Clean Water Current Archive

NACWA, in partnership with the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) and the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA), is pleased to share with members a new report prepared by Stone Environmental detailing a more thorough “how-to” guide to understanding how the Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM) may be used to screen for PFAS potentially leaching into groundwater from land applied residuals and biosolids.

NACWA is continuing its support and partnership with the Northeast Biosolids and Residuals Association (NEBRA) on the 2nd National Biosolids Regulation, Quality, End Use and Disposal Survey.

We encourage all clean water communications professionals to register for this year’s StratComm: H2O virtual event, taking place next Monday and Tuesday, June 14 and 15, from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST.

The White House announced the official launch of the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) on June 2, housed at U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

The White House released its Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Federal Budget on May 28. The long-awaited proposal, which was previewed back in April, lays out the President’s proposal for how to advance its priorities through annual spending in the federal fiscal year which begins October 1, 2021.

Early this week, the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri sided with multiple state clean water associations and NACWA in denying the request of environmental organizations to overturn EPA’s approval of Missouri’s nutrient water quality standards for lakes.

Oregon’s bill to require “Do Not Flush” labeling on wipes, HB2344, is awaiting Governor Kate Brown’s signature. Once signed into law, Oregon will be the second state with a law requiring a clear “Do Not Flush” logo on baby wipes, cleaning wipes, and other wipes that are not designed to be flushed. Washington enacted a similar law last year.

EPA this week published a Federal Register notice outlining its intention to reconsider and, as necessary, revise the regulations finalized in July 2020 governing the process and requirements for Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 state water quality certifications.

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Rep. John Katko (R-NY) introduced bipartisan legislation last week that would establish a permanent low-income water customer assistance program housed at U.S. EPA.

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee voted 14-6 in bipartisan fashion today to advance to the full Senate the nomination of Radhika Fox to be U.S. EPA Assistant Administrator of the Office of Water.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently selected Biobot Analytics, a NACWA affiliate member, to partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to monitor the presence of SARs-CoV-2 in wastewater on a national scale.

Utility pretreatment professionals gathered with state and federal regulators last week for the National Pretreatment Virtual Event, jointly hosted by NACWA and the Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA).

EPA this week rescinded its October 2020 rule establishing certain internal agency procedures and requirements concerning the issuance, revision and withdrawal of guidance documents, including those related to public engagement and petitions for review. According to EPA, the rule deprived the Agency of necessary flexibility to issue timely and reliable guidance to the public.

Building on the positive infrastructure discussions between the White House and Congressional leaders last week, Congress is continuing its work on infrastructure this week with hearings in both the House and Senate. Senate Republicans are also finalizing their new counteroffer to President Biden’s plan, which they are expected to release in the coming days.

In comments on an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM), NACWA supported EPA’s step towards developing effluent limitation guidelines (ELGs) and pretreatment standards for discharges of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from PFAS formulators and manufacturers. EPA published the ANPRM, which applies to the Organic Chemicals, Plastics, and Synthetic Fibers (OCPSF) point source category, on March 17.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a subset agency within the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published an update on the toxicological profile for 10 specific PFAS chemicals on May 5.

The U.S. Treasury released initial guidance for the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSLFRF) on May 10. The CSLFRF is the $350 Billion pot of funding provided in the COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Act signed into law in March 2021 that includes water and sewer infrastructure as an eligible use.

Infrastructure discussions ramped up this week between the White House and Congress as President Biden and Democrat and Republican Congressional leaders met to discuss a potential bipartisan path forward on a comprehensive infrastructure package.

Following the announcement by U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan during Water Week about the formation of a new EPA Council on PFAS, NACWA is preparing a letter to the Council’s co-chairs – EPA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox and EPA Region 1’s Acting Administrator Deb Szaro – highlighting the Association’s priorities and recommendations for federal next steps on addressing PFAS.

NACWA’s Water Quality Committee met virtually last week and discussed a variety of issues including wastewater based-epidemiology, PFAS, and activity in the environmental justice landscape.