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Great Lakes CSO Proposal Cost Study Reveals $72 Billion Price Tag; Opposition Grows on Capitol Hill
The extent to which Great Lakes communities would be negatively impacted by this proposal was also part of a discussion during a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative oversight hearing this week in the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. During a question and answer exchange between Mayor John Dickert of Racine, Wisconsin The $72 billion compliance cost was also the subject of a panel discussion Tuesday morning at WEFTEC 2015 where over 150 water quality professionals gathered to discuss the proposal (see related article). Participating in the WEFTEC discussion were Kevin Shafer of Milwaukee’s Metropolitan Sewer District, Joel Brammeier of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, and Ken Rubin of RubinMallows Worldwide, an international consulting firm that conducted the cost research. As Congress negotiates a final FY16 budget agreement, NACWA continues outreach to Congressional offices to educate them on how this proposal would impact their communities and urge their opposition. NACWA members should weigh in with their Congressional Delegations to ensure this proposal is not included in a final package. For more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , NACWA’s Legislative Director. WEFTEC 2015: Water Policy Explored, UOTF Annual Report Released
Water Policy Breakfast and Release of UOTF Annual ReportNACWA continued its tradition of holding a special policy discussion during WEFTEC with Tuesday’s joint NACWA/Water Environment Federation (WEF) Water Policy Breakfast. Nearly 150 NACWA and WEF members gathered for an excellent discussion on the challenges facing the Great Lakes, in particular the current legislative proposal on overflows and blending that would impose additional costs in excess of $72 billion on Great Lakes’ communities. Collaboration was a major theme of the breakfast, including mention of the coalition of organizations mounting an effort to defeat the Great Lakes legislation and discussion of the broader collaborative efforts between NACWA and WEF among the top staff and elected officers from both organizations. Ken Kopocis, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water at EPA, also provided an overview of his office’s priorities and a number of other senior EPA officials were on hand for the dialogue. NACWA is pleased to partner with WEF on this important event. Highlighting the water sector’s collaborative efforts, NACWA’s CEO Adam Krantz announced at the start of the breakfast the official release of the 2015 Water Resources Utility of the Future Annual Report Also at WEFTECNACWA Member Agency representatives participated in countless events during WEFTEC and provided presentations during technical sessions on topics ranging from the Utility of the Future to bacteriophage. The Operation’s Challenge was again a highlight of WEFTEC and NACWA extends its congratulations to all the winning teams, including those fielded by NACWA Member Agencies who placed in the top three in their divisions: Trinity River Authority; Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County; Littleton-Englewood Wastewater Treatment Plant; and Renewable Water Resources. NACWA in the News: AP Focuses on Water
NACWA has created a webpage listing all the articles of which we are currently aware. Please be sure to share these stories using social media platforms, blogs and other external communications channels to reach your customers, and watch for similar stories in your local papers in coming weeks. If a story appears in your local or regional newspaper, please forward a link to NACWA and consider writing a Letter to the Editor or meeting with the Editorial Board to share your utility's story. If you need any assistance, please contact NACWA. We have also recommended that the AP conduct follow-up interviews with a number of key utilities across the country. Utilities contacted by the AP for interviews are asked to inform NACWA. All information and questions should be directed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , NACWA's General Counsel & Director of Public Affairs.
Preproposal Comments on Phase II Stormwater Remand Rule
The Agency recently entered a settlement agreement with environmental activist groups establishing a schedule for the rulemaking, which includes a deadline of December 17, 2015 for a proposed rule and November 17, 2016 for a final rule. NACWA will continue to engage with EPA, and welcomes any member feedback that will inform their response during the public comment period on the proposed rule. NACWA and EPA Discuss Information Request on POTW NESHAP Review
Law Seminar Hotel Deadline Only 10 Days Away!!
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits will be available, including ethics credits. CLE information is now available and will be updated as more approvals are received. Registration information, an agenda Wastewater Associations and Wipes Manufacturers Discuss Flushability Guidelines Development Continues
The associations are also planning to review and potentially revise the Code of Practice (COP) of the wipes industry that specifies how non-flushable wipes should be labeled. The wastewater associations would like to see more prominent “do not flush” labeling on baby wipes, cleaning wipes, and other high-strength wipes that should not be flushed. An updated COP is expected in early 2016.
Words of Wisdom from a Law Seminar FanThis week’s blog from our own Amanda Waters discusses our 2015 National Clean Water Law Seminar and gives you four reasons why you should attend – and they are not the traditional ones. What are they? Read on to find out more – or better yet, subscribe to The Water Voice and never miss a post!
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NACWA released results this week of its 
related to a Senate proposal that would eliminate combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the Great Lakes, showing the collective price tag of the proposal would exceed $72 billion for the more than 180 permitted CSO facilities discharging to the Great Lakes. The controversial provision is included in the Senate’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 
NACWA and its members descended upon the Windy City this week along with more than 20,000 other representatives from the water sector for WEFTEC 2015. With record-setting attendance, the committee meetings, technical sessions and special events in Chicago were well-attended and featured discussions of the top clean water issues and utility innovations.
This week, the Associated Press (AP) released two segments of a multi-part series of stories focused on challenges facing cities and water and wastewater utilities. The series will examine issues including drought in the West, wet weather concerns, and the challenges from aging infrastructure. The articles released thus far have largely addressed drinking water. Since the AP is owned by contributing newspapers, radio, and television stations all across the country, which regularly use material written by AP staff journalists, the stories have gotten widespread publication. NACWA anticipates that subsequent stories will also address wastewater issues.
NACWA filed 
NACWA’s Air Quality Workgroup held a conference call with EPA on September 25 to discuss a draft Information Collection Request (ICR) for the risk and technology review that the Agency is conducting related to the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). The Clean Air Act requires EPA to review its standards every eight years, but the Agency has not reviewed the POTW NESHAP since it was published in 1999. Because of a consent decree resulting from a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club, EPA is now required by consent decree to publish the results of the risk and technology review by December 2016. The conference call with the Air Quality Workgroup and EPA allowed clarifications to be made to the draft ICR. NACWA Member Agencies with an interest in participating in the Association’s review of the POTW NESHAP should contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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There are only 10 days left to secure your hotel reservations for the 
Discussion continued this week on updating the guidelines for determining if a wipe can be labeled and marketed as safe to flush. NACWA, the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the American Public Works Association (APWA), the Canadian Water & Wastewater Association (CWWA), and INDA (the trade association of the nonwoven fabrics industry) are updating the current industry flushability guidelines, with a focus on making the testing protocol protective of real sewer conditions. NACWA’s representative to the workgroup, Frank Dick, Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator for the City of Vancouver Department of Public Works in Washington state and Vice Chair of NACWA’s Pretreatment & Pollution Prevention Committee, participated in the meeting. This effort is partially supported by NACWA’s Targeted Action Fund (TAF). The new guidelines should be completed by June 2016.
