Clean Water Current

NACWA met with Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine, head of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), on October 9 to discuss how NACWA members can best work with OECA to accomplish the shared goal of protecting water quality.

Representatives from seven NACWA public member agencies participated in the October 15 EPA Stakeholder Roundtable on peak wet weather flow blending, with additional representatives attending as observers. The Agency held the invitation-only Roundtable to gather input for developing a proposed rule on blending.

Consistent with NACWA’s recommendations, an EPA rule that will finalize only some of the less controversial provisions from a May 2016 proposed update to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program is currently under review by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Last week, the Senate passed the 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), S.3021, by a vote of 99-1. The bill, entitled America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, previously passed the House by a unanimous vote and now awaits President Trump’s signature to become law.

Reps. Kilmer (D-WA), Heck (D-WA), and Kaptur (D-MI) recently introduced H.R. 7041, the Preventing Pollution through Partnership (P3) Act, which aims to increase green infrastructure investment to improve water quality by providing a new financing tool for green infrastructure projects. Specifically, the bill would amend federal tax code to include green infrastructure in the definition of eligible uses of private activity bonds (PABs), allowing for PABs to be issued for projects where 95 percent or more of bond proceeds will be used to develop, carry out, or certify green infrastructure projects.

NACWA was busy last week sharing its clean water perspective across the country, speaking at both the Southeast Stormwater Association’s (SESWA) 13th Annual Regional Stormwater Conference in Hilton Head, SC and at the National Association of Water Company’s (NAWC) conference in San Antonio, TX.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently held a public meeting to report what the Agency has learned to date, and to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to contribute additional input on its Oil and Gas Extraction Wastewater Management Study.

NACWA submitted comments to EPA on October 9, asking the Agency to modify its proposed label language for dichlobenil, a root control chemical. Dichlobenil can be effectively used to control roots in wastewater collection systems, helping to prevent overflows and backups. However, if too much of the chemical is used in too short of a time, it has the potential to both interfere with the microorganisms used in the wastewater treatment process and negatively affect effluent quality. The chemical may also be a safety hazard for collection system workers.

NACWA and other clean water agencies conducted a conference call on October 11 to discuss implantation of the final rule for public notification of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the Great Lakes, which EPA developed as required by Congress.

NACWA participated in a meeting - co-hosted by EPA’s Office of Water on October 9 - with the Water Environment Federation, the WateReuse Association, and the American Membrane Technology Association on “Membrane Water Treatment Technology Usage and Needs” in the United States.

The Senate is expected to vote as early as today on the 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), S.3021, advancing the bill to the President’s desk for signature. The House passed the bill with an overwhelming bipartisan vote last month, and the measure is expected to easily clear the Senate with similar bipartisan support.

The US Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Water Quality Program last week added water quality data from 2017 to its web tool, Tracking Water Quality of the Nation’s Rivers and Streams. The interactive web tool is part of the USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project that collects data in order to characterize status and trends of surface water quality.

Ever wonder what’s taking place across the water sector, but don’t have time to sift through endless news stories? Then take a look at the Water Sector News & Trends section of the NACWA website to stay current on the latest happenings in water news.

NACWA’s Clean Water Advocate magazine is an invaluable tool for providing important perspectives on the Water Sector’s most pressing issues, as well as helping to keep Member Agencies connected and generally telling the clean water utility story. In keeping with this mission, Advocate editors are making an open call to NACWA membership to submit original articles to be published in future issues of the magazine—beginning with its next release in February 2019 (Winter Issue).

NACWA filed a brief on September 28, along with a coalition representing the clean water sector, supporting Member Agency the Maui County Department of Environmental Management in its petition for writ of certiorari to the US Supreme Court.

NACWA and the WateReuse Association (WRA) are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which outlines a commitment from the two organizations to work more closely together on issues regarding water reuse and water recycling.

With the federal government now funded into the beginning of the fiscal year, the House has adjourned until after the November mid-term elections. The Senate is expected to remain in DC throughout much of October to complete additional legislative items and nominations for judicial Administration posts.

The Senate Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management held a hearing on September 26 to examine federal government actions regarding the growing public concerns regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). A similar hearing was held by a House Subcommittee last month.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will hold a series of information sessions for its Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program.

The House voted to pass several bills last week comprising Tax Reform 2.0, a House Republican legislative package that would make permanent certain short-term tax cuts for individuals and small businesses.