Peter Chawaga

EDITORIAL BY PETER

• Following Latest Ruling, Trump’s Revised WOTUS Takes Effect

  After years of controversy, a new ruling cleared the path for the Trump administration’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule to take effect on June 22, 2020.

• Amid Coronavirus And Public Outcry, Massachusetts Utility Raises Rates

  Despite the importance of handwashing and sanitation to combat the novel coronavirus, at least one water utility will be raising its rates as consumers continue to battle it.

• Coronavirus Forces NJ To Put Lead-Service-Line Replacement Efforts On Hold

  As communities around the world continue to struggle with challenges posed by the novel coronavirus, their responses have taken priority over a variety of initiatives deemed less urgent. For New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, this has meant delaying the replacement of lead-based drinking water infrastructure indefinitely.

• Infrastructure Upgrade At Mexican Border Expected To Reduce Sewage Spills By 91%

  For decades, wastewater treatment facilities have struggled to maintain the quality of the Tijuana River, a source body shared by the U.S. and Mexico that discharges into the Pacific Ocean.

• Atlanta’s Surprisingly Popular Solution To Water And Sewer Improvements: Sales Tax

  Though it’s hard to imagine calling a city tax “popular,” a recent vote in Atlanta indicated that a vast majority of residents favor renewing a 1 percent sales and use tax that would raise money for water and sewer efforts.

• Environmentalists 'Shocked' By PFAS Cleanup Pushback From Water Utilities

  As environmental advocates continue their battle against per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination in drinking water, they are encountering resistance from the treatment operations that could be impacted by new legislation.

• Coronavirus Brings Surge Of Sewer Clogs To Wastewater Operations

  The spread of the novel coronavirus has changed nearly everything about our daily lives and introduced challenges throughout our public systems.

• New Jersey Adopts Stricter PFAS Limits For Drinking Water

  One of the most highly populated states in the country will be adopting stricter standards to limit the presence of a particularly pervasive class of drinking water contaminant.

• Pittsburgh’s $2-Billion Plan To Catch 7 Billion Gallons Of Overflow

  More than 12 years after a consent order required a Pennsylvania wastewater utility to make significant changes to its wastewater and stormwater oversight, federal approval has been granted for it to implement a $2 billion-plus, 7-billion-gallon plan.

• EPA's Independent Science Board Urges Stronger Lead Prevention

  For years, concerns around lead contamination in drinking water caused by outdated infrastructure have been spreading around the U.S. In 2015, for instance, a public health emergency declared in Flint, MI, drew national attention to the issue.