{"id":3226,"date":"2022-06-07T03:11:09","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T03:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bloomingtonnews.online\/?p=3226"},"modified":"2022-06-07T03:11:10","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T03:11:10","slug":"local-news-headlines-june-7-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloomingtonnews.online\/?p=3226","title":{"rendered":"Local News Headlines: June 7, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report shared by City of Bloomington Utilities<\/strong>
City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU) published their annual drinking water quality report, providing information about local drinking water quality, data from tests conducted the previous year, and contact information for any questions or concerns. The 2022 report details 13 contaminants detected in Bloomington’s drinking water during 2021, such as disinfectant byproducts (DBPs), lead, and copper, and meet all federal standards for safe drinking water. More than 65 additional potential contaminants were tested for and not detected, and thus are not listed in the report. Interested persons can find the report at bloomington.in.gov\/water-quality-report.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires community water systems to deliver a Consumer Confidence Report, also known as an annual drinking water quality report, to their customers. In addition to the annual report, the City updates data about drinking water at its open data portal, B-Clear<\/a>. Datasets include current and historic information about lead and copper, organic matter, and DBPs. In all, the site comprises 15 datasets relating to drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater including those tracking plant energy consumption, sanitary sewer overflows, and the results of the COVID-19 monitoring program CBU has participated in since August 2020, among other information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have questions about the annual drinking water quality report, or to request a paper copy, contact CBU\u2019s Water Quality team at wq@bloomington.in.gov<\/a> or 812-349-3655.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

City of Bloomington Partners with Google.org to Improve Access to Government Services<\/strong>
Mayor John Hamilton announced today that the City of Bloomington will receive pro bono support from a team of Google.org Fellows to deploy CiviForm, a tool to simplify and centralize online applications for government assistance programs. CiviForm is an open-source tool developed originally by the City of Seattle with support from Google.org to make applying for government programs easier and faster.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A team of 12 Google employees will work full-time with the City of Bloomington for six months as part of a Google.org Fellowship,  providing pro bono technical expertise to nonprofits and civic entities. The City of Bloomington ITS Department (Information & Technology Services) will lead this initiative in partnership with Parks & Recreation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CiviForm pilot program will focus on improving the application processes for public benefits programs like the Parks Foundation Youth Scholarship program and the ITS Surplus Computer Request process. After the Fellowship ends, City staff can continue using CiviForm further to improve online access to other City services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a project coordinating site visit last week, at the direction of the City, Google researchers conducted user interviews with residents to gain a better understanding of customer needs and experiences related to program access and online applications. This input will help the City improve its online experience for customers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Summary
<\/span>The City of Bloomington views CiviForm (initially built through a Google.org Fellowship with the City of Seattle) as a means of supporting the City\u2019s goal of providing sustainable, resilient, and equitable economic opportunity for all City residents by enabling residents to apply for City services. Many Bloomington residents have limited awareness of City programs and must navigate complicated enrollment steps to apply — some of which are still offline. Google.org Fellows will collaborate across City Departments to deploy CiviForm to enable low-income residents to enter their information once to apply to many programs securely and efficiently.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Goals<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n