 |
||
|
Water |  |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
Water Headlines for July 14, 2008Benjamin 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:
Wanted: Water Efficiency LeadersEPA is accepting nominations for the 2008 Water Efficiency Leader Awards to recognize organizations and individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership and innovation in water efficiency. Winners will be chosen by a panel of national water experts and based on three criteria: leadership, innovation, and water saved. "We encourage organizations and individuals who are saving water, energy and money for our nation's families and communities to apply for the 2008 Water Efficiency Leader Awards," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water. "Together, we are proving innovative technology and environmental stewardship can help conserve our country's greatest liquid asset." The Water Efficiency Leader Awards promote a nationwide ethic of water efficiency, which is critical to helping our growing economy and improving our quality of life. The importance of water efficiency is also exemplified by WaterSense, a partnership program started by EPA in 2006 to educate American consumers on making smart water choices that save money, water and energy, and maintain high environmental standards without compromising performance. Nominations are being accepted until Aug. 29, 2008. More information on Water Efficiency Leader Awards: http://www.epa.gov/water/wel The WaterSense ® program announces an exciting new set of educational materials for kids and teachersA Day in the Life of a Drop teaches students about the connections between the sources of the water they use and how that use affects human health and the environment. These fun learning materials include a teachers’ guide, two student worksheets, a spreadsheet to track water use at home, and a pledge for students and their families to "filter out bad water habits." The new curriculum can be found on EPA’s Web site at http://www.epa.gov/watersense/water/drop.htm. EPA releases information guides to help public water systems comply with the Ground Water RuleEPA is releasing a new information guides to assist states and public water systems understand requirements of the Ground Water Rule (GWR). The GWR, which was finalized in November 2006, will provide for increased protection against microbial pathogens in public water systems that use ground water as a source of drinking water. Public water systems need to begin actions to comply with the GWR in December 2009. A Quick Reference Guide provides a simple and straight-forward description of the rule, critical deadlines, requirements for drinking water systems and states, and information on monitoring requirements. A series of fact sheets provide more detail about specific topics covered by the rule, including monitoring, sanitary surveys, and public notification. Electronic versions of the documents are available on the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/gwr/compliancehelp.html. Request for Comments on the Draft Technical Guidance Manual for the Proposed Aircraft Drinking Water RuleEPA is seeking comment on the Draft Technical Guidance Manual for the Proposed Aircraft Drinking Water Rule. The comment period for the Guidance is open until August 31, 2008. Comments may be submitted to aircraftdrinkingwater@epa.gov. You can access the guidance document on EPA's Web site at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/airlinewater/regs.html#proposed. This guidance is intended for aircraft industry professionals and air carrier employees who need to be familiar with the proposed rule requirements. This may include air carrier and airport owners and managers, pilots, flight attendants, fixed based operators, and maintenance staff. This guidance is intended to help facilitate compliance with and implementation of the requirements of the rule when final. It recommends sampling procedures that ensure accurate sampling results and maintenance procedures that help preserve good water quality onboard the aircraft. This manual also provides templates for the various public notices required by the proposed rule. While the rule will not be in effect until it is final, this guidance is intended to explain the provisions in the proposed rule and how it will likely be implemented if finalized as proposed. EPA will update and revise this guidance document, prior to issuance, to reflect the text of the final rule. Stormwater 101: The BasicsConfused about the stormwater requirements and where they come from? Want to learn the truth about some “urban legends” of the stormwater program? Scheduled for Wednesday, July 23, 2008 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm (EDT), this webcast will present an overview of the NPDES stormwater program, including a discussion of the laws, regulations, and permits that shape this complex regulatory program. If you are a newcomer to the stormwater program or just want a refresher, this webcast is for you. We will offer a light-hearted quiz so that you can test your NPDES knowledge and we’ll reserve plenty of time for questions from the audience. To register for this webcast, please visit http://www.epa.gov/npdes/training. Free July 23 Watershed Academy Webcast: Green Streets: From Gray Funnels to Green Sponges
EPA's Watershed Academy sponsors free monthly Webcasts for watershed practitioners from around the globe. On Wednesday, July 23, 2008, Clark Wilson, Senior Urban Designer for Smart Growth Program with the Environmental Protection Agency, and Ellen Greenberg, Visiting Practitioner, University of California Davis, will discuss how communities can more effectively manage rainwater and snow melt where it falls. Green streets can make great places, preserve water quality, and restore our nation's waterways. These and other practices are helping many urban communities like Portland and Seattle address stormwater runoff as well as provide great aesthetic benefits. In addition, green streets and other environmentally-friendly landscape designs can help minimize urban heat island effect, reduce a community's carbon footprint, and cool the planet. Join us for this Webcast to learn how your community can incorporate more green designs into long-term urban and transportation planning. To register, visit http://clu-in.org/live/ EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds 2007 Annual Report ReleasedThe Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW) 2007 Annual Report provides a snapshot of OWOW’s notable accomplishments in calendar year 2007. Accomplishments include: the completion of more than 4,000 watershed cleanup plans in 2007, the 20th anniversary celebration of the National Estuary Program, and the release of the Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox, an on-line repository of watershed outreach materials, including nearly 800 public service announcements, radio, TV and print ads. To download the report, visit: http://www.epa.gov/owow/pdf/owowannualreport07.pdf. 2008 National Water Quality Monitoring Conference a SuccessAbout 600 people from state, federal, local, and tribal agencies, academia, volunteer monitoring organizations, and the private sector attended the Sixth National Monitoring Conference in Atlantic City, NJ, on May 18-22. Hosted by the Water Environment Federation and the National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC), the conference featured over 250 presentations, 30 technical posters, 50 exhibits, and many workshops, short courses, and field trips on topics as varied as new water sensor technology, data management and the Water Quality Exchange (WQX), bacteria monitoring, and large scale coastal monitoring programs. A highlight of the conference was the presentation of the 2008 Elizabeth Jester Fellows award to Tony R. Olsen of the EPA's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Lab in recognition of his role in monitoring programs that characterize water quality using randomly selected sampling sites. In addition, the YSI Foundation presented its 60th anniversary "Minding the Planet" award to the Columbia Riverkeeper. Alan Steinberg, Regional Administrator of EPA Region 2, spoke at the closing plenary. See the NWQMC Web site at http://acwi.gov/monitoring/ for more information on the Council and the conference. 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)
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
