The nation's wastewater treatment agencies need "significant federal support" to help them adapt to risks to the environment and public health caused by climate change, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies said in a May 16 letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

In particular, the NACWA letter called for more federal funding for infrastructure improvements and implementation of "proactive" climate change mitigation projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater utilities. It also said any greenhouse gas emissions cap-and-trade program should allow use of offsets or credits generated by the wastewater industry through efforts to reduce emissions from treatment plants.

Boxer's committee in December 2007 approved America's Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191), a greenhouse gas emissions cap-and-trade bill introduced by Sens. John Warner (R-Va.) and Joseph Lieberman (D.-Conn.). Boxer has pledged to bring the legislation to the Senate floor in June (64 DEN A-1, 4/3/08  ).

According to the letter, climate change is "fundamentally a water resource management issue" that "could carry severe consequences" for wastewater treatment plants.

NACWA represents publicly owned wastewater treatment agencies.

"The nation's clean water agencies are among the principal actors dealing with the challenges that climate change will force upon our communities," the letter said. "It is critical that Congress consider water resources as a key element in any climate change legislation and provide adequate funding to ensure the wastewater utilities have the tools and resources necessary to continue providing this essential public service."

The letter said climate change will exacerbate some forms of water pollution by increasing runoff and will produce more intense storms and longer periods of drought.

Climate change also could increase the temperature of wastewater, the letter said, which would decrease the effectiveness of certain treatment methods and restrict wastewater utilities' ability to discharge effluent. In addition, according to NACWA, rising sea levels could increase pumping requirements and force the relocation of infrastructure at coastal wastewater treatment facilities.

To adapt to these changes, the letter said, wastewater treatment agencies might need to increase their infrastructure capacity to prevent overflows from greater amounts of stormwater, as well as install more advanced wastewater treatment technologies that are designed to handle decreased stream flows.

The letter said federal climate change legislation should provide "explicit and significant funding" to support these adaptations and "ensure consistency among federal, state, and local regulatory programs dealing with climate change."

"The nation's existing clean water infrastructure is already in need of significant investment--between $300 and $500 billion--just to maintain present levels of service," the letter said. "Climate change only exacerbates the need for additional resources."

The letter criticized the Lieberman-Warner bill for not providing such funding.

In addition, the letter said federal climate change legislation should recognize clean water agencies that have taken a "proactive approach" to mitigating their greenhouse gas emissions, specifically methane and nitrous oxide.

These mitigation plans include, for example, methane capture and reuse, more energy-efficient motors, production of renewable energy, recycled water production, and land application of biosolids, the letter said.

"[Wastewater treatment] agencies are an important part of the solution to climate change, and NACWA supports the inclusion of their mitigation projects in any offset market created for [greenhouse gas] emissions," the letter said. "Funds generated through a cap-and-trade market would be useful for the development of further mitigation projects, as well as research."

By Jeff Kinney