State and local officials across the Nation are faced with the challenges of effectively communicating information and overseeing training for small system owners and operators with a wide range of expertise, skills, and preferences for modes of communication. To ensure these systems are in compliance with regulations enforced by EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act, these officials need to stay up-to-date on treatment alternatives, regulations, health implications, and emerging contaminants. By providing information, training, and technical assistance, EPA is committed to helping state and local governments, as well as small system personnel, in their efforts to deliver high quality drinking water. This webinar provided an overview of EPA’s small-system’s research and outreach to communities. 

Presentation Slides: EPA Research Helps Small Systems Deliver High Quality Drinking Water

Presented by Thomas Speth, Ph.D., P.E. and Darren Lytle, Ph.D., P.E.

Dr. Tom Speth is an environmental engineer who has worked in the field of drinking water treatment research at the EPA for the past 27 years. His research focus includes wastewater treatment and urban stormwater and watershed management studies. Dr. Speth is currently a Trustee of the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Water Science and Research Division, and he has served as Trustee for AWWA’s Water Quality & Technology Division, an Associate Editor for the American Society of Civil Engineers' Journal of Environmental Engineering, and as a member of Journal AWWA’s Editorial Advisory Board. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, a M.S. in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

Dr. Darren Lytle is an Environmental Engineer who has worked in the field of drinking water treatment research at the EPA for the past 24 years. Dr. Lytle’s primary goal at EPA has been to research the quality of drinking water. Over the years, he has investigated and published works on drinking water systems, including work on distribution system corrosion control and water quality, filtration with an emphasis on removal of microbial pathogens from water, biological water treatment, and iron and arsenic removal. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Akron, an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois.