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Leading the Way in Support for the U.S. Water Sector
Cadmus was formed over 40 years ago by a group of technical professionals dedicated to helping the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state drinking water programs find solutions to the nation’s water quality challenges. Since then, Cadmus has become a premier firm supporting the water sector at every level. Cadmus is dedicated to solving complex problems across sectors by supporting source water protection initiatives, capacity development, operator certification programs and training, National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWRs) implementation, analysis of state workload needs, Drinking Water State Revolving Funds programs, site visits and inspections, sanitary surveys visits and training, and strategic planning, such as water system partnerships and resilience planning.
Over 20 Years Delivering High-Quality Drinking Water Support to EPA’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
Cadmus, a leading provider of technical and strategic expertise to governments, energy utilities, and private sector companies worldwide, was awarded a five-year, $162 million contract to continue its work in support of EPA’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) on Implementation of the Public Water Systems Supervision and Underground Injection Control Programs. This contract, a recompete of multiple contracts Cadmus has held for over 20 years, is one of the largest in the firm’s history. The award highlights the firm’s ongoing role as one of the leading contractors supporting EPA’s drinking water program. The work of this project will support EPA’s efforts to develop and implement Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulations and implementation activities. The SDWA mandates that the EPA’s Office of Water establish national drinking water standards for public water systems to ensure safe public drinking water. Under this contract, states and EPA (including EPA regions) can contract with Cadmus to create effective policies, plan for contingencies, gain health and safety insights, provide training, and perform compliance testing.
How can we help implement your Public Water System Supervision Program?
Prepare State Resource Needs Analysis and Reports
In 2019, Cadmus provided support to the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) on the development of an updated resource needs analysis. ASDWA had conducted state resource needs analyses in the past in partnership with EPA. Past analyses conducted in 1989, 1993, 1999, 2001, and 2011 have demonstrated that state drinking water programs are chronically underfunded. This new analysis included an expanded scope to go beyond the federal mandates and incorporate state specificity and emerging issues into an updated analysis to accurately reflect the resources states need to implement drinking water regulations and protect public health. This new analysis calculated the workload required at the national level. Cadmus has conducted six state-specific resource needs analyses since the publication of the national analysis. The workload analysis includes the following:
- All required primacy program functions listed in 40 CFR Part 142, including federal reporting requirements and SDWA-related programs such as operator training and certification.
- Capacity development.
- Determining compliance with current regulations.
- Permitting and plan review.
- Planning for new or revised regulations.
- Formal and informal enforcement activities, source water assessment, and protection programs.
- Emergency preparedness and response.
- Investigating and responding to emerging contaminants.
The analysis also includes a review of the state’s staff needs to support the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act) grants, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and/or the American Rescue Plan Act efforts. Finally, the analysis includes state-specific activities that the drinking water program may be responsible for in the future (e.g., PFAS). The analysis uses the state program’s current staffing and funding levels to create a baseline. The analysis then uses the existing model adjusted to the state’s information to project future needs, projecting the workload and funding needed for ten years. The final deliverables of this project are:
- A report that establishes a baseline for each core function to gauge future staffing needs versus current staffing and any identified barriers.
- An Excel file of outputs that includes projected full-time equivalents (FTEs) and costs.
- A slide deck that explains the results is delivered.
How can we help you identify your resource gaps and plan for the future?
Develop Source Water Protection Tools, Strategies, and Workshops
For over 20 years, Cadmus experts have supported EPA, federal partners, states, water utilities, and many more stakeholders with protecting drinking water at the source. Source water protection resides at the intersection of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, is a critical step in the multi-barrier approach to protecting drinking water, and source water protection activities can provide many co-benefits such as wildlife habitat restoration and improving water quality for recreational use. These are just a few of the ways Cadmus has been involved in protecting drinking water at the source:
- Plan and facilitate source water workshops. Working with national, state, and local partners, Cadmus staff have supported over 100 workshops and forums that educate, promote collaboration, and lead to action to implement source water protection strategies and actions more effectively.
- Work closely with EPA, state agencies, and local partners to develop strategic plans for Source Water Collaboratives. Two examples of this work are the Safe Water Conservation Collaborative in West Virginia and the Octoraro Source Water Collaborative in Pennsylvania. Cadmus worked with these groups to develop mission, vision, and value statements that align with their organizational principles and build on their previous successes. The outcomes of the projects are new goals that support long-term operations and growth and published aspirational strategic plans while being realistic and providing long-term guidance with short-term actions.
- Collaborate with water systems to draft source water protection plans. One example of this work is the support Cadmus experts provided to the Charleston Water System (CWS) in South Carolina to develop a Source Water Protection Program for their primary water supply, Bushy Park Reservoir. We worked closely with CWS to draft a source water protection plan for the Bushy Park Reservoir watershed using the American Water Works Association (AWWA) G300 Source Water Protection standard. The support Cadmus provided included a draft source water protection plan program vision; characterization of the watershed and potential sources of contamination; source water protection goals; a source water protection action plan; and a procedure for periodically evaluating and revising the plan.
- Develop tools to support source water protection programs. Two examples are working with EPA to develop, launch, and update the Funding Integration Tool for Source Water (FITS) and working with ASDWA to develop the ASDWA PFAS – Source Water Protection Guide and Toolkit. FITS helps states, water systems, practitioners, and other partners understand which federal funding sources support activities that protect sources of drinking water. It includes 14 federal funding sources across agencies, provides tips on leveraging funds, and includes real-world examples. The ASDWA PFAS – Source Water Protection Guide and Toolkit consists of a Technical Appendix, Mapping Guidance, and a Decision-Support Tool. The toolkit helps states understand the scope of potential PFAS contamination within their state, provides information about possible sources and actions that can be taken by state primacy agencies and source water protection programs to improve source water protection from PFAS contamination, and facilitates informed decision-makers and information sharing between states.
How can we help you take your source water protection program to the next level?
Provide Technical Assistance Through the Compliance Advisors Program
Cadmus and our regionally located subcontractors are currently providing direct technical assistance to over 100 public water and wastewater systems nationwide, in 16 states, and on tribal lands through the Compliance Advisors Program with the EPA Office of Compliance. The program’s underlying goal is to help water and wastewater systems return to compliance and set them on a path that will increase their likelihood of staying in compliance in the future. We work closely with state regulators to be sure we understand what systems need to do to regain compliance. We also try to utilize available state and EPA technical and financial resources as much as possible. Cadmus’ team of Compliance Advisors assists water and wastewater systems circuits, most of whom provide water services to underserved communities and lack sufficient financial, managerial, and technical expertise to achieve and maintain compliance. Compliance Advisors work with water and wastewater systems to address a wide range of compliance challenges, including resolving monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping issues; troubleshooting and diagnosing plant inefficiencies or malfunctions; developing SOPs for water system operators; assisting with lead service line inventories; providing hands-on education based on preliminary assessment of needs (such as inventorying of assets or financing options); sharing reference materials such as manuals, SOPs, and checklists to improve compliance; and providing customized group training for neighboring operators to facilitate mutual assistance and mentoring.
Is your state interested in participating in the Compliance Advisors Program?