Guest Columns

The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) and National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), two organizations representing municipally-owned utilities, recently asked Senate leaders to include public sector aid in the next round of COVID-19 relief legislation. Pointing to estimates that drinking water and wastewaterRead More

By Zeynep Erdal One and a half centuries ago, a rancher, naturalist, explorer, environmental philosopher, writer and conservationist named John Muir said, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” Much more recently, theRead More

By Katie Jones & Stephanie Biehl Flint, Michigan, is now synonymous with “water crisis.” Unfortunately, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. In communities across the country, countless other water crises are unfolding, though with different chemical contaminants and, in many cases, clear fingerprints pointing toRead More

Nine leading water associations are urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use “sound science and robust analyses” as it evaluates drinking water standards for two per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS). In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, the Association of California Water AgenciesRead More

Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday released the HEROES Act, the latest proposed relief package to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic challenges resulting from it. The proposal includes $1.5 billion in funding for water ratepayer assistance to help strugglingRead More

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee last week passed legislation that will make significant investments in water recycling programs and resources. The two pieces of legislation — America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 and the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 — includeRead More

The organizers of Water Week 2020 will present complimentary webinar sessions on April 22 and 29 to discuss the water sector’s key issues and talking points, as well tools and tips for engaging with congressional representatives. Live conference events for Water Week 2020, originally scheduled forRead More

By Erin Boeke Burke What Does “Affordable” Mean? There are a wide range of opinions on what it means for water and sewer service to be “affordable.” To some, water is a human right, others a property right, and still others a commodity. One thingRead More

Congress released a massive stimulus package last week that was signed by President Donald Trump amid the COVID-19 pandemic that could have serious economic ramifications both in the United States and around the globe. The bill included significant funding for a variety of private industries, butRead More

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler sent a letter to governors in all 50 states, territories and Washington, D.C. on Friday, urging them to ensure that drinking water and wastewater employees are considered essential workers by state authorities when enacting restrictions such as shelter inRead More