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Editor's
Note:
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Congratulations F. X. Browne, Inc.!
F. X. Browne, Inc. was recently recognized by the
PA DEP and the City of Philadelphia
for innovative stormwater Best Management Practices at the Stormwater BMP Awards Ceremony held May 18th at
the Academy of Natural Sciences. Three of F. X. Browne, Inc.’s
projects were recognized, including the company’s development of a constructed wetland
retrofit to treat stormwater runoff and filter parking lot pollution
on the grounds of their Lansdale office at 1101 South Broad Street,
and an innovative stormwater management design for Homsher Hill, LLC’s
Stony Creek Farms, an Age-Qualified Residential Development in
Worcester Township, PA. In addition, the
Overbrook Environmental Education Center, designed by F. X.
Browne, Inc. and the Community Design
Collaborative, was among the top four projects recognized at the
Stormwater Management Awards Ceremony.
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F. X. Browne, Inc. Constructed Wetland |
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June is National
Rivers Month
In celebration, get out there
and hike, paddle, swim, or better yet, clean up your favorite river!
For inspiration, check out the story of a man who paddled 125 miles down the Monongahela
River to raise awareness of the river he loves. For more
information about river events going on in your community in
celebration of National Rivers Month, visit American
Rivers.
Plan Ahead for the Annual Secchi Dip-In!
The 13th Annual Great North American
Secchi Dip-In is taking place across the country from June 24 -
July 16. The goal of the Dip-In is to encourage volunteers to
participate in monitoring and take a transparency measurement on one
day during the Dip-in. Volunteers may monitor any type of waterbody
including lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, rivers or streams. There
are now five or more years of data on more than 6,000 waterbodies in
the US and Canada.
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Topic of
the Month
Feast or Famine: Northeast Water Woes
Drought in Pennsylvania and New Jersey,
flooding in New England, what's a river to do? No matter how much we try to
alter natural conditions, Mother Nature always has the final word. More...
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Invasive Species as
Art?
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Trapa Natans
Water Chestnut
by artist Catherine Hatinguais
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"Alive in New York,
A Growing Invasion" is a traveling educational art exhibit of
43 works from 29 artists illustrating plants considered by the
Invasive Plant Council of NY State to be invasive threats. The
exhibit also identifies native plants that are considered
alternative choices to the imports that have escaped cultivation.
The show can be viewed at the Adirondack Park Visitor's Center in
Paul Smiths, NY until July 10, when it will move to the Museum of
The Hudson Highlands in Cornwall, NY and various other NY
museums. http://www.science-art.com/member.asp?id=121
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News Clips
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Surveys of Our
Nation's Waters Will Document National and Regional Conditions
EPA, States, Tribes and other partners
recently completed a national Wadeable Streams Survey, and will soon will embark on a Survey
of the Nation's Lakes to provide regional and national estimates of
the condition of our waterways. More...
New Groundwater Pollution Model Developed
A Dutch researcher has developed
mathematical models to calculate the natural degradation capacity of
polluted groundwater. As a result, it can now be predicted
whether a polluted area will become larger or smaller. More...
NJ DEP Reports Widespread Water Pollution
Nearly one thousand waterbodies across New Jersey are
too dirty for fishing or swimming, according to the latest impaired
waters list released by the NJ DEP. More...
Two Innovative Approaches to Environmentally
Friendly Farming
Two projects in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed aim to modify farming practices to help improve water
quality, at the same time helping to reduce costs . More...
Towns Work Together to Restore
Lake Hopatcong
A warm winter and lack of spring rains
is creating many problems in Lake Hopatcong, NJ. With grants and education programs, the four lake towns
and the lake commission are working to reduce the levels of phosphorus and other
nutrients that enter the lake. More...
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Policy Update
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The NJ House Interior and Environment Subcommittee recently reduced
funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund by $199
million, a 22 percent
reduction from its funding of $886 million last year. |
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The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
announced a Green Building Task Force to build on DCA's nationally
recognized green programs and policy initiatives while continuing to
break new ground in those efforts. |
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The U.S. Supreme Court rejected S.D.Warren's
bid to exempt five hydroelectric dams it owns in Maine from the Clean
Water Act. The Supreme
Court’s decision upholds the authority of states to set conditions
on the operations of hydroelectric dams that would affect river health
and water quality, threaten fish and wildlife habitat, and diminish
recreational and economic opportunities on rivers across the nation.
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Pennsylvania has
partnered with the federal government on a landmark
drinking water protection study that will determine the occurrence
and concentration of unregulated compounds, such as prescription and
non-prescription chemicals, in the waters of central Pennsylvania. |
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EPA, all
50 states and Puerto Rico have invested almost $9.5 billion for nearly 4,400
drinking water improvement projects since 1996, according to the just-released
Drinking Water State
Revolving Fund (DWSRF) 2005 annual report. |
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The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers and EPA officially extended the public comment
period for the proposed Clean Water Act Section 404 compensatory
mitigation rule for an additional 30 days. The new public comment
deadline is June 30, 2006.
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PennDOT and the
PA DEP have initiated a pilot
study to apply an experimental blacktop mix to a section of Lower
Powys Road in Hepburn Township, Lycoming County, PA |
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Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission Paleontologists Invoke Harry Potter In Naming of New Dinosaur
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Paleontologists Robert M. Sullivan
and Robert T. Bakker have chosen to name a new dinosaur species after
Harry Potter. The scientific name, Dracorex hogwartsia, means
"dragon king." According to Forbes
magazine, Harry Potter author JK Rowling said, "The naming of Dracorex
hogwartsia is easily the most unexpected honor to have come my way
since the publication of the Harry Potter books."
Picture: London
Times
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Enough With the Ties, Already!
You may be surprised to find out what
dads really want for Father's day. According to InteractiveDad.com, it
may not be what the TV commercials lead us to think....
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The Best Father's Day gifts are:
Dinner out with the
family: 36 percent
Electronic gadget: 13 percent
Time alone to do what they want: 8 percent
Sports-related gift: 6 percent
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The Worst Father's Day Gifts are:
A tie: 25 percent
Cologne/aftershave: 21 percent
Underwear: 16 percent
Socks: 15 percent
Power Tools: 14 percent
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Link Of
The Month
The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources River Management Division has an
excellent website that provides tools for understanding and conducting
geomorphic assessments of streams and their watersheds. The website includes
data forms, assessment protocols, fact sheets, and geomorphic reference
tools used by the agency to assess stream condition and responses. http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/waterq/rivers/htm/rv_geoassess.htm
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Twisted Zen
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 The journey of a thousand miles begins with
a broken fan belt and leaky tire.
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Always remember that
you're unique. Just like everyone else.
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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their
shoes.
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If you tell the truth, you don't have to
remember anything.
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Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when
your lips are moving.
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Experience is something you don't
get until just after you need it.
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New
Tools and Publications
Biorentention Design Technical Paper
"Bioretention Performance, Design, Construction, and
Maintenance" is a new technical white paper from North Carolina State's BAE Stormwater Engineering Group.
The paper is a concise treatment of monitoring results on bioretention practices. It also
discusses some design considerations, and how filter media can be changed to
address various nutrients. http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/stormwater/PublicationFiles/Bioretention2006.pdf
Landscaping with Native Plants of the Chesapeake Bay
Watershed Guidebook
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has just released
"Native Plants for Wildlife
Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay watershed." The
guidebook categorizes all the Bay area's native plants with photos,
characteristics, conditions, habitat, wildlife. http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/index.htm
Digital Groundwater Quality Data Compilation for
Pennsylvania
The USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center has issued a
digital data series report that provides a compilation of ambient groundwater
quality data for a 25-year period based on water samples from wells throughout
Pennsylvania. Eight data sources from local, state and federal agencies were used in the
compilation which covers 12 different analyte groups. The data are presented both
in terms of the 35 watershed-based planning teams used by DEP as well as 13
geolithologic units representing the major aquifers in the state. http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/ds150/
East Coast Brook Trout Assessment Study
The only trout native to freshwater streams along the East Coast have
vanished from much of their historical range, indicating a drop in water
quality, according to a new study. The 76-page report of the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, a cooperative
effort of more than 50 state, federal and private environmental groups that
assessed "brookie" populations, concluded that by restoring the fish,
human health also may be protected. But the report noted that because the brook
trout survives only in the cleanest and coldest of fresh water, its decline is a
warning of an ecosystem in distress. http://www.brookie.org/site/pp.asp?c=liKVL3POLvF&b=1558555
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Newsletter
Editor/ Design and Layout:
Rebecca Buerkett |
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Subscribe to this newsletter!
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of F. X. Browne, Inc.'s Lake and Watershed
News is now available. To be added to our mailing list, please visit
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F. X.
Browne, Inc. – Environmental Consulting
Engineers – Planners – Scientists
28 Years of Excellence & Innovation
Corporate
Office: Lansdale, PA
Pocono Office:
Marshalls Creek, PA
New York Office:
Saranac Lake, NY
For more information, call us at (215) 362-3878 or visit:
http://www.fxbrowne.com
.
For a printer
friendly version of the newsletter, click here.
Unless otherwise cited, all photos
in this newsletter © Rebecca Buerkett. Photos may not be used or reproduced without
permission.
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