Guest Columns

By Michele Samuels Crisis management and emergency response are terms all too familiar to water utilities. As providers of one of our most essential customer services, utility operators have a proven track record in pragmatic problem-solving to ensure continuity for their communities. But as new threatsRead More

After months of negotiation and several delayed votes, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the bipartisan, $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act this month, which was first approved by the Senate in August. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on Monday. AccordingRead More

SL Environmental Law Group has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Water Replenishment District (WRD) against 3M Company, E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and other manufacturers of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for their involvement in the manufacture and sale of per and poly-fluoroalkyl substancesRead More

In the wake of the global pandemic and among other pressing challenges facing the water utility sector, resilience has emerged as a top issue. To highlight this, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) are co-hostingRead More

The Sept. 30 deadline for the House of Representatives to vote on a bipartisan $550 billion infrastructure bill came and went last week without a resolution. The no vote on the infrastructure package comes as Congressional Democrats continue to negotiate the terms of a separate, potentially multi-trillionRead More

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has proudly announced the 2021 WEF Awards recipients for individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the sustainability of water resources and made a profound impact on the future of the water profession. “Long-term resilience for the world’sRead More

House Democrats are proposing an additional $30 billion in federal funds for lead service line replacement efforts nationwide, a figure that would be in addition to $15 billion for lead service line replacements that was included in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) approved by the SenateRead More

After a week-long trial, a federal jury has awarded the City of Pomona $48 million in damages from SQM North America Corp., a subsidiary of a large Chilean mining company, for the costs of cleanup of the toxic chemical perchlorate from the city’s groundwater supply. Fertilizer sold byRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the availability of $25 million in Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act grants to help improve drinking water. EPA says it is committed to ensuring that all Americans, especially those living in small towns andRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has received 50 letters of interest in response to the agency’s 2021 Notices of Funding Availability. Requests totaling $8.2 billion exceed the agency’s $6.5 billion in available financing and highlight widespread needs for water infrastructure upgrades to benefit communities across theRead More