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New DEQ Process for Expedited Reviews of Drinking Water Construction Permits

September 5, 2007

Are Wetlands Protected Under CWA?

August 1, 2007By Scott D. Deatherage

Regulators try to make sense of Supreme Court's response to wetlands cases

When the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the consolidated cases of Rapanos v. United States and Carabell v. United States in 2006, observers hoped the Court would supply much-needed clarification to the federal Clean Water Act’s (CWA) dominion over wetlands. Instead, the Court could not reach a consensus, and regulation and enforcement of the law has been mired in confusion ever since.

Nutrient Discharge Rules Make Reuse Attractive

August 1, 2007By Debbie Bolles

Reclaimed water projects shifting into super-hot growth category

Two cities that have been reusing water for more than five years are expanding their programs to serve additional customers and meet new nutrient discharge restrictions, exemplifying a national trend toward water reclamation.

History and Hot Buttons

July 1, 2007By L. K. Williams

Water museums spring up to teach serious issues

If anything has lasting interest or value that would be water. Perhaps that realization is why more cities are putting water on display at museums and making the most of the opportunity to educate young minds about the future.

What Does Enforcement Mean to You?

July 1, 2007By Granta Nakayama, Dawn Kristof Champney

Water & Wastewater News Roundtable 2007

June 1, 2007By Water and Wastewater News Staff

Despite the roar from the municipal water and wastewater industry about the lack of funds for infrastructure, Water & Wastewater News’ roundtable participants seemed to agree that the money is “out there,” it is just a matter of finding the right source.

All Stirred Up

March 1, 2007By Angela Neville, JD, REM

EPA addresses the controversial practice of utility discharge of partially treated wastewater during peak wet-weather flows

Many wastewater treatment plants that release partially treated wastewater during heavy rains are getting into hot water with nearby residents and various stakeholder groups.

Going Underground

January 1, 2007By Joe Dischinger

EPA sets deadlines for monitoring microbial pathogens in ground water

Starting on the Right Track

January 1, 2007By Sherleen H. Mahoney

Contract negotiations require that the terms be spelled out and thoroughly understood

EPA understands it's not easy being green. That's why the agency created the Performance Track program in 2000. The voluntary program only accepts facilities with established records of compliance, which participate in community outreach activities, and believe that meeting mere regulatory compliance isn't enough.

A Dark Legacy's Impact

May 1, 2006By J. Daniel Hull, JD

More often than not, Superfund is about cleaning up polluted groundwater

PITTSBURGH -- This, the sixth installment of my column, Waterlawged, has been difficult to write -- and I finally figured out why. Any lawyer who writes in earnest about "Superfund" and that statute's mission to address the serious, disturbing, and, indeed, darkest legacies of America's industrial history almost immediately starts to sound like next year's chapter president of the Sierra Club in Marin County, Calif.

The Fight for Funding

March 1, 2006By Ken Kirk, Adam Krantz

Continued cuts in federal subsidies for clean water systems are calling attention to a looming crisis

Nearly 35 years have passed since the historic enactment of the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972. And thanks to the hard work of the nation's municipal clean water agencies, great gains have been made during that time. Yet, three decades since the CWA's enactment, we are still far from the "zero discharge" and swimmable/fishable goals of the CWA.

Who's Greener -- Democrats or Republicans?

January 1, 2006By J. Daniel Hull, JD

Neither, apparently, and lawyers could not care less

In olden times, just over 30 years ago in the mid-1970s, the environmental movement was still young, "environmentalists" were a troublesome new class of malcontents and eccentrics, and men were still men. Environmental legislation seemed highly partisan. Democratic majorities on both sides of Congress (until 1980 when the Senate changed) were the driving force behind new clean water and clean air amendments, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Response, Compensation, & Liability Act (CERCLA)/Superfund.

Has the NRDC Gone Hollywood?

November 1, 2005By J. Daniel Hull, JD

A good measure of star power can't hurt one of the country's most influential political action groups

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Daniel Hinerfeld, the young, ultra-articulate director of communications for the Southern California office of the Natural Resources Defense Council ("NRDC"), agreed to let me drop by in mid-September to interview him and some other NRDC staffers so I could write this installment. I was slightly nervous about visiting.

A Different Kind of Water System

September 1, 2005By David Cain, PhD

New IT developments can make water compliance management more effective

Water quality is intimately connected to quality of life. Although this fact of life has been understated for many years, water professionals have long known that clean water is an increasingly scarce and valuable commodity that cannot be taken for granted. The Clean Water Act brought about increased regulatory oversight, resulting in recent criminal charges and fines against violators, and environmental organizations are succeeding in bringing about public awareness of the need to protect water resources by encouraging businesses to include water stewardship and utilization in corporate sustainability reporting.

On the Right Track

January 1, 2005By Daniel J. Fiorino

EPA's National Environmental Performance Track program provides incentives and opportunities to facilities that go beyond mere regulatory compliance

Facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico that consistently achieve outstanding environmental results may be eligible for recognition and regulatory incentives through a voluntary program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The National Environmental Performance Track, launched by EPA in June, 2000, recognizes and rewards top environmental performers and is designed to encourage continual improvement.