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WaterNews for April 8, 2003WaterNews 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
April is Stormwater Month!Spring is a great time to focus on stormwater pollution (April showers...). This year it is even more appropriate as Phase II of the NPDES stormwater regulations comes into effect. EPA’s Office of Water has just released a new CD-based outreach kit to help communities across the country implement these new requirements. The materials will help communities reach out to a wide variety of audiences, including homeowners, construction site operators, and businesses. Local officials can use the CD to customize these materials with their agency’s name, address, and phone number so citizens will know where to turn for more information.
You can view the Stormwater Month collection of materials at http://www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwatermonth You can also order the Stormwater Month CD by contacting Nikos Singelis at npdesbox-request@epa.gov. It includes all the files you’ll need to customize these publications, as well as a complete reference library for the NPDES stormwater program, including regulations, guidance documents, and more. Finally, hard copies of individual products may be requested in limited quantities. Here’s a brief description of some of the Stormwater Month Materials: Ocean Commission Discusses Policy Options at Public MeetingThe Ocean Commission held a public meeting at George Washington University on April 2nd and 3rd to discuss policy options pertaining to regional governance and watershed issues. Recommendations were made with regard to several topic areas including vessel pollution, invasive species, marine debris and nonpoint source pollution. A full summary of the meeting will soon be available at http://oceancommission.gov/ Updated Catalog of Federal Funding for Watershed Protection Now OnlineEPA has recently updated the Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection. This Catalog is now online. The Web site provides information for watershed practitioners and others on 84 Federal funding sources that may be available to help fund various watershed-related projects. The Web site updates EPA’s Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection (EPA 841-B-99-003) which was previously published in 1999. This Web site was developed by an Office of Water Finance Work Group with representatives from staff in the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, Office of Wastewater Management, and Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. The Web site will be updated regularly. We also prepared a one-page flyer to publicize this new Web site which is available from NSCEP at 800-490-9198 (please ask for the flyer called “Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection,” EPA 841-F-03-001). To view the Web site, visit http://www.epa.gov/watershedfunding. EPA Issues Voluntary Guidelines to Help Cities and Counties Improve Management of Septic SystemsEPA Assistant Administrator G. Tracy Mehan, III, has announced the release by the Office of Water of a new document titled “Voluntary Guidelines for Management of Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems.” These new guidelines are designed to help local governments strengthen their management of septic (onsite) systems and other small, privately-owned wastewater treatment systems. These guidelines and an accompanying Management Handbook, which is now available for public comment, provide local governments with a risk-based model for evaluating local conditions and then a five-tier system developing an appropriate management program to address local conditions. The “Voluntary Guidelines...” document (EPA 832-B-03-001) is available for download at http://www.epa.gov/owm/onsite. You may also order a free copy by calling 1-800-490-9198. The public is also invited to review and comment on the companion “Handbook for Management of Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems.” The public comment period closes on May 27, 2003. Information on how to provide comments is available on the website listed above. For more information, please contact Joyce Hudson at 202-564-0657 or Steve Hogye 202-564-0631. EPA To Expand and Strengthen Sewage Sludge Research, Programs
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a strategy for expanding and strengthening sewage sludge (biosolids) research and programs. Under the strategy, which responds to recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council, EPA will undertake the following activities:
“This announcement is EPA’s effort to address the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences as well as citizen concerns while maintaining the beneficial uses of biosolids,” said G. Tracy Mehan, III, Assistant Administrator for Water. A Federal Register notice seeking public comment is expected to be published this week. A pre-publication copy of the notice is posted online at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/biosolids/. Two years ago, EPA commissioned the National Academy of Sciences to independently review the scientific basis of the regulations governing the land application of sewage sludge. The 18-month study, called “Biosolids Applied to Land: Advancing Standards and Practices,” was published in July 2002. The National Academy of Sciences concluded that while there is no documented scientific evidence that sewage sludge regulations have failed to protect public health, there is persistent uncertainty on possible adverse health effects. EPA is also announcing preliminary results of its review of existing sewage sludge regulations as required by the Clean Water Act, which is required every two years. The public is invited to comment in the next 90 days. Following this public comment, the agency will publish specific pollutants for possible regulation in early 2004. 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 A welcome message will appear in your email box once you are officially subscribed. Following your welcome message, you will begin to receive WaterNews 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. We welcome any comments that you may have.
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