News
Environmental Justice Legal Toolbox
EPA released a legal toolbox of existing laws that states and EPA can use to protect marginalized and/or disadvantaged communities. The toolbox, EPA Legal Tools to Advance Environmental Justice, highlights a range of existing EPA authorities that can be used to ensure that agency programs and policies do not disproportionally impact marginalized and/or disadvantaged communities. In addition to identifying a wide range of opportunities to advance environmental justice and equity in EPA’s statutes, the toolbox addresses civil rights laws and EPA implementing regulations that independently apply to recipients of EPA funding.
Draft 304(a) Aquatic Life Criteria for PFOA, PFOS Comments Extended by 30 days
EPA has extended the public comment period for the published draft national recommended aquatic life criteria for PFOA and PFOS in freshwater for an additional 30 days, through July 2, 2022. This notice was posted on EPA’s draft criteria webpages for PFOA and PFOS on May 25th.
New Watershed Academy Module: “Clean Water Act, Part 1”
This week, EPA announced that the Watershed Academy’s new Clean Water Act Module Part 1 is now available. The Clean Water Act Module Part 1 is designed to provide a history of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and an overview of Water Quality Standards (WQS). This module is the first part of an update to the existing Introduction to the Clean Water Act module. This module is intended to increase your understanding of the CWA; provide an overview of WQS; and describe the role of states, territories, and authorized tribes, the public, and EPA in the WQS process. The course contains fourteen core sections and will take about two hours to complete.
Click here to access the module.
Department of Energy Announces $5 million for Small-scale Desalination and Treatment Technologies
Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI), announced a $5 million solicitation for small-scale desalination and water-reuse technologies that will improve the safety, security, and affordability of America’s water supply. The Pilot Program request for proposals (RFP) offers applicants the chance to design, build, operate, and test desalination and water reuse treatment systems that produce clean water from non-traditional water sources, such as brackish water, seawater, produced and extracted water, and wastewater.
Pilot projects that support the research objectives established in the NAWI Roadmap Publication Series stand the best chance of receiving an award. NAWI will ultimately select 6-8 research teams from industry, academia and the U.S. National Laboratories, with a minimum 35% cost share required from each team. Concept papers are due by Wednesday, June 29, 2022. To learn more, read the full request for proposals.
View the announcement here.
Association Updates
Seeking Case Studies to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the CWA
ACWA is preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act later this year and we are seeking case studies from our members. The goal of the campaign is to highlight the great work the states/interstates have been doing in implementing the CWA. We will kick off the campaign during the 2022 ACWA Annual Meeting (August 3-5, 2022) at Graceland in Memphis, TN.
The campaign includes several components (social media, Story Map, Etc.) with the most visible being a Story Map website that will consist of state/interstate stories highlighting how your programs are working to achieve the goals of the CWA. This is the time to celebrate the hard work of you and your staff and toot your own horns.
We would like to have stories from all ACWA members in the Story Map. We have created a simple template for you to use to enter your information. You can use an existing case study that you may have already created for another effort or you can come up with a new story. You can submit more than one story too! As the template is updated, our consultant will work to get the stories included in the map.
If you would like to submit a case study, please let Julia Anastasio or Kara McCauley know if you intend to submit a case study by June 1, 2022, and we will provide you with a link to the template. This is the time to show how you have been using the CWA to protect and restore the waters in your state!
2022 ACWA Annual Meeting Registration Open
Registration is now open for the 2022 ACWA Annual Meeting, August 3-5, 2022, at The Guest House at Graceland, Memphis, TN. We are looking forward to gathering face to face for the first time in two years! Join us as we celebrate reconnecting with colleagues and kick off the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act. As part of the celebration, the ACWA Board of Directors has decided that there will be no registration fee for the meeting.
2022 ACWA Annual Meeting Travel Scholarships Available
ACWA is also offering a limited number of travel scholarships to help states/ interstates with travel costs to the meeting. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please contact Kara McCauley.
Register for the Next ACWA Legal Affairs Committee
The ACWA Legal Affairs Committee will hold its next meeting on June 2, 2022, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM ET. This call will feature a discussion of Residual Designation Authority (RDA). If you are interested in participating, please contact Julia Anastasio for registration information.
Meetings and Webinars
Women in Water – The Leadership Journey Forward
Date: June 21, 2022
Time: 1-2:30 PM EST
Register here
The EPA, in partnership with NACWA, AMWA, AWWA, WEF, WaterReuse, and the Water Research Foundation, present the next webinar in the “Creating the Water Workforce of the Future” series.
More and more women are making a major difference to ensure our water utilities are strong and sustainable. However, women continue to be underrepresented in the water utility sector, particularly in leadership positions. Please join us for a conversation with three women at different stages of their careers at water utilities to hear their stories and insights as well as share your own.
Moderators
- Jim Horne, U.S. EPA
- Deborah Vacs Renwick, U.S. EPA
Speakers
- Karen Pallansch, General Manager, Alexandria Renew Enterprises (VA)
- Stacy Thompson, Deputy Director, Saco Water Resource Recovery Department (ME)
- Genevieve Ramirez, Communications Director, Moulton Niguel Water District (CA)
