President signs water infrastructure bill

Key Takeaways

The bipartisan Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, signed into law Jan. 14 by President Trump, codifies the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) permit process for integrated plans for wastewater and stormwater management under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The bill allows communities to develop an IP for combined sewer overflows, sanitary sewer collection systems, storm water systems, municipal wastewater discharge and/or total maximum daily load water quality requirements.

The bill established a municipal ombudsman office within EPA.

That office will work with communities to provide technical assistance on CWA requirements.

The measure gives local governments with more flexibility to try new, innovative approaches that can simultaneously improve water quality and lower costs for residents, such as green infrastructure.

NACo worked closely with leaders in the 115th Congress to address CWA compliance issues and advocated for policies that would streamline the CWA permitting process and save counties money, many of which were included in the final bill.