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Annual Conference Recap
CASA’s recent Annual Conference in San Diego was a resounding success! Together with over three hundred and thirty of the clean water sectors’ best and brightest, we networked and prepared for a new generation of challenges and opportunities, staying true to our conference theme “The New Water Era”. Thank you to all the speakers, moderators and panelists who joined us to share their knowledge and experiences with CASA members.
For those who were unable to attend, check out our website to view the informative presentations and handouts shared by our speakers and panelists.
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CASA Celebrates 2023 Awards of Excellence Winners
Congratulations to the recipients of CASA’s 2023 Awards of Excellence! CASA is proud to recognize the hard work your agencies do to provide an invaluable service to California communities. To see the full list of award applicants and a description of their projects, be sure to check out the Awards Brochure. Interested in submitting your project? Mark your calendar! We will begin accepting applications for the 2024 Awards of Excellence in March: CASA Awards Program. Check out this year’s winners below:
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Michael F. Dillon Public Service Award [New this year!]
We are excited to announce that Kenton (Kent) Alm, long-time general counsel for the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District was awarded the inaugural Michael F. Dillon public service award during the CASA Annual Conference. The new award was established by the CASA Board of Directors this year in honor of Michael Dillon, CASA’s long time Executive Director and Lobbyist who retired at the end of 2023. The award is given to a member of the CASA community who has demonstrated exemplary public service to the wastewater sector. Kent has been an active member of CASA for many years, serving on the State Legislative and Attorneys Committee, and has been generous with his time and wisdom in helping assist CASA in our advocacy efforts over the years. Congratulations to Kent and thank you for your dedication to sound public policy!
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CASA Acknowledges 2023 Education Foundation Scholarship Recipients
The CASA Education Foundation (CEF) was formed to enhance the future of California’s clean water community by attracting new professionals into the clean water sector through scholarships. This year, the CEF presented $5,000 scholarships to four worthy students in 2023, including the second annual Bruce Wolfe scholarship. Learn more about the scholarship recipients and view their thank you videos here.
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Learn About CASA’s Committees & Workgroups!
Participating in CASA’s Committees and Workgroups is an excellent way to contribute to the clean water community and get the most out of your agency’s CASA membership. Most CASA Committee seats are two-year terms, but some committees may have openings throughout the year. If you are interested in subscribing to any of the Committee or Workgroup LISTSERVs or learning more about our various committees, please email Cheryl MacKelvie at cmackelvie@casaweb.org and identify the committee or Workgroup you are interested in. Below please find a brief description of each Committee and Workgroup:
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Last Chance to Apply for the 2023-24 CASA Mentorship Program
Apply today to join us as a mentor or mentee to inspire others, share knowledge and drive change through the CASA Mentorship Program! This 11-month comprehensive program, kicking off in October and concluding in August 2024, serves to connect clean water professionals from across the state of California. The program is open to both associates and agency members. If you have any questions, please email Alyssa Downs (adowns@casaweb.org).
Follow this link to the mentor or mentee application.
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A Blast from the Past
In honor of our CASA Connects re-design, join us in taking a look back at the very first CASA newsletter developed by former Executive Director, Mike Dillon!
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AB 818 Wipes Collection Study Moving Forward
After the passage of our sponsored wet wipes labeling law, AB 818 in 2021, CASA has been working with industry stakeholders to implement the education and outreach requirements in the bill. This effort includes advising on the industry’s mandatory public outreach campaign and distributing materials from the Responsible Flushing Alliance to our member agencies. Another requirement is for CASA and INDA to complete a collection study in California for the purpose of informing the public education campaign about what types of materials are being flushed into California wastewater systems.
We are pleased to report that after nearly a year of planning with wipes industry leaders and our project management team at Kennedy Jenks, we have selected two CASA member agencies to host the collection system study events. Central Contra Costa Sanitary District has been selected as the Northern California study location, and Inland Empire Utilities Agency will host the Southern California study. We are now preparing for the actual study events which are planned for Fall and Winter. Thank you to the agencies that responded to our site selection survey and who volunteered their time and facilities for this effort. For questions about this project please contact Jessica Gauger.
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OMB Publishes Final BABA Guidance for Grants and Agreements
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued its final Guidance for Grants and Agreements pertaining to Build America, Buy America (BABA) mandates. The final guidance effectively reaffirms earlier administrative implementation proposed guidance and clarifies BABA’s domestic preferences provisions.
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Project Applications for WRDA 2024 Due Soon
In the House and Senate, congressional committees have started the process to develop the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024. Currently, the offices of California Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein are accepting project applications for WRDA 2024.
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USEPA Updates WOTUS Rule
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has published its updated Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule following this Spring’s U.S. Supreme Court’s Sackett decision. The decision put forward a new significant nexus test that defined federal oversight applies only to wetlands that "are indistinguishable from navigable waters with which they have continuous surface connects." This new standard contradicted EPA's earlier published WOTUS rule's scope and significant nexus standard, and required the Agency, working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), to rewrite it.
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Century Old Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgraded
The San Luis Obispo (SLO) Water Resource Recovery Facility has been cleaning wastewater for a century. Now it’s going through a multi-million-dollar update, the biggest one since it was built. The SLO Water Plus project has been underway since 2015, and it’s finally set to be finished by the end of this year. Read more here.
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High School Students Uncover the Hidden World of Utilities
About 40 high school students participated in the City of Roseville’s Utilities Field Day this spring to learn about keeping city services running. During the third occurrence of this event, students had the opportunity to visit four utility sites encompassing various aspects of Roseville's utility infrastructure. These visits allowed students to interact with workers responsible for power supply, waste transportation, and water and wastewater. Read more here.
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CAPIO has announced that registration is now open for the inaugural Leadership Summit taking place in Lake Forest, CA on September 25 & 26! Join CAPIO for an insightful and engaging two days geared toward public sector communicators looking to further their leadership skills. Register Today!
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Perspectives on PFAS Virtual Workshop
The Clean Water Summit Partners are proud to present an informational webinar on what continues to be one of the hottest topics of the day: PFAS. Join us on Thursday, October 5th from 9:00am to 12:00pm, to hear about where things stand in California and nationally, the latest science and research, data trends, and what local water and wastewater agencies are doing to address these forever chemicals. This is also an opportunity for attendees to hear about different approaches to addressing PFAS through regulation, legislation, and communications, including an overview of the “essentiality” approach, local agency messaging, and efforts targeting better source control. This workshop is designed for a wide-ranging audience including those who are not familiar with PFAS and want a background on this important issue, as well as experts who want to hear the latest updates. Keep an eye out for registration in the next edition of CASA Connects.
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Innovative Technology Seminars
The 2023 Innovative Technology Seminars, co-hosted by CASA and CWEA, are happening on November 29th at the San Francisco Regional Water Board offices in Oakland and on November 30th at the Hyperion Water Resource Recovery Facility in Los Angeles. We are very excited to bring these popular seminars back this year with a tremendous lineup of speakers. Registration is now open! Please reach out to Greg Kester with any questions or comments.
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CASA represents more than 130 local public agencies engaged in the collection, treatment and recycling of Wastewater and biosolids to protect public health and the environment. Our mission is to provide trusted information and advocacy on behalf of California clean water agencies, and to be a leader in sustainability and utilization of renewable resources. | | | | |
