AMSA Legal Alert (Leg02-11)

Plan Now To Attend. . .

DEVELOPMENTS IN CLEAN WATER LAW —
A Seminar for Public Agency Attorneys & Managers
November 6-8, 2002
Westin Tabor Center
Denver, Colorado

2002 Law Seminar A “Must Attend” for Key Public Agency Staff
The Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) is pleased to present the 2002 Developments in Clean Water Law Seminar. The Law Seminar will take place at the Westin Tabor Center in beautiful “mile high” Denver, Colorado from November 6-8. Registration information and a Seminar agenda are attached for your information and review.

Law Seminar Offers Practical Advice on Important Water Issues
The annual AMSA Law Seminar has become the premiere forum for public agency attorneys and managers to hear latest thinking from lawyers, engineers, and other agency leaders on how key Clean Water Act (CWA) legal and policy developments impact their work. This year’s agenda includes speakers on top water issues, including total maximum daily loads, combined and sanitary sewer overflows, and stormwater. A CWA enforcement roundtable will bring together attorneys from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a leading national activist group, and a local citizens coalition, to discuss how these entities set enforcement priorities and decide to bring legal action. Other panels will go in depth on legal and policy developments in the areas of biosolids, antidegradation, and pretreatment. Discussions also are planned on CWA permitting trends and pivotal, new CWA cases.

Special Session on the Intersection of Law and Science: WET Testing
This year’s Seminar dedicates an afternoon session to the important topic of whole effluent toxicity (WET). Shortly after AMSA’s Seminar, EPA is expected to finalize over 15 WET test methods for measuring the acute and short-term chronic toxicity of effluents and receiving waters to freshwater, marine, and estuarine organisms. Implementation of these new methods will raise complex legal and technical questions for wastewater agencies. Given that WET test violations can lead to civil and criminal penalties, it is critical that agency attorneys and laboratory personnel understand and discuss WET issues with one another. In this session, Law Seminar attendees will join with individuals attending AMSA’s concurrent technical meeting, Whole Effluent Toxicity . . . What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You, creating a unique forum for lawyers and technical professionals to improve their understanding of WET compliance issues, and to discuss techniques to protect their agencies in the enforcement arena.

CLE Credits – Including Ethics – Available
Individuals attending the Law Seminar are eligible to receive Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits. AMSA has applied for CLE credit in California, Colorado, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Virginia. Attendees from other states should be able to receive CLE credit through reciprocity. The number of CLE credits awarded for attendance varies by state. Building on last year’s favorable reviews, AMSA again is including a legal ethics session. This year, Professor Stephen L. Pepper of the University of Denver College of Law will lead us in a lively discussion of legal ethics for public agency attorneys using hypothetical fact patterns. CLE credit approval details will be posted on AMSA’s website.

Ensure Your Participation — Register Today!
Make plans now to attend this important conference by completing the attached registration form. Contact the Westin Tabor Center at 800/228-3000 to ensure the special AMSA conference rate of $159. Please keep the following deadlines in mind as you make your plans:

October 7, 2002     Hotel Reservation Deadline to Receive Conference Rate
October 25, 2002   Advance Law Seminar Registration Deadline

Watch your mail for the printed program and visit AMSA's web site for the latest conference information and online registration — http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org. Please don’t hesitate to contact AMSA’s National Office if you have any questions about the 2002 Law Seminar, 202/833 AMSA or info@amsa-cleanwater.org.

We look forward to seeing you in Denver!