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Water Headlines for December 31, 2007Benjamin H. Grumbles Water Headlines is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water. In This Week’s Water Headlines:
Energy Bill Emphasizes Low Impact Development Practices for Federal ProjectsThe recently signed Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires that "The sponsor of any development or redevelopment project involving a Federal facility with a footprint that exceeds 5,000 square feet shall use site planning, design, construction, and maintenance strategies for the property to maintain or restore, to the maximum extent technically feasible, the predevelopment hydrology of the property with regard to the temperature, rate, volume, and duration of flow." See Section 438 entitled "Storm Water Runoff Requirements For Federal Development Projects." Office of Water staff will work with an interagency committee led by the Federal Environmental Executive to help develop appropriate implementation procedures. More information will be available as the law is implemented. States Chosen for Unique Source Water Protection Project
The Trust for Public Land, the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, the Association of Drinking Water Administrators and River Network have announced that Maine, New Hampshire and Ohio have been selected for the first round of demonstrations under a unique project to align state water quality protection and land use programs and policies to better protect drinking water sources. These three states demonstrated a high level of commitment to source water protection, as well as timely policy initiatives and support for finding linkages among state programs. A second “Call for Entries” is planned for summer 2008, and the team expects to select three additional states following that process. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded project, Enabling Source Water Protection: Aligning State Land Use and Water Protection Programs, will provide the selected states with recommendations based on state-specific program reviews, consultation with experts on best practices from around the country, exposure to other state examples and strategies, strategies for improving funding for water protection, and a support network (both within and outside government) for implementation. For more information on the project details, the project team, and the next round of applications, visit http://www.landuseandwater.org EPA Seeks Public Input on Draft Cruise Ship Discharge ReportEPA is seeking public comment on the Draft Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report that will be used to help the agency develop the final report and identify a range of alternatives for addressing waste streams from cruise ships. The draft report assesses five waste streams from cruise ships: sewage, graywater, oily bilge water, solid waste and hazardous waste. For each waste stream, the draft report discusses the nature and volume of the waste stream generated; existing federal regulations applicable to the waste stream; environmental management, including treatment, of the waste stream; potential adverse environmental impacts of the waste stream; and actions by the federal government to address the waste stream. EPA also is seeking public input on options, alternatives, and recommendations on whether and how to better control and regulate the five waste streams. EPA intends to use this public input to help identify a range of options and alternatives to address these waste streams as it completes the Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report. EPA has performed a comprehensive, multi-year evaluation of cruise ship sewage and graywater to better understand the nature of these waste streams. Complete results of that evaluation will be made public in 2008, and are summarized in this draft report as well. The public has 45 days to comment on the draft report. Comments must be received on or before February 4, 2008. Learn more about the report and download it: http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/cruise_ships/disch_assess.html National Wetlands Awards 2008 Nominations
The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2008 National Wetlands Awards Program is approaching! Nomination forms must be emailed or postmarked by January 15, 2008. The Awards Program honors individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the conservation and restoration of our nation’s wetlands. Take time to recognize exceptional individual achievement in wetlands conservation by submitting a nomination for a 2008 National Wetlands Award today. The 2008 Awards will be given in six categories: Education and Outreach; Science Research; Conservation and Restoration; Landowner Stewardship; State, Tribal, and Local Program Development; and Wetland Community Leader. Program co-sponsors – the Environmental Law Institute, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Federal Highway Administration – believe that rewarding these efforts helps to ensure that future generations will have quality wetlands, biological diversity, and clean water. For more information on the program and instructions for submitting a nomination, please visit http://www.nationalwetlandsawards.org Release of Request for Proposals (RFP) for Five Star Restoration Training GrantEPA is requesting proposals for applicants to manage the Five Star Restoration Training subgrant program. The Five Star Restoration Training Grant is a national scale subgranting mechanism initiated in 1999 to provide subgrants to brings together students, conservation corps, other youth groups, citizen groups, corporations, landowners and government agencies to provide environmental education and training through community-based on-the-ground projects that restore wetlands and other aquatic resources. Proposals must be received by EPA by 4:30 P.M. EST February 1, 2008 for hardcopy submission or by electronic submission through Grants.gov by 11:59 P.M. EST February 1, 2008. Additional information on the Five Star Restoration Training program can be found at http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/restore/5star/ and the Five Star Training Grant RFP can be found on http://www.grants.gov or at http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/pdf/5starRFPfinal.pdf. For additional information please contact Myra Price at price.myra@epa.gov, or phone, (202) 566-1225. Water and Energy Reuse at Research CenterThe Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington reuses water and saves energy to help lower its overall operating costs. Due to the high need for washing glassware and other research equipment, they have identified washing processes where water can be used to pre-wash other areas, thus reducing overall water consumption. For washing processes that require high temperature water, the heat from the water is captured and used to pre-heat other processes, thus reducing overall energy consumption. The research center looks inward for innovation, and relies upon internal staff to identify and implement both the water and energy efficiency improvements. Subscribe to Water HeadlinesPlease forward this message to your friends and colleagues who share an interest in water-related issues and would like to hear from EPA’s Office of Water. To subscribe to the Water Headlines listserve: Send an email message, leave the subject line blank, and address it to: In the body of the message write: Subscribe Water Headlines first name last name (Please leave one blank space between each word, do not include any other message, and use your actual name- i.e. Subscribe Water Headlines Robert Jones)
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