The federal government has announced an interagency National Drought Resilience Partnership to help communities better prepare for future droughts and reduce the impact of drought on the economy. The partnership is designed to make it easier to access federal resources, as well as information such as monitoring and forecasts. Outlooks and early warnings with longer-term … Read more
Since 1999, facilities such as water and wastewater treatment plants, propane storage facilities, chemical distributors, and others that store specific amounts of the chemicals listed in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations §68.190 have been required to maintain and follow a Risk Management Program documented in a Risk Management Plan (RMP). The original … Read more
Across the region, more and more water utilities have adopted rate structures intended to encourage responsible water use. Conservation rate structures are particularly common in Minnesota, where the state has taken deliberate steps to encourage conservation measures. In April 2012, Minnesota signed into law revisions to Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 103G.291, subdivision 4. … Read more
The 2013 AE2S Nexus North Central Region Utility Rate Survey for systems serving less than 5,000 people included information related to rural/regional water systems in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In 2013, 37 rural/regional systems responded to the survey, with 46 percent of respondents from North Dakota, 35 percent from South Dakota, 11 … Read more
The U.S. House approved the Water Resources Reform Development Act (WRRDA) in late October. However, the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) that was included in the U.S. Senate’s version of the bill was removed from the House version. Now the American Water Works Association (AWWA) is teaming up with 10 other organizations to … Read more
State, county, and municipal leaders across the country are concerned about a portion of President Obama’s FY 2014 budget that would omit the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds. The exemption is blamed for causing the federal government to lose an estimated $30 billion in revenue in 2012. However, according to the “Protecting Bonds to Save … Read more