Clean Water Current

The Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC) held its quarterly meeting on October 11, focusing on the impacts to utilities of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

NACWA will host a conference call with its members on Wednesday, October 18, at 2:00 pm ET to discuss the Association’s position on the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rulemaking (those interested in participating should RSVP to Oliver Hamilton, NACWA Manager of Government Affairs).

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments October 12 in National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) v. EPA, the litigation over the 2015 Clean Water Rule.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing on October 12 in Hawaii Wildlife Fund v. County of Maui, a critical case addressing the “conduit” theory of liability under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The Southeast Stormwater Association (SESWA) met last week in Louisville, KY for their 12th annual regional stormwater conference.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced Oct. 16 that the Agency would no longer engage in legal settlements with environmental activist groups that lead to new regulations or mandates.

NACWA is pleased to report that the Senate passed the bipartisan Water Infrastructure Flexibility Act (S.692) by unanimous consent on October 5. This legislation has been a top NACWA legislative priority and contains several provisions which will benefit Association members.

NACWA has been busy in recent days meeting with EPA and the White House to discuss the importance of water infrastructure funding. NACWA staff met with the Office of Water’s (OW) Deputy Assistant Administrator, Lee Forsgren, on October 5 to discuss the Association’s priority issues.

In a victory for NACWA’s members and the public clean water sector, the US Department of the Treasury announced on October 4 that it plans to withdraw proposed regulations on the definition of political subdivisions for the purposes of tax-exempt bonds.

As the Trump administration rapidly approaches one year in office, many senior-level agency positions remain vacant.

NACWA joined with the U.S. Water Alliance (USWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) to release a new publication on October 3 that explores the idea of a watershed or statewide utility, to better coordinate efforts between a wide variety of stakeholders in addressing water quality impairment concerns.

As Puerto Rico continues to recover from the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) is assessing their resource needs and priorities. Over 40 percent of the island’s population is without potable water, and nine of 52 wastewater treatment facilities are operational—19 are non-operational, and the status of others is unknown.

In the face of severe proposed budget cuts, water sector associations are advocating for continued funding of EPA’s Water Security Division (WSD), within the Office of Water.

EPA is developing a Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) to help expedite WIFIA project approval.

NACWA held a collaborative roundtable workshop in June with the Western Coalition of Arid States (WESTCAS) in San Diego, CA to discuss the unique perspectives and water resource challenges in both the arid west and in the southeast.

The Senate passed a bill last week that would provide federal support and advance research into the underlying causes of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs).

NACWA and a number of its utility members took part in a meeting on September 30 to further discussions over peer-to-peer partnerships in the clean water sector and workforce development issues.

NACWA and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) collaborated Oct. 3 to sponsor the Utility Leaders Morning at WEFTEC17, providing a forum for utility professionals to discuss innovations in the water sector and hear directly from senior EPA officials on the Agency’s current water priorities.

Both the Senate and House will look to make progress this week in advancing a Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) Budget Resolution.

The Energy Workgroup convened last week to discuss the role of renewable energy in NACWA Member Agency the Narragansett Bay Commission’s (NBC) energy portfolio.