NACWA is pleased to release a white paper today that outlines various funding and financing options the federal government could pursue to help municipal clean water utilities recover from the current economic challenges facing the sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NACWA is devoting this issue of the Current to an expression of our solidarity with those seeking to end racism and all its forms of injustice in our country and who are demanding a move beyond the deep divisions that have far too often led to hatred, brutal violence and the unnecessary death of Black Americans.

Clean water utilities have operated resource recovery systems at their treatment plants for many years without clear direction from U.S. EPA as to the status of the recovered materials.

In a departure from its much-criticized eco-regional approach to developing nutrient criteria, EPA published draft water quality criteria recommendations for lakes and reservoirs in the May 22 Federal Register that rely on statistical, stressor-response relationships using data collected from hundreds of lakes.

Since the U.S. House’s passage earlier this month of its next phase of COVID-19 relief, the Heroes Act, Congressional action has slowed on reaching bipartisan agreement for a new legislative package.

NACWA convened a panel of clean water legal experts last week to provide clean water utility leaders and attorneys with information designed to help navigate permitting and enforcement issues arising from COVID-19.

This coming Monday and Tuesday, June 1-2 at 2:00 p.m. EST, NACWA will host its first Strategic Communications H2O Virtual Event.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the latest round of COVID-19 stimulus legislation this past Friday, May 15th, signaling the start of the next phase of negotiations over addition federal relief to state and local governments.