News
Andrew Wheeler Confirmed as EPA Administrator
On February 28th, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Andrew Wheeler as the new EPA administrator. The Senate voted 52-47 in favor of Wheeler’s confirmation. Wheeler had been working as acting chief administrator since July after former Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned from his post.
EPA’s NSmart Program Webinars
Save the date for EPA’s NutrientsSmart (“NSmart”) program kickoff webinars! The webinars were rescheduled for April 10, 2019, 1 – 2 pm EDT and April 11, 2019, 3 – 4 pm EDT. You can view the informational flyer here.
To register for the webinars, go here.
For some background, NSmart is a proposed voluntary program to recognize water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), and their watershed partners, progress towards reducing nutrients in waterbodies. The EPA Office of Water and the NSmart Steering Committee are hosting an interest and information webinar to introduce a proposed voluntary recognition program for POTWs, WWRFs, communities, and other stakeholders and potential partners that have reduced or are working towards reducing nutrient loadings to streams, rivers, lakes, and other surface waters. As one of these stakeholders, we would like to provide you with background and answer your questions on the different ways to participate and be recognized as NSmart and gauge your interest in NSmart. We want to know how best to engage with you and make recognition valuable to you, your ratepayers, partners, and local communities.
Please send questions and comments to EPA’s Mary Reiley.
EPA Water Quality Trading Webinar Next Week
In early February, EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water, David Ross, announced a new policy memorandum that will help states, tribes, and stakeholders use market-, incentive-, and community-based programs to reduce excess nutrients and improve water quality in their communities. The memorandum adopts six broad “market-based principles” that EPA supports in future trading programs, without mentioning the regulatory or enforcement approaches that state and tribal authorities should use to implement them.
To view EPA’s press release, go here. To view the memorandum, go here.
EPA plans to hold a webinar next week on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 1:00‐2:00 pm ET to discuss the memorandum and EPA’s efforts and take questions. To participate, email nutrients@epa.gov.
EPA Announces Development of Water Reuse Action Plan
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the development of a Water Reuse Action Plan that will leverage the expertise of both industry and government to ensure the effective use of the Nation’s water resources. EPA has reached out to ACWA for involvement and feedback in the plan, and we will continue to keep our members and staff informed.
In the press release announcement, EPA says “The Water Reuse Action Plan will seek to foster water reuse as an important component of integrated water resource management. EPA will facilitate discussions among federal, state, and water sector stakeholders and form new partnerships to develop and deploy the plan. A draft of the plan is scheduled for release and public review in September at the Annual Water Reuse Symposium in San Diego.”
RCAP to Host Webinars on Wastewater Lagoons
The Rural Community Assistance Partnership (“RCAP”), through cooperative agreement with the EPA, is providing two training webinars on lagoon systems on March 12, 2019. Each will be one hour in duration with a one-hour break in between if you choose to attend both webinars.
For more information on RCAP, go to its website at https://rcap.org/about/
To register, please see the details below:
Webinar #1) Wastewater Lagoon Basics
Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
This is a basic-level training webinar for operators, technical assistance providers, and regulatory personnel on lagoon terminology, design, and general science concepts associated with the operation of wastewater lagoons.
Register Here for Wastewater Lagoon Basics
Learning Objectives – Participants should be able to:
- explain the various terms used in lagoon treatment
- identify several common lagoon structures and designs
- identify the aeration requirements associated with those designs
- identify the effects of temperature changes on a lagoon
- discuss pros and cons of lagoon operation
Moderator: Jeff Oxenford, RCAP
Presenter: Kevin Kundert, RCAP
Webinar #2) Wastewater Lagoon Troubleshooting
Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST
This is a basic-level training webinar for operators, technical assistance providers, and regulatory personnel on lagoon terminology, design, and general science concepts associated with the operation of wastewater lagoons.
Register Here for Wastewater Lagoon Troubleshooting
Learning Objectives – Participants should be able to explain or characterize problems associated with:
- hydraulic loading issues
- nutrient loading issues
- dissolved oxygen and recirculation
- baffling and flow configurations
- combating high effluent BOD
Moderator: Jeff Oxenford, RCAP
Presenter: Pablo Figueroa, RCAP
6th Northeast Onsite Wastewater Treatment Short Course and Equipment Exhibition
April 2-4, 2019 | Mystic Marriott, Groton, CT
New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), in partnership with its member states, coordinates the 6th Northeast Onsite Wastewater Treatment Short Course and Equipment Exhibition. This year’s theme is Technology of the Future TODAY!
Exhibitor and Attendee registration is now open through March 15, 2019!
Attendees may register online by February 28th to take advantage of the Early Bird discounted rate. Both full conference and single day registrations are available. YOWA or NOWRA members can save 10% on Full Conference or One-Day Registration fees!
This year, the three-day conference takes place April 2-4, 2019, at the Mystic Marriott in Groton, Connecticut. The concurrent sessions will feature an Onsite A-Z training, Vendor Training, as well as technical sessions focused on: Emerging Issues, Sustainability, Policy, Environmental Impacts, Technology, as well as Sustainability.
The third day of the conference will feature an optional field trip to several local facilities.
Reserve your room online by March 8, 2019 to secure the negotiated group rate of $105/night + tax. Group rates are subject to date and space availability.
If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Jenkins at mjenkins@neiwpcc.org or 978-349-2502.
Association Updates
ACWA Legal Affairs Committee Call Summary
This week, the ACWA Legal Affairs Committee held its first quarterly call of 2019. The call focused on two issues. First, Attorney Thane D. Somerville of Morisset, Schlosser, Jozwiak & Somerville discussed Hoopa Valley Tribe v. FERC, where the DC Circuit ruled that the Clean Water Act does not allow operators to avoid the one-year time frame to “certify” under CWA Section 401 that a federal permit meets state requirements by withdrawing and re-submitting their applications before the deadline arrives. Second, Attorney Sarah Geers of Midwest Environmental Advocates discussed a settlement agreement stemming from Dairy Business Association v. Wisconsin DNR. The settlement had resulted from a lawsuit brought by the Dairy Business Association against Wisconsin DNR, which allegedly limited DNR’s authority to protect water quality and prevent pollution from the State’s largest concentrated livestock feeding operations.
Save the date for ACWA’s next Legal Affairs Committee quarterly call on Thursday, June 6, 2019, 2:00-3:00 pm Eastern.
Meetings
Mid-Year Meeting 2019
ACWA lodging room block is SOLD OUT!
A list of alternative lodging accommodations are available on the MYM web page.
Early Bird Registration ends February 28th
The agenda for the Mid-Year Meeting is still under development and is subject to refinement.
This meeting is planned as a day and a half meeting. State attendees will lead discussions relevant to states priorities. Members are encouraged to attend. Meeting registration can be found here. Members and invited guest, if you encounter problems logging into Member 365, go here. View the draft agenda here.
We currently have a limited number of scholarships available for Mid-Year Meeting 2019 state travel support. ACWA member organizations who would not otherwise be able to send a representative to an ACWA Mid-Year or Annual meeting and members who are seeking assistance to bring another staff member who would not otherwise be able to attend, preference will be given to those members. The scholarships will cover meeting registration fee, airfare, local travel, hotel and associated taxes. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please contact srolland@acwa-us.org.
2019 National NPDES Permit Writers Workshop
The State/EPA 2019 National NPDES Permit Writers Workshop will be held September 17-19, 2019 in Washington, DC. This meeting is intended to help support states and EPA to showcase permit writer innovations, assist with analysis of training, guidance, tools, and other support material needs, improve administrative efficiencies, clarify roles and responsibilities, build stronger linkages to WQS & TMDLs, modernize permit terms and data management, discuss program performance measures, and identify program areas where targeted technical assistance would be most beneficial. For more information, contact Sean Rolland or see our website.
ACWA Nutrients Permitting Workshop – November 2019
Registration for the November 2019 Nutrients Permitting Workshop located in Alexandria, Virginia at the AlexRenew facility November 5-7, 2019 is now live. To register, go here. The workshop will focus on the relationship between water quality standards and nutrients permitting. Lodging is available at the Embassy Suites Alexandria Hotel. To reserve your lodging, call direct 703-684-7900 or 1-800-EMBASSY and ask for the Association of Clean Water Administrators group of rooms, or reserve online here.
ACWA is able to help support and organize this meeting because of a cooperative agreement with EPA. As part of the agreement, ACWA has funds available to assist states with travel. Our hope is to ensure that each state and interstate that wishes to attend is able. If you plan to request travel support from ACWA, please do your best to provide an estimate of the cost categories and total expenses you will need. Request for travel support should be submitted to Mark Patrick McGuire by Friday, April 26. Once all requests are in, we will have a better idea of the total travel funds needed, and will subsequently notify you of the costs for which we will be able to reimburse.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We ask that members registering to meetings please use your state email addresses and login credentials provided. If someone is registering on your behalf that does not have an account in Member365 make sure that they have access to your login credentials so as not to create conflicting or overlapping information within the system.
Job Opportunities
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is seeking to fill an Environmental Scientist position. The candidate is The Special Projects Coordinator responsible for managing a dynamic set of projects that require coordination among staff throughout the program. Tools for regulatory compliance is a common focus of projects, which requires technical expertise in water quality regulation as well as project management and meeting facilitation skills. The Special Projects Coordinator also works to improve public outreach through presenting initiatives at conferences, workshops, public forums, meetings, and through the development of web pages and publications. This position has a high level of need. For more details, see the position description.
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality currently has a full-time opportunity for a Project Manager (Project Manager 2) within the Water Quality Division in Portland, Oregon. Please consider joining an innovative team, and work to advance the agency’s mission to protect and improve Oregon’s environmental quality. The Project Manager works with diverse teams to provide project planning, structure and management for the Water Quality Program and Agency. This position manages challenging and complex projects that require strategic thinking to meet the needs of program and the Agency. The Program Manager will initiate, plan, execute, monitor, close and facilitate water quality projects. This position also leads major Water Quality and Agency projects, develops project proposals, and acts as the administrator for awarded grants, as needed. This announcement, REQ-3029, will close on Sunday, March 17, 2019 at 11:59 PM. For more details, see the position announcement.
Washington Department of Ecology
Washington Department of Ecology is seeking candidates to fill a Registration and Compliance Assurance Specialist 3 ( In-training) position. For more details, see the position description.
NEIWPCC and NYSDOH
The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Bureau of Water Supply Protection (BWSP) are seeking highly organized and detail-oriented candidates for an Environmental Analyst – Drinking Water Specialist to implement various source water and drinking water assessment, protection, sampling and treatment programs, including support to public water systems and local municipalities for developing Source Water Protection Programs and updates to existing Source Water Assessment Plans (SWAPs).
The incumbent will coordinate directly with regional NEIWPCC staff based in the four NYSDOH Regional Offices (Metropolitan, Capital, Central and Western) on these matters. Incumbent may also provide technical assistance to water suppliers, regional environmental health staff, and local health department staff on source water protection strategy implementation and water sample collection and analytical testing for physical, biological, radiological and chemical contaminant. Will develop written materials to provide guidance and training for local municipalities, governmental and non-governmental agencies, and local health departments (LHDs) on source water protection strategies and implementation. Will provide support for associated programs by implementing procedures and performing sampling and testing to evaluate compliance and will develop concise and coherent multi-media documents for communicating program activities and accomplishments. For more details, see the position description.
