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January 12, 2001

AMSA Outlines Clean Water Priorities for Bush Team
As the Clinton Administration enters its final days, this week President Elect Bush’s Transition Advisory Team tapped AMSA to provide information on the the municipal water quality community’s key challenges and priorities for the next four years. In response to a series of questions, AMSA highlighted water infrastructure funding, wet weather, total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), biosolids, water quality standards and nonpoint source pollution as the most pressing issues facing public wastewater agencies across the country. AMSA singled out water infrastructure funding as a major opportunity for significant progress in the first year of the Bush administration and noted that TMDLs, nonpoint source pollution and wet weather would likely rise to the White House’s attention through activity in any of the following arenas: Congress, the private sector, public sector, interest groups, the public or the press. AMSA also stressed the need for greater U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) coordination between headquarters and Regions as well as between the Agency’s enforcement and program offices.

AMSA Workgroup to Review EPA Nutrient Criteria
The Nutrient Workgroup of AMSA Water Quality Committee will begin review of EPA’s "Notice of Ecoregional Nutrient Criteria for Lakes and Reservoirs, Rivers and Streams, and Wetlands," which was published in the January 9 Federal Register. The notice contains "recommended section 304(a) water quality criteria for nutrients" that "were developed with the aim of reducing and preventing eutrophication on a National scale." According to EPA’s summary of the action, "each document presents recommended criteria," which are "intended to serve as a starting point for States, authorized Tribes and others to develop more refined nutrient criteria." AMSA’s concern with EPA’s approach have been well noted, and the Association will continue its efforts to ensure that POTWs are not unduly impacted by the new standards.

WIN Reaches Landmark Accord
Today, representatives of numerous national groups representing a broad cross-section of interests met at AMSA’s offices to formally endorse a set of consensus recommendations to the 107^th Congress, EPA and the incoming Bush administration on how best to address looming multibillion-dollar funding gaps facing America’s water infrastructure. AMSA’s Board of Directors approved AMSA’s endorsement, as have the other groups’ boards. The recommendations will serve as a blueprint for what AMSA hopes to become WATER 21 – a five-year $50 - 60 billion authorization bill to aid all communities in meeting growing water infrastructure needs. The report will be available for distribution to members in early February.

AMSA Posts SSO Analysis on www.amsa-cleanwater.org
Now available on AMSA’s Member Pipeline, Regulatory Alert 01-02 contains an initial analysis of EPA’s sweeping SSO proposal. The RA provides a section-by-section summary, highlights AMSA’s concerns and contains links to the rule and other important background materials for members to review. The complete RA with active links to all attachments and the full proposal is posted here – www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/regalrts/ra01-2.cfm.

> AMSA Commences E-Alerts . . . Next week, AMSA will be ready to begin E-Alerts service, the Association’s new, paperless E-Memberships will allow faster, more comprehensive communication than ever before. Roughly 40 percent of AMSA members have enrolled. Members who wish to sign up for this new service should contact AMSA’s Information Systems Manager, Gunnar Gehrmann at ggehrman@amsa-cleanwater.org.