Legislative and Regulatory Update - October 2022
Legislative Update: Clean Streams Law - Spill Reporting; Creek & Stream Maintenance; Water and Wastewater Asset Management Plans; Legionnaires’ Disease
Regulatory Update: New or Revised Federal Drinking Water Regulations; Maximum Contaminant Level for PFAS; Water Quality Standard for Manganese; Technical Guidance - Notification Requirements for Spills, Discharges, and other Incidents; Technical Guidance - PA Public Water System Capability Enhancement Strategy; Drought Watch; TAC Board Meetings
Legislative and Regulatory Update
Fall Joint Conference
PA Section AWWA Southeast District & WWOAP Eastern Section
presented by: Serena A. DiMagno
WWOAP inducts Serena A. DiMagno into Hall of Fame
The Water Works Operators' Association of Pennsylvania recognized Serena A. DiMagno during their Annual Conference for her contributions to the water industry and her immeasurable value as an industry leader, instructor, mentor, and colleague. On October 4, 2022 she was inducted into the WWOAP’s prestigious Hall of Fame.
SERENA A. DIMAGNO
WWOAP HALL OF FAME
The Water Works Operators' Association of Pennsylvania recognized Serena A. DiMagno during their Annual Conference for her contributions to the water industry and her immeasurable value as an industry leader, instructor, mentor, and colleague. On October 4, 2022 she was inducted into the WWOAP’s prestigious Hall of Fame.
As its name implies, the Hall of Fame designation honors very select individuals who the organization deems worthy of membership based upon their dedication and contributions to the drinking water industry. In fact, DiMagno is only the 16th industry professional to receive Hall of Fame status since the WWOAP's inception 95 years ago.
October 4, 2022 - Today, we are very proud and honored to induct an extremely deserving individual into the Water Works Operators' Association of Pennsylvania's prestigious Hall of Fame. Serena earned a B.S in Biology/Chemistry from Chatham University before embarking on a more than 45-year career in water and wastewater system investigation, design, operations and treatment, management, regulatory negotiation, permitting and compliance. She has held leadership positions in both the private and public sectors including business development, client relationship management and marketing, in addition to having owned her own consulting firm, which she managed for 20 years. Although semi-retired, she is currently a Special Consultant for Spotts, Stevens and McCoy.
Serena is a Pennsylvania certified water and wastewater treatment plant operator. She has continued to serve the water industry, and representing WWOAP, as the Chair of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Agency’s Small Systems Technical Advisory Committee (TAC Board).
In addition to her extensive service to WWOAP, she has served in several leadership roles in AWWA, is an active member of the Pennsylvania Water Utility Council and has chaired the Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee for the Water Works Operator’s Association of Pennsylvania since 1990.
Just as she has served in many roles for water industry associations, Serena has held many positions at several companies, including one of her own, over her illustrious career. She was the Service Area Director for Environmental Engineering and Air Quality with Rettew, Inc., which encompassed 11 offices in 4 states. She was also the Vice President of Environmental Regulatory Compliance and Assistant Vice President of Water and Wastewater Services with Spotts, Stevens McCoy, a multi-disciplinary engineering firm with 2 offices in PA. She was responsible for the technical and business functions of the Service Area Groups for both firms and lead their department’s efforts in business development, client relationship management and marketing.
She was President and owner of DiMagno Associates, Inc. At DA inc, Serena was responsible for project management encompassing a wide range of diverse environmental and engineering projects; permit preparation; design, operations, and maintenance evaluations; water quality evaluations; water quality investigations and laboratory studies, including process pilot plant studies; water treatment plant residual land application (both agricultural utilization and beneficial use) site evaluations, permit applications and permit management; and expert witness testimony for court proceedings and before public utility commissions, including document and exhibit preparations. She also prepared environmental and community impact statements and conducted feasibility studies.
Prior to establishing DAI, she was Superintendent of Production for Dauphin Consolidated Water Supply Company, General Waterworks Company in Harrisburg. She supervised all supply, pumping, and production operations including a 7.2 Million Gallon per day filter plant, a 2 MGD filter plant, a 1 MGD Zeolite Softening plant, a 1 MGD standby filter plant, three well systems, eight booster stations, and a 6.3 Million Gallon storage system of 10 standpipes and two reservoirs supplying three multi-municipal distribution systems serving 20,000 domestic, commercial, and industrial customers. She also participated in engineering studies, surveys, and designed statistical analyses, as well as supervised construction projects utilizing outside contractors.
She was Director of Water Quality for the City of Harrisburg, Public Works Department. She was responsible for quality control and regulatory compliance for the municipal wastewater treatment plant, and the water treatment plant and distribution system. These systems included a 30 MGD pure-oxygen activated sludge plant with on-site cryogenic oxygen generation, incorporating a residuals management facility with mechanical dewatering, drying and incineration capabilities. The water system included a 6 billion gallon impoundment reservoir and dam supplying 13 MGD. She directly supervised two laboratory operations that performed bacteriological, chemical and physical analyses of potable water, wastewater and industrial waste samples.
She has authored and presented numerous technical papers for various professional conferences, meetings, and workshops.
Serena is a Past President of the Water Works Operators Association of Pennsylvania and the recipient of the organization’s Harry J. Krum Award, the Ivan M. Glace Award, the Fred G. Eckardt Award, and the Elton D. Walker Award. She has also been recognized by PA-AWWA with the Special Recognition Award, the George Warren Fuller Award, and the Samuel S. Baxter Award.
SSM Welcomes Karl Leitner, PE
Spotts, Stevens and McCoy welcomes Karl Leitner, PE to the team as a Project Engineer in the Land Development Department.
Karl Leitner, PE | Project Engineer
Spotts, Stevens and McCoy, a family-owned and managed, regional engineering firm based in Reading PA welcomes Karl Leitner, PE to the team as a Project Engineer in the Land Development Department.
Mr. Leitner brings 10 years of experience in Land Development and Stormwater Management to the firm. His experience includes designing land development and stormwater plans and permits for projects ranging from 0.5 acres to 200 acres. At SSM, Karl will assume the title of Project Engineer, where his responsibilities include designing and permitting land development projects, providing third party reviews of plans on behalf of local municipalities, and provide design and other engineering services for local municipalities.
He is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Civil Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Pennsylvania.
About the Firm
Spotts, Stevens and McCoy, Inc. is a family-owned regional engineering, environmental and surveying firm headquartered in Reading PA with offices in Lancaster, West Chester and Lehigh Valley. We serve local and global clients from large, regional and national companies in the manufacturing, processing and high tech sectors to public municipalities and authorities. We engineer solutions for a better world by helping our clients plan, design, build, operate, and protect their infrastructure, assets, and resources. We keep our schools and community buildings safe from environmental hazards. We support our growing and expanding businesses and hospitals. We help municipalities to prepare and protect their infrastructure and resources. We keep water fresh and we keep air clean. We bring old buildings back to life with cutting-edge technology and leading-edge designs. We evaluate; we collaborate; we innovate.
Berks County Water and Sewer Association Annual Conference
House Bill 527 - Amends Title 53 providing for public notice and public meeting requirements.
Clean Streams Law - Spill Reporting
Delaware River Basin Compact
Water and Wastewater Asset Management Plans
New or Revised Federal Drinking Water Regulations
Maximum Contaminant Level for PFAS
Technical Guidance - Notification Requirements for Spills, Discharges and Other Incidents that Threaten to cause Pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth
Legislative and Regulatory Update
presented by Serena DiMagno - serena.dimagno@ssmgroup.com
Discussion Topics
House Bill 527 - Amends Title 53 providing for public notice and public meeting requirements.
Clean Streams Law - Spill Reporting
Delaware River Basin Compact
Water and Wastewater Asset Management Plans
New or Revised Federal Drinking Water Regulations
Maximum Contaminant Level for PFAS
Technical Guidance - Notification Requirements for Spills, Discharges and Other Incidents that Threaten to cause Pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth
Chemical Safety in Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities
presented by Dan Standish - dan.standish@ssmgroup.com
Discussion Topics
Common Chemical Use in Treatment Facilities
Preparation and Use of Safety Protocols
Regulatory Requirements Review
Safety Planning and Hazard Communication
Operations with Chemicals: In the Laboratory, Bulk Storage Operations, and Chemical Feed Systems
Cathlene Farnelli earns Professional Engineers License
Cathlene Farnelli, PE has earned her Professional Engineers license in Pennsylvania
CATHLENE FARNELLI, PE | Structural Engineer
Cathlene Farnelli, PE has earned her Professional Engineers license in Pennsylvania.
Farnelli is a Structural Engineer in the Facilities Engineering department at Spotts, Stevens and McCoy. She is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Architectural Engineering and MS in Civil Engineering. Her experience includes analysis and design of steel, concrete and masonry structures. Projects include industrial and commercial facilities, municipal facilities and multi-tenant housing structures.
Ryan Leid Earns Certification as Drone Pilot
Ryan Leid, Survey Technician has received his certification as a FAA Certified Remote Pilot.
Ryan Leid, Survey Technician
Ryan Leid, Survey Technician has received his certification as a FAA Certified Remote Pilot. Leid is one of three certified pilots at SSM. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a BS in Geoenvironmental Studies.
We are using drone technology, HDS and BIM on our projects to enhance our collaborative relationships with outstanding results. We can measure things that couldn't be measured before, capture images of existing conditions for future reference, bring information to your fingertips as well as create reference points for future site considerations. Drones are a powerful solution for monitoring construction, documenting infrastructure on expansive sites, and capturing hard-to-reach details.
Construction Monitoring
Volumetric Computations
System Layout
Hot Spots/Heat Loss Detection
Litigation Support
Aerial Site / Rooftop Evaluation
PennTec 2022
SSM Presentations
Implementing Emergency Response Programs
Optimize Asset Management with GIS
Utility Management and Operations for the Future
PennTec 2022 - PWEA Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition
June 5-8 | Penn Stater Conference Center
Utilities Management and Operations for the Future
Presented by: Darryl Jenkins, PE
Overview
In the next 10 years, there may not be enough operators to properly monitor and control every public water/wastewater treatment system adequately
Interest is low because public understanding of the job is poor
Local wastewater and drinking water facilities are feeling the stress of their eroding workforces
Officials should recognize the need to entice a younger generation to fill the need
There will also be fewer experienced professional engineers and technicians to design and maintain treatment and collection system facilities
Implementing Emergency Response Plans
Presented by: Carolyn Rodino, PMP and Sydney Jernigan, EIT
Why is an ERP important?
In an emergency situation, people aren’t thinking clearly!
Need specific procedures to ensure that response doesn’t cause further harm.
Should be reviewed and updated on annual basis at minimum.
Training and practice for routine situations and “what if” situations.
Utilize GIS workflows for asset management, including maintenance and inspections. Featuring a Township’s case study for outfall inspection process using GIS tools.
GIS Workflow for MS4 – making data accessible to operations staff.
Collaborative data exchange – connecting those who know with those who manage.
Mobile database population – capturing institutional knowledge and performing inspections and tracking maintenance.
Features a Township case study for outfall inspection processing using GIS tools.
If filling the pool is a daily routine, or an area of lawn next to the pool is unusually green when there’s been no rain, it may be time to check your pool for leaks.