Association of Clean Water Administrators

The Voice of States & Interstates since 1961

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Focus Areas

ACWA association members lead the way in creating and realizing a vision for clean water in America. The Focus Areas can help you find letters, reports, presentations, tools, and other related products associated with our clean water efforts.

Legislation, Regulation and Litigation

ACWA brings together environmental legal practitioners from the public and private sectors with state water quality program staff to discuss and share information on the latest Clean Water Act (CWA) litigation and regulatory developments.

Monitoring, Standards and Assessment

ACWA encourages discussion and share information on the latest developments in the water quality standards arena, including draft water quality criteria and technical and policy guidance documents under development by EPA’s Office of Science & Technology.

Nutrients Policy

Reduction of nutrient impairments to our nation’s waters is a top priority for states and interstates. ACWA has a long history of working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on strategies to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loadings to waterbodies.

Permitting, Compliance and Enforcement

ACWA’s Permitting & Compliance Committee focuses on all of the issues associated with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) including performance measures, effluent guidelines, permitting, compliance, enforcement and data management.

Watersheds, TMDLs and Nonpoint Sources

ACWA’s work on watershed management, TMDLs, and nonpoint source pollution fosters state-to-state and state-EPA information sharing, advancing state water quality initiatives and EPA §303(d) and §319 program goals.

Activity from Our Committees and Workgroups

ACWA’s committees and workgroups are very active. Here is a sampling of some of the topics and activities covered in FY2023.

Program AreaHighlights
Funding
  • Joint State Organizations Letter on DWSRF and CWSRF
  • Fiscal Year 2024 and 2025 Appropriations Testimony
  • USGS Streamgage Funding
WQS & Criteria
  • 2024 WQS Workshop
  • Started holding monthly MSA Committee Calls
  • Provided comments on a suite of draft guidances and technical support documents
Nutrients
  • Assisted in State Piloting of EPA Lagoon Action Plan First Stop Toolbox
  • Hosted EPA Webinars on Collaborative Efforts in Nutrient Reduction
  • Finalized and promoted ACWA Standing Principles on Nutrient Reduction
Monitoring
  • 2024 WQS Workshop
  • Provided comments on the 2024 Integrated Report Memo
  • Started holding monthly MSA Committee Calls
  • Provided comments on a suite of draft guidances and technical support documents
TMDL & Impaired Waters
  • 2023 Modeling Workshop
  • Assisted with the 2024 National 303(d)/TMDL Training Workshop
  • Monthly Watersheds Committee Calls
  • Provided comments on the 2024 Integrated Report Memo
Permitting
  • Facilitated 2024 National CAFO Roundtable
  • Provided comment letters on Maui, CSO, and Meat and Poultry Product ELGs
  • Outreach on water cybersecurity initiatives
  • Supported fire suppression permit calls
  • Promotion of Integrated Planning Tools
  • Hosted calls on 2020 Census updates for MS4s
  • Started planning 2024 National Stormwater Roundtable (October 2024)
Compliance, Enforcement, & Data
  • Promoted national inspection targeting calls
  • Looking at ways to improve violations analysis and prioritization
  • Supporting ICIS Modernization efforts
  • Improving compliance at small municipal WWTPs
Water Resource Management
  • Assisting EPA in data collection and review for REUSExplorer tool
  • 2024 State Summit on Water Reuse
Nonpoint Source
  • ACWA/EPA Webinars on CWA Sec. 319 Guidance Updates
Cross-Program
  • 2024 Clean Water Cross-Program Workshop
  • National Program Managers Guidance
  • Participation in partner calls and sharing information from EPA’s Decentralized MOU Agreement
  • Participation in partner calls and sharing information from EPA’s Sourcewater
    Collaborative
Legal Affairs
  • Quarterly LAC Committee Calls
Learn more about our committees