The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Water Environment Federation (WEF) announced the launch of the NutrientSmart (NSmart) program to help reduce nutrient loadings in waterways and recognize the water utilities that are leaders and innovators. NSmart will begin as a pilot program and encourage the adoption of enhanced nutrient management practices by water utilities Read More
Author: TheUpdateStaff
Public Comments Accepted on WOTUS Definition
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and U.S. Department of the Army (Army) announced a proposed rule to re-establish the pre-2015 definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) with updates to reflect consideration of Supreme Court decisions. USEPA says the action advances the goal of establishing a durable definition of WOTUS that protects public Read More
President Biden Signs Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
President Joe Biden signed the long-awaited Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (H.R. 3684) on November 15. The signing means $550 billion in new Federal funding for infrastructure projects over the next 5 years, including $55 billion specifically for water infrastructure. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal (BID) is not a stimulus bill like the recent Read More
Build Back Better Act Passes House
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the $1.85 trillion Build Back Better bill (H.R.5376) on November 19. If the bill passes the Senate and is signed by President Joe Biden the BBB, together with the recently signed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will provide substantial funding for water infrastructure. As approved by the House, the Read More
MPCA Accepting Public Comments on Draft Impaired Waters List
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) released its proposed impaired waters list for 2022, which includes 305 water bodies with 417 new impairments, bringing the total to 2,904 water bodies with 6,168 impairments. For the first time, the MPCA listed waters in Greater Minnesota with perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS) contamination. Other notable waters on the 2022 list include the Root River in southeastern Read More
Do You Want to Host a Regional WOTUS Roundtable?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and U.S. Department of the Army are calling on communities to propose roundtables to provide input on the regional implications of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) Rule. The regional roundtables aim to inform the work of USEPA and the Army to develop an enduring definition of WOTUS that Read More