NEWS RELEASE  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 15, 2015
Washington, DC

Contact:
Brenna Mannion
Director, Regulatory Affairs and Outreach
202.553.1839
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Water and Environmental Groups Applaud Udall, Edwards for Reintroduction of Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Legislation

Yesterday, April 14, Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and Representative Donna Edwards (D-MD) re-introduced legislation to provide critical support to innovative stormwater strategies, improving our ability to effectively manage polluted runoff and sewage overflows while relieving pressure on aging infrastructure. S. 896/H.R. 1775, The Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2015, would promote the use of innovative stormwater infrastructure, provide implementation grants for community-based stormwater control projects, and establish up to five Centers of Excellence throughout the country to conduct research, develop recommendations, and provide training and technical assistance for implementing management practices for stormwater control and management. The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), American Rivers, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) have provided technical assistance to the bill’s sponsors and worked to appeal for broad Congressional support.

As discussed in NACWA’s Water Resources Utility of the Future Blueprint For Action, NRDC’s Rooftops to Rivers II, and various publications from ASLA, AR, and WEF, communities across the country are implementing innovative technology like green infrastructure to better manage stormwater, save money, and improve quality of life more broadly.

###

NACWA represents the interests of more than 300 public agencies and organizations that have made the pursuit of scientifically based, technically sound and cost effective laws and regulations their objective. NACWA members serve the majority of the sewered population in the United States and collectively treat and reclaim more than 18 billion gallons of wastewater daily.