| |
Texas Water Utilities Association School
The fifth annual Texas Water Utilities Association School was held here this week, with 65 participants from 33 communities and entities involved. The courses offered included Basic Water, taught by Russell Hamilton, Executive Director of the TWUA, and Groundwater Production, taught by David Moore who is the Training Coordinator for the state organization. Other instructors included Tim Crosswhite, Jack Brinkley, Charles Walton and Steve Hodge.
Crosswhite taught Basic Wastewater and Brinkley taught Water Utilities Management. Walton taught Water Utilities Safety and Hodge taught Water Utilities Calculation. Each course lasted twenty hours.
The Texas Water Utilities Association was established in 1918 specializing in educational training for utilities professionals. It is based out of Austin with a membership of 8,600 individuals, with a staff of six full-time employees. T.W.U.A.'s mission is to aggressively educate utility workers through quality training, and to provide resources to the members.
The courses are designed to help utility employees achieve the licenses and training required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. In order to make training and licensing available to as many utility employees as possible, the Association makes classes available through regional offices. This is the fifth year the school has been offered in Fort Stockton. Attendees came from Seagraves, Big Lake, Hobbs, New Mexico, El Paso County, Big Bend National Park and McDonald Observatory.
Sixteen vendors also attended, showing their wares, and tempting the attendees. Special valves, trucks with pumping capabilities, trailers with smaller capacities, everything to help a utility manager do his or her job were on display.
Chairman for this school was Tom Ezell, Midland. He explained, "Once you achieve a license in any area of utilities, you become accountable and liable. That fact keeps some people from wanting to get into the utility management field."
Eight people from five entities in Pecos County attended the week-long school.
The city of Fort Stockton sent Juan Bernal, Ysabel Duarte, Anthony Gamez, and Gerry Mondragon. The city of Iraan sent Dana Beck. The Pecos County Water Conservation and Improvement District sent Jacob Lentz. Roy Martinez. Coyanosa, represented the Pecos County Fresh Water, while Robert Tims attended from Sheffield.
|
