Region 1: EPA New England

Greenbytes: April 1, 2005 Edition

Greetings from EPA New England. We hope you find this edition of Greenbytes useful and we encourage you to give us feedback. For information on subscribing or unsubscribing see the section at the end of this message.

Feature: Celebrate Spring by Protecting Your Drinking Water Sources - Use Lawn and Garden Products Wisely!

No doubt that all of us are delighted at signs that Spring is coming. Rain is now replacing snow, hats and gloves and heavy coats are giving way to lighter clothes, and daylight hours are longer and longer. With the coming of Spring, many of us begin doing more outdoor activity which can include work in our yards and gardens as they transform from their winter dormancy.

When beginning to work in the yard, it's important to remember that gasoline, other petroleum products and pesticides can lead to the contamination of our water supply. This spring as you start the spring clean-up work on your lawn and garden, EPA reminds you to keep drinking water safe by keeping your lawn and garden safe.

Tools such as lawnmowers, trimmers and chain saws often use fuels which require mixing gasoline with oil. This year - mix only what you need using funnels and UL - approved containers. Mix and store fuels away from any water wells. Store all gasoline containers in well-ventilated areas away from the reach of children. A final tip is to keep absorbent materials on hand to clean up sills promptly.

As the cost of living goes up, drinking water is still one of New England's cheapest high-quality resources. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, a law that provides for the safety of nation's water supplies by establishing ways to assess contaminant threats, monitor water quality, provide treatment and protect our drinking water sources. EPA New England and the New England State Drinking Water Programs are encouraging citizens to do their part to protect the ground water and surface water we all use for private, public wells and surface water supplies.

To find out more about your drinking water, and how you can reduce your impact to drinking water, check out the EPA New England website at: http://www.epa.gov/region1/eco/drinkwater .

Press Releases

Westbrook, ME - Efforts to clean school bus pollution

R.I. - Environmental sampling in Woonasquatucket River to occur

Augusta, ME - Energy Star Label for Public Utility Commission Building

Newton, CT - School oil spill may result in fine

Healthy Communities Grants - Deadline is April 30

GE Housatonic - Model Calibration peer review will be May 4-5

Bristol, R.I. - Asbestos violations may result in fine for flooring contractor

Meetings & Conferences

GE - Housatonic River Citizens Coordinating Council
Wed. Apr. 6, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

New England Green Expo (Boston)
Thurs. Apr. 14,1-3 p.m.

Full index of April meetings

What's New on the Web

Regional

Healthy Communities - Grant info added

Performance Track - updated info

Brownfields - updated info in "What's New"

N. Woburn MA - updated info on Industri-Plex cleanup site

National

New national grant program to help communities understand and reduce the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals

Guidelines updated for performing cancer risk assessments

In The News Daily Email Service

"In The News" is a free daily service that provides links to today's top newspaper stories about the New England environment and links to related EPA New England information.

In The News Email Service: As soon as today's edition of "In The News" has been posted we will inform you via email.