Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - December 6, 2002
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December 6, 2002
AMSA VSAT™wastewater Upgrade Will Be Available Soon
Work is nearing completion on an upgrade to AMSA’s popular Vulnerability Self Assessment Tool for wastewater utilities — VSAT™wastewater. The upgrade will be available only to registered users of the VSAT™wastewater software. If you have not done so already, AMSA urges you to register online as a VSAT™wastewater user as soon as possible. The registration form is located on the VSAT™ web site, www.vsatusers.net, under the "What's New" topic. Registered VSAT™wastewater users will obtain a username and password which provides online access to upgrades in the form of an easy-to-use, web-based patch. Based upon additional information gathered over the past several months through the development of the suite of VSAT™ software tools — as well as the experience gained from training sessions on the VSAT™wastewater tool conducted by the Water Environment Federation — AMSA’s upgrade will provide important improvements to VSAT™wastewater, including additional information on threats, countermeasures and other modifications to the initial release.
AMSA Takes Steps Forward in Key Legal Cases
AMSA filed its amicus brief with the Supreme Court last week urging its review of the 11th Circuit’s Miccosukee Indian Tribe v. South Florida Water Management District decision. This case raises the issue of whether local government transfers of untreated, natural water (via pumping or similar conveyance) from one basin to another should have National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Historic EPA and Clean Water Act policy has consistently maintained that such water transfers do not require NPDES permits. Despite this policy, the Miccosukee court (and another court in the Second Circuit) said such water transfers do require NPDES permits. AMSA’s Supreme Court brief urges the court to look closely at the case due to its significant ramifications for local water management decisions — and its dramatic expansion of the NPDES program — contrary to the law. AMSA member, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and the National League of Cities joined AMSA’s amicus brief. An additional brief filed by the Western Coalition of Arid States and other western groups, reveals the potentially broad impact of the Miccosukee case.In other legal action, the D. C. District Court directed last week that AMSA and the plaintiff’s opposition to EPA’s motion to dismiss the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association et al. v. Whitman case is due only after EPA produces key requested blending and sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) documents. As such, AMSA has successfully rebuffed EPA’s efforts to freeze all activity in the Association’s ongoing legal challenge to the Agency’s unworkable approaches to these important wet weather issues. AMSA and the plaintiffs successfully argued that the requested EPA documents are critical to respond to EPA’s motion to dismiss, and that the documents will show that EPA Headquarters and Regions III, IV, and VI have taken, and continue to take, essentially “final” actions that opposing blending, prohibit SSOs, and direct plant design or the use of specific processes to achieve effluent limitations, all contrary to EPA’s authority and regulations. Further action in the case depends on how quickly EPA produces the requested documents.
- 2003 AMSA Winter Conference — Register Today!
AMSA’s management conference, The Evolving Public Utility… Leading the Workforce of Today, set for Feb. 4-7 in scenic Santa Fe, N.M., will examine essential issues, developments and trends that support effective utility leadership of the modern workforce. With the holidays approaching, reserve your hotel accommodations today by calling the Eldorado Hotel, 800/955-4455, by the Jan. 3 deadline. Conference information and registration materials are available on AMSA’s web site at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/meetings.