Celebrating the Everyday Hero at CASA’s Annual Conference
We are excited to announce that Jen McDonough will present the keynote speech at CASA’s Annual Conference set for August 11-13, in San Diego. Jen, AKA “The Iron Jen” is an eight-time national Olympic-style weightlifter, Ironman triathlete, volunteer firefighter and first responder, and the author of three Amazon Top 100 books. Her keynote on celebrating everyday heroes will address the challenges experienced daily by our essential workers, challenges that were amplified and highlighted by the recent pandemic. Jen McDonough reminds everyday heroes of the importance of their work and acknowledges the vital impact that they have on their communities and organizations.
Check out our preliminary program to see the other great speakers, panels, and presentations available during CASA’s 2021 Annual Conference and register today! We hope to see you there!
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President Biden Transmits Fiscal Year 2022 Budget
President Biden transmitted the formal budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2022 to Congress last month, which marks the formal start of the congressional FY2022 appropriations cycle. Finalization and transmission of the budget request were delayed by a month due to the Presidential Transition, development of annual spending priorities alongside the implementation of the American Rescue Plan, securing Senate confirmation of political appointees, and development of the American Jobs Act. As a result, Congress will work overtime in the coming months to develop, consider and vote on appropriations bills before the next fiscal year begins on October 1.
In brief, the Administration is proposing to increase total spending to $6 trillion. However, it will be up to Congress on whether to enact the spending levels proposed by the budget request. The House and Senate Committees on Appropriations will begin the process in earnest this week hearing from agency leadership on the request’s funding proposals and statements by party leadership to start markups of spending bills by the end of the month.
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House Committee Considers Clean Water Infrastructure Investment Legislation
Today, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will mark-up H.R. 1915 , the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021. H.R. 1915 is a comprehensive investment package that supports improving clean water infrastructure systems, enhance the resiliency of publicly owned treatment works (POTWs), and improve water quality. If approved and reported out to the committee, the bill will go to the House floor for consideration and a vote. Last week, the committee published a press release promoting H.R. 1915 ahead of the markup and quoted CASA’s support for the legislation among a diverse group of stakeholders. The statement, which is quoted below, was taken from a support letter CASA transmitted to the committee for H.R. 1915 last month.
CASA continues to support the federal commitment to renew the Clean Water Act SRF program at a record level of $40 billion. This support is vital to help close the funding gap recently illustrated by the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Infrastructure Report Card. We also endorse funding to assist clean water agencies address the control of PFAS and other “forever” chemicals with financial assistance for pretreatment programs.
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Lawmakers Reintroduce Clean Water Act PFAS Legislation
Senator Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Antonio Delgado (D-NY) have reintroduced legislation to address and treat PFAS under the Clean Water Act. The bill, entitled Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act (H.R. 3622/S.1907), requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to develop effluent limitations guidelines and standards and water quality criteria for PFAS under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and provide Federal grants to publicly owned treatment works to implement such guidelines and standards. In Gillibrand’s press release announcing the bill’s introduction, it states that the purpose of the legislation is to stop manufacturers and industries that use or make PFAS discharge the chemicals into the nation’s waterways and provide financial assistance to POTWs for treatment costs associated with the new limits and standards. Similar provisions were included in H.R. 2467, the PFAS Action Act of 2021, which was introduced earlier this year.
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Wastewater Based Epidemiology Opportunity for SARS-CoV-2
A new opportunity for participating in SARS-CoV-2 WBE is now available. Biobot laboratory has received a contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to process samples twice a week for 10 weeks from up to 300 clean water agencies around the nation. This is the second phase of the AquaVitas-led project many CASA members participated in for Phase 1. This next phase will be free of charge. CASA is requesting as much agency participation as possible as we believe the effort will help advance the use of WBE in several ways. This information could be of great value to health officials as individual testing decreases, vaccinations increase, and businesses reopen. Agencies of all sizes are encouraged register: https://www.app.biobot.io/sign-up.
CASA appreciates the work many member agencies have been doing to employ SARS-Cov-2 Wastewater Based Epidemiology (WBE) as an important management tool to help the State respond to COVID-19. CASA leadership has worked extensively with researchers, public health officials, regulators, and wastewater treatment plants to maximize the utility of the data and has also worked with CWEA to help educate the community about the availability and value of the data. If you have any questions about the HHS program, do not hesitate to reach out. Biobot’s support team can be reached at support@biobot.io. Please direct any questions or further inquiry to Greg Kester.
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Regulatory Updates
CASA’s Regulatory Workgroup regularly compiles a comprehensive e-newsletter to share all regulatory updates on key issues and workgroup initiatives. If you are interested in receiving these regulatory updates, please contact Jared Voskuhl. Last month’s edition is available here.
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PPIC Resources on Water Finance and Affordability Now Available
With the cost of supplying water rising across California, many utilities face fiscal challenges in paying for needed system upgrades. At the same time, a growing number of households are struggling to pay their water bills. Two new PPIC fact sheets explore these linked challenges. Check them out here: Water Affordability & Paying for California’s Water System.
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IRWD’s Vice President Selected to Chair OC San Board
Irvine Ranch Water District Board of Directors Vice President John Withers was selected at the end of May to serve as chairman of the Orange County Sanitation District Board of Directors. Withers has been a member of OC San’s Board of Directors since 2009, where he serves as vice chairman and previously held a position as chairman of the Operations Committee. His role as Board president will take effect July 1. A member of the IRWD Board of Directors since 1989, Withers has spent decades in water-related leadership positions. He is chairman and Board member of the National Water Research Institute, and a former chair and member of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board. The CASA staff would like to congratulate John on his new role!
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Roger Bailey Elected to the CAAWEF Board of Directors
The California African American Water Education Foundation (CAAWEF) recently elected a new board member to join the organization. Roger Bailey, General Manager of the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District and CASA Board Member, will join the CAAWEF Board of Directors at the new group’s summer meeting. “Roger is an excellent addition to our Board. He is a strong leader in the water and waste water industry in California”, said Jasmin Hall, CAAWEF Board Chair and President of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency. The CASA staff sends their congratulations to Roger Bailey!
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Webinars, Workshops & Events |
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NACWA Webinar: Navigating New Funding Opportunities
On June 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (PT), NACWA is hosting a free webinar: Navigating New Funding Opportunities for Low-Income Water Customer Assistance, be sure to join for an update on the status of this funding. They will review what utilities should expect in the coming months and things to consider when engaging with state and local partners. They will also briefly discuss how these emergency funds relate to other pandemic relief streams, as well as opportunities for future funding and efforts to establish a permanent low-income assistance program. Register today!
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HHS - NIH - CDC Webinar: Standards for Wastewater Surveillance Workshop
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WELL Webinar: What Local Leaders Need to Address the Water-Energy Nexus
On June 24 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., join the Water Education for Latino Leaders (WELL) for a webinar titled What Local Leaders Need to Address the Water-Energy Nexus. Water and energy are pivotal to the economic growth, health, and resilience of our communities. Most of us are accustomed to the readily available supply of these two resources twenty-four hours a day, yet the relationship between water and energy is often misunderstood. In California, extreme droughts, heat, wildfire, and sea-level rise urge water and energy conservation. To address the impacts on water or energy supply, strategic collaboration from all levels of government including local residents is needed to integrate policy and improve challenges the water-energy nexus can create.
CASA is proud to support this webinar and happy to announce that CASA member Teresa Herrera, General Manager of Silicon Valley Clean Water, will be a featured panelist. You won’t want to miss it! Be sure to join us on June 24th from 6:30-7:30 p.m. as utilities experts, local elected officials, and community leaders examine the water-energy nexus and share innovative policy solutions that will ensure sustainable water and energy for all Californians. Register here!
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CASA Annual Conference 2021
Join us on August 11-13 for CASA’s 2021 Annual Conference at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel. Believe us when we say, you won’t want to miss this! Register early to lock in the best hotel rates and please be sure to follow the safety guidelines, notices and waivers in place.
We hope to see you this August in sunny San Diego!
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ACT EXPO
CASA is proud to participate as an endorsing organization partner of the 2021 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, ACT Expo is North America’s largest advanced transportation technology and clean fleet event. Bringing together more than 4,000 stakeholders across the industry for an expansive showcase of the technologies, fuels, policies, and organizations to drive innovation and sustainability on our roadways. The 2021 event will be held August 30 through September 2 at the Long Beach Convention Center. More information is available on the website.
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CASA represents more than 125 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. |
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