ASDWA at EPA Office of Water’s State Water Associations Meeting

EPA’s Office of Water (OW) periodically holds meetings to apprize the state water associations (ECOS, ASDWA, ACWA, and GWPC) about current Agency directions and to hear about state issues/concerns.  The most recent such meeting was held on January 23rd and was attended by ASDWA’s Executive Committee (Sarah Pillsbury (NH), Ed Hallock (DE), and John Calkins (AZ)) as well as by ASDWA staff.

During the meeting, the Acting Assistant Administrator for Water, Nancy Stoner discussed OW’s the office’s five areas of focus for FY 13:  addressing nutrient pollution; supporting and meeting community goals; improving information and tools; forging strong partnerships; and fostering infrastructure and innovation.  Each Office of Water program office then provided updates on their respective initiatives and priorities. Andrew Sawyers, OGWDW’s Deputy Director cited the following priorities for the national drinking water program:  proposing new regulations in latter 2013 (LCR, cVOCs, perchlorate); implementing recent rules and initiatives (RTCR, electronic CCRs); developing final hydrofracturing guidance for instances where diesel fuel is used; building SDWIS NextGen; fostering small water system capacity; protecting sources of drinking water through collaborations with Clean Water Act and USDA programs; building water system resiliency; and implementing the DWSRF program.

Please watch for ASDWA e-mails and webinars to keep you informed of the latest progress of these various topics.