March 2020

Disclaimer Note

Chapters are not authorized to speak for the Society.

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This Month's Meeting

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President's Report

I finally sat down to write this article on the morning of 3/15, after finding links to a couple other sources, I couldn’t think of anything to actually write, until I went to the grocery store in the early evening.  I had heard stores in some cities having completely bare shelves and aisles, but I didn’t expect to see it here yet. COVID-19, a variant of the Coronavirus, has been officially declared a pandemic by the WHO and CDC.   I’ve heard claims that some news outlets are over-sensationalizing and scaring people that it’s the end of the world!  But I’ve also heard other outlets are downplaying this so much that it shouldn’t be given a second thought or even a hoax to persuade a specific political outcome. 

Before COVID-19 really started to hit Utah, I received this link from our member, Max Gandy, https://www.iapmo.org/media/23361/the-coronavirus-in-plumbing-systems.pdf.  It’s a whitepaper from IAPMO, talking about the impact of properly designed plumbing systems help to mitigate on the spread of disease.  I hope you take two minutes and read it.

As the cases of COVID-19 cases grew and recommendations from world, federal and state health organizations and departments started coming out to limit events with large crowds, at first, I was heartbroken.  The Men’s PAC-12 Basketball tournament was cancelled, then the NCAA Men’s and Women’s March Madness Tournaments were cancelled.  I was so looking forward to watching my favorite team in those events.  But I do understand the reasoning to cancel those events in the interest of public health.

This brings us to our monthly Technical Meeting.  At this time (3/16) we are still planning to hold our meeting at Legends.  I completely understand that this may be a sparsely attended meeting.  If you feel the slightest bit sick or are immunocompromised, stay home.  If you do attend the meeting, don’t shake hands, respect personal space and wash your dirty filthy hands!

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Special Announcement

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VP Technical Article

With the sun out, the birds chirping and temperatures moving up, the ASPE Intermountain Board is full steam ahead on planning the ASPE Intermountain 21st Annual Golf Tournament.  Tournament.  This much we know….the tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16th, 2020.  Breakfast will be served from 6:30 am to 7:45 am, reverse shotgun start at 8 am, and as always a delicious lunch planned afterward.  REGISTRATION CUTOFF DATE is Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020, so please register ASAP!  Besides registering to golf, we are looking for sponsorships!  Anything from sponsoring a hole to breakfast or lunch is greatly appreciated.  Without the support from our sponsors, we could not make this tournament happen. So thank you in advance! You can find registration for golf as well as sponsorship opportunities here.  https://aspeintermountain.org/meetinginfo.php?id=54&ts=1584142238

Technical Meeting

South Valley Water Reclamation Facility’s Industrial Pretreatment Director Spencer Parkinson and Pretreatment Inspector Delaun Fullmer will be discussing pretreatment regulations for commercial/industrial users (your customers) as well as grease interceptor plan review, sizing, installation, maintenance, and applications for their local jurisdiction.  Looking forward to seeing you next week!

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VP Legislative Article

Writing a newsletter article can be a chore.  We often joke that no one other than the Board reads the newsletter.  Here’s a few more jokes for you all:

Q: What weighs more, a gallon of water or a gallon of butane?
A: The water. Butane is lighter fluid.

A perfectionist walked into a bar…apparently, the bar wasn’t set high enough.

My three favorite things are eating my family and not using commas.

Hope to see you at our chapter meeting.

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Special Announcement

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VP Membership Article

These last few days have been pretty chaotic to say the least. Our governor recommends avoiding gatherings of large groups of people to avoid being unnecessarily exposed to the CoronaVirus. We should be announcing next week whether or not our monthly training meeting will be cancelled or postponed. In the meantime, I hope we are all following the recommendation of experts and take the necessary actions to avoid being exposed to this new Virus. We are all one community and the seriousness of this situation dawned on me as I waited over two hours at the checkout lines in our local Costco as many customers were already wearing facemasks to avoid being sink. It is my understanding that the survival rate of this virus is about 97% which means we will probably survive this pandemic. But as everything seems to be shutting down, it is important to be prepared with the basic necessities as things slowly get back to normal. Please be safe and lend a helping hand to those in need.

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Affiliate Liaison Article

Worth repeating – with the new Virus concern.

It is FLU season and one of the best ways to avoid getting sick is simply washing your hands.

Follow these five steps every time.

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

I never thought of myself as a germaphobe before, but I have come to realize that I have a hard time turning on a water faucet with filthy dirty hands and then after cleaning my hands, looking down at the faucet and having to touch the same handle to turn the water off.  With so many options now for touchless faucets, I would love to put in a push to make these the go-to for public restrooms.

Let us provide a way for a healthier winter and practice good handwashing to keep the FLU away

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Special Announcement

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AYP Article

Top ways to keep your office clean and safe from the coronavirus

1. Wash Your Hands (Using hand sanitizer is a good alternative only if washing with soap is not an option)

• After using the bathroom.
• Before, during and after food preparation.
• Before eating food.
• After blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing.
• After caring for someone who is sick or after changing a child’s diaper.
• After handling pets or other animals or their food and waste.
• After toughing garbage.

2. Practice Sneezing and Coughing Etiquette

• Avoiding coughing or sneezing into your hands.
• Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or upper sleeve when you cough or sneeze.
• Putting used tissue in the garbage.

3. Clean Your Workstation

• Employees should regularly clean and disinfect all frequently touched surfaces in their workstations.

4. Encourage Sick Employees to Stay Home

• No one wants you to share your sickness.

5. Talk with Employees about Travel Plans

• Know the travel plans and safety risks and protocol for the area.

Stay safe and heathy out there everyone!

Nagele-Piazza, Lisa, and J.d. “3 Ways to Keep Your Workplace Clean During Coronavirus Scare.” SHRM, SHRM, 4 Mar. 2020, www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/keep-your-workplace-clean-during-coronavirus-scare.aspx

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