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Water Headlines for August 13, 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 Administrator Tours Sustainable Water Systems Across the Nation
The challenge of our nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure is not just an EPA challenge, or a local challenge – it’s everyone’s challenge. Recognizing that, over the last two weeks EPA Administrator Johnson and local officials celebrated achievements in sustainable practices for water infrastructure across the nation, all as part of the Agency's efforts to help change the way America views, values, and manages water and its support system. Events occurred at drinking water and wastewater plants, a desalination plant, a recycled water facility, a tribal green housing complex, and a green infrastructure site. They also welcomed new WaterSense promotional partners. For more information on sustainable infrastructure practices, visit one of the following Web sites: New Water Quality Trading Guide AvailableA new EPA publication will help the regulated community design and implement voluntary water quality trading programs consistent with EPA's 2003 National Water Quality Trading Policy. This new guide will provide stakeholders with detailed guidance on the fundamental concepts of trading which can accelerate water quality improvement and reduce compliance costs. "EPA's Trading Toolkit is the first-ever 'how-to' manual on water quality trading," says Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "This Toolkit will be useful not only for permit writers but for anyone interested in designing a trading program to improve water quality. It is part of EPA's efforts to support and encourage innovation for water quality progress." Water quality trading is a voluntary option that regulated point sources can use to meet requirements under the Clean Water Act. The Water Quality Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers provides permitting authorities with the tools they need to incorporate trading provisions into required permits. The guide is focused on trading nitrogen and phosphorus, but other pollutants may be considered for trading on a case-by-case basis. The Toolkit discusses the fundamental concepts of designing and implementing trading programs including the relevant geographic scope, effluent limitations and other factors involved in defining a credit. The document also includes a set of appendices which feature detailed case studies based on actual trading programs.
EPA is interested in public comment on the Toolkit. Comments received through the document's Web site will be considered for future updates. EPA's Watershed Academy to sponsor its 24th free Webcast Seminar "Earth Gauge™: Conveying Environmental Information Through the TV Weather Report"EPA’s Watershed Academy sponsors monthly Webcasts to offer free training and information for watershed practitioners around the globe. On Wed., Aug. 15, 2007, Sara Espinoza with the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and Joe Witte, meteorologist with ABC 7 WJLA – TV, will discuss NEEF’s Earth Gauge™ program. Since 2002, NEEF has been working with broadcast meteorologists to add localized environmental content into the most-watched segment of the local news: the weather report. Earth Gauge™ provides meteorologists with free, weekly environmental information for use on-air, which makes the connection between the local three-day forecast and environmental impacts in the community, while also giving viewers simple actions to take at home. The Earth Gauge™ program, which is currently reaching more than 159 million viewers in 64 media markets, will be discussed as well as how meteorologists incorporate environmental content into their news weathercasts.
Registration is open now and is available on a first-come basis. You must register in advance to participate. To register, visit http://www.clu-in.org/live/ Audio versions of past Webcasts are available at: http://www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts/. You can also download any of the past presentations as a Podcast. EPA's Sustainable Watershed Finance Team Announces new Plan2Fund Objective Prioritization Tool (OPT) and Free Training Seminar on August 22ndDoes your watershed group need assistance deciding between competing objectives and priorities? Plan2Fund Objective Prioritization Tool (OPT), a free web-based Watershed Planning Tool, can help. Funded by EPA's Sustainable Watershed Finance Team and developed by the Environmental Finance Center (EFC) at Boise State University, OPT provides an easy way for watershed groups to build consensus as they evaluate competing goals and objectives. OPT allows users to rank competing priorities by providing a user-friendly spreadsheet that makes setting, weighting, and applying criteria simple. Your group can set its priorities with confidence and share this information with decision makers, funders, and constituents. Download Plan2Fund OPT at http://efc.boisestate.edu/efc/Login/tabid/91/Default.aspx?returnurl=%2fefc%2fTools%2fOPT%2ftabid%2f109%2fDefault.aspx. EPA's Sustainable Watershed Finance Team will host a training on OPT on August 22 from 1:00-2:30 PM in the 6300 D, EPA West Building in EPA Headquarters (Kenai Room). For more information or to RSVP, contact Rakhi Kasat at (202) 566-1644. 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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