Officials from EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management, along with EPA Regions 6 and 9, held an initial conference call on May 15 with several NACWA members and the North American Development Bank (NADB) to discuss collaboration opportunities with clean water utilities from Mexico. EPA’s primary focus is to mitigate the transboundary contamination that often flows north into the United States, but the Agency is also interested in addressing aging infrastructure and funding issues.

NACWA participated in the Massachusetts Coalition for Water Resources Stewardship’s (MCWRS’s) 10th Annual Water Resources Strategies Symposium last week in Marlborough, MA as part of a panel to discuss the importance of clean water advocacy.

NACWA submitted stakeholder comments last week to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on the need for clean water to be a top priority as part of any comprehensive infrastructure legislation during this Congress.

The US House has a full schedule this week addressing water issues, including four hearings scheduled on Wednesday, May 15.

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) hosted its inaugural Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Symposium last week in Fort Lauderdale, FL. During the technical sessions, EPA gave a financing update, and stated that the expert consultants to help advise and inform the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB) workgroup on stormwater funding should be finalized this week.

The P3Great Lakes Initiative is seeking municipalities from the Great Lakes basin states—Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio Pennsylvania and New York—to finance green stormwater infrastructure via Environmental Impact Bond (EIB).

NACWA participated in the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies’ (ORACWA’s) annual Stormwater Summit on May 8, providing an overview of national legislative, regulatory, and legal developments impacting municipal stormwater utilities.

NACWA’s 2018 Cost of Clean Water Index indicates that the average cost of wastewater services rose 3.9 percent in 2018, surpassing the increase in the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 17th consecutive year. According to the Index, the national average amount that a single-family residence pays for wastewater collection and treatment is now...