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Water Headlines for April 20, 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:
EPA, National Water Groups Promote "Green Infrastructure" Solutions to PollutionEPA Administrator Stephen Johnson celebrated Earth Day by signing a statement of intent at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center with four national organizations to promote the use of "green infrastructure" approaches, such as rain-catching roofs and gardens, to lessen sewer overflows and runoff after storms. "Earth Day is an annual reminder to all Americans that environmental responsibility is everyone’s responsibility," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "EPA is pleased to join our water infrastructure partners to help communities understand the environmental and economic benefits of going ’green.’" The statement formalizes a collaborative effort among EPA, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Low Impact Development (LID) Center to assist state, city and local governments in implementing and evaluating innovative and effective green infrastructure approaches. Through green infrastructure techniques, stormwater and its pollutants are managed using natural systems to help absorb, infiltrate, evaporate or reuse excess stormwater instead of using traditional infrastructure that collects, stores and transports water through large, buried sewer systems. Rain barrels and cisterns, roofs that are covered with vegetation and plantings, tree boxes, rain gardens, and pocket wetlands are just a few examples of common green infrastructure approaches. Water is treated as an important resource rather than a waste product. A variety of initiatives are included in the statement of intent. EPA and its partners plan to offer technical assistance, training, and outreach to potential users of green infrastructure, including states, cities, counties, utilities, environmental and public health agencies, engineers, architects, landscape architects, planners and nongovernmental organizations. The creation of a Web-based green infrastructure resource center will assist communities in complying with requirements for combined sewer overflows and municipal stormwater permits. EPA also seeks to recognize the most effective and innovative uses of green infrastructure through awards and recognition programs to meet the Clean Water Act goals while making models of green infrastructure techniques available nationwide. For more information: http://www.epa.gov/npdes/greeninfrastructure New EPA Tool to Accelerate Watershed PlanningThe EPA has released the Watershed Plan Builder, an interactive, Web-based tool to improve efforts by states and local communities in protecting and restoring local water resources. The tool will help local watershed organizations develop integrated watershed plans to meet state and EPA requirements and promote water quality improvements. "Our watershed web tool will help grass roots groups and communities protect water quality and save time and money through improved planning and information," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. Practitioners from watershed organizations, federal and state agencies, tribes, universities and local governments will use the Watershed Plan Builder to address polluted runoff, the largest contributor to water quality problems nationwide. Once the data are entered, the tool produces an outline of a comprehensive watershed plan tailored to a specific watershed. The Watershed Plan Builder walks the practitioner through various watershed planning steps. During the next six months, the Watershed Plan Builder will be available to watershed organizations, federal and state agencies, tribes, universities and local governments to beta test the application and provide feedback. A team of experts from EPA’s water programs developed the tool, with input from state, tribal and local agency experts and other local watershed practitioners. EPA will host a Webcast on the Watershed Plan Builder on May 2, 2007, from 1-2:30 p.m. EDT. Watershed Plan Builder: http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershedplanning/ Webcast: http://www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts/ New WaterSense FactInstalling high-efficiency faucets or faucet aerators could reduce a household’s faucet water by more than 500 gallons annually, can have a payback period as little as one year and could save between 2,850 and 8,500 gallons and as much as $50 over the lifetime of the product! In the future you'll be able to look for WaterSense labeled faucets and faucet accessories like aerators. WaterSense labeled products perform as well as or better than other products in the marketplace and perform at least 20 percent more efficiently than their less efficient counterparts. Check http://www.epa.gov/watersense for more information. 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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