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Water Headlines for October 27, 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 Rule Boosts Protection of Underground Drinking WaterMore than 100 million Americans will enjoy greater protection of their drinking water under a new rule signed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on October 11. The rule targets utilities that provide water from underground sources and requires greater vigilance for potential contamination by disease-causing microorganisms. “The Bush Administration's Ground Water Rule boosts drinking water purity and public health security,” said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for Water. “These first-ever standards will help communities prevent, detect and correct tainted ground water problems so citizens continue to have clean and affordable drinking water.” The risk-targeting strategy incorporated in the rule provides for:
A ground water system is subject to triggered source-water monitoring if its treatment methods don't already remove 99.99 percent of viruses. Systems must begin to comply with the new requirements by Dec. 1, 2009. Ground Water Rule and more information about drinking water: http://epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/gwr/USDA and EPA Sign Water Quality Credit Trading Agreement, Agreement Offers Farmers and Ranchers Market-based Incentives To Improve Water QualityOn October 13, USDA Natural Resources and Environment Under Secretary Mark Rey and Benjamin Grumbles, Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water, signed a partnership agreement to establish and promote water quality credit trading markets through cooperative conservation. The agreement features a pilot project within the Chesapeake Bay basin to showcase the effectiveness of environmental markets. “Trading for upgrading water quality is the wave of the future,” said Grumbles. “We are committed to giving good stewards credit and partnering with agriculture to accelerate restoration and protection. This agreement is a big step forward.” Water quality credit trading uses a market-based approach that offers incentives to farmers and ranchers who implement conservation practices that improve water quality. While reducing pollution, they can earn credits they can trade with industrial or municipal facilities that are required by the Clean Water Act and other laws to reduce the amounts of pollution in wastewater. Water Quality Trading Agreement and more information about water quality trading http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/trading.htm EPA Charts Bold Course for America's OceansOn October 23, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson and Assistant Administrator Benjamin Grumbles took a first-hand look at the agency's oceans and coastal monitoring capabilities aboard EPA's oceanographic vessel, the Bold. Local officials joined Administrator Johnson on the floating laboratory while he discussed EPA's commitment to protecting the health of America's oceans and coastal waters, as well as the success of the local EPA-supported Tampa Bay Estuary Program. “President Bush and EPA are ensuring the beauty and health of our oceans will be enjoyed by future generations of Americans,” said EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. “Through this floating laboratory, EPA is charting a healthier course for our oceans.” The Bold is EPA’s 224-foot ocean monitoring and assessment flagship that is an integral part of the agency’s ongoing commitment to the protection of the marine environment. The Bold is equipped with state-of-the art sampling, mapping, and analysis equipment including side scan sonar, underwater video, water sampling instruments, and sediment sampling devices, which scientists use in various monitoring activities. This past year alone the Bold has supported research on topics such as red tide, coral reefs, Gulf hypoxia, and dredged material dumpsites. Dredged material sites are monitored as required under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, a major milestone in the protection of the marine environment, which became law 34 years ago. For more information on the OSV BOLD, please visit http://www.epa.gov/bold/ For more information about the National Estuary Program, please visit http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/ EPA updates web site and releases new guidance to promote protection of sources of drinking waterOver the last several years, states and water utilities completed assessments to determine the susceptibility of drinking water to potential sources of contamination. EPA has updated its web site to provide more information about how local communities can protect their drinking water - including a series of case studies about efforts at the state and local level. EPA is also releasing a guide to help source water protection partners (e.g., public and private individuals and organizations) to voluntarily update assessments, which may not reflect changes in land use or other activities that may have occurred since the assessments were first completed back in 2003. The “How to Manual: Update and Enhance Your Local Source Water Protection Assessments” will provide the reasons for updating local source water assessments and explain how partners can serve as major players in accomplishing the task. The guidance is available on the newly updated Source Water Protection pages at http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/sourcewater/ 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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