Office of Wastewater Management 

2018 Annual Report 
WHO WE ARE 

The Office of Wastewater 

Management (OWM) is part of the 

U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency's Office of Water. OWM 

partners with federal, state and 

local governments, industries and 

tribes to provide innovative 

solutions for our nation's water 

quality and quantity challenges. 

OUR VISION 

We envision a nation where all 

communities have access to clean 

water. By working with 

stakeholders, we develop 

approaches to manage water as a 

critical resource and prevent water 

pollution. Our programs and 

initiatives protect public heath and 

the environment as we support a 

growing economy. 

Message 

from the 

Director 

Colleagues, 

The work we do together in the Office of 

Wastewater Management impacts the lives 

of Americans every day. From building 

recreational capacity by ensuring water 

quality to rebuilding our nation’s water 

infrastructure, we touch the lives of those 

who need us most in every corner of the 

United States. 

In FY 2018, OWM looked toward the future. 

We worked to maintain the gains we’ve 

made in the past, but we also worked 

intentionally to prepare for and address the 

needs of the next generation. We’re actively 

focusing on implementing OWM programs, 

enhancing the permitting process, and 

providing clarity and certainty for the 

regulated community. 

We’re not only in the business of ensuring 

adequate water infrastructure, we’re 

problem solving for challenges of the future, 

such as affordability and lifecycle asset 

management. As our country’s needs 

change, OWM’s most important resource – 

our staff – will face these challenges and 

discover innovative solutions to meet them. 

It is my pride and pleasure to be a part of 

that effort. 
Funding 3 

Providing affordable financing to build water quality projects in communities. OWM 

identifies new and innovative approaches to financing water infrastructure that help 

existing dollars work smarter and harder. 

Tools 11 

Promoting best practices, technical assistance, guidance, and training to help states, 

industries, and communities make informed decisions about managing water resources. 

Permits 14 

Protecting water quality under the Clean Water Act through pollution control permits, 

rules, and oversight. OWM regulations are developed with extensive input from 

stakeholders, industry, and the public. 

Partnerships 17 

Collaborating with stakeholders to encourage innovation and supplement regulatory 

programs with voluntary initiatives to protect water quality and quantity.  

An electronic version of this document is available at www.epa.gov/owm 

Table of 

Contents 
Funding

Did you know? To date, the WIFIA program issued over $1B in credit assistance through water 

infrastructure loans.

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE 

FINANCE AND INNOVATION ACT

WIFIA Loan Closings

By the end of August 2018, the Water Infrastructure 

Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program closed four 

transactions totaling over $1 billion in loans to help 

finance $2.1 billion for water 

infrastructure projects and create up 

to 5,500 jobs. In April 2018, the 

WIFIA program closed its first-ever 

loan to King County, Washington, to 

help finance its Georgetown Wet 

Weather Treatment Station. The 

project is estimated to cost $275 

million and EPA’s WIFIA loan will help finance nearly half 

that—up to $134.5 million. Other WIFIA loans include: 

City of Omaha’s Saddle Creek Combined Sewer Overflow 

Retention Treatment Basin ($69.7 million); San Francisco 

Public Utilities Commission’s Southeast Water Pollution 

Control Plant Biosolids Digester Facilities Project ($699 

million); and Orange County Water District’s Groundwater 

Replenishment System Final Expansion ($135 million). 

Because the WIFIA program offers loans with low interest 

rates, WIFIA loans will save borrowers up to $466 million.

2018 WIFIA Notice of Funding Availability

In April 2018, EPA announced the availability of funding 

for $5.5 billion in WIFIA loans in its second selection 

round. EPA solicited letters of interest from utilities, 

governmental entities, State Revolving Fund programs, 

partnerships, and private corporations to fund water 

infrastructure projects expected to cost at least $20 

million or $5 million for small communities (less than 

25,000 people). EPA also named two priorities for this 

selection round: (1) to provide for clean and safe drinking 

water, including reducing exposure 

to lead and other contaminants in 

the nation’s drinking water 

systems; and (2) to repair, 

rehabilitate, and replace aging 

infrastructure and conveyance 

systems.

2018 Letters of Interest

By the end of July 2018, the WIFIA program received 62 

letters of interest requesting $9.1 billion in WIFIA loans 

from prospective borrowers for water infrastructure 

projects across the country. The letters of interest 

submitted reflect a wide diversity of projects, geographical 

locations, and prospective borrowers. Projects are 

located in 26 different states and territories – including 

Guam and the District of Columbia – and covered 

projects from wastewater, drinking water, water recycling, 

desalination, stormwater management, and combined 

approaches. While the majority of prospective borrowers 

are municipal government agencies, other prospective 

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borrowers include small communities, public-private 

partnerships, corporations, and a tribe.

WIFIA Information Sessions

From November 2017-June 2018, the WIFIA program 

hosted a series of information sessions and webinars to 

explain the benefits of financing with WIFIA loans and to 

prepare prospective borrowers to submit letters of 

interest. The WIFIA program hosted over 150 participants 

at one-day information sessions in four cities: Lenexa, 

Kansas; Nashville, Tennessee; Denver, Colorado; and 

Washington, DC. The program provided the same 

information via webinar to nearly 400 additional people. 

Following the publication of the Notice of Funding 

Availability in April 2018, the WIFA program held 5 more 

webinars reaching about 400 people. These 

presentations focused more specifically on how 

prospective borrowers could submit letters of interest and 

how EPA would review them. Presentations are available 

online.

CLEAN WATER STATE 

REVOLVING FUND

30th Anniversary of the CWSRF Program

In November 2017, EPA celebrated the 30th anniversary 

of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) 

program at an event in Indianapolis, Indiana. Over its 30-

year history, the CWSRF program has been a reliable 

source of funding for a wide variety of high priority 

projects. Through the years, over $69 billion has gone 

towards secondary and advanced treatment. The 

CWSRF program has also contributed $4.5 billion to 

address various sources of non-point pollution by funding 

such projects as implementing Agricultural Best 

Management Practices (Ag BMPs), cleaning up 

brownfields, and repairing/replacing failing septic 

systems. In addition to funding environmentally important 

projects, the CWSRF program has passed on significant 

costs savings through its below market interest rates and 

by providing $4.6 billion as additional subsidy (e.g., 

grants, negative interest loans, principal forgiveness). 

With its expanded project eligibilities and financing 

options resulting from the Water Resources Reform and 

Development Act of 2014, the CWSRF program will 

remain at the forefront of addressing this country’s most 

pressing water quality needs.

Inter-Agency Collaboration on CWSRF

The CWSRF program coordinated with several offices at 

EPA this year. The program is working with the nonpoint 

source branch in the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and 

Watersheds (OWOW) to develop a best practices guide 

for funding nonpoint source projects and a pilot in 

Vermont to develop a sponsorship program for nonpoint 

source projects. Also, the CWSRF program increased 

coordination with the National Estuary Program through 

speaking engagements, an updated fact sheet, and a 

planned webinar. The program also coordinated with the 

Office of Land and Emergency Managment (OLEM) on an 

updated fact sheet on funding brownfields projects with 

the CWSRF and a compilation of case studies on 

cofunded brownfields and Superfund projects.

Focus Groups

This year, the CWSRF program continued to assist 

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interested state programs with surveys and focus groups 

to gain feedback on potential assistance recipients’ 

perceptions of the CWSRF program. Nine states have 

participated in this effort, to date. The feedback from 

these surveys and focus groups helps to guide states in 

streamlining and marketing their programs so that they 

can increase assistance provided. 

PISCES Recognition Program 

Brought back by popular demand, OWM’s 

CWSRF PISCES Recognition Program

highlighted 28 projects from around the 

country in 2018 for their distinguished 

accomplishments in promoting human 

health and improving water quality. Five 

projects were celebrated in the 

Exceptional Projects category: Little Rock 

Sewer Line Replacement Program in Little 

Rock, AR; Yorklyn Brownfield – Wetland Project in 

Yorklyn, Delaware; Akron Storage Basin – Separation 

Project in Akron, Ohio; T.F. Green Airport Glycol 

Recovery System in Warwick, Rhode Island; and Tacoma

-Pierce County Sewerage System Program in Tacoma,

Washington.

AIS Site Visits and Outreach 

As part of the American Iron and Steel (AIS) provision, 

EPA conducts outreach to SRF projects through site visits 

and training to ensure proper implementation of the AIS 

requirements. 

In 2018, the AIS program completed 35 site visits across 

10 states. The site visits provide an opportunity for 

communities to ask project-specific AIS questions and 

receive EPA recommendations for improving their AIS 

documentation prior to project completion. 

The AIS program also conducted five trainings in 

Oklahoma (1), West Virginia (1), Florida (2), and 

Wisconsin (1), providing technical assistance to 

engineers, contractors, suppliers, and 

manufacturers involved with CWSRF 

projects. The trainings explain how AIS 

requirements apply to SRF projects and 

outline the responsibilities of each 

stakeholder, including federal and state 

governments, in its implementation. They 

also provide an opportunity for engineers, 

contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers 

to note project-specific or product-specific 

AIS obstacles and receive EPA feedback 

on potential solutions. The program has an open offer for 

EPA-led AIS trainings to all state SRF programs. 

AIS Waiver Requests 

While the vast majority of the country’s water 

infrastructure projects use iron and steel made in America 

and there is a strong preference for using American-made 

products in EPA-funded projects, SRF projects are 

permitted to request a project-specific waiver through 

their state for products of foreign or unknown origin. In 

2018, EPA received and processed 17 CWSRF projectspecific waiver requests, of which, 1 was approved, 8 

were withdrawn or denied, 2 are currently in process, and 

6 await management decision. The AIS program 

continues to work with the states and its CWSRF projects 

5
to identify domestic alternatives that meet project 

specifications. EPA may grant a waiver in instances 

where (1) applying these requirements would be 

inconsistent with the public interest; (2) iron and steel 

products are not produced in the U.S. in sufficient and 

reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory 

quality; or (3) inclusion of iron and steel products 

produced in the United States will increase the cost of the 

overall project by more than 25 percent.

Coordination of AIS Requirements Across the 

Federal Government

AIS requirements have been incorporated into various 

other programs. This year, the AIS program continued 

collaborating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) and the WIFIA program through trainings and site 

visits. Because the AIS requirements are identical, the 

CWSRF AIS program is supporting its consistent 

implementation across these federal programs. As part of 

the same Office, the CWSRF AIS program is supporting 

the WIFIA program with general AIS implementation. 

Through an Interagency Agreement (IAA), the USDA and 

EPA hold bi-weekly calls to discuss AIS-related inquiries 

and project-specific waivers, provide updates on national 

waivers, and share AIS resources. The AIS program 

participated in USDA AIS trainings in Utah, Minnesota, 

Ohio, and South Carolina to help answer questions from 

USDA state engineers and other stakeholders on AIS 

implementation. USDA state engineers were invited to 

attend CWSRF site visits for observation and have 

attended several site visits in multiple states. 

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND 

RESILIENCY FINANCE CENTER

EFAB Meetings

The Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB) is 

an advisory committee chartered under the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act to provide advice and 

recommendations to EPA on creative approaches to 

funding environmental programs, projects, and activities. 

In FY 2018, OWM hosted two EFAB meetings to hear 

from experts on environmental finance issues, 

presidential initiatives, and EPA priorities. The group also 

discussed progress on current agency charges and 

preliminary recommendations from the workgroups. 

February 2018 Meeting in Washington, DC: 

Environmental finance discussions covered the White 

House Infrastructure Plan and EPA 2018 priorities. 

Specific financial questions were finalized as agency 

charges to the Board to provide recommendations to 

EPA. These five charges included: Pre-Disaster 

Resiliency Investment and Financing, Public-Private 

Partnerships Predevelopment Practices, Regionalization 

Financing Strategies, Chesapeake Bay Metrics of 

Success, and Alaska Waste Backhaul Financing 

Strategies. 

August 2018 Meeting in Chicago, IL: Environmental 

finance discussions focused on nutrient financing in EPA 

Region 5 and water infrastructure financing for Chicago’s 

drinking water and wastewater utility, the Metropolitan 

Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Draft 

recommendations for the five agency charges discussed 

6
at the February 2018 meeting were discussed with 

agency representatives.

Water Finance Forums

Over the past few years OWM’s Water Finance Center 

has held regional Water Finance Forums in partnership 

with EPA’s Regional Offices and the regional 

Environmental Finance Centers. This suite of forums was 

completed for all 10 regions in 2018. These forums 

brought together communities with water infrastructure 

financing needs in an interactive peer-to-peer networking 

format to share how local utilities have financed water 

infrastructure projects. The forums also provided an 

opportunity for local decision makers to meet key state 

funding and technical assistance experts. In 2018, forums 

were held in:

Casper, WY (April 2018): Collaborated with EPA Region 

8 and National Rural Water Association Environmental 

Finance Center. Topics included ways small drinking 

water and wastewater systems can increase financial 

viability and get access to funding, develop operational 

resiliency, and build stakeholder understanding and 

support.

Findlay, OH (June 2018): Collaborated with EPA Region 

5 and Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center. Topics 

focused on funding sources for small drinking water 

systems, value of water communication, financing private 

lead line service replacement, regionalization, water tank 

maintenance, and succession planning & operator 

recruitment.

Water Finance Clearinghouse New Addition: 

Water Finance Learning Modules

The Water Finance Clearinghouse was released in July 

2017 and received over 45,000 site visits by the end of 

FY 2018. This year the Water Finance Center saw a 

demand for additional information on how to access 

funding sources and finance specific types of 

infrastructure projects. To meet this need, the Center 

began collaborating with external stakeholders to develop 

web-based learning modules on different water finance 

topics to include in the Clearinghouse. 

The Septic Financing learning module was released in 

September 2018. This web-based learning module is a 

modern learning experience that can be used as a new 

way for local decision makers/borrowers to make 

decisions for their water infrastructure investments. 

Additional water finance topics will come out in FY 2019 

that focus on the SRFs, WIFIA, financing water loss 

control, cost benefits of municipal/agricultural 

partnerships, and financing stormwater management.

WATER POLLUTION CONTROL 

PROGRAM GRANTS

Section 106 Program Success

Section 106 of the Clean Water Act authorizes EPA to 

provide federal assistance to states, territories, the 

District of Columbia, interstate agencies, and eligible 

tribes to establish and implement water pollution control 

programs. This funding supports ambient water quality 

monitoring, water quality standard and total maximum 

daily load development, NPDES permitting and 

7
enforcement, training and public information. EPA 

provided approximately $225 million in section 106 

funding to prevent and control water pollution in FY 2018.

State and Interstate Water Pollution Control 

Grants 

EPA provided $182 million in section 106 grant funding to 

state and interstate agencies to protect and restore water 

bodies. Increasingly, EPA and states are working 

together to develop basin-wide approaches to water 

quality management. The grant program encourages 

states to take a watershed protection approach which 

looks at state water quality problems holistically and 

targets finances to the most important problems.

Tribal Water Pollution Control Grants 

Section 106 grants are a crucial, dedicated source of 

funding for developing, maintaining, and expanding tribal 

programs designed to prevent, control, and eliminate 

water pollution. In FY 2018, the tribal set-aside was 

approximately $25.4 million. Of the 565 federally 

recognized tribes, approximately 330 meet the criteria to 

receive section 106 funding, and 273 of these tribes were 

eligible to receive grants in FY 2018.

State and Tribal Water Monitoring Initiative

Using approximately $17.4 million in FY 2018, OWM and 

the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds 

(OWOW) continue to work with states and tribes to 

enhance their water quality monitoring programs and 

implement a multi-year, statistically valid survey of the 

nation’s waters. In FY 2018, states and tribes conducted 

sampling and reported water quality monitoring data for 

the National Rivers and Streams Conditions Assessment. 

The monitoring initiative allows EPA, states, and tribes to 

enhance their water quality monitoring programs and 

implement a multi-year, statistically valid survey of the 

nation’s waters. In FY 2018, states and tribes conducted 

sampling and reported water quality monitoring data for 

the National Rivers and Streams Conditions Assessment. 

The monitoring initiative allows EPA, states, and tribes to 

report on the condition of the nation's waters and make 

progress toward assessing trends in water condition in a 

scientifically defensible manner.

Long Term Monitoring Authorized Under the 

Water Infrastructure Improvement for the 

Nation (WIIN) Act

Section 5004(d) of the WIIN Act enacted in December 

2016 provides that EPA, “in conjunction with affected 

States, Indian tribes and local governments, shall, subject 

to the availability of appropriations, develop and 

implement a program for long-term water quality 

monitoring of rivers contaminated by the Gold King Mine 

release.” In FY 2018, $4 million was appropriated for the 

program. OWM, working with OWOW; Regions 6, 8, and 

9; and impacted states and tribes, developed a long-term 

monitoring strategy, including identifying short-term 

monitoring priorities and a long-term approach for 

determining state and tribal grant funding levels. In FY 

2018, OWM released grant guidance for the award of 

WIIN Act funding to states and tribes using CWA Section 

106 authority.

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GRANTS & UNDERSERVED 

COMMUNITIES’ 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

Tribal Set-Aside Annual Accomplishments

In FY 2018, OWM committed $2 million of Clean Water 

Indian Set-Aside (CWISA) funds through an interagency 

agreement with Indian Health Service (IHS) for education, 

training, and technical assistance for tribal wastewater 

treatment operators. IHS plans to hire up to six additional 

utility consultants, award contracts, and deliver trainings.

In FY 2018, OWM used $31 million to fund 59 

construction projects improving wastewater sanitation 

services for more than 10,000 homes. OWM leveraged 

an additional $36 million with contributions from other 

federal partners and tribes. Decentralized/on-site 

treatment projects were the most common type of project 

funded, but the majority of funds were used for collection 

piping, which has the greatest impact when measured by 

number of homes. 

Alaska Native Villages Program

In 2018, OWM’s Alaska Native Villages (ANV) program 

will distribute $20 million in calendar year 2018 to fund 

ten drinking water and wastewater projects to improve 

water services to nearly 2,000 homes. It is estimated that 

two hundred gallons of raw sewage per day are 

eliminated from the environment for each household 

connection made to adequate wastewater services. The 

ANV program also delivered training and technical 

assistance services to ANV communities. 

In the past two years, more than 16,000 tribal homes 

were provided with improved wastewater sanitation 

service in coordination with other federal partners. 

However, the need remains. There are more than 63,000 

tribal homes lacking access to basic sanitation services 

which costs an estimated $1 billion to address. (Data 

source: IHS data - December 2017)

Small and Rural Community Technical 

Assistance Grants

Congress provides funding through a yearly appropriation 

of approximately $1 million for nonprofit organizations to 

provide technical assistance to small and rural 

communities for managing their wastewater and 

decentralized treatment systems. This appropriated 

funding is competed and awarded as a grant to the most 

suitable applicant. EPA awarded the FY 2016 

appropriated funding grant to Rural Community 

Assistance Partnership (RCAP), which is using this 

funding to provide technical assistance to 36 small 

wastewater systems and three communities using 

decentralized systems. RCAP has also conducted 13 

trainings to small publicly owned wastewater systems and 

nine trainings to communities using decentralized 

systems.

For the FYs 2017 and 2018 appropriated funding, EPA 

conducted a competition for a combined grant of $2.2 

million to provide technical assistance to small 

wastewater treatment systems. Through this competition, 

EPA selected RCAP to receive the grant and awarded it 

in July 2018.

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U.S.‐Mexico Border Water Infrastructure 

Program FY 2017 Annual Report 

Working closely with U.S. and Mexican federal, state, and 

local partners, OWM’s U.S.-Mexico Border Water 

Infrastructure Program (BWIP) provided access to safe 

drinking water to 70,000 homes and wastewater 

collection and treatment services to 673,000 homes for 

the first time. OWM released an accomplishments report 

for the U.S.-Mexico Border program: “U.S.‐Mexico Border 

Water Infrastructure Program FY 2017 Annual Report.” 

This report highlights specific projects including recent 

data on homes served. From FY 2003-FY 2017, the 

BWIP funded 128 projects; 108 of the projects have 

completed construction. The program has developed the 

capacity to treat approximately 280 million gallons per 

day of raw wastewater in the border area, improving the 

quality of surface and groundwater along the border. 

Brownsville, Texas, Wastewater Collection 

System and Residential Connections

Approximately 2,600 Brownsville residents benefit from a 

wastewater collection and residential connections project 

to the Farm to Market road (FM) 511-802 Colonia homes 

in Cameron County that is partially funded via OWM’s 

U.S.-Mexico Border Program. Most homes’ onsite 

systems were not in regulatory compliance due to small 

lot sizes, high water tables, soil conditions, and poor 

stormwater drainage. The project included construction of 

a wastewater collection system, installation of yard-line 

connections for over 650 homes, and decommissioning of 

the malfunctioning onsite systems. This project provides 

access to first-time wastewater services, eliminates 

exposure to untreated or inadequately treated wastewater 

discharges of approximately 0.21 million gallons per day, 

and reduces water pollution and the risk of waterborne 

diseases. The total cost of the project is $29.6 million. 

EPA leverages $3.6 million of federal funds with $25.3 

million from the Texas Water Development Board and 

$0.7 million from the City of Brownsville. Construction is 

scheduled to be completed by September 30, 2018. 

2017 Annual Report for the Clean Water & 

Drinking Water Grants to Territories & DC

In FY 2018, EPA released a joint FY 2017 clean water 

and drinking water grant program accomplishments report 

for the U.S. Territories and the District of Columbia. The 

report highlights completed projects or projects begun in 

FY 2017 in the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, 

Guam, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and 

U.S. Virgin Islands as well as the District of Columbia. 

Projects detailed in this report include water loss 

reduction, low impact development retrofits, nitrogen 

discharge reduction, reducing pathogens through water 

system improvements, and asset management. The 

report also provides contextual background on the 

programs as well as the FY 2017 allotments, which total 

over $46 million in available funding for these 

communities. 

10
Tools

Did you know? This year, OWM trained almost 500 professionals in the fundamentals of federal 

pretreatment standards, developing local limits, issuing user permits, performing compliance oversight 

activities, and performing enforcement responsibilities. 

TRAINING

National Stormwater and Pretreatment 

Workshops

The Office of Water awarded a five-year grant to the 

Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) to 

plan and conduct training workshops across the United 

States for state permitting authorities. In FY 2018, ACWA 

conducted a stormwater training in February 2018 in 

Atlanta, Georgia, and a pretreatment training in April 2018 

in Washington, D.C., which was attended by more than 

80 attendees from 25 states, the Office of Water, the 

Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and 9 

EPA Regions.

Decentralized Wastewater Webcast Series

EPA's Decentralized Wastewater Management MOU 

Partnership sponsors webcasts to discuss topics of 

interest to the decentralized community. This year, the 

webinars highlighted an innovative septic finance 

program in Suffolk County, New York and State septic 

system data management practices.

Suffolk County, New York Septic Improvement Program 

(March 2018): Representatives from Suffolk County 

shared information on their Septic Improvement Program, 

a grant program that assists homeowners with replacing 

their conventional septic systems with advanced 

treatment units to significantly reduce nitrogen pollution.

State Examples of Septic System Data (August 2018): 

Lack of comprehensive septic system data has hampered 

progress in septic system management. This webinar 

highlighted three state examples of managing septic 

system data. Staff at the Virginia Department of Health, 

Florida Department of Health, and the Minnesota 

Pollution Control Agency showcased their databases and 

outlined approaches to standardizing data and the 

benefits of having readily available data. 

Training POTW’s on Pretreatment 

Implementation

In FY 2018, OWM reinvigorated its publicly owned 

treatment works (POTW) pretreatment training efforts and 

held three workshops for nearly 460 professionals 

charged with the day-to-day implementation of a state or 

EPA authorized POTW pretreatment program. The 

workshops included presentations on the fundamentals of 

federal pretreatment standards, developing local limits, 

issuing user permits, performing compliance oversight 

activities, and performing enforcement responsibilities. 

NPDES Permit Writers’ Training Course

In FY 2018, OWM continued to support new state and 

EPA Regional National Pollutant Discharge Elimination 

System (NPDES) permit writers through the NPDES 

Permit Writers’ Course. The NPDES Permit Writers’ 

Course has trained thousands of permit writers over more 

than two decades on the fundamentals of NPDES permit 

development. This training helps permit writers ensure 

that NPDES permits are technically and legally sound and 

11
correctly implement applicable technology and water 

quality standards. OWM conducted four week-long 

NPDES permit writers’ courses at sites across the country 

and updated course material to reflect new tools available 

to permit writers, such as the U.S. Geological Survey/

EPA Surface Water Toolbox (SWToolbox) for streamflow 

calculations.

NPDES Whole Effluent Toxicity Training 

Course

OWM continues to provide its NPDES Whole Effluent 

Toxicity (WET) course to EPA Regions and states in 

support of new permit writers. The course continues to be 

well received by EPA Regions and states. This year, EPA 

provided the course to Idaho who became the 47th 

NPDES authorized state. Idaho requested this course for 

its permitting staff and to kick off its NPDES WET 

program. The course comprehensively covered NPDES 

WET permitting implementation including how WET tests 

are conducted, data interpretation and diagnostic 

approaches for identifying possible sources of toxicity. 

The course provided both instructional presentations and 

innovative hands on teaching approaches such as 

viewing the actual test species and group exercises. 

Continuing to train generations of new permit writers is 

essential to water quality protection.

Green Infrastructure Webcasts

OWM continued the Green Infrastructure Program’s 

Green Infrastructure webcast series. Initiated in 2014, the 

series is geared toward public officials and other 

stakeholders that are interested in implementing green 

infrastructure for the first time or augmenting an 

established program. Attendees have the opportunity to 

learn from and interact with leading researchers and 

industry practitioners on a variety of topics that highlight 

the environmental, economic, and social benefits of green 

infrastructure.

SUSTAINABLE WATER UTILITES

Effective Utility Management Partnership

In FY 2018, OWM continued to assist wastewater utilities 

with access to infrastructure funding and continued to 

ensure these utilities are effectively managed. This helps 

protect our infrastructure investments and promotes 

sustainable operations over the long term. These efforts 

are part of a larger partnership with major water sector 

associations and other stakeholders. The centerpiece of 

this work is Effective Utility Management (EUM), which is 

based on the Attributes of Effectively Managed Utilities. 

EUM practices are the foundation for building and 

sustaining the technical, managerial, and financial 

12
capacity of the drinking water, wastewater, and 

stormwater systems that make up the water sector. EPA 

works with leading water sector organizations to support 

the water sector in developing and implementing these 

practices.

Compendium of Effective Utility Management 

Case Studies

Together with EUM partner organizations, EPA 

completed a compendium of EUM Case Studies. These 

case studies highlight for water utilities various 

improvements their peers have seen as a result of 

implementing EUM. For example, OWM played an 

important leadership role in bringing together water sector 

leaders to address other critical issues. EPA also planned 

and co-hosted a major convening of utilities, associations, 

educators, and community service organizations to 

identify actions that could be taken at the national level to 

help address the most pressing workforce issues facing 

the water sector. 

Effective Utility Management Workshops

EPA, with support from ten water sector organizations, 

completed nine Effective Utility Management workshops 

with utilities around the country in FY 2018. These 

workshops help utilities assess their operations and 

develop a plan for improving performance based on the 

EUM Attributes. EPA also hosted a major convening and 

a follow-up meeting of utility leaders on ways to enhance 

peer-to-peer learning opportunities by enabling higher 

capacity utilities to help those with lower capacity.

FRAMEWORK & ASSISTANCE

Water Reuse/Resource Recovery

OWM assisted Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water 

(OGWDW) with development of the 2017 Potable Reuse 

Compendium as a supplement to the 2012 EPA 

Guidelines for Water Reuse document, which was 

released in January 2018. This document focuses on 

providing updated information and guidance on both 

direct and indirect potable reuse practices, including a 

series of seven case studies. 

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Permits

Final MS4 General Permit Remand Rule

OWM continues to work with permit writers in EPA 

Regions and states to assist them in developing 

municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4) permits 

that are consistent with the MS4 General Permit Remand 

Rule. In December 2016, OWM finalized modifications to 

the Phase II stormwater regulations relating to the use of 

general permits for small MS4s in response to a Ninth 

Circuit remand of these regulations. The rule ensures that 

the requirements of all small MS4 permits are subject to 

the necessary permitting authority review and the public 

participation steps as defined in the Clean Water Act. The 

rule clarifies that the permitting authority – and not the 

small MS4 – must determine what permit terms and 

conditions are necessary to meet the applicable permit 

standard. The rule also specifies that permit terms and 

conditions must be expressed in a “clear, specific, and 

measurable” manner. 

NPDES Idaho Delegation

On June 5, EPA approved Idaho’s application to run the 

NPDES program. The State became the 47th to obtain 

approval to administer its own program and now has the 

authority to regulate point source discharges occurring 

within the State but not from tribal lands or into tribal 

waters. Idaho will be phasing in the administration of the 

program over four years, starting with individual municipal 

permits and the pretreatment program. This approval was 

the culmination of a collaborative review process 

conducted by a Region 10-led workgroup that included 

staff from OWM, the Office of the General Counsel, and 

the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. 

Protecting U.S. Waters from Non-Recreational 

Vessel Discharges

In 2018, OWM continued to lead the development and 

administration of the Vessel General Permit and as of 

January, assumed responsibility for administration of the 

Small Vessel General Permit. These two permits address 

27 different types of non-recreational vessels that include 

commercial fishing, tankers, container ships, cargo ships, 

cruise ships, barges, etc. There are approximately 

200,000 domestic and foreign vessels subject to such a 

regulatory scheme and their permits include a range of 

terms and conditions such as required best management 

practices, numeric effluent limitations, inspection, 

monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping. The goal of 

these two permits is to protect U.S. waters from negative 

effects from discharges, including potentially invasive 

species from ballast water and hull fouling, from nonrecreational vessels (e.g., commercial fishing, tankers, 

container ships, cargo ships, cruises ships, barges). As 

part of permit administration, OWM operates and 

supports an electronic reporting system, processing 

70,000 reports annually.

Animal Agriculture Implementation

In FY 2018, OWM continued its efforts to protect water 

quality from adverse impacts of animal manure. OWM 

Did you know? A NPDES permit is required for the discharge of pollutants from any point source into waters 

of the US. Currently, EPA estimates that approximately 999,000 discharges are covered by NPDES permits—

about 95 percent are covered by general permits and 5 percent are covered by individual permits. 

14
supported Regions’ and states’ efforts to implement the 

NPDES program for concentrated animal feeding 

operations by providing assistance with regulatory 

interpretation, development of general permit and state 

program language, and resolution of watershed-based 

technical and permitting issues. 

Final Rule: Public Notification for CSOs in the 

Great Lakes

On January 8, EPA published the final rule, Public 

Notification Requirements for Combined Sewer Overflows 

to the Great Lakes. The rule implements Section 425 of 

the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, which 

requires EPA to work with the Great Lakes States to 

establish public notification requirements for combined 

sewer discharges to the Great Lakes. The requirements 

address signage, initial notification of local public health 

departments and other potentially affected entities, initial 

notification of the public, annual notice provisions, and 

requires the development of a public notification plan.

This rule protects public health by ensuring timely 

notification to the public and to public health departments, 

public drinking water facilities and other potentially 

affected public entities, including Indian tribes. It provides 

additional specificity beyond existing public notification 

requirements to ensure timely and consistent 

communication to the public regarding combined sewer 

overflow (CSO) discharges to the Great Lakes Basin. 

Timely notice may allow the public and affected public 

entities to take steps to reduce the public’s potential 

exposure to pathogens associated with human sewage. 

Multi-Sector General Permit for Industrial 

Stormwater Discharges 

Industrial stormwater can come from a range of industrial 

sectors conveying stormwater pollutants. EPA is funding 

a study by the National Academies of Sciences, 

Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to receive input on 

the Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) and its 

effectiveness in protecting waterways from industrial 

stormwater impacts. The study has three major focus 

areas: 1) the adequacy of stormwater benchmark 

monitoring requirements, 2) numeric retention standards 

feasibility, and 3) analysis of certain types of facilities’ 

activities and discharges to determine if more rigorous 

requirements are appropriate.

In 2018, NASEM held four meetings consisting of closed 

sessions, public sessions, and sessions where invitees 

shared information on pertinent issues. Issues discussed 

include: the challenges of the industrial stormwater 

monitoring, state perspectives and permitting differences 

from the MSGP, the utility of collected industrial 

stormwater data, changes needed to make the data more 

useful, EPA’s benchmark monitoring overview and 

industrial monitoring history, and stormwater retention 

issues. 

Timeliness of Permit Issuance

The FY 2018-2022 EPA Strategic Plan includes a 

strategic measure of making all permitting-related 

decisions within six months by September 30, 2022. In 

response, the NPDES Permit Timeliness Kaizen team 

was formed to address issues of NPDES permit issuance 

timeliness. The team participated in a Kaizen event from 

15
January 22-26, 2018, to evaluate the permit issuance 

process for new EPA-issued NPDES permits. After the 

January event, the NPDES Permit Timeliness Kaizen 

team developed recommendations for visual 

management tools. 

Reviewing State and EPA Regional Office 

NPDES Programs 

EPA ensures the integrity of the NPDES permitting 

process by conducting permit and program quality 

reviews (PQRs) of state and regional NPDES programs. 

In FY 2018 OWM launched a new set of standardized 

review tools to support the next five-year PQR cycle 

between FY 2018 and FY 2022. The new cycle’s tools 

were updated to make the PQR process more consistent, 

easier to complete, and more efficient. OWM and EPA 

Regional Offices remain committed to maintaining and 

improving NPDES permit and program health by 

beginning to implement new cycle PQRs and by 

continuing to support the completion of identified action 

items from prior PQRs. 

Dental Effluent Guidelines 

In FY 2017, OWM finalized the Dental Effluent Guidelines

with the Office of Water’s Office of Science and 

Technology (OST). The final rule promulgated 

pretreatment standards to reduce discharges of mercury 

from dental offices into POTWs. In FY 2018, OWM and 

OST finalized a frequently asked questions document for 

dental offices and POTWs to assist with rule 

implementation. OWM also finalized guidance on the 

NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule with Office of 

Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and the CrossMedia Electronic Reporting Rules with the Office of 

Environmental Information.

Pretreatment Program Implementation

In FY 2018, OWM continued its work to support EPA 

Regions, states, and POTWs in implementation of the of 

NPDES pretreatment program. Currently, EPA runs the 

pretreatment program in 14 states and is responsible for 

performing program reviews, inspections, and audits. 

OWM assisted the EPA Regions in performing 46 annual 

report reviews, 3 local limit reviews, 1 sewer use 

ordinance review, 1 industrial waste survey, 5 audits, and 

2 inspections. 

Nutrients Permitting Requirements for 

Municipal Facilities

In October 2017, OWM developed a new methodology for 

synthesizing data on nutrient effluent limitations and 

monitoring requirements in NPDES permits for municipal 

dischargers. Monitoring nutrient concentrations in effluent 

from municipal facilities can help inform natural resource 

and public health managers about key sources of 

nutrients in waters. Setting effluent limits for nitrogen and 

phosphorus can substantially reduce nutrient loadings to 

water bodies, providing many benefits to the environment, 

public health, and the economy alike. Limiting nitrogen 

and phosphorus can help prevent nuisance and harmful 

algal blooms and help maintain healthy and diverse 

aquatic plant and animal communities. By preventing 

harmful and toxic algal blooms, communities can maintain 

quality natural resources like rivers, lakes, coastlines, and 

beaches, as well as public drinking water supplies and 

economies dependent on healthy surface waters.

16
Did you know? WaterSense has helped save a LOT of water, but it has also saved the energy that would 

have been used to heat that water – enough to power 34.1 million homes for one year. 

Partnerships

WATERSENSE

Let’s Keep Saving Water America!

WaterSense started the 2nd decade of its program 

accumulating even more savings. Since June 2006, the 

program has helped save more than 2.7 trillion gallons of 

water—more than the amount used by all U.S. 

households for 98 days. In 2017 alone, 631 billion gallons 

were saved with WaterSense labeled products. Labeled 

products are independently certified to use at least 20 

percent less water and perform as well or better than 

standard models. At the end of 2017, more than 27,000 

different models of toilets, bathroom faucets and 

accessories, showerheads, flushing urinals, flushometervalve toilets, weather-based irrigation controllers, and pre

-rinse spray valves had earned the label. EPA estimates 

WaterSense labeled products have helped Americans 

save $63.8 billion in energy and water bills. More than 

1,900 utility, manufacturer, retail, builder, and other 

organizational partners helped Americans save water, 

energy, and money with products, programs, and 

promotions. 

Helping Multifamily Properties Measure Water 

Efficiency 

In early October, WaterSense added a new tool to its 

toolbox that will help multifamily properties improve their 

water use. Working with the ENERGY STAR program, 

WaterSense used results from a national survey 

conducted by Fannie Mae to develop the first EPA Water 

Score. Multifamily property managers can now enter 

information into Portfolio Manager and receive a 1-100 

score that shows how their building uses water compared 

to similar properties across the country. WaterSense has 

also developed a series of resource guides to help 

property managers improve their score. 

Your Better Bathroom. Your Style. More 

Savings.

WaterSense developed new materials to help consumers 

learn how easy it is to get their dream bathroom with 

WaterSense labeled products. The campaign, which will 

be used by EPA and WaterSense partners, highlights 

how consumers can either start by looking for simple 

ways to save water in the bathroom or go big with an 

entire remodel using WaterSense labeled products that 

come in a variety of price points and styles. For simple 

17
updates to the bathroom WaterSense created the “bath 

hack” series. The first in the series captures how to 

replace a showerhead with a WaterSense labeled model. 

From there the videos walk through replacing an aerator 

on a faucet and lastly a flapper in the toilet. 

Fix a Leak Week: Partners Go the Extra Mile 

to Track Down Water Leaks

During the tenth annual Fix a Leak Week, March 19-25, 

WaterSense partners let their water-saving tips flow by 

encouraging community members to find and fix wasteful 

leaks indoors and out. More than 45 partners held events 

across the United States and Canada, which included 

races, contests, workshops, and outreach campaigns. 

These events and other efforts resulted in more than 500 

online and print articles and press releases, with an 

overall circulation of more than 350 million. Citrus County 

Utilities (Florida), Athens-Clarke County (Georgia), and 

the City of Hays (Kansas) enlisted the help of elementary 

school students – providing them with the tools to 

become leak detectives in their own homes. Partners 

engaged with the public in person and were also active 

on a variety of social media platforms including Twitter, 

Facebook, and Instagram. 

Advancing Outdoor Water Efficiency

Following the release of a specification in September 

2017, WaterSense saw the first labeled irrigation spray 

sprinkler bodies appear on store shelves in 2018. 

Pressure regulated labeled sprinkler bodies will help 

reduce the water waste that can happen when high 

pressure leads to excessive flow rates, misting and 

uneven coverage. WaterSense also continued work on 

developing test methods to support a future specification 

for soil moisture based irrigation controllers. The program 

promoted sound practices such as microirrigation and 

continued its successful webinar series carried out in 

partnership with the Alliance for Water Efficiency, which 

reached more than 750 attendees. 

WaterSense Partners of the Year Awards

On October 5, 2017, the 2017 WaterSense award 

winners were announced at WaterSmart Innovations 

Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

WaterSense partners across the country help save water 

for future generations by advancing and promoting 

WaterSense and water efficiency. 

In 2017, seven partners were recognized with Sustained 

Excellence Awards for their continued high level of 

support: Cobb County (Georgia) Water System, KB 

Home, Kohler Co., Delta Faucet Company, The Home 

Depot, Sonoma-Marin (California) Saving Water 

Partnership, and the Athens-Clarke County (Georgia) 

Public Utilities Department. 

Five partners were recognized as Partners of the Year: 

Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and 

City of Charlottesville (Virginia) Citrus County (Florida) 

Utilities, G3, Green Gardens Group, and American 

Standard (Part of LIXIL). 

WaterSense also presented seven Excellence Awards, 

which recognize organizations that stood out in one or 

more evaluation categories: Alliance for Water Efficiency, 

18
Niagara Conservation Corp., City of Plano (Texas), City 

of Fort Worth (Texas), Metropolitan Water District of 

Southern California, City of Durham (North Carolina) 

Water Management, Sonoma-Marin (California) Saving 

Water Partnership, and The Toro Company. 

SEPTICSMART WEEK

Celebrating the 6th Annual SepticSmart Week

EPA’s SepticSmart Week Program campaign informs 

homeowners about proper septic system 

care and maintenance, assists local 

agencies in promoting homeowner 

education and awareness, and educates 

local decision makers about infrastructure 

options to improve and sustain their 

communities. The 6th Annual Septic Smart 

Week occurred September 17-21. Each 

year, states and organizations submit 

proclamations of support and commitment 

to SepticSmart Week; this year, the program received 16. 

The Decentralized Memorandum of Understanding 

(MOU) Partnership also updated their SepticSmart Week 

Social Media Guide with new social media posts, blogs, 

press releases, local outreach examples, and much more. 

New SepticSmart Program Materials

EPA’s Decentralized Wastewater Program created 

several new SepticSmart Week products for our Partners, 

states, and homeowners. They developed seven new 

“quick tips” with images and messages outlining the catch

-phrases of SepticSmart Week. They also designed a 

new diagram illustrating the movement of wastewater and 

components of a septic system.

SepticSmart Education Campaign

As part of the SepticSmart Week 2018 campaign, the 

program continued efforts to educate the public on 

decentralized systems through new publicly-available 

materials. This included two new posters educating those 

who use non-residential septic systems, one for 

restrooms in parks/rest stops and another for restaurants. 

The posters educate individuals about what 

can and cannot go down the drain of an 

establishment with a septic system. Also, 

recognizing the need to develop accurate, 

consistent diagrams of the varying types of 

septic systems and how they work, the 

program created ten new diagrams of the 

most common types of septic systems 

which are also used in the Water Finance 

Center’s Septic Systems Finance Learning 

Module.

COLLABORATION & SYNERGY

Decentralized Wastewater MOU Partnership

EPA’s Decentralized Wastewater MOU Partnership works 

collaboratively to encourage proper decentralized 

wastewater system management and protect public 

health and water resources. The 18 organizations of the 

MOU Partnership met at EPA Headquarters on 

November 14-15, 2017 for the MOU re-signing ceremony. 

At the MOU signing event, 18 public and private sector 

organizations expressed their intent to work together to 

improve management of decentralized wastewater.

19
Campus RainWorks Challenge

OWM’s Green Infrastructure program held the 6th annual 

Campus RainWorks Challenge, a design competition that 

engages with the next generation of environmental 

professionals to showcase the environmental, economic, 

and social benefits of green infrastructure practices. 

Student teams design an innovative green infrastructure 

project for their campus that addresses stormwater 

pollution while benefitting the campus community and the 

environment. During this round, 87 student teams 

submitted green infrastructure designs for their respective 

campuses to compete in one of two categories: master 

plan or demonstration project. The University of California 

at Berkeley and the University of Maryland at College 

Park were the first and second place winners in the 

master plan category. The University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign and The University of New Mexico were first 

and second in the demonstration project category. The 

seventh annual Challenge opened for registration in 

September 2018.

WEFTEC 2017

EPA joined in another successful year at the Water 

Environment Federation’s WEFTEC. The Water 

Environment Federation (WEF) held its 90th annual 

conference in Chicago, Illinois from September 30 –

October 4, attracting 22,860 attendees. WEFTEC 

provides EPA with the opportunity to coordinate with the 

water infrastructure industry to promote Agency 

programs, network with industry partners, share new 

resources and tools, and learn about industry best 

practices. EPA participated in approximately three dozen 

sessions and hosted fifteen speaker sessions on a 

variety of topics, including a demonstration of the Water 

Finance Clearinghouse, technology innovation clusters, 

and green infrastructure, among others. 

Streamlining the Review and Permit Process 

for Highway Infrastructure

Through EPA’s Interagency Agreement with the Federal 

Highway Administration (FHWA), OWM’s National 

Transportation Liaison coordinated and participated in 

transportation research related to the environmental 

review process, stormwater management, and other 

environmental programs. In February 2018, the liaison 

coordinated the issuance of an interagency working 

agreement with FHWA to better coordinate and 

streamline the environmental review and permitting 

process for highway infrastructure projects. In May 2018, 

the Transportation Liaison supported EPA Region 3’s 

Transportation Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System 

(MS4) Permitting Forum by compiling and presenting 

permit program information from state transportation 

departments. In July 2018, OWM presented on EPA’s 

Water Financing Clearinghouse and existing federal 

stormwater funding sources available to transportation 

“Today’s students are tomorrow’s 

innovators. Through EPA’s Campus 

RainWorks Challenge, we are harnessing 

the creativity and enthusiasm of college 

students to solve local stormwater problems 

and better protect the environment.” - Office 

of Water Assistant Administrator David Ross

20
permittees during a public webinar hosted by the 

Transportation Research Board. In September 2018, 

OWM published the Transportation Stormwater Permit 

Compendium, which presents examples of permitting 

approaches found in MS4 permits and that address linear 

environments.

Vessel Discharge Research

In 2018, OWM oversaw a $3.1 million interagency 

agreement with the Naval Research Laboratory to: (1) 

evaluate the effectiveness of combining open ocean 

exchange and treatment of ballast water; (2) investigate 

novel, indirect sensing methods to assess and quantify 

biofouling loads on vessels hulls; (3) evaluate alternative 

test methods to measure organism viability (i.e., ability to 

reproduce) in ballast water discharges; and (4) update a 

protocol for the verification of ballast water treatment 

technology testing to include both shipboard and landbased testing procedures.

Green Infrastructure Engagement 

The green infrastructure program worked with the Green 

Infrastructure Leadership Exchange Network to organize 

a federal roundtable session at their national meeting to 

engage directly with municipal representatives about how 

federal resources could be utilized to implement green 

infrastructure. Representatives from programs across 

EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, the Department of Transportation, and 

the Federal Emergency Management Agency were on 

hand to discuss their programs. Around 90 participants 

from over 40 cities were represented at the annual 

meeting. 

National Stormwater Roundtable

In February 2018, OWM supported a National Stormwater 

Roundtable in coordination with the Association of Clean 

Water Administrators (ACWA) for state and federal 

regulators. The national permitting meeting supports the 

implementation of federal and state municipal, industrial, 

and construction stormwater programs nationwide. 

Attendees shared information on ways to reduce water 

quality impacts due to stormwater through best 

management practices, innovative state programs and 

initiatives, new technologies, tools, training, and guidance 

and facilitated discussions on national program 

enhancements and improvements.

Long-Term Stormwater Planning

Throughout 2018, EPA continued to work with Santa Fe, 

New Mexico; Burlington, Iowa; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; 

and Rochester, New Hampshire to develop long-term 

stormwater plans that will serve as national models. In 

October 2016, EPA released a draft guide, Community 

Solutions for Stormwater Management: A Guide for 

Voluntary Long-Term Planning, to promote 

comprehensive, community-wide planning approaches to 

manage stormwater. As communities continue to grow 

and develop their local economies, they often look for 

sustainable and effective approaches to reduce these 

existing and emerging sources of pollution. Through this 

voluntary approach, communities can prioritize actions 

related to stormwater management as part of capital 

improvement plans, integrated plans, master plans, or 

other planning efforts. EPA will leverage the lessons 

21
learned from these efforts by sharing information related

to lowering barriers to long-term stormwater planning, 

making progress on human health and water quality 

objectives, and decreasing the costs of stormwater 

management.

Wastewater Treatment Technology and 

Research

In 2018, OWM continued to provide technical support to 

EPA regions and Office of Water program offices on 

wastewater technology performance areas and actively 

collaborated with internal and external stakeholders on 

wastewater studies and research projects. Areas of 

technical support included nutrient removal and recovery, 

energy management, and water reuse. OWM’s research 

coordination efforts included collaborating with the 

National Water Program research coordination team and 

the Office of Research and Development in various 

wastewater projects of the EPA Safe and Sustainable 

Water Resources research plan. 

The Water Environment Federation (WEF)/WRF Leaders 

Innovation for Technology (LIFT) Forum workgroup 

activities target promoting and expediting the 

development of sustainable and innovative wastewater 

technologies and sharing related information with industry 

stakeholders. OWM actively collaborated with external 

stakeholders on the LIFT Forum workgroup as well as the 

Water Environment Research Foundation (WRF) 

Research Advisory Council for wastewater research and 

multiple WRF project steering committees and projects.

Animal Agriculture Discussion Group 

Outcomes

OWM complements its NPDES implementation activities 

with efforts to strengthen relationships with industry 

stakeholders – particularly through the Animal Agriculture 

Discussion Group (AADG), an informal dialogue including 

representatives from the producer community, trade 

associations, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and 

states. The September 2018 AADG meeting enabled 

EPA leaders and staff to interact with industry leaders 

and other stakeholders on issues associated with 

sustainability and emerging markets in nutrient recovery 

that offer benefits to farmers as well as to water quality.

In 2018, EPA and USDA’s Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, in partnership with the Animal 

Agriculture Discussion Group, released Part 2 of the 

Animal Agriculture, Manure Management and Water 

Quality series. Part 2 covers the importance of 

conservation in animal agriculture and conservation 

practices commonly used on animal agriculture farms. 

The series includes multimedia features, such as videos 

and virtual tours of farms and discusses topics including 

advances in technologies and production systems, 

measures to protect water quality, and issues involved in 

on-farm decision-making about manure management.

22
 

Office of Wastewater Management 

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (4201M) 

Washington, DC 20460 

EPA Publication Number 830R18004 

October 2018 

www.epa.gov/OWM