» Clean Water Current Archive

July 2, 2009

GAO Releases Long-Awaited Trust Fund Report; NACWA to Testify at July 15 Hearing

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its long-awaited report on options for financing and structuring a clean water trust fund in what marks an important step in NACWA’s advocacy efforts to secure a long-term, sustainable source of revenue to address the infrastructure funding gap.  Following up on the release of the report, NACWA was asked to testify at a July 15 hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment about GAO’s findings and a trust fund bill expected to be introduced July 14 by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.).  Tom Walsh, the engineer-director of the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District, a NACWA member agency in Worcester, Mass., will testify for the association.

GAO’s report provides an impartial analysis of possible revenue sources to support a $10 billion per year trust fund.  NACWA released a detailed analysis July 1 of the report in its Legislative Alert 09-15.  Over the past year, NACWA has met with GAO officials as they were researching the report, and provided information analyzing the six possible revenue sources for a water trust fund identified by Blumenauer as he finalizes his trust fund legislation.  The sources include fees on bottled beverages, “flushables,” pesticides and fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, a permit fee on industrial dischargers of certain toxic chemical pollutants, and a clean water restoration fee similar to what is available as part of the superfund program.  NACWA supports revenue sources that are fair, equitable, and firewalled, keeping in mind that municipalities currently shoulder approximately 95 percent of water infrastructure funding costs.

NACWA issued a press release when the report came out expressing appreciation to the members of Congress for requesting it, and pointing out why a trust fund is so important to the clean water community.   Reps. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chair of the House T&I Committee; Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), chair of the subcommittee, and Blumenauer, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, requested the report during the 110th Congress.  The GAO report itself included significant background on the challenges facing public agencies including the growing clean water infrastructure funding gap.  “Although federal, state, and local governments invest billions of dollars annually in wastewater infrastructure—a total of about $40 billion in 2006—EPA and others have estimated that current spending levels may not be adequate to cover the costs of maintaining and replacing pipes, treatment plants, and other parts of this infrastructure,” the report said. “According to EPA’s estimates, a potential gap of about $150 billion to $400 billion between projected future infrastructure needs and current levels of spending could occur over the next decade.”

NACWA will continue working closely with Rep. Blumenauer to generate support for the trust fund legislation and will keep members informed of progress as this important effort moves forward.

NACWA, Water Sector Partners Meet with EPA on Collection System Attributes

NACWA, the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) met with staff from the EPA Office of Wastewater Management Tuesday to discuss ongoing efforts to develop a consistent set of management guidelines for sanitary sewer collection systems.  For the past year and a half, volunteers from NACWA and WEF (APWA joined the effort earlier this year) have been drafting the Core Attributes of Effectively Managed Wastewater Collection Systems, a list of 12 attributes that comprise the range of activities essential to maintaining a well run collection system.  With clear guidance lacking on the national level, the associations hope the attributes will provide treatment utilities and satellite collection system managers with a concise and consistent framework for managing their collection infrastructure.  NACWA, APWA and WEF plan to ask their respective boards to adopt the core attributes in the coming months, but there is interest in securing participation from EPA.  During the briefing, EPA noted the parallels between the collection system effort and the recent Effective Utility Management work and expressed an interest in potentially building on that successful collaboration with the new collection system attributes.  NACWA, APWA, and WEF plan to reach out to the environmental activist community next before seeking final Board approval later this year.  NACWA members may review the attributes by contacting NACWA’s This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Climate Change Bill Passes House; NACWA to Push for Adaptation Language in Senate

Legislation, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 2454), that would set up a cap-and-trade system to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a framework for mitigating the effects of climate change, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, 219-212 late last week.  While the bill is a major step in efforts to address climate change, it did not include an amendment strongly supported by the clean water community that would have created a competitive grants program administered by EPA to help clean water entities adapt to changes in the climate.  NACWA provided an analysis of the bill in an April Legislative Alert 09-08.

NACWA and other water associations and environmental groups worked with Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) on an amendment that would have created the grants program to help communities adapt.  NACWA helped to secure a dozen co-sponsors for the amendment, met with many congressional office staffers, and sent a June 19 letter  in support of the legislation.  Despite these strong efforts, however, the Capps language was not included in the manager’s amendment or as a separate amendment to the bill. 

As a result, NACWA is setting its sights on the Senate where the debate is just getting underway.  NACWA has engaged congressional staff on key Senate committees and will continue to ramp up its efforts, as Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, has set an Aug. 1 deadline to complete work on her climate legislation.  Boxer has said the committee will hold several hearings prior to the bill’s mark-up, and NACWA will work with EPW staff to help shape the bill to ensure it reflects the concerns of the clean water community.  NACWA will also continue to be in contact with House staff in preparation for any eventual conference negotiations to resolve the differences between the House and Senate climate bills.  As they happen, NACWA will keep members informed of important developments with this climate legislation.

Clean Water Funding Network Updates Members on Key Activities During Call

The newly created Clean Water Funding Network, a website created by NACWA to generate broad grassroots support for, and to help shape, funding initiatives making their way through Congress, hosted the first of its monthly conference calls this week to update members on the latest activities in Washington.  The call also provided an overview of the network, including a listing of news items from the national, state, and local levels; a communications toolkit; and a discussion blog that is password-protected.  So far the website has more than 45 members.  Public utilities, including those that are not members of NACWA, are encouraged to join.  The network is a way that NACWA can reach out to a broad-based group of people and organizations to solicit their support and assistance in advocating for more clean water funding.  Calls will be held on the third Tuesday of the month at 2 p.m. EDT.  The topic to be addressed in July will be “Inviting Your Congressional Rep to a Media Event for Your Federally Funded Project.” Other potential topics include how to work with local stakeholders to build support for federal clean water funding; state clean water trust funds -- how did they get started?;  updating stakeholders on the 2009 construction season, 2010 needs & federal funding; and how to draft letters to editor & trade press articles.  More information is available from NACWA’s This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by email or at (202) 833-3280 or from This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , of Perras and Associates at 317-407-0148.

Milwaukee Mayor to Open NACWA Summer Conference

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will provide the opening remarks for NACWA’s Summer Conference, The New Regulatory Climate... Clean Water Agencies Prepare to Act, which will take place July 14-17 at the InterContinental Hotel in Milwaukee.  There is still time to register and join your colleagues in exploring how expected changes in national environmental policy will affect clean water agencies.  In addition, you will hear about the innovative work being done by clean water agencies throughout the country.  The Thursday tour of MMSD’s historic Jones Island Wastewater Treatment Facility will include three signature elements of the District’s operations – the pump room of the inline storage system (Deep Tunnel), the harbor siphons project (upgrade project currently under construction), and the Milorganite production facility.  More information about the conference, including a complete agenda and online registration, are available on NACWA’s website.