NATIONAL NEWS

$7.5B in Available Financing for Water Infrastructure Projects Announced WIFIA funding furthers Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to ensuring communities have access to clean, safe water. more

NIST Researchers Develop Standards to Help Eliminate 'Forever Chemicals' in Firefighting Foams New reference materials for aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) will assist with phaseout. more

Governors Urge Congress to Address Water Infrastructure Funding Cuts Also in this week's sewer and water news, a study out of Wisconsin shows the value of wastewater surveillance for early disease detection. more

EPA BABA webinar on updated guidance Oct 10 1:30-3:00 This webinar will be presented by EPA’s Clean Water (CW) and Drinking Water (DW) State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs and EPA's Water Infrastructure and Finance Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. The webinar will discuss updated guidance from OMB on BABA requirements regarding manufactured products and construction materials. more

Salt water continues advancing on Mississippi River as Orleans Parish explores drinking ... Officials with the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans hope the pipeline could be a permanent solution for the saltwater intrusion, which has happened two years in a row because of extreme drought and low water flow in the Mississippi River. more

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Availability Of $20M In Grants To Create Career Opportunities In The Water Workforce The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of over $20M in grant funding to support training for workers who protect and treat our nation’s drinking water and provide critical wastewater services. more

Water Fleas Hold Key To Cleaner Environment And Better Human Health Tiny water fleas could play a pivotal role in removing persistent chemical pollutants from wastewater – making it safe to use in factories, farms and homes, a new study reveals. more

News Briefs: Governors Urge Congress to Address Water Infrastructure Funding Cuts Governor Ron DeSantis provides updates on recovery on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ian making landfall in Southwest Florida and highlights the long-term recovery efforts over the last year. more

Recovering from Natural Disasters Access to modern, reliable infrastructure and clean, healthy drinking water is a human right. The Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development partner closely with rural communities to create access to clean watersheds for millions of people. more

US EPA eyes flexibility in methane rule to cope with supply chain issues - S&P Global The US Environmental Protection Agency is considering providing flexibility in the compliance deadlines for its upcoming rule to limit methane emissions from oil and natural gas wells, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Sept. 27. more

Persistent Chemicals: Detecting, Limiting Exposure To, and Treating PFAS Contamination A group of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—PFAS—are used in manufacturing, fire safety, and consumer products including nonstick cookware. more

More NC utilities are detecting PFAS in drinking water, but some aren't telling their customers Lillington, Selma, Northampton-Lake Gaston, Jamestown the latest to report PFAS contamination. more

CISA Launches New Cybersecurity Awareness Program “Secure Our World”  The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) today announced the launch of “Secure Our World,” a nationwide cybersecurity public awareness campaign to educate all Americans on how to stay safe online. more

Developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) November 16, 2023 | 2:00 pm CDT This training session we will look into assisting in the development of Standard Operating Procedures of many different type of operations, Operating facilities to distribution systems performing maintenance on equipment to laboratory testing & verification of instruments. more

Advanced Monitoring Solutions for Water and Wastewater October 19, 2023 | 2:00 pm CDT Advanced Monitoring Solutions implements technology to help utilities pinpoint the issues with Sanitary Sewer Overflow’s (SSO), Infiltration and Inflow (I&I) and Environmental Water Quality. more

How twins, AI and the cloud are helping manage water “California Water Wars” might sound like a new reality show for 2023, but in fact, this conflict took place more than 100 years ago, when William Mulholland built the California aqueduct and diverted water from the Owens Valley straight to Los Angeles, leaving the eastern region of the state barren. more

Discussion | Pilot project to turn wastewater into drinkable water - YouTube Thekwini Municipality's wastewater reuse treatment plant project looks to turn raw sewage into clean, safe, drinkable water the city says results from the pilot projects will assist in implementing its alternate new water scheme whose feasibility study is underway. more

The silver lining to storm surge: How some baby fish ride out hurricanes to success | Los Angeles Daily Humans loathe the deadly impact of storm surge, and for good reason. more

ECOS Urges Congress to Fully Appropriate Critical Water Infrastructure Funding On September 20, the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) sent Congress a letter detailing the impacts earmarks will have on the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs). more

House measure could separate FEMA from DHS Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) and Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) introduced bipartisan legislation Wednesday that would make the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) its own Cabinet-level department, elevating its importance as natural disasters regularly thrust it into the national spotlight. more

EPA Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Grant Program RFA Application Deadline 11.06.23 Website The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), as amended through the 2018 America’s Water Infrastructure Act, authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program. more

EPA Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Grant Program RFA Application Deadline 11.06.23 The closing date and time for receipt of application submissions is November 6, 2023, 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, in order to be considered for funding. Application packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (Grants.gov) no later than 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, November 6, 2023, in order to be considered for funding. more

EPA Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Grant Program RFA Application Deadline 11.06.23 Fact Sheet The Safe Drinking Water Act Resilience Grants work to help public water systems increase their resilience to natural hazards and extreme weather events, and to reduce cybersecurity vulnerabilities. more

STATE NEWS

Florida hurricane season outlook: Landfall free September leads to October uncertainty Historically, the eastern Atlantic's Cape Verde development pipeline enters a steep decline at this time of year, with the rate of storm formation east of the Antilles falling 75% between the second half of September and the first half of October. more

State awards $338 million to communities impacted by Hurricane Ian | NBC-2  On the first anniversary of Hurricane Ian, $338 million in state funding to communities impacted by the storm to support long-term recovery efforts and resiliency. more

Miami-Dade officials hope $1.5M grant could be lifeline for polluted Biscayne Bay | Local 10 Thanks to a state grant, Miami-Dade County is launching a new pilot program aimed at cleaning up stormwater polluting Biscayne Bay. more

Wildwood residents unhappy about 20 percent hike in water rate | Villages News  Upgrading wastewater treatment capacity due to exploding growth pushed Wildwood’s city budget to a record $258.5 million for the 2023-24 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. more

Lady Lake cracking down on dangerous overuse of fertilizer | Villages News  Emphasizing the importance of the water quality of lakes, streams and wetlands, the Lady Lake Commission has unanimously approved a new fertilizer ordinance that goes into effect Oct. 1. more

Opinion: Citrus County’s water resources protection efforts deserve praise | Citrus County Chronicle About 25 years ago, Citrus County’s Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) began projects to protect and conserve our many natural water resources. more

City of Tampa Water Department will offer water conservation webinars - ABC Action News  According to the city, Tampa residents and businesses are using too much water. more

Florida agriculture losses between $78M and $371M from Hurricane Idalia Florida agriculture losses from Hurricane Idalia are estimated at between $78 million and $371 million, with producers also suffering widespread damage to such infrastructure as irrigation rigs and fences. more

Free trees: Wilton Simpson announces grants for green infrastructure | Florida Politics The Cabinet member is almost like Florida's own Lorax. more