2024 Best Tasting Water in Indiana Competition
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April 2022 InfoLine

April 2022 InfoLine

April edition of the Alliance monthly membership newsletter! 

March 2022 InfoLine

March 2022 InfoLine

March edition of the Alliance monthly membership newsletter! 

January 2022 InfoLine

January 2022 InfoLine

January edition of the Alliance monthly membership newsletter! 

Ben Davis Conservancy District - WWTP Updates

Ben Davis Conservancy District - WWTP Updates

Letter from BDCD

For additional information, please visit: Ben Davis Conservancy District – Reliable and Affordable Sanitary Sewer Service (bdconservancy.com)

 

Citizens Energy Group issued a letter to freeholders throughout the Ben Davis Conservancy District. The district was established in 1958 with the Indiana Conservancy Act to provide sewer service to our community. However, the Conservancy only pipes sewage from properties to a treatment plant owned and operated by Citizens Energy Group.

Citizens Energy Group has raised its rates in recent years with a projected increase of 900% from 2017 to 2025. So when the Conservancy announced that it would build a treatment plant to save money, Citizens responded with a $10 million offer to acquire the Conservancy––amounting to a few thousand dollars per property owner.

The acquisition would cost residents more throughout the years, particularly elderly residents with fixed incomes and low-wage families, as Citizens Energy Group would recover its $10 million investment through rate increases for residents. This is not without evidence. For example, Citizens acquired the sewer system in Westfield as a for-profit company and attempted to raise rates by 25%.

Residents of the Ben Davis community are apprehensive about the offer. In a recent online survey, residents overwhelmingly supported construction 13 to 1. Further, MSD Wayne Township Schools and multiple organizations throughout the community have committed their support, including the Indiana Rural Water Alliance.

The Ben Davis Conservancy District advocates for a treatment plant, promising to control costs for residents. The proposed facility is a 4.0 MGD extended aeration treatment plant with an aerobic sludge digestion process.

Aerobic sludge digestion is a non-chemical process and uses oxygen for treatment. No noxious odors are produced as a result, such as methane or hydrogen sulfide. The plant will discharge into the Neeld Ditch with stringent effluent limits as determined by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).

Take Their Survey

They want to know what you think. Should the Ben Davis Conservancy District construct a treatment plant? Use this link to complete the survey: Survey – Ben Davis Conservancy District (bdconservancy.com)

2022 Leadership Summit Recap

2022 Leadership Summit Recap

Monroe County Convention Center - Bloomington, IN

This year's Leadership Summit was on July 27 & 28 in beautiful Bloomington, Indiana.

2022 Operator Expos Recap

2022 Operator Expos Recap

Southern - Huntingburg, IN / Northern - Akron, IN

Our Southern Expo was held on May 19, in Huntingburg, Indiana and our Northern Expo held on May 26, in Akron, Indiana. Both Expos were both big successes!  We had over 250 people in attendance at each!

Alliance Secures 4.1 Million Dollars for Communities to Train the Next Generation

The Alliance of Indiana Rural Water, a local non-profit organization supporting Indiana’s rural water industry, has secured a total of 4.1 million dollars in reimbursement grants from the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA) for rural communities across the state to utilize in order to gain more licensed water and wastewater operators.

2022 Spring Conference Recap

2022 Spring Conference Recap

French Lick Resort - French Lick, Indiana

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the Spring Conference at the beautiful French Lick Resort in March!

2022 Award Recipients

2022 Award Recipients

The best of the best in the water and wastewater industry were honored at our 2022 Spring Conference.  Each recipient was presented with their award prior to the conference, then recognized throughout the event on a slideshow displaying on the event center's tv monitors throughout the venue! 

2021 Best Tasting Water in Indiana Named!

Auburn Water Department’s Water Named Best Tasting Water in Indiana during State Finals Competition!

Officials at the Alliance of Indiana Rural Water have found the best-tasting water in Indiana.  On October 20th, 2021, Auburn Water Department was announced as the winner of a state-wide competition to identify the tastiest rural water in the state...

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2024 Best Tasting Water in Indiana Competition

Presented by Wessler Engineering

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Regional Taste Test Schedule

1st Test: March 14 - French Lick @ Spring Conference 

2nd Test: May 16 - Huntingburg @ Southern Operator Expo 

3rd Test: May 23 – Akron @ Northern Operator Expo 

4th Test: June 12 - Lebanon @ Training Session with USA BlueBook

 

Systems may choose to compete in any of the regional competitions. Event registration is not required to submit a water sample. Submissions MUST NOT have any major violations of bacteriological testing or chemical monitoring for two years prior to the Taste Test.  Submissions MUST NOT include water that is purchased from another system. Register water at least 48 hours prior to the water taste test. Winners from each region will advance to compete in the “Best Tasting Water in Indiana” at our annual Fall Conference in Fort Wayne, IN.
(Regional winners will receive one free Fall Conference registration.)

 

Overall Winner of the "Best Tasting Water in Indiana" Competition receives:

1. Trip for one representative of the winning utility to complete in the NRWA Great American Water Taste Test in Washington DC including:

  • Roundtrip Airfare
  • Hotel Accommodations
  • Event Registration
  • Logoed polo/shirt for the DC Rally

2. Sign in your town (pending city/town approval), stating “Best Tasting Water in Indiana” with the current year 

3. News Release to your community and a write-up in The Hoosier Pipeline, our bi-annual Membership Magazine

 

Register Your Water Now!

 

Official Contest Rules 

1. Upon arrival at the taste test site, register your one-gallon sample. Samples will be stored by Alliance staff until the taste test. A representative from the system MUST be present during the contest.

2. It is preferable that you submit the one-gallon container of water, labeled with your system name on the bottom, in a glass container.

3. Store your sample on ice, in a small, labeled cooler. No large coolers will be accepted, as space is limited. All coolers will need to be retrieved after the contest. 

4. Systems submitting samples must be members of the Alliance and meet IDEM approval by having no violations of bacteriological testing or chemical monitoring for two years prior to the Taste Test. 

5. A panel of judges will be selected to rate samples based on taste, odor, and clarity.

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