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NACWA applauds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the District of Columbia, and public agency member D.C. Water on their new partnership agreement to evaluate the use of green infrastructure (GI) techniques in controlling wet weather in the District. The partnership agreement, announced via a Dec. 14 press release, is critical because it serves as a model for how a publicly owned treatment works (POTW), an independent stormwater agency, and regional as well as national EPA can all come together to address costly wet weather challenges in a more integrated, cost-effective, and innovative manner.

This initial partnership agreement also represents an excellent example of the type of innovations and prioritized planning approaches contemplated by NACWA’s Money Matters. . . Smarter Investment to Advance Clean Water™ campaign as well as the Water Resources Utility of the Future effort.  George Hawkins, the General Manager of DC Water and the Chair of NACWA’s Money Matters Task Force noted in the Dec. 14 press release that “This could be the best opportunity to improve the District’s environment in a generation. I applaud our partners in the federal and District government for joining us to explore the possibility of a greener future.”  The partnership agreement was, in part, made possible as a result of EPA’s June 2012 “Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Approach Framework” and will serve as an important model for other cities considering coming forward with integrated plans of their own.

As laid out in the agreement, DC Water has submitted a GI Demonstration Project Plan to EPA for review; the GI Project Plan, if approved, would consist of large-scale GI pilot projects in the Anacostia and Potomac watersheds, with quantifiable stormwater control benefits. These results would in turn allow D.C. Water to conduct Alternatives Analyses to provide a foundation for incorporating GI into DC Water’s Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) and to its 2005 Federal Consent Decree.  The partnership agreement makes it clear that collecting and evaluating the data from the GI Demonstration Project will require a request to modify the affected deadlines in the Consent Decree and the agreement sets out a detailed notice and comment process to accomplish this.

While this partnership agreement is just the first step in a more elaborate process, it is the key step and is another important indication of EPA’s willingness to consider an integrated, cost-effective strategy for addressing wet weather and to the Agency’s commitment to GI solutions.  NACWA’s Money Matters Task Force will be discussing this and related initiatives via conference call this week.  NACWA will also be hosting regional integrated planning workshops — such as the one it held in DC in October — across the country next year.  NACWA continues to encourage municipalities to put forward integrated plans, and with this partnership agreement, DC Water adds its name a growing list of other  cities that have successfully collaborated with EPA to devise sounder approaches to wet weather control including Seattle, Philadelphia, and Atlanta.

NACWA will continue to advocate for integrated, prioritized  approaches to wet weather management nationwide, and will work with D.C. Water as its agreement progresses.  NACWA will keep the membership fully apprised of DC Water’s efforts and any others that may come to light.