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July 19, 2002 AMSA Fax Alert

Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - July 19, 2002

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July 19, 2002

AMSA’s Summer Conference an Enormous Success
AMSA’s summer conference, Controlling Wet Weather Overflows . . . Challenges and Solutions, came to a close today after a week of lively exchanges of ideas and information on key wastewater treatment wet weather issues. Kevin Weiss, Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Program Manager in EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management told conference participants that the Agency is poised to move quickly on wet weather issues, and that AMSA members’ experiences will inform the course EPA will follow. Weiss said that a revised notice of proposed rulemaking on SSOs will include preamble language identifying alternatives to the prohibition of SSO discharges as suggested by AMSA member comments. The notice is scheduled to be sent for review to the Office of Management and Budget this October and proposed in early 2003.

Important discussions also took place just this morning on the changing content of EPA’s watershed rule (previously called the total maximum daily load (TMDL) rule). Chuck Sutfin, Director of EPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans & Watersheds, informed conference attendees that EPA staff have briefed the Administrator and provided her with several options – including moving forward with a revised proposal, or maintaining the status quo under the 1992 rules, which are still in effect, by stopping work on a revised proposal and withdrawing the controversial July 2000 rule. If the Administrator chooses to move forward with a new proposal, Sutfin indicated that the Agency’s schedule to finalize the rule would be pushed back until at least spring 2004, with a target for proposal in November of this year. An Oregon Department of Environmental Quality official expressed concern with EPA’s draft watershed rule, stating that reliance on the Continuous Planning Process was a step in the “wrong direction.”

A more in-depth discussion of the watershed rule and AMSA’s summer conference will be available in forthcoming Updates and in the next issue of Clean Water News.


AMSA to Release Security Software for POTWs July 23
AMSA will release its Vulnerability Self Assessment Tool (VSAT™) for wastewater utilities on July 23, and will mail copies of the software to all public agency members upon release — so check your mail! The software — VSAT™wastewater — will also be made available free of charge to all public wastewater utilities. VSATWeb Conference Training Workshops are scheduled for Aug. 14 from 12:30 - 4:30 pm (Eastern) and Aug. 20 from 9:00–1:00 pm (Eastern). AMSA will send a Member Update early next week with detailed information about VSAT™wastewater and upcoming workshops.


AMSA Comments on Metal Products & Machinery NODA
AMSA has completed comments on EPA’s June 12 Notice of Data Availability (NODA) dealing with the Metal Products and Machinery (MP&M) point source category. The deadline for comments on the MP&M NODA is Monday, July 22. AMSA’s comments support the “no regulation/no further regulation” option for indirect MP&M dischargers, but oppose EPA’s consideration of a new provision that would force previously non-categorical General Metals facilities to comply with the Part 433 categorical standards. AMSA member agencies who plan to provide EPA with comments are encouraged to attach AMSA’s comments to their own, or to send the Agency a letter referencing and supporting AMSA’s comments. AMSA's comments are available at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/07-02mpandmcomm.pdf.


AMSA thanks all of you who attended and participated in this week’s
Summer Conference in Portland, Oregon for making it such a success!