As NACWA members meet with their Congressional Delegations over the August work period, please ask your Senators and Representatives to oppose proposed deep cuts to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) for Fiscal Year (FY24).

NACWA has been actively advocating for targeted protection for water systems against PFAS liability as the EPA moves towards listing the chemicals under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The U.S. Senate is presently reviewing PFAS legislation, aiming to advance a bill after the August recess.

NACWA recently filed comments in response to EPA’s advanced notice of proposed rulemaking soliciting feedback on the potential designation of precursors of PFOA and PFOS, as well as seven additional PFAS, including GenX, and their precursors, as hazardous substances under CERCLA.

In a long-awaited decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently ruled against NACWA public utility member, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), in the city’s challenge to a Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued jointly by U.S. EPA and the State of California.

EPA recently announced that approximately $50 million dollars in grants will be awarded to states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories for municipalities to plan, design, and construct projects that will help mitigate combined sewer overflows (CSOs), sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) and manage stormwater.

In July 31 comments on EPA’s Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, NACWA emphasized the importance of source control to prevent plastics from entering the water environment. The Draft Strategy contains multiple potential actions related to three objectives: 1) reduce pollution during plastics production; 2) improve post-use materials management; and 3) prevent trash and micro/nanoplastics from entering waterways and remove escaped trash from the environment.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) added Water Systems to their existing Community Lifelines on August 1, which improve the identification and representation of the water sector in emergency response procedures, protocols, and frameworks. The Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC) has advocated for this addition for many years.

NACWA’s Director of Legislative Affairs, Jason Isakovic, moderated a panel last week at the annual Water Finance Conference in Cleveland, Ohio on current federal funding and legislative issues.

In the ever-evolving world of water projects, the concept of Progressive Design-Build (PDB) has emerged as a game changer.