Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - January 11, 2002
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January 11, 2002
As Congress Drafts Water Infrastructure Legislation
WIN Completes Letter to Senate Listing Key Legislative Principles
AMSA joined other members of the Water Infrastructure Network (WIN) in signing a strong letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee listing key principles that must be present in forthcoming legislation in order for it to garner WIN’s crucial support. The letter, which will be sent early next week, says that “WIN is asking Congress to commit $57 billion over the next five years for investment in water and wastewater infrastructure . . . [which would] still leave the federal share of water and wastewater funding at less than 20 percent of total spending.” The letter also seeks to ensure that legislation contain a significant grant component. Additionally, AMSA issued a Press Release this week on the new U.S. General Accounting Office’s (GAO) report, Water Infrastructure: Information on Federal and State Financial Assistance. AMSA applauded the report for recognizing that significant increases in infrastructure funds are needed to avoid a crisis. The GAO Report and Press Release are available at http://www.win-water.org.
AMSA Comments on EPA’s Pro-POTW Draft Blending Guidance
AMSA issued comments this week on EPA’s Dec. 21, 2001, draft guidance addressing several critical wet weather issues, including its current position on blending. AMSA believes the guidance’s section on blending reflects the Association’s position that blending is a longstanding practice that complies with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and marks a positive step for the wastewater community. The draft guidance, titled NPDES Requirements for Municipal Wastewater Treatment During Wet Weather Conditions, also addresses discharges from emergency overflow structures located within municipal sanitary sewer collection systems, and discharges from wet weather treatment facilities, referred to by EPA as peak excess flow treatment facilities (PEFTF). AMSA has worked closely with Agency staff on the blending and PEFTF issues, and has actively encouraged EPA to issue a final blending policy quickly. AMSA understands that this guidance is on the fast track though EPA has not set a date for finalizing it. AMSA will issue a Regulatory Alert soon, providing an analysis of the draft guidance’s key provisions.
AMSA Responds Strongly to EPA’s Effluent Toxicity Proposal
AMSA issued comments today critical of EPA’s proposed rule that would revise and ratify Agency approval of several key analytical test procedures measuring whole effluent toxicity (WET). AMSA has played an active role in the national dialogue on WET for more than a decade and is concerned that the proposal fails to consider significant deficiencies with the methods and their implications for NPDES permittees. AMSA believes EPA has deviated from mandatory QA/QC requirements and approved methods that failed to achieve certain data quality objectives. AMSA will continue to advocate that these methods are not sufficiently reliable for use in setting NPDES permit limits and that permittees should not automatically be penalized for a single test failure. The comments will be available at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/.
- Today (Jan. 11) is the last official day to register at the special conference rate with the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Fla., for AMSA’s Winter Conference, Managing and Protecting Wastewater Infrastructure Assets. As a result of the extremely positive response to this offering, however, the Caribe Royale has agreed to extend the conference rate for a limited time. Those planning to attend the Feb. 5-8 conference are urged to make their reservations now by calling 407/238-8000.