NEWWA 2015 Annual Report

Dedicated to public

health and safe drinking

water through

education

25th Time is a CharmAWWA Section Education Award - page 6

Annual Report

2015Ideal crop marks

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To Our Members

On May 18, 1983, I joined the New England Water Works

Association. Little did I know (or realize) that 32 years later, I’d be the association’s president. My involvement over the years —from the committee level to NEWWA’s leadership — has allowed me to experience and see all the good that can come out of association membership.

It was a pleasure to be present at AWWA’s ACE15 this year in Anaheim, CA, when NEWWA

received two membership awards for highest percent increase and greatest net percentage growth during 2014. The fact that NEWWA’s membership continues to be strong at 2,658 is a testament to how valuable the association is to the water community across New England.

The association’s continued outreach and partnership efforts are also helping to expand the entire water profession’s reach. From helping to organize the first ever “Stormy Awards” via the New England Stormwater Collaborative, to continuing its “Value of Water” public outreach campaign, the water works profession is now coming out of the shadows and shedding its “silent servant” label.

I have certainly enjoyed my time as NEWWA’s president, and am excited to continue my involvement and see even more initiatives come to fruition. I encourage all to become involved, be a mentor, or bring a colleague to a future event. And thank you to all who give your time to ensure the association continues to be successful.

Sincerely,

Carol A. HarrisNEWWA President

The New England Water Works Association (NEWWA) is a not-for-profit member organization incorporated in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the leading authority on education, training opportunities, and public outreach to protect and improve drinking water and water utility operations. NEWWA continues to be an instrument of change to advance the knowledge, science, government awareness, public trust, and environmental stewardship of the water works profession.

As I enter my final year of service to the New England

Water Works Association (NEWWA), I can’t help but reflect on what an incredible 30 years the association has seen. I’ve had the honor of watching NEWWA grow from just a staff of two to 13, and with that, its membership grow to almost 3,000.

The association’s biggest charge has always been education, and for the past 29 years our program has grown exponentially, with almost 300 training courses offered each year across New England and the Northeast. NEWWA is now well known as one of the premier water works associations for high quality education, which is paramount in ensuring water professionals are highly trained and fully capable of performing their duties to protect public health.

One of the proudest achievements of the past fiscal year was NEWWA receiving the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Section Education Award for the 25th time. This “silver anniversary” award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of NEWWA’s education staff and committees. From full-time to adjunct faculty to volunteer instructors, they work tirelessly to ensure our students receive the highest quality education in accordance with standards set forth by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training.

Finally, with great progress must come great change, and NEWWA is now in the midst of locating its new leader as my career comes to an end. It has truly been an honor to lead such an amazing association and have cultivated so many amazing friendships. I thank you all for your support.

Sincerely,

Raymond J. Raposa, CAEExecutive Director

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Membership

As a membership organization, NEWWA’s members are its core. The association has a vibrant and active Membership Committee that is committed to recruitment and retention as well as developing enrichment

programs that can benefit all aspects of our diverse community. FY2015 was an outstanding year for NEWWA’s membership, with the association receiving two awards from AWWA for its efforts.

CLUB SEVEN & NICHOLAS S. HILL AWARDSAWWA’s ACE14, held in Boston in 2014, gave NEWWA a unique opportunity to truly showcase its value to the water works profession to a large group of people. The association’s heavy involvement with the execution of ACE14 allowed it to see significant growth in its membership over the last fiscal year. As a result, AWWA recognized NEWWA with two membership awards:

(l-r) AWWA President John Donahue presents the Club Seven Award for achieving the highest percentage increase in new members in 2014 to NEWWA President Carol Harris, (former) NEWWA Membership and Marketing Manager Iseult Morgan, and NEWWA Immediate Past President David Polcari.

(l-r) AWWA President John Donahue presents the Nicholas S. Hill, Jr., Membership Recruiting Award for achieving the greatest net percentage growth in membership during 2014 to NEWWA President Carol Harris, (former) NEWWA Membership and Marketing Manager Iseult Morgan, and NEWWA Immediate Past President David Polcari.

Membership SummaryMemberCategory Member Type FY2014

Ending 6/30/14FY2015

Ending 6/30/15

NEW

WA

, Inc

.

Individual Honorary 5 4Individual 336 298Life 28 24Retired 21 21Student 21 10Utility Representative 100 68

Organization Service Providers 33 31Utility 168 136NEWWA, Inc. Sub Total 712 598

NE

Sect

ion

AW

WA

Individual Honorary 9 8Individual 1,092 1,055Life 73 69Multi-Section 109 153Named Representative 203 183Operations/Administrative 272 220Retired 40 32Student 79 115

Organization Service Providers 53 43Utility 197 188NE Section AWWA Sub Total 2,127 2,066Membership Grand Total 2,839 2,658

NEWWA has 2,658 members

representing 21 states and 2 countries.

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Members from all generations can attest to the benefits of being able to be part of a group committed to such an important field. Key reasons, identified by our own membership, as to why they are involved include the ability to:

Network and share information with other professionals with similar interests/issues; Enhance the skills and education of staff; Develop careers for younger professionals; Heighten the intellectual capital of their organization; Remain current on industry hot topics/regulations/services/innovations, and; Establish a single voice for issues of common importance among states and the membership.

YOUNG PROFESSIONALSEach year the Young Professionals Committee organizes a Meet & Greet Breakfast

at NEWWA’s Spring Conference, which takes place at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. This event helps young professionals network with NEWWA’s leadership, ambassadors, and seasoned professionals as well as learn more about our programs, including mentoring. In 2015 the committee introduced a speed networking component to the event, allowing those attending to meet even more peers. As a result, the breakfast drew more than 100 attendees—a record attendance—all of who left with an expanded contact list and greater knowledge about the association and water works profession.

Membership

“I have developed so many meaningful connections through NEWWA that it is hard to pick just one, but certainly a significant one is the connection I developed with my current boss, Kathy Pedersen, the Executive Director for the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission. Kathy and I met through NEWWA while I was working in the consulting field… When I applied for a position with the commission, she was already familiar with the type of projects I worked on as a consultant, as well as my service to NEWWA. The interview was a lot less stressful than interviewing with a stranger—it was more like chatting with a friend. Fostering that relationship through NEWWA turned out to be pivotal for my career in the drinking water field.”

– Tom LeCourt, Director of Drinking Water OperationsSpringfield Water and Sewer Commission

Mem

bers

hip

Reac

h

ME

VT NH

MA

CT

RI

3.1%

8.2%12.1%

21.9%

36.0%

18.7%

Age 17-24 Age 25-34 Age 35-44 Age 45-54 Age 55-64 Age 65+

Membership by Age Range

StateCT 4.3%

MA 67.4%

ME 7.6%

NH 10.1%

RI 6.7%

VT 3.9%

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Events and Meetings

NEWWA’s major events and meetings are the number one way its members and other water works professionals can come together to meet face to face and network. The association’s Program Committee plays the key

role in organizing the association’s major conference and monthly meeting sessions, and other committees, including Filtration, Laboratory Operations, Water Resources, Conservation, Sustainability, and Groundwater all work on specialty symposia.

SPRING CONFERENCEThe association’s largest event, the Spring Joint Regional Conference and Exhibition, took place from April 1-2, 2015, at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. This popular conference attracts vendors from across the U.S. and water works professionals from across the region. More than 180 exhibiting companies filled more than 230 booths in the exhibit hall this year and, for the first time in conference history, attendance broke the 3,000 mark with 3,210 attendees. In addition, NEWWA launched its first event app for smartphones that provided all conference details in the palm of attendees’ hands.

ANNUAL CONFERENCENEWWA’s 133rd Annual Conference took place from September 21-24, 2014, at the

Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine, with 381 attendees. The Annual Conference—NEWWA’s more formal event—included the passing of the presidential gavel from David Polcari to Carol Harris; multiple technical sessions; award ceremonies; keynote speakers; and plenty of networking opportunities.

SYMPOSIA AND MONTHLY MEETINGSSpecialty symposia and monthly meetings allow for smaller groups of water works professionals to come together for programs specific to their interests. NEWWA holds three specialty symposia and three monthly meetings each year.

54 82

84

335

107

98

Symposia and Meeting Attendance

16th Annual Laboratory Symposium, October 7, 2014 - Holliston, MA

Water Resources & Sustainability Symposium, October 23, 2014 - Boxborough, MA

Joint NEWWA/RIWWA Monthly Membership Meeting, November 20, 2014 - Newport, RI

December Monthly Membership Meeting, December 18, 2014 - Randolph, MA

Joint NEWWA/NHWWA Monthly Membership Meeting, January 15, 2015 - Concord, NH

17th Annual Water Quality Symposium, May 13, 2015 - Milford, MA

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NEWWA’s training program is known nationwide as one of the strongest and most diverse out of any of the water works associations in the country. In FY2015, NEWWA held 280 courses, reaching 5,004 students across New

England and the Northeast.

25 YEARS OF ExCELLENCEFor the 25th time, NEWWA received AWWA’s Section Education Award, which recognizes AWWA sections for initiatives that educate water industry personnel, the public, students, or other groups about water and to disseminate guidelines that will enable other AWWA sections to conduct comparable educational activities.

This year’s award recognized the “Basic Training for Drinking Water Board Members” online learning program, developed by NEWWA to assist utilities in educating their board members, commissioners, and other volunteer and elected stakeholders about operating and sustaining a public water system. This unique, self-paced, distance-learning vehicle, split into three, 20-minute modules, is available free on NEWWA’s Web site to all who are interested. FY2015 marked the 25th time out of 27 entries that NEWWA received this award.

IMPROVED ExAM PERFORMANCETHROUGH PREPAREDNESSOn January 1, 2011, the Massachusetts Board of Certification of Drinking Water Supply Facilities (board) established training requirements for applicants taking Grade 2 or higher exams, which also stipulated that exams must be taken sequentially. These changes, according to Paul Niman, board chair, “were to insure that certified operators have sufficient knowledge to perform their duties and adequately protect public health.” In response, NEWWA developed and implemented three separate 36-hour courses designed to assist operators in obtaining the training needed to qualify to sit for exams. Each course was created in alignment with the Association of Boards of Certification (ABC) need-to-know job analysis criteria specific to the certification level, and all include hands-on sessions to further enhance the students’ learning experience. In April 2015, the board issued a report of passing rates from before and after the board implemented the requirements:

Passing rates for all the exams have seen significant increases since the new rules were established and NEWWA’s professional education staff designed the courses. This proven progress further ensures that the drinking water operators who are becoming licensed are highly trained and skilled professionals.

Training

(l-r) AWWA President John Donahue, NEWWA Director of Communications and Member Services Kirsten King, NEWWA President Carol Harris, NEWWA President-elect Craig Douglas, and NEWWA Deputy Director and Education Manager Ted Kenney accept the AWWA Section Education Award at AWWA’s Annual Conference & Exhibition (ACE15) in Anaheim, California, on June 9, 2015.

Grade of Exam 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2010 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2013 1/1/2014 – 12/31/2014VSS 86.5 96.5 92.3D1 58.1 62.0 62.8D2 42.6 49.7 69.4D3 32.8 44.7 62.9D4 25.0 34.3 47.4T1 56.8 66.5 70.3T2 35.5 43.1 61.6T3 33.1 50.2 74.1T4 18.2 26.8 45.7

Source: Massachusetts Board of Certification of Drinking Water Supply Facilities

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Training

NEWWA has been authorized as an Accredited Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). In obtaining this accreditation, NEWWA has demonstrated that it complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard which is recognized internationally as a standard of good practice. As a result of their Accredited Provider status, NEWWA is authorized to offer IACET CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET Standard.

What our students are saying ...

“Instructors are very knowledgeable with great teaching ability and are willing to work before and after class times to

help students.”

“Truly excellent course – one of the best I’ve had. The instructors were amazing. Extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter. Really enjoyed this and have learned a ton.”

“Enjoyed the class very much. Instructor kept class interesting and had my full attention. A+.”

— NEWWA Backflow Students

NEW COURSES FOR MASSACHUSETTS HOISTING LICENSES – 2A & 2B

Also in FY2015, NEWWA became an approved provider for coursework to meet the continuing education requirements of Class 2A and Class 2B Hoisting Licenses by the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety. These courses were developed for licensed excavator and backhoe/loader operators in response to new regulations issued by the commonwealth. NEWWA will now hold these courses in July, October, and May of each year, and is also planning to submit license renewal continuing education coursework in the near future for Class 1C licenses. The association’s training program continually monitors impending regulations to ensure its coursework meets licensing requirements essential to the operation of water utilities and municipalities.

NEW RULES FOR BACKFLOW TESTERSNEWWA’s backflow prevention and cross connection program is an integral part of the association’s training program, with more than 3,000 testers certified by the association across the U.S. In May 2015, NEWWA’s Board of Certification of Backflow Prevention and Cross Connection Control voted to require Certified Backflow Prevention Device Inspectors/Testers (inspectors/testers) to obtain 0.6 CEUs in the areas of backflow prevention and cross connection control, as well as pass a practical, performance-based recertification examination in order to recertify. This change was necessary to effectively assess performance-based competency of inspectors/testers, better align NEWWA’s Backflow Prevention Device Inspector/Tester Certification program with industry standards and practices, and help ensure effective drinking water and public health protection by NEWWA certified inspectors/testers. These changes will go into effect on January 1, 2017.

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Outreach

NEWWA conducts outreach to a variety of key publics throughout the year – including members, sponsors, volunteers, other associations, and the general public. NEWWA is continually looking for ways to meet its vision, which is to

inspire excellence in the drinking water profession, public confidence in tap water, and water resource stewardship.

NEW ENGLAND STORMY AWARDS Throughout the past fiscal year, NEWWA continued its partnership efforts with the New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA) and the New England Chapter – American Public Works Association (NE-APWA) on the New England Stormwater Collaborative, which brings together volunteers from all three associations who work to engage the stormwater community, provide a forum for information and education exchange, and advocate sound stormwater management practices across the region. In FY2015 the collaborative introduced the annual “Stormy Awards,” which recognized simple, imaginative, and inventive ways that New England communities are increasing staff capacity, funding, or political support for stormwater management programs.

GREATER ALIGNMENT WITH AWWANEWWA is a section of AWWA, which is based out of Denver, CO. NEWWA affiliated with AWWA in 1987, which gave association members the opportunity to utilize the benefits, services, and resources of both organizations. During FY2015 AWWA continued the initiative to better align with its sections, which included consistent branding. NEWWA embraced this new branding concept and adopted a new logo as well as style to begin the process. This change is now reflected in NEWWA’s publications, documents, outreach materials, signage, and social media, with plans to upgrade the Web site during FY2016.

THE VALUE OF WATERTo help promote public confidence in tap water, NEWWA’s Public Relations Committee continued its public outreach campaign utilizing materials with the “Value of Water” messaging. Through partnerships with utilities and other associations across the region, NEWWA was able to display transit ads in VT, NH, MA, and RI; broadcast radio PSAs in MA, NH, CT, and RI; issue news releases across the region; and implement a social media campaign all during May 2015, which overlaps with National Drinking Water Week.

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL ANDSTUDENT OUTREACHReaching out to the younger generation of water works professionals (and those who may be interested) has been a key goal for NEWWA over the past several years. The association’s Young Professionals Committee is extremely active with a large, diverse, and energetic membership that plans multiple networking and social events throughout the year. In addition, in May 2015 NEWWA’s board authorized the formation of a University Outreach Committee, which will assist the association in recruiting more talent into the profession.

The first “Stormy Award” winners were recognized during NEWWA’s Spring Conference, held at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, from April 1-2, 2015. For full details, visit newwa.org.

The NEWWA Young Professionals Committee held their 5th annual Red Sox event on June 24, 2015.

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NEW ExECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEARCH

Over the past year, NEWWA has been preparing for the impending retirement of its current Executive Director, Raymond Raposa, who anticipates leaving the association in April 2016.

To help ensure a smooth transition to a new leader, NEWWA's board of directors formed an Executive Director Search Committee in December 2014, with the charge to ensure the most qualified and competent new leader is chosen. The association also recognized the importance of the selection process being as transparent as possible for the membership. As a result, the committee built a page on NEWWA’s Web site to provide updates on the search process, and answer questions that arise. In addition, NEWWA has provided updates via social media and its e-newsletter. Since the committee's formation, they've developed a schedule for the entire search process, and hired a consultant, Spano Pratt Executive Search. The position profile was completed in the spring of 2015 and Spano Pratt will be reviewing and confidentially meeting with viable candidates from June-August 2015 and until the position is filled. The committee’s goal is to bring a final candidate to the board of directors at the December 2015 board meeting, with onboarding/transitioning taking place in March/April 2016.

STAFF CHANGES AND REORGANIZATIONNEWWA also underwent some staffing changes during FY2015. In July 2014 we welcomed Katelyn Cahalane as the association’s new volunteer and member coordinator. In June 2015 the association said goodbye to Iseult Morgan, former membership and marketing manager. As a result, a staff reorganization took place, which resulted in Kirsten King being appointed director of communications and member services. She will oversee the association’s communications group consisting of Katelyn Cahalane, who is now the events and marketing specialist, Jacqui Campana, who is now the executive support and publications coordinator, and Mary Quigley, who joined us on July 14, 2015, as our membership and volunteer coordinator.

NEWWA is confident this reorganization will help our continuing efforts to streamline processes and enhance member service.

Succession Planning

NEWWA staff (l-r): Ted Kenney, Deputy Executive Director & Training Manager; Kirsten King, Director of Communications and Member Services; Melissa Boyd, Materials Preparation Assistant; Katelyn Cahalane, Events and Marketing Specialist; Jeanne Gilpin, Registrar; Jacqui Campana, Executive Support and Publications Coordinator; Paul Riendeau, Instructor/Coordinator; Claire O’Dell, Accounting Clerk; Nelson Cabral, Backflow Prevention & Cross Connection Control Program Coordinator; Mary Quigley, Membership and Volunteer Coordinator; Linda Smith, Office Manager; Pam Amalfi, Accounting Manager; and Ray Raposa, Executive Director.

Executive Director Search CommitteeDavid Polcari, Chair — CDM SmithCraig Douglas — Brunswick & Topsham Water DistrictCarol Harris — Woodard & CurranChris Hodgson — DN TanksDavid Kane - Portland Water DistrictKirsten King — NEWWAErica Lotz — Fay, Spofford, & ThorndikeMatthew Pearson — Grafton Water DistrictBernie Rousseau — Pennichuck WaterRaymond Raposa — NEWWA (ex officio, non-voting)

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NEWWA ended FY2015 with a net loss of $77,132. The loss was driven by the decrease in net training/contract grant revenues due to the elimination of states’ state revolving loan funding and harsh winter weather causing lower

training attendance. Other highlights of this year’s fiscal activities include:

Net conference revenue increased by 34% to $198,817 as attendance at both the Spring and Annual Conferences was higher than the previous year.

Membership net income remained relatively flat, with a small decrease of $8,500.

Fundraising revenue generated by the Sponsor Services Committee and corporate event sponsors remained strong with a total of $68,598 raised. The Water for People Committee raised $11,118 for Water for People projects.

Administrative expenses include all staff and central office costs not allocated to other programs. Those expenses were virtually the same as last year’s.

Investment dividend, interest, and principal returns of approximately 4% added $72,097 to net income.

STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIESFor the Year Ending June 30, 2015

Income and Expenses: Money we earned in the past 12 months offset by costs incurred.

Income ExpensesTraining $1,320,429 $1,245,145 $75,284 Conferences $552,115 $353,298 $198,817 Membership $214,412 $26,491 $187,921 Publications $98,711 $100,087 $(1,376)Fundraising $79,716 $47,560 $32,156 Meetings $70,850 $90,685 $(19,835)Other (Administrative) $5,807 $628,003 $(622,196)

Total Operating $2,342,040 $2,491,269 $(149,229)

Investment Income $72,097

Net Income (Increase in Net Assets) $(77,132)

Financials

$(800,000)

$(600,000)

$(400,000)

$(200,000)

$-

$200,000

$400,000

Training Conferences Membership Publication Fundraising Meetings Other Investment

Net Income - 2015 and 2014

2015 2014

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Financials

Cash and Investment $2,180,864

Property and Equipment $2,172,973

Other Assets $692,886

Total Assets $5,046,723

Building Loan $666,196

Other Liabilities $786,241Total Liabilities $1,452,437

Net Assets $3,594,286

Total Liabilities and Net Assets $5,046,723

$- $500,000

$1,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,000,000 $2,500,000 $3,000,000 $3,500,000 $4,000,000

Loan Other Net Assets

2015 2014

The selected financial data presented on pages 10 and 11 has been compiled from the association’s records. The association is a Massachusetts corporation classified as a public charity and has been recognized by the IRS as tax exempt under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as a non-profit educational, research, and philanthropic organization. The association’s complete financial statements are available from the Massachusetts Attorney General Division of Public Charities Web site (www.charities.ago.state.ma.us/charities/index.asp).

$-

$500,000

$1,000,000

$1,500,000

$2,000,000

$2,500,000

Cash Property Other

2015 2014

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITIONFor the Year Ending June 30, 2015

WHAT WE OWNAssets

WHAT WE OWELiabilities

Highlights:

Property/equipment increased due to second floor building renovation - completed at a cost of $187,000.

Cash/investment balance remains strong with a balance of $2,180,864. The balance is only $71,000 lower as the investment returns partially offset the building renovation costs.

Loan payment of $23,187 reduces outstanding balance to $666,196.

Net Assets – reserve balances as of year-end were strong:

Operating: $847,172 (33% of budget, target is 25%) Capital: $611,754 (minimum target balance of $500,000) Scholarship: $339,329

NEWWA’S VISIONOur vision is to inspire excellence in the drinking water profession, public confidence in tap water, and water resource stewardship.

NEWWA’S MISSIONOur mission is to promote public health, safety, quality of life, and environmental stewardship through education/training, advocacy, and outreach relating to safe drinking water and to advance the membership as noted in the AWWA Articles of Incorporation.

New England Water Works Association125 Hopping Brook RoadHolliston, Massachusetts 01746Phone: (508) 893-7979Fax: (508) 893-9898newwa.org

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