Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - February 8, 2002
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February 8, 2002
AMSA Winter Conference on Security/Asset Management Proves Timely
With nearly 300 attendees, AMSA's Winter Conference, Managing and Protecting Wastewater Infrastructure Assets, demonstrated the timeliness of its two main issues - security and asset management. At the conference, AMSA provided a preview of its much-anticipated Vulnerability Self Assessment Software Tool (VSAT) to a full room of wastewater utility leaders. VSAT is expected to be completed and made available in late Spring 2002 and, along with the recently released AMSA Asset Based Vulnerability Checklist for Wastewater Utilities and Legal Issues in a Time of Crisis Checklist, comprise a suite of key tools to assess asset vulnerability for the host of crisis situations. These publications are available on AMSA's web site at www.amsa-cleanwater.org/pubs/.AMSA's keynote speaker, Sandy Berger, former National Security Advisor for President Clinton, expressed admiration for AMSA's national legislative efforts to educate lawmakers and the public of the security challenges wastewater utility leaders face. Berger added that wastewater utilities may in fact be "a greater security concern" than drinking water utilities and called on AMSA to continue educating Congress on security and water infrastructure issues.
The Winter Conference also made clear that asset management is at the forefront of wastewater utility managers' concerns. As utilities face the triple threat of infrastructure aging, added security costs and tightening budgets, the need for asset management training and guidance is urgent. For this reason, AMSA's handbook, Managing Public Infrastructure Assets, unveiled at the Winter Conference, and AMSA's preview of its upcoming series of asset management workshops were conference highlights. The first regional workshop will be held Feb. 28 - March 1 in San Francisco, Calif., and attendance is limited to 100 people so register soon! More information is available at www.amsa-cleanwater.org, including an order form for audiotapes of conference presentations.
Also, the Board agreed to fund a number of key regulatory and legislative technical action fund (TAF) projects, including AMSA's data processing and analysis for AMSA's 2002 Financial Survey, water quality projects relating to total maximum daily loads and whole effluent toxicity and a structured review of the risk assessment and associated documentation for EPA's Part 503, Round II revisions for dioxins in land applied biosolids. Funds will also be focused on analytical work on the merits of public versus private ownership/operations/financing of publicly owned treatment works, as well as advocacy support for the National Biosolids Partnership, the Water Infrastructure Network and other priority AMSA issues.
AMSA Sends Important Report on Overflows to Congress, EPA
AMSA released to Congress and U.S. EPA this week an important report called Communities at Work . . . The National Response to Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). The Report serves as a companion to EPA's recent report to Congress on CSOs, and sets forth critical data on the multi-billion dollar investment and innovative efforts municipalities have made to control CSOs. The Report also seeks to ensure that Congress fund wastewater infrastructure to help municipalities meet repair and replacement costs, and to ensure state and EPA Regional consistency in interpreting CSO requirements in a manner that takes into account the real-world concerns of the wastewater treatment community.