ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. XV, Issue 23 (Week of July 15, 2024)

News

Surveilling Effluent Water for Epidemic Response (SEWER) Act

Congressman Robert Garcia and Congressman Don Bacon introduced the Surveilling Effluent Water for Epidemic Response (SEWER) Act, which will fund the work of the CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System. The CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) was first established during the COVID-19 pandemic to connect independent and local wastewater systems to create a sustainable national system. Wastewater surveillance tests and detects pathogens in sewage to track disease transmission in communities. This early-warning public health surveillance tool identifies outbreak trends to direct prevention efforts to the communities that could be affected. The CDC has used wastewater surveillance extensively for COVID-19, and has also utilized it to monitor the spread of MPOX, RSV, and most recently influenza A and B. Unusual increase in influenzas A was recently linked to the spread of H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in cattle herds. The SEWER Act will authorize $150 million for the NWSS for each of the next five fiscal years to continue the operation of the program. To read the full bill text, click here.

Federal Report on Microfiber

Published this week, the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee Report on Microfiber Pollution was created with input from 12 Federal agencies across the United States and Canada and subject matter experts in the academic, government, and industry sectors, and received public comment. Created as a requirement of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act (P.L. 116-224), this report provides an overview of microfiber pollution, an assessment of the problem, and recommendations for measuring/reducing microfiber pollution. It also provides the outline for a plan for national agencies to reduce microfiber pollution in coordination with stakeholders.

The report defines microfibers as “solid, polymeric, fibrous materials that include plastic and non-plastic fibers less than 5 millimeters in all dimensions.” Microfibers shed from fiber-based products during production and manufacturing, regular use, washing, and cleaning. They travel into the environment through wastewater, stormwater and runoff, and atmospheric transport. Microfibers have been found almost everywhere, on every continent, and most environments including sea ice, soil, indoor and outdoor air, drinking water and food, and within marine and freshwater animals. These tiny fibers are one of the most pervasive types of microplastics. The potential effects of microfiber pollution on human health and the environment currently remain largely unknown and may depend on the various physical and chemical properties of microfibers.

Recommended actions identified in this plan include:

Conduct and support research to address the most critical research needs related to microfiber pollution;
Prevent and reduce microfiber pollution from textiles and other sources from entering the natural environment;
Capture microfibers in major microfiber pollution pathways;
Minimize toxicological hazards associated with microfiber pollution; and
Coordinate and share microfiber pollution accomplishments, best practices, and science.

A copy of the report can be found here: Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee Report on Microfiber Pollution

Consideration of Spray Drift in Pesticide Risk Assessment

This week EPA released a document titled Implementing Chemical Specific Human Health Spray Drift Analysis into Pesticide Registration Actions. EPA will now assess the potential for people to be exposed to a pesticide when it drifts away from where it is applied, earlier in the agency’s review process. During and after application, pesticides can drift to unintended areas where people can get the pesticide on their skin or in their eyes, causing an array of symptoms depending on the pesticide. By assessing the amount of a pesticide that drifts beyond its intended target, EPA can identify measures that will protect people from unintended pesticide exposure. EPA will use chemical specific human health spray drift analyses to determine specific label instructions to protect against and reduce the occurrence of spray drift, such as droplet sizes and buffer distances, for each pesticide and use. This updated approach applies to new active ingredient pesticide registrations and new use decisions and is expected to protect people from pesticide spray drift 15 years sooner in the review process than has historically occurred. Information on the methodology for conducting human health quantitative spray drift analysis can be found in the document entitled Residential Exposure Assessment Standard Operating Procedures Addenda 1: Consideration of Spray Drift. EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0676

EPA Offers Free Climate Change Risk Assessment Technical Assistance

EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative is offering free climate change risk assessment technical assistance to drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities, as well as other water sector stakeholders. If you are, or know of, a water sector utility that would like to receive this free technical assistance opportunity, please indicate your interest via email to Aliza Furneaux (furneaux.aliza@epa.gov) no later than Friday, August 15, 2024.

EPA’s CRWU initiative provides drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater (water sector) utilities with practical tools, training, and technical assistance to increase system resilience to climate change impacts. CRWU helps promote a clear understanding of climate data and helps water sector utilities identify potential adaptation strategies, implementation options, and infrastructure financing.

EPA HAB Forecast Posted

EPA has posted its HAB forecast for this coming week. Please click here to see the forecast.

The Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast model predicts the likelihood of a bloom occurring in the coming week for over 2,000 of the largest U.S. lakes and reservoirs across the lower 48 states. For each of these satellite resolvable lakes, the model generates a weekly probability of cyanoHAB occurrence exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) recreation Alert Level 1 threshold (≥12 ug/L chlorophyll-a with cyanobacteria dominance). The forecast uses a Bayesian spatiotemporal model to predict alert-level exceedance, successfully forecasting cyanobacteria blooms in satellite-resolved lakes. The results were validated with CyAN satellite data and have an overall prediction accuracy of 90 percent.

Association Updates

ACWA Leadership Elections – Vote Today!

The ACWA Leadership Election ballot is open.

ACWA’s Leadership Election ballot is currently open and all ACWA members should have received an email with a link to the ballot from the Executive Director. If you did not receive a link to the ballot, contact Julia Anastasio. The odd Regions are up for election this year along with the Executive Officers. Please vote no later than Noon ET on August 1, 2024. All “members in good standing” may participate in these elections, but cast only one vote per state/interstate. The “member in good standing” is the formal or primary ACWA representative for the state/interstate agency that paid dues for the previous fiscal year (FY2024). If you are unsure whether your FY2024 dues are paid, contact Julia Anastasio or Annette Ivey.

2024 Annual Meeting – Last Day to Book Lodging is July 29th!

View the draft agenda here.

Reserve Your Lodging at Renaissance New Orleans Pere Marquette French Quarter Area. The room rate is not guaranteed after July 29th at 5 pm ET.

Register here. Registration will end on August 2nd, 2024. Please reach out to Lexy Bailey, Environmental Analyst, for assistance.

More information can be found here on ACWA’s website.

Save The Date: 2024 National Stormwater Roundtable

Dates: October 22 – 24, 2024
City: Washington, DC
Meeting Space: EPA HQ Meeting Space
Hotel: Grand Hyatt Washington
Website: 2024 National Stormwater Roundtable

This week ACWA sent out emails regarding agenda topics, potential presenters, volunteers for the Agenda Planning Committee, and travel support. If you did not receive a related email, please contact Sean Rolland at srolland@acwa-us.org.

2024 Water Quality Modeling Workshop – Registration Now Open!

Dates: September 16 – 20, 2024
City: Philadelphia, PA

ACWA, in partnership with USEPA, will be holding the 2024 Water Quality Modeling Workshop in Philadelphia, PA, the week of September 16, 2024. The 2024 Water Quality Modeling Workshop supports implementation of state programs by continuing to build a community of practice among state agency staff who use or want to use water quality modeling in state water quality programs.

This year we will be offering hands-on trainings on WASP, SWAT+, and a Modeling 201: Demystifying your Modeling Project course which will feature presentations, case studies, and discussions.

This workshop is for state program managers and staff involved in water quality modeling, as well as for both Regional and Headquarters-based U.S. Environmental Protection Agency managers and staff.

You may register for the workshop here.

To register, you will need access to ACWA’s member portal. If you are EPA staff, please reach out Lexy Bailey (abailey@acwa-us.org) for help getting set up. This workshop has 3 distinct tracks – including two hands-on trainings. Hands on trainings will be offered for WASP and SWAT+. A third track – Modeling 201 – will feature some hands-on work along with lectures and discussions.

Space is limited, so once you register, you will automatically be placed on the wait list. You will receive a confirmation email at a later date. This is to ensure an equal opportunity for some states that may need a few weeks to ensure they are able to participate.

Lodging is available at the Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square at the local per diem rate. The workshop will also take place in the hotel’s event space. You may Reserve your hotel room here.

ACWA does anticipate having some travel support for airfare and lodging.

Meetings and Webinars

How to Participate in Clean Water Act Permits to Protect Drinking Water Sources

Date: August 5, 2024
Time: 2:00 pm ET
Register: HERE

The Source Water Collaborative is hosting a webinar on August 5th at 2:00pm ET about a new tool – Using Clean Water Act Discharge Permits to Protect Drinking Water Sources – a guide to engaging in the water pollution discharge permitting process. The guide is designed to help drinking water utilities, local government entities, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders understand and provide meaningful comments on Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for facilities that discharge PFAS chemicals and other pollutants that impact drinking water sources.

Job Opportunities

Air Compliance Unit Supervisor

Location: Various Locations, MN
Closing Date: July 22, 2024

For additional information about the application process, go to http://www.mn.gov/careers.

Watershed Project Coordinator

Location: Detroit Lakes, MN
Closing Date: July 22, 2024

For additional information about the application process, go to http://www.mn.gov/careers.

Environmental Engineer –Water Quality Bureau

Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Closing Date: July 22, 2024 11:59 PM
Job Number: 24-04496

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has an exciting opportunity for a wastewater engineer who demonstrates technical skills, customer focus and a detail-oriented team player to join the Wastewater Engineering team in the role of an Environmental Engineer and help protect water quality. As a wastewater engineer, you will have the distinct opportunity to be an integral part of the engineering team that protects the environment and public health by providing engineering/technical review of construction permit applications and management of wastewater treatment and collection system infrastructure projects including approval of engineering planning reports, antidegradation alternatives analyses, plans and specifications and approve construction permits for non-funded wastewater projects and some Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (CWSRF) funded wastewater projects.

For more information and to apply, visit State of Iowa Careers.

Harmful Algal Bloom Water Quality Analyst (Natural Resource Specialist 3

Location: Portland, OR
Closing Date: July 22, 2024

For more information and to apply, visit Oregon Job Opportunities.