» Clean Water Current Archive

September 19, 2014

NACWA Continues Push to Fund Integrated Planning Pilot Program

NACWA has been working with a group of bipartisan members in the House and Senate to include funding in EPA’s FY 2015 budget for an Integrated Planning Pilot Program. The Pilot Program would provide funding assistance for two communities in each EPA region to develop integrated plans.

In July, the House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies included $2 million for this request in its proposed FY 15 EPA spending package. Unfortunately, the Senate’s proposed package does not contain this funding. As detailed in Advocacy Alert 14-20, NACWA is requesting that Member Agencies submit a letter to Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the Subcommittee Chair and Ranking Member, urging them to accept the House proposal and ensure that the $2 million proposed for an EPA Integrated Planning pilot program is maintained as House and Senate Appropriators negotiate a final FY 15 EPA budget.

For information on how to contact your Senators, please refer to NACWA’s Congressional Toolbox. For any questions or additional assistance, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

National Disaster Resilience Grants Available for Eligible Municipalities

U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, announced the launch this week of a $1 billion National Disaster Resilience Competition.  Eligible applicants for the competition will be the states with qualifying disasters and those units of general local government who received Community Development Block Grant funds for disaster recovery (CDBG-DR) for disasters occurring in the last 3 years.  Eligible potential applicants from 67 states, districts, territories, and local governments have been identified.  This is a tremendous opportunity for NACWA members who have been impacted by natural disasters and are incorporating resilience into their long term planning.  Eligible utilities can begin applying for funds immediately.  NACWA will meet with HUD staff implementing this program in the coming week.  Please let This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it know if your utility anticipates applying for the grant funding.

Web Seminar Focuses on Sustainable Infrastructure, Series Concludes Next Week

Resilient utilities are a top priority for local governments and the Administration, and on Tuesday, the second in a series of three web seminars in NACWA’s Charting a Path to the Utility of the Future series tackled the relevant issues of resilience and sustainable infrastructure.  Sustainable Infrastructure — Resiliency, Gray, Green & the Regulatory Regime represented a wide variety of perspectives and included presentation and discussion from two forward-thinking utilities, EPA, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).  Mo Minkara, the Manager of the City of Chattanooga Water Quality/NPDES Program highlighted the City’s resource: Rain program which includes the application of stormwater green infrastructures practices, all while implementing the first Stormwater Utility in Tennessee.  Carter Strickland, former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, focused on the fact that cities are doing serious work on sustainability, while regulators continue to use fines and rigid mandates that are not suited to the task of addressing infrastructure and funding challenges – especially in the face of long-term green infrastructure planning like that outlined in plaNYC.  Chris Kloss, with EPA’s Office of Water, provided insights into how the Agency sees green infrastructure program as building community resilience, and the recently announced Federal Green Infrastructure Collaborative.  Author of a recent report on leveraging State Revolving Funds (SRF) for resilient communities, NRDC’s Ben Chou briefed attendees on how states around the country are making conservation, innovation and green projects eligible for SRF funding.  The presentations and materials from the web seminar series are available on NACWA’s website.  At the final installment of the series – on Tuesday, September 23 – attendees will hear from some of the most savvy minds in nontraditional infrastructure financing when Innovative Financing & Rates — Finding New Revenue & Stretching Each Dollar convenes. Registration for next week is still available.  Register today!

Join NACWA & Jazz It Up at WEFTEC

Join NACWA in New Orleans for WEFTEC ’14. The Association will again collaborate with WEF to convene the Utility Leaders Morning on Tuesday, September 30. The morning’s events include:

• • • Hot Topics Breakfast - 8:00 – 9:45 am, Morial Convention Center, Rooms 275 – 277
      Ken Kopocis, Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water, and President Obama’s nominee to head that office, will keynote the Hot Topics Breakfast. The Breakfast will also feature remarks from Andrew Sawyers, Director of the Office of Wastewater Management; Betsy Southerland, Director of the Office of Science & Technology; Benita Best-Wong, Director of the Office of Wetlands, Oceans & Watersheds; and, Peter Grevatt, Director of the Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water. Discussion topics include the recent revisions to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the new Water Infrastructure Finance & Innovation Authority (WIFIA) loan guaranty program; the latest developments on integrated planning and affordability; the Waters of the U.S. rulemaking; water reuse; EPA’s response to the drinking water contamination issue in Toledo; and more. RSVP today for this complimentary event at www.nacwa.org/14htb.
      
      
    • Utility Executives Forum - 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Morial Convention Center, Rooms 275 – 277
      This year’s Forum will feature rebranding water utilities as resource recovery facilities. Harlan Kelly, Jr, General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and Tom Sigmund, Executive Director of NEW Water – both NACWA Board Members – will share their personal perspectives and experiences. RSVP today at http://www.wefnet.org/rsvp.

NACWA Staff to Speak During WEFTEC14

Be sure to be on the lookout for NACWA staff speaking at the following sessions:

• • • W13 Water Quality Trading: Real Life Successes and Lessons Learned
      September 27, 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Morial Convention Center, Room 244
      NACWA has been working with the National Network on Water Quality Trading to help develop a set of shared principles and recommendations for implementing consistent and rigorous water quality trading programs. Patricia Sinicropi, NACWA’s Director of Legislative Affairs will provide a clean water utility perspective to water quality trading, including the drivers and obstacles for trading with nonpoint sources and examples of utilities who have integrated water quality trading into their regular operations.
      
      
    • Technical Session 319: Stormwater Policy Updates and Discussion
      September 30, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm, Morial Convention Center, Room 245
      NACWA’s General Counsel, Nathan Gardner-Andrews will be discussing legal rulings on stormwater, retention standards, water quality trading and more from the MS4 perspective.
      
      
    • Technical Session 441: Hot Topics Session:
      Discussions On Legal, Regulatory, and Policy Hot Topics
      September 30, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm, Morial Convention Center, Room 253
      Look out again for Nathan Gardner-Andrews as he joins with other subject matter experts as they discuss hot topics affecting municipal utilities. Issues will include the latest EPA regulatory activities involving the Waters of the United States jurisdiction proposed rule, criteria development, guidance and directives, integrated planning, developments in legislation important to utilities such as changes to the SRF program and other funding legislation.

National Clean Water Law Seminar to Address Critical Legal Issues

Registration is now open for NACWA’s 2014 National Clean Water Law Seminar. Slated for November 19 – 21 in St. Pete Beach, Florida, the Seminar is the only one of its kind offering a thorough examination of key legal and regulatory challenges and opportunities relevant to the municipal clean water community. Featuring some of the nation’s leading clean water attorneys and current and former high level EPA and state regulatory officials as speakers, the Seminar is an indispensable tool for clean water practitioners.

This year’s program will include new features such as a panel of top EPA and state regulatory officials who will engage in a discussion on the hottest clean water legal and regulatory topics of the day. In addition, a panel of veteran clean water practitioners will share Confessions of a Middle-Aged CWA by examining the Act’s strengths and weakness, and provide key legal insights on what to expect going forward. There will also be new introductory primer sessions on the Clean Air Act and biosolids regulations, along with the always popular Clean Water Act Primer. Other sessions will address the latest developments and legal considerations related to integrated planning, stormwater, green infrastructure, wet weather enforcement, affordability and financing,

As in past years, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits, including ethics credits, will be available. Additional details on the Seminar, including hotel and registration information and a preliminary agenda, are available on NACWA’s website. Make your plans now to join us in Florida!

Apply. Earn Recognition. Celebrate!

NACWA is now accepting applications for its National Environmental Achievement Award program.  Member Agencies have the opportunity to be recognized for their innovative and ground-breaking projects and initiatives in wastewater treatment, stormwater management, or wastewater conveyance.   Additionally, Agencies are encouraged to nominate individuals that have made a significant impact on their utility, the clean water industry, or the environment.  Award eligibility and criteria are available on NACWA’s website.  Applications are due October 20, 2014.  Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with questions regarding this program.

NACWA Year-At-A- Glance – The Power of Association

The 2013-2014 Year-At-A-Glance – The Power of Association is now available. Showcasing the many achievements of the previous year, this document solidifies NACWA’s leadership as the advocate for the clean water community. Successfully advocating to extend Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan repayment up to 30 years; securing opportunities for innovative nutrient management solutions; launching the Toilets are Not Trashcans! campaign; and, honoring Member Agencies for outstanding contributions to environmental protection and the clean water community are just some of what is featured.

This publication was mailed to all NACWA member primary contacts along with the FY 2015 dues renewal notice on Monday, September 15. Additional hard copies are available for your Board or City Council. To request copies, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Web Seminar Features Urban and Rural Environmental Justice Issues, Biosolids

This week’s Legal Hot Topics Web Seminar featured compelling presentations on environmental justice issues and current legal developments impacting the land application of biosolids. NACWA Board Member Andrew Kricun, Executive Director/Chief Engineer, Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, kicked things off with a presentation on Urban Environmental Justice – A New Jersey Case Study. Camden’s dedication to environmental justice initiatives is laudable and should serve as a national model for clean water agencies. Kricun shared the Camden case study, demonstrated how doing the right thing does not necessarily lead to increased costs and rate increases, and offered recommendations on how every clean water agency can and should consider environmental justice in its planning process.

NACWA Blog of the Week:
Give and Take: California’s Ongoing Effort to Reduce Costs of Compliance

Guest Blogger Adam Link, Director of Government Affairs for California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) discusses how California clean water utilities are working with the state regulators to find a middle ground on the costs of compliance.  CASA has found that sometimes the give and take is the best solution for these complicated problems.  Read on and find out more on collaborative give and take or better yet subscribe to The Water Voice and never miss a post.