Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - September 21, 2001
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September 21, 2001
AMSA Board Takes Action on Wastewater Utility Security
In the wake of last week’s tragic terrorist attacks, the Association’s Board today took swift, strong measures that underscore the critical role AMSA will play in ensuring the safety and security of our nation’s wastewater utilities. The Board’s decision to act stemmed not only from AMSA members’ recognition that the Association is in a unique position to aid the security effort, but from the federal government’s decision to seek AMSA’s help in the aftermath of last week’s attacks. Both EPA and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee staff called to confer with AMSA on this vital issue and will continue to do so in future meetings and hearings.To ensure that AMSA is prepared to deal with this issue on behalf of its members and in cooperation with local and federal authorities, AMSA’s Board formed a Wastewater Infrastructure Security Task Force charged with developing and implementing initiatives related solely to the security of public wastewater agencies nationwide. The Task Force will be chaired by Board member John C. Farnan, General Superintendent of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and will be made up of AMSA members with practical knowledge of the complex issues surrounding wastewater infrastructure security. The Board also acted to direct $50,000 from AMSA’s Technical Action Fund (TAF) to hire contractors with security expertise to work with AMSA to develop recommendations and tools to assist in protecting the nation’s wastewater infrastructure. This action demonstrates not only the vital importance of AMSA’s TAF, but also the foresight and wisdom of the Board’s recent decision to increase TAF’s available funds and to protect its future viability. Additionally, the Board agreed that AMSA’s February meeting, Managing and Protecting Water Infrastructure Assets, will address both the security and management of the nation’s wastewater assets, key issues which must now be addressed together. The meeting will provide a unique forum to discuss both the key financial and counter-terrorism issues that have become so significant recently as wastewater facilities face challenges both from an internal, aging infrastructure and from potential, external threats.
AMSA is also pursuing funds from the Congressional appropriations process and directly from EPA as AMSA and the federal government work together to assess current and future measures to ensure wastewater agency safety. AMSA will keep its members consistently updated as these efforts progress and thanks all of its member agencies whose unity and resolve in these matters make it clear that our nation will overcome this challenge.
- AMSA Seeks Responses to its 2001 Service Charge Index
Today marks the deadline for responses to AMSA’s 2001 Service Charge Index (See Member Update 01-9). If you have not yet provided your data for this key annual effort to track publicly owned treatment works’ service charges, please do so as soon as possible. Many thanks!
- AMSA will host a Legal & Regulatory Hot Topics Meeting on October 16 from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. during the WEFTEC exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. The meeting will be held in the Madrid/Trinidad Room of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. AMSA’s Legal Affairs Committee members and other members in attendance at WEFTEC are invited to join us for an informal exchange of issues with key EPA regulators in attendance at the conference. Please e-mail Jennifer Burke at jburke@amsa-cleanwater.org if you plan to attend.