 |
||
|
Water |  |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
Water Headlines for July 28, 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:
New Fish Kids websiteEPA’s National Fish Advisory Program just released a new Fish Kids website – a fun website that uses interactive stories and games to teach kids ages 8-12 about contaminants in fish and fish advisories. Whether they catch their own fish, or buy it at a store, kids and their families can use this site to learn how to choose fish wisely! Visit the site at http://www.epa.gov/fishadvisories/kids/. EPA Determines Regulations Not Needed for 11 Potential Drinking Water ContaminantsThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made a final determination not to regulate 11 contaminants on the second drinking water contaminant candidate list (CCL 2). The agency has concluded that the contaminants do not occur nationally in public water systems, or occur at levels below a public health concern. The agency's final regulatory determination is based on extensive review of health effects, occurrence data and public comments. "Sound science and public health drive EPA's decisions under the Safe Drinking Water Act," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water. "We will continue to thoroughly review new and emerging contaminants to ensure that citizens and our environment are protected." The 11 contaminants include naturally occurring substances, pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals used (or once used) in manufacturing. While none of the contaminants were found nationally at levels of public health concern in public water systems, EPA is updating health advisories for seven of the contaminants to provide current health information to local officials for situations where the contaminants may be present. EPA is updating health advisories for boron; dacthal mono- and di-acid degradates;1,3-dichloropropene (Telone); 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and 2,6-dinitrotoluene; and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane. EPA has determined that updated or new health advisories are not needed for 1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (DDE); s-ethyl propyl thiocarbamate (EPTC); Fonofos; and Terbacil, because the national monitoring data showed almost no occurrence at levels of public health concern. A regulatory determination is a formal decision on whether EPA should initiate a rulemaking process to develop a national primary drinking water regulation for a specific contaminant. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, every five years EPA develops a CCL and then makes a regulatory determination for at least five contaminants on the list. In 2005, the agency published the second CCL, which listed 51 contaminants. In May 2007, EPA requested public comment on its preliminary regulatory determinations not to regulate 11 of these 51 CCL 2 contaminants. Information on the Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List and Regulatory Determinations: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ccl/index.html Improved Data Exchange Now Includes Biological and Habitat Water DataThe Office of Water is pleased to announce the release of the Water Quality Exchange (WQX ) version 2.0, a data transfer system which now allows states, tribes and other organizations to share their biological and habitat monitoring results. Since February 2007, WQX version 1.0 has provided a way for states, tribes, and other organizations to share physical, chemical and fish tissue water monitoring data. Because many monitoring programs use biological and habitat data as the basis for assessing water quality, WQX version 2.0 enhances the richness of information available for data sharing, analysis, and improved decision making by watershed managers. All data shared using the WQX framework can be accessed on-line in the STORET Data Warehouse, EPA's repository for water quality data. Please visit http://www.epa.gov/storet/wqx.html for more information. Girl Scout Water Drop Patch Project is even BetterThe popular Water Drop Patch Project, co-produced by Girl Scouts of the USA and the Environmental Protection Agency is getting updated and improved. The manual, designed for adults’ use with Girl Scout Brownies through Ambassadors (grades 2-12) and divided into grade-level, age-appropriate watershed activities, now aligns to the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Updated information and new and expanded girl-lead, learning by doing help Girl Scouts: discover, connect, and take action. Girl Scouts who complete the requisite number of activities receive a beautiful patch emblazoned with a white egret. Here are some possible activities: Older Girl Scouts (grades six and up) can participate in the International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, September 20, 2008. This event attracts almost 400,000 volunteers worldwide to pick up trash and marine debris from the nation’s waterways. Girl Scouts (grades 4 and up) can go out and sample the nation’s waters as part of World Water Monitoring Day (September 18th - October 18th.). Both activities are supported by EPA’s Office of Water. Two exciting new activities added to the revised manual include the construction of a rain garden to help control stormwater runoff and the creation of a watershed outreach video.
For more information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/adopt/patch/. Free hard copies of the manual can be ordered by calling the National Service Center for Environmental Protection at 1-800-490-9198 or emailing: nscep@bps-lmit.com.(#EPA 840-B-07-001). Patches can be ordered from the GSUSA on-line store http://goshop.girlscouts.org/gsusaonline/ 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)
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
