Water Sector News
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Garamendi water infrastructure bill passes committee
A bill by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Solano, to support local wastewater treatment and water recycling infrastructure projects unanimously passed the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Tuesday.
The bill is part of House Resolution 1497, which aims to reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
Garamendi’s bill aims to extend the maximum term for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System issued under the federal Clean Water Act from five to 10 years. Garamendi’s office wrote that this change would better reflect construction schedules for public agencies.
“Current federal law only provides for 5-year NPDES permits terms, which do not reflect construction schedules for public water and wastewater treatment projects,” Garamendi’s office wrote in a news release. “The American Society of Civil Engineers rates America’s wastewater infrastructure at D+ grade, requiring $271 billion in public investment over the next 25 years.”