Clean Water Current Archive

During a December 2 meeting with stakeholders, including NACWA, EPA provided additional details on further revisions it has made to its draft Financial Capability Assessment (FCA) document, which would update the Agency’s now nearly 25-year-old guidance. EPA plans to release the revised document for another round of comments by the end of 2021 or in early 2022.

EPA sent a letter last week to the governors of all U.S. states and territories outlining their respective Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) funding allocations that will soon be provided to them under the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill (IIJA/BIF) that President Biden signed into law on November 15th.

EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) next definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) has officially arrived via proposed rulemaking.

During its November meeting, the Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC) was briefed on the Biden Administration’s plans to promote industrial control system (ICS) security in critical infrastructure sectors, including the water sector.

NACWA is excited to announce the recent hires of two new additions to our federal advocacy team. Tony Frye and Danielle Cloutier will focus on advancing NACWA’s federal legislative advocacy and engaging with our members on top priorities. Both come to NACWA with significant experience in clean water issues.

Even before President Biden’s signature was dry on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law two weeks ago, EPA began looking toward implementation of new, historic funding levels, which includes a total of $55 billion toward the water sector (see here for a breakdown of those funds). ​

Congress returned to Washington this week on the heels of their Thanksgiving state and district work periods with a plate full of major issues up for consideration – several with deadlines before the year’s end.

NACWA joined with the North Carolina Water Quality Association (NCWQA) this week on an amicus brief supporting a North Carolina county’s collection of uniform water and sewer impact fees from claims by developers that such fees are unlawful “takings” under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

NACWA submitted comments on November 29 to EPA on a recent proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) on Estimating Benefits of Surface Water Quality Improvements, published in the Federal Register in September.

Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) made an announcement on November 18 that a new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) definition is on its way.

he Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) recently released a report, Poor Cybersecurity Makes Water a Weak Link in Critical Infrastructure, on the deficiencies of the water sector’s cybersecurity and how cybersecurity could be improved by utilities.

USA Today published an article Dec. 1 exploring the potential impacts of climate change on combined sewer overflow (CSO) communities. The article quotes NACWA and a number of NACWA utility members.

President Joe Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) on Nov. 15 in front of a bipartisan group of lawmakers. The $1.2 trillion package provides the largest federal clean water federal investments in decades for communities to update aging infrastructure, as well as help address growing climate, water quality, and affordability challenges.

The U.S. Senate began consideration this week of its version of the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which fortunately does not include problematic PFAS provisions for the public clean water utility sector.

NACWA’s Board of Directors and standing committee leaders gathered this week in Charleston, SC for the Association’s annual Fall Leadership Meeting. This was the first NACWA in-person event since February 2020, and attendees were thrilled to see one another and gather together.

After several years of ongoing discussions in Washington, DC about the need for comprehensive infrastructure legislation, and NACWA’s continuous advocacy to ensure public clean water utilities were a key component, Congress finally acted Nov.5 by passing a $1.2 trillion bipartisan bill, H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which President Biden is expected to sign into law next week.

NACWA hosted a webinar Nov. 9 for public clean water utility executives on the growing challenges presented by PFAS chemicals.

NACWA filed an amicus brief last week supporting a group of Maryland municipalities challenging a state-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit for small MS4 operators that includes requirements beyond the maximum extent practicable (MEP) standard and requires MS4s to address nonpoint source runoff and other third-party stormwater discharges that neither flow into nor discharge from their systems.

John Sullivan, Chief Engineer for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission and a member of the NACWA Board of Directors, testified last week on behalf of the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC) before the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee.

NACWA participated in EPA’s Urban Waters Federal Partnership (Partnership) virtual 10-year Anniversary Celebration Event on Nov. 9 to highlight the milestone of the Partnership and recommit to a Framework for the Future.