Middle, Lower Susquehanna Sections Named DCNR’s ‘River of the Year’: Annual Event Salutes Community Involvement, Celebrates Waterway’s Value
The DCNR has named the middle and lower Susquehanna sections as the ‘River of the Year’ for 2009.  The middle Susquehanna River is a stretch from Northumberland, Northumberland County, to Duncannon, Perry County.  Bordering counties include Union, Snyder, Juniata, and Dauphin.  The lower Susquehanna flows from Duncannon to the Maryland state line.  Bordering counties include Perry, Dauphin, Cumberland, York and Lancaster.
PA DCNR News Release, March 23, 2009
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/newsreleases/2009/0309-susquehannaroty.htm

Eleven Conservation Districts Oppose the DEP Gas-Oil Decision
The PA DEP has eliminated conservation districts from the permitting process for natural gas and oil drilling.  Eleven Counties (Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming) disagree with this decision.  DEP has hired 37 new staff members to handle the gas and oil permit applications.  For more information, see the articles below.

Carbon Joins Opposition to DEP’s Gas-Oil Decision
By Tom Ragan, StandardSpeaker.com, April 12, 2009
http://www.standardspeaker.com/articles/2009/04/12/news/hz_standspeak.20090412.a.pg2.hz12_carboncounty_s1.2436414_loc.txt

Carbon Opposes DEP Decision to Take Away Conservation Districts’ Power to Issue Permits
By Amy Zubek, Times News, April 10, 2009
http://www.tnonline.com/node/431930

Superfund List is Growing
Nine sites have been added to the Superfund List.  There are 1,264 sites currently on the list.  The following nine sites have been added to the Superfund List:

• Raleigh Street Dump: Tampa, Florida
• Arkla Terra Property: Thonotosassa, Florida
• U.S. Smelter and Lead Refinery, Inc.: East Chicago, Indiana
• Fort Detrick Area B Ground Water: Frederick, Maryland
• Behr Dayton Thermal System VOC Plume: Dayton, Ohio
• New Carlisle Landfill: New Carlisle, Ohio
• BoRit Asbestos: Ambler, Pennsylvania
• Barite Hill/Nevada Goldfields: McCormick, South Carolina
• Attebury Grain Storage Facility: Happy, Texas

The following 13 sites have been proposed to the National Priorities List:

• General Dynamics Longwood: Longwood, Florida
• Lane Street Ground Water Contamination: Elkhart, Indiana
• Southwest Jefferson County Mining: Jefferson County, Missouri
• Flat Creek IMM: Superior, Montana
• Ore Knob Mine: Ashe County, North Carolina
• GMH Electronics: Roxboro, North Carolina
• Raritan Bay Slag: Old Bridge/Sayreville, New Jersey
• Gowanus Canal: Brooklyn, New York
• Little Scioto River: Marion County, Ohio
• Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation/Church Road TCE: Mountain Top, Pennsylvania
• Papelera Puertorriquena, Inc.: Utuado, Puerto Rico
• Peck Iron and Metal: Portsmouth, Virginia
• Amcast Industrial Corporation: Cedarburg, Wisconsin

For more information, see the articles below.

What is a Superfund?
Superfund is a federal program focused on cleaning sites contaminated by hazardous waste.  The National Priorities List is utilized by EPA to choose which sites should be remediated and what will be involved with the process.   For more information on Superfund Sites, visit the link below.
By Kristen Gaydos, CitizensVoice.com, April 12, 2009
http://www.citizensvoice.com/articles/2009/04/12/news/wb_voice.20090412.a.pg3.cv12cdsuperfund_s1.2439426_top7.txt

Superfund Listing Could Have Benefits
By Kristen Gaydos, StandardSpeaker.com, April 13, 2009
http://www.standardspeaker.com/articles/2009/04/13/news/hz_standspeak.20090413.a.pg5.hz12_cvsuperfund_s1.2441302_loc.txt

Two Pennsylvania Sites Added to Superfund List
PA DEP Daily Update, April 8, 2009
http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/news/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=545905

EPA Adds Nine HazWaste Sites to Superfund List, Proposes 13 More
Environment News Service, April 8, 2009
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2009/2009-04-08-091.asp

Rivers Shrinking: Flow of Many Rivers in Decline
A study of 925 major rivers around the world from 1948-2004 showed an overall stream flow decline.  These effects are mainly due to climate change, though there are other factors such as the construction of dams and the use of water for agriculture and industry.
Forbes.com, Associated Press, By Randolph E. Schmid, April 21, 2009
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/04/21/ap6318431.html

Watershed Restoration Success Stories:  Minebank Run, Upper Sligo Creek, and Ben's Branch
The Maryland Department of the Environment's (MDE) 319 Nonpoint Source Program provides grants for nonpoint source control projects. Watershed restoration work in Minebank Run, Upper Sligo Creek and Ben's Branch have made strides in achieving water quality goals.
By Paul Emmart and Jim George, emde, Maryland Department of the Environment, Volume 3, Number 10
http://www.mde.state.md.us/ResearchCenter/Publications/General/eMDE/vol3no10/restoration.asp

Self Healing Cement Flexible Enough to Withstand Earthquakes Invented
Researchers have developed a flexible, self-healing cement that can better withstand the strain of earthquakes.  Cracks can heal themselves by reacting with water and carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate.  The strength of the healed concrete is equal or better to the original concrete.
By Dave Harcourt, April 23, 2009, About Technology, In Global
http://ecoworldly.com/2009/04/23/self-healing-flexible-cement-invented/

Challenges of Stream Restoration as a Stormwater Management Tool
Part 1:  A designer's perspective
The first of a three-part series on stream restoration, this article focuses on the potential challenges of a stream restoration project.
By Joshua B. Gilman and Jarrod Karl, Stormwater, May 2009
http://stormh2o.com/may-2009/stream-restoration-management.aspx