Water Headlines for the week of June 27, 2011

This is a good synopsis of national water happenings from the EPA.  You can subscribe yourself - there are directions at the bottom of the post.

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:

1) Federal Agencies Partner to Revitalize Urban Waterways In Communities Across The U.S.
2) Update on Waters of the U.S. Draft Guidance
3) EPA Seeks Public Comment on the Draft Reasonable and Prudent Alternative in NMFS’ Draft Biological Opinion on the Proposed Pesticides General Permit
4) New Tool to Support Community-Based Water Resiliency Initiative
5) “Sustainable Communities, Healthy Watersheds” 2010 Annual Report Available Online
6) Subscribe to Water Headlines

1) Federal Agencies Partner to Revitalize Urban Waterways In Communities Across The U.S.
U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, White House Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes, Council for Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a new federal partnership along the Patapsco River in Baltimore on Friday where they participated in environmental education activities with Baltimore students. The partnership aims to stimulate regional and local economies, create local jobs, improve quality of life, and protect Americans’ health by revitalizing urban waterways in under-served communities across the country.

The Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP), an innovative federal union comprised of 11 agencies, will focus its initial efforts on seven pilot locations: the Patapsco Watershed (Maryland), the Anacostia Watershed (Washington DC/Maryland), the Bronx & Harlem River Watersheds (New York), the South Platte River in Denver (Colorado), the Los Angeles River Watershed (California), the Lake Pontchartrain Area (New Orleans, LA), and the Northwest Indiana Area. Each of the pilot locations already has a strong restoration effort underway, spearheaded by local governments and community organizations. Lessons learned from these pilot locations will be transferred to other cities in the country.

Americans use urban waterways like the Patapsco River as sources of drinking water and for a variety of activities including boating, fishing and swimming. Cleaning up and restoring these water resources is essential to protecting Americans’ health and improving their overall quality of life. Revitalizing these urban waterways will also reconnect citizens to open spaces, and will have a positive economic impact on local businesses, tourism and property values, as well as spur private investment and job creation in these communities.

For more information, visit www.urbanwaters.gov

2) Update on Waters of the U.S. Draft Guidance
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have extended the public comment period by 30 days for the draft guidance on Identifying Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act. In response to requests from state and local officials, as well as other stakeholders, EPA and the Corps will take additional comment until July 31, 2011 on this important draft guidance that aims to protect U.S. waters. These waters are critical for the health of the American people, the economy and ecosystems in communities across the country.

This change in the public comment period will not impact the schedule for finalizing the guidance or alter the intent to proceed with a rulemaking.

Public input received will be carefully considered as the agencies make final decisions regarding the guidance.  These comments will also be very helpful as the agencies prepare a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

The original 60-day public comment period was originally set to expire on July 1, 2011. The agencies will be publishing a notice of this 30-day extension in the Federal Register.

More information:
http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/guidance/wetlands/CWAwaters.cfm

3) EPA Seeks Public Comment on the Draft Reasonable and Prudent Alternative in NMFS’ Draft Biological Opinion on the Proposed Pesticides General Permit
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to examine the potential impact of EPA’s pending Pesticide General Permit (PGP) on the nation’s threatened and endangered species and their critical habitat.  As part of this consultation, on June 17, 2011, NMFS submitted to EPA a draft Biological Opinion containing a suggested “Reasonable and Prudent Alternative” (RPA) that NMFS believes would avoid the likelihood that endangered or threatened species or their critical habitat would be jeopardized by the permit. EPA is taking public comment for 30 days on the draft RPA proposed by NMFS and will provide the public comment to NMFS for review. EPA is not making any final decision on the terms of the PGP at this time. Comments are due no later than July 25, 2011.

For additional information, visit:  www.epa.gov/npdes/pesticides  or contact Jack Faulk, EPA Office of Wastewater Management via e-mail at faulk.jack@epa.gov.

4) New Tool to Support Community-Based Water Resiliency Initiative
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a new tool to support the Agency’s Community-Based Water Resiliency initiative.  The tool will raise awareness of drinking water and wastewater (water sector) interdependencies with other community services to support emergency preparedness and response efforts. Critical infrastructure sectors have interdependencies with drinking water and/or wastewater services.  Many community services fall under these sectors (such as hospitals and power plants), and their operations could be severely affected by a water service disruption.

The tool will assist water utilities and all community stakeholders in increasing their preparedness for all-hazards impacting the water sector and their ability to respond to and recover from water service interruptions.  The electronic tool has a self-assessment feature which enables stakeholders to assess the strengths and weaknesses of current resiliency efforts, and provides a summary report with tailored recommendations for using resources within the tool that would aid in enhancing resiliency. Individual modules have been developed for water utility owners and operators; the healthcare and public health sector; the emergency services sector; state or tribal drinking water primacy agencies; elected officials; community members, and other non-water sector entities.

To access more information about the initiative and to download the new tool, go to: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/communities/index.cfm

5) “Sustainable Communities, Healthy Watersheds” 2010 Annual Report Available Online
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW) has released its 2010 Annual Report titled “Sustainable Communities, Healthy Watersheds.” Sustainable Communities and Healthy Watersheds are two major themes for EPA's national water program.

The report contains information about EPA's work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the development of new draft guidance on Identifying Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act (also known as the Waters of the U.S. Draft Guidance), progress in better protection of water quality in Appalachia from the harmful effects of surface coal mining operations, and advancement in the work of the National Ocean Council.  The report also includes information about OWOW's response to the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill through data monitoring evaluation, design monitoring plans and other efforts. Information about efforts to address nitrogen and phosphorus pollution through the development of a recommended Framework for states  as well as a new guidance that addresses polluted runoff from federal land management activity in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are also included in this publication

The report can be viewed at: http://water.epa.gov/aboutow/owow/upload/owowannualreport2010.pdf

For information about the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds: http://water.epa.gov/aboutow/owow/

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Exempt Wells

I saw the advert for this gathering and wished I could go - this has long been on my radar as one of those elephants in the room that no one's looking at or talking about, the same way that people think that the cumulative effects of pollution from septic systems can't possible be a problem...

Thanks for the post, Rainbow

http://rainbowwatercoalition.blogspot.com/2011/06/exempt-wells-what-color-art-thou.html

Using residential history and groundwater modeling to examine drinking water exposure and breast cancer.

Here's a study out of Massachusetts - I bet a number of folks' reaction to this will be to start drinking bottled water....

Conclusions

This analysis found evidence of a positive association between breast cancer and exposure to drinking water impacted by wastewater effluent from the BWPCF. The associations were strongest among women who were not regular bottled water users and among women exposed for long durations when latency periods were taken into account. The current exposure analysis expands on our earlier work to explore the spatial and temporal relationship between a source of environmental contamination and a route of exposure for this study population. Our prior spatial analysis identified groundwater plumes as a potential environmental exposure that had not yet been fully studied. We investigated this hypothesis using a detailed groundwater model and determined that contamination of drinking water by effluent from the BWPCF was plausible. Area groundwater sources for drinking water are subject to more protections now, and the impact of sewage on groundwater was carefully considered in recent expansion plans for the facility. However, this analysis suggests the sewage plume emanating from the facility may have had a significant historical impact on drinking water.

Free Webinar on Nitrate in Groundwater - Focus on Oregon's Southern Willamette Valley Groundwater Management Area

This is very short notice, but perhaps someone can take advantage out there?

There is a joint presentation on the issue of nitrate in groundwater – here is a fantastic opportunity to hear the latest information on the Southern Willamette Valley Groundwater Management Area - as well as views from Wisconsin’s Public Drinking Water Program and an update from USGS on their NAWQA project including national data on nitrate in groundwater.

Here is the EPA website information – and there is a link to register for this Webinar below.

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EPA's Watershed Academy is pleased to sponsor its 57th free Webcast Seminar.

Webcast on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 10 AM PT

"Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution Series: Nitrate in Ground Water"
by Jill Jonas, Director, Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources,
Audrey Eldridge, Coordinator for the Southern Willamette Valley Groundwater Management Area, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and
Neil M. Dubrovsky, PhD, Chief, Nutrients and Trace Elements National Synthesis Project, National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA), U.S. Geological Survey



Please use this link to register

http://water.epa.gov/learn/training/wacademy/webcasts_index.cfm

So much for the water they drink

Last week was National Groundwater Awareness Week and while I exhort anyone out there reading to take a look at the website related to this event and do what they can, I have to bring the sorry news that a local jurisdiction in Central Oregon (Deschutes County) decided last week to roll back the clock on groundwater/drinking water protection for a portion of its population by rescinding a rule specifying that people need to clean up the sewage they are pumping into the ground. While I say this was "decided" last week, the vote of the three person commission is still to come, but based on the decisions last week, the deed is fait accompli. Lovely way to celebrate National Groundwater Awareness Week, Central Oregon! Rah, Rah, Go Team! ("Groundwater protection ordinance to be scrapped," Bend Bulletin, Thursday, March 10, 2011)

My local sources say that one of the three votes needed to rescind this rule is a mole in the Republican party installed by the local tea party ideologues and the other comes from a pushover posing as a Democrat. Good old boys to the core. The third vote, and I actually have not heard how this vote will go, is a good new girl that actually seems to think about issues rather than vote according to election statistics.

So, while I like to bring positive exhortations of how we can make a difference in this world, my first posting after a bit of hiatus is a look into short-sightedness and essential greed.

World Toilet Day 2010!

Did you know that November 19 is World Toilet Day?

World Toilet Day is designed to acknowledge the life-saving power of the toilet and appreciate the toilets in our lives. Believe it or not, more people on earth have cell phones than have access to a toilet! Which may be a sad commentary on where our priorities are - but maybe this is a call to use that ubiquitous communication device to get the word out.

Not long ago, New York, London, and Paris were centers of infectious disease, facing the same water problems that cities like Mumbai, Lagos, and Rio de Janeiro face today. Life expectancy was low and child death rates were as high then as they are now in much of Sub-Saharan Africa. It was sweeping reforms in water and sanitation that enabled human progress to leap forward.

This also ties into my post a couple days ago about the Paul Simon Water for the World Act that you can learn about here.

Lack of sanitation is the world’s biggest cause of infection and a big cause of water pollution. This means people must relieve themselves in open streets, fields, or dangerous back alleys. In India alone, the number of people who practice open defecation is double the population of the U.S. You can imagine how this affects health not only because of direct contact with diseases from sewage but also from pollution of water supplies used for drinking, cooking and washing. And, it is sad to say, but there are still people in the United States that are not hooked to a sewer system or septic system that will help protect water quality or their health.

The purpose of World Toilet Day is to raise a stink about this lack of sanitation that causes not only embarrassment, concerns for safety, and lack of dignity, but preventable disease, illness, and all too often, death.

Water.org is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization committed to providing safe drinking water and sanitation to people in developing countries. Learn more by visiting their website at www.water.org.

Water for the World Act Needs Your Help

Thank you, Waterdoc:

The Sen. Paul Simon Water for the World Act unanimously passed the U.S. Senate (S. 624) last September. It now is in the House of Representatives (H.R. 2030), where the hope is that it will be passed during the current lame duck session of Congress. Most observers give the bill little chance of passage when the 112th Congress convenes in January 2011. So it's now, or perhaps never.

The bill would provide clean water and sanitation to 100M people.

Here is more information from Water Advocates:

Now is the most important time to contact your member of the House of Representatives to ask them to pass the Water for the World Act. The bill has already passed the Senate. We have an opportunity with one last push from all of you to make this work. Your member of the House of Representatives needs to hear from you during the lame duck Session, which begins on November 15 and may end in early December.

This lifesaving legislation would go a long way toward ending the world's largest health crisis - the diseases caused by the lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation. It would also give the United States an important leadership role in providing access to water, sanitation and hygiene for millions of the world's poorest people.

All House offices can be called through 202-225-3121, or more directly by getting their office numbers from www.house.gov. Even better, send them a short email: Go to www.house.gov to go to the Representative's site where they provide an email contact form (and sometimes an actual email address).

Friend, filmmaker, and hydrophilanthropist Jim Thebaut, whose visage has graced these pages a number of times, has prepared a brief video to promote the bill. It features former Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), former Senate minority leader; Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL); and Patti Simon, the Senator's widow. Frist, Blumenauer, and Durbin played instrumental roles in getting the bill to where it is today, and Simon championed the cause as well.

Here is the link to Jim's video on You Tube (you will need Adobe Flash Player 10 to view it); you can also view a Quick Time 7 version on Jim's WWW site.

I would appreciate it if you would contact your representative and request that she or he vote for the bill, H.R. 2030. Thank you!



“This important legislation complements the efforts of US nonprofit development organizations, philanthropies, corporations, faith communities and civic groups, and could profoundly improve millions of lives.” -- David Douglas, President, Water Advocates