 |
||
|
Water |  |
 |
||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
WaterNews for June 10, 2003G. Tracy Mehan, III WaterNews 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
Assistant Administrator for Water Testifies on Capitol HillAssistant Administrator G. Tracy Mehan III testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee. The hearing was on regulatory and legal status of Federal jurisdiction of navigable waters under the Clean Water Act (June 10, 2003). To read the testimony visit http://www.epa.gov/water/speeches/ EPA Releases Annual National Listing of Fish and Wildlife AdvisoriesU.S. Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Administrator for Water G. Tracy Mehan III released the annual National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories, which is designed to protect susceptible populations such as young children and women of child-bearing age. The report highlights a 93 percent increase in state safe eating guidelines, which are issued to inform the public that fish caught from specific waterbodies have been tested and are safe to eat. " States are warning the public about chemical contaminants in fish tissues and informing the public about which fish and which waterbodies are safe. This promotes the enjoyment of recreational fishing," said Mehan. "I want to especially congratulate Alaska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas for the outstanding job they are doing in identifying areas where the fish is safe to eat." The safe eating guidelines began in 1993, and only 20 guidelines were issued. The number increased slowly until 2002, when 164 new safe eating guidelines were issued. Currently 3,084 miles of rivers and 4,342,920 lake acres nationally have safe eating guidelines for at least one fish species in the continental U.S. "Our expectation is that these guidelines will grow as additional states identify safe fishing waters," said Mehan. "States are doing a better job of monitoring and have flexibility in the different types of advisories they issue." For example, some advisories recommend no or limited consumption of some species caught during recreational fishing, while others may recommend certain preparation and cooking methods to reduce risks. An advisory may be targeted to the population at large, to specific groups such as pregnant women and/or children; it may be limited to certain sizes or species of fish, or it may apply to fish caught in a particular section of a waterway or to all waterways. Although there are advisories for a total of 39 chemical contaminants, most advisories involve five primary contaminant: mercury, PCBs, dioxins, DDT, and chlordane. Almost 75 percent of the advisories have been issued at least in part because of mercury contamination. The 2,800 advisories issued in 2002 represent approximately 33 percent of the nation's total lake acreage and over 15 percent of the nation's total river miles. Approximately 95,000 lakes and 544,000 river miles are under advisory as well as all the Great Lakes and their connecting waters. There are also various advisories in many other nationally important waterways, including Lake Champlain, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and 20 estuaries. In addition, 28 states have statewide advisories including three new statewide advisories issued in 2002: Florida, Illinois, and Rhode Island each added statewide mercury advice for lakes and rivers. In addition, a Native American group, the Micmac Tribe of Maine, also issued statewide mercury advisories to its members. The National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories and additional information on fish consumption advisories are available at www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish or by contacting your local department of health. Pew Oceans Commission Releases Final ReportOn June 4, the Pew Oceans Commission released its final report: America’s Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change. The report makes recommendations on changes to current U.S. regulations, policies, and management of ocean and coastal resources. The Commission’s report focused on five areas of inquiry: (1) aquaculture, (2) fishing, (3) coastal development, (4) marine pollution, and (5) introduced species. It provides recommendations for restoring and protecting ocean and coastal ecosystems, rebuilding fish populations, controlling coastal development, curbing pollution, and improving ocean governance. The full report and its recommendations can be found at http://www.pewoceans.org/ EPA Conducts Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia StudyEPA‘s Ocean Survey Vessel Peter W. Anderson is supporting a survey to describe the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Zone, June 9 - 23, 2003. This ship will provide EPA scientists logistical and instrument support to conduct the study. The Anderson can host 15 scientists and provide a platform to conduct scientific operations over wide areas of the Gulf of Mexico. The EPA Gulf of Mexico Program Office in partnership with the EPA Office of Research and Development and EPA Office of Water are leading the investigations of the Gulf of Mexico’s inner shelf along coastal Louisiana and Texas which have documented the development of hypoxic bottom waters and the increasing size of the hypoxic zone over the past several decades. The size of the hypoxic zone, defined as dissolved oxygen concentrations less than 2 mg per liter, varies from year-to-year but appears to be the largest known hypoxic zone in the waters of the U.S. The primary cause of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico has been identified as excessive nutrient loading associated with increased fertilizer use throughout the Mississippi-Ohio-Missouri River Basin. This survey will characterize the magnitude and variability in physical, chemical and biological parameters and processes in the water column and sediments along coastal Louisiana. The survey characterization is designed to provide new insight on oceanographic conditions during the development and expansion of hypoxia. This survey is the third in a series of multi-year, seasonal monitoring surveys using the Anderson. The next survey is scheduled for November 2003. For more information contact Ken Potts, 202-566-1267. June is Coastal and Oceans MonthJune 2003 has been designated "Coastal and Oceans Month," in the Year of Clean Water, 2002-2003. Ocean and coastal waters are an integral part of our daily lives. Despite their tremendous importance and incredible value, ocean and coastal waters are being degraded at an alarming rate. In order to restore, maintain and protect these resources, EPA has designed a wide array of programs to better define and control coastal pollution problems, develop coastal research and monitoring plans, and initiate habitat restoration efforts. However, many challenges remain. Future successes will come from good science, working closely with our partners and stakeholders, focusing our efforts using a watershed approach, and effectively applying our regulatory authorities. For more information about Coastal and Oceans Month, contact Katherine Bruce, at 202/566-1280 or visit our website at http://www.epa.gov/water/yearofcleanwater/ Listed below are materials that have been developed and are now available online:
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.
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
