EPA Releases Funding Integration Tool for Source Water The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its Funding Integration Tool for Source Water (FITS), which is a one-stop-shop tool that explains how users can integrate various federal funding sources to support activities that protect sources of drinking water. more

USDA Announces Funding for Its Source Water Protection Program Agency to invest up to $225 million in partner-driven conservation on agricultural and forest land through its Regional Conservation Partnership Program. more

Quick Response Restores Water Supply To N.C. Community During COVID Outbreak There is never a good time for a municipality to encounter problems with its water supply. But during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak – when handwashing and sanitation are essential to maintaining public health – a reduction in water supply to residents quickly becomes critical. more

Working Toward A More Sustainable Water Future For Tribal Nations Dating back to colonial times, Native Tribes in North America have often watched wide-ranging access to the land and water of their forefathers diminish over time. more

City Officials Face Lawsuit For Manipulating Wastewater Tests A legal showdown between a U.S. state and one of its largest cities has been launched over alleged falsification of wastewater data and its resulting environmental harm. more

Destroying PFAS: What you Need to Know Only the most aggressive and energy-intensive technologies are capable of breaking down PFAS. more

EPA Submits Plan to Designate PFOA and PFOS as Hazardous Substances under Superfund to White House for Final Review CERCLA was enacted by Congress in 1980 to investigate and clean up contaminated sites. The designation would be the first time the EPA has written a rule to designate a chemical as a CERCLA hazardous substance. more

EPA Plans on More Changes to New Lead and Copper Before 2024 Compliance Date Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced that the agency will begin developing a new regulation to better protect communities from exposure to lead in drinking water. more

EPA committee offers WOTUS recommendations The Environmental Protection Agency’s Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee on Friday submitted a list of recommendations to administrator Michael Regan on the intended revision of the definition of Waters of the United States. more

Supply Chain Disruptions Don’t Have To Cause Headaches For Water Systems Supply chain disruptions and subsequent delays aren’t only affecting retailers and electronics manufacturers these days. more

Grit Removal Essentials More companies offer mechanized grit removal systems and services than ever before, underscoring the increasing grit removal focus in the industry. more

How To Execute A Combined Control Strategy For Dissolved Oxygen  For wastewater treatment plants that struggle to maintain tight dissolved oxygen (DO) control due to significant changes in loading conditions throughout the day, pairing adaptive controls with multiple blowers can provide an effective and efficient solution. more

Hill Panels Gearing Up to Produce New WRDA Bill Key House and Senate committees are moving ahead with plans to draft a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to authorize billions of dollars for Army Corps of Engineers flood protection, river locks and dams, port dredging, environmental restoration and other civil works projects. more

EPA Submits Plan to Designate PFOA and PFOS as Hazardous Substances under Superfund to White House for Final Review As some of the decisions on how to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a regulatory standpoint reach a critical phase, we want to bring to your attention certain policy issues derived from the experience and expertise of the water community. more

USDA Announces $225 Million for Its Source Water Protection Program - the Regional Conservation Partnership Program The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced up to $225 million in available funding for conservation partners through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP is a partner-driven program that leverages collective resources to find solutions to address natural resource challenges on agricultural land. more

EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) Criticizes EPA PFAS Documents In the first week of January 2022, the Science Advisory Board (SAB) PFAS Panel reviewed draft documents for deriving a maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as well as an analysis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction as a result of reduced PFOA and PFOS exposure in drinking water.  more

Florida Rural Water Association Breaks Down State’s Infrastructure Funds into the Congressionally Directed Categories  Florida to Receive $275,420,000 in Infrastructure Funds. more

The EPA and the Corps Are Withdrawing Clean Water Act (CWA) Jurisdictional Determinations Made Under the Trump-era Definition of WOTUS for New or Pending Permits The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“the agencies”) are in receipt of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona’s August 30, 2021, order vacating and remanding the Navigable Waters Protection Rule in the case of Pascua Yaqui Tribe v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. more

EPA Plans on More Changes to New Lead and Copper Before 2024 Compliance Date EPA science advisors are criticizing several aspects of the draft documents the agency plans to use to set enforceable drinking water limits for PFOA and PFOS.  more

Largest Stormwater Project In Fort Lauderdale History Underway To Help Neighborhoods Mitigate Flooding | CBS Miami   It’s the largest stormwater project in the history of Fort Lauderdale, and it’s going to two of the neighborhoods in the most need of help to mitigate flooding. more

Congressional panels working on a new WRDA Key House and Senate committees are moving ahead with plans to draft a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to authorize billions of dollars for Army Corps of Engineers flood protection, river locks and dams, port dredging, environmental restoration and other civil works projects. more

New corrosion control training supports lead reduction planning To help water utilities comply with recent and potential regulations intended to better protect communities from lead exposure in drinking water, the American Water Works Association and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators are launching a new corrosion control certificate program. more

Tampa Bay will flood more from tropical storms. This one showed how. | Tampa Bay Times In November 2020, Eta’s eye brushed by Tampa Bay, winds blowing about 70 mph offshore. more

Leon County will craft its new five-year strategic plan at annual retreat | Tallahassee Democrat Leon County will bid farewell to its five-year strategic plan and usher in new goals to carry it through 2026 during its annual retreat on Monday. more

Precautionary boil water notice for Inlet Beach | WJHG Officials said the Inlet Bach Water System had a broken water line on Tuesday around 8 a.m. They said the notice will last until a sample is sent to a lab and comes back clean, which could take one or two days. more

Low water pressure plagues Fort Myers; new facilities and a county hookup may help | News-Press Fading water pressure in their homes has some Fort Myers city residents desperate for action by the city to bring back the strong flow of freshwater that is taken for granted by so many until the water slows to a trickle. more

Federal Government Sets Aside $1.1 Billion To Restore Ailing Florida Everglades | CBS Miami The Everglades is set to receive a $1.1 billion boost, it’s the most money set aside by the federal government in a single fiscal year. more

Lawmakers want to ensure lead-free water at Florida public schools Florida’s constitution binds schools to promise a “safe” and “high-quality” education to those under their care. You might assume that promise would include that the water schools provide to young students is lead-free. more

Removing lead from school drinking water focus of proposed legislation - WMNF Leading testing in public schools in optional, new companion bills in the legislature would sidestep testing to ensure safe water for students. more

Straw project to augment Deltona's reclaimed water supply breaks ground  The city of Oak Hill in south Volusia County may be small with a population of 2,000, but they are up to big things. more

Town of Oak Hill secures $9 million to move 300 homes from septic to sewer | WESH The city of Oak Hill in south Volusia County may be small with a population of 2,000, but they are up to big things. more

CDC data shows significant drop in new COVID cases in Florida The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released several days of data after the holiday weekend that shows Florida may be turning the corner when it comes to the omicron wave. more

Delta variant vanishes from Altamonte Springs, Fla., wastewater Results come more than a 70% decrease a week ago. more

Bonita Springs, Fla., receives approximately $17 million for stormwater infrastructure The funding will be used to make improvements to 2.5 miles of storm water infrastructure, repairing damage caused by Hurricane Irma. more

Senator Farmer and Representative Nixon File Legislation to Filter Lead Out of School ... - EIN News Amid a growing concern for the health and safety of children in public schools across the country, State Senator Gary Farmer (D-Broward) and State Representative Angie Nixon (D-Duval) have filed SB 1648 / HB 1245, legislation to ensure that that drinking water in Florida’s schools is lead-free and meets expert established safety standards. more

State Chief Resilience Officer & DEP Dep. Secretary Visit Florida Keys to see Local Resilience Efforts | South Dade News Leader Newly appointed State Chief Resilience Officer Wes Brooks and Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection Deputy Secretary of Ecosystem Restoration Adam Blalock met with County officials Jan. 6th to discuss local resilience and water quality restoration efforts. more

Panama City will get $20 million to fix hurricane-damaged stormwater, sewer and water lines | WFSU Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the funding on Thursday during a stop in Bay County. more

USDA Announces Lakeisha Hood as Rural Development State Director in Florida and U.S. Virgin Islands President Joe Biden announced the appointment of Lakeisha Hood as State Director for USDA Rural Development in Florida and U.S. Virgin Islands along with seven USDA regional leadership positions. more

Deltona, Fla., project will pump 12 million gallons of water per day from Lake Monroe Construction is now underway for the Florida Straw Project in Deltona. more

Governor Ron DeSantis brought a big check to Panama City | WJHG  Governor Ron DeSantis made a stop in the Panhandle Thursday and announced he is not done helping Panama City recover from Hurricane Michael. A city that felt so forgotten following the storm. more

Opinion: Do the records of elected officials match their rhetoric on springs? | Gainesville Sun Florida’s elected officials, from the governor on down, tend to act like environmental champions when campaigning for votes. more

Milton wastewater management becoming a juggling act as growth outpaces capacity | Pensacola News Journal The industrial park in East Milton, Milton Interchange Park, could receive its own miniature wastewater treatment facility, or package plant, after the Santa Rosa County Commission agreed to give up 80,000 gallons worth of daily capacity at the current wastewater treatment facility in Milton. more

DEP fines $3.2M in sewer misconnection | Gulf Breeze News The Florida Department of Environmental Protection ordered one of the largest penalties — $3.2 million — local interests say they can recall. more