Blog | FirmoGraphs, LLC

Water & Wastewater Market Recap, October 2021

Written by FirmoGraphs Staff | Nov 12, 2021 1:14:48 PM

Our October 2021 Water and Wastewater Market Recap is a snapshot of water industry insights. We share industry drivers, notable projects, recent mergers and acquisitions, interesting reads, and updates on upcoming meetings and conferences.

Industry Drivers

Our data team tracks new and updated industry drivers. Here are some recent drivers we have been following this month:

EPA Releases Comprehensive Strategy to Deal With PFAS Pollution

Status: Effective

Organization: Environmental Protection Agency

Summary: On October 18, 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency released its  Strategic Roadmap for confronting PFAS contamination. 

The Roadmap lays out:

  • Aggressive timelines to set enforceable drinking water limits under the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure water is safe to drink in every community.
  • A hazardous substance designation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act  to strengthen the ability to hold polluters financially accountable.
  • Timelines for action — whether it is data collection or rulemaking — on Effluent Guideline Limitations under the Clean Water Act for nine industrial categories.
  • A review of past actions on PFAS taken under the Toxic Substances Control Act to address those that were insufficiently protective.
  • Increased monitoring, data collection, and research to enable the agency to identify what actions are needed and when to take them.
  • A final toxicity assessment for GenX chemicals that can be used to develop health advisories that will help communities make informed decisions to protect human health and ecological wellness.
  • Continued efforts to build the technical foundation needed on PFAS air emissions to inform future actions under the Clean Air Act.  

Click here for more information 

 

California Opens Comment Period for Regional Flood Management Planning Guidelines

Status: Proposed

Organization: California Department of Water Resources

Summary: On October 19, 2021, the California Department of Water Resources opened a 45-day public comment period for its Regional Flood Management Program Draft Guidelines. The program will provide funding to local public agencies willing to work with stakeholders in their region to pursue local funding mechanisms and regional consolidation. Following the close of the public comment period at 5 p.m. on December 3, 2021, and review of public comments, the department will release the Final Guidelines and hold three online public workshops.

Click here for more information 

EPA Responds to New Mexico Governor and Acts to Address PFAS Under Hazardous Waste Law

Status: Effective

Organization: Environmental Protection Agency

Summary: On October 26, 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it is acting upon a petition from New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham  asking that PFAS be identified as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The agency said it is initiating two new rulemakings, one that proposes adding four PFAS chemicals as RCRA Hazardous Constituents under Appendix VIII and another that would clarify in its regulations that the RCRA Corrective Action Program has the authority to require investigation and cleanup for wastes that meet the statutory definition of hazardous waste, as defined under RCRA section 1004(5).

Click here for more information 

California Releases Proposal Solicitation Package for 2021 Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Funding

Status: Effective

Organization: California Department of Water Resources

Summary: On October 28, 2021, the California Department of Water Resources released the final Guidelines and Proposal Solicitation Package for the Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Funding Program. Under the program, the department will provide $190 million in grants:

  • For communities, including Tribes, facing the contamination or loss of their water supplies due to the drought;
  •  And to address immediate drought impacts on human health and safety, protect fish and wildlife resources, and provide other public benefits, such as ecosystem improvements. 

Click here for more information 

 

Notable Capital Improvement Programs

Here are some recent, notable Capital Improvement Programs (CIPs). FirmoGraphs has deconstructed the CIPs into data elements, along with available project descriptions. Please feel free to request a meeting and review the data live in our business intelligence application.

Moulton Niguel Water District FY 2021-2022 10-Year CIP Boosts Spending 15%

The Moulton Niguel Water District FY 2021-2022 10-Year Capital Improvement Program allocates $610.9 million to projects, up 15% from $533.2 million in the district’s FY 2020-2021 10-Year CIP. The table below shows the types of projects the district plans to undertake and the amounts it allocated for them in its last two capital plans.

The most expensive project in the FY 2021-2022 10-year CIP is the Pipeline Rehabilitation and Replacement Program – PW, which has $100 million allocated to it, all in fiscal years 2024-25 to 2030-31. It’s followed by the SOCWA Capital PC 17 Program, which has $88 million allocated to it, including $63.6 million in fiscal years 2024-25 to 2030-31; ; and the Vertical Assets Rehabilitation and Replacement Program - PW, which has $37 million allocated to it, including $24.6 million in fiscal years 2024-25 to 2030-31.

Source

 

Boulder, Colorado Allocates $431.6 Million to Water Projects in 2022-2027 CIP

The City of Boulder, Colorado, has issued its Recommended 2022-2027 Capital Improvement Program, which details capital spending of $683.6 million, an increase of 1.2% from the $675.6 million in capital spending detailed in its 2021-2026 CIP. Boulder allocated $431.6 million to its Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater & Flood utilities in its most recent CIP. The table below breaks down the spending in both CIPs by business areas and departments.

According to Boulder’s 2022-2027 CIP, the city’s Water Utility plans to spend $47.3 million on capital enhancement projects and $103.7 million on capital maintenance projects; its Wastewater Utility plans to spend $28.4 million on capital enhancement projects and $111.1 million on capital maintenance projects; and its Stormwater & Flood Management Utility plans to spend $120.9 million on capital enhancement projects and $10.8 million on capital maintenance projects.

Source

 

What We Are Reading

Here are some recent articles our team has been reading:



Meeting Planner

Organizations have shifted their event strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic.  We are tracking these changing meeting plans. 

Meetings in November and December 2021


Early Birds Registration

Call for Papers