NACWA convened its 49th Annual Association Business Meeting during the 2019 Utility Leadership Conference in Minneapolis last week. In addition to reports from NACWA’s President, Treasurer and CEO, the membership took action to elect a slate of new and returning Board Members and to amend the Association’s bylaws.

NACWA’s 2019 Utility Leadership Conference drew more than 200 participants last week to Minneapolis, MN to discuss a variety of emerging utility leadership challenges – including workforce, rate setting and affordability, and community and customer engagement – and how today’s clean water utility executives can best positions themselves to adapt to these challenges at both the national and local levels.

EPA announced last week that it has received 51 requests in the third round of funding for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program totaling $6.6 billion, which exceeds the $6 billion EPA has available in funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. This demonstrates the critical need for investment in our nation’s water infrastructure and the strong interest in the WIFIA program.

The US House of Representatives passed PFAS legislation last week, as part of the annual National Defense Authorization (NDAA) bill, that has potential serious consequences for public clean water utilities.

EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance released a memo last week further empowering states to take the lead on environmental enforcement issues, furthering EPA’s efforts to place states in the lead of enforcement actions.

NACWA held its quarterly conference call with its State and Regional Partners on July 11. The group heard from the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) regarding their efforts to push non-flushable wipes legislation at the state level and the testing and grassroots initiatives they are engaging in between sessions.

NACWA was honored to be invited to speak at the Arkansas Water & Wastewater Managers Association’s (AWWMA) Annual Conference last week to learn about the Arkansas clean water sector’s priorities and challenges, and to present a national update on NACWA’s advocacy priorities.

As Congress returns from its July 4th Recess, the U.S. House of Representatives has increased its focus on PFAS, including legislative language that has potential serious consequences for public clean water utilities. Immediate NACWA utility action to contact Members of the House is critical to address these concerns.