News
White House Releases Executive Order on Energy Initiatives, 401 Water Quality Certification Chances
On Thursday, February 11, the White House published an Executive Order (“EO”) titled: “Executive Order on Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic Growth”. You can read it here.
Section 3 of the EO concerns Clean Water Act section 401 Water Quality Certifications and sets out ambitious goals and timelines for EPA and other federal agencies to release guidance, and possibly rulemaking, altering the 401 process. ACWA will follow up in the coming week regarding next steps as we analyze how this EO interplays with the other recent Agency discussions on 401.
NPDES Real-Time Permit Review Template
During this week’s ECOS Spring Meeting, Henry Dawin, EPA Acting Deputy Administrator and David Paylor of Virginia DEQ chaired a session on the ECOS-EPA Cooperative Federalism Oversight work to test applying a cooperative federalism approach to oversight with NPDES individual, real-time permit review. Attendees were updated on the results of a test of a Real-Time Review Oversight Template conducted by Nevada, Alabama, and Michigan over the past several months. The purpose of the template is to increase the transparency of the NPDES RTR process and to clearly outline expectations and requirements for state-issued NPDES permits. The pilot test states all agreed that the template was a useful document that clearly outlines expectations, provides for clear escalation procedures, and that the template is a good resource for states to use as they are training new permit writers. EPA has instructed regional offices to work with the states in their region to expand use of the template.
Stormwater Finance Workgroup
As per the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, EPA is accepting nominations of qualified candidates to advise the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB) as part of a new Stormwater Finance Workgroup (SFW). These expert consultants will provide knowledge, information, and will contribute to the EFAB SFW’s recommendations to the EPA on such issues related to identification of funding sources, communication, tracking success, impacts to affordability, sufficiency of funding, and other related topics as they arise. Expert consultants for the Stormwater Finance Workgroup are expected to attend the in-person meetings, participate on workgroup conference calls, assist with discussions and reports, and provide recommendations. A final recommendation report must be submitted to the EPA by Friday, December 6, 2019. Experts will likely serve through the end of April 2020. The deadline for receiving nominations is Friday, April 19, 2019. Appointments will be made by EFAB’s Designated Federal Officer and will be announced in early May 2019. A meeting is expected to be held in Washington, DC, on June 6, 2019.A copy of the federal register notice can be found here.
EPA Releases PFAS Library for State Use
PFAS compounds are difficult to obtain, which has hampered the development of toxicity information. Therefore, EPA’s Office of Research and Development recently created a PFAS library consisting of 430 PFAS substances to assist federal and state partners working on hazard testing, development of analytical methods, exposure monitoring, or other testing that will benefit environmental decision making. The library can be shipped free of charge. The full list of chemicals is available here. For more information please contact Monica Linnenbrink.
Rural Community Assistance Partnership Posts Wastewater Lagoon Webinars
The Rural Community Assistance Partnership (“RCAP”), through cooperative agreement with the EPA, held two training webinars on lagoon systems on March 12, 2019. Unfortunately, many (if not all) of you were unable to register and attend due to capacity issues. This week, RCAP released recordings of the webinars. They are available at the links below. For more information on RCAP, go to its website at https://rcap.org/about/
Webinar #1) Wastewater Lagoon Basics
https://rcap.org/resource/wastewater-lagoon-basics/
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.
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
https://rcap.org/resource/wastewater-lagoon-troubleshooting/
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.
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, RCAC
EPA’s NSmart Program Webinars
This week, EPA held two kickoff webinars on the NutrientsSmart (“NSmart”) program. The webinars explained the program in detail, providing an in depth look at how it will work and how to apply.
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 water bodies. 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.
Webinar presentation slides are available here. For more information, go to the new NSmart website here or contact EPA’s Mary Reiley.
Association Updates
Animal Agriculture Program Survey
This week, ACWA released a survey on animal agriculture programs. The CAFO/AFO survey is intended to provide basic information associated with state agency roles and responsibilities in regulating animal agriculture facilities and to answer a couple of questions that came in from a couple state program managers. The survey is 18 questions long and should take no more than fifteen minutes to complete. A short report will be generated and shared with the survey participants at the conclusion of the effort. If possible, please respond to the survey no later than Friday, April 26, 2019.
To take part in the survey, go here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019_AFO.
Meetings
2019 National NPDES Permit Writers Workshop – September 2019
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 live. To register, go here. The workshop will focus on identifying challenges and building solutions regarding water quality standards and permitting for nutrients. To view a draft agenda, go here.
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.
Job Opportunities
Washington Department of Ecology
Washington state has a vacancy for the position of Permit Writer/Manager – Quincy Ground Water (Environmental Specialist 3- in-training). This position is located in the Eastern Regional Office (“ERO”) in Spokane, WA. The Permit Writer/Manager-Quincy Ground Water Management Subarea position serves as a staff permit writer with a customer service focus. The position performs the following tasks: Management of water rights and investigation of water right applications and applications for changes to water rights. The primary responsibility of this permit writer/manager position is to manage applications and permits for Artificially Stored Ground Water (“ASGW”) in support of Ecology’s role in the ongoing effort to regulate the Quincy Ground Water Management Subarea (“QGWMS”). The posistion requires extensive knowledge of the Washington State water code and an ability to interpret WACs 173-134A and 173-136 to water right applicants and other interested parties statewide. Apply here.
Be sure to check out other opportunities on ACWA’s jobs page.
Coming Soon…
ACWA Watersheds Committee Call
Thursday, April 25
2:30-4:00 PM ET
Contact Julian Gonzalez for more information
