On March 14, 2024, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a final rule requiring certain facilities to develop Facility Response Plans (FRPs) for a potential worst-case discharge of Clean Water Act (CWA) hazardous substances, including planning for the threat of a worst-case discharge ..read more

The water sector is at a critical juncture. Changing weather patterns are impacting supply as demand grows, putting utilities under pressure to keep the taps running while meeting mounting regulations. As climate impacts intensify, utility managers face a dual challenge: how to adapt to climate change while mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ..read more

A mysterious pollutant was swirling beneath the streets in one corner of El Paso. Our everyday utility monitoring revealed that high levels of heavy metals – mercury, copper, nickel and aluminum – were flowing through local sewers into one of our four wastewater plants. This was a troubling discovery ..read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (together, the Agencies) issued a straight-to-final-rule revised definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) on August 29, 2023 ..read more

In the field of wastewater treatment, a surprise in day-to-day operations is rarely a positive event. This spring, the Environmental Services (ES) division of the Metropolitan Council, responsible for the regional wastewater treatment system serving 111 customer cities and townships in the Twin Cities metro region, made an unexpected discovery at one of their wastewater treatment plants that sparked months-long national media attention and greatly increased the visibility of the organization ..read more

In the ever-evolving world of water projects, the concept of Progressive Design-Build (PDB) has emerged as a game changer ..read more

Dating back to the Bronze Age, humans have used wastewater and stormwater for irrigation of crops. Since that time, reuse has evolved with applications moving beyond agriculture to include non-potable uses such as cooling and toilet flushing and potable uses such as groundwater and reservoir augmentation. Shifting factors such as population growth and climate change have ..read more

Legislation on wipes is important, but so too is thoughtful consumer education. By fighting this battle on both fronts, NACWA is working hard to ensure a future where only the 3 Ps make it down the drain, and fatbergs – those colossal, congealed masses of wipes, FOG and more – are a thing of the past ..read more

Over the last eighteen months, cities on the frontline have been navigating the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The water sector faced its own unique challenges, as utilities across the country did their best to maintain essential services such as access to water and sanitation. Those who had implemented digital capabilities were far better equipped to weather the storm, focusing the industry’s attention on the role of digital solutions in promoting greater resiliency ..read more

The city’s stormwater management programme has seriously reduced the risk of combined sewer overflow events in the decade since it was launched. As it starts work on a second stage of the project, the city’s water utility will need buy-in from its commercial customers ..read more