Clean Water Current

The Southeast Stormwater Association (SESWA) held their 15th annual regional stormwater conference October 7-9 virtually this year.

NACWA this week filed its second brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in litigation over the legality of a Clean Water Act (CWA) water quality standards variance for municipal discharges issued by the State of Montana and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Association filed its opening brief in June.

After passage last week by the U.S. House of an updated and “pared-down” HEROES Act COVID-19 relief package, which once again included $1.5 billion in aid to water and sewer utilities to assist low-income ratepayers impacted by the pandemic, talks have stalled again with the White House and U.S. Senate on agreeing to a final package.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the Agency’s new Water Sector Workforce Initiative as part of WEFTEC this week, highlighting the important role the water workforce plays in the nation’s daily life and reinforcing the importance of continued training and investment in the workforce.

NACWA was recently asked to speak on a panel at the Ground Water Protection Council’s (GWPC) 2020 Annual Forum. The GWPC, which represents state groundwater regulatory agencies nationwide, invited NACWA to present on the nexus between groundwater regulation and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.

NACWA’s Stormwater Management Committee convened virtually on September 30 and discussed a number of priority issues, including EPA’s recent proposed rulemaking for a new allocation formula to deliver municipal grant dollars to states.

This Thursday, October 8, from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET, EPA’s Office of Water is hosting a complimentary webinar on the Agency’s Water Utilities Financial Impact Tool and 2020 COVID-19 Water Sector Survey.

As the presidential election season swings into high gear, NACWA sent letters last week to the Trump campaign and the Biden campaign outlining key priorities the public clean water sector would like to see discussed on the campaign trail.

The U.S. House of Representatives is set this week to pass another round of COVID-19 relief legislation. The latest iteration is an updated and “pared-down” version of the HEROES Act that passed the House in May.

NACWA joined other municipal and state groups on September 24 for a meeting hosted by EPA’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations to hear from Office of Water staff on the Agency’s new affordability proposal and to engage in a dialogue with EPA’s Municipal Ombudsman.

Convening for the third time this year, NACWA’s Water Quality Committee meet virtually via Zoom on September 23.

EPA last week released a copy of its final action establishing procedures and requirements for how the Agency will manage the issuance of guidance documents, as well as a public petition process for the withdrawal or modification of existing guidance or reinstatement of rescinded guidance.

The prospects for Congress passing another comprehensive COVID-19 package before the end of the year were already fading in recent weeks, as NACWA reported earlier this month. The passing on September 18th of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the highly partisan debate surrounding a new Supreme Court nomination is further tempering expectations for other significant bipartisan legislation, including COVID-19 relief, being passed by Congress this year.