pfas-banner
 


pfas-corner

NGWA hosts members-only webinar on Water Infrastructure, Policy, and Politics: Washington, D.C., in 2022

Jan 19, 2022, 13:46 PM by User Not Found

NGWA’s Public Relations and Government Affairs Manager Ben Frech and Manager of Regulatory Affairs Chuck Job hosted a members-only webinar today (January 19, 2022).

Titled “Water Infrastructure, Policy, and Politics: Washington, D.C., in 2022,” Frech and Job covered the business economic opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for NGWA members.

The $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was signed late last year includes more than $55 billion for water infrastructure. This includes funding for water-reuse programs, managed aquifer recharge projects, and money for public water systems to both improve their infrastructure and expand their services.

NGWA will be working with its membership this year on advocating for project funding that will recharge and revitalize the nation’s aquifers and increase groundwater quality in rural America. These efforts will prove especially critical in the western states that have been impacted by record-breaking droughts in the past decade.

NGWA will also be closely monitoring public water system expansion as it may correlate with increased “mandatory hook-up efforts.” NGWA will be working closely with its partners and state associations to track this spending and any new efforts to force well owners off their private systems.

Meanwhile, national efforts to address PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in water supplies remained a big focus for both lawmakers and federal regulators last year. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates an historic $10 billion investment to fight PFAS contamination across the country. This funding will be focused on the following programs:

  • $5 billion through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Assistance to Small and Disadvantaged Communities Program and State Response to Contaminants program to address emerging contaminants
  • $4 billion through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for emerging contaminants with a focus on PFAS
  • $1 billion through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to address emerging contaminants.

The EPA also released its PFAS Strategic Roadmap, a multiyear plan to move toward increased regulations of PFAS in drinking water and create more safeguards to PFAS impacting public health with the goal of creating the final rule in 2023.

NGWA has long been a leader in advocating for increased funding for PFAS remediation and the push to regulate PFAS in drinking water. NGWA will be closely monitoring federal PFAS remediation funding and working closely with the EPA to ensure any new regulations are based in sound scientific research in the coming year.

Also on the horizon, beginning February 7, all entry-level operators of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in both interstate and intrastate commerce who are applying for an A, B, or C commercial driver’s license (CDL) must first satisfactorily complete minimum training requirements before taking their state-administered CDL examination.

This year, NGWA will be reviewing the impact of these new requirements on the industry and be exploring the potential for certain exemptions for groundwater-related CMVs.

Finally, while it may seem early, negotiations and congressional hearings for the 2023 Farm Bill will begin this year and NGWA plans to work with its allies in advocating for rural development funding, source water protection, and increasing support for the Household Water Well System Grant Program and Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program.

By providing strong support for groundwater protections in the 2023 Farm Bill, NGWA will ensure rural communities and the agriculture industry can continue to rely on groundwater for generations to come.

___________________________

A recording and copy of the PowerPoint® presentation will be sent to those who registered to attend the webinar. Click here if interested in becoming an NGWA member.

For questions or to learn how to become involved in NGWA’s government advocacy, contact NGWA Public Relations and Government Affairs Manager Ben Frech at bfrech@ngwa.org.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a category of human-made chemicals that have been widely used in a variety of products and industries, such as firefighting foams, protective coatings, and surfactant applications among many other uses and products. This website section provides information on PFAS particularly oriented toward private wells and the water well industry to help you understand the sources and occurrence of PFAS in groundwater. If you are concerned about the possibility of PFAS in your drinking water and are served by a private well, both NGWA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommend testing your drinking water as well as reaching out to your local health department for information.

As an authority on groundwater in the United States, NGWA is a leader in the science of PFAS affecting this important natural resource. Directed by a standing task group dedicated to advancing the knowledge of this emerging topic, NGWA’s PFAS initiatives include hosting PFAS conferences focused on groundwater and publishing multiple products (technical guidance documents, white papers, fact sheets, position papers) related to PFAS, groundwater, and the water well industry.

The last several years have seen a flurry of wide-ranging legislation concerning PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from Capitol Hill and state legislatures. NGWA has been a key resource on not only providing the sound science to inform policymakers about these “forever chemicals,” but also providing solutions that our members’ expertise can provide to ensure our groundwater resources are safe and reliable. While we agree states have a right to manage and regulate PFAS based on their unique circumstances, we also feel the federal government must provide clearer and scientifically researched guidance on PFAS treatment and disposal. 

NGWA continues to advocate for:

pp-pfas-the-truth-about-private-water-wells
  • Supporting a bipartisan solution that creates a maximum contaminant level — or MCL — for PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) based on the best available science
  • Dedicating financial and technical resources to private well owners for testing and remediating PFAS
  • Properly funding PFAS programs and solutions to ensure our groundwater is safe and reliable
  • Advanced guidance from the EPA on the treatment and disposal of PFAS.

PFAS: Top 10 Facts

Download PFAS: Top 10 Facts. 

PFAS: The Truth About Water Wells position paper

NGWA published this position paper in 2022 that provides facts about PFAS and how water wells can still provide safe water because effective residential-scale PFAS treatment technologies are commercially available. It is ideal for sharing with local, state, and federal officials. Download the position paper.

Practical Guide for PFAS Sampling white paper

pfas-contractors

The NGWA white paper, Practical Guide for PFAS Sampling, provides a practical guide to PFAS sample collection for those familiar with industry-standard environmental field sampling practices.

Groundwater professionals may be called on to sample for PFAS analysis and to interpret PFAS laboratory data. The presence of PFAS in many products, potentially including products commonly used in environmental field sampling efforts, should be considered when planning a PFAS sampling program, and this document provides a guide for such programs.

PFAS Fate and Transport 2021 white paper

NGWA’s white paper, PFAS Fate and Transport 2021, updates section four of the NGWA guidance document, Groundwater and PFAS: State of Knowledge and Practice, which was published in 2017.

Since the release of that guidance document, many studies have investigated PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) transformation, partitioning, and transport; for example, the influence of PFAS accumulation at media interfaces, such as the air-water-solid interfaces in the vadose zone.

This white paper picks up where that section of the guidance document left off by providing important updates.

PFAS risk communication

As a groundwater professional, you may need to inform a customer of the potential for PFAS contamination in their well water and subsequent actions to mitigate exposure. PFAS Risk Communication for Contractors is a two-page fact sheet to aid groundwater professionals in such communications. The document features common questions that may be asked and talking points that may be of assistance. 

PFAS and private well owners

PFAS and Private Well Owners: What You Need to Know is a two-page fact sheet that groundwater professionals can distribute to customers and others in their community concerned about PFAS. Written in easy-to-understand language by groundwater professionals, it explains what PFAS are, how to test wells for PFAS, treatment options, and more. 

NGWA guidance document

NGWA published Groundwater and PFAS: State of Knowledge and Practice, a guidance document on PFAS in 2017.

Created by 36 NGWA volunteers who spent 1100 hours on it over the course of 12 months, it is a comprehensive eight-part piece exploring the potentially hazardous, and widely discussed, compounds in groundwater and soil. NGWA published the document to identify the known science and knowledge related to PFAS; it summarizes the fate, transport, remediation, and treatment of PFAS, as well as current technologies, methods, and field procedures. 

Water and soil guidelines and regulations

Click here to be redirected to a website where the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) maintains fact sheets on PFAS along with Excel® spreadsheets that contain PFAS water and soil regulatory and guidance values by state and federal agencies.

You may also be interested in ....