WaterWorld Newscast - Feb. 24, 2020
The following is a transcript of the WaterWorld Newscast for the week of February 24, 2020.
Hi, I'm Angela Godwin, bringing you water and wastewater news headlines for the week of February 24. Coming up...
- Presidential candidate forum focuses on infrastructure
- EPA closes on two new WIFIA loans
- EPA to regulate PFOA, PFOS in drinking water
- Wastewater holds valuable potential for energy, nutrients, water
- Water programs face cuts in Trump budget request
On the subject of prioritizing infrastructure projects, Biden stressed the need to both repair and replace aging water systems with resiliency in mind.
Buttigieg said wastewater "isn't always sexy, but it is so important." When asked about the Trump administration's rollbacks of environmental regulations, he characterized them as "lowering the standards of water quality" but admitted that there were problems under the old framework as well.
Klobuchar noted that water has not been addressed at the federal level as much as it should and, if elected, she would make water a top priority.
Steyer talked about the importance of investing in green infrastructure for healthy wetlands, watersheds, and coastal areas. Protecting those is an "investment in a functioning and safe America," he said.
The forum was organized by the nonpartisan coalition United for Infrastructure and co-hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers. You can watch the full recording at C-SPAN.org.
In California, a $59 million WIFIA loan to the Coachella Valley Water District will help finance stormwater channel improvements that will better manage heavy rains to protect communities’ surface waters and public health.
Meanwhile, in Kissimmee, Florida, a $40 million WIFIA loan to the Toho Water Authority will help finance projects that will improve the efficiency of the existing sewer and wastewater management systems and support community growth without needing to expand the existing wastewater treatment facility.
The EPA has closed on 16 WIFIA loans to date, equating to $3.5 billion in total financing and the creation of 16,000 jobs.
EPA said these preliminary determinations mark a key milestone in its PFAS Action Plan to help communities address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
With this action, the agency is seeking public comment on its proposed regulatory determinations for a total of eight contaminants listed on the fourth Contaminant Candidate List.
In addition to regulating PFOS and PFOA, EPA is gathering and evaluating information to determine if regulation is appropriate for other chemicals in the PFAS family.
The commenting period will last for 60 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register.
On a global scale, roughly 380 billion cubic meters of wastewater is produced annually.
The researchers believe the energy embedded in it could provide electricity to 158 million households.
And full recovery of major nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, could offset 13.4% of global agricultural demand for them.
The scientists acknowledge that the study’s estimates and projections are theoretical, but nonetheless maintain that it offers "important insights into the global and regional potential of wastewater."
He's requesting approximately $1.1 billion for the Clean Water SRF and $863 million for the Drinking Water SRF, a decrease of 31% and 23%, respectively, compared to FY 2020 funding.
Another program that could be severely impacted: WIFIA. The president is requesting $20 million -- a 63% decrease from last year and the lowest since it was stood up in 2017.
The budget request now heads to Congress for consideration.
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For Endeavor Business Media, I'm Angela Godwin. Thanks for watching.