Montpelier Meeting Comments from 3/29/2000 meeting:

How the State Will Use the Authority And Resources Of the Safe Drinking Water Act

• Educate the communities/volunteers on funding possibilities and knowing their system and what it will cost.
  
  
• Strengthen link between owners/operators and the Water Supply Division.
  
  
• State wide advertising program to show how good the water is with creative mailouts to the public with some press releases to promote activities.
  
  
• Fund training centers at the vocational centers fromt the state level.
  
  
• Promote O& M training with evening/weekend schedules to accommodate system owners/operators.
  
  
• Develop possible level of certification for owners, responsible operators to provide link to certified operators.
  
  
• Educate customers that this is a full time job and how much work is being performed. It not volunteer position for many of these systems. Financial compensation should be considered. Change customers attitude.

• Develop a mentoring program on a geographical regional basis. Where professional can assist another system. Pennsylvania is doing mentoring work.
  
  
• Educate school system on their water systems and consider them as a high priority.
  
  
• Develop a e lectronic bulletin board so they can have place to go and ask questions and provide support for issues with water system management. Also educate public on Capacity management.
  

• Funding of computer technology to enhance communication (i.e. -email) with public on water system management
  

Baseline information

• Express concern for using a point system for prioritizing water systems for capacity funding. Not a recommend way to go.

Encourage/Impair

• Promote good communication with chain of command with owner/ chief operator and the responsible owner to prevent chain of command issues.
  

• Educate new board members on their existing system management responsibilities. Promote training at board meeting would be appropriate.
  

• Encourage incentive to be a member with the association to get certain number of continuation credits for information session on varies water system subject matters.
  

• Encourage discussion among board members on the legal issues of being on the board. Insurance is expensive.
  

• Express concern with the viability of system trying to decommissioned. This may create a higher public health risk not being a public water supply system anymore.
  

Prioritize Systems

• Use enforcement priorities to prioritize systems.