Back by popular demand, the PNCWA Member Services Committee is creating a calendar for 2019 which we will distribute at the PNCWA Annual Conference this fall. 

• The types of photos we are looking for include PNW water professionals in the office or in the field, PNW water professionals participating in water-related community programs, wastewater facilities, pump/lift stations, stormwater infrastructure, collection systems, etc. Be creative, be silly, be yourself. This calendar is intended to be a celebration of our industry and the work we all do as professionals protecting our most important resource: water! 
• The photo must show water quality infrastructure and/or people from the Pacific Northwest. 
• Also, the photo must be owned with no copyrights attached or where permission can be granted to PNCWA.

• The photo must be digital and a printable quality of at least 300 dpi.

The WEF Government Affairs  Committee tracks legislative and regulatory efforts with respect to water and other environmental issues on the national level, informing members and providing education about our profession to legislators and regulatory officials. The Member Association (MA) Subcommittee is tasked with increasing communication with respect to federal issues and local impacts.  The MA Subcommittee also wants to be aware of local issues that may inform other MAs about regulatory trends.

This webinar will provide an update on Washington legislative and regulatory issues, including funding. Four MAs will report on regional, issues and initiatives. We intend to establish this as a quarterly update and request different MAs to provide regional updates. Please join us June 28th, 1 - 2:15 PM EDT. 

Date:  June 28, 2018
Time:  1:00 - 2:15 PM, EST
Register Now!

Alex Howard (Timberline High School, Boise ID), Cheney Sung (Oregon Episcopal School, Portland OR) and Sagarika Samavedi (Interlake High School, Bellevue WA have been selected as 2018 state winners of the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize, the nation’s most prestigious youth award for a water-related science project.

PNCWA’s ability to support promising students in the water environment fields has received a huge boost thanks to the generosity of the Daniel Keil family. The gift of $21,000, to establish the Daniel Keil Service for Water Legacy Scholarship, was made on behalf of Daniel Keil and his estate, by sons David and John Keil.The scholarship will be awarded to a full-time college student in pursuit of a career in a water environment field who combines academic promise with a demonstrated commitment to service.

David and John said, “This scholarship is especially dear to us considering our father’s nearly 40 years of service in water professional organizations, including the National Rural Water Association and Montana Rural Water Systems, his founding roles in the Tiber County Water District and the North Central Montana Regional Water Authority, and his time as a volunteer in Sierra Leone in the Peace Corps’ first year.”

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of approximately $1 billion in credit assistance for water infrastructure projects under the new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program.

EPA’s WIFIA program will provide long-term, low-cost credit assistance in the form of direct loans and loan guarantees to creditworthy water projects. WIFIA provides another option for financing large infrastructure projects – generally at least $20 million – in addition to the State Revolving Funds and bond market. WIFIA is available to state, local, and tribal governments; private entities; partnerships; and State Revolving Fund programs. EPA estimates that funds appropriated to the WIFIA program can be leveraged at a ratio greater than 50 to one, which means the $17 million program budget could allow EPA to make approximately $1 billion in loans and stimulate about $2 billion in total infrastructure investment.

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched its fifth annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a competition for college and university students to design innovative solutions for our nation’s water infrastructure. Using their campuses as labs, teams develop green infrastructure systems to reduce stormwater pollution and build resilience to climate change. Since 2012, more than 420 student teams have participated in the challenge.

BOISE — The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking public comment on a proposed revision to its statewide water quality trading guidance.

The proposed revision incorporates concepts developed by state water quality agencies in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, facilitated by Willamette Partnership and The Freshwater Trust and reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.