Guest Columns

On Jan. 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft risk assessment of the potential human health risks associated with the presence of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals in biosolids, also known as sewage sludge. The findings for the draft riskRead More

By Anne Austin Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plays a critical role in modern infrastructure and everyday life. Used safely for nearly a century, PVC provides essential benefits in applications ranging from water and sewer systems to medical devices, flooring and even automotive components, where it helpsRead More

In December, associations representing the municipal water and wastewater sector submitted a letter to President-elect Donald Trump, urging his administration to prioritize water infrastructure in his second term. The letter was endorsed by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), Water Environment Federation (WEF), the AssociationRead More

By Mike McGill Back in 2017, I was in the middle of the GenX crisis that occurred in Cape Fear region of North Carolina. The discovery of it and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) generated scandalous headlines – “Toxin Taints Drinking Water” – and fearRead More

…& Legal Impacts on Clean Water Act Enforcement A recent Clean Water Act (CWA) case, City and County of San Francisco v. EPA, has the potential to impact policy around CWA enforcement and could be significant for water quality regulation across the United States. ToRead More

Last week, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) reached a final agreement on the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA). The Water Resources Development Act is biennial legislation that authorizes theRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General in October issued a report identifying nearly $1 billion in questioned costs and funds that it suggested could be put to better use in the agency’s distribution of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for lead service line replacement.  DueRead More

On Oct. 23, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $3.6 billion in new funding under the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to upgrade water infrastructure. Combined with $2.6 billion announced earlier in October, EPA said the $6.2 billion in investments for Fiscal Year 2025Read More

By Kathryn Sorensen & Dr. Janet Anderson The Safe Drinking Water Act turns 50 this year and it’s important to recognize that it is one of the most remarkable and successful pieces of legislation this country has ever known. The provision of clean tap waterRead More

On Oct. 7, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) filed the organizations’ opening brief with the United States Court of Appeals in the case of AWWA vs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), related to EPA’s final drinking water regulationRead More