Clean Water Current Archive

NACWA hosted a webinar, Potential Impacts of PFAS CERCLA Designations on Clean Water Utilities, on Oct. 17 outlining the major provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) and the significant impacts EPA’s proposal to designate PFOA and PFOS as CERCLA hazardous substances could have on clean water utilities.

NACWA was pleased to join with the Water Environment Federation (WEF) on October 11 to sponsor the annual Utility Leaders’ Afternoon at WEFTEC 2022.

EPA hosted a meeting Oct. 19 with NACWA and other associations to discuss an upcoming Agency memo on addressing PFAS in pretreatment and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits.

The U.S. Supreme Court this week began its October term on Oct. 3 by hearing oral arguments in the on-going battle over the scope of federal Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction in the case of Sackett v. EPA. At issue in the case is whether the Sacketts need a CWA Section 404 permit to develop certain wetlands on their property, but before the Court are broader questions concerning the Act’s reach over wetlands as “waters of the United States” (WOTUS).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 issued an updated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for medium-sized POTWs in Massachusetts on September 28. Because this permit is issued by EPA itself and not a Clean Water Act (CWA) authorized state permitting authority, it serves as a good example of how EPA would like to see delegated states craft their permits.

Members of Congress are home in their states and districts this month during a congressional recess as they campaign for the upcoming General Election on November 8. This is the perfect time to reach out to your federal elected officials and educate them on the importance of your utility's work to protect public health and the environment in your community.

NACWA recently joined a coalition of fellow clean water utility associations and nonwoven fabrics industry partners in sending a letter to Senate Commerce Committee leadership in support of S. 3956, the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act.

The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed bipartisan legislation that will help expedite the ability for communities, especially smaller and rural, to access Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance for relatively small projects.

NACWA joined fellow public sector organizations in sending a letter on Sept. 29 to Senate Leaders Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the respective Chair and Ranking Member for the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Jack Reed (D-RI) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK), voicing opposition to including S. 4295, the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA), as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced Sept. 24 that EPA plans to combine the Agency’s existing environmental justice (EJ) and civil rights offices into a single new national program office headed by a Senate-confirmed assistant administrator.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched a $1 billion, four-year cybersecurity grant program for state, local, and territorial governments. The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and the Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program will help these entities address cybersecurity risks.

With a September 30th funding deadline fast approaching, Congress is working to finalize a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government in operation. The Senate voted 72-13 late on Sept. 27 to advance a CR that would keep the government funded at existing levels until December 16.

NACWA will be hosting a webinar from 2 – 3 PM (Eastern) on Monday, October 17th addressing EPA’s recent proposal to designate two PFAS substances – PFOA and PFOS – as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund).

NACWA staff joined the National Rural Water Association (NWRA) this week for its annual WaterPro Conference at the National Harbor outside of Washington, DC. The event brought together over 1700 attendees representing water and wastewater utility systems, large and small, municipal, and rural from across the country to connect and share best practices.

NACWA Board Member Mike Witt, General Counsel for the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) in Newark, NJ, testified September 20 on behalf of NACWA before the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee’s Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee to discuss the key role public clean water utilities have had in the success of the Clean Water Act (CWA) over the last 50 years.

NACWA helped organize a joint letter last week with the Water Environment Federation (WEF), American Water Works Association (AWWA), Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), and California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) requesting an extended notice-and-comment period to allow for a more thorough analysis of EPA’s recent proposal designating two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous substances under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).

As the Pennsylvania Legislature continues to consider legislation that could unfairly make privatization of public utilities in the state easier, NACWA weighed in this week on behalf of its Pennsylvania utility members in a letter to state lawmakers.

NACWA recently wrote a guest blog for River Network as part of their celebration of the Clean Water Act’s 50th anniversary and rollout of the 3rd Edition of their Clean Water Act Owner's Manual next month. NACWA was part of River Network’s Advisory Group for the Manual.

As clean water utilities struggle with the fallout from decades of upstream PFAS manufacturing and use, utility executives and in-house practitioners will be able to hear from the attorney who made PFAS a household name.

Water sector utilities may experience disruptions in deliveries of chlorine and other chemicals due to an ongoing labor dispute between major railroads and labor union. Given the severe operational challenges this could cause for clean water utilities, a group of water sector organizations including NACWA have asked Congress to intervene.