Registration for this year's Annual Conference is well underway. Don't miss our new activities:

Vendor Expo

Office Utility Operations Track

Leak Repair Challenge

Meter Challenge

Click here to make your reservations at the Hilton by July 7th to take advantage of the $165.00 room rate.

July 29-31, 2025

Hilton Daytona Beach

100 North Atlantic Avenue

Daytona Beach, FL 32118

Click Here to Reserve Your Room

Attention Exhibitors -- Our booths are sold out. If you would like to be put on a waitlist, please email finance@frwa.net and we will contact you if one becomes available.

Be sure to check out our website at www.frwa.net for the latest in FRWA onsite and online training opportunities.

UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONTACT: SRFRFI@FloridaDEP.gov

Funding Opportunity: State Revolving Fund Assistance for Utilities Impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is now accepting project proposals from drinking water and wastewater utilities affected by hurricanes Helene and/or Milton. Through the Supplemental Appropriation for Hurricanes Helene and Milton (SA-HMW), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided $1.6 billion in federal funding to Florida's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) and Clean Water SRF to support eligible recovery and resilience projects.

To be eligible, the applicant must be an SRF-eligible entity and the proposed project must address damage, disruption or the loss of a mission-essential function, such as a threat to public health, caused by one or both of the hurricanes. Projects may involve planning, design or construction and must meet SRF-eligibility requirements. Additionally, projects should aim to reduce vulnerability to flood or fire damage or enhance resilience to flooding and hurricanes. A list of eligible project types can be found in Attachment 3 of EPA’s SA-HMW guidance.

To assist applicants, DEP's Drinking Water and Clean Water SRF programs will offer combined virtual office hours this summer to provide administrative, programmatic and technical assistance related to SA-HMW funding. Virtual office hours will be held via Microsoft Teams on the following Thursdays from 2-3 p.m. EDT: June 5, June 12, June 19 and June 26, 2025. 

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 30, 2025. To apply, complete a Drinking Water SRF Request for Inclusion and/or Clean Water SRF Request for Inclusion and email the completed form and required backup documentation to SRFRFI@FloridaDEP.gov. While electronic submittal is preferred, hard copies will also be accepted. To submit a hard copy, contact Catherine Murray at 850-245-2966.

Please note, any information submitted to DEP will become a public record, subject to disclosure in accordance with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, and Article 1, § 24 of the Florida Constitution. Submittal of a project proposal does not create an agreement nor does it guarantee funding.

Learn more about DEP's Division of Water Restoration Assistance.

Kick Off Conference Week with Critical Training – Just $100!

Heading to the Florida Rural Water Annual Conference? Arrive early and join

WaterISAC’s H2OEx-Florida Tabletop Exercise on Monday, July 28, at the same venue!

This exclusive, one-day event is designed for water sector professionals in operations, cybersecurity, and emergency management.

 🔹 Only $100 for FRWA members

 🔹 Hands-on training + scenario-based threat response

 🔹 Hear directly from the FBI, EPA, and DHS

You’ll gain region-specific insights and leave better prepared to protect public health and critical infrastructure.

👉 Register Now – Space is limited!

Because of an official partnership between the National Rural Water Association and WaterISAC, we are pleased to offer complimentary membership to utilities serving populations of fewer than 3,300. If your utility qualifies, please complete the form below to activate your free membership. Click here for more information.

NATIONAL NEWS 

EPA Announces the Release of Eighth Set of Data Under UCMR5 On Monday, June 2, US EPA released the eighth set of national drinking water data collected under the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) for 30 chemical contaminants: 29 PFAS and lithium. SDWA requires that, every five years, EPA issue a list of unregulated contaminants to be monitored by public water systems. UCMR 5 was published on December 27, 2021, with large, medium, and a nationally representative sample of small public water systems collecting data on these 30 chemical contaminants since January 1, 2023. more

STATE NEWS



National Hurricane Center's Florida outlook is clear. What is Tropical Storm Barbara? With a hot Sunday on the horizon and the Saharan dust cloud pretty much gone, people in Florida on June 8 will need to apply the sunscreen and watch for a passing thunderstorm in some spots. more

June 9, 2013 Celebration of Centennial of Activated Sludge Process. “On June 9-11, the Water Environment Federation convened the forum, “Activated Sludge on its 100th Birthday: Challenges and Opportunities.” The event was held at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first patent of the activated sludge process near Boston. The Activated Sludge process is still the heart of modern wastewater treatment systems around the globe and was a sea-change in the burgeoning field of wastewater treatment, permitting wastewater treatment to occur in a much smaller footprint, saving space and treatment time while protecting public and environmental health. In the past 100 years, the process has been updated, modified, and augmented, to improve treatment, remove nutrients, and do so more efficiently. However, more stringent demands and resources challenges are necessitating another look at the process that has been the backbone of modern sanitation infrastructure.”

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

2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309

850.668.2746 | Contact Us