To
look at your water-supply system in terms of:
a) local
hydrogeology and aquifer
productivity
b) water well system, design, installation, operation and
maintenance
c) water quality, in terms of:
i) water chemistry
ii) water microbiology
iii) potential contamination
iv) toxicology
To consider the impact
of The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and Planing Regionalization on
MUD operations
To hear what the Harris County Health Department does to protect our water supply
To
hear what the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission (TNRCC) does to
protect our
water supply
To
consider what the CCL and SDWA mean to MUDs, large and small
Who Should
Attend Seminar?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Decision
Makers | MUD Directors | Utility Operators & Contractors
Attorneys | Laboratory Management | Local and State Regulators
Seminar Program
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8:00 am
Introductions: Michael D. Campbell, P.G., P.H.
Principal,
Environmental Litigation
Associates
8:05 am Presentation: Jose
A. Berlanga, J. D.
Partner,
Gardere Wynne Sewell
& Riggs
EPA's Contaminants Candidate List (CCL) and its Future Implications
Ground-Water Supply Systems: Hydrogeology and the Delivery of a Water Supply
Hydrochemistry and the Contaminants Candidate List (CCL)
Microbiology and the Potential Impact on Water Quality
10:10 am
Coffee Break
10:25 am
Presentation: Marilyn Christian, B.S.
Section
Chief, Environmental Engineering,
Harris
County Health Department
What
the Harris County Health Department does to Protect our Water Supply
and the
Impact
of Recent Regulations
10:40 am
Presentation: Sally C. Gutierrez, M.A., R.S.
Director,
Water Quality Division,
Texas
Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC)
What the TNRCC does to Protect our Water Supply and the Impact of Recent Regulations
10:55 am
Presentation: Jose A. Berlanga, J. D.
Partner,
Gardere Wynne Sewell & Riggs
Potential
Litigation Areas in Providing and Operating a Water-Supply System:
Case
Histories in Water Quality Issues
12:00 Noon Summary Remarks and Close of Seminar
Location, Date, Time and Cost?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Holiday Inn - North
I - 45 North, Near FM 1960
April 16, 1998
8:00 am to 12:00 Noon
Cost: $ 25.00 (Paid at Door)
Cash or Checks (Payable to Environmental Litigation Associates)Please let us know you are planning to attend by registering as follows:
RSVP by Phone: (281) 440-7665, or
RSVP by Fax: (281) 583-9730, or
RSVP by Email: ela1@ela-iet.comPlease provide your name, telephone number and number in your party so that we can make
accomodations. Space is available for a maximum of 75 persons so register early, if possible.
Additional seminars have been planned for other parts of the county and state to be held in
the near future.Note:
1) The charge is to cover the costs of the seminar site, handbook, and coffee, etc.
2) Also please note that the TNRCC has approved this seminar for four (4) hours of credit for
certified drinking water operators. The seminar will be of interest to MUD Directors, Operators
and others interested in ground water as a source of water supply.
About the Sponsor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Environmental Litigation Associates (ELA)
ELA consists of a group of seven senior environmental professional scientists and engineers
who provide litigation support and expert witness services to the legal community in the Texas
and the U.S. ELA Principals conduct investigations and evaluations on a range of environmental
conditions, from the development, testing, and operating and maintaining public and private
ground-water supply systems to the assessment of potential ground-water contamination and
remediation of industrial and natural contamination. Additional information concerning ELA
approaches to water supply and related issues, see Water Supply & Dewatering. ELA's objective
is to sponsor training through the Institute of Environmental Technology (IET) and other forums
in the environmental field, which will result in the reduction of unnecessary litigation.
About
the Speakers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael D. Campbell, P.G., P.H. is the Principal Hydrogeologist for Environmental Litigation
Associates, Principal Hydrogeologist in the environmental consulting firm of Campbell & Associates,
and Principal Lecturer for the Institute of Environmental Technology, which has provided technical
environmental training in the Houston area since 1992. Mr. Campbell was the Director of Research
for the National Ground Water Association's Research Facility at Rice University, has worked on
numerous EPA and rural water supply projects, and produced the now classic text on water well
technology (McGraw-Hill) and other water supply related publications. He has provided services to
MUDs and related groups with litigation support and expert witness testimony.
José A. Berlanga, Esq. is a partner in the law firm of Gardere Wynne Sewell & Riggs, L.L.P. and
maintains a litigation practice with an emphasis in toxic tort litigation. Prior to joining Gardere
Wynne, Mr. Berlanga practiced with an insurance defense law firm. He has previously served as
an Assistant United States Attorney and as in house counsel for the Shell Oil Company in
Houston, Texas. Mr. Berlanga has a background in civil litigation and has participated in a variety
of cases. Mr. Berlanga's environmental experience began with his employment at Shell Oil
Company where he handled cases in the area of toxic torts. Mr. Berlanga was involved the first
challenge to jurisdiction over foreign claims brought by Costa Rican banana workers. This
decision began a long and complicated legal struggle, which eventually lead to the amendment of
Texas law relating to the forum non-convenience doctrine. His environmental experience also
extends to matters involving CERCLA.
William S. Hitchcock, Ph.D. is a Principal Chemist for Environmental Litigation Associates, and a
Principal of Hitchcock & Associates, an environmental consulting firm located in Houston, TX.
Dr. Hitchcock is also a Primary Lecturer for the Institute of Environmental Technology. Dr. Hitchcock
has more than 20 years of experience in environmental chemistry, including teaching, conducting
research, consulting in support of environmental litigation. His principal activities in the water supply
field range from assessing laboratory data, procedures, and anomalous raw water quality to
monitoring water treatment options and effectiveness.
Richard E. Woodward, M. A. is the Principal Microbiologist for Environmental Litigation
Associates, President of Sierra Environmental Services, Inc., a firm that specializes in evaluating
microbiological problems in water supplies and in the biological destruction of organic wastes by
stimulating, then managing, indigenous microorganism populations. Mr. Woodward is also a regular
guest lecturer for the Institute of Environmental Technology. He was formerly Vice President of
ENSR Consulting and Engineering where he directed the national bioremediation effort for five years.
Prior to that, he served as Director of Research and Development for Stoller Chemical Co., a fertilizer
and pesticide manufacturer. He has over 24 years of experience as a senior scientist and consulting
microbiologist managing microbial systems in soils, sludges and aquifers.
F. Ben Thomas, Ph.D., DABT is the Principal Toxicologist for Environmental Litigation Associates,
the Executive Vice President of Compliance Solutions, Inc., and a Regular Guest Lecturer for the
Institute of Environmental Technology. Dr. Thomas is a Diplomate of the American Board of
Toxicology. He has 22 years of experience in toxicology, risk assessment, regulatory negotiation,
litigation support, strategic planning, program development, and program management. He has
supervised large multidisciplinary projects using risk-based methods to establish remedial priorities
and to achieve closure under RCRA or Superfund. He was appointed as a member of the Science
Advisory Panel of the National Urban Air Toxic Research Center (NUATRC) which was created by
the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. He has served as a consulting and/or testifying expert in a
number of toxic tort and environmental litigation cases.Marilyn Christian, B.S., is Section Chief, Environmental Engineering, Harris County Health
Department. Her responsibilities include assessing the various public health risks of waterborne
disease and implements programs which will reduce the risk of transmission of the various
diseases. Over the past 13 years she has served as Sanitarian in the Environmental Engineering
Department, which included duties related to the prevention of the spread of waterborne diseases
by conducting field inspections and by providing education on such prevention. For the City of
Houston, Health and Human Services, Ms. Christian provided food inspections, and was the
Quality Assurance Coordinator. She also conducted training programs for new employees.Sally C. Gutierrez, M.S., R.S., is Director of the Water Quality Division of the Natural Resource
Conservation Commission (TNRCC) in Austin, Texas. Over the past 5 years she has served the
TNRCC in a number of functions, such Director of the Water Utilities Division, Acting Deputy
Director for the Office of Water Resource Management, Leader of the Drinking Water Monitoring
Operations Team, and other positions within the TNRCC. Mrs. Gutierrez began her career in public
health at the City of Houston Health Department where she worked in the regulatory programs for
food and drugs, water hygiene and occupational health. She has also served on many statewide
committees and task forces including the Texas Environmental Education Advisory Committee.
Mrs. Gutierrez is a Registered Sanitarian in Texas and is a Past President of the Texas
Environmental Health Association.
For links to useful websites, see the Institute of Environmental Technology's Internet Resources.
For useful information on ground-water technology and related documents and texts, see the
Institute of Environmental Technology's page offering publications distributed by IET, technical book
reviews, and Bookstore.