calibration department; making sure the tester had up-to-date equipment to perform their annual backflow tests. From there, I attended trade shows across the Midwest and performed on-the-spot calibrations. After two years in the calibrations department, I made the transition to inside sales.

In 2021, I began teaching CEU classes at our Illinois locations; sharing my knowledge of how a test kit works, testing a backflow properly and filling out test reports. With six years of combined experience here at Test Gauge, I was offered the Branch Manager position at our new Plymouth, MN location. I excitedly accepted this new position to expand my knowledge in the backflow industry, while assisting our customers with all their backflow needs.

ASSSE 5110 Tester Certified

Outside of work, I like to spend time exploring new areas, checking out local car shows or working on my car, checking out local restaurants, getting out on the golf course, and playing the guitar.

Isaiah Lara

Calibrations Technician

About a year ago I got a call from Test Gauge. Little did I know how much that call would impact my life. When I first started at Test Gauge, they had me begin as part of the shipping and receiving department; as well as delivering backflows and other accessories to our customers. After a few cold months of driving, I got bumped up tot he calibration department, my current position. Every morning when I come into work, I immediately get started on the gauges to ensure everyone gets their equipment in the two-day turnaround time we promise.

Outside of work, I like to go to the gym to lift weights, not backflows and gate valves. I also enjoy learning about and working on cars whenever I have time. Even though working on them can be a drag sometimes, the outcome is worth it.

In This Issue

After Long Delay, Groups Sue EPA for Response on Factory Farm Water Pollution Rules

Water Utilities Set the Pace in Race to Reduce Carbon Emissions

QuizTime Question

After Long Delay, Groups Sue EPA for Response on

Factory Farm Water Pollution Rules

By: Seth Gladstone, The Progressive Newswire

The Environmental Protection Agency's failure to respond to a leagal petition urging the agency to strengthen clean water rules governing factory farms has prompted a broad coalition of public interest and environmental justice organizations to file a lawsuit in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that aims to force EPA to finally issue a formal response.

More than five years ago, over 30 groups - led by Food & Water Watch - filed a rulemaking petition detailing how EPA's regulation of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) under the Clean Water Act has failed to protect waterways and communities, and urging the EPA to strengthen its lax approach. Th agency's complete failure to respond, the groups say, violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), which requires agencies like EPA to respond to petitions "within a reasonable time."

The suit, filed, Friday, argues that the current delay is unreasonable on its face, and that EPA's inaction is unlawfully prolonging dangerous pollution and public health threats form factory farms. Most livestock in the U.S. are raised in CAFOs, which can confine thousands, or even millions, of animals and their waste. The cast quantities of manure generated from CAFOs are typically disposed of , untreated, on cropland, where it can seep or run off to pollute waterways and drinking water sources.

Water Utilities Set the Pace in Race to Reduce Carbon Emissions

By: Houston Spencer, Business Wire

More than 80 water and wastewater utilities worldwide have set net-zero and climate-neutrality targets. These utilities are leading the decarbonization of the water sector with strategies that optimize operations while cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A new paper from global water technology company Xylem (NYSE: XYL), Net Zero: The Race We All Win, shows how water managers are reducing their emissions and making infrastructure more resilient to climate change.

"We have an opportunity to help the water sector be the fastest to reduce its carbon emissions footprint. Utilities, already on the frontlines of the effects of climate change and aging infrastructure, and passionate public servants, are the key," said Patrick Decker, President and CEO of Xylem. "This paper and action show how leading water utility managers are delivering real progress toward net-zero goals. And these examples show how quickly and affordably they are doing it, while optimizing their overall operations. The technology exists to address these challenges, and the time to make a difference is now."

Water infrastructure accounts for approximately 2% of global GHG emissions - the same as the global shipping industry. Net Zero: The Race WE all Win, which is available to download, highlights pragmatic approaches and proven technologies that can reduce water utility emissions to net zero.