News
EPA Starts Strategic Planning Process for FY 2022-2026
This week EPA held a meeting with governmental organizations, such as NGA, ACWA, ASDWA, ECOS, USCM and NACO, where they announced their Draft FY 2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan Framework. The Framework sets out the agency’s vision for the next five years. The Framework identifies four cross agency strategies to achieve the agency’s mission of protecting human health and the environment: 1) Ensure Scientific Integrity and Science-Based Decision Making; 2) Consider the Health of Children and Other Vulnerable Populations in Our Work; 3) Advance EPA’s Organizational Excellence and Workforce Equity and 4) Strengthen Tribal, State, and Local Partnerships and Enhance Engagement. The Plan also identifies 7 goals that will focus the agency’s work: 1) Tackle the Climate Crisis; 2) Take Decisive Action to Advance Environmental Justice and Civil Rights; 3) Enforce Environmental Laws and Ensure Compliance; 4) Ensure Clean and Healthy Air for All Communities; 5) Ensure Clean and Safe Water for All Communities; 6) Safeguard and Revitalize Communities; and 7) Ensure Safety of Chemicals for People and the Environment. EPA will seek formal comment on the draft FY2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan in late fall 2021 and issue the final plan in early winter 2022.
EPA Announces Intent to Bolster Limits on Water Pollution from Power Plants
This week EPA announced plans to initiate a rulemaking to “strengthen certain wastewater pollution discharge limits for coal power plants that use steam to generate electricity.” While the agency moves forward with their plans to “strengthen requirements,” the current regulations will remain in effect, and will be implemented and enforced. EPA believes the current 2015/2020 updates provide significant environmental protections and improvements over the 1982 rule, which would otherwise be in effect. As this rulemaking could result in more stringent ELGs associated with litigation claims in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, EPA is requesting the Court hold the litigation in abeyance. EPA may look at other aspects beyond the litigation where greater protections are needed. For example, EPA may consider impacts of bromide. The proposed rule is expected to be available for public comment Fall 2022. More details on EPA’s announcement can be found here.
Improving Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Control Systems
On July 28, 2021, President Biden issued a memorandum on protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure from cybersecurity attacks. President Biden is establishing the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Initiative, which is a voluntary collaborative between the federal government and the critical infrastructure community to significantly improve cybersecurity of these critical systems. “The primary objective of this Initiative is to defend the United States’ critical infrastructure by encouraging and facilitating deployment of technologies and systems that provide threat visibility, indications, detection, and warnings, and that facilitate response capabilities for cybersecurity in essential control system and operational technology networks.” As part of this effort, the Secretary of Homeland Security will “develop and issue cybersecurity performance goals for critical infrastructure to further a common understanding of the baseline security practices that critical infrastructure owners and operators should follow to protect national and economic security, as well as public health and safety.” More details on the memorandum can be found here.
National Study of Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies: Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) Screener Questionnaire
This week EPA submitted notice requesting additional time to receive public feedback on the National Study of Nutrient Removal Information Collection Request (EPA ICR Number 2553.03) from OMB for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through July 31, 2021. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on February 24, 2021, during a 60-day comment period. No comments were received. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments to be submitted on or before August 27, 2021. A fuller description of the ICR can be found here.
Comment Period Extended for Proposed Rule to Require TSCA Reporting on PFAS
In response to stakeholder requests, EPA is extending the public comment period on the proposed reporting and recordkeeping requirements for manufacturers (including importers) of PFAS under section 8(a)(7) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), to provide additional time to review and comment.
The comment period was set to close on August 27. Upon publication of the Federal Register notice, the comment period will be extended until September 27, 2021. Comments can be submitted to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-0549 here.
EPA will use feedback received during the public comment period to inform the final rule.
View EPA’s announcement of the proposed rule here and view the docket here.
2020 Toxics Release Inventory Preliminary Data Released
On Thursday, EPA published preliminary Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data about chemical releases, chemical waste management, and pollution prevention activities that took place during 2020 at nearly 21,000 federal and industrial facilities across the country. The preliminary data released today includes the first-ever reporting on PFAS added to the TRI by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The 2020 preliminary data are for substances included on the TRI list of chemicals. The public can use the preliminary data to identify facilities that report to TRI (for example, to locate facilities in a given ZIP code) and learn which chemicals that facilities manage and in what quantities. However, the dataset released this week is raw data and does not contain any summary or trend analysis. EPA plans to publish the updated TRI dataset this fall, which will be used to develop the 2020 TRI National Analysis. EPA expects to publish the 2020 TRI National Analysis in early 2022.
PFAS data include a total of 89 TRI reporting forms for 44 discrete PFAS chemicals filed by 38 individual facilities that managed over 700,000 pounds of production-related waste of PFAS during 2020.
Access the 2020 TRI preliminary data.
In Case You Missed It: EPA Releases Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) Web Tool to Help Monitor Water Quality
On July 21, 2021, EPA announced the release of a new tool, CyANWeb, that can help federal, state, Tribal, and local partners identify when a harmful algal bloom (HAB) may be forming where people swim, fish, and boat. The tool uses satellite data to alert users based on specific changes in the color of the water in over 2,000 of the largest lakes and reservoirs across the United States.
Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae, occur naturally in many water bodies. However, when they multiply, they can form potentially toxic HABs, which can increase drinking water treatment costs for communities and impact lakes and other recreational areas. CyANWeb, developed by the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) with input from users across the country, makes cyanobacteria satellite data more accessible to water quality managers, communities, and anyone interested in knowing more about water quality in their area.
CyANWeb uses historical and current satellite data to develop daily and weekly images that serve as an early warning system for HABs. These images can help federal, state, Tribal, and local partners in their efforts to monitor and assess water quality. They can also help lake managers and people who swim, fish, or boat in lakes identify when a HAB may be forming. CyANWeb is easy to use and has features that let users view comparisons of multiple water bodies over time, as well as mark locations for future reference.
Users can access CyANWeb with a desktop computer, tablet, smart phone, and most other internet-browsing devices. CyANWeb uses satellite data that was previously only available within the CyAN Android™ app EPA released in 2019. CyAN Android™ is available for download in the Google Play™ store for Android™ devices. EPA researchers developed CyANWeb as the latest effort stemming from the CyAN partnership with researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
For more information on EPA’s CyANWeb, click here.
Department of Energy Funding $5 Million in Desalination Technology
This week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) announced $5 million in federal funding to develop desalination technologies that will help bring freshwater supplies to communities across the nation. The funded projects will support early-stage applied research on state-of-the-art, next generation technology desalination systems collaborative teams of industry, labs, and universities that treat non-traditional water sources. The projects selected specifically address challenges of managing concentrated brine waste streams, as well as approaches to Zero Liquid Discharge.
Read more about the selected projects here.
EPA Announces Anaerobic Digestion Grant Opportunity for Food Waste Management Projects
EPA is seeking applications on Grants.gov for projects from states, tribes, territories and non-profit organizations to help reduce food loss and waste and divert food waste from landfills by expanding anaerobic digester (AD) capacity in the United States. Many Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) that utilize AD to generate biosolids and/or energy also accept food waste into their AD systems.
EPA anticipates awarding up to $2 million in total AD funding. Individual projects could be in the range of $50,000-$200,000 for the funding period of two years. The following entities are eligible to apply:
- State, local, Tribal, interstate and intrastate government agencies and instrumentalities; and
- Non-profit organizations (as defined by 2 CFR Part 200) that are not 501(c)(4) organizations that lobby, including non-profit educational institutions and non-profit hospitals.
In addition, up to approximately $800,000 of the estimated total will be set-aside specifically for awards to U.S. territories, Tribal governments, Tribal colleges and universities, or eligible organizations located in persistent poverty counties.
Applications are due by October 7, 2021. Additional information is available on Grants.gov, under Funding Opportunity Announcement EPA-OLEM-ORCR-21-02. For more information on this opportunity, and to join the informational webinar (August 2, 2021, from 3:00-4:00 pm ET) visit the EPA Anaerobic Digestion Funding Opportunity website here.
Learn about other EPA Resources and Possible Funding Opportunities Related to the Food System here here.
EPA Releases Quarterly Water Reuse Update with New Proposed WRAP Actions
This week, EPA released its latest quarterly update featuring WRAP activities from April through June 2021. In addition to a summary of action accomplishments and impact, it introduces three proposed actions that are currently under development. EPA’s Water Reuse Team welcomes feedback on the following proposed actions via waterreuse@epa.gov through August 27, 2021.
- Action 3.7 – Develop Issue Papers on Emerging Public Health Topics in Water Reuse (Proposed leaders: EPA and FDA)
- Action 8.6 – Develop Public Health and Resiliency-Focused Water Reuse Communication Tools (Proposed leaders: CDC and EPA)
- Action 11.3 – Develop and Highlight Case Studies Relevant to the Water in Circular Economy and Resilience (WICER) Framework (Proposed leaders: EPA and The World Bank)
ELI Resources on Nature-Based Hazard and Climate Mitigation Available
ELI’s Integrating Nature-Based Goals and Actions in Hazard Mitigation Planning Project identifies opportunities to use conservation, restoration, and natural infrastructure as hazard mitigation strategies. We have worked with partners and communities to facilitate collaboration among wetland and wildlife managers, emergency managers, and hazard mitigation planners to explore how they can coordinate efforts to more effectively achieve their goals. ELI recently reviewed state, tribal, and local hazard mitigation plans to evaluate the extent to which they are incorporating nature-based goals and actions, including the conservation and restoration of wetlands and floodplains and the use of green infrastructure.
ELI’s new reports include:
- Nature-Based Mitigation Goals and Actions in State and Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plans evaluates to what extent state hazard mitigation plans are incorporating nature-based goals and actions. We found that 38 of the 50 state plans had goals and objectives that were relevant to natural systems protection, and 39 state plans included a total of 177 nature-based actions. The study looks at a range of practices and includes examples of plan language that states could use in future iterations. The study concludes with a series of steps states can take to improve integration of nature-based goals and actions into their plans.
- Nature-Based Mitigation Goals and Action in Local Mitigation Plans provides a snapshot of a range of local hazard mitigation plans in the United States, examining 103 local plans from 11 states to better understand the extent to which they are incorporating nature-based actions. The report identifies example language that could be used by local governments in future plans and recommends steps they can take to improve integration of nature-based actions into their plans.
- Gulf Coast Hazard Mitigation Plan Review equips advocates for nature-based solutions in the Gulf Coast region with information to help them play an active role in the hazard mitigation planning process. The review identifies best practices for including nature-based strategies in local hazard mitigation plans and provides a schedule indicating which entities in the Gulf Coast region prepare these plans as well as a timeline for their next update.
ELI also published two case studies. Nature-Based Hazard Mitigation Case Study: Rattlesnake Creek Dam Removal focuses on a dam removal and stream restoration project in Missoula, Montana. Nature-Based Hazard Mitigation Case Study: Advance Assistance—Data Collection and Rebuilding Natural Infrastructure in Ashland County, Wisconsin, focuses on data collection and analysis to evaluate and prioritize future Natural Flood Management strategies as cost-effective, long-lasting solutions that address flood hazards and reduce risk from future hazard events.
Meetings and Webinars
2021 ACWA Virtual Annual Meeting Updates
The 2021 ACWA Virtual Annual Meeting is next week. Don’t forget to register today by visiting ACWA’s event page.
This year’s meeting will include a virtual networking session for attendees to participate in on August 4th from 12:30 P.M. E.T. to 1:30 P.M. E.T. Attendees will select the networking session they would like to participate in when registering. The networking sessions will focus the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act. ACWA is planning a series of activities to celebrate 50 years of success and we are hoping to begin gathering success stories from our members. States are encouraged to identify one or two major milestones (program accomplishments) they would like to see highlighted as part of a long list of successes ACWA’s members identify.
2021 Virtual Water Quality Modeling Workshop
SAVE THE DATE – ACWA, in partnership with USEPA will be holding a 3-day virtual workshop on Water Quality Modeling. This workshop will take place September 20 – September 22, 2021, from 1-5 PM EST.
Sessions will take place through GoToWebinar and registration is required. This workshop is limited to State, Federal, and Tribal participants. We encourage you to distribute this information widely to your partners.
This year’s workshop will feature 2 tracks that attendees may choose from:
- Data Visualization.
- Using Open-source scripting to streamline modeling tasks.
When available, more information may be found on ACWA’s events page.
You may contact Jasper Hobbs with any questions: jhobbs@acwa-us.org
2021 Virtual Nutrients Permitting Workshop
SAVE THE DATE – ACWA will be holding a virtual Nutrients Permitting Workshop: Permitting for Restoration October 26-28, 2021, 1-5 PM EST.
This workshop is part of a series of meetings focused on nutrients permitting through a grant between EPA, ACWA, and WEF. The workshop series is intended to help support states and EPA to further identify obstacles to nutrient permitting program implementation, highlight opportunities for program improvement, showcase innovations, and assist with analysis of training, guidance, tools, and other support material needs.
This workshop will have days dedicated to the restoration of lakes, rivers, and estuaries.
When available, more information may be found on ACWA’s events page.
You may contact Jasper Hobbs with any questions: jhobbs@acwa-us.org
Constituents of Emerging Concern and the Emerging Technologies to Treat Them: Past, Present, and Future
Mon, Aug 2, 2021 3:00 PM EDT
Join The Water Research Foundation for a Moment of Science as we continue our webcast series celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Paul L. Busch (PLB) Award! This award recognizes innovative research in the field of water quality and the water environment. During this webcast, six past Paul L. Busch Award winners will discuss the evolution of constituents of emerging concern and emerging treatment technologies over the past twenty years, how these developments have impacted water industry practices, and what changes they foresee over the next twenty years.
Moderators:
David Sedlak, PhD, Plato Malozemoff Professor of Environmental Engineering at University of California Berkeley and Director of the Berkeley Water Center (2003 PLB Winner)
Paige Novak, PhD, Professor and Joseph T. and Rose S. Ling Chair in Environmental Engineering, University of Minnesota (2007 PLB Winner)
Presenters:
Nancy Love, PhD, Borchardt and Glysson Collegiate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan (2001 PLB Winner)
Andy Schuler, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of New Mexico (2008 PLB Winner)
Jaehong Kim, PhD, Henry P. Becton Sr. Professor of Engineering and Chair of Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University (2009 PLB Winner)
Shaily Mahendra, PhD, Professor and Samueli Fellow, Environmental Engineering, University of California Los Angeles (2017 PLB Winner)
EPA ICIS Training
ICIS NPDES Effluent Violation Training – August 3rd, 3-4:30 pm EST
Click HERE to register
ICIS Business Intelligence(BI) Reports Advance Training – August 10th, 1-2:30 pm EST
Click HERE to register
Global Change Explorer: Identifying and Downloading Climate Change Information using LASSO
August 5, 2021
EPA’s Global Change Explorer (GCX) is a collection of web-based tools that describe and visualize scenarios of future environmental change, provide access to underlying spatial data, and promote adaptation and resilience planning. This training webinar will provide an overview of the GCX, then focus on the Locating and Selecting Scenarios Online (LASSO) tool, which was designed to provide fast, easy access to climate change information that informs a specific question or concern.
Register for the Global Change Explorer Webinar.
Sustainable Financial Management Planning for Water Utilities
Thursday, August 5, 2021
1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Eastern
Many water sector utilities across the nation are addressing mounting financial challenges by projecting revenue expectations, capital improvement needs, and expenses years into the future. These sustainable financial management practices often work in support of, and are also supported by, improved asset management. Key activities like improved capital budgeting can help utilities achieve stronger financial footing while enabling them to maintain and replace aging infrastructure well into the future.
During this 75-minute webinar, you will hear experiences from Columbus Water Works in Georgia and Union Sanitary District in California. This webinar will feature presentations where speakers will share their experiences and reflect on lessons learned as well as answer questions from participants.
EPA Webinar: The Pathway to Green and Complete Streets: Steps, Success Stories, and Lessons Learned
Date: Thursday, August 5, 2021
Time: 1:00pm – 2:30pm eastern
Register: Register Here
Description:
Green streets can provide many environmental, social and economic benefits. In addition to stormwater runoff reduction and water quality improvement benefits, green streets can be designed to calm traffic, provide safer pedestrian and bicycle paths, mitigate urban heat island effects, improve community aesthetics, and stimulate community investments. This webcast will feature EPA’s Green Streets Handbook, a document intended to help state and local transportation agencies, municipal officials, designers, stakeholders and others to select, design and implement site design strategies and green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) practices for streets, alleys and parking lots. Additional presentations from Arlington, VA, Grand Rapids, MI, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust will feature on-the-ground green street programs, share success stories and lessons learned, and highlight the environmental, economic, and social benefits of green infrastructure practices.
Speakers:
Alisha Goldstein
Town of Chapel Hill, NC
Sadie Drescher
Chesapeake Bay Trust
Carrie Rivette
City of Grand Rapids, MI
Christin Jolicoeur
Arlington County, VA
EPA Webinar: Advanced ECHO Tools
Date: Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Time: 1:30pm – 2:30pm eastern
Registration: Webinar Registration – Zoom (zoomgov.com)
Join U.S. EPA for its next Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) webinar on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, 1:30-2:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time. This advanced webinar will explore water tools and reports available on ECHO, such as:
- Water Facility Search
- Detailed Facility Report
- Effluent Charts
- Water Pollutant Loading Tool
- Data Downloads and Web Services
These ECHO tools allow users to access and analyze EPA data for water pollutant discharges and facility compliance related to the Clean Water Act. The case studies will demonstrate how to conduct advanced analyses of permitted water features and interpret information.
EPA Tools & Resources Webinar: PFAS Technical Support and Scientific Advancements
August 18, 2021
This webinar will share examples of EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) projects conducted in collaboration with and designed by states and tribes to use ORD’s expertise to identify and improve the understanding of what PFAS are present within various media in local areas of concern. Projects range from environmental sampling around manufacturing facilities to evaluation of the effectiveness of well and wastewater treatment.
Register for the PFAS Technical Support and Scientific Advancements webinar.
Recording: Climate Change Adaptation Webinar via EPA Watersheds Academy
A recording and associated materials from EPA’s Watershed Academy webcast, “Climate Change Adaptation” held on June 23, 2021 is available here.
The webcast “Addressing and Managing Plastic Pollution” held on April 21, 2021 is also now available for viewing here.
Job Opportunities
Environmental Protection Engineer IV – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Location: Springfield, Illinois
Closing Date: August 20, 2021
This position serves as the lead worker, to the professional and technical staff in the Bureau of Water/Water Pollution Control (BOW) in their drafting and review of non-municipal wastewater permits application(s) and the NPDES permitting program including; industrial facilities, coal mines, non-coal mines, CAFOs and related stormwater discharges, state construction and operating permit program for operations such as industrial treatment or pretreatment, land application of sludge, spray irrigation, and Subtitle D mine permits, POTWs, pretreatment program, review and issuance of 401 water quality certifications. Also represents the BOW in hearings, meetings and seminars, rulemaking and regulatory relief proceedings before the Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB) and provides assistance/guidance to agency staff/officials/consultants regarding highly complex, sensitive, and controversial water quality issues. Position requires an Illinois Professional Engineer license.
For more information please click here.
Natural Resources Specialist V (00015759)- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Location: Austin, TX
Closing Date: August 7, 2021
This position initiates and coordinates characterizations of hydrological, chemical, and biological information to determine conditions and requirements for agency permits and other regulatory actions; and maintains and operates data collection systems for the Surface Water Quality Monitoring (SWQM) Team of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Preferred qualifications include:
- Experience leading or coordinating water quality projects.
- Experience in electronic water quality data collection instruments (data sondes), wireless communications equipment, and computer programming.
- Experience with deployment, operation, and/or maintenance of continuous water quality monitoring equipment.
For more information please click here.
Natural Resources Specialist V (00015760) – Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Location: Austin, TX
Closing Date: August 7, 2021
This position initiates and coordinates the characterization of hydrological, chemical, and biological information to determine conditions and requirements for agency permits and other regulatory actions; and maintains and operates data collection systems for the Surface Water Quality Monitoring (SWQM) Team of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Preferred qualifications include:
- Experience leading or coordinating water quality projects.
- Experience with the development or evaluation of Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) requirements.
- Experience developing or implementing technical procedures.
For more information please click here.
