4 Water Stories To Watch In 2021; PFAS, Water Customer Debt, Colorado Basin Drought, Biden Policies
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Water Scarcity in the Drying Colorado River Basin
The basin enters the new year with its vital signs flagging. Almost the entire seven-state watershed is in an exceptionally severe drought, and the basin as a whole is becoming drier as the region warms. Combined storage in lakes Mead and Powell, the two massive reservoirs that regulate water supplies in the basin, is just over 40 percent of capacity. Or, in other terms, 60 percent empty. The near-term weather forecast is no better, with drought conditions expected through March. Dry ground and warm days mean that the soil and the air will cut into the melting snowpack that feeds rivers and lakes.
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The Biden Administration’s Agenda
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In laying the groundwork for his first term, Biden has rallied around the slogan Build Back Better, emphasizing pandemic response, economic recovery, environmental justice, and decreasing carbon emissions. For water, those priorities could play out in a number of ways, from investment in drinking water systems on tribal lands to cleaning up abandoned mines or stiffer regulation of toxic PFAS compounds. Reviewing regulations that have already finalized, such as the rule defining which water bodies are protected under the Clean Water Act, will take more time.
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The Growing Burden of Customer Water Debt
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With the health emergency entering its tenth month, the ranks of those who owe money to their water departments has grown considerably, especially for poorer households. How to rein in those debts and maintain service to struggling customers will be a key question for water utilities, whose financial outlook is generally very strong, analysts say. Many utilities, acting unilaterally or according to state orders, stopped shutting off water in March to households that were behind on their bills. Many also halted late fees. While the moratoria helped to keep water flowing during the health emergency, they also caused past-due balances to rise. Without a penalty for not paying bills, a growing number of households are falling farther behind.
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PFAS Lawsuits
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One legal action to watch is a lawsuit filed by 11 water districts and cities in Orange County, California. Seeking compensation for the cost of cleanup and treatment, the districts sued DuPont, 3M, and Decra Roofing for contaminating groundwater and surface water with PFAS compounds. DuPont and 3M manufactured the chemicals, but Decra did not. The company used them in its roofing products. Only one previous PFAS lawsuit has targeted a company who was not a chemical manufacturer. In that case, Wolverine World Wide, a shoe maker, settled with the state of Michigan for $113 million.
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https://www.circleofblue.org/2021/world/four-u-s-water-stories-to-watch-in-2021/
