Class Descriptions & Speakers

AGENDA
with Class Descriptions
and Speaker Biographies


7:30am - 8:00am - Registration & Refreshements

7:30am - 12:00pm - Trade Show

8:00am - 9:00am - Concurrent Session #1
Leak Detection & Unaccounted for Water
(1.0 TCH for W & WW Operators)
This class will cover the basic fundamentals of how we perform leak detection surveys and pinpointing water leaks in your system. We will discuss why we do leak detection and the average statistics of water leaks. We will then discuss methods of performing leak surveys and leak pinpointing. We also will cover the different types of equipment used for leak detection, and we will lastly discuss analyzing leak survey data and alternative leak detection methods.

Instructor: Eric Denslow, Eastcom Associates
Mr. Denslow has been with Eastcom Associates for over 14 years and is responsible for the training and locator sales throughout New England. Eric has taught many classes for multiple Rural Water Associations, Water Works Associations, and also to the gas industry. Prior to joining Eastcom Associates, Eric was a Water Circuit Rider with New Jersey Rural Water Association for two year, and also spent four years at the Ocean TWP MUA in Ocean County, NJ.

LCRR, PFAS MCL, & Cybersecurity Updates
(1.0 TCH for W Operators)
Join us as the MassDEP will discuss the latest updates regarding the LCRR, PFAS MCL, and Cybersecurity. Make sure to bring your questions!

Instructors: Michael Celona, MassDEP
Mr. Celona is an Environmental Analyst within the Drinking Water Program. His areas of focus include lead in school drinking water, supporting small public water systems, and water operator education and outreach.

9:00am - 9:30am - B R E A K

9:30am - 10:30am - Concurrent Session #2
Low Haning Fruit: Making Cybersecurity Easy
(1.0 TCH for W & WW Operators)
Cybersecurity is the result of technologies, processes, and practices that protect cyber assets from unauthorized access, attack, and/or damage. Join us as we discuss and explore cybersecurity for the water and wastewater sectors with emphasis on the low hanging fruit that anyone, regardless of technical expertise, can implement to improve their security and resilience.

Instructor: Tom Bahun, II, Tom's Water Solutions
Mr. Bahun is a Certified Instructional Trainer (CIT), with over 30 years of experience and expertise in developing, designing, and delivering water and wastewater safety, emergency response, and operator certification training. He is well known for his fun and energetic training classes, drawing upon what his students already know. Tom's focus is to lead his students through socially supported interactions to enhance learning and construct new understandings. In addition to Tom's vast training experience and abilities, he has a long history of helping water and wastewater system with his technical and managerial knowledge. Tom is also a water system operator overseeing drinking water treatment and distribution at Maine's largest utility. He holds a State of Maine Class IV Water Treatment and Distribution Operator licenses, and a Grade 5 Wastewater Treatment Operator license.

MassDEP & US EPA Regulartory Roundtable Discussion
(1.0 TCH for W Operators)
Michael & Michelle will be available to discuss regulatory updates & priorities for 2024/2025.

Instructors: Michael Celona, MassDEP
Mr. Celona is an Environmental Analyst within the Drinking Water Program. His areas of focus include lead in school drinking water, supporting small public water systems, and water operator education and outreach.

Instructor: Michelle Jenks, US EPA
Ms. Jenks is an Environmental Engineer in the Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance Branch with the US EPA Region 1 Office from Boston, MA.

10:30am - 11:00am - B R E A K

11:00am - 12:00pm - Concurrent Session #3
So, You Think You Know Water Distribution & Wastewater Collection Systems?
(1.0 TCH for W & WW Operators)
Water distribution systems are designed and operated to supply sufficient volumes of water at adequate pressure, as well as to maintain the quality of potable water provided by the water treatment plant. The primary purpose of wastewater collection systems is to transport used water to treatment facilities where the water is treated and recycled and/or safely discharged to the environment. Join Tom, as your presenter and "skilled" game show host, in a fun and interactive presentation that will allow participants to show-off their knowledge of water distribution systems and wastewater collection systems. Game Show Categories: System Types & Operations, Valves, Pumps, Hydraulics, Safety, and Collection & Distribution Systems Potpourri

Instructor: Tom Bahun, II, Tom's Water Solutions
Mr. Bahun is a Certified Instructional Trainer (CIT), with over 30 years of experience and expertise in developing, designing, and delivering water and wastewater safety, emergency response, and operator certification training. He is well known for his fun and energetic training classes, drawing upon what his students already know. Tom's focus is to lead his students through socially supported interactions to enhance learning and construct new understandings. In addition to Tom's vast training experience and abilities, he has a long history of helping water and wastewater system with his technical and managerial knowledge. Tom is also a water system operator overseeing drinking water treatment and distribution at Maine's largest utility. He holds a State of Maine Class IV Water Treatment and Distribution Operator licenses, and a Grade 5 Wastewater Treatment Operator license.

Funding Options: MassDEP & USDA RD
(1.0 TCH for W & WW Operators)
MassDEP and the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust will provide an overview of the State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan applicaiton process and the benefits of financing water infrastructure projects through the SRF programs. Topics will include, but are not limited to, project eligibility, the added subsidies available for disadvantaged communities, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law supplemental funding for the SRF program. The USDA RD will also present on their programs as well.

Instructor: Gregory Devine, PE, MassDEP
Mr. Devinehas worked in teh municipal water and wastewater infrastructure industry for 20 years; with nearly equal tie in the private sector as an engineering consultant and in goverment as an environmental engineer with MassDEP. As a design engineer, Mr. Devine engaged in a variety of planning, design, and scontruction projects for municipal lclients across New England. In his time with MassDEP, Gregory has served as project engineer within the State Revolving Fund program, including his current role as Section Chief, responsible for oversight of all SRF financed projects in the Western Region and the Northeast Region. He also manages the State's Community Septic Management Program and supports other Agency grant and loan programs. Greg earned a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from Tufts University and a Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering from UMass Amherst. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Massachusetts and is also a licensed Soils Evaluator in the Commonwealth.

Instructor: Mikayla Rios - USDA RD

12:00pm - 1:00pm - L U N C H B R E A K
BBQ Lunch | Annual Meeting | Drinking Water Taste Test

1:00pm - 3:00pm - Sesion #4
Means & Methods of Direct & Saddle Tapping on Ductile Iron & PVC Water Mains, with Demo
(2.0 TCH for W Operators)
This session will begin with some classroom time, showing different types of equipment used for tapping machines. We will review tapping materials used for Saddles and the brass valves used for the service connections. Then we will go outside and do some actual live taps on pressurized pipes.

Instructor: Jeremy Golec, EJ Prescott
Mr. Golec has been with EJ Prescott for more than 20 years. That time has been spent with a combination of Sales and field experience.

Instructor: Justin VanCott, EJ Prescott
Mr. VanCott has been with EJ Prescott for just over a year. Prior to joining EJP's team, Justin spent 5 years with teh Westford Water Department, and spent 7 years witht the Littleton Electric Light and Water Departments.

Water Meters, Calibration, & Meter Testing, with Demo
(2.0 TCH for W & WW Operators)
In this class, we will cover the latest updates with water meter offerings and meter reading systems. We will then discuss trends that are starting to be introduced in AMR/AMI systems that provide more than just a meter read - i.e., presssure monitoring, leak detection, water quality monitoring, etc. Lastly, we will cover the importance of meter calibration and source meter testing and go through the process, techniques, and situations.

Instructor: Ian Kasowitz, Stiles Company
Mr. Kasowitz is the Vice President at Stiles Co., and has been with the company for over 12 years as a territory manager and AMR/AMI specialist. He is passionate about knowing all of the ins and outs of the metering industry and travels to the American Water Works Association ACE conference annually. he is an active member of several water works associations throughout New England and passionate aobut educating people on all things meters.

Instructor: Eric Kasowitz, Stiles Company
Mr. Kasowitz is the Director of Regan Supply and Testing at Stiles Co. He has been testing water meters with Regan Supply Testing for over three years and is the main technician on the Regan team. He was trained under Joe Sullivan, who previously ran Regan Supply and Testing for over 30 years. Eric is passionate about the water industry and alwasy excited to talk about meter accuracy.



ATTENDEE BROCHURE

ATTENDEE ONLINE REGISTRATION

DRINKING WATER TASTE TEST REGISTRATION FORM