Clean Water Current Archive

EPA is seeking information from utilities on the benefits they have received from using the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). To collect this information, the Agency has developed a survey form and partnered with NACWA to distribute it.

The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee held a markup Oct. 29 of an amended H.R. 1497, the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2019, and passed the legislation with strong bipartisan support.

NACWA and the Montana League of Cities and Towns (the League) filed an appeal with the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit of the March and July federal district court rulings in a case brought by an environmental group challenging the EPA’s approval of Montana’s general nutrient variance for municipal dischargers.

EPA held a regulatory briefing Oct. 25 for intergovernmental associations on the Agency’s proposed Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) Long-Term Revisions.

The US Senate this week is debating a multi-bill Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) appropriations package which includes the Interior & Environment Appropriations measure to fund the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and key clean water programs.

Two key pieces of legislation NACWA strongly supports have been introduce on a bipartisan basis in the Senate and House in recent days.

EPA announced its Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 14 in an October 24 Federal Register notice.

The Water Research Foundation (WRF), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and NACWA joined together this week to release a guide that can help drinking water utilities and clean water utilities evaluate potential utility partnerships.

Over the past several months, the strong advocacy efforts by countless NACWA members have played a pivotal role in educating Members of Congress and their staffs about the problematic PFAS provisions included in the House passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (H.R. 2500).

EPA announced 38 projects on Oct. 22 that have been invited to apply for the third round of Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program loans. The total combined amount of the loans is almost $6 billion, which will be leveraged to finance over $12 billion in water infrastructure investment.

In current litigation challenging EPA's approval of the Montana nutrient variance, EPA (through the Department of Justice) has filed a motion under Federal Rule 59(e), asking the district court judge to amend his judgment in the case.

EPA’s proposed Methods Update Rule was published in the Federal Register on October 22. The proposed rule will update several categories.

EPA held an in-person and online public listening session Oct. 21 on its recent proposed water quality trading policy that was published in the Federal Register in September.

NACWA CEO, Adam Krantz (center) was pleased to present six Peak Performance Awards to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to its Commissioners, Executive Director Brian Perkovich (front, far right), and key MWRD staff.

The New England Regional Pretreatment Coordinators Association (NERPCA) held its annual workshop October 22-23, with over 150 attendees from public clean water utilities and state regulatory agencies.

After a two-week home state and district work period, Congress is back in session this week with a busy legislative agenda ahead before the Thanksgiving recess that includes several key items for the public clean water sector.

NACWA met last week with Jeffrey Bossert Clark, Assistant Attorney General (AG) for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed proposed revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) on October 10 which will impact public water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The White House released two new administrative orders last week that seek to provide the regulated community with more predictability related to federal agency regulatory guidance documents and enforcement actions.