Water Proverbs We never know the worth of water until the well runs dry. ~ France A mule can swim seven different strokes but the minute he sees the water he forgets them all. ~ Armenia Even hard rocks can be drilled by the persistent soft drops of water. ~ Portugal All water flows into the ocean or into the purses of the rich. ~ Denmark Don't spit into the well - you may need to drink from it. ~ Russia Fools grow without watering. ~ Italy

Nine Ways to Cross a River: Midstream Reflections on Swimming and Getting There from Here

Hudson Valley author Akiko Busch recently published a book about her experiences swimming across nine different rivers-many once polluted beyond recognition-in order to "reclaim" them for personal and communal renewal. The rivers included the upper Hudson, Delaware, Connecticut, Susquehanna, Monongahela, Cheat, Mississippi, Ohio and Current Rivers. Along the way she shares lore about these important waterways, insinuating aspects of each river's particular history and beauty. Busch enlists reflections from environmentalists and nature writers such as Edward Abbey and Thoreau, and taps into local organizations that claim that swimming in a river leads to a sense of stewardship.

New Tools and Publications:

New Monthly Landowner Guide to Buffer Success

The new Landowner Guide to Buffer Success is now available. The guide describes how to plant, maintain, and enhance the effectiveness of forested stream buffers to improve water quality. Made available through Pennsylvania's Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), the new Guide provides month by month activities to ensure the success of a buffer, tips to save time and improve outcomes, instructions for invasive species removal, blank areas for making notes for the future, example photos, a summary of how forested buffers help streams, and a list of additional resources. http://www.crcwatersheds.org/var/resources/51-landownerguide_buffer.pdf (large PDF file) 

Better Site Design Handbook Available

The Center for Watershed Protection is making its Better Site Design Handbook available for free download. The Handbook outlines 22 guidelines for more environmentally-friendly development: changes to subdivision and land development and zoning regulations that will better manage stormwater, preserve and enhance existing natural areas, and reduce pollution in local streams. It provides detailed rationale for each principle, from basic engineering principles to actual vs. perceived barriers to implementing Better Site Design; examines practices in local communities; details the economic and environmental benefits of Better Site Design; and presents case studies from across the country. http://www.cwp.org/PublicationStore/bsd.htm 

Stormwater Management Pocket Guide Released

The Center for Neighborhood Technology recently released Water: From Trouble to Treasure, a pocket-sized field guide to help readers understand and advance green stormwater management. The guide gives community groups, homeowners, and others practical ways to capture raindrops where they fall that are simple, affordable, and can replace more costly conventional stormwater approaches. These green solutions include rain gardens, native vegetation, tree planting, rain barrels, and permeable pavement. It offers immediate steps for groups to get started without extensive funding, expertise, or fear of adverse consequences. http://greenvalues.cnt.org/downloads/trouble-to-treasure.pdf. 

Enhanced Water Quality Standards Information Online 

EPA has upgraded their website that provides Agency guidance for administering state and tribal water quality standards. Containing EPA's 1994 Water Quality Standards Handbook, the website has been upgraded to provide over 100 new links to EPA documents and web pages with supporting information. It provides comprehensive guidance for implementing EPA's water quality standards regulation. http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/handbook/