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May 21, 2004 AMSA Fax Alert

Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - May 21, 2004

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May 21, 2004

AMSA Urges Member Support for
Congressional Funding of Water Sector Security Tool

AMSA has been working with the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) to obtain full funding of $4 million, in fiscal year 2005, for its Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC). This funding would make it possible to eliminate WaterISAC subscriber fees and expand threat information distribution to thousands of water and wastewater utilities. Developed at the urging of Presidential Directives and EPA, the WaterISAC is a nonprofit entity designed to gather, analyze and disseminate sensitive water security information to water and wastewater systems. The types of information shared with utilities include warnings of threats, white papers on chemical and biological agents, databases of chemical and biological contaminants, aids to help utilities conduct vulnerability assessments, a library of information, and tools to facilitate secure, online discussion amongst WaterISAC subscribers – all on a secure Internet portal, protected in a U.S. government-cleared civilian facility. AMSA members have been instrumental in making sure WaterISAC is responsive to wastewater utility security needs. AMSA has also been in direct contact this week with various public agency members in key congressional districts, requesting that they send letters to their Representatives and Senators in support of full funding. AMSA has made a template letter available to utilities for this purpose on its website (http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/leg_outreach.cfm) and requests that its public agency members continue to send this letter to their Senators and Representatives on this important issue.

AMSA Meets with
Key House Committee Staff on Stormwater Funding

AMSA met this week with key minority staff on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to discuss the need for the House's support of the $958 million set aside for stormwater mitigation projects that the Senate passed as part of its Safe, Affordable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA), S. 1072. Despite the Senate's broad bipartisan support for the stormwater provision, the House version of the bill did not contain this funding. It is critical that AMSA and its members demonstrate support for the provision as Congress prepares to choose conferees to negotiate the joint House-Senate package. As part of this effort, AMSA has been an active leader with a number of organizations on this issue, including having organized a letter to all Senators signed by key water associations and environmental activist groups. This and similar efforts helped ensure Senate passage of the bill and AMSA will continue to engage in similar coalition activities, with a focus on the conferees once they are chosen. AMSA has also been in touch with key public agency members this week, urging them to send letters to their Senators and Representatives in support of stormwater funding (http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/2004-05-17hwbill.doc). AMSA asks its public agency members to send this letter to their Members of Congress and requests that they raise the stormwater funding issue as part of their Capitol Hill visits next week at AMSA's National Environmental Policy Forum and 34th Annual Meeting.

AMSA Urges Members
Who Incinerate Biosolids to Complete Critical Survey

Given the problems that some publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) are encountering with their Total Hydrocarbon (THC)/Carbon Monoxide (CO) - Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) and the differing interpretations of the 40 CFR Part 503 requirements concerning THC/CO-CEMS, AMSA and the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) are conducting a joint survey to collect information on the issues surrounding biosolids incineration. The information gathered from this survey will shed light on the extent of the problems wastewater treatment utilities are facing with their TCC/CO-CEMS and will help frame AMSA’s advocacy efforts with EPA, and state and local permitting authorities. AMSA requests that its members who incinerate part or all of their biosolids complete this survey by June 15, 2004. For survey instructions see AMSA's Regulatory Alert 04-13 (http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/regalerts/ra04-13.cfm).