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Water Groups Laud New EPA Water Quality Policy
WASHINGTON — Water and wastewater organizations are lauding the US Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) national water quality trading policy today, which
offers publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) nationwide an opportunity to meet
regulatory obligations under the Clean Water Act via a flexible, market-based
approach.
The Association of Municipal Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) said in a news release
that it applauds EPA for its commitment to developing voluntary programs that
offer POTWs increased flexibility and choices in performing their critical task
of ensuring the nation's water quality.
"POTWs nationwide believe that innovative, watershed-based approaches must be
the centerpieces of ultimately ensuring the nation's water quality future," said
AMSA executive director.
" AMSA is pleased that this voluntary approach can be applied on an intra-plant
basis within a single POTW, on an inter-plant basis between point sources, and
between point and non-point sources as well," he added.
The water quality trading policy is also an important example of an innovative
program that will help bring non-point sources of pollution, such as
agriculture, to the table by establishing economic incentives for voluntary
reductions from point and non-point sources within a watershed, AMSA said.
Also supporting the program was the Water Environment Federation (WEF), which
said in a news release that the new policy "is a step toward recognizing trading
as a tool to achieve water quality improvements."
WEF said it supports the emphasis on watersheds and cooperation between point
and non-point sources.
"The federation has long advocated the watershed management approach and the
principle that water quality-oriented activities across regulatory programs
should be combined to form a strong, integrated basis for planning, priority
setting and implementation on a watershed basis," WEF said.
AMSA said its vice president, Thomas "Buddy" Morgan, general manager of the
Montgomery Water Works & Sanitary Sewer Board, Montgomery, AL, played an
integral role in pilot-testing a watershed-based, water quality trading program
in support of EPA's initiative.
Morgan also testified on the merits of water quality trading in a hearing before
the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, helping to develop
broad-based support for the concept of water quality trading.
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