August 15, 2001 Summer Board Meeting - Central States Water ...
August 15, 2001 Summer Board Meeting - Central States Water ...
August 15, 2001 Summer Board Meeting - Central States Water ...
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The Wisconsin Section<br />
<strong>Central</strong> <strong>States</strong><br />
<strong>Water</strong> Environment Association<br />
Wisconsin Section CSWEA<br />
Committee Reports<br />
<strong>August</strong> <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2001</strong><br />
Treasurer’s Report – Tom Sigmund<br />
Report to be provided at the <strong>Board</strong> <strong>Meeting</strong> on <strong>August</strong> <strong>15</strong>.<br />
Trustee’s Report – Carol Strackbein, Trustee<br />
This will summarize the activities of the <strong>Central</strong> <strong>States</strong> <strong>Board</strong> <strong>Meeting</strong> held on May 16,<br />
<strong>2001</strong>.<br />
1. Stockholm Junior <strong>Water</strong> Prize: The <strong>Board</strong> of Directors feels this is a worthwhile<br />
activity and feels that the Public Education Committee should get more involved in<br />
getting participation from the schools. If you will remember, a Minnesota student won<br />
this prize a few years ago. It is very prestigious for both the member association and<br />
the student who wins. Attached is an article from WEF HIGHLIGHTS about this year’s<br />
winner.<br />
The <strong>Board</strong> would like ideas, suggestions, etc., from the Public Education Committee on<br />
how to best handle the nominations for this activity.<br />
2. Membership Directory: The <strong>Board</strong> of Directors is considering the publication of a<br />
CSWEA membership directory. This has been talked about for a while and it looks<br />
like to may finally happen. More to follow<br />
3. An Ad-Hoc Committee consisting of Ken Johnson, Dave Lane, Dan Lynch and Eric<br />
Leucuyer, has been formed to find a replacement for Al Rae as Secretary Treasurer.<br />
A new job description has been prepared. An ad will be placed in the next issue of<br />
the WISILLMINN.<br />
4. The CSWEA Statements of Policy have been revised. Attached is a copy for Tom<br />
Sigmund. This information is also on the CSWEA Website.
5. Scott Trotter is planning the CSWEA Reception during WEFTEC. It will be held on<br />
Sunday, October 14, <strong>2001</strong> at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. The reception will be from<br />
5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. Scott is seeking donations from various organizations to<br />
help support this function.<br />
6. Scott Trotter is also on the Local Arrangements Committee for the 2002 WEFTEC<br />
Conference in Chicago. He is seeking volunteers to work in the Local Arrangements<br />
booth in Atlanta. Anyone interested should contract him at 630 587-0470.<br />
7. Student Chapters have been approved by the WEF for UW Stevens Point.<br />
8. The CSWEA Education Seminar was very successful. The profit dollars was<br />
$5,800.00. 202 people registered.<br />
9. The CSWEA Conference in LaCrosse was also a success. The Local Arrangement<br />
committee did a great job. The registration total 136 full registrations, 80 exhibitor<br />
registrations, 17 guests, 6 retirees, 3 students, 16 for Monday only and 33 for<br />
Tuesday only, with a total of 311 people attending. The goal was to realize a profit<br />
of $<strong>15</strong>,000. The actual profit amount was $18,592.<br />
10. Section Chairs and Committee Chairs are encouraged to submit material to Scott<br />
Thompson for the CSWEA Website. The suggested use of the Web site is to report<br />
meeting minutes, activities, etc. The <strong>Board</strong>s is also requesting written reports be<br />
submitted to Al Rae for inclusion in the WISILLMINN.<br />
11. The WEF is updating their Ten <strong>States</strong> Standard design. They are looking for<br />
volunteers to serve on the committee to upgrade these documents<br />
Please let me know if you have any questions.<br />
Carol Strackbein<br />
Wisconsin Section Trustee<br />
No Report was received.<br />
WWOA Liaison’s Report – Judy Tholen, Liaison
Collection System – Mike Spence, Chair<br />
Recent Activities:<br />
• The 14 th Annual Collection System Seminar was held on Thursday, June 7 in<br />
<strong>Water</strong>town. It was well attended with 213 registrants and 37 exhibitors. The final<br />
numbers are being confirmed. There will be a profit of over $2000.<br />
Planned Activities:<br />
• Tentative committee meeting set up for the week of 10/3/01 at the WWOA to discuss<br />
nominations for the Golden Manhole Award and Collection System Award;<br />
• Committee meeting to discuss award nominations and next year’s seminar;<br />
Government Affairs – Rusty Schroedel, Chair<br />
The Government Affairs Committee participates with the organization of the annual Government<br />
Affairs Seminar and tracks and notifies the Wisconsin Section membership of regulatory and<br />
legislative issues that could impact the members. The following summarizes each of those<br />
activities. Attached is a listing of committee members.<br />
Government Affairs Seminar<br />
Next year’s meeting is scheduled for February 28, 2002, at the same location, the Marriott<br />
Madison West Hotel in Middleton. Secretary Bazzell agreed to speak next year on his 1st<br />
anniversary on the job<br />
Regulatory and Legislative Issues<br />
A list of items being tracked and the committee member conditionally tracking that item is listed<br />
below.<br />
DNR Ammonia Committee – Jim Smith<br />
PCB Soil Criteria – Dave Taylor<br />
COM 83 – Phil Korth<br />
Stormwater, CSOs, SSOs – Brandon Koltz<br />
Non-Point Program Redesign – Tom Foltz<br />
Nutrient Criteria (National) – Dave Taylor<br />
NR 101 Fees – Chad Olson<br />
Paul Kent has begun to participate and has provided information on a number of topics.<br />
Brandon Koltz of Triad Engineering has replaced Ed Manning.
Other topics planned for tracking in the future are: TMDLs<br />
Reports were received from Dave Taylor, Paul Kent, and Chad Olson.<br />
Information on the Wisconsin Section Web Site<br />
Rusty Schroedel has worked with Scott Thompson regarding getting the Committee reports on<br />
the Web Site. A format has been tentatively selected and will be populated with data shortly.<br />
PCB Soil Criteria Update<br />
Draft criteria have been proposed for both human and ecological receptors. The human<br />
health receptor results in the most limiting criteria. As currently proposed, the soil<br />
criteria would be so low (0.1 to 0.3 parts per billion) that land application in Wisconsin<br />
would be severely impacted and/or eliminated as a biosolids management option. The<br />
current rulemaking schedule calls for the DNR to seek authorization from the Natural<br />
Resources <strong>Board</strong> at its October meeting to take the proposed rule to public hearings.<br />
Actual dates for the hearings need to be established, but DNR is currently looking at the<br />
December/January timeframe.<br />
Concerns regarding the derivation of the proposed criteria remain the same. From a<br />
technical standpoint, criteria derivation is driven by the use of very conservative<br />
exposure assumptions, coupled with a risk level of 10 -7 . While POTW representatives<br />
on the DNR Advisory Committee have highlighted these concerns, there has been little<br />
movement to address these issues.<br />
Wisconsin Section members participating on the PCB Soil Criteria Advisory Committee<br />
continue to advocate for the use of good science, reasonable exposure scenarios,<br />
selection of an appropriate risk level, and the appropriate use of risk management<br />
during the criteria development process. Absent significant changes, this rulemaking<br />
effort will have significant economic impacts to the regulated community. POTWs<br />
should continue to track the progress of this effort and be prepared to participate during<br />
the public hearings.<br />
National Nutrient Criteria<br />
EPA has developed recommended criteria for TP, TN, Chlorophyll a and turbidity.<br />
Notice of these criteria was published in the January 9, <strong>2001</strong> Federal Register. EPA<br />
established a 90-day public comment period for these recommended criteria-the public<br />
comment period was subsequently extended by 30 days and ended on May 9, <strong>2001</strong>.<br />
The criteria are intended as a starting point - <strong>States</strong> may either adopt these criteria or<br />
develop more precise numeric levels (based on sound science) on a site-specific or sub<br />
region-specific basis. <strong>States</strong> are expected to develop associated water quality<br />
standards by 2004. The nutrient documents can be found at the following website:<br />
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/nutrient/ecoregions/factsheet.html<br />
The EPA recommended criteria are very restrictive and are based on 25 th percentile<br />
concentrations. For the ecoregion that encompasses most of Wisconsin, the TP, TN<br />
and Chlorophyll a values for rivers and streams are 0.03 mg/l, 0.54 mg/l and 3.5 ìg/l
espectively. These are extremely restrictive numbers and would place a significant<br />
burden on point dischargers. They would also drive the TMDL process.<br />
State regulators, including representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Natural<br />
Resources have expressed significant concerns about the proposed criteria. Major<br />
concerns include: 1) lack of scientific linkages between the proposed criteria and<br />
designated uses, 2) lack of scientific linkages between the proposed criteria and<br />
ecological endpoints, 3) inadequate timeline for states that choose to develop state<br />
specific criteria, 4) selection of response variables, and 5) the role of Gulf of Mexico<br />
hypoxia in driving criteria derivation. <strong>States</strong> have flexibility to develop their own criteria.<br />
Therefore, it will be extremely important to work closely with DNR to ensure that they<br />
pursue a state-specific approach and follow a reasonable, scientifically valid process<br />
when developing criteria.<br />
Ammonia Advisory Committee<br />
No report.<br />
CSO<br />
No report.<br />
SSO<br />
As part of the budget, the SSO ban is out.<br />
Storm <strong>Water</strong><br />
No report.<br />
NR 101 Fees<br />
In the last report, it was noted that the NR101 rule was revised in the fall of 1999. The<br />
State Legislature directed the DNR to remove the revenue target of $7.49 M/year and<br />
freeze the adjustment factor. The adjustment factor was used by the DNR to insure<br />
they collected the $7.49M. As pollutant loadings dropped, the adjustment factor went<br />
up.<br />
Robert Weber of the Permits Process and Facility Management Section of the DNR was<br />
contacted on <strong>August</strong> 7 for an update on the fees. Robert mentioned that when the<br />
legislature froze the adjustment factor, they also increased the target revenue to $7.95<br />
M/year. This was used to calculate the final adjustment factor. The billings that went<br />
out this year fell short of the $7.95 M target. The DNR will collect around $7.6 M this<br />
year.<br />
If current trends towards lower pollutant loadings continue, the revenue collected<br />
through NR101 fees will decrease.<br />
COM 83<br />
Comm83 appeal was filed.
Industrial Waste – Randy Wirtz, Chair<br />
Since the last <strong>Board</strong> meeting in May, the Industrial Waste Committee has accomplished the<br />
following committee initiatives:<br />
• Promotion of the annual Industrial Environmental Achievement Award<br />
• Tracking of proposed rule developments<br />
Each of these topics are discussed below.<br />
Industrial Environmental Achievement Award<br />
To promote this award, we have identified various publications that industrial members of<br />
CSWEA would have regular exposure to, including the CSWEA website and WISILLMINN, the<br />
WWOA website and The Clarifier, and the Federation of Environmental Technologists’<br />
newsletter (ENVIRONOTES). Each of these professional organizations were contacted to<br />
inquire about having the award summary and notice published. All three organizations<br />
indicated that the notice and summary would be published on their websites and/or their<br />
respective publications in summer or fall.<br />
Rule Developments<br />
The Industrial Waste Committee tracks proposed rules and regulations that could affect our<br />
industrial members.<br />
Proposed Metal Products and Machinery (MP&M) Rule<br />
The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register in early January, <strong>2001</strong>, and comments<br />
were originally due at EPA by May 3, <strong>2001</strong>. The comment deadline was extended to July 2,<br />
<strong>2001</strong>, because of the number and extent of comments made prior to the original deadline. An<br />
<strong>August</strong> 2-3, <strong>2001</strong> meeting in Washington, D.C. was scheduled with EPA, AMSA representatives,<br />
and industry representatives to discuss suggested changes to the rule. AMSA and the industrial<br />
representatives are pushing to have the rule dropped completely. It appears likely that the final<br />
rule, if promulgated, will be significantly different than the proposed rule. EPA has indicated<br />
that they will release a notice of data availability in January 2002, which will include data and<br />
comments from industry, as well as new data collected by EPA.<br />
Please refer to the May <strong>2001</strong> Industrial Committee Report for details on the proposed MP&M<br />
Rules. The rules can also be viewed on EPA’s website at<br />
http://www.epa.gov/ost/guide/mpm/index.html.<br />
Proposed Mercury Rule<br />
This excerpt was downloaded from DNR’s website:<br />
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/news/on/index.htm#art1
A proposed rule limiting mercury emissions into the air from coal-fired power plants and other<br />
sources will be the subject of three public informational meetings coming up in early<br />
September. The proposed rule would cut mercury emissions by 30 percent within five years, 50<br />
percent in 10 years and 90 percent in <strong>15</strong> years from four electric utilities in the state with<br />
significant mercury emissions.<br />
In June, the Natural Resources <strong>Board</strong> authorized public hearings on the rule and directed DNR<br />
staff to gather citizen feedback on several alternatives to portions of the rule pertaining to the<br />
amount and timetable for mercury reduction and emission offsets or other requirements for<br />
new mercury sources. The board also amended the proposal to include evaluation reports every<br />
18 months from DNR staff on scientific and technological developments that could affect a<br />
facility's ability to control or reduce mercury emissions in the future.<br />
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be drafting mercury emissions rules that would<br />
go into effect in 2004.<br />
The informational meetings on the proposed state mercury reduction rule will be held 4:30 to<br />
7:30 p.m. on:<br />
• Wednesday, Sept. 5, Eau Claire - Chippewa Valley Technical College, Auditorium<br />
#M103, 620 W. Clairemont Avenue;<br />
• Thursday, Sept. 6, Rhinelander - James Williams Jr. High School Auditorium, 9<strong>15</strong> Acacia<br />
Lane;<br />
• Tuesday, Sept. 11, Milwaukee - DNR Havenwoods State Forest Auditorium, 6141 N.<br />
Hopkins.<br />
Public hearings on the proposed mercury rule will be held: Sept. 26 in Eau Claire; Sept. 27 in<br />
Rhinelander; Oct. 1 in Milwaukee; Oct. 2 in Appleton; and Oct. 3 in Madison.<br />
Other DNR Initiatives<br />
1. Green Tier Legislation in the Wisconsin budget, program for companies going beyond<br />
compliance, Mike Hammers at DNR<br />
Hammers, Michael D. (WT-Madison); 608-267-7640; hammem@dnr.state.wi.us<br />
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/cea/green_tier/<br />
2. Ammonia advisory committee for WPDES, Rick Reichert at DNR<br />
Reichardt, Richard N. (WT-Madison); 608-267-7894; reichr@dnr.state.wi.us<br />
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/ww/Policies/ammonia.htm 7-1-97<br />
3. Thermal Rule, new advisory committee for temperature limits, Bob Masnado at DNR<br />
Masnado, Robert G. (WT-Madison); 608-267-7662; masnar@dnr.state.wi.us<br />
4. Permit Streamlining – electronic reporting, EDI Pilot Study, Bob Weber at DNR<br />
Weber, Robert H. (WT-Madison); 608-266-7721; weberr@dnr.state.wi.us
Membership – Mike Gerbitz, Chair<br />
No report was received.<br />
Operations – Joe Mandala/Bill Marten, Chairs<br />
• Mailed confirmation letters and Wisconsin Section Travel/Expense Policy to the<br />
three WI-Section CSWEA members who will be participating in the Operations<br />
Challenge <strong>2001</strong> in Atlanta, Georgia.<br />
• WI-Section CSWEA Operations Challenge <strong>2001</strong> participants:<br />
Frank Bonney Bruce Bartel Brian Helminger<br />
Green Bay MSD Green Bay MSD Wolf Treatment Plant<br />
Shawano, WI.<br />
Public Education – Max Anderson, Chair<br />
The Public Education Committee has had no activity in the last three months.<br />
No report was received.<br />
No report was received.<br />
No report was received.<br />
Safety – Ari Mathos, Chair<br />
<strong>Water</strong>shed Management - Mike Doran, Chair<br />
Ad-hoc Strategic Planning – Dan Busch, Chair<br />
Student Activities – Dr. Aga Razvi, Chair<br />
No report was received.<br />
Public Awareness – Vacant, Chair<br />
No report was received.<br />
Spring Biosolids Symposium – Jay Kemp, Chair
No report was received.<br />
<strong>Water</strong>/Wastewater Education Association – Rusty Schroedel, Chair<br />
No report was received.