NACWA hosted 70 utility leaders and affiliates at the Great Lakes Regional Utility Forum on May 7-8, to discuss a variety of issues impacting the region. The Forum featured a keynote address from Cathy Stepp, EPA Region 5 Administrator, in which she shared her vision for cooperative federalism, and resetting the relationship between Region 5 and the regulated community.

Collaborative advocacy in the clean water sector continues this week during Infrastructure Week, May 14-21 – a national week of events, media outreach/coverage, public education, and other activities which elevate infrastructure as a critical issue that impacts all Americans.

NACWA convened member and non-member utilities discharging to Long Island Sound (LIS) and its tributaries on May 9, to discuss EPA’s recent work to address nutrient-related water quality impacts in the Sound.

NACWA delivered a national update on its regulatory, legislative, and legal stormwater advocacy efforts at the annual Stormwater Summit, hosted by the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies (ORACWA) last week in Eugene, OR.

The Association participated last week, in the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) 112th Annual Conference in St. Louis, MO, to discuss the importance of federal investment in our nation’s water and clean water infrastructure.

The Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee introduced its 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) this week titled, the “America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018.” The legislation incorporates numerous NACWA priorities that the Association has been advocating to be included in the bill. NACWA greatly appreciates the consideration EPW has given Association priorities, and is pleased by this critical development. The bill has been developed by the EPW Committee working on a bipartisan basis for several months.

Congressman Randy Hultgren (R-IL) and Representative C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), co-chairs of the Municipal Finance Caucus, have introduced H.R. 5003, legislation that would amend the federal tax code to reinstate advance refunding of municipal bonds. This week, NACWA joined a coalition letter urging Members of Congress to sign onto, and help advance, this important legislation.

EPA announced the availability of the Final 2016 Effluent Guidelines Program (ELG) Plan on May 2, with the complete Plan now available on EPA's website. EPA stated in the ELG Plan that the Agency will be studying the management of wastewater from both conventional and unconventional oil and gas extraction wastewater.

NACWA organized and facilitated a panel discussion on affordability and community outreach by public clean water utilities last week, at the River Rally conference, which is the annual gathering of river activists organized by the River Network.

Conversations on potential increases in funding for the water sector continue to involve explorations of the right levels of private engagement; the role of peer-to-peer partnerships; and how fragmentation in the public water and wastewater sector – with thousands of small water and wastewater systems across the country – may limit how much progress can be made.

Collaborative advocacy in the clean water sector continues with Infrastructure Week (May 14-21) – a national week of events, media outreach/coverage, public education, and other activities which elevate Infrastructure as a critical public affairs issue that impacts all Americans.

Several pieces of legislation were introduced in the House of Representatives last week that would provide increased funding for communities to invest in their aging water and wastewater systems, as well as deal with the effects of extreme weather.

Congress has begun work on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 funding process, as both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees started scheduling budget hearings and receiving funding priorities from members and outside witnesses.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) hosted an annual National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) meeting in Washington DC last week to discuss critical water quality issues and emerging scientific applications throughout the country.

NACWA presented at the Texas Water 2018 conference in San Antonio, TX on April 24, providing a national update on the Association’s legislative, regulatory, and legal advocacy efforts, which include recent efforts on federal funding, integrated planning, blending, and Clean Water Act liability for discharges into groundwater.

The NACWA Security and Emergency Preparedness Committee will have a web meeting on May 21, 2:00-3:15 pm ET, to focus on how Texas utilities recovered from Hurricane Harvey.

The National Stormwater Advocacy Network (NSAN) held a quarterly conference call on April 27 and discussed a variety of important stormwater issues that continue to challenge municipalities across the country.

Building upon far-reaching discussions at NACWA's 2018 Winter Conference that were centered around how utilities are addressing resiliency and disaster recovery, the Association is co-sponsoring a one-day workshop on National Flood Risk Resiliency.

After a highly successful Water Week and National Water Policy Fly-In, we, as an Association of public clean water utilities, should work even harder to keep the advocacy momentum going.