NTEC Water

The USDA RUS NTEC Water program after a year away from field activity began providing technical assistance and training to tribal public drinking water systems on October 1, 2007.

To work effectively and efficiently, NTEC has divided its water program service area into four major regions as follows:

1. Alaska
2. Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota
3. California, Nevada and Utah
4. Wisconsin and New Mexico

NTEC will also provide services to Navajo chapters, coordinating this work with Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency from the New Mexico, California/Nevada and Utah regions.

The water program is divided into technical assistance and training components. Technical assistance consists of working with operators and utility managers of Public Drinking Water Systems to assess the training needs of the tribal drinking water system. NTEC works with the tribe to develop technical assistance that both the tribe and NTEC agree will be worked on together during the grant year. .

NTEC training activity consists of working with Tribal Public Drinking Water Systems to assess their training needs and then NTEC develops training in accordance with those needs. After consultation with the tribal system, NTEC develops, prepares curriculum and delivers intensive training on-site or in proximity to the tribal community that support the tribe, in its efforts to provide for safe, clean and affordable water, meeting the drinking water standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The NTEC water program provides tribes in Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, and the Navajo Nation with services that provide for the health and welfare of their communities and helps them meet the provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act that governs them.

For more information on the NTEC water program and on when a circuit rider will be in your community please call, Ron Thomson, NTEC Water Program Director at 916.208.0070 or visit the NTEC website at www.ntec.org where calendars and information is posted on the water program.

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Water Program Webinars

The NTEC water program is using the internet to bring training information to Indian Country. NTEC is planning a training called “Check-up Programs for Small Systems” or “CUPPS “beginning Feb. 25th, and on the following dates: March 4th, March 11th and March 18th.

This training can be easily accessed via the internet. This internet-provided asset-based training will help water and waste water utilities to:

• Support budget talks with solid facts.
• Boost Utility efficiency.
• Save staff time.
• Prepare an asset management plan in five steps
• Keep utility customers happy by ensuring continual service at competitive prices.

More internet-based training will be offered in the coming months. A 4 week course called, “Small Wastewater System O&M Volume I” is now in the planning stage. The course book for this course will come from the office of Water Program. The course – worth 9 Continuing Education Credits (CEU) – will be taught by university-qualified NTEC field instructors and successful completion of the course will enable participants to obtain CEUs for certification, or recertification depending on where they live. This course will be followed by others and will be ongoing year-round.

Online training provides the following benefits and advantages over traditional site-based coursework:

• Eliminates Travel and Transportation
• Cost Effective
• Eliminates expenses associated with overnight travel (i.e. fuel, hotel, meals, etc…)

For more information on how to access this training designed to be taken from your computer via the internet, call Ron Thomson at 916.208.0070 or e-mail him at ron_thomson@hotmail.com