The Rundown
- EPA finalizes a rule extending the compliance deadline for coal-fired power plants to reduce their wastewater pollution.
- President Trump vetoes a bipartisan water infrastructure project in Colorado.
- A water rights settlement for the Yavapai-Apache Nation is introduced again in Congress.
- USGS investigates wastewater chemicals in Grand Canyon springs.
- A cloudburst in Wisconsin this summer set a state precipitation record.
And lastly, the Supreme Court declines to hear a California water case.
“H.R. 131 would continue the failed policies of the past by forcing Federal taxpayers to bear even more of the massive costs of a local water project – a local water project that, as initially conceived, was supposed to be paid for by the localities using it. Enough is enough. My Administration is committed to preventing American taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable policies. Ending the massive cost of taxpayer handouts and restoring fiscal sanity is vital to economic growth and the fiscal health of the Nation.” – President Trump’s reason for vetoing a bill to complete the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a water supply project in southeastern Colorado that was approved in 1962 but still is not finished.
Instead of economics as the reason for the veto, others see a politically motivated attack, the Colorado Sun reports. The administration has recently targeted Colorado – by not approving disaster relief and cutting a climate research institute – for the state’s refusal to release from prison a former county clerk convicted of election interference.
By the Numbers
14.55 Inches: New 24-hour rainfall record for Wisconsin, recently certified by a committee that included NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The cloudburst happened in August and exceeded the state’s previous record by nearly three inches.
In context: The Next Deluge May Go Differently
News Briefs
Tribal Water Rights Settlement
A bill introduced in the House would approve a water rights settlement with the Yavapai-Apache Nation.
In addition to water rights, the bill guarantees a minimum flow in the Verde River, which crosses the nation’s lands in northern Arizona. The bill also provides funding for a 60-mile water supply pipeline and a water treatment plant.
This will be a second attempt at approving the settlement. Congress failed to pass a similar bill in its previous session.
Power Plant Wastewater Cleanup Extension
The EPA finalized a rule that extends the deadline for coal-fired power plants to install equipment to remove toxic metals in their wastewater.
The agency offered two justifications for the delay: rising electricity demand and supply chain snags. In the agency’s view, this means not placing additional costs on coal plants.
Most deadlines will be extended by five years, to December 31, 2034.
The rule goes into effect on March 2.
High Court Does Not Take California Water Case
The U.S. Supreme Court, in mid-December, declined to hear a California water case, SJV Water reports.
The case centered on water allocation decisions made by the Bureau of Reclamation during California’s 2014-15 drought years. A group of Central Valley farmers claimed that they were not compensated for water that was not delivered.
Studies and Reports
Wastewater Contaminants in Grand Canyon Springs
Water sampling in 2021 found PFAS in several springs along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and in one spring, pharmaceutical compounds like antihistamines. The U.S. Geological Survey investigated whether the South Rim’s wastewater treatment plant could be a source.
The answer is a qualified ‘Yes.’ The area’s geology and hydrology – influenced by faults and various rock types – is complex. And springs have different flow patterns. Still, some chemical tracers were conclusive.
“The initial results suggest there is a connection between [the South Rim Wastewater Treatment Plant] and Monument Spring, but the potential flow paths and the extent of the connection to other South Rim springs are still unknown,” the report states.
The chemical concentrations were found generally to be low. But more research is needed to better understand the effects of long-term, low-level exposure for the canyon’s ecology.
On the Radar
WOTUS Public Comment Period Ending
Today is the last final to submit public comments on the EPA’s proposal to narrow the definition of wetlands and streams that are protected under the Clean Water Act.
The agency’s actions are in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 Sackett decision that took a restrictive view of federal regulatory authority over wetlands.
Submit comments via www.regulations.gov using docket number EPA–HQ–OW–2025–0322.
House Forests and Water Hearing
On January 8, a House Natural Resources subcommittee will hold a hearing on how the nation’s forests contribute to reliable water and power.
Planning for Natural Hazards
On January 22, the EPA will host a webinar for water utilities to discuss tools for incorporating natural hazard risks into resilience assessments.
Federal Water Tap is a weekly digest spotting trends in U.S. government water policy. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
