NACWA Regulatory - Alert (RA 06-07)

NACWA is pleased to provide the membership with our latest publication, Biosolids Management: Options, Opportunities & Challenges – A National Association of Clean Water Agencies Handbook (Handbook). This Handbook is the product of over two years of concentrated effort by a large group of member agency and affiliate experts, and was developed in cooperation with NACWA Legal Affiliate Beveridge & Diamond, PC. NACWA’s newest publication fills a gap in the type of biosolids resources currently available. While most publications prepared on this subject area are highly technical, or focused on a particular biosolids sub-topic, NACWA’s Handbook offers a high-level look at the current regulatory and legal developments concerning a variety of biosolids management practices. In additional to providing information on policy developments, the Handbook also outlines successful strategies, management pointers, and highlights key terms.

The Handbook is structured around the five biosolids management options most commonly used by public utilities today. These are: agricultural land application; distribution and marketing (includes pelletizing, composting, soil amendments, and packaging for commercial and home use); incineration; landfilling (includes use as landfill cover); and surface disposal. The Handbook discusses Clean Water Act (CWA) requirements, relevant Clean Air Act (CAA) regulations, and addresses the delicate balance between federal and state authority over biosolids management. The Handbook also contains a broad overview of communications issues that affect all public agencies – regardless of the biosolids management option employed. The Handbook focused on biosolids legal decisions and also discusses planning for the future.

Consistent with NACWA’s tradition of making key regulatory and legal documents easily accessible to members, the Handbook is complemented by an online Handbook library which will serve as an invaluable resource for NACWA members. The Handbook library can be accessed at http://nacwa.org/advocacy/biosolids/.

We also are pleased to highlight that the 2005-2006 President’s Award was given to NACWA’s Biosolids Management Committee Co-Chairs Robert P. Dominak, Residuals and Air Emissions Manager, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Ohio and David S. Taylor, Director of Special Projects, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, Wis., for their leadership of the Handbook project.

Additional copies of the Handbook may be ordered from the NACWA Bookstore, easily accessed at http://www.nacwa.org/pubs/. The cost per Handbook is $75 for NACWA members and $100 for non-members.

We hope that the Handbook will be a useful and thought-provoking tool for utility managers, lawyers, and key staff for years to come.