As Congress ramps up its legislative work for the fall, NACWA is in full force on Capitol Hill to advocate and ensure any PFAS legislation includes a targeted exemption for public clean water utilities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and that any spending bills include the highest levels of federal clean water funding.

NACWA was pleased to join with other major water sector associations on a Sept. 7 letter to President Biden calling on him to ensure that his Administration holds polluters – and not local communities and their water ratepayers – responsible for the costs of addressing PFAS pollution and contamination.

NACWA General Counsel Amanda Aspatore took a quick trip to New Jersey to discuss biosolids with utility representatives at the New Jersey Water Environment Association (NJWEA) Autumn Technology Transfer Seminar.

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) offers free cyber vulnerability scanning for drinking water and wastewater utilities, and a new factsheet explains the details of this program.

WSSC Water is among the nation’s largest water and wastewater utilities, serving 1.9 million residents in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties in Maryland. The bi-county utility is not only committed to providing safe and reliable drinking water to its customers while protecting the environment, but it is also dedicated to educating local schools on the vital role of water and wastewater utilities.

The U.S. EPA and Army Corps of Engineers recently issued a new final rule amending their Jan. 2023 definition of "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS), which outlines which waters fall under the federal purview of the Clean Water Act.

In August 28 comments, NACWA asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness and environmental impacts of at-home disposal methods for unused opioid medications before encouraging their widespread use.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued final guidance to federal agencies on August 18th on how to implement the Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced $379 million in funding for the second year of a four-year, $1 billion cybersecurity grant program for state, local, and territorial governments.