A nine-month investigation by the Guardian and Consumer Reports found high levels of PFAS, arsenic, and lead in tap water samples taken across the country.

Zebra mussels, a harmful invasive species, are cropping up in moss balls used in aquarium tanks. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is encouraging consumers to follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service disposal directions.

The EPA Southeast New England Program is seeking applications for a new Pilot Watershed Initiative.

A recent Bloomberg article covers the striking increase in sewer backups in the last year with people using and flushing more wipes.

Water associations respond positively to President Biden's American Jobs Plan. The plan includes a $111 billion investment in water and wastewater infrastructure.

The EPA’s Biosolids Program published their Summary of the EPA Nationals Biosolids Meeting 2020 and their Summary of the EPA Biosolids PFOA & PFOS Problem Formulation Meeting. The EPA’s PFAS Innovative Treatment Team evaluated PFAS destruction technologies and prepared a series of Research Briefs that provide an overview of four technologies.

EPA announced changes to its Science Advisory Board and the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee in a move to return to standard practice of incorporating a balanced group of experts.

Registration is now open for the 31st Nonpoint Source Conference. The event will be held virtually May 20, 25, and 27.

Wastewater operator training is in full swing, with more than 30 live, virtual classes scheduled through the spring. New classes are being added on a rolling basis.

Homeowners in Empire State may apply for grant support to assist with replacing aging home septic systems through the New York State Septic Replacement Program. The program provides $75 million in grants to homeowners to improve water quality and protect public health.

Despite winter precipitation, New Hampshire may be heading into an early spring drought, potentially affecting drinking water.

We have a lot to be excited about. Kudos, shout outs, thanks are abundant this month. Read on to learn more.

Richard Friesner, NEIWPCC’s director of Water Quality, presented “Progress in Water Quality…But Still More Work to Do” for the Climate Change Initiative, a research center at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Friesner’s talk focused on the Clean Water Act’s framework, water quality progress over its 50-year history, and current events related to our country’s surface water quality.

The New England Water Environment Association awarded three talented water professionals affiliated with NEIWPCC during their annual conference earlier this year, including Don Kennedy (see story above).

NEIWPCC Commissioner John Sullivan, received the Elizabeth A. Cutone Executive Leadership award. Sullivan is the chief engineer with Boston Water and Sewer.

Nora Lough, an instructor for NEIWPCC’s wastewater operator training program, received the Clair N. Sawyer Award, acknowledging her outstanding service in the wastewater industry in teaching, training, research, and innovation. Lough is the owner and lead instructor for Clean Water Training and Solutions, LLC and a biologist with the Narragansett Bay Commission.

Julia Twitchell, a NEIWPCC environmental analyst and watershed and GIS specialist for the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, recently completed the award-winning story map “How Do We Use Our Coasts?” The map received the Best Interagency Collaboration award from the 2021 Esri Federal GIS Conference Map Gallery. Twichell collaborated with EPA staff.

Kudos to Maryann Dugan, NEIWPCC environmental analyst, and Vivian Frausto, NEIWPCC events and operations coordinator, for their coordination efforts in producing NEIWPCC’s first all-virtual conference, for Northeast aquatic biologists, held over four days in March (see story above).

Three NEIWPCC environmental analysts presented at the conference: Megan Lung, Hudson River Estuary Program, “A Look Back at the Action Agenda: Barrier Removal from 2015-2025 in the Hudson River Estuary;” Charles Stoll, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, “Chloride Concentrations Across New York State Flowing Waters;” and Matthew Vaughan, Lake Champlain Basin Program, “Lessons Learned from Three Decades of Water Quality Monitoring on Lake Champlain.”

Emma Gildesgame, NEIWPCC environmental analyst, recently published an updated Water Quality Standards Matrix to NEIWPCC’s website. The matrix compares how NEIWPCC states and the Environmental Protection Agency regulate 30 distinct water quality standards (see story above).

Courtney Schmidt, NEIWPCC environmental analyst and Narragansett Bay Estuary Program staff scientist, is the new president-elect of the New England Estuarine Research Society. Schmidt has been serving as the organization’s treasurer since 2014. She will complete three, two-year terms as president-elect, president, and past-president before stepping down in 2026.

Ashley Inserillo, NEIWPCC program manager at the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Bureau of Water Protection, was awarded the 2020 NEIWPCC Annual Achievement Award during our All Staff Meeting in March. Inserillo was nominated by multiple team members for her leadership, setting a tone of collaboration, mutual respect, unity, and resourcefulness. Despite the pandemic, Inserillo successfully built strong relationships within the state health and environmental protection agencies and stepped in, mid-year, as the new capacity development coordinator for NYSDOH.