Safety Vests for Sale
Vermont Rural Water has a limited number of safety vests for sale. We’ve found that during an emergency, water and wastewater personnel are taken more seriously when wearing a clean safety vest that identifies your role. So we’ve created these vests with our water drop logo on the front and “Drinking Water / Wastewater Emergency Response” printed on back.
The vests are made of polyester mesh and feature a front zipper, one exterior pocket, and two interior pockets. They come in four sizes: S/M, L/XL, 2XL/3XL, 4XL/5XL.
Vests cost $25 and are available for purchase on our website at https://vtruralwater.org/product/emergency-response-safety-vest/
Tony Torchia Award Nominations
Nominations are now open for the 2025 Tony Torchia Special Recognition Award. This award is given to one individual each year in recognition of special contribution to the water/wastewater field in Vermont. The recipient will be chosen by our board of directors and announced at our Annual Conference on May 15.
Submit your nomination by Wednesday, February 26 using this form.
See previous Tony Torchia Award recipients here.
EPA Region 1 Award Winners
Congratulations to Tristan MacGregor-Stewart, chief operator of the Plainfield Wastewater Treatment Facility, for receiving the 2024 Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator of the Year Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 Office!
Congratulations also to the Village of Orleans Wastewater Treatment Facility on receiving the 2024 Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Operation and Maintenance Excellence Award from the EPA Region 1 Office!
Free Autosamplers for Wastewater Surveillance
Since the Covid pandemic, wastewater surveillance has been used as a tool for monitoring infection trends. However, surveillance has skewed to larger, well-resourced utilities. To make wastewater surveillance accessible to smaller, rural communities, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) provides free automatic samplers to wastewater utilities.
Utilities that serve communities with 10,000 or fewer people or have an average daily wastewater flow of less than 1 million gallons per day (1 MGD) are eligible for one free autosampler and flow meter. There are a limited number of autosamplers available, so every applicant may not receive one. Utilities that receive an autosampler are NOT required to participate in wastewater surveillance programs.
The deadline to apply is February 21, 2025. Find more information and apply here.