Congress is staring down another critical federal funding deadline this week, with the current Continuing Resolution funding the government expiring on Friday, March 23rd. This means Congress either needs to pass its final Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) omnibus funding package by then or pass yet another short-term Continuing Resolution to avoid a government shutdown.

A bipartisan letter from over 90 Members of Congress was sent to the House Interior & Environment Appropriations Subcommittee last week, requesting a doubling of the State Revolving Funds (SRFs) in Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) over currently enacted levels. This request mirrors asks from NACWA and other water sector groups.

NACWA and a number of members – including representatives from Texas where utilities are facing major permit challenges – met with key EPA staff on March 15 to discuss how the growing trend in surface water salinity impacts the municipal clean water community.

NACWA submitted a letter to Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, Regional Administrator, EPA Region 1, to expand on the issues that were raised during a February 15 meeting with Dunn and several senior EPA staff members.

NACWA and the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities (CIFA) plan to begin a series of discussion on potential policy reform proposals to streamline and simplify the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Program.

Bob Winters, a Protective Security Advisor (PSA) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), gave a presentation to NACWA’s Security & Emergency Preparedness Committee during a March 19 web meeting.

NACWA submitted comments on March 15 with recommendations for EPA’s preliminary ecological risk assessment for pyriproxyfen, a pesticide used in pet flea control products.

Speaker confirmations, registration and attendance projections for Water Week 2018 - and its highlight event, the National Water Policy Fly-In (NWPF) on April 17 and 18 - are growing. Don't miss out on your chance to attend the most significant national clean water policy event of the year!

AlexRenew, the water resource recovery facility for the City of Alexandria and parts of Fairfax County, Virginia, was largely invisible in the community until the last few years. Its citizen board-created “2040 vision” – with a focus on community engagement, as well as a rebranding – were catalysts to AlexRenew throwing off its cloak of invisibility and creating a comprehensive outreach program, including educational centers.