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Water Headlines for July 9, 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 Seeks Technical Assistance for Small Drinking Water SystemsEPA is soliciting proposals to provide training and technical assistance to small and/or rural public water systems to develop and implement source water (ground water and surface water) protection plans and wellhead protection plans. EPA is also soliciting proposals to provide training and technical assistance to small and/or rural public water systems for rule implementation, capacity development, and water systems operations. Public water systems include community water systems, and other small and rural non-community systems such as hospitals, schools, or mobile home parks. Water systems need to be aware of the potential impacts that treatment changes can have on their ability to provide safe drinking water. EPA has also developed a new fact sheet to helps owners and operators understand and respond to issues that may arise with arsenic and their distribution system when treatment is installed or modified. EPA is soliciting proposals from eligible applicants to provide training and technical assistance to small and/or rural public water systems in the following National Priority Areas: (1) Training and Technical Assistance for Source Water and Wellhead Protection; and (2) Training and Technical Assistance for Rule Implementation, Capacity Development, and Water Systems Operations. The total amount of funding available is approximately $8 million, depending on Agency funding levels and other applicable considerations. It is anticipated that one to two awards will be made in each of the two National Priority Areas. It is anticipated that awards made under the Training and Technical Assistance for Source Water and Wellhead Protection National Priority Area will range from $1 million to $3 million and awards made for the Training and Technical Assistance for Rule Implementation, Capacity Development, and Water Systems Operations National Priority Area will range from $2 million to $5 million. Proposals must be received through Grants.gov by August 22, 2007. The Request for Proposals (will be available on-line around 2 pm) and additional information about small drinking water systems are available on the EPA web site at www.epa.gov/safewater/smallsys.html#eleven. EPA Issues Draft Technical Document on "Options for the Expression of Daily Loads in TMDLs"On June 22, 2007 EPA issued a draft technical document for the development of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) called “Options for the Expression of Daily Loads in TMDLs.” This document provides technically sound options for developing "daily load expressions" as a routine process in TMDLs calculated using allocation timeframes greater than daily (e.g., annual, monthly, seasonally). The document is written for TMDL practitioners who are familiar with the relevant technical approaches and regulatory requirements pertaining to TMDLs. Related to this, in Nov., 2006, EPA issued a memorandum entitled “Establishing TMDL “Daily” Loads in Light of the Decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. EPA et. al., No. 05-5015 (April 25, 2006) and Implications for NPDES Permits” that clarified EPA´s expectations concerning the appropriate time increment used to express TMDLs in light of the recent decision. This Memorandum is posted at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/dailyloadsguidance.html). The Memorandum also indicated that additional technical information would be forthcoming, such as the draft 62-page technical document that may be found at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/draft_daily_loads_tech.pdf. Water Environment Federation (WEF) Held a TMDL 2007 Specialty ConferenceThe Water Environment Federation (WEF) organized a TMDL 2007 Specialty Conference in Bellevue, WA on June 24-27. TMDL 2007 brought together hundreds of environmental experts to exchange information on challenging issues related to the total maximum daily load (TMDL) process. Workshops examined topics in use attainability analysis, water quality trading, and third-party TMDL development. The opening general session featured John Goodin, Chief of EPA’s Watershed Branch, among other speakers. During the conference's 15 technical sessions, over 100 speakers (including many Office of Water employees) examined the complete range of TMDL issues. Proceedings of the conference may be purchased from WEF by calling the WEF Customer Service Center at 800-666-0206 (WEF member rate is $75, nonmember rate is $115, plus shipping and handling). Ask for Stock Number CD0737. More information about this conference may be found at: http://www.wef.org/ConferencesTraining/Conferences/SpecialtyConference/TMDL2007.htm. Enhanced Water Quality Standards Information On-LineEPA has upgraded the web site that provides Agency guidance for administering state and tribal water quality standards. Containing EPA's 1994 Water Quality Standards Handbook, the web site has been upgraded to provide over 100 new links to EPA documents and web pages with supporting information. The Handbook has become a very popular Office of Water site in recent years. It provides comprehensive guidance for implementing EPA's water quality standards regulation. You can visit the enhanced site on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/handbook/, where you can get direct access to the Handbook and download printable copies. For more information, contact Grace Robiou, Chief of the National Water Quality Standards Branch, at (202) 566-2975. 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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