Clean Water Current

Washington D.C. is mired in uncertainty this week as Congress and the White House try to find a way to complete seven unfinished Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations bills and wrap up other end-of-year legislative priorities.

(December 11, 2018) - After several months of wrangling back and forth, late last night House and Senate Farm Bill negotiators finalized a bipartisan agreement on the 2018 Farm Bill Conference Report, which is expected to be voted on and passed in both Chambers of Congress later this week. The Farm Bill includes several key conservation and water quality provisions that were championed and advocated for by NACWA. Among the key provisions included is a “[s]ense of Congress that the federal government should recognize and encourage partnerships at the watershed level between nonpoint sources and regulated point sources to advance the goals of the Clean Water Act and provide benefits to farmers, landowners, and the public.”

(December 11, 2018) – EPA released a new proposed “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) Rule that will clarify which waters are jurisdictional under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). Repealing the previous 2015 WOTUS Rule and issuing a new one has been a top priority for the Trump Administration.

(December 11, 2018) - As it considers whether to accept review over two cases that address whether the release of a pollutant that travels through groundwater to reach a Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdictional surface water constitute a “point source” discharge, the US Supreme Court on December 3 invited the Solicitor General to file a brief representing the position of the United States by January 4, 2019.

The Water Science and Technology Board and the Board of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate invited guests to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington DC on November 29, for a robust discussion on Connecting Climate, Weather and Water: Status, Challenges, and Needs for Seasonal-to-Subseasonal Forecasting for Water Use and Management.

David Ross, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Water, and Bill Northey, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), sent a letter to state water and agriculture leaders on December 4 in an effort to reinvigorate work to address nutrient pollution.

NACWA’s Stormwater Management Committee held its last committee conference call of the year on December 8, and hosted representatives from EPA, Black & Veatch, and AquaLaw to provide updates on several important issues that are happening nationally.

NACWA hosted a conference call on December 3 with the Association’s State & Regional Exchange network, where representatives from various state and regional clean water organizations discussed ongoing national advocacy issues.

NACWA met with the Director of EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management, Andrew Sawyers, and Agency key staff on November 29 to discuss a number of issues, including several new programs created by the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 — the most recent iteration of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).

With the passing of President George Herbert Walker Bush, Congress has adjusted its schedule for the remainder of the year. President Trump has declared Wednesday, Dec. 5th as a national Day of Mourning, with federal offices closed. The House of Representatives cancelled all votes this week, while the Senate delayed votes until Thursday and postponed hearings.

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has released a report entitled Cybersecurity Risk & Responsibility in the Water Sector, which outlines the cyber threats to drinking water and wastewater utilities and provides information on how to address these threats.

(December 4, 2018) - NACWA’s Stormwater Management Committee will close out the year with its last committee conference call on December 5. EPA staff will provide an update on the Community Solutions for Stormwater management: A Guide for Voluntary Long-Term Planning, a draft report that was released October 2017.

The Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC) met on November 29 to discuss security and other related issues that are impacting the water sector, and also met with the Water Government Coordinating Council (GCC) the following day. During both meetings, the main topic of discussion was the status of the water sector during natural disasters and other emergencies.

A recent US Geological Survey (USGS) report published in a peer-reviewed journal, Science of the Total Environment, analyzes trends in nutrient and sediment loading from rivers and streams that flow into coastal waters.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $1.5 million for Environmental Justice Small Grants (EJSG) on November 15. These funds will be distributed to approximately 50 community-based organizations nationwide that will work to address environmental justice issues in local communities.

A diverse set of stakeholders from across the water sector and the federal government, as well as key experts from other sectors, gathered in Alexandria, VA on November 14-15 to discuss and provide input on an action agenda intended to guide work on addressing water workforce challenges...

Clean water professionals from around the country gathered in San Diego last week for NACWA’s 2018 National Clean Water Law & Enforcement Seminar. Expert clean water attorneys, utility leaders, and federal/state regulators discussed critical Clean Water Act (CWA) legal and enforcement developments, covering timely issues such as holistic clean water and drinking water regulation opportunities/challenges...

Fifty years after the Cuyahoga River fire and the birth of the Clean Water Act (CWA), NACWA’s upcoming 2019 Winter Conference will take a deep look into the progress of the CWA, it’s nexus with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and will ask whether the intersection between these foundational statutes is breeding long-term conflict or presenting opportunities for collaboration for the entire water sector. The Conference is scheduled to convene February 5-8, 2019, in Albuquerque, NM.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is raising new concerns over the practice of land applying biosolids, issuing a report criticizing the biosolids program office for failing to adequately assess and communicate the potential risks associated with the pollutants the OIG has found in biosolids.

After a long mid-term election season, last week’s election results produced what most polling had predicted: a takeover of the House of Representatives by Democrats and a strengthening of Republican control of the Senate. This outcome will present the first time that there will be a party split between the two congressional chambers since 2014.