News
List of House of Representative Bills to fix CWA Issues
There are currently several bills proposed in the House of Representatives designed to “fix” issues that Representatives believe could benefit from statutory changes. These include:
H.R. 3300 – Clarifies that aerial fire retardant would be exempt from NPDES permitting.
H.R. 3824 – Prohibits the EPA and states from requiring NPDES permits for discharges of pesticides into navigable waters if the pesticides are registered, used for their intended purposes, and used in compliance with their pesticide label requirements, as already required.
H.R. 3888 – Provides for more robust public participation process for EPA developed 304(a) criteria, including that criteria are subject to Administrative Procedures Act notice and comment rulemaking requirements and limited judicial review.
H.R. 3897 – Clarifies that NPDES permits must only include clear, objective, concrete limits on specific pollutants or waterbody conditions.
H.R. 3898 – Codifies WOTUS definition excludes water treatment systems, ephemeral features, groundwater, and prior converted croplands.
H.R. 3899 – Codifies the existing practice of issuing general permits under the NPDES program and or provide two years written notice if the permitting authority does not intend to reissue the general permit.
H.R. 3900 – Ensures technology required in ELGS is actually commercially available in the United States, making ELGs reasonably obtainable.
H.R. 3901 – Requires Army Corps to expedite jurisdictional determination to eliminate the backlog for JDs and 404 permit application.
H.R. 3902 – Requires EPA to review regulations surrounding the state assumption of 404 to streamline the process and encourage assumption.
H.R. 3905 – Requires judicial review of 404 permits to occur within 60 days.
H.R. 3927 – Clarifies specific steps for Army Corps nationwide permitting process.
H.R. 3928 – Clarifies that states 401 certification should only consider discharges that would result from the federally permitted or licensed activity itself.
H.R. 3934 – Requires water quality standards take into account municipal combined storm and sanitary sewer long-term control plans, as well as the attainability of the WQS through commercially available treatment technologies.
H.R. 3935 – Prevents EPA from vetoing a 404 permit before a permit application has been filed or after a permit has already been issued by the Corps.
David Fotouhi Confirmed as EPA Deputy Administrator
The U.S. Senate has confirmed David Fotouhi to serve as the Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA’s Deputy Administrator is tasked with overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Agency. The Deputy Administrator coordinates the important work of the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Water, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Office of Land and Emergency Management, Office of International and Tribal Affairs, EPA’s ten regional offices, and EPA’s research, enforcement, legal, and budget teams.
EPA and USACE Release NE and SE Regional Streamflow Duration Assessment Methods
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers have developed Regional Streamflow Duration Assessment Methods, or Regional SDAMs, for use across the coterminous United States. Regional SDAMs are rapid field assessment methods that use hydrological, geomorphological and/or biological indicators, observable in a single site visit, to classify streamflow duration as perennial, intermittent or ephemeral at the reach scale.
Direct measurement of flow over time is resource intensive, often requiring years of data collection at the stream reach to identify a flow class. Regulators and water resource managers need rapid, reach-scale methods to determine streamflow duration to implement many federal, state and local programs such as stream buffer zones under state and federal laws, application of water quality standards, and compensatory mitigation requirements.
The methods provide a scientifically supported, rapid assessment framework to support best professional judgment in a consistent, robust, repeatable and defensible way. The classification outcome resulting from application of the methods may inform a range of activities where information on streamflow duration class can improve ecological assessment, management and decision-making. While SDAMs do not constitute a jurisdictional determination under the Clean Water Act, they do provide timely and accurate streamflow duration information which can support such determinations.
The EPA and partners conducted multi-year field studies to develop each of these regionally specific SDAMs. These Regional SDAMs were developed from indicator data collected at sites spread across the regions. Each site’s flow duration was determined independently of the indicator data using stream gages, data loggers or other hydrologic records. The data was collected during more than 3,500 site visits and data analysis conducted to produce the final regional SDAMs. Each Regional SDAM has been optimized for accuracy and efficient assessment in the field, resulting in methods that can be completed in under two hours per stream reach.
The EPA and the Corps have made available the Regional SDAMs for the Northeast and Southeast today. The final Regional SDAMs for the Arid West, Western Mountains, Great Plains, and Pacific Northwest were released previously and are currently in use
For more information visit the EPA’s SDAM website.
EPA Shares Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast for the Week
The Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast model predicts the likelihood of a bloom occurring in the coming week for over 2,000 of the largest U.S. lakes and reservoirs across the lower 48 states. For each of these satellite resolvable lakes, the model generates a weekly probability of cyanoHAB occurrence exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) recreation Alert Level 1 threshold (≥12 ug/L chlorophyll-a with cyanobacteria dominance). The forecast uses a Bayesian spatiotemporal model to predict alert-level exceedance, successfully forecasting cyanobacteria blooms in satellite-resolved lakes. The results were validated with CyAN satellite data and have an overall prediction accuracy of 90 percent.
You can find the full forecast weekly here: https://www.epa.gov/habs/hab-forecasts
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 request assistance below to see if you qualify:
Does your community have septic system or decentralized wastewater challenges?
- Do septic systems back up into homes or cause sewage to pool in yards?
- Does the town or county struggle to provide adequate sanitation services to its residents?
- Does the community struggle to rebuild damaged or non-functioning wastewater and septic systems?
What does the assistance include?
- Free technical assistance is available for communities to assess current wastewater infrastructure and recommend options for the community through the EPA’s Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Initiative.
- This assistance includes community engagement, development of preliminary engineering reports, alternatives analyses, and ultimately submittal of funding applications to help communities address their wastewater needs.
- More information can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/water-infrastructure/closing-americas-wastewater-access-gap
How can I request assistance?
- Complete this form to request assistance: https://www.epa.gov/water-infrastructure/forms/water-technical-assistance-request-form
Questions?
- Email Zach Lowenstein, CAWAG program manager (Lowenstein.Zachary@epa.gov)
Association Updates
ACWA’s 64th Annual Meeting in Madison, WI – Registration is Now Open!
Dates: August 13-15th, 2025
Board of Directors will meet August 12th, 2025.
Member Rate – $550
Non-Member Rate – $570
(email Lexy at abailey@acwa-us.org for assistance with registration)
View the draft agenda here.
Lodging is now open for reservation! The room block will close July 18, 2025.
Venue:
The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club
One West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53703
Room rate: $138 per night
Check back here for more details.
Seeking Presenters: 2025 ACWA Annual Meeting
ACWA is seeking presenters for our upcoming Annual Meeting in Madison, WI, August 13-15, 2025. Specifically, we are seeking presenters who have a great story to tell or lessons learned in communicating with the public. August 13, 9:30-10:30 AM:
EDUCATING THE PUBLIC: AGENCY COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES. Effective communication is at the heart of building public trust, promoting transparency, and driving informed action. Strategies for communicating with a public that is skeptical of science, data and government. In this session, we’ll explore how agencies are developing and implementing impactful communication strategies that educate, engage, and empower the public and stakeholders.
If you have a story to share, please get in touch with Julia Anastasio.
Your Chance to be Featured in ACWA’s 2025 Annual Report!
As we gear up for our annual report, we’re looking to expand our photo library. We invite you to be a part of the Annual Report by sharing your photographs with us!
Here’s how you can participate:
- Select your best high-resolution water photos
- Email them to Lexy Bailey by June 20th, 2025
- Include your name and the location of the photograph
2025 ACWA CWA Cross-Program Workshop – Book Your Hotel Now!
Dates: July 21-23, 2025
Location: Chicago (Rosemont), IL
Registration is now open for the 2025 CWA Cross-Program Workshop on July 21-23, 2025, in Chicago (Rosemont) at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. The theme for this year’s Workshop will be “CWA Cross-Program Coordination to Improve Nutrient Management and Address Nutrient Pollution.” The 2025 Workshop is the third annual Cross-Program Workshop held in cooperation with EPA.
Registration: Please click here to register. There is no registration fee for this event.
Hotel: Book your hotel room here. The room block will close June 30, 2025.
Agenda: View the draft agenda here.
Objective: CWA Cross-Program Workshops are intended to bring together state, territorial, and federal CWA program administrators to discuss and share ways in which cross-program coordination and collaboration can be strengthened to more effectively and efficiently protect and restore our waters. The 2025 Workshop will focus on opportunities and challenges for administrators of CWA Sections 303(c), 303(d), and 402 in coordinating nutrient management and responses to nutrient pollution.
State, territorial, and federal clean water leaders will identify cross-program challenges and barriers to CWA implementation in the nutrients space; work toward solutions to cross cutting water quality topics; identify ways to improve technical capabilities; highlight opportunities for cross-program planning, implementation, and co-operation; and clarify linkages, roles, and responsibilities among CWA programs.
Participants: The Workshop target audience will be state/territorial clean water regulators with practical experience and responsibilities in supporting and managing CWA Section 303(c), 303(d), and/or 402 programs, particularly in the nutrients space, as well as EPA representatives for each of the programs. Attendees should come prepared to discuss ways in which cross-program coordination has been an important aspect of successful program and/or restoration plan implementation, as well as cross-program challenges and needs.
Website: 2025 Clean Water Cross-Program Workshop – Event Page
Save the Date – ACWA Water Quality Modeling Workshop
Dates: September 16-19, 2025
Location: Atlanta, GA
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. Registration and details on the three tracks will be available shortly. 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, Atlanta, GA 30303.
You may reserve your hotel room here. ACWA will have some travel support available for state staff.
Meetings and Webinars
ASDWA Webinar on Oregon and Washington State Efforts to Address Nitrate in Groundwater Wells
On Monday, June 16, from 3:00 – 4:00 pm ET, the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) will host a webinar on, “Addressing Nitrate in Oregon and Washington Groundwater.” During the webinar, speakers from the Oregon and Washington State Drinking Water Programs will share presentations about their efforts to address high nitrate levels in drinking water wells. The webinar will feature:
- Samina Panwhar and Bill Goss, Drinking Water Services Section, Oregon Heath Authority, will present information about nitrate reduction efforts in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area.
- Holly Myers, Office of Drinking Water, Washington State Department of Health, will present information about nitrate reduction efforts in the Lower Yakima Valley Groundwater Management Area.
Register for the webinar here.
Job Opportunities
Wastewater Compliance and Enforcement Supervisor – Analyst 4
Location: Boise, ID
Closing Date: June 15, 2025
For more information and to apply, visit Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s career webpage.
Environmental Analyst – Title 5 Septic System Program Trainer
Location: Boston, Woburn, Worcester, Lakeville or Springfield, MA
Closing Date: June 22, 2025
To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, and a brief writing sample by email to jobs@neiwpcc.org by June 22, 2025. Please reference #25-MA-DEP-001 in the email subject line and notate full-time or part-time preference and preferred work location in the body of the email (Boston, Woburn, Worcester, Lakeville or Springfield, MA). 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.
