MWRD Board Approves Legislative Advocacy Policy For PFAS

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting   
February 16, 2023

Board Action:

• During its one-hour board meeting, the Commissioner’s approved a new advocacy policy stating that it is the direction of the Board that organizations and lobbyists that represent the District’s interests and similar utilities’ interests in Congress and the Illinois State Legislature shall draft legislation and circulate it to the MWRD board and staff that will hold manufacturers responsible for all PFAS (Per- and Polyflorinated Substances) direct and indirect expenses born by utilities; that this be in addition to efforts to indemnify utilities against liabilities for PFAS; and requests quarterly reports.  #23-0193 
• Commissioner Sepulveda originally requested a deferment on the request for a 14-year lease on a piece of MWRD property.  She asked the staff to write a memo to the Board using the recently passed Land Use Criteria to show that all the criteria were applied in considering the Lease.  The Commissioner later rescinded the deferment but said she would expect that the criteria considerations would be summarized in the requested letter.  #23-0166.
• The Board offered three resolutions: 1. Celebrating the life of recently passed Laurence Msall, President of the Chicago Civic Federation; 2. Recognizing National Engineers Week and honoring the Society of Women Engineers; 3. Recognizing February as Black History Month and honoring Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton and Shermann Thomas, a well-known social media activist for the black community.
• All other items/resolutions were passed without discussion.  There were no Stormwater resolutions.

New Business:

• Commissioner Garcia asked ED Perovich if staff has contacted EPA Region V’s Director regarding PFAS and to lobby for the EPA to start including Waste Water in addition to Drinking Water in its research.  Commissioner Davis indicated that only the Federal EPA can pass policy and that recent information indicates that it has started to move on this issue.  The Board asked for a copy of the EPA information.
• Commission Spyropoulos asked that ED Perkovich summarize the discussions around PFAS at a recent national water association meeting he attended.  Commissioner Sepulveda asked that the letter also include an update on the new activities that the MWRD staff has undertaken around the PFAS issue.

Observer:  Diane Edmundson