Clean Water Current Archive

NACWA led an effort with ten other water sector associations during Water Week 2022 on a joint letter asking Congress to explicitly exempt public wastewater, drinking water, stormwater and water reuse utilities from PFAS liability under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).

As Congressional appropriators ramp up the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) appropriations process, NACWA is working closely with Members of Congress and key appropriations committee staff to secure strong clean water funding and provisions in the Interior and Environment bill, which funds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) programs.

EPA published its Draft Recommended Aquatic Life Ambient Water Quality Criteria (AWQC) for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) in the Federal Register on May 3.

Following a two-year in-person hiatus due to the pandemic, hundreds of clean water professionals converged in Washington, DC last week for Water Week 2022.

NACWA’s Board of Directors met April 28, at the conclusion of the National Water Policy Fly-In during Water Week 2022.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on May 4 cleared the Water Resources Development Act, authorizing $24.6 billion in Army Corps of Engineers water projects and sending the legislation to the Senate floor.

President Biden celebrated Earth Day on April 22 by issuing an Executive Order to preserve US forests and announced efforts to summarize all federal programs and available resources on nature-based solutions and green infrastructure.

EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB), which is housed under the Agency’s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center, is hosting a public webinar on May 10, 2022 from 12:00 pm – 1:30 p.m. EDT and a second one on June 22, 2022 from 12:00 pm – 1:30 p.m. EDT.

After much anticipation and NACWA engagement with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and EPA, the Biden Administration released guidance on April 18th for how federal agencies – including EPA – should implement new Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements set to take effect on May 15th.

The Maine state legislature passed a bill – L.D. 1911, An Act to Prevent the Further Contamination of the Soils and Waters of the State with So-Called Forever Chemicals – last week that completely prohibits the land application of biosolids and the sale of compost or other agricultural products and materials containing sludge and septage in the state of Maine due to PFAS concerns. The bill now goes to Governor Mills and she is expected to sign it.

As part of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), 172 PFAS chemicals were added to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), requiring certain facilities to report annual management activities involving these chemicals and releases under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.

NACWA’s Environmental Justice (EJ) Committee held its first virtual meeting on April 7 and discussed a number of current hot topics in the environmental justice space.

Both the U.S. House and Senate are on recess this week and next. This is a prime opportunity to reconnect with your Representatives and Senators and their staff as they will likely be conducting local meetings or hearing directly from constituents at public townhall meetings.

Wastewater-based epidemiology continues to show community public health value as the country deals with more emerging COVID-19 variants. Especially as clinical testing appears to be wanning at the individual level, wastewater surveillance remains a consistent predictor of disease prevalence in a given community — and a vital tool for those making public health decisions.

NACWA Board Member Josh Schimmel, Executive Director of the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission in Massachusetts, testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife on April 5, during a bipartisan hearing entitled Implementation of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act: Stakeholders’ needs and experiences.

Radhika Fox, Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Water, announced April 5 the release of a memorandum outlining the Agency’s strategy to accelerate progress on addressing nutrient pollution.

In a letter submitted April 5, NACWA provided comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its proposed update to the Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) 2015 Produce Safety Rule for certain covered produce.

On March 30, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation to help address the problem of non-flushable wipes in sewer systems.

In partnership with the Environmental Finance Centers of the University of North Carolina (UNC) and University of Maryland, EPA will be hosting an April 20 virtual workshop on integrated planning.

NACWA recently teamed up with a member utility, the Sanford Sewerage District in Maine, to co-author an opinion editorial highlighting significant flaws with a state legislative effort on PFAS in Maine.