Stormwater Committee Quarterly Newsletter

Perspectives on Integrated Planning Webinar

December 12, 10:00 - 11:30 AM Pacific

Greetings from the Leadership Development Committee!

For the October book club discussion, we’ve selected two books Emotional Intelligence – Daniel Goleman, and Primal Leadership- Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee. These books introduce the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) and how EI helps a leader to be effective and inspire a diverse group of people.

The WAVE program offers a 5-part workshop series focusing on the water and wastewater industry, networking, leadership skills development, employment opportunities, and professional presentation experiences. WAVErs have a unique opportunity to learn from water and wastewater leaders across the Pacific Northwest, practicing critical leadership and communication skills, and developing a strong network of peers and mentors over the course of the year, culminating in presentations at the PNCWA Annual Conference. Most of the WAVE cohort will be first time attendees at this year’s conference in Boise, ID on Sept. 8-11, 2024, and we want to support and welcome them to this awesome community!

Federal

• EPA has proposed a draft analytical method for measuring 6PPD-quinone in stormwater and surface waters. Many of you may be following the increasing regulatory attention to 6PPDq – a chemical additive in rubber tires to help extend a tire's life and use. These chemicals have been in use for more than 50 years and have been found to be very toxic to salmon and trout species as well as other aquatic life.
• On May 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court granted cert in San Francisco v. EPA.  The case calls for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a critical question—whether the Clean Water Act allows EPA (and authorized states) to imposed generic prohibitions against violating water quality standards in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. 

Save the Date!

The 2024 Fall Communications Camp is happening from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm on Thursday, October 24 in Spokane, WA. A big thanks to Spokane County for graciously being our host at their Water Resource Center at 1004 N Freya St in Spokane. Learn more about their Water Resource Center here.

Please join us for a meeting to re-establish the PNCWA Inland Empire Section! At this meeting we will officially elect a new Section Board and discuss plans for the Section. Everyone in the Inland Empire area is welcome to attend, no previous membership or knowledge of the organization is required.

The meeting will be on July 11th from 2pm to 3pm. You can attend in person at 1004 N Freya St, Spokane, WA or virtually via a Teams meeting. Please email Hannah Thomascall for the Teams link or for more information.

Meet the 2024 WAVE Cohort!

The WAVE program engages students and emerging professionals from diverse backgrounds with the water industry through a series of workshops and attendance of the 2024 PNCWA conference. The workshops focus on the various paths within the water industry, networking, skills development, employment opportunities, and conference preparation. Each month until the conference, we will highlight our participants. Here is a quick introduction of Andrew, Curtis, Faron, and Carson - learn more about them in the PNCWA blog!

Federal

• EPA has proposed a draft analytical method for measuring 6PPD-quinone in stormwater and surface waters. Many of you may be following the increasing regulatory attention to 6PPDq – a chemical additive in rubber tires to help extend a tire's life and use. These chemicals have been in use for more than 50 years and have been found to be very toxic to salmon and trout species as well as other aquatic life.
• EPA released a revised draft MS4 NPDES stormwater permit for Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington for public comment.  The 2024 draft permit proposes6PPD-q monitoring requirements using draft method 1634 related to both wet weather discharges and surface water.  The comment period is open until June 27, 2024.
• On May 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court granted cert in San Francisco v. EPA.  The case calls for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a critical question—whether the Clean Water Act allows EPA (and authorized states) to imposed generic prohibitions against violating water quality standards in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. 

Meet the 2024 WAVE Cohort!

The WAVE program engages students and emerging professionals from diverse backgrounds with the water industry through a series of workshops and attendance of the 2024 PNCWA conference. The workshops focus on the various paths within the water industry, networking, skills development, employment opportunities, and conference preparation. Each month until the conference, we will highlight our participants. Here is a quick introduction of Victor, Michelle, Mia, and Georgina!

Federal

• EPA has proposed a draft analytical method for measuring 6PPD-quinone in stormwater and surface waters. Many of you may be following the increasing regulatory attention to 6PPDq – a chemical additive in rubber tires to help extend a tire's life and use. These chemicals have been in use for more than 50 years and have been found to be very toxic to salmon and trout species as well as other aquatic life.
• EPA released a revised draft MS4 NPDES stormwater permit for Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington for public comment.  The 2024 draft permit proposes6PPD-q monitoring requirements using draft method 1634 related to both wet weather discharges and surface water.  The comment period is open until June 27, 2024.
• On May 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court granted cert in San Francisco v. EPA.  The case calls for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a critical question—whether the Clean Water Act allows EPA (and authorized states) to imposed generic prohibitions against violating water quality standards in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. 

PNCWA SW Committee Quarterly Newsletter

During the first half of 2024, the Stormwater Committee successfully hosted three Stormwater Learning Hours, supported a workshop at the PNCWA Spring Summit, and is currently in the middle of organizing a Service Event at the annual PNCWA Conference in Boise, ID! Please find information on our past and upcoming events below.

Good folks,

I wanted to write about a “hot topic” this month.

Federal

• EPA has proposed a draft analytical method for measuring 6PPD-quinone in stormwater and surface waters. Many of you may be following the increasing regulatory attention to 6PPD – a chemical additive in rubber tires to help extend a tire's life and use. These chemicals have been in use for more than 50 years and have been found to be very toxic to salmon and trout species as well as other aquatic life.

The WAVE program engages students and emerging professionals from diverse backgrounds with the water industry through a series of workshops and attendance of the 2024 PNCWA conference. The workshops focus on the various paths within the water industry, networking, skills development, employment opportunities, and conference preparation. Each month until the conference, we will highlight our participants. Here is the first round!

The Mentoring Program pairing survey is now open and is scheduled to close end of the day on Monday, March 18th. This program is a great way to network, share with and learn from others in the industry. The survey will help to match participants with an appropriate protégé/mentor to fit what each party wants to get out of the program. Each mentor/protégé will be notified of their pairing via email, and the journey begins as soon as each mentor/protégé accepts the pairing and commits to developing the relationship! Teams are encouraged to meet at least once each month, but we leave it up to the mentor and protégé to set their own goals and determine which method(s) of communication work best for them. Please fill out the online pairing survey below and spread the word to your organizations. For any questions, reach out to Lauren Tetzloff or Almi Mansaray. 

Mentorship Pairing Survey

Oregon

• DEQ is asking for public comment on proposed rule amendments for the draft TMDL and Water Quality Management Plan for the Willamette Subbasins to address temperature impairments. DEQ will consider comments received by 4pm on Feb 23, 2024. A public hearing will be held Feb 16, 2024 at 9am. View the rulemaking page for more information.

Federal

• The House Appropriations Committee is proposing to eliminate funding for the Clean Water and Drink Water State Revolving Funds by more than half in the FY24 budget. It’s critical that your Senators and Representative hears from you about the need to maintain federal funding for critical local water infrastructure investments. Use WEF Water Advocates call-to-action to send a message today!