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Water Headlines for May 26, 2006Benjamin 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:
New, Simplified Handbook for Drinking Water Security Systems and First RespondersA Water Security Handbook: Planning for and Responding to Drinking Water Contamination Threats and Incidents will help drinking water systems understand the basics of planning for and responding to threatened or actual incidents. This simplified version of the Response Protocol Toolbox: Planning for and Responding to Drinking Water Contamination Threats and Incidents covers the overall concepts and principals in less detail than the full version. The document contains information targeted primarily at drinking water utility personnel, small systems, and managers as well as secondarily health officials, laboratories, fire, police, emergency medical services, and local, state, and federal officials. Information on the Handbook can be found at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/. Tools to Assist Small Drinking Water Systems in Complying with the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts RuleThree new guides are available for small drinking water systems to comply with the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (Stage 1 DBPR), which is intended to protect against health risks associated with certain disinfection byproducts. Complying With the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule: Basic Guide, Supplement A and Supplement B - Part of the Simple Tools for Effective Performance (STEP) Series will be made available to drinking water utility staff, state regulators, and technical assistance providers in order to demystify the complexities of the rule for different categories of water systems that use various types of disinfection treatment. These guides will help drinking water system operators to comply with the Stage 1 DBPR by providing information about (1) the health risks associated with disinfectants, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), and residual disinfectants; (2) the monitoring requirements of the Stage 1 DBPR; (3) how to determine if you are in compliance; (4) what to report to the state and customers; and (5) how to maintain compliance through partnerships, treatment, and other options. These guides and additional information on implementing microbial and disinfection byproduct rules are available on EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/mdbp/implement.html. Stormwater Regulation Provision Streamlines Construction Site RequirementsOn May 8, Assistant Administrator for Water, Ben Grumbles, sent a letter to Regional Administrators encouraging permitting authorities to make use of the "Qualifying Local Programs" provisions in the stormwater regulations. These provisions offer an opportunity to streamline administrative requirements in the stormwater program by formally recognizing local construction management programs that meet or exceed the provisions in EPA's construction general permit. Recognition of qualifying local programs eases the burden on construction site operators by providing them with one set of requirements to follow. A strong municipal program for construction site stormwater runoff, that meets the same basic provisions as the state program, can be recognized in the state’s Construction General Permit. These municipal programs become the primary regulatory authority for construction site operators in that area. The Phase II regulations require approximately 5000 municipalities to develop and implement comprehensive stormwater programs, including programs to manage stormwater runoff from construction sites. As these programs come online (municipalities have five years to fully implement their programs), state permitting authorities should take advantage of opportunities to recognize good programs and to streamline requirements where ever possible. The Office of Water will be preparing brief case studies based on current State use of this provision as well as some further guidance about how to review municipal construction programs. For additional information, contact Nikos Singelis in the Water Permits Division at 202-564-0692. EPA Seeks Comments on CWA Section 106 Tribal Grant GuidanceA new EPA document will help Indian Tribes design and implement effective and successful water quality programs. The Guidance on Awards of Grants to Indian Tribes under Section 106 of the Clean Water Act provides a framework for evaluating program results and clearly defining expectations and requirements for Tribal grant recipients. During the past 10 years, EPA has increased funding available for Section 106 grants to Indian Tribes from $3 million to $25 million per year. Although many Tribes have implemented successful water quality programs using Section 106 grants, these guidelines will help to strengthen uniformity in program management nationally and improve the quality and access to data on the results of Tribal water quality grant investments. "These guidelines will help redefine how Tribes and the Clean Water Act work together," said Benjamin Grumbles, EPA’s assistant administrator for the Office of Water. "It is an exciting step forward in helping to protect, restore and maintain the physical and biological integrity of our nation's waters." Reporting requirements and data management expectations for all Tribal programs are key components of the proposed Guidance. Data collected as a result of these reporting requirements will help EPA measure environmental results and comply with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) and other federal mandates. Comments on the proposed Guidance must be received on or before June 26, 2006. Additional information is available on the Water Pollution Control Program Grants web page at: http://www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/106tgg07.htm. EPA to Sponsor National Beach Conference 2006This October in Niagra Falls, EPA is sponsoring a 3-day conference in collaboration with the Great Lakes Beach Association. It will provide a national framework for discussion of beach water quality issues, exchange of information, and coordination of efforts in research and decision making. The conference format will consist of presentations and panel discussions. Scheduled for October 10-13, this conference will be similar to the 2004 National Beach Conference held in San Diego, California. For more information on the conference, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/. EPA to Sponsor Webcast on June 28thEPA’s Watershed Academy sponsors monthly Webcasts to offer free training and information for watershed practitioners around the globe. The next Webcast on Wednesday, June 28th will feature Charlie MacPherson with Tetra Tech, Inc. and Christopher Conner with the Chesapeake Bay Program. These widely renowned outreach specialists will provide an overview of social marketing principles and then proceed through the steps needed to make audiences aware of an issue, recognize audiences' underlying motivations, and encourage behavioral change. A case study presentation will highlight the key social marketing principles used to change behaviors in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Registration is available on a first-come/first-served basis and will open on June 21, 2006. Each Webcast includes a Web-based slide presentation with a companion audio portion that can be accessed either by phone or by streaming audio broadcast. For more information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts. On May 17th, in conjunction with Americans Wetlands Month, the Academy hosted a Webcast on Integrating Wetlands into Watershed Protection Efforts featuring Tom Schueler with the Center for Watershed Protection. The Webcast attracted more than 270 participants from 38 states and the District of Columbia. Audio versions of this and past Webcasts are available at: http://www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts. You can also download the presentation as a Podcast. For more information about how local tools can help protect wetlands, please visit: http://www.cwp.org/wetlands/index.htm Simple Steps to a Water Efficient YardBeing smart with how we use water in our yards is easy and can make a real difference. If we all did our part to maximize water efficiency in our yards, we could reduce water use by 1.5 billion gallons every day! If you have a landscape irrigation system or are in the market for one, look for systems that use rain or moisture sensors. This will help ensure that only the needed amount of water is applied to your landscape. Also, double check your sprinkler head settings to ensure they are only watering the lawn and garden, not the sidewalk! There are other simple things you can do be more efficient; for example: fix irrigation system leaks, avoid over-watering and water during the coolest part of the day, preferably morning. In the coming months the EPA will be announcing a new partnership program that will include a label for products that use less water along with an outreach campaign to educate consumers about how to use water more efficiently. Watching our water usage today will go a long ways in ensuring an adequate water supply in the future. 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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