The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has released Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (Preliminary Plan 15), which identifies opportunities to better protect public health and the environment through the regulation of wastewater pollution. Preliminary Plan 15 includes three new rulemakings to reduce contaminants including PFAS and nutrients from key industries. The USEPA will initiate the three new rulemakings after concluding several Read More
2020 Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule Implementation Challenges
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army (Army) issued a joint memorandum regarding implementation of the 2020 Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 Certification Rule associated with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) permits. The USEPA and Army are closely coordinating to address challenges and better empower States and Read More
Next Steps for Waters of the United States
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and U.S. Department of the Army (Army) announced plans for upcoming community engagements to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The USEPA and Army say the agencies are “committed to developing a reasonable, effective, and durable definition of WOTUS that protects public health, the environment, Read More
Four Resources to Address Nutrient Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has released four new resources to assist State, territorial and authorized Tribal partners to address adverse effects of nutrient pollution, including freshwater harmful algal blooms (HAB). These resources will help to better protect recreators, aquatic life, and drinking water sources from the detrimental effects of nutrient pollution. Final Recommended Read More
Drinking Water Contaminants Identified for Potential Regulation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced the Draft Contaminant Candidate List 5 (CCL 5), which provides the latest list of drinking water contaminants that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems and are not currently subject to USEPA drinking water regulations. As directed by the Safe Drinking Water Act, the USEPA’s Read More
New Cyanobacteria Assessment Network Web Tool Helps Monitor Water Quality
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) released a new tool, CyANWeb, that can help Federal, State, Tribal, and municipalities identify when a harmful algal bloom (HAB) may be forming where people swim, fish, and boat. The tool uses satellite data to alert users based on specific changes in the color of the water in over Read More