EPA's Office of Water recently issued an important new tool to help wastewater utilities develop environmental management systems (EMS) for their operations entitled Achieving Environmental Excellence:An Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Handbook for Wastewater Utilities. EMSs are a powerful and proven tool that can help utilities realize a number of important benefits and address a wide array of challenges--including the need to ensure sustainable infrastructure.

The Handbook, which was developed in cooperation with the Global Environment and Technology Foundation (GETF), takes utilities through a step-by-step process for developing an effective EMS, using numerous examples and other tips from utilities that have successfully implemented EMSs for their own operations.

The Handbook is available at www.peercenter.net, www.epa.gov/ems, www.amsa-cleanwater.org and www.wef.org.

For further information, please contact Jim Horne at (202) 564-0571, horne.james@epa.gov.