A Clear Commitment to America’s Waters
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NACWA Intervention in Nutrient Lawsuit
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recently did in Florida – would have equally concerning economic ram-
ifications for impacted POTWs. It would also set a very negative prec-
edent for municipal discharges in all other parts of the country.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey and the Environmental
Protection Agency’s water quality data, the majority of nutrient pol-
lution impairing our waterways is generated by run-off and ground-
water leaching from farm fields. Numerous studies have shown that
the dominant source of nutrient pollution causing dead zones in the
Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere is farms. While wastewater treatment
plants are a source of nutrients, they account for less than 10% of the
nutrients flowing to the Gulf of Mexico. “Wastewater treatment agen-
cies stand ready to do their part in addressing the nutrient challenge in
watersheds in which treatment upgrades will have an impact. However,
costly litigation that seeks to impose stringent, costly and one-size-fits-
all controls on ratepayers nationwide is simply a waste of resources and
perpetuates the myth that this strategy will be effective in addressing
nutrient pollution—it won’t,” NACWA Executive Director, Ken Kirk ex-
plained. NACWA will respond to these lawsuits aggressively and
will ensure a coordinated legal, legislative, regulatory and media re-
sponse.
Integrated Planning Workshops
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Legislative Fix Needed for Watershed-Based Approach
Although NACWA continues to believe that a legislative fix will be
needed to establish a more holistic, watershed-based approach,
the framework does present a valuable opportunity to see what
more can be done to address the concerns within the current
bounds of EPA’s policies and the Clean Water Act. NACWA’s com-
ments express the Association’s commitment to explore whether
the approach contemplated by EPA can succeed, and its willing-
ness to work with the Agency and communities interested in inte-
grated planning.
EPA plans to revise the framework based on the input from the
workshops and release an updated version by the end of March.
NACWA will be meeting with EPA as it works to revise the frame-
work and will be working with its members to identify potential
case study communities interested in using the integrated plan-
ning framework.
NACWA recognized eighteen Member Agencies with
National
Environmental Achievement Awards
(NEAA) at a ceremony
on February 13, 2012 – during the Association’s Winter
Conference, Watershed Moment in the Making…Conquering
the Challenges of the New Regulatory Frontier, in Los Angeles,
Calif. The NEAA Awards recognize Agencies in four catego-
ries – Research & Technology, Operations & Environmental
Performance, Public Service, and Public Information &
Education.
Pictured left, NACWA President, David Williams, Director
of Wastewater for the East Bay Municipal Utility District,
Calif., presents King County Department of Natural Resources
and Parks, Wash. Director of the Wastewater Treatment
Division, Pam Elardo with King County’s NEAA Award for their
Brightwater Treatment System Initiative.
NACWA congratulates all of these NEAA winners on their clear
commitment to clean water and a safe, sustainable environment.
NEAA Awards will be presented to individual honorees in April
at the Association’s National Environmental Policy Forum. For
more information on NACWA’s awards programs please visit
www.nacwa.org/awards
.
NACWA Honors Agencies as
National Environmental Achievement Award Winners