» Clean Water Current Archive

July 15, 2011

General Support for Development of SSO Rule Emerges from EPA Facilitated Workshop

During EPA’s day-and-a-half workshop on sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) issues held this week, there was broad-based backing for a comprehensive SSO rule in line with the Association’s long-standing support for such an approach.  NACWA’s representatives for this critical discussion were Ben Horenstein, Manager of Environmental Services at the East Bay Municipal Utility District and Co-Chair of NACWA’s Facility & Collection System Committee, and Lisa Hollander, Special Liaison for Legislative & Regulatory Affairs at the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and Chair of NACWA’s Legal Affairs Committee.  The other participants in the facilitated discussion were the Water Environment Federation (WEF), American Rivers, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Clean Water Action, the Cahaba River Society, the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA), and the League of Cities.  The range of issues discussed at the meeting included monitoring/notification/reporting of SSOs, the need for a Capacity, Management, Operations and Maintenance (C-MOM) approach, peak excess flow treatment/”blending”, and the appropriate standard for allowable or excusable overflow events.  A significant degree of agreement on these issues was found during the discussion, and the workshop concluded with all of the groups, including EPA, expressing an interest to continue working together on a comprehensive SSO rule.

More details on the facilitated workshop are available in Advocacy Alert 11-19.  The workshop will also be the primary topic of discussion during next week’s Facility & Collection System Committee meeting at the NACWA Summer Conference.  More details on the discussions that took place at the workshop will be provided in upcoming NACWA publications.

NACWA Money Matters Regulatory Prioritization Legislation Poised for Capitol Hill

NACWA is pleased to announce that it has finalized a working draft of its regulatory prioritization legislation as a part of its Money Matters . . . Smarter Investment to Advance Clean Water™ campaign.  This legislation is the product of significant work by the Money Matters Task Force and a number of key stakeholder groups.  The legislation sets forth a process under the Clean Water Act (CWA) to prioritize the growing array of regulations.  It takes care to ensure that there can be no backsliding under the CWA and advances an approach that allows municipalities to apply to their State regulatory agency with a compliance schedule priority plan based on one or more changed circumstances set forth in the legislation.  An overview of the legislation, a discussion of next steps, as well as a section-by-section summary of the bill was made available today to the membership via Advocacy Alert 11-18.  The legislation will be a focus of discussions during the Legislative Policy Committee next week during NACWA’s Summer Conference in Chicago.

NACWA Participates in National Dialogue on Agriculture-Water Policy Issues

NACWA was invited to participate in a conference this week hosted by The Future500 organization and sponsored by the Johnson Foundation which brought together leaders from the agricultural, business, environmental, and municipal sector to discuss approaches to address agricultural policy as it relates to water issues in the US.   The three-day conference explored ways to improve programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that support farm safety net and conservation activities to better address water-related concerns, including nutrient run-off.  Participants also discussed approaches to ensure that farm-grown products are produced support better water stewardship by farmers.  NACWA advanced the perspective that farmers must be part of the solution on nutrient loadings in line with the work the Association is doing via its Farm Bill Working Group and a broader advocacy coalition seeking meaningful provisions on nutrient policy in the upcoming Farm Bill.  NACWA has been invited to continue participation in the coalition as it moves forward with its work.

NACWA, ASIWPCA Urge Senate to Maintain Clean Water Funding Levels

This week NACWA and the Association of State & Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA) sent a joint letter to all members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations urging their support for maintaining fiscal year (FY) 2012 funding levels for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) at the FY 2011 level of $1.5 billion.  This letter was sent in the wake of action by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee to dramatically cut funding levels for the CWSRF to $695 million — less than half the FY 2011 level.  The full House is expected to vote o the measure in the coming weeks and is likely to include these spending cuts in the final version.  The NACWA-ASIWPCA letter goes on to state the importance of funding for the CWSRF to the economy, jobs, the environment and public health.  NACWA will continue its aggressive efforts to safeguard the CWSRF and the Association will keep the membership updated on the appropriations process as developments occur.

Continuing Education Units and Professional Development Hours Available at Summer Conference in Chicago

Final planning for NACWA’s 2011 Summer Conference is underway.  Attendance is strong and, as noted in the articles in this week’s Current, there is much for Association Members to discuss.

We are pleased to be providing letters to document attendance for use in securing continuing education units (CEUs) or professional development hours (PDHs) at the Summer Conference.  As an added feature we have also posted Standing Committee agendas and supporting materials on NACWA’s website in advance of the Conference.  Simply visit www.nacwa.org/11summer for all the latest information on the Summer Conference.  We look forward to seeing many of you next week in Chicago.