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Editor's
Notes:
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The EPA's Greenversations environmental blog
recently began featuring "Science Wednesday" to cultivate public interest
in environmental science and engineering. The blog entries from EPA
staff will give the public an idea of how EPA science and technology
protect public health and the environment.
World Water
Monitoring Day™ (WWMD) is an international education and outreach
program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water
resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic
monitoring of their local water bodies. The month-long program kicks off
on September 18 with a data entry deadline of December 18. An
easy-to-use test kit enables everyone from children to adults to sample
local water bodies for a core set of water quality parameters, and
results are shared with participating communities around the globe.
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Topic
of the Month:
Baseline Studies Protect Everyone
By Frank X. Browne, Ph.D., P.E., President
of F. X. Browne, Inc.
Baseline
environmental studies can be used by everyone: developers, municipalities,
industries, homeowner organizations, and the general public. More...
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Girl Scout Water Drop Patch Project Updated
The Water
Drop Patch Project, co-produced by Girl Scouts of the USA and the
EPA, is getting updated and improved. The manual is designed for Girl Scout Brownies through
Ambassadors (grades 2-12) and divided into grade-level,
age-appropriate watershed activities. Girl Scouts who complete the requisite number of
activities receive a beautiful patch emblazoned with a white egret. Two exciting new activities added to the revised manual include
the construction of a rain garden to help control stormwater runoff
and the creation of a watershed outreach video.
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News Clips:
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EPA Continues Work to Understand Potential Impacts of
Pharmaceuticals in Water
EPA is seeking comment on an Information
Collection Request (ICR) that will be used in a detailed study of unused
pharmaceutical disposal methods by hospitals, long-term care facilities,
hospices and veterinary hospitals. More...
Dam Removal Report Explores
Environmental vs. Historical Issues
Too often advocates for river restoration through dam removal find
themselves in the middle of a project and at odds with potential
partners over matters of historic preservation. A new report by American
Rivers examines these issues. More...
Watershed Mapping Project Aims to Help
Restoration
The Philadelphia District of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently initiated an innovative web-based project that
will be a great resource to stewards of a local watershed. More...
New York State Forms New Collaborative
to Investigate Infrastructure Crisis
NY Governor Paterson established the statewide
Clean Water Collaborative to help
tackle a looming water infrastructure crisis facing New York State. More...
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Policy
Update:
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The
PA DEP has extended
the expiration of the current NPDES Phase II MS4 general permit
(PAG-13) by one year from midnight, March 9, 2009 to midnight, March
9, 2010. DEP also is extending all existing MS4 PAG-13 general permit
approvals, waivers from permit application requirements and exemptions
from the MS4 operator designation scheduled to expire. |
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The
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Habitat/Wetlands Initiative has
published A
Progress Report and Call to Action A publication of the Great Lakes
Regional Collaboration, that describes recent progress since early
2006 to protect and restore wetlands and other habitat across the
Great Lakes basin.
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The
Susquehanna River Basin Commission released a report, Conestoga
River Watershed Total Maximum Daily Loads Development Interim Report,
on the sources and quantities of nutrient pollutants in the Conestoga River Watershed during low flow
periods. |
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The
USEPA has released a new
"Find Your Watershed" Widget that connects to EPA's Surf Your
Watershed. Just type in your zip code to find out what is
happening in your watershed. The widget can be added to any web page. |
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In
a late compromise, the NJ legislature has passed
the Permit Extension Act that will shorten the permit extension period from six to two
years and relax development limits in six of 30 protected shore and
wetland areas. |
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Reasons to Stay in School |
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According to the US
Census Bureau, the average annual 2006 earnings of workers 18 and
older with an advanced degree was $82,320. This compares with an average
of $20,873 for those without a high school diploma, $31,071 for those with
a high school diploma, and $56,788 those with a bachelor’s degree.
Source: Educational
Attainment in the United States: 2007
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New BMP Outreach Program
Using grant funds from the U.S. EPA, The Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
(UCR) worked with other Riverkeeper programs in Georgia to launch the Get the Dirt
Out (GTDO) sediment BMP education program. GTDO empowers
citizens to identify and take the appropriate steps to rectify sediment
pollution using the Clean Water Act.
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Environmentally Preferably Purchasing: http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp/pubs/relatedfed.htm
The Web site includes links
to a variety of other federal government Web sites focusing on different
aspects of environmentally preferable purchasing, including:
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Environmentally Preferable Products and Services
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Environmentally
Preferable Product Catalogs
-
Federal Agency Green Purchasing
Programs
-
Other Federal Environmentally
Preferable Purchasing Web Sites
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RU Confused?
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Are you new to text messaging? Do
your kids speak a digital language that you wish you could understand? The
acronyms and shorthand terms used for text messages and IM can be confusing, especially
since terms keep changing. NetLingo is
an online dictionary that explains computer jargon, and offers pages targeted
to the needs of parents, new MySpace participants, and businesspeople.
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New Tools and
Publications:
Ground
Water Rule Information Guides Available
EPA
is releasing new information guides to assist states and public water systems
understand requirements of the Ground Water Rule (GWR). Public water systems
need to begin actions to comply with the GWR in December 2009. A Quick Reference
Guide provides a simple and straight-forward description of the rule, critical
deadlines, requirements for drinking water systems and states, and information
on monitoring requirements. A series of fact sheets provide more detail about
specific topics covered by the rule, including monitoring, sanitary surveys, and
public notification. http://www.epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/gwr/compliancehelp.html.
Nature Conservancy Publishes New Invasive Plant Species Brochure
The Nature Conservancy has published a new terrestrial invasive plants
brochure for the mid-Atlantic Region. Terrestrial Invasive Plants of the Potomac
River Watershed includes both general information about invasive species and how
they spread, and specific information about individual terrestrial invasives
such as garlic mustard and multiflora rose. http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/maryland/files/mdinvasivebrochure.pdf
The Clean Water State Revolving Fund - 20 Years of Progress Summarized
EPA released the
2007 Annual Report on the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Programs,
Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: 20 Years of Progress. The report marks the 20th
anniversary of the largest federal funding program for wastewater infrastructure
projects. The report includes information about new initiatives and recognizes
the winners of the 2007 Performance and Innovation in the SRF Creating
Environmental Success (PISCES) Awards. http://www.epa.gov/owmitnet/cwfinance/cwsrf/
Local Stormwater Monitoring Study Designs
Offered
As part of an EPA grant, the Center for Watershed Protection and the
University of Alabama prepared six monitoring study designs, outlined in the
project's final manual, Monitoring to Demonstrate Environmental Results:
Guidance to Develop Local Stormwater Monitoring Studies Using 6 Example Study
Designs. This guidance is designed to navigate the stormwater manager through
the complexities of implementing a monitoring program so they can be confident
in their results and get the most out of their limited stormwater dollars. Each study design covers such essential elements as scoping,
budgeting, and staffing needs as well as equipment and sampling requirements.
Special issues associated with each monitoring study design are also covered for
those unforeseen but inevitable monitoring challenges. http://www.cwp.org/#monitoring
CWP Releases Municipal Pollution
Prevention/Good Housekeeping Manual
The Center for Watershed Protection released the final installment of the Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual
Series, Manual 9: Municipal Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping Practices.
The manual provides "how to" guidance, and outlines the Center's most
recent ideas on how municipal pollution prevention/good housekeeping practices
can be used to address local water quality issues and watershed restoration
goals. http://www.cwp.org/formmaker/Download-Form_RedirectFormPage.html
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Newsletter
Editor/ Design and Layout:
Rebecca
Buerkett
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