Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, October 21-27

In honor of Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, October 21-27, EPA is encouraging schools to test tap water for lead. EPA is committed to reducing potential exposure to elevated lead levels in drinking water in schools. Testing water in schools is important because children spend a significant portion of their day in these facilities and are likely to consume water while there.

"This information will help schools officials understand the importance of testing for lead in drinking water in order to protect our most precious resource - our nation's children," said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles.

In an effort to reach out to school officials, EPA mailed a complimentary copy of the new DVD "What Your School or Child Care Facility Should Know About Lead in Drinking Water" to the 50 largest school districts in the country to make sure they know it and other materials are available.

The DVD and other materials are available to anyone through the following website: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/schools/guidance.html

Thanks to EPA's Water Headlines for the submission.

Spotlight: Watersheds at Work: Livestock Management Improves Dissolved Oxygen in Big Sandy River, Tennessee

Polluted runoff from pasture-grazing cattle caused abnormally high pathogen levels and low dissolved oxygen concentrations in Big Sandy River. These problems led to the state placing a 7.3-mile river segment on its 303(d) list for impairments in both 2002 and 2004. Using Clean Water Act Section 319 funding, farmers installed a number of best management practices (BMPs) on pasturelands adjoining the river's impaired segments, including foundations to support cattle in heavy-use areas, grade stabilization structures, pasture and hay planting, critical area planting, livestock watering pipelines, and alternative watering structures. The BMPs resulted in water quality improvements in the 7.3-mile segment and its removal from the state's 2006 303(d) list for dissolved oxygen impairments. For more information about this success story, visit http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/Success319/state/tn_bigsandy.htm

Click on Title link to view entire article. Thanks to EPA's Water Headlines for the submission.

New Water Quality Trading Program Maps on the Web

Curious about where water quality trading is happening around the country? Check out EPA's new water quality trading maps--now live on the web! EPA has created two trading maps: the first map shows trading programs that have traded at least once as well as state level trading programs.  The second map shows trading programs that received EPA funding. Each map is clickable - just click on the state in which you are interested and it will take you to more information on that state's trading programs. The maps are located on EPA?s Water Quality Trading website at: http://www.epa.gov/waterqualitytrading/tradingmap.html

Click on Title link to view entire article. Thanks to EPA's Water Headlines for the submission.

EPA Recognizes Outstanding Water Quality Achievements of 2007

EPA is announcing the recipients of the 2007 National Clean Water Act Recognition Awards aimed at recognizing municipalities and industries for outstanding and creative technological achievements in wastewater treatment and pollution abatement programs. As we get ready to mark the 35th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, water quality has dramatically improved through the use of scientific standards, discharge permits, pre-treatment requirements, state and local funding and watershed planning.

"To mark the 35th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, EPA continues to recognize outstanding stewards across the nation," said Assistant Administrator for Water, Benjamin H. Grumbles. "We celebrate innovative approaches and achievements which protect public health and keep our water clean."

These awards represent first and second place national award recipients for demonstrated outstanding project and program water quality achievements in four categories: operations and maintenance, exemplary biosolids management, national pre-treatment and stormwater management. Each year, the awards are announced during the Water Environment Federations Technical Exposition and Conference (WEFTEC).

Specifically, there are nine winners in the operations and maintenance category; five awardees under exemplary biosolids management; six recipients in the national pre-treatment area; and two in the stormwater management category. Winners were chosen based on water quality compliance screenings and a satisfactory environmental quality record.  Oct. 18 is the 35th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. More information about the awards: http://epa.gov/owm/mtb/intnet.htm

Click on Title link to view entire article. Thanks to EPA's Water Headlines for the submission.

Zebra mussels found in Minnesota Lakes

Zebra mussels found in east metro lakes by Ambar Espinoza, Minnesota Public Radio • October 5, 2007 • St. Paul, Minn.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has found zebra mussels in three Twin Cities metro lakes -- Vadnais, Sucker, and Pleasant, which are part of a system of reservoirs that provide drinking water for almost 420,000 peeople in St. Paul and surrounding communities. Discovery of the invasive species came during routine maintenance at a water intake facility.

Click Title for complete article. Thanks to Jane Dauffenbach of Aquarius Systems for the post.

JS Online: Great Lakes' innovation potential barely tapped

When you tour the WATER Institute in the Milwaukee harbor and get a look at the tanks full of fish, you get a glimpse of the emerging economic cluster based on freshwater technologies.

There are sturgeon, which live in our freshwater lakes to 150 years and maybe more. There are fat yellow perch, which the institute is trying to resuscitate in better strains and larger numbers so Wisconsinites can continue to enjoy Friday night fish fries.

Director Val Klump predicts that fish farming will take over from commercial fishing as the main source of seafood in 20 years because fisheries around the world are being overtaxed and depleted.

There's a lot more going on at the institute than aquaculture. The 11-acre "Harbor Campus" of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is also home to a lot of biotechnology. The collection of 70 scientists, research associates, support staff and students examines ways to use fish instead of mice to test new drugs; sources of contamination in the Great Lakes; the impact of invasive species on lake ecology; and technologies to protect drinking water supplies.

The website for the Great Lakes Water Institute - "Wisconsin Aquatic Technology and Environmental Research:" http://www.glwi.uwm.edu/

Click Title for complete article. Thanks to Jane Dauffenbach of Aquarius Systems for the post.

EPA Launches New Wastewater Web site for Small Communities

On September 19, EPA launched a new Website to help small communities achieve and maintain sustainable wastewater services. This new site provides information about grants, funding resources, technical assistance and training. A variety of tools is also available on this website to help small communities plan, design, build, and maintain their wastewater infrastructure.

Visit the Wastewater in Small Communities website: http://www.epa.gov/owm/mab/smcomm/index.htm.

EPA Strengthens Lead in Drinking Water Rule

On Tuesday, September 25, EPA issued a final rule that will improve requirements in the areas of monitoring, customer awareness and lead service line replacement. Specifically, the agency will require water suppliers to provide consumers with information to help them make decisions about how to limit their exposure to lead in drinking water.

"This action will help get the lead out and keep it out of our drinking water," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Water. "The public must have confidence in the safety of their tap water, which is, ounce-for-ounce, one of America's greatest and most affordable assets. EPA's targeted improvements will clarify requirements for utilities, and provide more timely and useful information for the public."

The final rule is one outcome of EPA's March 2005 Drinking Water Lead Reduction Plan which arose from EPA's analysis of the current regulation and state and local implementation. Since release of the plan, the agency has released guidance to help public water systems better understand the potential impacts of treatment changes on their ability to control lead and asked the National Drinking Water Advisory Council to provide recommendations on public education requirements. The agency has also provided new or updated guidance and tools to help schools and child care facilities to monitor for lead in drinking water. Lead is a highly toxic metal that was used for many years in products found in and around homes. Even at low levels, lead may cause a range of health effects including behavioral problems and learning disabilities. Children six years old and under are most at risk because this is when the brain is developing. The primary source of lead exposure for most children is lead-based paint in older homes. Lead in drinking water can add to that exposure.

Copy of the rule and more information on lead in drinking water: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lcrmr/index.html

New Tools for Addressing Nitrogen & Phosphorus Pollution

The US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water is rolling out several new tools to help fight "nutrient pollution" (high loadings of nitrogen and phosphorus) into our waters. Their redesigned Nitrogen and Phosphorus web site (http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/nutrient/) now houses scientific literature reviews, monitoring data, guidance manuals, and Web casts to help states establish numeric water quality criteria for nitrogen and phosphorus. The new web site also offers answers to states' questions about how to use the criteria and a clearinghouse of water treatment technologies and land-use practices. The public can also visit the web site to learn more about this environmental problem and find out what each of us can do about it.

Manual for Maintenance of Dirt and Gravel Roads

US EPA provided a grant to Pennsylvania State University to help create this document for a general audience interested in integrating environmental concerns into their unpaved roads program. Specifically, the manual identifies, documents, and encourages the use of environmentally sensitive maintenance of dirt and gravel roads. The document provides insight into using natural systems and innovative technologies to reduce erosion, sediment, and dust pollution while more effectively and efficiently maintaining dirt and gravel roads and gives the users a "tool box" full of environmentally sensitive maintenance "tools" and practices. Dirt and gravel roads are increasingly being recognized as having a significant impact on water resources. "Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance for Dirt and Gravel Roads" is a 300-page manual which identifies, documents, and encourages the use of environmentally sensitive maintenance of dirt and gravel roads.

An electronic version of the document can be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/sensitive/sensitive.html . Printed copies of the manual can be obtained from Chris Solloway, US EPA, Office of Water. Email: solloway.chris@epa.gov.

New Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management Document Now Available

A second edition of a popular publication called "Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management: Technical and Institutional Issues" was recently published by the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS). This document revises an earlier 1994 edition and was prepared with support from EPA's Office of Wastewater Management and the Nonpoint Source Control Branch in EPA?s Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. The update is important because of the tremendous amount of new information available as well as the significant shift in stormwater program direction from the historic mitigation-based approach to a more source-based approach.

Copies of the document are posted in pdf format at: http://www.nalms.org/