Clean Water Current

NACWA engaged senior EPA officials on a range of policy issues in three separate meetings over the past week, advancing many of the Association’s key advocacy priorities with Agency officials.

Congress returned to Washington, DC April 24 to face a looming deadline, as the Continuing Resolution currently funding the government will expire on April 28.

EPA is scheduled to file a response May 12 in litigation challenging the Agency’s efforts to impose certain testing requirements for whole effluent toxicity (WET) on dischargers without going through the rulemaking process required by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

NACWA submitted comments on April 24 to EPA’s recent Public Review Draft of Field-Based Methods for Developing Aquatic Life Criteria for Specific Conductivity.

NACWA will be offering a free webinar to members on May 24 at 2:00 pm ET, providing an update on the status of key Association advocacy priorities under the new Trump Administration and the new Congress.

As part of a continued effort to enhance positive networking and goodwill among government and the water sector, congressional staffers, along with NACWA staff, toured DC Water’s Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Facility—the world’s largest treatment plant of its kind—on April 21.

NACWA’s Environmental Justice Task Force discussed via conference call on April 19 the Association’s planned Environmental Justice & Community Service Compendium document.

The Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA) released a report April 15 highlighting how Michigan clean water utilities are pursuing “Utility of the Future (UOTF)” concepts.

EPA’s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center will host a series of webinars on stormwater finance to help communities across the country identify financial strategies to leverage and support their stormwater management programs.

EPA published a request for comment in the Federal Register on April 13, in response to President Trump’s Executive Order 13777 on Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda, seeking input on federal regulations that may be appropriate for repeal, replacement or modification. The notice requests feedback from the public by May 15, and asks that comments be as specific as possible and include any supporting data or information, including cost impacts.

The NACWA Board recently approved the filing of a joint amicus curiae brief in cooperation with The Wet Weather Partnership, to provide an important national perspective for issues crucial to municipal separate stormwater systems (MS4s).

A bipartisan group of congressional representatives recently sent a letter to the House Interior & Environment Appropriations Subcommittee requesting a doubling of the State Revolving Funds (SRFs) in Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18), relative to FY16 enacted level.

NACWA Deputy General Counsel, Erica Spitzig co-authored an article for the American Bar Association (ABA) publication, Natural Resources & Environment, evaluating the future of “presumptive approach” as a tool for meeting combined sewer overflow (CSO) controls.

NACWA will be offering a free webinar to members on May 24 at 2:00 PM ET, providing an update on the status of key Association advocacy priorities under the new Trump Administration and the new Congress.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed litigation April 12 filed on behalf of wastewater treatment plants arguing that EPA exceeded its authority when it objected to draft NPDES permits issued by the state of California, finding no final agency action subject to judicial review.

NACWA updated and briefed water professionals on issues regarding the Trump Administration and new Congress on April 11 during the largest regional water conference in the United States.

NACWA participated in a roundtable discussion April 11 in Washington, DC, to analyze and advance solutions for issues regarding trenchless technology.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously reported out S. 692, the Water Infrastructure Flexibility Act (WIFA) on April 5.

Capitol Hill is a bit quieter, with the House and Senate on recess until April 24, but these weeks are still an important period for clean water advocacy.

NACWA filed a brief April 10, in support of EPA’s approval of a state general nutrient variance, which was challenged by environmental groups in federal district court. (See Upper Missouri Waterkeeper v. EPA, U.S. District Court, Montana).