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Water Headlines for January 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:
Reduce Costs by Using Low Impact Development PracticesThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a new report "Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices," which contains 17 case studies from across North America that show the economic viability of LID practices. Using these practices in construction projects can lower costs while improving environmental results. "Low impact development can deliver big benefits for the environment and the economy and this report has the numbers to prove it," said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "It pays to save watersheds, reuse stormwater, and grow sustainably with green infrastructure." LID practices are innovative stormwater management practices to manage urban stormwater runoff at its source. The goal is to mimic the way water moved through an area before it was developed by using design techniques that infiltrate, evapotranspirate, and reuse runoff close to its source. Some common LID practices include rain gardens, grassed swales, cisterns, rain barrels, permeable pavements and green roofs. LID practices increasingly are used by communities across the country to help protect and restore water quality. The report highlights examples that, in most cases, reduce project costs while improving environmental performance. Total capital savings ranged from 15 to 80 percent, with a few exceptions in which LID project costs were higher than conventional stormwater management costs. As LID practices become more common, it is likely that they will become cheaper to use. For a copy of the report: http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/. EPA Money and Support Help Make Beach Visits SafeWhile it is still too cold to go to the beach in most parts of the country, EPA works year-round on ensuring beach visits are well-planned and safe for everyone. By providing states an additional $9.75 million in beach grants in 2008, EPA is helping states continue to monitor water quality at beaches and notify the public of beach warnings and closings when bacteria levels rise too high. "When it’s finally time to hit the shores this summer, beachgoers will be both better protected and better informed," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "With this additional funding, we will continue to improve water quality and ensure that waves are the only thing to catch at America’s beaches." The funds are available to 35 eligible states, territories and tribes as grant money. This is the eighth year grants are being made available since Congress passed the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act in October 2000, bringing the total to more than $71 million awarded to states. EPA estimates Americans make 910 million trips to coastal areas each year, spending about $44 billion. A decade ago, state and local monitoring and notification programs differed across the country. These grants are designed to consistently protect and inform the public before swimming at beach waters. In addition to supporting stronger beach programs nationwide, EPA is also focusing on developing new technologies to more quickly identify possible bacteria contamination at beaches. The science is evolving, and EPA’s research program involves epidemiological studies at a variety of beaches to assess new analytical approaches. Another way EPA protects and educates the public about beach safety is through the SunWise Program, an environmental and health education program that teaches children and their caregivers how to guard against sun overexposure any time of year. Because skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S., practicing sun safety year-round is the key to prevention. Remember to wear protective lenses, a hat, and sunscreen; use the Ultraviolet (UV) Index as a planning tool; and seek shade between the hours of 10 and 4 when UV radiation is at its peak. It is important to use extra caution near water, sand, and snow because those surfaces reflect the sun’s damaging rays. More information about grant awards: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches Sun safety: http://www.epa.gov/sunwise To use the UV Index for planning purposes: http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html Final EPA Release of the Water Quality Standards DatabaseIn December 2007, EPA posted the ninth and last release of the Water Quality Standards Database (WQSDB) http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/wqshome/. Direct access to water quality standards (WQS) information has many benefits, including enabling more informed public participation in establishing and revising state WQS, as envisioned by the Clean Water Act. As part of EPA's efforts to enhance access to WQS information, EPA is assisting states in establishing state-level WQS databases on their own websites, so that the information can be kept current as states revise their standards. More information on this initiative is provided in the WQSDB Release 9.0 fact sheet. The WQSDB organizes and displays WQS information in tables and maps, waterbody by waterbody. This information has been verified and approved by 54 states, tribes, and territories. EPA and the states are transitioning into a new way of providing public access to WQS information in which states can use either their own database or a copy of the WQSDB to manage and share their WQS information. This final version of the WQSDB is scheduled to be removed from the EPA website in February 2008. Thereafter, members of the public can access their state’s WQS program webpage at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/wqslibrary/links.html and can view the WQS documents upon which the WQSDB information is based at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/wqslibrary/. Detection and Quantitation ReportEPA has received the final report of the Federal Advisory Committee on Detection and Quantitation Approaches and Uses in Clean Water Act Programs. "We appreciate the committee’s effort, which will help EPA’s continuing work to ensure sound science and effective permitting," said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. The committee, which EPA established, concluded its work on Dec. 21, 2007. This report provides advice and recommendations on the development of a new and improved procedure for determining detection and quantitation limits, and how these limits should be used in NPDES permit reporting and compliance determinations. The committee considered challenging policy and technical issues related to detection and quantitation limits, particularly in those situations where Water Quality-Based Effluent Limits are below analytical method detection capabilities. The committee represented a balanced membership from the states, environmental community, environmental laboratories, industry, and public utilities. The final report is available at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/methods/det. National Wetlands Award Deadline Extended
The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2008 National Wetlands Awards Program has been extended to January 31. The awards program honors individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the conservation and restoration of our nation's wetlands. The 2008 awards will be given in six categories: Education and Outreach; Science Research; Conservation and Restoration; Landowner Stewardship; State, Tribal, and Local Program Development; and Wetland Community Leader. For more information or to submit a nomination, please visit http://www.nationalwetlandsawards.org Water and Energy FactoidMost people don't realize the considerable amount of energy it takes to deliver and treat the water they use. In fact, American public water supply and treatment facilities consume about 56 billion kilowatt-hours per year - enough electricity to power more than 5 million homes for an entire year. 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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