I recently had the opportunity to participate in “Core Growth for Emerging Leaders: Building Water’s Future Leaders,” a training program under NACWA and Core Consulting Group’s recently formed Core Leadership offering. The program is based on a regional cohort model of 15-20 participants from several utilities in the same region coming together to form a class.

Both the U.S. House and Senate are on recess this week, back in Members’ respective districts and states. However, the House plans to return on August 23, weeks earlier than scheduled, to continue advancing legislation following the Senate’s passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on August 10th.

EPA released its final ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) to address nutrients in lakes and reservoirs on August 13. This publication finalizes the Agency’s 2020 proposed rulemaking that moves towards a national stressor-response modelling framework approach that allows states the ability to input local or regional limnological data to derive more specific numeric nutrient values.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) held a webinar August 12 in coordination with NACWA and the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition on the rollout of the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) – the program being stood up by HHS to implement the $1.138 Billion in federal assistance provided for water and wastewater customers through the federal COVID-19 relief packages.

NACWA member Charleston Water System (CWS) recently filed an amended class action complaint against multiple manufacturers and distributers of so-called “flushable” wipes in federal district court seeking to have the court enjoin them from labeling their products as “flushable” in light of the damage they cause to sewer systems.

NACWA has received over 50 responses so far to its most recent survey on COVID-19 and encourages utility members to complete the survey before it closes on Monday, August 23.