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WaterNews for December 3, 2002WaterNews 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
President signs the Great Lakes Legacy ActPresident George W. Bush signed into law the Great Lakes Legacy Act on Nov. 27, 2002 authorizing appropriations to mitigate pollution in the Great Lakes. The Legacy Act authorizes an appropriation of up to $54 million each fiscal year from 2004 through 2008. The funding is to encourage innovative technologies and research in the clean up of contaminated sediments, and to provide public information programs at the clean up sites. Whole Effluent Toxicity Test Method Guidelines PublishedOn Nov. 19th, EPA published in the Federal Register “Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants; Whole Effluent Toxicity Test (WET) Methods,” a final rule ratifying approval of several test procedures for measuring the toxicity of effluents and receiving waters. The Notice also withdrew two WET test methods from the list of nationally-approved biological test procedures and revised some of the methods to improve performance and increase confidence in the results. The final rule makes minor corrections and clarifications and addresses specific stakeholder concerns. You can view the Guidelines document and learn more about WET methods on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/WET/. EPA Withdraws Federal Water Quality CriteriaEPA will soon publish in the Federal Register a final rule amending its 1992 Federal regulations establishing water quality criteria for toxic pollutants for 12 states and two territories. On Nov. 26th, Administrator Christie Whitman signed the package withdrawing certain human health and aquatic life water quality criteria applicable to Vermont, Kansas, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. These entities have adopted water quality criteria that EPA approved; therefore, the federal criteria are no longer necessary. Meeting on Sewage Treatment Needs AssessmentOn Nov. 19-20, 2002, in Miami, Florida, Ed Gross from the Environmental Protection Agency participated in the “Meeting of Experts on Sewage Treatment Needs Assessments in the Wider Caribbean” which was sponsored by United Nations Environmental Program. Twenty-one people attended this event including representatives of Belize, Colombia, Saint Lucia, and Venezuela. These countries are the first four to initiate sewage treatment needs assessments. The primary purpose of the meeting was to (1) review a guidance document for developing national plans for domestic wastewater pollution reduction which had been prepared by a consultant and (2) to review proposed pilot projects in the four countries. For further information please contact Ed Gross at 202-564-8961. National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) MeetingThe National Environmental Justice Council (NEJAC) will host its next meeting in Baltimore, Maryland on Dec. 9-12, 2002. This years focus will be on “How can EPA better promote innovation in the field of pollution prevention waste minimization, and related areas to more effectively ensure a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for all people, including low-income, minority and tribal communities?” If you have any questions, please call the toll-free NEJAC Hotline at (888)335-4299 or to register for the conference you can go on- line or download a form at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/nejac/next_meeting.html Subscribe to WaterNewsPlease 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:
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 once a 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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