It is estimated each Florida Water Utility will spend $1 per customer per year mailing each customer their annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). Drinking Water Utilities now have the opportunity to save significantly related to delivery of their required annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). Recent changes allowed by EPA and initiated by Congress through the action and leadership of Florida Congressman Bill Young and many of the Florida Congressional delegation allow electronic delivery of the Water Quality Reports to customers. The Florida Rural Water Association, many water systems in Florida like JEA, and other water utility associations like the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association have been promoting and pushing this effort for a couple of years.

The likely and most popular way for water utilities to comply with the new EPA rules and deliver these reports in the future will be to place a statement and a direct URL link on each water bill letting customers know where they can view, review and print a copy of their CCR report from.

You must also place an opt out check box on the bill where the customer can check, return and request a mailed copy from the water utility. In other words, where they can opt out of electronic delivery and opt back into mailed delivery. Customers must receive the bill with this information before July 1, 2013 and the statement must remain on the bill for at least three months. For a sample of the statement that should be included on the utility bill, click here.

It is our suggestion you place your CCR on your own website and put the direct URL link from your website on the customer bill. If you don’t currently have a website now would be a great time to develop one for this CCR posting, other promotional/public relation and communication benefits. If you would like to start your own website you may contact RuralWaterImpact.com and they will assist you with developing a website for a $150.00 setup fee and $30.00 per month afterwards. If you don’t have or want a website the Florida Rural Water Association can host your CCR for a nominal fee each year. This service is available to all Active, Parent, and Sub members of FRWA. Your URL will be http://www.frwa.net/2012-Your PWSID Number.pdf www.frwa.net/2012-0000000.pdf).  The fee is based on the size of your utility. Please refer to the pricing guidelines in the table below:

We will not be able to post your URL unless you have received prior approval of your CCR from DEP or DOH (your approved county health department). You are asked to submit your CCR for approval by May 15 to allow for review time. For more information and a registration form, click here.  Payment must be received by FRWA prior to posting your CCR URL to the FRWA website.  Send a hard copy or email (to Becky@frwa.net) of your CCR along with your DEP approval, a completed application, and a company check as payment to: FRWA, 2970 Wellington Circle, Tallahassee FL 32309. You may email your completed application with credit card information, your CCR, and DEP approval to Becky@frwa.net.  You may pay online by clicking on FRWA Electronic Payment at http://www.frwa.net. Select your payment option as “Other”. When filling in the “For” field, please put CCR and the your PWSID number (CCR0000000). You will receive a confirmation email on your payment from VitalChek confirming your payment. (If you do not receive, check your junk mail) Please forward that email, your completed CCR, your DEP approval and your completed application to Becky@frwa.net. Paying in this matter could have your CCR posted within 24 hours of email receipt. Personal Checks and POs will not be accepted. For more information please click here for some Frequently Asked Questions of contact Becky at 850.668.2746.

Congressman Bill Young from Florida was the Bill sponsor and genesis of the effort.  His contact information is as follows:

Congressman Bill Young

United States House of Representatives

2407 Rayburn HOB

Washington DC 20515

Phone:       202.225.5961

Fax:            202.225.9764

Website:    www.house.gov/young

You may email the Congressman’s staff person who led this effort, Victoria.Warmouth@mail.house.gov.

Please forward a thank you to him with your projected savings and support for his effort.

Further in the end, EPA agreed with the electronic delivery option and adopted the alternative to the mailing delivery process.  It is appreciated that EPA embraced, adopted and allowed this regulatory reform, savings to water systems.  The gentleman at EPA that agreed to and adopted this, under great pressure by environmental groups is Peter Grevatt.  Please send Peter a thank you also for this and considering issues/reforms important to water utilities and cost savings.

Peter’s contact information is:

Peter C. Grevatt, Director

Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW)

Environmental Protection Agency Ariel Rios Building

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington DC 20460