Tackling The PFAS Crisis In 2023 2022 may be heralded as the year that PFAS took center stage in the effort to provide safe drinking water access for all. In the U.S., some states began enacting laws targeting the “forever chemicals”; in fact, eleven states enacted legislation banning PFAS in food packaging with five more currently considering taking measures. more

Legislation Would Transfer Jackson, Mississippi Water System To New Public Entity The latest legislation meant to solve the fundamental water system problems in Jackson, Mississippi could totally transform responsibility for its management. more

White House launches new push to help states remove lead pipes that carry drinking water States that received the highest allocations were California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and Massachusetts. more

White House urged to push back WOTUS implementation The Republican Governors Association (RGA) called on the Biden administration to delay implementation of the revised Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule until the Supreme Court rules this summer in a case pertaining to the Clean Water Act (CWA). more

Careers For Change: Be EPA - YouTube Be the keeper of safe water. more

Study: Forever chemicals abundant in fish from contaminated rivers, lakes  When Raleigh resident Daryl Mouring isn’t making his semi-annual southward trek to Beaufort to enjoy saltwater fishing, he can still be found casting his line closer to home — at Lake Wheeler or Falls Lake. more

National Rural Water Association Recognized as Partner in Lead Service Line Replacement during White House Event National Rural Water Association CEO Matthew Holmes attended an exclusive White House event on Jan. 27, hosted by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden Administration recognizing the acceleration of lead pipe replacement. more

Jackson, Miss., may face water outages for 10 years  Organizations in Jackson, Mississippi, are asking for help from other states as the water crisis dries up resources. more

Building A Cyber-Resilient Water Future A criminal cyber-attack on a UK water company in August 2022, which saw hackers gain access to customer banking details, led utilities to urgently reassess cybersecurity strategies. In this Q&A, Philippe Willems, engineering manager at Ovarro, discusses the enduring challenge for the water sector and what it means for suppliers. more

EPA Water Finance Newsletter Jan 2023 Since the last edition of the Water Finance Newsletter in March 2022, EPA has closed three Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans totaling $558 million to help finance over $4 billion in infrastructure investment. more

Nine Associations Send Letter to EPA Administrators Requesting Withdrawal of Cybersecurity On Wednesday, January 25, nine associations representing water and wastewater systems and local elected officials sent a letter (below) to EPA Administrator Regan asking for withdrawal of the Agency’s “Memorandum to State Drinking Water Agencies on Public Water System Cybersecurity” that is currently under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Memorandum. more

EPA Releases Wastewater Plan for Regulations and a Study to Address PFAS and Nutrients EPA has released Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15, that outlines how the Agency will use Clean Water Act provisions to develop technology-based pollution limits for wastewater discharges from industrial sources and conduct studies on discharges of nutrients and PFAS. more

EPA Proposes Adding Environmental Justice, Climate Change, PFAS to National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is seeking public comment on its proposal to address environmental justice, climate change, and PFAS contamination in its National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives (NECIs). more

Report Finds National Wastewater Surveillance Effort Worthy of Further Investment National Academies report offers recommendations to strengthen nationwide coordination, ensure flexible, equitable, and sustainable system. more

EPA Announces Plans for Wastewater Regulations, Studies The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just released Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (Plan 15), which lays out how the Agency will work to protect the nation's waterways by following the science and the Clean Water Act to develop technology-based pollution limits and studies on wastewater discharges from industrial sources. more

DEP launches the Hurricane Stormwater and Wastewater Assistance Grant Program for impacted local governments | Lehigh Acres Citizen The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced a new funding opportunity for local governments that operate a stormwater or wastewater management system in Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Nassau, Palm Beach, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sarasota and Volusia counties that were impacted by Hurricane Ian or Hurricane Nicole. more

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Announces More Than $18 Million Available for Florida’s Rural Communities The program facilitates the planning, preparing, and financing of infrastructure projects in rural communities. more

State to audit Winter Springs over water concerns - Spectrum News 13 Jesse Phillips, the President of the Winter Springs Community Association, shared the water has been a concern for his family since they moved here several years ago. more

Lee County officials planning development of wastewater treatment site - ABC7 Southwest Florida The new project’s location will be at 14201 Alico Rd. in Fort Myers. Although the county has started the design phase, some residents near Alico Road are not thrilled. Marsha Ellis is advocating against the Southeast Advanced Water Reclamation Facility project. more

20 years later, FPUA finally moving sewage plant off Hutchinson Island, public invited | TCPalm  Conversations began nearly 20 years ago among local leaders and the community about moving Fort Pierce Utilities Authority's wastewater treatment-plant off Hutchinson Island. more

Virtual simulation shows impact of sea level rise, Category 5 hurricane on West Palm Beach | WPTV  3D pictures show Osprey Park, other coastal areas inundated by water. more

University of Miami, Miami Beach struggle hunting pollution source | Miami Today Ultra-high pollution in Parkview Island Canal, “a canal within a canal, within a bay,” is associated with freshwater that floats on the surface, entering during storms through the area’s stormwater system and containing animal and human feces, a University of Miami study has found. more

Sanford commissioner discuss fixes to wastewater system | Central Florida  Sanford's City Commissioners called a special meeting Monday night talking about two issues, healthy drinking water, and fixing the wastewater vacuum system. more

Tech failure results in PCB water boil advisory | My Panhandle  All residents east of Richard Jackson Boulevard in Panama City Beach were under a boil water notice this weekend. more