Clean Water Current

EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) published a final memorandum last week ending a resolution process with EPA’s Office of Water over a November 2018 OIG report criticizing EPA’s biosolids program.

EPA sent an August 6 letter to NACWA, the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA), and two California utilities denying requested changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program that would help utilities to better manage food waste through anaerobic digesters.

NACWA member utilities played an active role at last week’s Transformative Issues Symposium on Workforce, jointly hosted by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA).

Prior to leaving Washington, DC last week for the August recess, the Senate passed a sweeping two-year budget deal that will raise the federal debt limit until mid-2021 and increase current spending caps put in place by the 2011 Budget Control Act by $320 billion over the next two years.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution last week sponsored by Sens. Brown (D-OH) and Portman (R-OH) marking 50 years of environmental progress since the Cuyahoga River on June 22nd, 1969, which helped serve as the impetus for the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The Kresge Foundation and Spring Point Partners are working on a research project examining the use of green infrastructure (GI) to control municipal stormwater runoff, especially in low-income, climate vulnerable communities, and are interested in learning more information from NACWA members about this practice.

With Congress heading out of DC for its August recess, NACWA and other water sector groups continue meeting with congressional staff regarding the proper path forward on PFAS legislation that takes into account potential unintended consequences on public clean water utilities.

NACWA met this week with David Ross, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Water, and other senior staff from the Office of Water to discuss a number of the Association’s advocacy priorities including affordability and water quality issues.

A federal district court issued a ruling July 16 in a case brought by environmental groups, which challenged the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) approval of Montana’s general nutrient variance for municipal dischargers.

Members of the US House of Representatives passed a sweeping two-year budget deal last week, before adjourning to leave Washington, DC and head back to their home districts for the August recess.

The Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), sent a letter to EPA yesterday expressing concern over EPA’s current efforts to develop a rule on peak wet weather flow blending at publicly owned treatment works and asking EPA for more information on the practice.

Congress is set to vote in the coming days on a sweeping two-year budget deal that will raise the federal debt limit until mid-2021 and increase current spending caps put in place by the 2011 Budget Control Act by $320 billion over the next two years.

NACWA’s 2019 Utility Leadership Conference drew more than 200 participants last week to Minneapolis, MN to discuss a variety of emerging utility leadership challenges – including workforce, rate setting and affordability, and community and customer engagement – and how today’s clean water utility executives can best positions themselves to adapt to these challenges at both the national and local levels.

EPA announced last week that it has received 51 requests in the third round of funding for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program totaling $6.6 billion, which exceeds the $6 billion EPA has available in funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. This demonstrates the critical need for investment in our nation’s water infrastructure and the strong interest in the WIFIA program.

The US House of Representatives passed PFAS legislation last week, as part of the annual National Defense Authorization (NDAA) bill, that has potential serious consequences for public clean water utilities.

EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance released a memo last week further empowering states to take the lead on environmental enforcement issues, furthering EPA’s efforts to place states in the lead of enforcement actions.

NACWA held its quarterly conference call with its State and Regional Partners on July 11. The group heard from the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) regarding their efforts to push non-flushable wipes legislation at the state level and the testing and grassroots initiatives they are engaging in between sessions.

NACWA was honored to be invited to speak at the Arkansas Water & Wastewater Managers Association’s (AWWMA) Annual Conference last week to learn about the Arkansas clean water sector’s priorities and challenges, and to present a national update on NACWA’s advocacy priorities.

As Congress returns from its July 4th Recess, the U.S. House of Representatives has increased its focus on PFAS, including legislative language that has potential serious consequences for public clean water utilities. Immediate NACWA utility action to contact Members of the House is critical to address these concerns.

The US Supreme Court has announced it will hear oral arguments November 6 in a closely watched case over whether pollutants that travel via groundwater can be regulated under the Clean Water Act (CWA).