With the passing of President George Herbert Walker Bush, Congress has adjusted its schedule for the remainder of the year. President Trump has declared Wednesday, Dec. 5th as a national Day of Mourning, with federal offices closed. The House of Representatives cancelled all votes this week, while the Senate delayed votes until Thursday and postponed hearings.

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has released a report entitled Cybersecurity Risk & Responsibility in the Water Sector, which outlines the cyber threats to drinking water and wastewater utilities and provides information on how to address these threats.

(December 4, 2018) - NACWA’s Stormwater Management Committee will close out the year with its last committee conference call on December 5. EPA staff will provide an update on the Community Solutions for Stormwater management: A Guide for Voluntary Long-Term Planning, a draft report that was released October 2017.

The Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC) met on November 29 to discuss security and other related issues that are impacting the water sector, and also met with the Water Government Coordinating Council (GCC) the following day. During both meetings, the main topic of discussion was the status of the water sector during natural disasters and other emergencies.

A recent US Geological Survey (USGS) report published in a peer-reviewed journal, Science of the Total Environment, analyzes trends in nutrient and sediment loading from rivers and streams that flow into coastal waters.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $1.5 million for Environmental Justice Small Grants (EJSG) on November 15. These funds will be distributed to approximately 50 community-based organizations nationwide that will work to address environmental justice issues in local communities.

A diverse set of stakeholders from across the water sector and the federal government, as well as key experts from other sectors, gathered in Alexandria, VA on November 14-15 to discuss and provide input on an action agenda intended to guide work on addressing water workforce challenges...

Clean water professionals from around the country gathered in San Diego last week for NACWA’s 2018 National Clean Water Law & Enforcement Seminar. Expert clean water attorneys, utility leaders, and federal/state regulators discussed critical Clean Water Act (CWA) legal and enforcement developments, covering timely issues such as holistic clean water and drinking water regulation opportunities/challenges...

Fifty years after the Cuyahoga River fire and the birth of the Clean Water Act (CWA), NACWA’s upcoming 2019 Winter Conference will take a deep look into the progress of the CWA, it’s nexus with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and will ask whether the intersection between these foundational statutes is breeding long-term conflict or presenting opportunities for collaboration for the entire water sector. The Conference is scheduled to convene February 5-8, 2019, in Albuquerque, NM.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is raising new concerns over the practice of land applying biosolids, issuing a report criticizing the biosolids program office for failing to adequately assess and communicate the potential risks associated with the pollutants the OIG has found in biosolids.