» Clean Water Current Archive

April 5, 2012

 
NACWA Meets with New Office of Science and Technology Director

NACWA staff met Monday with Elizabeth (Betsy) Southerland, the recently named Director of the Office of Science and Technology (OST) in EPA’s Office of Water, to brief her on NACWA’s priority issues.  Southerland took the reins of OST March 27 from Jeff Lape who had been Acting Director since the end of 2011 when long-time director Ephraim King retired from the Agency.  OST is responsible for developing water quality criteria and overseeing state water quality standards programs, including nutrients, and also oversees the development of pretreatment standards and implementation of the 40 CFR Part 503 biosolids program.  NACWA has had a strong working relationship with OST in the past and expressed its optimism for future efforts working together with Southerland.  Southerland worked previously in OST, before leaving in the early 2000s to work in the Agency’s Superfund office.  Southerland received her Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.  Lape will return to his role as Deputy Director of OST.  NACWA looks forward to continuing its strong working relationship with OST and plans to establish a regular meeting schedule with Southerland and her staff.

NACWA Explores Next Steps on Integrated Planning with States, EPA

NACWA participated in a panel discussion at the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities’ (CIFA) annual meeting along with representatives of DC Water, EPA, and the Association of Clean Water Agencies (ACWA) to explore the direction that EPA’s integrated planning initiative should take.  At the meeting Deborah Nagle, EPA's Water Permits Division Director, said the final draft document will not be “significantly different” from the document that was posted in January.  EPA's goal, she said, is not to be overly prescriptive but, instead, to be as broad as possible in order to allow each community to tailor their approach to their needs, whether seeking to use an integrated plan implemented through a permit or in the context of ongoing consent decree (CD) negotiations, or seeking changes to an existing CD.  Nagle, however, did note that in the permitting context, the integrated approach would work best for permit holders who had several years before they had to renew their permits and that permits would not be put on hold in order for utilities to engage in integrated planning.  Nagle noted that EPA’s integrated planning framework is expected to be made public in mid to late April.

DC Water’s Chief Engineer, Leonard Benson, expressed his strong support for NACWA’s Money Matters … Smarter Investment to Advance Clean Water™ campaign for getting this discussion moving forward but also expressed skepticism about EPA’s commitment to offering utilities any real flexibility or relief.  Benson noted that DC Water had sought flexibility to do green infrastructure work in negotiating its sewer overflow consent decree and tried to approach EPA Region 3 again in 2011 but was rebuffed.  Benson noted however that he would be interested in working with EPA Headquarters if they were open to doing something meaningful under the banner of its integrated planning initiative.  All agreed that it would be critical to ensure that several pilot communities come forward once the integrated planning framework is finalized.  Please contact Chris Hornback at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   if your utility is considering advancing an integrated planning approach with its State and/or EPA.

NACWA Discusses Need for Greater Cooperation with USGS

NACWA met this week with Pixie Hamilton, National Coordinator of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Cooperative Water Program (CWP), to discuss ways that the Association can cooperate with the USGS and involve more clean water agencies in the CWP.  The Program consists of 48 science centers that work with states, municipalities, and tribes to conduct more than 700 studies each year.  The study results are intended to support stakeholder decisions related to water quality, ecosystem health, water availability, energy, and climate.  The CWP supports water quality monitoring at nearly 4,000 stream sites and wells, and many of these sties use real-time water-quality sensors to provide information on quickly-changing conditions.  The Program operates with shared funding from USGS and stakeholders, with USGS currently providing about 30 percent of overall funding.

Many NACWA members participate in the CWP, and USGS would like to increase this participation and the awareness about data produced by the CWP that can support utility decisions.  This week’s meeting builds on a Memorandum of Understanding NACWA signed with the USGS several years ago and the Association will be working with USGS to ensure more communications to its members on, and to further define the benefits of, the CWP in meeting the information needs of utilities.

Lape to Keynote 2012 National Pretreatment & Pollution Prevention Workshop

Join your clean water colleagues May 9-11 in Pensacola, Fla., for the only conference designed especially for pretreatment professionals – the National Pretreatment & Pollution Prevention Workshop, Pretreatment and the Utility of the Future: Where We Are Going and Where We Have Been.  Jeff Lape, Deputy Director of EPA’s Office of Science and Technology, will be keynoting the Workshop, providing his views on 30 years of the National Pretreatment Program and the vitality and importance of the program within the overall regulatory structure.  Prior to working at EPA, Mr. Lape ran a local pretreatment program, and his experiences at a utility and in various EPA program offices will provide a unique perspective.  Other presentation topics will include pretreatment for hydraulic fracturing, bio-cremation and funeral homes, and will explore the role of pretreatment in other emerging industrial sectors.  Legal case studies related to pretreatment will also be presented in the always-popular “Law & Order” panel.  In addition, staff from EPA will update participants on the current status of effluent guidelines development and national pretreatment programs.

Make your plans today by reserving a room at the Hilton Pensacola before April 17.