May 20, 2022 Stephanie Schlea Drinking Water Headlines, DWSRF
Today (May 20), ASDWA submitted comments to EPA on a waiver for the requirements under Build America, Buy America (BABA). The Agency proposed to waive BABA requirements for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) borrowers that initiated project design plans prior to May 14, 2022 – the day that BABA went into effect. ASDWA’s comments support the waiver and provide additional recommendations for the Agency, including:May 20, 2022 Kevin Letterly Drinking Water Headlines
EPA and ASDWA will be hosting the 6th Annual National Capacity Development and Operator Certification Workshop on August 10-12 in Alexandria, VA. This meeting is designed for in-person attendance; however, there will be one short afternoon listening session on Wednesday and Thursday for virtual attendees. Topics to be discussed will include: contract operators, promoting asset management, targeting disadvantaged systems, retaining and recruiting workforce, and more.
Registration for the Workshop is free, and ASDWA will also be providing a limited amount of state staff travel support. For more information and to register, reserve a hotel room, and submit a request for state travel support, visit the event webpage here.
May 20, 2022 Stephanie Schlea Drinking Water Headlines
On May 18, the EPA added five additional per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to the Agency’s Regional Screening and Removal Management Levels to Protect Human Health and the Environment. The list provides risk-based values that help EPA determine if response or remediation activities and actions are needed, such as sampling, assessing risks, or providing alternative drinking water. It is important to note that these values are not cleanup standards. According to the Agency’s news release, this action will provide EPA “with critical tools needed for Superfund and other Agency programs to investigate contamination and protect people from these PFAS chemicals using the latest peer-reviewed science.” EPA reviews and updates these risk-based values twice a year and may add additional PFAS in the future. Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) was already included on this list. The five new PFAS are:
May 16, 2022 Stephanie Schlea Drinking Water Headlines, DWSRF
Late last Friday (May 13), EPA announced $1.9 billion in new base federal grant funding to the State Revolving Funds (SRF). These funds are split between the Clean Water SRF (CWSRF) and the Drinking Water SRF (DWSRF), with the two programs receiving $1.2 billion and $728 million, respectively. These base allotment amounts for both programs reflect the appropriation of $1,638,826,000 (CWSRF) and $1,126,088,000 (DWSRF) reduced by the funds directed by Congress towards Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending projects, colloquially referred to as earmarks.
This base federal grant funding is separate from the money both programs will receive in FY 2022 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Under the BIL, the CWSRF program will receive an additional $2 billion, and the DWSRF will receive an additional $5.7 billion. The Agency touts that this funding “will help states, Tribes, and territories upgrade water infrastructure to provide safe drinking water, protect vital water resources, and create thousands of new jobs in communities across the country.”
See the breakdown of the 2022 Base CWSRF Allotment
See the breakdown of the 2022 Base DWSRF Allotment
May 12, 2022 Deirdre White Drinking Water Headlines, Webinars
On Wednesday, May 25, 2022, from 3:00 – 4:00 pm (eastern time), the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) will host a webinar to share Texas and Louisiana examples of Public health response to municipal water-associated Naegleria fowleri cases. This amoeba can grow in warm, fresh water and can cause serious harm if contaminated water enters the body through the nose. During the webinar, speakers from the Louisiana Department of Health and the Texas Department of State Health Services will share examples of how they have responded to municipal water-associated cases of Naegleria fowleri. Register for the webinar here.
May 10, 2022 Stephanie Schlea Drinking Water Headlines
In April, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a temporary prohibition on the incineration of materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), “including Aqueous Film Forming Foam concentrate, rinsate, water mixtures, and any PFAS-containing media recovered during DoD’s cleanup processes.” The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act required DoD to apply the prohibition until the Department issues guidance implementing EPA’s interim guidance on the destruction and disposal of PFAS. The memo states that DoD expects to finalize and issue its guidance in the near future.
May 9, 2022 Stephanie Schlea Drinking Water Headlines
The public has until May 20, 2022, to provide comments to EPA on a waiver for the requirements under Build America, Buy America (BABA). The Agency is proposing to waive BABA requirements for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) borrowers that initiated project design plans prior to May 14, 2022 – the day which BABA goes into effect.From EPA’s waiver: “[I]nitiated project design planning” means efforts made by the utility owner to evaluate and identify both technologically and financially viable options for capital improvement projects. These efforts can be in various forms of technical documents describing design concepts, alternatives analyses, and long-term facility or system plans. Examples include preliminary engineering reports, master plans, basis of design reports, and technical design memorandum.
May 6, 2022 Kevin Letterly Drinking Water Headlines
EPA has recently announced the first meeting for its National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) Microbial Disinfection Byproducts (MDBP) Working Group. The MDBP rules were identified as candidates for revision as part of the latest Six-Year Review of all drinking water regulations. As part of the potential regulatory revisions effort, EPA has requested that the NDWAC, a Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) established under the Safe Drinking Water Act, provide the agency with advice and recommendations on key issues related to potential revisions to MDBP rules. The work of the NDWAC will be supported by an MDBP Rule Revisions Working Group.
The first meeting of the Working Group is May 23, 2022 from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm (Eastern) and will be hosted virtually. The meeting is intended to make introductions among Working Group members; review previous public engagements and Working Group member interview findings; describe the approach to sequencing meeting topics for the meeting series and supporting discussions with technical information; and share goals for Working Group outcomes/impacts.
Registration for members of the public to listen can be found here. Meeting materials and more information will be posted to the NDWAC MDBP Rule Revisions Working Group webpage.
May 6, 2022 Stephanie Schlea Drinking Water Headlines, DWSRF
In April, the White House released a new playbook specifically focused on rural communities and how they can access and make the most of the funds available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The document outlines the programs and sources of funds set aside for rural communities and the key flexibilities and other benefits available to these communities under the BIL. Alongside this playbook, multiple federal agencies released companion fact sheets. The EPA’s document focuses on the drinking water, wastewater, pollution prevention, and pollution clean-up components of the BIL.
May 5, 2022 Deirdre White Drinking Water Headlines, Source Water
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service NRCS has just posted their new bulletin for the “National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) Watershed and Source Water Protection Area (SWPA) Selection and Criteria for Planning and Implementation Phases of NWQI for FY 2023.” State drinking water programs are encouraged to reach out to your NRCS State Conservationist’s Office to discuss implementation and begin planning now for potential changes in the NWQI watersheds and SWPAs that are due by September 30. The NRCS prioritizes funding for landowner agricultural practices in these areas to protect water quality and quantity, including drinking water sources.
This bulletin provides criteria and action items for the NRCS State Technical Committees to work with state drinking water programs, water utilities, and other partners to:
For more information about this NWQI opportunity, read the bulletin here. For additional information about:
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