News
EPA Announces Relaunch of Comprehensive Guidance Document Website
EPA relaunched EPA’s Guidance Portal, a streamlined website for accessing important guidance documents related to air quality, water protection, hazardous waste management, and more. The website serves as a resource for all guidance documents managed across EPA’s headquarters environmental programs. It is designed to be a one-stop shop to help users and small businesses easily and quickly locate and follow EPA’s active guidance documents on topics of interest. EPA guidance documents inform the public how the agency interprets an underlying statute and its regulations, and take the form of memoranda, policy statements, handbooks, manuals, and other documents formally titled as guidance. Guidance documents that have been superseded with newer guidance are not included in the updated website.
Senator Ricketts Offers Amendment on CERCLA PFAS Liability Protections In FY26 NDAA
Senator Ricketts from Nebraska proposed an amendment on CERCLA PFAS Liability Protections in the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The amendment creates liability exemptions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA/Superfund) for certain entities that may release PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) into the environment under specific circumstances. This amendment significantly reduces potential CERCLA liability for municipalities, water utilities, airports, farmers, and waste management operators. It shifts liability pressure more toward PFAS manufacturers and away from public-sector and downstream users.
Key Provisions:
1. Exempted Entities:
- Fire suppression entities using PFAS-containing aqueous film forming foam (AFFF).
- Resource management entities (e.g., solid waste management facilities, compost processors).
- Sponsors of airports (including joint-use or shared-use airports).
- Water and wastewater entities (public water systems, treatment works, municipalities, special districts, contractors).
- Agricultural producers.
2. Conditions for Exemption:
- Fire suppression: Discharges must be lawful, comply with codes/standards, and not occur beyond 5 years after safer alternatives become standard.
- Resource management: Disposal/treatment must be in compliance with permits (Clean Water Act, Solid Waste Disposal Act, etc.).
- Airports: Releases must be FAA-required and conducted per FAA standards.
- Water/Wastewater: Transport, treatment, and disposal must follow applicable laws and permits.
- Agriculture: Broad exemption for releases of PFAS.
3. Limits / Exceptions (Savings Clause):
Exemptions do not apply if:
- The entity acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct.
- Fire suppression entities continue using AFFF more than 5 years after updated engineering standards prohibit it.
- Sponsors or others use PFAS-containing foams recklessly.
EPA’s Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Initiative – Seeking New Communities
EPA’s free technical assistance initiative, Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap, is seeking communities in need of help with failing septic systems or total lack of wastewater infrastructure (i.e. straight pipes). This is an opportunity for no-cost assistance to address longstanding wastewater infrastructure failures in small and rural communities across the country and connect those communities to an unprecedented amount of funding still available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. If your community, or one you know of, needs assistance – please complete this short form to request assistance to see if you qualify.
GAO Report: Water Infrastructure Resilience: Agencies Could Better Address Efforts to Assist Communities Vulnerable to Natural Disasters
On Aug. 11, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, “Water Infrastructure Resilience: Agencies Could Better Address Efforts to Assist Communities Vulnerable to Natural Disasters”, which examines – among other things – (1) financial assistance that EPA, FEMA, and USDA provided to improve water infrastructure; (2) the extent to which these agencies addressed barriers vulnerable communities face accessing and participating in selected programs; and (3) how these agencies assessed the extent to which assistance reached vulnerable communities.
GAO analyzed fiscal year 2014–2023 data for EPA, FEMA, and USDA programs that provided financial assistance for water infrastructure projects—the most recent data available during the review. GAO also reviewed relevant executive orders and agencies’ plans and actions taken to address barriers faced by vulnerable communities. Finally, GAO interviewed a nongeneralizable sample of 14 utilities selected based on factors including vulnerability and disaster experience. In its report, GAO makes eight recommendations, including that FEMA communicate about options to meet cost-share requirements, and that EPA, FEMA, and USDA use service area map tools
Open Space Institute Report – “Protecting Land for Water Quality: Strategies for Nonpoint Source Management Programs”
The Open Space Institute has released a report, “Protecting Land for Water Quality: Strategies for State Nonpoint Source Management Programs”, which was developed through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to harness land protection as a strategy to advance state-level NPS goals across the United States. The report provides tools for state NPS staff to learn how other agencies have leveraged land protection strategies to achieve NPS program goals, and highlights current approaches and future opportunities for advancing land protection. It is intended for use by EPA staff, land trusts, watershed associations, and other state government and non-governmental partners working to protect land for water quality.
Association Updates
ACWA Elects New Officers & Board of Director Regional Representatives
ACWA announced the results of the 2025-2026 Executive Officers and Board of Director Regional Representatives election during the association’s business meeting at the 2025 ACWA Annual Meeting. Along with the Executive Officers, the odd number regions along with the Interstates representatives were on the ballot.
The 2025-2026 ACWA Executive Offices & Regional Representatives are:
Region 1 Brian Kavanah (ME)
Region 2 Meredith Streeter (NY)
Region 3 Melanie Davenport (VA)
Region 4 Ann Clark (SC)
Region 5 Dana Vanderbosch (MN)
Region 6 Stacie Wassell (AR)
Region 7 Lori McDaniel (IA)
Region 8 Lindsey Krywaruchka (MT)
Region 9 Trevor Baggiore (AZ)
Region 10 Mary Anne Nelson (ID)
Interstates Kristin Bowman (DRBC)
President: Shelly Lemon (NM)
Vice President: Jennifer Feltis (NJ)
Treasurer: Jennifer Zygmunt (WY)
Past President: Adrian Stocks (WI)
ACWA Award Winners
ACWA recognized several members and partners during the 64th Annual ACWA Awards Ceremony. Each of this year’s winners represents the best of ACWA and our profession.
Emerging Leaders Award
The ACWA Emerging Leaders Award recognizes full-time employees of states, interstates, and affiliates “who have demonstrated notable leadership on or contributions to the work of an ACWA committee, task force, and/or workgroup, and show demonstrated potential for future leadership in the Association.”
This year’s winner of this award is Ashley Ward (OH).
President’s Service Award
The President’s Service Award, is given annually to a member selected for his/her exceptional service to the Association over the last fiscal year.
The winners of this year’s award are Lori McDaniel (IA) and Jennifer Zygmunt (WY).
Exceptional Service Award
The Exceptional Service Award is presented to Association members who have demonstrated a strong commitment to ACWA before their retirement or completion of state service.
The winners of this year’s award are Shellie Chard (OK) and Tom Stiles (KS).
Environmental Partnership Award
The Environmental Partnership Award is to those persons who have, throughout their careers, demonstrated a true and consistent willingness to work cooperatively with the States and with the various interested organizations to effect environmental improvement.
The winner of this year’s Environmental Partnership Award is Andrew Sawyers, Director, Office of Wastewater Management, United States Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters.
Environmental Statesman Award
The Environmental Statesman Award is the Association’s highest honor and is presented to Association members or individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to ACWA over a multi-year period.
The winner of the 2025 Environmental Statesman Award is Amanda Vincent (LA).
Staff Achievement Award
This award recognizes staff members who have demonstrated outstanding service to the membership and the organization over a sustained, multi-year period.
The 2025 Staff Achievement award is presented to Sean Rolland, Deputy Director.
ACWA Water Quality Modeling Workshop – Room Block Closing Soon!
Dates: September 16-19, 2025
Location: Atlanta, GA
Registration is available here.
View the draft agendas here.
ACWA, in partnership with USEPA, will be holding the 2025 Water Quality Modeling Workshop in Atlanta, GA, the week of September 15, 2025. The 2025 Water Quality Modeling Workshop supports implementation of state programs by continuing to build a community of practice among state agency staff who use or want to use water quality modeling in state water quality programs.
This year we will be offering hands-on training on LSPC and EFDC, as well as a Modeling 201 track, a course featuring hands-on components, presentations, case studies, and discussions. The workshop will start Tuesday, September 16 and wrap up around noon on Friday, September 19.
This workshop is for state program managers and staff involved in water quality modeling, as well as for both Regional and Headquarters-based U.S. Environmental Protection Agency managers and staff.
Lodging is available at the Embassy Suites Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park Hotel at the local per diem rate. The workshop will take place at the EPA Region 4 Offices at 77 Forsyth St SW #500, Atlanta, GA 30303. Book your hotel room here. The room block will close August 26, 2025.
Meetings and Webinars
Green Infrastructure for Small Water Systems: Approaches and Technical Assistance – WaterNow Alliance
August 28, 2025 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST
REGISTER HERE
Green infrastructure (GI) can be a tool to help rural wastewater and stormwater providers go beyond investments in conventional infrastructure approaches. This presentation will address the role that GI can play in supplementing wastewater and stormwater systems by helping reduce inflow and infiltration, mitigating sewer overflows, augmenting wastewater treatment processes, and improving quality. We will also outline the funding and financing pathways to implementing GSI for small, rural systems, and orient participants to the forms of technical assistance which can support small systems in implementing these projects.
Panelists will include:
- Robyn De Young, Green Infrastructure Program Manager, EPA
- Travis Ostrom, Green Infrastructure Program Manager, EPA
- Moderator: Emerson O’Donnell, Senior Program Manager, WaterNow
Ask Me Anything SRF Office Hours
This initiative will expand your knowledge and enhance your ability to navigate the SRFs. These sessions are tailored for state agencies, utility operators, and stakeholders who support water infrastructure projects. Each session will open with a specific theme, providing clarity, strategies, and practical insights for preparing and managing an SRF-funded project. The remainder of the session will be devoted to ‘Ask Me Anything’. Participants can attend all sessions or select those that best meet their needs. Submit your questions in advance or bring them to the session for real-time support from our experts.
Wed., 9/3, 11-1 EST: Source Water Protection & the SRFs
Wed., 10/1, 11-1 EST: Shrinking Capitalization Grants and the Future of SRFs
Wed., 11/5, 11-1 EST: What is an Intended Use Plan?
Meeting Registration – Zoom
Mon., 8/18, 2-4 EST: What are Creative Uses of SRF Funds?
Mon., 9/15, 2-4 EST: Set-Asides: what are they and how can they be used?
Mon., 10/20, 2-4 EST: What is this thing called Equivalency?
Mon., 11/17, 2-4 EST: Summary of what was covered over the AMA sessions
Meeting Registration – Zoom
ACWA/EPA Water Reuse Webinar
ACWA and U.S. EPA will host a Water Reuse Webinar for state and federal officials on September 11, 2025, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm ET. Please register for the Zoom meeting here.
Presentations will be made by EPA (Dr. Sharon Nappier, introduction) and the authors of the Potable Water Reuse Report (Dr. Amy Childress and Trussell Technologies, Inc.). The 2-hour session will cover:
- The landscape of DPR regulations throughout the United States and internationally. The public health requirements and non-public health factors influencing state DPR regulations will be discussed. (Series 1)
- An introduction to pathogen reduction crediting frameworks. Because it is not possible to conduct real-time monitoring for pathogens, treatment processes receive log-reduction credits through experimental testing. However, some effective processes, like reverse osmosis (RO), are under-credited due to the lack of good surrogates. (Series 2)
- Open discussion on state needs regarding the development of microbial treatment targets and crediting systems for water reuse.
Please reach out to Ward Scott with any questions or issues.
Managing Your Roadway Stormwater Assets to Reduce Pollution, Achieve Water Quality Objectives, and Protect Communities from Flooding
September 17, 2025 from 2:00-3:30 PM (Eastern)
REGISTER HERE
Stormwater assets – the drainage systems and control measures installed to manage stormwater – are vulnerable to system failures that cause upsets, flooding, and system damage if they are not properly maintained and upgraded when necessary. Cities, counties, and states manage roadway stormwater assets to keep waterways clean and prevent localized flooding. Stormwater asset management planning is a proven approach that helps provide reliable levels of service to customers, helps plan system renewal and upgrades, and minimizes the total cost of owning and operating the assets. In this webinar, speakers from three state Departments of Transportation will showcase a variety of approaches to stormwater asset management in the roadway context. To request accessibility accommodations for this webinar, please email goss.heather@epa.gov by September 2, 2025.
Speakers:
- Heather Goss, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Kellie Thom, Minnesota Department of Transportation
- Jon Prier, Ohio Department of Transportation
- Richard Heineman, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
ITRC: Overview of the Tire-Derived Chemicals 6PPD & 6PPD-quinone Training
Tuesday, October 7, 2025, 1:00PM-2:30PM EDT
REGISTER HERE
In October 2024, ITRC released the 6PPD & 6PPD-quinone Guidance Document to provide environmental professionals and communities with information about the current science and regulatory framework of 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-q). 6PPD-q is a contaminant of emerging concern and is a transformation product of the tire anti-degradant (6PPD), an antiozonant used in tires.
Join us for this ITRC training course to get a basic overview of the science and policy measures surrounding the Tire Anti-Degradants 6PPD and 6PPD-q. Attendees will gain insight into the current state of knowledge on topics such as: background and use of 6PPD in tires, toxicity in aquatic species and humans; occurrence, fate, and transport; measuring, mapping, and sampling; mitigation measures; and policy, regulations, and laws.
Currently, 6PPD is used in all tires and can contaminate stormwater and surface water anywhere tires are used. 6PPD-q was identified as a chemical fatal to coho salmon in 2020. Since that time, it has been documented as acutely toxic to multiple trout species found throughout the United States. 6PPD and 6PPD-q have been found in waterways, aquatic organisms, soils, air, and humans.
This training will introduce you to the ITRC 6PPD & 6PPD-quinone Guidance Document which provides more technical detail than can be covered in this training course.
ITRC: PFAS Chemistry Training
Thursday, October 9, 2025, 1:00PM-3:00PM EDT
REGISTER HERE
The Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC) is presenting an introductory training on the basics of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemistry. This training supplements the ITRC PFAS Introductory training and ITRC Beyond the Basics Training sessions. You can find ITRC PFAS training resources online at https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org/pfas-training/.
PFAS are an emerging group of contaminants that present unique challenges in many areas including: widespread use and presence in the environment, sampling and analysis, fate and transport, and remedial approaches. This training session will provide PFAS practitioners with an understanding of the unique aspects of PFAS chemistry that guide fate and transport, treatment, regulations, and decision-making on PFAS sites.
Key focus areas of the training include the following:
- Why are PFAS different from other organic chemicals?
- How are PFAS defined?
- How are PFAS manufactured and why does that matter?
- What are the differences between perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances?
- What are the naming conventions used for the different types of PFAS?
- How are short-chain and long-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) defined?
- What are precursors and why are they important?
- What are some of the unique chemical properties of PFAS and why do they matter?
Resources and further details included in this training are in the ITRC Guidance Document (PFAS-1).
ITRC: Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) Identification Framework Training
Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 1:00PM-3:00PM EDT
REGISTER HERE
In 2023, the ITRC Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) Framework was published to help environmental regulatory agencies and other stakeholders identify, evaluate, and manage CEC’s while acknowledging uncertainties in their environmental fate and transport, receptor exposure, and/or toxicity. Such an approach can be conducive to improved allocation of regulatory response resources and provide a foundation for communicating potential risk to stakeholders.
The ITRC framework is comprised of a white paper and four associated fact sheets. In the white paper, CEC are defined as: “substances and microorganisms including physical, chemical, biological, or radiological materials known or anticipated in the environment, that may pose newly identified risks to human health or the environment.” The framework is meant to help environmental regulatory agencies and other stakeholders by providing examples of CEC monitoring programs and guiding the user through the process of identifying CEC key characteristics, how to communicate real and perceived risk from CEC to the public, and how laboratory analytical methods can be used in the identification process.
The ITRC CEC training presents this entirely new framework for identification, prioritization, and communication of CEC. This course includes the following topics:
- An overview of the framework, how and why it was developed, the factors that influence the creation of CEC management units at the state level, and a listing of existing CEC monitoring programs.
- A discussion of key variables that may be used as criteria to identify and prioritize CEC for response actions. This portion of the course includes a case study that illustrates how the identification and prioritization process works with an “unknown” chemical CEC.
- Practices and methods for stakeholder messaging and how to share incomplete information on CEC that could impact human health and the environment. This portion of the short course builds upon the ITRC Risk Communication Toolkit by providing additional detail addresses communications plans, message maps, and audience identification.
- A paradigm for how laboratory methods can be used to identify CEC ranging from:
- “Is compound X in the sample and at what concentration?” (i.e., known knowns) to
- “Which compounds from the list are in this sample?” (i.e., known unknowns) to
- “What is in the sample?” (i.e., unknown unknowns).
CEC are typically compounds or substances whose occurrence or effect is unknown but may or may not be understood through similar compounds or substances. This module includes a discussion of the use of targeted and untargeted analysis to identify a CEC.
Participants will learn the elements of the CEC framework and gain an understanding of the framework application from case studies. Participants are encouraged to review the ITRC CEC Framework prior to the class.
ITRC PFAS Introductory Training
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 1:00PM-3:00PM EST
REGISTER HERE
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large and complex class of anthropogenic compounds whose prevalence in the environment are an emerging, worldwide priority in environmental and human health. The ITRC PFAS Team, formed in 2017, has prepared readily accessible materials to present PFAS information to stakeholders, regulators, and policy makers. The PFAS team represents a diverse cross-section of expertise and experience working on PFAS.
This training will include emerging science on PFAS, including topics such as Properties of PFAS, Fate and Transport, Sampling and Analysis, and Treatment Technologies. The technical presentations will be focused on those who are relatively new to PFAS. The training will last approximately 90 minutes and include time for questions.
ITRC: Microplastics Training
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 1:00PM-3:00PM EST
REGISTER HERE
In response to one of the biggest emerging environmental concerns, ITRC formed the Microplastics Team in 2021 to develop the Microplastics Guidance Document. Plastics have become pervasive in modern life and are now used in a wide range of commercial and industrial applications. Microplastics may result from the degradation and fragmentation of larger plastics, or they may be intentionally produced for specific applications and products. Regardless of their origin, microplastics are now ubiquitous in our environment. Because of their small size and pervasiveness in the environment, microplastics, along with any other contaminants which are adhered to the microplastics, may be inadvertently consumed by humans and other organisms.
The online ITRC Guidance Document is geared toward an audience with reasonable level of scientific understanding, but not microplastic-specific knowledge. The guidance provides a user with information on microplastics and the state of the applied science without having to go to the scientific literature.
The target audience for the guidance and this training course includes state regulators and environmental consultants, as well as community and tribal stakeholders.
The guidance and this associated training course uses a conceptual site model to navigate microplastics in the environment and explore the following general areas:
- An introduction to microplastics, their sources, and worldwide distribution
- The pathways through which microplastics can enter and travel in the environment and their distribution in various media (water, soil, sediment, air, and biota)
- A current look at the most common techniques and best practices for sampling and analyzing microplastics
- Potential human health and ecological risks associated with microplastics in the environment
- An overview of existing regulations related to microplastics and macroplastics at the state, federal, and international levels
- Examples of prevention and mitigation strategies and best management practices to reduce microplastics from entering the environment and the emerging technologies to abate, treat, and remediate microplastics once they exist in the environment
- Identification of data gaps and the need for further research
- Several case studies illustrating a range of current microplastics-related topics
Prior to attending the training class, participants are encouraged to view the associated ITRC Microplastics Guidance Document.
Job Opportunities
Environmental Analyst – Source Water Specialist
Location: Albany, NY
Closing Date: September 1, 2025
To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, and a brief writing sample by email to jobs@neiwpcc.org by September 1, 2025. Please reference #25-NYS-SW-DOH-002 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.
Be sure to check out other opportunities on ACWA’s Job Opportunities page.
