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WaterNews for November 3, 2000WaterNews is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water. Inside this week's WaterNews:
1) EPA Announces Ban on Toxic Mixing Zones in the Great Lakes On November 2, 2000, EPA finalized a rule to ban up to 700,000 toxic pounds of chemicals that are discharged into the Great Lakes each year and that accumulate in fish and wildlife. Mercury discharges alone will be reduced by up to 90 percent. The final rule specifically bans the discharge of 22 toxic chemicals, including mercury, dioxin, PCBs, and pesticides, through mixing zones. Mixing zones refer to the long-used practice of disposing of toxic chemicals at a specific point on a body of water under the theory that their dilution in surrounding waters justifies less protective discharge standards within the mixing zone. EPA has also committed to develop a national regulation for mixing zones in 2001, based on this action in the Great Lakes. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/mixingzones/ on the Internet. 2) Congress Passes Estuaries and Clean Water Act of 2000 On October 25, 2000, Congress passed the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000. This legislation establishes a national goal of restoring one million acres of estuary habitat by 2010 and authorizes a total of $275 million over the next five years for matching funds for local estuary habitat restoration projects. The Act reauthorizes the National Estuary Program, the Chesapeake Bay Program, the Long Island Sound Program, and the Clean Lakes Program, and authorizes pilot programs on alternative water sources, a Lake Ponchartrain restoration program, and funding for the cleanup of the Tijuana River near San Diego. The legislation also establishes an Estuary Habitat Restoration Council that is responsible for developing a National Habitat Restoration Strategy within one year and for reviewing and establishing funding priorities among restoration projects. EPA serves on the Council which is chaired by the Army. To view the Act, visit http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/ on the Internet. On October 26, 2000, agencies cooperating under the Clean Water Action Plan released the "Watershed Success Stories: Applying the Principles and Spirit of the Clean Water Action Plan." The report highlights significant accomplishments in local community restoration efforts. These thirty success stories demonstrate how cooperation between federal, state and local partners can lead to innovative restoration solutions addressing a broad spectrum of water quality problems.
*************************************************************** Please forward this message to your friends and colleagues who share an interest in water-related issues and would like to hear from EPA's Office of Water. To subscribe to the WaterNews listserve: * Send an email message, leave the subject line blank, and address it to: waternews-join@lists.epa.gov * In the body of the message write: Subscribe WaterNews firstname lastname (Please leave one blank space between each word, do not include any other message, and use your actual name- i.e. Subscribe WaterNews Robert Jones) A welcome message will appear in your email box once you are officially subscribed. WaterNews will be sent to you at the end of each week. If you encounter difficulties subscribing to this list server or if you would like to be taken off the WaterNews list server at any time, please send your E-mail address to Gloria Posey at Posey.Gloria@epa.gov.
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