Quality CSO Plans
Resources
Opportunities for Strategic Energy Management in the Municipal Water Sector
This report, Opportunities for Strategic Energy Management in the Municipal Water Sector, focuses on the opportunity to integrate Strategic Energy Management (SEM) into the municipal water-wastewater sector by providing recommendations and resources for key stakeholders, namely municipalities and those working within the facilities and utility program administrators who are in a strong position to support adoption. The report presents findings related to energy use in water and wastewater treatment facilities, barriers preventing SEM implementation in the municipal sector, and opportunities to address those barriers and expand SEM adoption in water-wastewater treatment facilities in the Northeast & Mid-Atlantic region.
State Approaches to Testing School Drinking Water for Lead in the United States
This report, State Approaches to Testing School Drinking Water for Lead in the United States,describes the features of statewide initiatives in operation between January 1, 2016 and February 28, 2018 in 24 states and the District of Columbia to conduct testing for lead in school drinking water, and the prevalence of elevated lead concentrations in tap water in public schools based on available data. To identify and summarize the features of state policies and programs, researchers conducted online searches using a search engine and by scanning state legislative and department websites and existing resources from public health organizations. Researchers communicated with state government agencies to verify their policy or program and to request relevant documents and up-to-date data on water quality test results for lead.
Key findings of the study include that there is no uniformity in:
- States’ approaches to create and oversee programs to test for elevated lead in school drinking water
- States’ action levels
- States’ protocols to test school drinking water for lead and to share their findings
- States’ recommendations for school responses to testing
- States’ organization and maintenance of water quality data
In 12 states (which were those with available data on the lead content found in drinking water in schools), the research team found that:
- 12% of all water samples tested had a lead concentration at or above the state’s action level
- 44% of schools tested had one or more water samples with a lead concentration at or above the state’s action level
- Schools that collected and tested water from a greater number of taps were also more likely to identify a sample with elevated lead concentrations
- Use of lower action levels by a state program would increase the proportion of schools that would need to take steps to address the content of lead in the drinking water
Balancing Green and Gray Solutions to CSO Management
The purpose of this report, Balancing Green and Gray Solutions to CSO Management, is to provide guidance to CSO permit holders and their Supplemental CSO Community Teams, to help guide the development of LTCPs for determining an optimal green/gray balance. Although the target audience is permittees and their communities, other readers should benefit from the summary of current CSO programs. It is recognized that there are varying paths towards inclusion of GI into LTCPs. Developing a methodology to measure and communicate the balance of green and gray infrastructure is an important component of CSO LTCPs. It is also desirable to promote the use of best practices like the USEPA’s community alternatives analysis roadmap with all CSO permittees. This report is not, however, intended to provide detailed technical guidance to permittees.
How Americans Relate to Water: A Qualitative Study
Americans are increasingly asked to make important decisions about managing our collective water resources. To do so, Water Main believes that people need both Water IQ, an understanding of key issues, and Water EQ, a personal connection to water.
How do Americans relate to water? To shed light on that question, The Water Main conducted this national study, How Americans Relate to Water: A Qualitative Study, that asked Americans just that.
For this study, How Americans Relate to Water: A Qualitative Study, a total of 201 surveys were completed with respondents from 11 selected regions of the United States, for an overall response rate of 5.5%. This exploratory study begins to break ground on a topic that is not yet well understood.
White paper: https://www.thewatermain.org/s/APM_WaterMainReport_PUBLISH.pdf
Executive Summary: https://www.thewatermain.org/s/Water-handout-vFINAL.pdf
Perspectives on State Legislation Concerning Lead Testing in School Drinking Water
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council undertook this study, Perspectives on State Legislation Concerning Lead Testing in School Drinking Water, to inform state legislators and advocates as they consider new state laws to address lead contamination in school drinking water. They reviewed the growing body of state laws concerning testing of lead in school water, and they identified relevant reports that could help understand the effectiveness of laws. They also contacted stakeholders with knowledge of the implementation and impact of the state laws. Finally, they analyzed how each law addresses key elements that may relate to the effectiveness of a law in terns of the coverage of schools, implementation of testing, risk, reduction, and disclosure.
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