Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - August 19, 2005
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for the FaxAlert ArchiveAugust 19, 2005
Many Tune in to NACWA/WERF
Webcast on Use Attainability Analyses
More than 100 people participated in the August 17 webcast sponsored by NACWA and the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) on use attainability analyses (UAAs). As part of the webcast Keith Linn, NACWA Water Quality Committee Vice Chair and Environmental Specialist with the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cleveland, Ohio, described how newer analytical methods that make it possible to detect extremely low levels of contaminants in surface waters may prompt tougher numeric water quality criteria that may not be attainable. Tom Gardner, an environmental scientist with EPA provided a big-picture description of when UAAs are required, while Tim Moore, president of Risk Sciences, said that meeting the UAA challenge may lie in the development of subcategories of designated uses that better reflect how a waterway is actually used and for which different water quality criteria can be set. A more detailed summary of the webcast will be available in NACWA’s August Regulatory Update. The Association looks forward to releasing the NACWA/WERF publication, Collaborative Water Quality Solutions: Exploring UAAs, this summer.NACWA to Participate at EPA Meeting on Pharmaceuticals in Water
Representatives from NACWA and several of its member agencies will be on hand for an August 23-25 meeting in Las Vegas sponsored by EPA on pharmaceuticals in the environment. This issue is of growing significance to NACWA members, particularly as EPA and other government agencies work to ascertain potential impacts from, and whether controls on, pharmaceuticals are warranted. Jeffrey Armstrong, of NACWA member agency Orange County Sanitation District, Fountain Valley, Calif., will present preliminary data on the effects of endocrine disruptors in wastewater discharges to the Pacific Ocean. The meeting also will feature sessions on the feasibility of a “take-back” program and methods to analyze and monitor pharmaceuticals in the nation’s waters. NACWA will provide more details on the meeting in its August Regulatory Update.EPA Proposes New Test Methods
for Bacteria in Wastewater, NACWA to Comment
EPA has proposed new and revised test methods for analyzing e. coli and enterococci in wastewaters and fecal coliforms and salmonella in sewage sludge. The bacteria are seen as health indicators that point to possible contamination and the need for further investigation and treatment. The proposal would provide membrane filtration (MF) and a suite of multiple-tube fermentation (MTF) methods to monitor these types of bacteria. However, both monitoring methods may have limited effectiveness under certain conditions and, as such, NACWA is soliciting the membership for comments on the Agency’s proposal. The Association will provide comments to EPA by the October 17, 2005 deadline. Members are urged to submit their comments to Susan Bruninga, NACWA’s Regulatory Manager, at sbruninga@nacwa.org by October 3, 2005. Further details are available in Regulatory Alert 05-08 (http://www.nacwa.org/private/regalerts/ra05-08.cfm).Clean Water America
Sees Spike in Support, Over 10,000 ‘Hits’ in One Day
The Clean Water America (CWA) website (www.cleanwateramerica.org) continues to garner new supporters on behalf of federal water funding. Most recently, the American Boating Association, the American Canoe Association and the Anchorage Waterways Counsel, among others, have signed on. In addition to new supporting organizations (http://www.cleanwateramerica.org/about/sponsors.cfm), CWA has seen a dramatic jump in individual signatories (over 500) as a result of its first blast e-mail to over 120,000 voters in key states. CWA will build on this support by continuing to e-mail these lists over the coming months. NACWA will keep the membership appraised of continued support through future Alerts and Updates.Plan Now to Attend Strategic Leadership Session
The deadline for the special room rate of $189 single/double at the Hilton Embassy Row for NACWA’s Fall Strategic Leadership Session, September 19-20, in Washington, D.C., is Thursday, August 25. The meeting is open to all NACWA members. Make reservations today by calling the Embassy Row at 202/265-1600. Refer to Member Update 05-13 (http://www.nacwa.org/private/membcomm/memupdate/mu05-13.cfm) for more information.