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May 21, 1999
Clean Water Stakeholders Kick Off New Funding Network
This week, AMSA led a coalition of clean water interest groups in the first steps toward establishing a long-term funding dialogue, which will seek solutions to clean water funding gaps facing state and local government drinking water an wastewater agencies and programs. The coalition is currently working under the proposed name, Water Infrastructure Network (WIN). About twenty organizations representing a broad cross-section of the water quality community attended the meeting. The kickoff meeting included representatives of organized labor, local governments, drinking water suppliers, state water quality administrators, governors, financing authorities, EPA and environmentalists. Organizations representing agriculture were invited and expressed interest in participating in future discussions.At the May 17 WIN meeting, attendees agreed to focus attention on both long- and short-term funding issues. There was broad consensus that immediate steps must be taken to ensure a fully funded State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF). At the same time, however, the group must also focus attention on long-term goals such as finding alternative funding sources separate from the appropriations process, which is strictly limited by budget caps. Meeting participants recognized that the funding network would be a long-term commitment dedicated to influencing the clean water funding process and helping Congress and the Administration rethink the current funding strategy, an effort that could take several years.
Participants also divided into five workgroups that will concentrate on the following areas: crafting the network's message and mission statement; identifying alternative funding sources; defining the federal interest in increased water quality funding; establishing contacts with Congress and the administration on water quality funding issues; and maintaining support for SRF funding. Some possible network activities include advertising and contacting members of Congress to capitalize on the outrage generated over the administration's proposed SRF cuts. The next meeting is scheduled for June 7.
AMSA Petitions EPA to Correct Mercury Criterion
AMSA has petitioned EPA to initiate rulemaking proceedings to amend the mercury criterion for the protection of wildlife established in the Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes System. Since the publication of the Great Lakes Guidance in 1995, significant new information has emerged that undermines the validity of the criterion. Specifically, the petition cites an EPA Federal Register notice that stated that the Agency could no longer justify the “interspecies uncertainty factor” used in deriving avian wildlife criteria for mercury. By eliminating the use of the threefold interspecies uncertainty factor the avian wildlife mercury criteria would change from 1.3 parts per trillion to 4.0 parts per trillion, an adjustment that could affect compliance with the mercury criteria for some publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) in the Great Lakes Basin.This week AMSA also sent a letter to EPA containing the results of a POTW survey on low-level mercury in effluent. As a follow-up to the January 19, 1999 meeting with AMSA's Mercury Workgroup, the purpose of the letter was to transmit some of the results from the Association's mercury characterization project and to discuss issues related to Method 1631 regarding method detection levels and minimum levels. The data supports AMSA's claims that EPA's new mercury detection method presents significant compliance issues to many POTWs.