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NACWA is pleased to announce the release to the membership today of the Association’s 2015 revised Wet Weather Consent Decree Handbook with updated information on affordability, supplemental environmental projects and decrees lodged, entered or modified since publication of the 2014 edition. This resource will continue to provide NACWA members with unparalleled information, analysis, and strategies on wet weather enforcement issues including negotiation, renegotiation, implementation, and modification of wet weather enforcement orders and decrees. Whether currently negotiating an enforcement order, anticipating an enforcement action, or considering modification of an existing order, the Handbook provides invaluable assistance to the municipal clean water community.

Consent Decree Handbook

NACWA’s Wet Weather Consent Decrees: Negotiation Strategies to Maximize Flexibility & Environmental Benefit serves as the premier resource for the municipal clean water community when addressing wet weather enforcement issues. First published in 2003, NACWA’s original Handbook was extremely well-received and became one of the Association’s most popular publications. The newly revised 2015 Handbook builds on the success of earlier versions while also addressing the rapidly changing landscape of wet weather enforcement.

Central to the Handbook is an analysis of key provisions from existing municipal wet weather enforcement orders and consent decrees, with the goal of helping utilities negotiate the best decrees for their communities by understanding the types of agreements that others have already secured. As part of this analysis, the Handbook contains comprehensive summaries of major wet weather orders with highlights of unique or notable features. The document also includes a robust analysis and explanation of the major regulatory and legal documents that will form the framework of enforcement discussions, providing key insights to assist utilities during the negotiation process.

In addition, the Handbook includes sections on the mechanics of the wet weather enforcement process; the best strategies to use new flexibilities like integrated planning, greater consideration of affordability concerns, and consent decree modification; and the types of emerging negotiation and implementation challenges that utilities will face. These discussions will provide key information and background, helping prepare and educate clean water utilities with the most up-to-date knowledge for all aspects of the wet weather enforcement process.

Consent Decree e-Library

NACWA members are also encouraged to use the Consent Decree e-Library, which houses the most comprehensive collection of full municipal wet weather consent decree and enforcement orders. While the Handbook offers a snapshot and summary of these documents, the e-Library allows users to access the documents in their entirety for further review and analysis. Additionally, the site provides users with multiple tools to search for decrees, including by EPA region, state, or search term. Users can even create their own unique search term or query. The e-Library includes both decrees that have been formally entered by courts as well as those that have been lodged but not yet entered, as well as any amendments or modifications to existing decrees. The webpage also offers instructions on how to best search for documents in the e-Library.

Powerful Advocacy Tools

Taken together, the revised Handbook and e-Library serve as the leading resources for the municipal clean water community on enforcement issues. NACWA is pleased to offer both to Association members free of charge as a benefit of NACWA membership. Developed with financial support from NACWA’s Targeted Action Fund (TAF), which is funded through the Association’s membership dues, the Handbook and e-Library represent NACWA’s continued commitment to providing its members with the most effective clean water advocacy tools.

NACWA looks forward to making frequent updates to both the Handbook and e-Library in the future as new decrees are developed, and welcomes feedback on both resources at any time. Comments or suggestions may be submitted to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .