Click Here to see previous Fax Alerts
July 1, 1999
AMSA Data Plays Decisive Role in EPA Laundries Rule
AMSA's data on publicly owned treatment works' (POTWs) capacity to treat effluent from industrial laundries helped convince EPA of the effectiveness of local pretreatment controls, rather than an Agency rulemaking, to regulate the industry. This week, EPA withdrew its 1997 proposal for industrial laundries effluent guidelines by determining that no new national pretreatment standards are required for the facilities. “Pass-through” data supplied by AMSA member agencies was instrumental in the final decision. Compared with earlier proposals EPA's decision will save the industry millions of dollars. EPA's primary basis for its conclusion is that POTWs remove the vast majority of pollutants from industrial laundries' indirect discharges. According to EPA, since the 1997 proposal, subsequent data collection led the Agency to conclude that “1) laundry discharges are not as toxic as estimated at proposal; 2) POTWs provide better treatment of the toxic pollutants remaining in laundry discharges than estimated at proposal; and 3) individual local problems are not prevalent; past problems have been resolved by local pretreatment authorities.”AMSA Reviews New EPA Standard Adoption Proposal
This week, with the completion of EPA's proposed “Alaska Rule,” AMSA is reviewing the Agency's changes to the state water quality standards adoption process for potential impacts to municipal dischargers. Environmental groups in Alaska successfully sued EPA over its failure to review and approve or deny changes to state water quality standards in a timely manner. The court found that EPA regulations allowing state water quality standards to go into effect prior to Agency review and approval violates the Clean Water Act. In order to comply with the court's decision, EPA is issuing a rulemaking to correct the regulations to better reflect the Act. According to the proposal, “new and revised standards adopted after the effective date of the final rule will not be used for Clean Water Act purposes until approved by EPA, unless such new and revised standards are more stringent than the standards are previously in effect.” After the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, there will be a 45-day comment period.Municipalities Express Concerns With SSO FACA Process
This week, municipal and operator representatives on EPA's Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Federal Advisory Committee (FACA) expressed serious concerns over the Agency's current approach to SSOs. These concerns have arisen since the suspension of regular SSO FACA meetings two and a half years ago. In preparation for the July 28-29 SSO FACA meeting in Washington, DC, the representatives discussed EPA's recently released SSO “issue papers,” the president's directive to propose SSO regulations by May 2000 and changes in EPA's approach to SSOs since the last FACA meeting. The representatives' chief concerns are that EPA has significantly changed direction in its approach to unavoidable SSOs and on sewer system operation and maintenance requirements. AMSA plans to meet with EPA's Assistant Administrator for Water Chuck Fox to discuss these concerns and to ensure that municipal interests are adequately represented during July's FACA meeting.Philadelphia Mayor to Keynote AMSA Summer Conference
The Honorable Edward Rendell of Philadelphia, chair of the Rebuild America Coalition and vocal proponent of stepped-up federal support for wastewater infrastructure will address AMSA's Summer Conference, Unifying Urban Wet Weather Programs. The pre-registration deadline is Friday, July 9. After this date meeting participants can register on-site.Strong Response to AMSA's Financial Survey . . . AMSA member agencies' response to the Association's financial survey has been extremely successful. The National Office will accept survey forms until July 9. Contact Jeni Hornback at 202/296-9384 for more information.