News
Preparing United States Critical Infrastructure for Today’s Evolving Water Crises (cisa.gov)
Water crises threaten the security and resilience of our nation’s critical infrastructure. This report identifies the challenges we are confronted with and provides recommendations to address them. The NIAC’s recommendations include the following:
Aid Infrastructure Owners and Operators
- Create, incentivize, and enforce standards for water use and quality.
- Remove barriers to new ways of funding water projects.
- Invest in innovation to increase storage, access, and management options for the future.
- Assist low-income and vulnerable populations.
- Increase national resiliency to drought, floods, and other water-related crises.
- Invest in the water infrastructure workforce.
Mitigate Cross-Sector Impacts
- Invest in reliable infrastructure in U.S. river systems to, among other things, improve energy generation capabilities and rehabilitate dams.
- Modernize and make flood resilient the inland waterways transportation system and coastal waterways.
- Support adaptive practices and promote smarter irrigation technology so farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners can more efficient and resilient.
Create a National Water Strategy
- Elevate the importance of water in the national consciousness through a public awareness program.
- Institute either a Department of Water or some other entity that stewards water issues at the Cabinet level.
The NIAC concludes that successful mitigation of the risks water crises presents requires a coordinated effort among owners, operators, and local, Federal, and state government. The response must be nuanced, timely and intent on delivering results that strengthen the security and resilience of our nation’s critical infrastructure. To achieve the desired outcomes, the NIAC recognizes that innovation, investment, and incentives play a pivotal role in creating long-term gains. This report explores where we are and a better way forward in the form of recommendations and a Federal-level water strategy.
For a copy of the report, please click here.
State Feedback Session on Clean Water Act Environmental Justice Modules
ACWA will be holding two afternoon-long sessions, providing States with a chance to preview and provide feedback on EPA’s Clean Water Act Environmental Justice Modules for their Watershed Academy.
These sessions will be held on September 12 and 13, from 1:00-4:30 pm EST.
Sessions will cover a variety of topics including:
- Water Quality Standards
- TMDLs
- Nonpoint Source Pollution
- 401 Certification
- NPDES
- CWSRF
If you would like to be registered or be added to ACWA’s EJ Committee, please contact Jasper Hobbs.
EPA Final Rule – Revised Definition of “Waters of the United States”
On August 29, 2023, EPA announced that EPA and USACE have issued a new final rule to amend their Revised Definition of “Waters of the United States” rule, which was published in the Federal Register on January 18, 2023. Through the new final rule, which will become effective immediately upon its upcoming publication in the Federal Register, the agencies have amended its definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) to conform with the U.S. Supreme Court’s May 2023 decision in Sackett v. EPA.
The agencies will host a public webinar on September 12, 2023, from 3:00 – 4:00 pm ET, to provide updates on the definition of WOTUS and implementation of the new final rule. In its announcement, EPA notes that registration capacity for the public webinar will be limited, but that the webinar will be recorded and posted on the agency’s website after the event.
Additionally, ACWA is working with EPA to schedule a states-only call with the agency to discuss the new final rule and its implementation. Please share any questions or concerns regarding the new final rule that can be raised during the states-only call with ACWA staff (Julia Anastasio or Ward Scott).
ACWA States-Only Call: Clean Water Act Sec. 404(g) Tribal and State Program Regulation
ACWA staff will host a states-only call to discuss EPA’s recently announced Proposed Rule, Clean Water Act Section 404 Tribal and State Program Regulation. We will be discussing major provisions of the Proposed Rule and would like to hear your thoughts regarding ACWA potentially submitting comments to EPA, as well as states’/interstates’ level of interest in submitting their own comments.
The call is scheduled for Wednesday, September 13, at 3:30 pm EST. If you would like to register for the call, please contact Ward Scott.
Association Updates
Association of Clean Water Administrators Leadership Education and Development System (LEADS)
What is it?
The ACWA Leadership Education and Development System (LEADS) is a new Board directed initiative intended to encourage participation in leadership activities and help future leaders in the organization improve their understanding of roles and responsibilities.
Who can participate?
All current state and interstate members and their staff interested in learning more about leadership in ACWA (Committee/Workgroup Chairs, Regional Board Members, Executive Officers) can volunteer to participate in LEADS.
How do I engage?
To learn more about the LEADS initiative, please contact Sean Rolland to get access to a short questionnaire. Upon completing the questionnaire, participants will be provided access to a new Member365 Workspace, which holds materials developed expressly for the ACWA LEADS program.
What if I have more questions?
After reviewing the materials, should a participant have more questions and/or be interested in further discussing future leadership opportunities in ACWA, a volunteer advisor with experience in that leadership role will be notified and will reach out to you.
Experts Directory
As per the ACWA Strategic Plan, over 70 state staff volunteered to be part of an Experts Directory, which is a service ACWA provides in the Member365 Environment. These subject matter experts (SMEs) volunteered to make themselves available should their peers in other states have programmatic related questions. This Directory has been added as a drop down on the Memebr365 dashboard page and is organized by Expert Subject Area. The subject matter areas include 316(b), 401 Certification, 404 Assumption, CAFO/Animal Agriculture, Enforcement and Compliance, Funding, Legal Affairs, Monitoring & Assessment, Nutrients Policy, NPDES Permitting, Nonpoint Source, Oceans and Coastal Issues, Pesticides, Pretreatment, State Implementation of CWA Programs, Steam Electric, Stormwater – Municipal, Stormwater – Industrial, Technology and Innovation, Water Quality Trading, Water Quality Standards, Water Quantity, and Watersheds & TMDLs. If you have programmatic questions, this may be another option to help you find out how other states are addressing the issue. Several volunteers offered to help research a question if they did not have an answer readily available. Beyond answering Member questions, ACWA may also ask the SMEs to identify:
- challenges & barriers to program implementation
- opportunities for state program improvement & enhancement
- state advances and innovations
- needs for training, guidance, tools, and other support materials
- positions the Associations wishes to take on specific issues
If you would like to volunteer as an SME, please contact Lexy Bailey at abailey@acwa-us.org. For more details on Member365, please check out our FAQ Page.
Notice – No Wrap The Week of September 4th
In observance of the holiday, ACWA will not publish a Weekly Wrap next week. Look out for our next issue the week of September 11th.
Meetings and Webinars
ACWA Water Quality Modeling Workshop: October 23-27, Salt Lake City, UT
Registration is now open for our upcoming Surface Water Quality Modeling Workshop in Salt Lake City, UT! This workshop will run October 23-27, with an optional pre-conference “Modeling 101” session on October 23.
This workshop will be an in-person event, in partnership with USEPA. This event will take place at the Utah DEQ Offices. This year, we will be offering three tracks: (1) HSPF (2) CE-QUAL-W2 (3) Modeling for Nutrients. We have a great planning team of state and EPA representatives working hard to finalize the agenda. Attached are one-page summaries on some of the topics covered this year.
To register, you will need access to ACWA’s member portal. If you are EPA staff, please reach out Lexy Bailey (abailey@acwa-us.org) for help getting set up. This workshop has 3 distinct tracks – including two hands-on trainings. Hands on trainings will be offered for HSPF and CE-QUAL-W2.
Space is limited for the HSPF and CE-QUAL-W2 tracks – once you register, you will automatically be placed on the wait list. You will receive a confirmation email at a later date.
If you are a new staff-person, or if you would like a refresher, please indicate that you will be attending the pre-conference “Modeling 101” session, set for the afternoon of October 23.
Lodging will be available at the Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel, in Salt Lake City, UT. ACWA has procured the local gov’t per diem rate of $128/night from Saturday, October 21 – Friday, October 27, 2023. You may reserve your hotel room here. The limited room block will be open through October 1, 2023. We recommend you secure your room as soon as possible to ensure your stay at this hotel.
CWA National Targeting Center EPA/State Joint Community of Practice Meeting
Thursday, September 7, 2023, 1:00pm – 2:00pm Eastern
This meeting is only for EPA Regional and state NPDES permitting, enforcement, and information technology staff. Please contact Sean Rolland (srolland@acwa-us.org) for more details.
This will be the second meeting between EPA Regional and state staff to share best practices and ideas for inspection and enforcement targeting. At the first meeting, which was held on 2 November 2022, Kentucky Division of Water and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality gave presentations on “DMR Compliance Automation Efforts and Trend Analysis” and “GIS Targeting Platform, DMR Evaluation, Low SNC Rates,” respectively.
We invite states to share their insights on inspection and enforcement targeting for the upcoming September 7th meeting. Please send an email to Sean Rolland if you are interested in participating or giving a presentation. Please use this link to add your email to our EPA-state NTC CWA CoP distribution list. We will use this distribution list to share updates to the agenda and for future meetings.
We hope to schedule these 1-hour meetings on a more regular basis and suggest a quarterly frequency. This will allow EPA Regional and state staff to exchange insights and updates on inspection and enforcement targeting. We will use the September 7th meeting to solicit your input on this proposal.
ASDWA HABS Webinar: CyAN Potential Satellite Montoring of Drinking Water Sources
Tuesday, September 19, 2023, from 4:00 – 5:00 pm (eastern time)
ASDWA will hold a webinar about the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) potential for satellite monitoring of drinking water sources. CyAN is a multi-agency project among US EPA, NASA, NOAA, and USGS to develop a satellite early warning indicator system for cyanobacterial blooms in U.S. freshwater systems. This webinar will provide an overview of the pros and cons of satellite imagery as an additional tool for monitoring drinking water sources.
This is the third of three HABs webinars in the ASDWA series for state drinking water programs and partners. For more information and to view the previous webinar recordings and presentations, go to www.asdwa.org/habs.
Creating the Water Workforce of the Future: Webinar Series
September 28, 2023, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Register Here
Today’s water workforce is becoming more diverse, with more and more organizations actively seeking to attract and retain women to a variety of challenging careers. Women are providing much needed energy, skills and innovation to help water sector utilities become truly sustainable and provide 21st century water services to their communities. While women are advancing to executive level positions, this webinar will focus on the journey of three women who are making critical contributions through both operator, engineering, and scientific positions. Speakers will provide a brief overview of their current job and address some of the challenges and opportunities they see for women wishing to make water a truly exceptional career. The remainder of the webinar will focus on a conversation between the speakers and the audience, to answer additional questions, and provide other perspectives on ways to attract women into a career in water.
Moderators
· Jim Horne, U.S. EPA
Speakers
· Jamie Hughes, Program Manager, Clean Water Services
· Maggie Macomber, Engineering Program Manager, Charlotte Water
· Rochelle Verspui, Assistant Wastewater Shift Supervisor, East Bay Municipal Utility District
This webinar is part of an ongoing webinar series hosted by EPA, in partnership with leading water sector organizations around the country. More information on this webinar series can be found at https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-water-infrastructure/water-sector-workforce-webinars
ITRC Harmful Cyanobacteria Blooms Training
The ITRC Harmful Cyanobacteria Blooms (HCBs) two-part training reviews key information found in the two ITRC HCB Guidance Documents: Strategies for Preventing and Managing Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms (HCB-1) and the companion document focused on benthic HCBs (HCB-2). For regulators and other government agency staff, these materials present the state of the science on cyanobacteria and approaches to manage and reduce the occurrence of blooms. These trainings will help the audience understand:
- The basic ecology and physiology of planktonic and benthic cyanobacteria, and the harmful effects they have on health, the environment, and local economies
- An overview of cyanotoxin classes and available cyanotoxin thresholds for human health (recreational and drinking water) and domestic animals
- Common approaches to monitoring for cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins, and how to build a monitoring program
- The importance of good communication and coordinated response during HCBs, and the elements of a good response plan
- Available options for in-lake management and control of HCBs, including an introduction to possible treatment options for benthic cyanobacteria
- Nutrient management options to reduce the likelihood of HCBs in your water body
HCB-1 Training: Thursday, October 5, 2023, 1:00 – 3:00pm ET.
HCB-2 Training: Thursday, October 12, 2023, 1:00 – 3:00pm ET.
To register for either event or both, please visit https://clu-in.org/conf/itrc/hcb-2/.
Public NNCR Trainings in Fall 2023
EPA recently scheduled and posted the next round of the NNCR public trainings to the ECHO Training page. The trainings will be hosted on ZoomGov and do require registration to attend. Since we recorded the NNCR trainings from this spring, this series will not be recorded. We will direct those interested in training recordings to the existing recordings available on the ECHO Training page.
NNCR Training Schedule
- Quarterly NNCR
- September 13, 2023 1:00 – 2:00 pm eastern (register here)
- Annual NNCR
- September 26, 2023 1:00 – 2:00 pm (register here)
- Quarterly NNCR: DMR Reporting Violations
- October 11, 2023 1:00 – 2:00 pm eastern (register here)
- Quarterly NNCR: Effluent Violations
- October 19, 2023 1:30 – 3:00 pm eastern (register here)
- Quarterly NNCR: Schedule Violations
- November 1, 2023 2:00 – 3:00 pm eastern (register here)
- Quarterly NNCR: Single Event/Other Violations
- November 16, 2023 1:00 – 2:00 pm eastern (register here)
Please contact Courtney Tuxbury (tuxbury.courtney@epa.gov) with any questions.
Job Opportunities
Stormwater Engineer (Environmental Engineer 2)
Location: Lacey, WA
Closing Date: Continuous
You will work with the Toxic Contamination in Stormwater Protect Team to review scopes of work (SOW), designs, plans, and technical reports pertinent to 6PPD-quinone in stormwater. You will also provide technical engineering support, assistance, advice, and guidance to the Stormwater Action Monitoring (SAM) Program, Ecology staff and management, the regulated community, their consultants, and the general public related to stormwater management. In addition, you will develop and provide technical oversight for statewide technical guidance pertaining to stormwater runoff. Your work will be spot checked and revied by a licensed Professional Engineer.
You will support important processes in the issuance of protective general permit coverage actions and provide technical assistance and customer service to the regulated community and other stakeholders. You will bring your attention to detail, collaborative spirit, and great communication skills to review incoming permit application; communicate verbally and in writing with stakeholders, both internal and external; help with continuous improvement efforts; enter information into a database and manage information for data quality; and prepare permit correspondence, letters, and permit document materials for approval and processing.
For more information and to apply, please visit State of Washington Job Opportunities.
General Permit Administrator (Environmental Specialist 3)
Location: Lacey, WA
Closing Date: Continuous
You will support important processes in the issuance of protective general permit coverage actions and provide technical assistance and customer service to the regulated community and other stakeholders. You will bring your attention to detail, collaborative spirit, and great communication skills to review incoming permit application; communicate verbally and in writing with stakeholders, both internal and external; help with continuous improvement efforts; enter information into a database and manage information for data quality; and prepare permit correspondence, letters, and permit document materials for approval and processing.
For more information and to apply, please visit State of Washington Job Opportunities.
Clean Energy Permit Coordinator and Senior Permit Administrator (Environmental Specialist 4)
Location: Lacey, WA
Closing Date: Continuous
In this position, you will help a team of dedicated staff implement a new law by supporting the development and oversight of a coordinated permitting process for clean energy projects in the State of Washington. In addition to serving as the primary contact for clean energy permit coordination related to water quality general permits, you will also support a team of environmental specialists as the lead permit administrator for construction and stormwater permits.
For more information and to apply, please visit State of Washington Job Opportunities.
Municipal Stormwater Grant Project Specialist (Environmental Specialist 4)
Location: Shoreline, WA
Closing Date: Continuous
You will manage Department of Ecology municipal and nonpoint stormwater grants with local governments and special purpose districts to fund projects that improve water quality. You will also be the lead and point of contact for Ecology’s stormwater and nonpoint grant recipients during the life of their grant agreements; rank grant applications; work with grant recipients to provide technical assistance; and conduct field inspections of Ecology-funded projects.
For more information and to apply, please visit State of Washington Job Opportunities.
Enforcement & Compliance Specialist (Environmental Specialist 4)
Location: Lacey, WA
Closing Date: Continuous
Responsible for conducting highly complex or controversial compliance and enforcement actions. You will gather evidence, document findings, and write and issue warning letters, notices of violations, administrative orders, penalties, or other enforcement actions. The work includes conducting inspections and relying on information gathered by other Department of Ecology inspectors and permit managers. You will be a subject matter expert at meetings with the public, regulated communities, attorneys, local governments, and other Ecology employees. You will represent Ecology as the expert on enforcement appeals to the Pollution Controls Hearing Board (PCHB).
For more information and to apply, please visit State of Washington Job Opportunities.
Water Quality Management Unit Supervisor (WMS Band 1)
Location: Lacey, WA
Closing Date: Continuous
The Washington Department of Ecology is looking for a supervisor who is committed to protecting Washington’s surface and groundwater. You will be responsible for providing support and guidance to keep work moving forward, staff engaged and supported. As an active and engaged leader, you will roll up your sleeves and do what it takes to support the team. You will be managing a unit a section that has three units developing water quality policy for Washington State. The section is engaged in dynamic high-profile work and, if you are interested in the implementation of federal and state water quality regulations and want to share your experience, people skills, and work with a great team, then please apply.
For more information and to apply, please visit State of Washington Job Opportunities.
Environmental Analyst – Long Island Sound Regional Coordinator
Location: Stony Brook, NY
Closing Date: September 5, 2023
You will work alongside internal and external partners and act in a coordinator capacity for water quality and nitrogen reduction activities and projects. You will assist in the planning and execution of activities and projects NYSDEC DOW participates in through the LISS. You will participate in workgroups and meetings; participate in TMDL implementation; assist with the implementation of the LISS Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) nitrogen reduction plans and measures; provide technical support to and participate in the stakeholder group for EPA’s LIS Nitrogen Reduction Strategy; and provide grant oversight and management. You will also build partnerships with and assist municipalities in evaluating and assessing local policies and programs to determine how they align with the CCMP, and you’ll assist with the implementation of the Communications, Outreach, and Engagement plan as a liaison to Long Island communities.
For more information and to apply, please visit Careers at NEIWPCC.
Information Officer – Communications and Publications Associate
Location: Grand Isle, VT
Closing Date: September 10, 2023
As a NEIWPCC Information Officer with the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), you will maintain and update LCBP-hosted websites and other digital platforms and will write and develop content for LCBP’s e-newsletter, blogs, website, social media, press releases, and other communications channels and outreach materials. You will maintain and update the LCBP’s Pics.io photograph and creative asset catalog, and fulfill internal and external requests for photos, maps, data, and other assets. You will also prepare content for a variety of education and outreach meetings and conferences.
For more information and to apply, please visit Careers at NEIWPCC.
