News
EPA Sends Final Clean Water Act Section 401 Rule to OMB for Review
EPA has submitted its final rule revising implementation of Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certifications to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for interagency review, an indication that the rule is nearing publication. The proposed rule would revise the scope of Section 401 certification reviews and remains closely tied to broader federal discussions on permitting reform, including congressional proposals such as the PERMIT Act. On Feb. 17, ACWA submitted comments on EPA’s proposed rule, urging the Agency to preserve states’ longstanding statutory role in protecting water quality while providing clear, workable implementation of the Section 401 certification program. ACWA’s comments on the proposed rule are available on the Association’s website, and staff will continue to monitor the rulemaking process and keep members informed of further developments.
Council for Environmental Quality – Permitting Innovators Expo
This week the CEQ announced the list of innovators being invited to the July 31, 2026, Permitting Innovators Expo. This will be a full day event focused on shaping the future of environmental review and permitting through public-private collaboration. Industry partners were asked to submit business case applications to share technology solutions that could accelerate and modernize environmental reviews and permitting. The selected technology solutions represent a range of approaches for improving permitting, including tools that support document analysis, workflow management, data access and integration, and routine task automation.
One of the vendors selected is Delta Bravo, the technology group supporting South Carolina’s Department of Environmental Services transition to AI (using a tool called PermitPro) which was showcased earlier this year on an ACWA webinar. More details on all the vendors selected for the EXPO can be found here: https://www.permittinginnovators.com/solutions-selected-for-permitting-innovators-expo/
State 404 Program Vacated, Recently Granted an Extension to file Writ of Certiorari
Back in March 2026 the DC Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a District Court’s decision to vacate EPA’s 2020 approval of Florida’s CWA section 404 program, mostly due to claimed Endangered Species Act deficiencies (Center for Biological Diversity vs Zeldin). The district court and appeals court judges basically found that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services (and by extension EPA) abdicated responsibility to enforce ESA, delegating the responsibility to Florida. On June 18, 2026 the US Supreme Court granted an extension of time to Florida to file a petition for Writ of Certiorari. As part of the June 15, 2026 extension request, Florida noted that: (1) the Supreme Court has jurisdiction; (2) the case raises important questions under ESA and the CWA that creates a direct circuit split (CWIS Coalition v EPA), and “raises questions of exceptional national importance concerning State sovereignty and cooperative federalism.”; (3) the CWA allows states (vs the Army Corps of Engineers) to administer the 404 program and Florida provides a summary of the facts and why the original district court decision was wrong; and (4) the importance of the extension to allow Florida adequate time to prepare and file the petition. While EPA is also considering a request to have a rehearing en banc, Florida is preserving their ability to appeal to the US Supreme Court, if desired. More details to come.
EPA Seeks Public Comment on Draft Guidance for Reducing Risk from PFOA and PFOS in Biosolids
EPA released draft guidance to help wastewater utilities, landowners, and the public reduce risk from PFOA and PFOS in biosolids. This effort is part of EPA’s comprehensive, lifecycle-based strategy to address PFAS.
EPA will solicit comments on the draft guidance for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register. The comment period will run through September 4, and comments can be submitted using Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2026-2509. The notice will contain additional information on how to submit a comment.
Announcing The UCMR 6 Proposal & Webinar
Public Input Details: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requests public input on the proposed UCMR 6. This Federal Register Notice (FRN) describes four EPA drinking water analytical methods to monitor a new list of 30 unregulated contaminants. The EPA invites public input on these contaminants and other aspects of the proposal. The agency will accept public input related to the FRN for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. Comments must be received on or before August 31, 2026. Please refer to the FRN notice for more details about submitting comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2023-0469 using the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
A summary of public input regarding the proposed UCMR 6 will be available after the webinar in the docket.
Webinar Details: The EPA will be hosting two identical proposal webinars on August 11th and 12th, 2026, to discuss the proposed UCMR 6 and next steps. The agenda will allow for public questions and statements.
The webinar will be held on August 11th, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time and again on August 12th, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Participants can attend online via the webinar links, which will broadcast the discussion and presentations. The same material will be presented twice to accommodate the limited number of webinar connections available for the meeting each day.
• To register for August 11th please use this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7751385908145111898
• To register for August 12th please use this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4832173740306878810
After registering to attend the webinar, you will receive an email confirming your registration and email reminders as the date of the webinar approaches. To ensure that you successfully receive these emails, please add GoToWebinar.Notifications@citrixonline.com and UCMRWebinar@cadmusgroup.com to your “approved” or “safe senders” list. Questions regarding webinar registration should be emailed to UCMRWebinar@cadmusgroup.com.
To be scheduled to speak during the webinar, please identify your interest when you register using the online registration form above or send an email to: UCMRWebinar@cadmusgroup.com indicating that you would like to present a statement, along with any materials (e.g., PowerPoint slides or PDF document) that you plan to include in your presentation. Public presentations will be limited to 10 minutes each. The last day to pre-schedule to speak at the webinar is July 31, 2026. If there is additional time for public speakers after scheduling those who pre-registered, the EPA will take requests during the webinar via the chat box. The EPA will accommodate requests to speak (via pre-registration and during the webinar) in the order received and as time permits.
Further information about the proposed UCMR 6 and participation in the webinar can be found in the Federal Register notice published Wednesday, July 1, 2026 (91 FR 39925); FRL–10857–03–OW.
Key Dates:
• Submit comments for the proposed UCMR 6 on or before: August 31, 2026.
• Register to speak during the proposal webinar by Friday, July 31, 2026. The EPA encourages commenters to provide the agency with an advance copy of their presentation/remarks by emailing them to UCMRWebinar@cadmusgroup.com. Any presentation materials must also be received by this date to be included in the presentation/webinar.
• The identical webinars will be held August 11th, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again on August 12th, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time).
White House Releases National Resilience Strategy
On June 23, 2026, the White House released President Trump’s America First Resilience Strategy, a policy framework outlining how the administration intends to approach national resilience going forward. The strategy spans four “core domains”: national security, the economy, public health and safety, and national infrastructure and is organized around four “tenets of transformation.”
The Four Tenets:
- Prioritize. The strategy calls for moving away from a broad “all-hazards” approach toward risk-informed decision-making, with resilience investments evaluated against measurable returns rather than treated as blanket obligations.
- Modernize. It calls for upgrading aging infrastructure and adopting emerging technologies to improve the reliability of essential systems.
- Distribute. The strategy shifts primary responsibility for resilience away from the federal government and toward states, localities, and the private sector. It states that the federal government “should not be the sole source of national resilience, or the nation’s default insurer,” reserving direct federal involvement for events that exceed state and local capacity.
- Simplify. The strategy seeks to reduce “unnecessary bureaucracy” by cutting redundant advisory bodies, clarifying roles across agencies, and streamlining risk-assessment and regulatory requirements.
A central theme of the strategy is federalism: it argues that federal grants and assistance have too often subsidized states’ and localities’ failure to prepare for “known, predictable, or recurring” risks, and calls for restoring greater state and local ownership of resilience planning and funding. The document also pairs a push for more reliable infrastructure performance with a broader deregulatory agenda, calling for “America-First approaches that streamline and reduce burdensome regulation.”
Association Updates
Vote Today!
Voting is currently open for ACWA’s Executive Leadership and Board of Directors. All ACWA “members in good standing” received an email with a link to the ballot.
Along with the Executive Officers, this year it is the odd Regions and Interstates that are up for election. Please cast your vote no later than July 27, 2026.
All “members in good standing” may participate in these elections. The “member in good standing” is the formal or primary ACWA representative for the state/interstate agency that paid dues for the previous fiscal year (FY2026). If you are unsure whether your FY2026 dues are paid, feel free to reach out to Julia Anastasio or Annette Ivey, and we can let you know. Only one vote per state/interstate.
Thank you for your continued support of ACWA! If you cannot find the email message with the link to the ballot, please contact Julia Anastasio.
ACWA 2026 Annual Meeting – Room Block Closes Today!
Dates: August 5, 2026 at 8:00 am – August 7, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Board of Directors will meet August 4, 2026.
Venue: The Eldorado Hotel and Spa, Santa Fe, NM
Reserve your room here. Please reach out to Annette Ivey for assistance regarding room reservations.
ACWA has updated the draft agenda. View the draft agenda here.
Please note that this is a Closed Meeting – Open only to ACWA members, partner organizations, federal
partners, tribal representatives and invited guests.
Check here on our website for more information regarding registration, lodging, and agenda updates.
Meetings and Webinars
NEW DATES – 2026 Water Quality Modeling Workshop & 2026 WASP Workshop – Sep. 28- Oct. 2 @ EPA Region 4 (Atlanta, GA)
ACWA and US EPA will be holding simultaneous modeling trainings the week of September 28th, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building in Atlanta, GA.
ACWA’s Modeling Workshop will have 2 tracks to choose from, a modelers forum, which will feature case studies, demos, and group discussions, as well as a HAWQS/SWAT+ hands on training. Each track will have a cap of 40 attendees. These trainings will run Tuesday September 29 – Thursday, October 1. More info may be found on ACWA’s Event Page here.
You may register for either of these tracks here.
Concurrently, US EPA Region 4 and the National Water Modeling Workgroup will sponsor a 5-day workshop on water quality principles/modeling using the Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) on September 28th – October 2nd. There is a cap of 40 people for this in-person only class at the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building in Atlanta, GA.
How to Register
If you are interested in attending this workshop, please visit WASP Website click the “Register for Workshop” link to complete the registration form. The workshop is open to all and there is no registration fee for the workshop. Attendees are responsible for their own travel and lodging related expenses. Please contact Catherine York (York.Catherine@epa.gov) with questions on the WASP training.
ACWA will have some travel support for state staff attending either of these trainings. Please reach out to Lexy Bailey if you will need travel support.
A room block has been procured for attendees at the Origin Hotel below the local per diem rate. A link will be available shortly.
U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae – Travel Funding & Fee Waiver Opportunities
October 25-29, 2026; Cedar Rapids, IA
The U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae focuses on enhancing our understanding of harmful algal blooms and their effects on aquatic ecosystems, public health, and communities. Through scientific sessions and specialized breakout discussions, participants will engage in conversations about emerging challenges, innovative approaches, and updates in HAB science, management, policy, and programs. This dynamic four-day event features plenary sessions, breakout discussions, and scientific poster presentations covering key topics such as bloom dynamics, monitoring and management, prevention and mitigation strategies, emerging technologies, community engagement, and modeling and forecasting. The primary goal is to facilitate knowledge sharing, address emerging issues, and drive progress toward effective HAB management. Attendees also value the many opportunities to network, connect with colleagues, and discuss the latest developments in the world of HABs. The 13th U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae will take place on October 25-29, 2026 in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Applications are now being accepted for fee waivers and/or travel support to attend the 13th U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae. Funding is provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NOAA/NCCOS) and is intended to help defray travel costs for two groups of program participants: (i) U.S.-based graduate students and postdoctoral researchers; and (ii) public health and resource managers, particularly those from state, local, and tribal agencies who would otherwise be unable to attend. Applications for financial assistance are due by June 12, 2026. Please click here for more information.
Job Opportunities
Environmental Analyst – Long Island Sound Regional Coordinator
Location: Albany, NY
Closing Date: July 12, 2026
To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, and a brief writing sample by email to jobs@neiwpcc.org by July 12, 2026. Please reference #26-NYS-LIS-DEC-001 in the email subject line. Accepting applications until the position is filled. A full position description and benefits may be viewed at: https://neiwpcc.org/about-us/careers.
Senior Industrial Wastewater Engineer (Environmental Engineer 5)
Location: Spokane, WA
Closing Date: July 15, 2026
If you’re interested in applying for this position or reading additional information, please follow this link:
Senior Industrial Wastewater Engineer (Environmental Engineer 5)
Watershed Planning Unit Supervisor (WMS1)
Location: Lacey, WA
Closing Date: July 22, 2026
If you’re interested in applying for this position or reading additional information, please follow this link:
Watershed Planning Unit Supervisor (WMS1)
Manager, Office of Stormwater Permitting & Compliance
Location: Richmond, VA
Closing Date: Open Until Filled
This position leads DEQ’s construction and municipal stormwater programs. For a full position description and information on how to apply, please follow this link: Manager, Office of Stormwater Permitting and Compliance.
Environmental Analyst or Engineer – Training and Technical Assistance Specialist
Location: Lowell, MA
Closing Date: Open until filled
To apply, email your cover letter, resume, and a brief writing sample to jobs@neiwpcc.org. Please reference #26-Lowell-001 in the email subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, accepting applications until the position is filled. A full position description and benefits may be viewed at: https://neiwpcc.org/about-us/careers.
Watershed Management Section Manager
Location: Thurston County – Lacey, WA
Closing Date: Continuous
If you’re interested in applying for this position or reading additional information, please follow this link:
Watershed Management Section Manager (WMS2)
Be sure to check out other opportunities on ACWA’s Job Opportunities page.
