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Newsletter #402 for April 15, 2025 |
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U.S. EPA Highlights WIFIA Successes at Water Week Roundtable |
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently participated in Water Week, where water professionals meet to discuss industry priorities. Jessica Kramer, EPA Senior Advisor for Water, highlighted the Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program, which offers flexible financing for water infrastructure projects. This program supports planning, design, and construction, providing benefits like interest rate resets and sculpted repayments. The roundtable included representatives from various water systems, discussing how WIFIA loans have facilitated significant upgrades and improvements in their communities.
Participants shared success stories, such as the Narragansett Bay Commission's wastewater infrastructure upgrades and the Toho Water Authority's sewer main replacements. Other projects funded by WIFIA include water reuse initiatives in East San Diego County, earthquake resilience efforts in Oregon, as well as water infrastructure improvements in Kentucky, Kansas, and Massachusetts. These case studies were presented to showcase the program's impact on enhancing community resilience and water quality.
About WIFIA:
According to EPA: "The WIFIA program has very broad eligibilities with the ability to lend to any creditworthy public or private entity for a wide array of water infrastructure capital improvement projects. The program can fund wastewater and drinking water pipes and plants, green infrastructure projects, non-point source pollution abatement, stormwater management, decentralized wastewater treatment, desalination, drought prevention and mitigation projects, and water recycling projects." WIFIA's main aim is to accelerate investment in water infrastructure, creating jobs and enhancing water quality across the nation.
Read the full press release: EPA Meets with Water Systems During Water Week | U.S. EPA |
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Tap Talk |
Bridging the Gap with Technical Assistance
U.S. EPA’s WaterTA program is an umbrella for a range of services that directly serve the regulated community. In this episode we’re chatting about how the program is reducing barriers to capacity development, including funding accessibility, by matching water system requests with local technical assistance providers. |
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EPA to Review New Science on Fluoride in Drinking Water |
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a swift review of new scientific data regarding fluoride in drinking water. This decision aims to reassess the potential health risks associated with fluoride exposure, specifically its impact on children's IQ levels. The review will inform potential updates to the EPA's fluoride standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), ensuring the protection of public health and the environment.
Fluoride is an element that can be found naturally in sources of drinking water around the world. It has been added into drinking water systems in the U.S. to improve dental health since 1945. On January 25, 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first city to implement water fluoridation in the United States. Within three years, 577,683 Americans were drinking fluoridated tap water. By 2012, fluoridated water was supplied to three-quarters of Americans (74.6%) through public water systems.
Under the SDWA, standards are set to limit the amount of potentially harmful substances in drinking water provided by public water systems. The current standard is 4.0 milligrams of fluoride per liter and was last evaluated by EPA in July 2024. This was prior to the latest scientific review by the National Toxicology Program (NTP.) The NTP's recent report suggests that fluoride levels above 1.5 milligrams per liter may negatively affect children's cognitive development. In response to these findings, EPA and the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are planning to conduct further evaluation of the health risks associated with exposure to lower concentrations of fluoride.
Read the full press release: EPA Will Expeditiously Review New Science on Fluoride in Drinking Water | U.S. EPA |
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Featured Video |
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Beyond The Pipes: Exploring Waste & Water Careers
Southwest EFC
"Explore a day in the life of a large system water operator at the University of New Mexico where we interview Mr. David Thomas, Water Systems Supervisor of UNM, at the Ford Utility Center. To learn more about water operators and their personal stories, career pathways, and other resources, visit https://wateroperatorstories.unm.edu/ today!"
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Register for ACE 2025! |
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This year’s ACE will be held from June 8-11 in Denver, Colorado, at the Colorado Convention Center, and will be focused on exploring how to ELEVATE the future of water.
Have you registered to attend this year’s American Water Works Association Annual Conference & Expo (ACE) yet? If not, you might want to soon — The early bird supersaver registration rate ends on April 18!
One of the most important yearly gatherings for the water sector, at ACE you can connect and collaborate with new colleagues across the country, learn about new technologies and innovations, listen to diverse thought leaders, and get continuing education credit while you’re at it too. If you have the chance to go, we highly recommend it!
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Utilizing Process Data to Drive Compliance Decision-Making
April 17, 2025 | 1:00 PM EDT
Rural Community Assistance Partnership
In this free webinar, we will explore the critical role that process data plays in ensuring compliance with wastewater treatment regulations. Participants will learn how to effectively collect, analyze, and leverage real-time process control data to make informed decisions that align with environmental standards and regulatory requirements. |
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Hydrant Assessments for Asset Management
April 22, 2025 | 1:00 PM EDT
Rural Community Assistance Partnership
This free webinar will be taught from the experience of completing many drinking water asset management projects and working with firefighters. The learning objectives will be to determine a hydrant's age if the date stamp is hidden or does not exist. This webinar will cover the various popular styles of hydrants by decade and manufacturer and will discuss how assets such as the mains and valves may help solve any unknown hydrant age mysteries. Other learning objectives will be how to assess the condition of a hydrant from a visual inspection. |
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Protecting Your Utility from Cybersecurity Threats
April 29, 2025 | 1:00 PM EDT
Rural Community Assistance Partnership
Wastewater utilities must stay in compliance in order to protect human health and the environment, but every day they face threats from human beings that can disrupt their utility operations, including cyberattacks. Small communities can act, however, to limit the potential impact of these threats. This free webinar will explain how small utilities can assess the potential threats they face from cyberattacks, identify the actions they can take to limit those threats, and describe best practices they can implement to respond when an emergency situation arises. |
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Water Workforce Webinar: The Water Tower
April 30, 2025 | 12:00 PM EDT
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This free webinar will be covering a very important topic— Leading the Way Through Innovation and Collaboration. In today’s water sector, it is essential for utilities and industry professionals to collaborate, access vital training, and explore innovative technologies that address the challenges of 21st-century water service providers. An example of this collaboration is The Water Tower (TWT) in Gwinnett County, Georgia. |
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Recent Blog Posts at WaterOperator.org |
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Paving the Way for Sustainable Drinking Water Supply in Arizona
Read Here » |
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Learning About Safety in Wastewater Treatment Plants
Read Here » |
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RCAP's Drop of Knowledge: Article Roundup #7
Read Here » |
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Groundwater & Well Care for Public Water Systems is a free online course from WaterOperator.org. Certificates are provided and the course is currently pre-approved for 2 hours continuing education credit in a number of states.
Click here to learn more. |
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