The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (Commission) is continuing its Public Water Supply Assistance Program (PWSAP) by offering a Webinar Series for operators, managers, board members and trustees of public water systems, consultants, project sponsors, and partner state governmental agency staff to provide guidance on the Commission’s groundwater project renewal process. The Commission recognizes the challenges facing public water supply systems and project sponsors in general to keep abreast of current regulatory requirements. This series of three webinars, in combination, is designed to provide a greater understanding of the Commission’s renewal process to all project sponsors and their consultants with targeted information in compact presentations. Each webinar is a separate topic that builds off the previous webinar, but can be attended on its own. Webinar attendees will learn from and interact with Commission staff members that review and recommend approval of aquifer testing plans (ATP), ATP waivers, and groundwater withdrawal applications.
Interested parties will have the opportunity to register for Parts 1, 2, and 3 individually, in combination, or the entire Webinar Series during the open/early registration period.
Thursday, January 28th, 2021 (1 -2 pm)
Anyone with an upcoming renewal should attend this webinar, which is the first of a series of webinars intended to assist project sponsors with the Commission’s renewal process. This webinar will discuss the two-step process for submitting a groundwater renewal application. For most projects, submitting a renewal application is a two-step process involving submission of a Commission approved aquifer testing plan (plan) or aquifer testing waiver (waiver), followed by a groundwater withdrawal application. However, not all projects will either be required to or be able to meet the typical and preferred process. This webinar will cover requirements of the entire renewal process, from start to finish, by discussing project renewal deadlines, projects with or without Commission approved plans, and renewal applications.
Thursday, February 25th, 2021 (1-2 pm)
The second webinar of the series will describe what operational monitoring and operational testing are, the key differences between them, and why one or both may be appropriate for a project. The Commission encourages projects to collect and maintain operational monitoring data that provides information about the performance of a project’s groundwater source and supports groundwater withdrawal renewal applications. Hydrogeological data collected through operational monitoring over a project’s approval term is important for evaluating sustainability and assessing potential impacts of the withdrawal. Operational monitoring, combined, as needed, with operational testing, may provide all of the data needed for a renewal. This webinar will cover the importance of identifying and addressing data gaps, operational monitoring versus operational testing, and the Commission’s role in providing guidance to monitoring, testing and data gaps.
Thursday, March 25th, 2021 (1-2 pm)
The third webinar of the series provides projects with a better understanding of how routine water level monitoring data is collected, reported, and reviewed, and the benefits of water level monitoring for a project. Routine water level collection and evaluation benefits a project during normal operations and the renewal process. This webinar will describe the Commission’s regulations regarding water level monitoring, how a project can benefit by routinely collected and evaluating water level data, and introduce an incentive program for projects to collect water level data.
New Grant Program! The Commission will provide information about the upcoming launch of a new grant program to assist all eligible projects with purchasing, installing, or maintaining groundwater level monitoring equipment!
Each webinar is being offered at no charge to participants and is limited to the first 100 participants who complete registration.
For more information regarding this PWSAP Webinar Series, please contact Dave Haklar at (717) 238-0423 ext. 1108, Mike Appleby, P.G. at (717) 238-0423 ext. 1208, or PWSAP@srbc.net. For additional information or to register for the workshop, please visit the links at the top of this page.