Watershed Winds Newsletter
EPA and its state, tribal, federal and other partners have completed the report highlighting the work on the first survey of the nation's rivers and streams (National Rivers and Streams Assessment, NRSA 2008-2009). This survey combines an assessment of the nation's rivers with the second national survey of small wadeable streams (Wadeable Streams Assessment (WSA)). Planning is also underway for the next survey of the nation's rivers and streams (NRSA 2013-2014).
The nation faces costly upgrades to aging and deteriorating drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. Frequent and highly publicized incidents of combined sewer overflows into rivers and streams, as well as water main breaks in the nation's largest cities, are the most visible manifestations of this problem. The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) J. Alfredo Gomez, Director of Natural Resources and Environment, issued testimony before the House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. In the statement, GAO reviews three approaches to bridging the gap between projected drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs and their current funding.
Penn State Extension is delivering an important message to pesticide applicators in Pennsylvania this year on the impact of water quality on pesticide performance.
Join us for a half day of webcast training on April 3, 2013 on “Urban BMPS and the Bay TMDL: A Users Guide”. This is an opportunity for you to learn about the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Expert Panel recommendations for each of the newly approved Urban BMPs that can be used to achieve nutrient and sediment reductions toward the Bay TMDL. Hear from the expert panelists themselves and have the opportunity to ask them questions about each of the recommendations. This training is designed for local stormwater permit managers, design engineers, state TMDL staff, and anyone else involved in getting credit for urban practices in the Bay TMDL and outlines the expert panel recommendations for the four most recent Urban BMP Panels.
If you have a pond and want to stock it with trout there are a few things you need to think about.
National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV. Application Deadline: August 9th. This course provides participants with applications and techniques for the implementation of green infrastructure at multiple scales. Building off GI 101: Strategic Conservation Planning Using a Green Infrastructure Approach course, this course will examine the next steps for on-the-ground implementation of green infrastructure focusing on how to obtain a maximum return-on-investment so that projects are streamlined and delivered at least cost, while retaining the viability of the network. The four-day course highlights leadership and stakeholder engagement, financing and network management, legal and regulatory issues, and support tools for the optimization of the decision-making process. Hear from expert green infrastructure practitioners as they discuss lessons learned on creating success and overcoming challenges, explore trends in implementation from urban to regional scales, and learn about the latest applications of green infrastructure as related to climate change, water transportation, and ecosystem services.
World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. The first World Water Day was held 22 March 1993.
Nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year. That's why WaterSense reminds Americans to check their plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems each year during Fix a Leak Week.
The clean water paradigm in the United States is changing. The Water Resources Utility of the Future will transform the way traditional wastewater utilities view themselves and manage their operations. They also will transform their relationships with their communities and their contributions to local economies. This report presents the clean water industry's vision for the future as well as a series of actions that will help deliver our vision. It is jointly released by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). The audience for this report includes federal policy-makers, local utility managers, private sector interests, and state and local governments.
National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV. Registration Deadline: April 26th. This 4.5 day introductory course provides participants with a strategic approach to prioritizing conservation opportunities and a planning framework for conservation and development - integrating the green and the gray. Through hands-on class projects, lectures, and numerous case studies, participants will experience firsthand how the green infrastructure approach can be used to connect environmental, social, and economic health across urban, suburban, and rural settings. Participants will also learn how green infrastructure planning can serve as a tool to inform land use decisions and build consensus among diverse interests.
American Rivers has released this new guide to permitting approaches that encourage or require low impact development or green infrastructure. The guide combines model permit language with excerpts from comment letters that have helped to drive permit evolution. It is intended to be a resource for community and watershed advocates.
National groundwater awareness week is March 10-16, 2013 and this year’s theme is “Groundwater Awareness is Important to You!” Groundwater is important to every person, and there is something every person can do to be a good groundwater steward.
Please join us on May 10-11 at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, the event will be hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences' Center for Private Forests. Focusing on the future of Penn's Woods, the day-and-a-half conference will reach out to owners of all sizes of woodlands, from backyard woodlot owners to those who view their woodlands as business ventures.
A hands-on, inquiry based activity that helps older youth and adults learn about water quality issues surrounding small watersheds and the decision making processes that go into improving those water quality issues.
Penn State Extension Educator, Jim Clark, and the Cameron County Conservation District, recently obtained a $6,000 grant from the Headwaters RC&D Sinnemahoning Stakeholders Group. The grant will pay for water tests for 35 rural ponds located throughout the Sinnemahoning Watershed.
Join us for the Keystone Wells and Water Testing Seminar. The seminar is designed to give attendees a broad overview of water wells, water quality, water testing, interpreting test results and determining water quality solutions for private water systems in Pennsylvania.
The Penn State Extension Water Resources Team is offering two pond education opportunities where participants learn from home. An Online Pond Home Study Course, and an Aquatic Pesticide Recertification Correspondence Course, allows Pennsylvania Pond Owners to participate, without ever leaving their home.
You can’t see, smell or taste radon. It could, however, be a problem in your home. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Surgeon General, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. And if you smoke and your home has high radon levels your risk of lung cancer is much higher.
A couple married for 61 years brought a water test report for clarification into the Extension office. They have tested their well periodically for years and for the first time they had a positive total coliform bacteria test. They had the usual questions, “is that bad? (we haven’t been sick or anything).” And, “what should we do about it?”
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day which will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2013, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who missed the previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications. In the four previous Take-Back events, DEA in conjunction with our state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners have collected more than 2 million pounds (1,018 tons) of prescription medications were removed from circulation. The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of these medications.
