NACWA - Member Pipeline

Home

April 13, 2001

AMSA Weighs In With NAS TMDL Committee
On April 6, 2001, AMSA submitted a letter to the seven-member National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Committee conducting a Congressionally-mandated study of the Clean Water Act’s total maximum daily load (TMDL) program. The letter followed up on a January 25, 2001 presentation to the Committee on obstacles facing the TMDL program by Norm LeBlanc, AMSA Water Quality Committee Chairman and Technical Services Chief for Hampton Roads Sanitation District, VA. AMSA’s letter details the development of the San Francisco Bay TMDL, suggests the Committee review the TMDL as a case study, and documents that while the TMDL was developed using the best available information and analytical tools, it was questioned by EPA Region IX authorities. See AMSA’s letter at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/4-6-01tmdlletter.pdf.

AMSA Active in MP&M Coalition, Comment Effort
On April 9, 2001, AMSA participated in a meeting of the Metal Products and Machinery (MP&M) Industry Coalition. The Coalition is comprised of stakeholders, including industry representatives and federal agencies, with an interest in the proposed MP&M effluent guidelines. The Coalition provides a forum for information exchange on recent developments, including the extension of the comment deadline to July 2, 2001. The National Office will comment on the proposed rules with the support of the membership. To statistically assess the accuracy of EPA’s cost/benefit analysis and the rule’s impact on POTWs and industries, AMSA will collect additional data from the 150 POTWs EPA originally surveyed as part of the rule’s development. Additional details on AMSA’s comment efforts will be detailed in a future Regulatory Alert. Contact Chris Hornback at 202/833-9106 or chornback@amsa-cleanwater.org.

AMSA Contributing to CSO Report to Congress
This week the National Office worked with member agencies to collect data on the status of CSO permitting and control efforts nationwide. These efforts will contribute to EPA’s Report to Congress on the progress made implementing and enforcing the National Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Policy. In addition to this week’s efforts, AMSA will develop case studies on seven AMSA member CSO communities and conduct a short survey of its CSO members to spotlight program status, anecdotal trends, and site-specific achievements and challenges. AMSA’s case study and data submittals are due May 15. For more information, contact Greg Schaner at 202/296-9836 or gschaner@amsa-cleanwater.org.

> Policy Forum Hotel Deadline is April 27^th — Plan now to attend AMSA’s 2001 National Environmental Policy Forum & 31^st Annual Meeting, The New Political Landscape. . . Moving the POTW Agenda Forward, May 19-23, 2001 in Washington, DC. Contact the Marriott at Metro Center, 800/228-9290, and indicate that you are a registrant for AMSA’s Policy Forum to guarantee the special room rate of $172 per night. Visit AMSA’s web site for the most up-to-date conference agenda and online registration, http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org.

> Earth Day is April 22 — This nationwide celebration of the environment is a perfect opportunity for your agency to talk about water infrastructure. Contact the National Office at 202/833-AMSA to request free copies of WINow for distribution at your Earth Day projects.