Idaho Rural Water Association is excited to hold its 2024 Fall Conference at the Coeur d'Alene Casino and Resort in Worley, Idaho on September 25-26, 2024.

IRWA is grateful for the professionals who volunteer to teach at our conferences and ask for your participation once again. Since we have repeat conference attendance from our Operation Specialists, we are especially looking for NEW and UPDATED presentations.  Our Operation Specialists also like hands-on training opportunities. We ask that you teach the principle and not provide a commercial for a specific product (no sales presentations).

In order to qualify for continuing education units (CEUs) from the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses all training must be relevant to the job. Criteria used to determine if the subject matter offered in a training class is relevant and are based on the Associated Boards of Certification (ABC) "Needs to Know Criteria". Relevant training is instruction or education that:

• Is pertinent to or consistent with what an operator needs to understand to successfully perform a job in the drinking water or wastewater field and
• Includes instruction that familiarizes operators with public health issues and source water protection issues; and
• Is identifiable as only that information an operator "needs to know", which does not include information superfluous to the drinking water or wastewater aspect of the job

Among the subject matter eligible for professional growth training are:

• Operation and maintenance of water/wastewater treatment systems and associated equipment;
• Operation and maintenance of water/wastewater transport systems (distribution and collection) and associated equipment;
• Electrical systems;
• Hydraulics;
• Chemical treatment;
• Sampling/testing requirements, biological, chemical and radionuclide;
• Disinfection
• Water/wastewater public health issues;
• Mathematics  
• Drinking water source water protection
• Operator safety
• NEW REQUEST: Teach operators/public works officials to read engineering plans during the design process to avoid future problems with maintenance and safety.
• NEW REQUEST: Wastewater Laboratory classes.
• NEW REQUEST: Proper fitting and pipe storage.
• NEW REQUEST: Servicing transient systems.
• NEW REQUEST: Basics for new operators.

Because operators' length of service ranges from entry level to decades spent at the same licensed class, similarly classified individuals can have very different training needs. Training providers are encouraged to consider progressive levels of training for the various types and classes of operator licenses.

Please select SUBMIT NEW PRESENTATION to submit your information. Edit your abstracts and bios so they are ready for marketing purposes. The deadline is May 20, 2024. Presenters will be notified around June 1st if their presentation is selected. Idaho Rural Water Association does not compensate or reimburse for any of your salary, travel, lodging, or speaking expenses. If you have an approved course that you have taught for IRWA in the past couple of years, email me if you are interested in giving the presentation at the Fall Conference.

If you have any questions, please contact Tondee Clark, IRWA Training Coordinator at (208) 343-7001 or tclark@idahoruralwater.com.

Thank you for supporting IRWA with its training mission.