AMERICAN Flow Control Works With EPA to Clarify Requirements of Water System Legislation

AMERICAN Flow Control has been working with the EPA to obtain clarification of the EPA’s March 20, 2014, guidance document outlining water systems’ compliance with the American Iron and Steel (AIS) provision cited in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014.

The Act, signed into law on Jan. 17, 2014, stipulates that all entities receiving federal assistance in 2014 through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) or Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) must use products produced in the U.S. “Incidental valve and hydrant parts, some of which are not readily available in the U.S., were not specifically addressed in the document,” said John Hagelskamp, AMERICAN Flow Control division manager. “It was important – to us and our customers – that the EPA provide further guidance as to whether the AIS requirement covered these minor parts, such as washers, nuts, bolts and actuators.”

On May 30, 2014, the EPA issued a Q&A document clarifying the AIS requirement. It includes the following statement: “For purposes of the 2014 AIS requirement, the EPA considers only the significant iron and steel components of a covered valve or hydrant – the body, bonnet, shoe, stem, and wedge/disc/gate/ball – to be within the definition of ‘iron and steel products that must be made domestically, or otherwise must comply with the AIS requirement.’”

State revolving funds, at the center of this legislation, are aimed at providing cities and utilities with low-cost financing to install, upgrade and replace water systems to ensure safe drinking water for their millions of customers. “AMERICAN supports this legislation,” Hagelskamp said. “It’s good for U.S. cities and manufacturers, and along with other infrastructure legislation, such as the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, it will help rebuild and strengthen our nation’s aging water systems.”

AMERICAN Flow Control, one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of valves and hydrants, is a division of AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Company. The company was founded in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1905. In addition to valves and hydrants, AMERICAN produces ductile iron pipe and spiral-welded steel pipe for the waterworks industry and steel pipe for the oil and natural gas industries. AMERICAN’s diversified product line also includes static castings and high-performance fire pumps.