NACWA sent a letter to Capitol Hill on February 28 outlining the Association’s top legislative priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. Congress recently kicked off work on this important legislative initiative, which happens once every 5 years.

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced legislation this week, S.660/H.R.1367, the Water System Threat Preparedness and Resilience Act, which provides federal resources and tools to the WaterISAC to expand membership and further assist drinking water and clean water utilities better prepare and mitigate against cyber security and other growing threats and risks.

In comments on EPA's National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives (NECIs) for Fiscal Years 2024 - 2027, NACWA this week encouraged the Agency to reconsider its proposed designations of PFOA and PFOS as CERCLA hazardous substances in light of its new enforcement goals.

To help members as they continue to respond to the ongoing challenges surrounding PFAS, NACWA is pleased to share a new PFAS Communications Toolkit that includes various resources for utilities responding to public, media, or political leader inquiries.

NACWA is closely tracking several state-based legislative initiatives unfolding in Arizona and Massachusetts, as well as monitoring implementation issues with the recently enacted Maine biosolids ban, each of which could severely impact biosolids management at the local, regional, and potentially national level.

Metro Water Recovery in Denver, Colorado believes there is no such thing as “waste” water. As a headwaters state, every drop of water in the river basins is precious and impacts public health, recreation, aquatic life, agriculture, and drinking water. While Metro Water Recovery’s commitment to stewardship has had a positive impact on the region’s environment for decades, it has not achieved this goal alone.

EPA is offering several upcoming opportunities for the public to directly engage with the Agency around PFAS issues.

EPA recently released initial guidance for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), a major new source of funding created through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

In a major victory for NACWA public utility member the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), a federal district court recently threw out a citizen suit alleging that the utility was not properly enforcing its Clean Water Act (CWA) pretreatment program.

Massachusetts, Colorado, and Hawaii are the latest states looking to address the problem of flushed wipes through legislation. Washington, Oregon, California, and Illinois have already instituted labeling requirements for non-flushable wipes, requiring prominent “Do Not Flush” logos on packages of baby wipes, personal hygiene wipes, disinfecting wipes, and other wipes that are likely to be used in bathrooms and flushed.

Wondering if or how you should participate in EPA’s Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS)? Join us March 8, from 2:00-3:30 PM ET, for a complimentary webinar, Measuring Capital Improvement Needs Through the 2022-2023 Clean Watersheds Needs Survey, to get all the details you need.

On February 24, EPA announced each state, Tribe, and territory Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) allotment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23). These funds, totaling $2.4 billion, represent the supplemental funding each CWSRF will receive for FY23 from the BIL, which is providing additional funding to the SRFs over five years. Note that Congressionally directed projects, or earmarks, will not impact these totals like they do annual SRF funding.

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) is pleased to provide you with the February 2023 Regulatory Update.