» Clean Water Current Archive

July 30, 2010

Briefing on Water Trust Fund Garners Significant Attention on Capitol Hill

NACWA, in conjunction with the Water Infrastructure Network, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), United Rentals and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), held a briefing on Capitol Hill July 26 highlighting the significant need for Congress to enact a dedicated trust fund for water and wastewater infrastructure investments.  The briefing garnered significant attention with over 100 attendees gathered to hear compelling statements from a diverse set of panelists highlighting the economic, environmental and job-creation benefits a trust fund would provide.

George Hawkins, General Manager of DC Water, participated on behalf of NACWA in the briefing and underscored the importance of advancing the Water Protection and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 3202) — the water trust fund bill introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.).  Mr. Hawkins’ comments emphasized the clean water infrastructure needs throughout the Nation are in the hundreds of billions of dollars as estimated in the recent EPA Clean Watersheds Needs Survey.  Mr. Hawkins stressed the benefits of H.R. 3202, underscoring that it would be a deficit-neutral source of funding that would re-establish the federal government as a long-term partner with states and municipalities in clean water investment.

Also making presentations at the briefing were Shirley Franklin, former Mayor of Atlanta (2002-2010); Tom McCauley, Mayor of Buhl, Idaho; Ken Simonson, AGC’s Chief Economist; Paul I. McDonnell, Senior Vice President of United Rentals; and Maria Hale, NWF’s Director of National Restoration and Water Resources Campaigns. 

With the momentum created by this briefing, NACWA urges members to contact their Representatives and encourage them to add their names to the nearly 40 co-sponsors of H.R. 3202.  Should you need assistance in contacting your elected representatives please contact John Krohn, NACWA’s Manager of Legislative Affairs, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

NACWA, NAFSMA Expand Support for Stormwater Advocacy Efforts

NACWA facilitated a meeting this week with a number of municipal and state advocacy organizations to discuss a host of stormwater issues currently facing the clean water community and ensure a coordinated response.  The meeting resulted in a very productive conversation among the municipal groups regarding the stormwater challenges communities are now facing.  The meeting also produced a commitment from the groups for a collaborative effort in response to a variety of issues such as EPA’s forthcoming Information Collection Request (ICR) for municipal stormwater utilities as well as current legislation pending in Congress to ensure federal government facilities pay local stormwater fees.  Other issues addressed during the meeting included an update on EPA’s ongoing stormwater rulemaking process and a discussion of current trends in stormwater permitting.  In addition to NACWA, the other municipal and state groups in attendance were the National Association of Flood & Stormwater Management Associations (NAFSMA), the National League of Cities (NLC), the National Association of Counties (NACO), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the National Governors Association (NGA).  NACWA looks forward to continued collaboration and future meetings with these organizations to craft a consistent, unified response to the growing number of stormwater concerns confronting the clean water community. 

House Approves Drinking Water SRF Reauthorization Bill by Voice Vote

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the Assistance, Quality and Affordability Act of 2010 (H.R. 5320) by voice vote.  The bill provides $4.8 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) over three years.  The bill also seeks to reduce lead content in drinking water systems and expand the Endocrine Disrupting Substance Screening Program.  With House passage the only remaining obstacle for Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF reauthorization is passage of the Water Infrastructure Financing Act (S.1005) in the Senate. At this point in time, no movement is expected on S. 1005 before Congress adjourns for its annual August recess but NACWA and the Water Infrastructure Network continue to push for Senate passage.  NACWA will keep its members informed on any developments as they occur.

NRDC Releases Beach Report, NACWA Provides Context on Findings to Members

This week the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released its annual report, Testing the Waters 2010, documenting beach closures throughout the country.  Although the report found that the number of beach closings and advisory days topped 18,600 for the fifth consecutive year, constituting the sixth highest level in the report’s 20-year history, there are positive trends and data regarding the role of publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) in controlling overflows that municipalities should be aware of in the event they are contacted by the media.  First, it is critical to note that the report finds that 80% of the beach closures are the result of stormwater runoff broadly.  The report does little to differentiate between animal/agricultural runoff versus sewer overflows, which are engineered to overflow to protect public health.  The report does indicate, however, that there was an overall 8% decrease in beach closings from a year earlier, demonstrating progress in national water quality efforts.  The data also shows that while there is still room for improvement, POTWs are making significant advances — sewage spills and overflows from public sewers as well as septic systems caused or contributed to 1,667 closing/advisory days in 2009, a decrease from 1,710 days in 2008, and 4,097 days  in 2007.  Furthermore, these overflows account for less than 9% of the total number of closings/advisory days.  The report does note, and NACWA agrees, that Congress and EPA need to do a better job of promoting green infrastructure as a means of controlling stormwater runoff from all sources.     

As Money Matters Affordability Campaign Advances, NACWA Urges Broad Agency Participation in PR Committee

As the Money Matters affordability campaign gains momentum, NACWA is urging its member agencies who are not already involved to designate staff to join the ranks of the Communications and Public Relations (PR) Committee.  The Association’s PR Committee Chair, Jamie Samons, of the Narragansett Bay Commission in Providence, R.I., and the newly appointed Vice Chair, Lance LeComb, of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, are holding a Money Matters campaign conference call on Thursday, August 5 at 2:00 PM Eastern.  The purpose of this call is to update members on their vision for the Committee and to provide an input and get feedback on the Money Matters affordability campaign, which will be ramping up in the weeks and months to come.  It is clear that with wet weather issues at the forefront and with new regulations on stormwater, sanitary sewer overflows, and nutrients on the horizon, Clean Water Act affordability issues are at the heart of NACWA’s advocacy and public relations.  If your public agency is interested in becoming more involved in the Money Matters campaign, we strongly suggest that your communications staff or the appropriate person join NACWA’s PR Committee.  To become a member of the PR Committee and take part in the conference call on August 5, please contact Thea Graybill at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

On a related note, NACWA spoke to a group of members and staff of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) – whose members are state legislators from across the country — to garner the group’s support for state and national affordability legislation.  NACWA referenced the success of its Kentucky members in getting their state to pass affordability legislation (HB 504) that requires state regulatory agencies to take affordability concerns into account in the combined and sanitary sewer overflow control context and to be open to longer compliance schedules to meet water quality goals when appropriate.  NACWA members in Ohio are working on similar legislation and a significant component of the Money Matters campaign will be to seek support from key organizations like the NCSL for similar efforts in state legislatures across the country.

NACWA also sent a thank you letter this week to Rep. Steven Latourette (R-Ohio), a senior member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, for seeking an amendment to the fiscal year 2011 budget bill that would have required EPA to review and revise its outdated 1997 financial capability guidance for CSOs.  While the measure was voted down on a 9-4 vote due to jurisdictional concerns, it marked a vital step in raising congressional awareness of this critical issue and toward garnering support for a legislative fix to the Clean Water Act affordability challenge.  

 

Senate Committees Consider Chemical Security Legislation

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) this week approved its version of the Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009 (H.R. 2868).  The legislation approved by the Committee would extend the current Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program for three years and does not include controversial provisions requiring the implementation of “Inherently Safer Technologies” (IST).  The bill was approved by the Committee unanimously and it is expected that revisions may occur before it reaches the Senate floor. “I will certainly try to strengthen this legislation as it moves forward in an effort to put it on more permanent footing and for the sake of our national security,” said Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.).  Lieberman specifically mentioned he believes it is critical to close the existing “security gap” caused by the ongoing exemption that is in place for water and wastewater utilities.

On a related note, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held an oversight hearing on water and wastewater security issues.  A focus of the hearing was the Secure Water Facilities Act (S. 3598) recently introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). Unlike the HSGAC bill discussed above, S. 3598 seeks to make changes to the CFATS program, including ending the exemption from the CFATS program that wastewater and drinking water utilities currently have and adding an IST provision.  Witnesses at the oversight hearing included Benjamin Grumbles, Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and former Assistant Administrator for Water at EPA.  Grumbles noted that to the extent the Committee proceeds with IST provisions, a one-size-fits-all standard would not be the ideal approach and stated that local, site-specific factors must be part of any determinations.  NACWA is currently drafting a letter to the Committee that will include the Association’s position on water sector security generally as well as on S. 3598 specifically.  NACWA will continue to track these efforts closely and provide members with updates as they occur.