During late August and the Labor Day recess, limited negotiations between Congressional leadership and the White House continued around priority issues for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 funding and additional COVID-19 relief.

NACWA submitted comments September 3 to EPA on the Agency’s new proposed allocation formula for the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants Program. These comments come after EPA issued a notice in early August seeking public feedback on a proposed allocation formula for distributing grant money to states through this program, which has recently been funded for the first time.

NACWA will be hosting a legal hot topics webinar, Wipe Out: How States and Municipalities are "Flushing" the Wipes Dilemma, on September 16 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. EST. The webinar will provide information about recent legislative and legal actions related to wipes, along with an overview of technical issues, public education efforts and media coverage of the wipes issue.

With input from the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) and NACWA, Raftelis, a NACWA Affiliate Member, has developed an online questionnaire that will help develop an up-to-date understanding of the trends and revenue impacts utilities around the country are experiencing related to delinquent customer accounts and lower system usage resulting from the economic fallout of COVID-19.