Coaches' Classroom: Asset Management

What is Asset Management - What’s in it for you? 

First off, you may be asking yourself, what exactly is an asset? Everything from your water source (maybe a reservoir or even a well) all the way to the valves, pipes, and storage tanks in your distribution system. Even your treatment chemicals, filters, and pumps. Don’t forget your operators, buildings, and office equipment. All of these are assets and they are essential to protecting public health and the environment. 

Asset management has many definitions but think of it as getting the most for your money. Through asset management, you will learn how to optimize the lifespan of your equipment and reduce water quality problems due to failing equipment. 

In fact, asset management is one important activity involved with developing adequate Technical, Managerial, and Financial (TMF) Capacity, and it is a best management practice that department inspectors are looking for during the sanitary survey process.

Asset Management Resources & Training Opportunities 

Every system has differences in equipment, environment, and financial capacity. Owners and operators must study and understand the specific assets that their system has. They must keep records and make plans in order to make sure their system is operating at its best now and in the future. Unsure how to pull together all of the critical information or where to get started? There are resources and people available to you. 

• The EPA provides numerous tools for both owners and operators to explain the benefits of asset management and ways to implement specific asset management practices for small systems. 
• The division’s Local Assistance Unit provides various free training opportunities, including Building Resilience in Your Water/Wastewater System, which covers asset management. Operators who participate can get up to 0.4 training units. 

If you still have questions after reviewing these tools and attending the free training, consider one-on-one assistance provided by the Local Assistance Unit. Click here to request a coaching visit (virtual or in-person options are available). 

We all have the same goal in mind - the protection of public health and the environment, and with some thoughtful planning and communication, we can help ensure this happens. 

➽ Jessica Morgan, Facility and Operator Outreach and Certification Board Liaison

Small Utility Boards, Operators, and the Public: Collaboration for Safe Drinking Water

In the Fall 2009 issue of Aqua Talk, the division ran an article on how collaboration amongst small utility boards, operators, and the public helps ensure communities are provided with clean, safe drinking water. We thought it would be a good time to revisit this information and highlight its importance. 

A water board’s primary responsibility is to provide consistently safe drinking water to its community. There are various elements the board must implement to ensure that happens. 

• The water board must retain a Certified Operator in Responsible Charge (ORC) that holds a certificate in a class equal to or higher than the class of the water system; 
• Foster a water system that is protective of its source water; 
• Employ treatment techniques appropriate to the quality of the raw water; 
• Prevent recontamination in storage takes and distribution lines; 
• Meet all regulatory monitoring and reporting requirements; 
• Provide consumers with water quality information; 
• Notify consumers of any health threats; and
• Obtain approval prior to the construction of new facilities.

Clear communication between the board, the ORC, and the state is a collaborative effort and is necessary to provide the community with clean, safe drinking water. Clear communication means establishing and maintaining well-defined duties and expectations, operation and maintenance manuals, standard operating procedures, well-organized records, and financial planning for future repairs, upgrades, and emergencies.  

A well-organized board of directors has established procedures for the recruitment, selection, and orientation of new members. The board should have a mission statement, bylaws, and personnel and procurement policies that are regularly updated. The board must protect its community by providing adequate liability insurance, financial procedures and oversight, and strategic planning. Boards should meet regularly, provide minutes of meetings, retain an organized file of copies of all system records, and continually monitor the performance of the water systems’ services and compliance records. 

Strategic planning is an approach that systematically shapes the future of a water system. It creates a framework for establishing goals, working towards those goals, and evaluating progress that can increase the water system’s efficiency and effectiveness. Strategic planning also helps ensure that the water system has the funds available to support ongoing repair and maintenance needs and to fund capital improvements, as necessary. The development of a strategic plan should be done in cooperation with the system’s operations staff, the board, and members of the community. Strategic plans are never “finished” and the board should make sure that it revisits its strategic plan at least annually.

A board should understand the basics of its water system’s facilities and equipment so it is able to make informed decisions and provide leadership that increases the system’s quality, efficiency, and sustainability. It is important to note that unless certified, board members should never attempt to operate the water system or make process control and/or system integrity decisions as those are reserved to the ORC. Only certified operators may perform operations, adjust the water system, or supervise the repair and replacement of system components. The board’s function is to ensure the water system has the required staff, equipment, guidance, and financial support. 

If you would like to receive water board training to help build your board's technical, managerial, and financial capacity please fill out a drinking water coach request form. 

Source: Water Board Basics for Small Water Systems in Colorado, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. 

➽ Jessica Morgan, Facility and Operator Outreach and Certification Board Liaison

Storage Tank Findings

In this article, we continue our discussion of the Top 10 most frequently cited significant deficiencies and violations to raise awareness and help operators identify and correct issues before they become a potential health threat or citations in a sanitary survey. Coming in at #1 in the Top 10, storage tank significant deficiencies (F310 and T310) were the most common findings cited during sanitary surveys for the 2022 inspection year. Storage tanks can be used for treatment to achieve log inactivation by providing contact time, or in the distribution system to help with water demand and pressure (tanks in distribution are subject to the Storage Tank Rule). The most commonly discovered significant deficiencies with tanks are related to access hatches and vents.

Access Hatches:

All water storage tanks must have at least one access opening to allow for routine inspections and, if applicable, inspections required under the Storage Tank Rule (Section 11.28 of Regulation 11). The access opening must be designed to protect the tank from contaminants such as: surface water infiltration, stormwater runoff, insects, rodents, and birds.

Access Hatches - Common Significant Deficiencies to check for and correct if found:

• Improper use of gasketing or lack of gasket on the hatch lid 
• Infiltration of water, debris or dirt from the hatch
• Degrading or corroding hatch lids with pathway(s) for contamination
• Hatches with unsealed penetrations (bolts missing, unsealed openings for level sensors, etc.)
• Hatches flush with the ground or surface of the tank that can allow water, dirt or debris to enter the tank.

It is important to note that access hatches located outdoors or exposed to the elements must be fitted with a solid, water and insect tight, gasketed cover. It is recommended that the hatch overlap the framed opening, extend down around the frame, be hinged on one side, and have a locking device.

Below is a photo of an unsealed access hatch followed by a set of photos of a newly installed gasket. The supplier created a water and insect tight seal, effectively resolving the significant deficiency.

 

Below is a photo of a flush mounted hatch, which allows for potential contamination due to the lack of an overlapping framed opening. Note the channel on the interior of the hatch that can allow for water accumulation that can seep into the tank. These hatches are vulnerable to extreme weather conditions and contain potential points of failure. 

For additional discussion about flush mounted hatches - see our September, 2022 article.

Flush mounted hatches often contain drains, which frequently clog with debris, dust, dirt and insects. During heavy weather events, these clogged drains can cause water to pass through the gasket and leak into the storage tank, as seen below. 

The hatches above and below allow for insect activity and debris buildup close to or on the gasket, creating a potential for contamination. In the photo below, there are substantial spider webs surrounding the gasketed area of the hatch. 

Vents: 

Vents must be designed to protect the tank from contaminants such as: surface water, stormwater runoff, insects, rodents, birds, etc. All openings must be protected by a non-corrodible screen. Screens may not have openings that exceed 0.07 inches (typically 12 or 16 mesh screen). The screen must be installed within the vent at a location least susceptible to vandalism. The screen must be accessible for replacement. Vents must be designed for unobstructed air flow into and out of the tank.

Common Significant Deficiency to check for and correct if found (the following air vent conditions are not allowed):

• Storage tanks with unscreened, open construction between the sidewall and the roof
• Air vents that are not screened or that have damaged or blocked screens
• Air vents with screens with openings that exceed 0.07 inches (typically 12 or 16 mesh screen)
• Outdoor tanks with air vents that do not open downward or are not fully covered to protect from rainwater

Please keep in mind, the use of steel wool and/or stuffing steel wool into vents is not accepted as a proper form of screening a vent.

Below are photos of an interior tank lid that is improperly vented. The venting for these commonly found tanks function as a labyrinth preventing potential contaminants; however, the vent does not contain a mesh screen with openings that do not exceed 0.07 inches. With the addition of the mesh screen, the supplier now meets the requirement. Please note that indoor tanks must be vented and must be located at or above the highest point of the tank.

Vents on outdoor tanks must open downward. Downturned vents can be candy cane, mushroom style, or where no portion of the vent screen is visible from a horizontal position (e.g. vent in the side of a hatch assembly with louver protecting the vent). Any vent cover must overlap so that no horizontal pathway exists. Candy cane or downturned vents are allowed to have a visible screen (i.e. not covered) below the bottom of the vent opening as long as no direct horizontal pathway exists between the vent opening and the tank. When a mushroom type vent is used, the minimum opening distance must be measured from the lowest point on the vent cap to allow for air flow to enter the screened area. Integral vents on tanks (e.g., threaded cap on a polyethylene tank access lid) that do not have downturned screening are not allowed outdoors.

For outdoor elevated tanks, the vent elevation from the top of the roof should be a minimum of 24-inches above the top of the roof to prevent snow from clogging vents. The photos below show air vents on an outdoor tank that are screened but not downturned or fully covered to protect contamination from rainwater. 

Please note there are resource online to assist water systems in the operation and maintenance of storage tanks:

• Section 11.28 (Storage Tank Rule) of Regulation 11 outlines the requirements for the proper operation of storage tanks.
• The Storage Tank Rule webpage provides templates and instructions for both periodic and comprehensive tank inspections. 
• Drinking Water Policy DW010 provides general definitions of basic drinking water terms, as well as common findings defined as sanitary defects. 
• Chapter 7 of the State of Colorado Design Criteria for Potable Water Systems contains specific requirements for the design, construction and amendments of water storage tanks.

The supplier is responsible for complying with  Section 11.28 (Storage Tank Rule) of Regulation 11. Please note that if an inspector identifies any of these issues during a sanitary survey and they have not been previously identified as sanitary defects with a written corrective action schedule, they will be cited as significant deficiencies. If sanitary defects were identified by the supplier during a Storage Tank Rule periodic or comprehensive inspection but are not under a corrective action schedule or were not fixed in accordance with a corrective action schedule, a violation of the Storage Tank Rule may be cited during the sanitary survey.  It is highly recommended that the supplier’s inspection documentation include pictures of the “before” and “after” corrections for each sanitary defect.

Prior to making any alterations to tank venting the department recommends that the supplier consult with an engineer or a professional with expertise in potable water storage tanks to ensure that the tank’s venting capability is not compromised. Alternatively, the supplier can check with the manufacturer of the storage tank to see if any limitations exist for the component in need of alteration or repair. 

➽ Connor Clarke, CWP, Field Services Section