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Federal Single Use Plastics Proposal Includes Wet Wipes Labeling Requirement On October 31st, Representative Alan Lowenthal and Senator Tom Udall announced their intent to introduce legislation to dramatically reduce plastic pollution. Importantly, their announcement included a link to a legislative discussion draft which includes provisions requested by CASA that would require all wet wipes sold in the [...]

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Final Expansion of the World’s Largest Potable Reuse Facility Orange County Sanitation District and Orange County Water District celebrated the Final Expansion of the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by elected officials, project stakeholders and industry professionals.  The Final Expansion of the GWRS is the third and final [...]

Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Certification Program Meeting in December The State Water Resources Board’s Wastewater Operator Certification Program Advisory Committee will be holding a meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019 at 10 a.m. at the CalEPA Headquarters Building. These certification and training meetings generally happen only twice a year. Sign-in is required. For more information, [...]

Senate Begins Debate on Fiscal Year 2020 Spending The Senate defied the odds this week, voting 92-2 to begin debate on a package of spending bills that includes USEPA’s budget. The action increases the likelihood that the agency will have a final budget by the end of the year. Upon Senate passage, the House and [...]

CASA Seeking Communications Analyst CASA recently initiated the recruitment process for a new Communications Analyst to support our strategic communications program. This position will be working directly with CASA staff to develop and deliver newsletter content, social media, strategic communications, and program support. More information about the new position, including a job description and requirements, [...]

EPA Announces Projects Selected for 2019 WIFIA Loans The U.S. EPA has invited 38 new projects from 18 different states to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans. The selected projects will apply for a total of $6 billion of WIFIA loans that will help finance over $12 billion in water infrastructure investment, [...]

Integrated Wastewater and Stormwater Planning Webinar The Water Research Foundation is presenting a free webinar discussing the findings of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s three-year research project, "User’s Guide for Integrated Planning for Wastewater and Stormwater". The research was part of the publication of the Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Approach Framework, adopted by [...]

Roland Williams, Making a Difference in his Community Roland Williams is a familiar face to those who have been attending CASA conferences over the years.  Roland is general manager of the Castro Valley Sanitary District and a member of the CASA Board of Directors.  He has over 28 years of experience in the wastewater field. [...]

Final Actions on Legislation in 2019 Sunday, October 13 was the final deadline for Governor Newsom to sign or veto all of the legislation sent to him during the 2019 Legislative Session. This year the Legislature introduced 3033 bills, and the Governor ultimately signed 1169 and vetoed 172. Several bills with which CASA was actively [...]