The City of Santa Monica, California, has taken a significant step toward a self-reliant water future as expansions to the Arcadia Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and restorations to the Olympic Well Field break ground. The key water infrastructure improvements are a component of the city’s goal of becoming water self-sufficientRead More

Water industry veteran Greg Baird is joining water analytics company BlueConduit as its executive director of national lead service line inventory and replacement, the company announced recently. BlueConduit says Baird’s leadership will combine water infrastructure asset management, artificial intelligence modeling and water infrastructure finance to help communities remove lead pipes.Read More

EPA should recognize all drinking water and wastewater systems as eligible recipients of funding under the agency’s new Water Workforce Infrastructure Development Grant Program, four water sector associations wrote in a letter earlier in January. The letter, which was signed by AWWA, NACWA, and WEF, in addition to AWMA, came soonRead More

In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) to establish nationwide monitoring for 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and lithium in drinking water. The agency said the action is essential to addressing the public health and environmental risks of PFASRead More

In December, the City of Camarillo, Calif., announced the start-up and commissioning of its North Pleasant Valley (NPV) Groundwater Desalter Plant, moving the city closer to a more self-reliant, affordable potable water future. For nearly two decades, groundwater quality in the northern portion of the Pleasant Valley Groundwater Basin inRead More

By Ken Alessi & Shukri Elmazi The very nature of a pipe burst is that it is unexpected. Crews jump into action and solve the problem as quickly as possible to mitigate damage. Like any emergency, the speed of resolution is often more important than the cost. Utilities are preparedRead More

CDM Smith this week announced the launch of Trinnex, a wholly-owned subsidiary and digital solutions company created specifically to help utilities and infrastructure owners embark on their digital journeys. According to CDM Smith, the company will be focused on developing innovative technology tools and products and helping its clients achieveRead More

NACWA and other water sector organizations sent a letter last week to the Biden Administration regarding implementation of the Buy America, Build America (BABA) requirements that were signed into law as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The letter builds upon concerns the sector raised while IIJA was moving through Congress. While waterRead More

NACWA held a virtual meeting Jan. 6 with U.S. EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox and other senior EPA Office of Water staff to discuss implementation issues and distribution of funds from the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure legislation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The meeting follows a letter that NACWA sentRead More

By Jonathon Meyer The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) revisions that are currently under consideration are anticipated to have far-reaching implications on the capital and operating costs of cities, towns and agencies with lead service lines (LSLs). The full replacement of LSLs will be anRead More