How Will the 2018 Election Change the Political Landscape? Join Us in Monterey to Find Out!
The November election is likely to have big impacts nationally and here in California. Everything from control of the House of Representatives to a split into “three Californias” is up for grabs. Register for our conference to hear Axios News Editor and Reporter Alayna Treene discuss the election outlook August 8-10 at the Monterey Marriott. The program also features the latest on recycled water, cybersecurity, innovation and more. Check out the preliminary program and register today.
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Election of Directors, Dues Resolution on Tap for Annual Business Meeting
As part of the annual conference, CASA will convene its annual business meeting August 9-10 in Monterey. Member agency representatives will vote on a slate of four directors for open seats on the board of directors and approve the annual dues resolution. This year, we are seeking a 4 percent dues increase to keep pace with the cost of living and continue to provide a wide range of legislative, regulatory and technical services and programs.
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Legislative and Regulatory
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Big Step Forward on NPDES Permit Term Extensions
One of CASA’s highest federal legislative priorities got a big boost recently when two key members of the California Congressional delegation supported extending NPDES permit terms from five years to 10 years. On June 14 Representatives John Garamendi and Alan Lowenthal sent a letter to Committee Chair Bill Shuster and Ranking Member Peter DeFazio in support of a permit term extension as a commonsense approach. It will provide regulatory flexibility while protecting the public’s ability to provide input on permits.
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CASA Asks for Major Changes to Draft Recycled Water Policy
At a June 19 hearing, CASA and WateReuse California testified before the State Water Board about several provisions of the proposed recycled water policy that concern our members. These included:
- A goal to minimize ocean and estuarine discharges. The associations and many of our members asked the board to remove this goal. The policy should emphasize maximizing recycling and reuse of water.
- Bioanalytical monitoring: We urged the Board to delete the triggers and follow-up actions proposed for this monitoring. These actions are premature and inconsistent with the CEC expert panel report.
- Wastewater change petitions: Instead of streamlining and clarifying the process to obtain approvals, the proposed policy adds requirements and has the potential to further delay needed approvals.
No action was taken at the informational hearing. CASA and WateReuse CA will submit written comments today.
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CASA Weighs in on Intended Use Plan for Clean Water State Revolving Fund
Also on June 19, CASA addressed the State Water Board on the FY 2018-19 Intended Use Plan for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. CASA supported the staff’s proposed approach for the current year including establishing a funding target, fundable list and retroactive reimbursement of construction costs.
The board was also asked to consider a number of program improvements going forward including developing multi-year funding plans for large projects, partial funding for a wider range of projects and developing objective and straightforward prioritization criteria for eligible projects. Read our written comments.
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Significant Water Quality Fee Increase Ahead
Each year, the State Water Resources Control Board adopts regulations to establish the water quality fee structure for the fiscal year including fees for NPDES permittees. At a recent stakeholder workshop, staff presented two options for increasing NPDES permit fees for the upcoming fiscal year: a 7 percent or a 14.9 percent increase. The Waste Discharge Requirements program will see a similar fee increase of either 7 percent or 14.7 percent. This is the first time in several years that the NPDES program would experience a significant fee increase. The State Water Board will host another stakeholder meeting about this on Thursday, August 2 from 9 – 11:30 AM. More information.
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Congratulations Central San – Winner of NACWA’s Operational Excellence Award
The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District is one of only 23 wastewater treatment agencies across the nation to maintain a compliance streak of at least 20 years. Since 1998, Central San has cleaned and returned more than 296 billion gallons of water to Suisun Bay. This water meets all federal, state and regional water quality standards. Read more.
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West Basin Reaches 200 Billion Gallon Recycled Water Milestone
Every drop of water recycled by the District is a drop of drinking water conserved for homes and businesses. To date, the District conserved enough drinking water to provide 5.5 million people for one year through its water recycling program. Read more.
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Save the Date
Don’t miss these upcoming workshops to address a draft white paper and air quality permitting and regulatory issues for expanding existing and siting new composting facilities in California. The workshops are hosted by the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association, the California Air Resources Board and CalRecycle.
Workshop dates:
Monday, July 23, 2018: 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM
South Coast Air Quality Management District, 21865 Copley Dr., Room GB, Diamond Bar, CA 91765
Wednesday, July 25, 2018: 1:00 – 5:00 PM
The draft paper and agenda will be available the week prior to the first workshop. More details to come.
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