NATIONAL NEWS
First U.S. PFAS drinking water standards set, CERCLA legislation introduced In two related events last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released final drinking water standards for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to exempt water utilities from PFAS contamination liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). more
NRWA Statement Regarding Senate 2024 Farm Bill Announcement NRWA CEO Matt Holmes comments on the bill's framework, which contains several provisions NRWA has championed for many years. more
$3B for Lead Pipe Replacement Announced EPA announces latest round of funding toward President Biden's commitment to replace every lead pipe in the nation, protecting public health and helping to deliver safe drinking water. more
EPA Announces Final Rule to Protect Tribal Water Quality Rule will help protect water quality where Tribes hold and assert rights to aquatic and aquatic-dependent resources. more
Documents citing 88 FR 18638 Rules CERCLA Hazardous Substances: Designation of Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid more
Don’t fall for these hurricane season misconceptions There are many myths when it comes to hurricane season and believing them could cause you and your family to make costly mistakes when preparing for a storm. more
EPA Highlights New National Security Memorandum on Critical Infrastructure The White House issued a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) to secure and enhance the resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure. The NSM will replace a decade-old presidential policy document on critical infrastructure protection and launch a comprehensive effort to protect U.S. infrastructure against all threats and hazards, current and future. more
EPA Finalizes Stronger Chemical Risk Evaluation Process To Protect Workers And Communities These improvements to EPA’s processes advance the goals of this important chemical safety law, ensure that TSCA risk evaluations comprehensively account for the risks associated with a chemical, and provide a solid foundation for protecting public health, including workers and communities, from toxic chemicals. more
Federal Flood Standard Support Website Identify the Floodplain The Federal Flood Standard Support Tool helps federal agencies and their non-federal partners and grantees identify if a federally funded project will be located within a FFRMS floodplain using the freeboard value approach (FVA), and climate-informed science approach (CISA). more
EPA's Busy April for CERCLA and PFAS: New CERCLA Authority, an Enforcement Escape ... In connection with EPA’s final rule listing two PFAS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, EPA also released policy guidance addressing its enforcement discretion under the new rule. more
Scientists explore nature's promise in combating plastic waste - Mongabay Since 1950, humanity has produced more than 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic. Most has ended up in landfills or the environment. more
6 Ways To Make Waste Management Easier After Hurricanes And Flooding Whether it is the unprecedented downpour of 35.93 inches after Hurricane Florence, or the impact of Hurricane Michael – the most intense landfalling hurricane in the past 49 years, one of the major challenges after hurricanes is the tremendous task of waste collection. more
3M reaches tentative $10.3 billion deal over US 'forever chemicals' claims - Yahoo News Singapore The company said the settlement would provide the funds over a 13-year period to cities, towns and other public water systems to test and treat contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. more
Performance Matters: How to Maximize Funding by Optimizing Coatings Service Life to Obtain the Lowest Life-Cycle Cost | May 30, 2024 | 2:00 pm CDT The passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act in 2021 is offering the water sector a significant generational opportunity to restore our declining infrastructure. more
Rural Water Cyber Update: Threats, Vulnerabilities, Regulations & Funding, and Cost-Efficient Cyber-resiliency | May 23, 2024 | 2:00 pm CDT Current Threat Landscape for Rural Water Systems with SCADA, ICS, and/or OT •Exactly Who and What are Being Targeted (and Why) •How ICS, SCADA and OT Ransomware and Other Cyber Attack Scenarios Play Out Today more
Drinking Water Safety Called Into Question By 41% Of U.S. Water Utility Customers, J.D. Power Finds The combined water and sewer bill for a typical household in the United States has increased 54.8% since 2021 amid a seemingly non-stop barrage of safety alerts, growing concerns about per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) contamination and supply shortages. more
Improved AI Process Could Better Predict Water Supplies A new computer model uses a better artificial intelligence process to measure snow and water availability more accurately across vast distances in the West, information that could someday be used to better predict water availability for farmers and others. more
Can you actually avoid “forever chemicals” in your diet? | Salon.com It’s no secret that many of our favorite foods contain an array of chemicals that can lead to serious health risks. more
EPA Makes Major Moves On PFAS In April - Environmental Law - United States - Mondaq In the course of a few short weeks in April, EPA finalized new drinking water standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act, finalized the listing of PFOA and PFOS [1] as hazardous substances under CERCLA, and released a major update to guidance on destruction and disposal of PFAS. more
America May Have Just Found More Drinking Water - Newsweek The new model uses artificial intelligence (AI) to get better estimations of water supply across large distances in the West. more
EPA Releases FY24 DWSRF Allotments for Lead Service Line Replacements EPA released the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund allotments for lead service line replacements (LSLR). EPA has estimated a total of 9 million lead services lines across the country, based on data collected from the updated 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA). more
STATE NEWS
Join Us for DEP Northwest District's Panama City Office | Open House | 06.18.24 | 11 am - 2 pm Register online to meet with staff and learn about agency topics. more
Orlando Public Works considers increasing stormwater fees for improvements, residents push back | WESH Costly repairs and population growth are some of the reasons why Orlando Public Works wants to increase stormwater utility fees, but some property owners are trying to stop the proposal. more
Cape Coral residents feeling impacts of city's water shortage - YouTube Cape Coral residents are expressing concern as they deal with the effects of the area's water shortage. more
Neighbors react to the Wakulla Gardens Septic-to-Sewer project - WTXL The county says this project is part of a program to remove all wastewater discharges from running off into the Wakulla Springs Basin. It will connect hundreds of homes to the sewer and the the dirt roads will be switched to pavement. more
Hollywood on Track to Eliminate Ocean Outfall by 2025 with Construction of Two New Deep Injection Wells • Hollywood Gazette | Hollywood Gazette Members of the Hollywood Commission and city leaders got together for a groundbreaking ceremony last month for two deep injection wells at the Southern Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. Construction is now taking place and it will take about two years to complete. more
Panama City Beach planning to expand water supply | WJHG Bay County commissioners say they are selling the land on Pete Edwards Field to Panama City Beach. Panama City Beach officials are adding new pumps for water supply to the area. more
New Stuart water treatment plant to ensure safe drinking water for generations - WPTV The water treatment superintendent for Stuart said in 2016, the city was told by the Florida Department of Revenue water exceeded safe limits for PFOS and PFOAS, or "forever chemicals," which are linked to several health issues including a higher cancer risk and weaker immune systems. more
Ormond Beach receives over $5 million in state funds for new pump station in Central Park area | Palm Coast Observer The city recently received $5.35 million from the Florida Legislature for the construction of a new stormwater pump station and force main along Fleming Avenue. more
Environmentalists worry plans to drill near the Apalachicola River could hurt the ecosystem | WFSU The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has said it plans to approve a permit for Clearwater Land & Minerals Fla, a Louisiana company, to drill for oil in Calhoun County near the Apalachicola River floodplain. more
Governor DeSantis Announces Free Florida State Parks Admission for Memorial Day Weekend | Florida Specifier On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida State Parks will offer free admission on Memorial Day Weekend to kick off Florida’s summer. In addition, DeSantis announced he would be signing legislation that creates a sales tax holiday throughout July. more
Governor Ron DeSantis Highlights Investments to Strengthen Florida’s Commitment to Conserving our Natural Resources | FDEP This week, Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted investments to continue to strengthen Florida’s natural resources, announcing his commitment to signing $1.5 billion for Everglades and water quality, making investments in the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and strengthening Florida’s infrastructure. more
ECOS Updates State PFAS Standards White Paper ECOS has published its annual update of its White Paper entitled, “Processes and Considerations for Setting State PFAS Standards.” The paper focuses on regulatory, legislative, and scientific processes and considerations for setting state PFAS standards. more
|