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March 2, 2001
AMSA Pursues Blending Policy Details With EPA
This week, AMSA and other municipal advocates met with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials to further develop a national policy on the blending of wet weather flows. In the wake of several EPA Regions asserting that blending is prohibited under the bypass regulations, EPA Headquarters is clarifying that this practice is permitted under certain prescribed conditions. This week EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Diane Regas sent letters to several Members of Congress in response to requests for EPA’s position on blending. The Regas letters outline the same approach presented in the Agency’s January 19, 2001 "Current [draft] Thinking on Peak Flows at POTWs" (distributed via Regulatory Alert 01-3). This approach would permit blending where: 1) the discharge meets effluent limitations based on secondary treatment and water quality standards; 2) the permit application and permit recognize the peak flow treatment scheme consistent with "generally accepted practices and design criteria"; 3) blending only occurs when flow exceeds capacity; 4) the treatment scheme is operated consistent with the permit; and 5) the permit contains "appropriate requirements for the collection system". During the meeting several topics were identified for further discussion, including how frequently facilities should be allow to blend; whether some flows may receive the "equivalent" of primary treatment; what are the "generally accepted practices and design criteria" for peak flows; and what EPA means by "appropriate requirements for the collection system". The National Office is requesting your input on these and other issues identified in Regulatory Alert 01-3 (Member Pipeline at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org) by Monday, March 19. AMSA will meet again with EPA in the coming months to bring a blending policy to fruition.
Bush Plans $7.3 Million for EPA 2002 Budget – Details to Come
President Bush provided a broad outline of his 2002 budget in his televised February 28 address to Congress. Under the proposal, EPA would receive $7.3 billion in FY 2002. Wastewater grants to states would be funded at $1.3 billion – $500 million more than the prior administration. The SRF will be funded "consistent with EPA’s long-standing $2 billion per year revolving fund goal". Some SRF funds will be used for the new authorized sewer overflow control grants created by the Wet Weather Water Quality Act, which AMSA worked to pass in the 106th Congress. More details on funding levels for specific EPA programs will be released in April. The National Office will monitor the budget’s progress in Congress and continue our advocacy on behalf of AMSA member interests.
Plan Now to Attend these Informative Meetings
The coming months will bring new opportunities for AMSA members to increase their competitive edge and influence national policy. The Westin Tabor Center in Denver, Colo. will serve as the site of the AMSA/AMWA national Creating High Performance Business Services Workshop. A complement to the Thinking, Getting & Staying Competitive Workshops, this new offering will provide increased focus and energy to ongoing competitiveness efforts. Online registration is available now at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org. With AMSA’s issues receiving heightened attention from the Bush Administration and the 107th Congress, the Association’s 2001 National Environmental Policy Forum & 31st Annual Meeting could not be more timely or provocative. The Policy Forum, The New Political Landscape. . .Moving the POTW Agenda Forward, will take place May 19-23, 2001 at the Marriott at Metro Center in Washington, DC. Additional program information and registration materials will be available soon.