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WaterNews for July 8, 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
EPA Announces Use Designations for KansasIn a July 7 Federal Register notice, EPA published final water quality standards for the State of Kansas announcing recreation use designations for 1,287 of the State’s waters. These designations replace those adopted by Kansas that EPA disapproved in 1998. The Agency incorporated the results of 550 of the State’s analyses into the use designations. Once Kansas has completed the necessary changes to its water quality standards, EPA will withdraw the Federal designated uses. You can learn more about this action by visiting the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/actions.htm. Assistant Administrator To Attend Hypoxia Meeting in Ames, Iowa, July 10 and 11G. Tracy Mehan III will travel to Ames, Iowa where he will participate with the Regional Administrators from Regions 2 through 8 in the Mississippi River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Summer Meeting. This meeting will be hosted by Region 7 and will include an update on the Task Force activities, a technical session with presentations by respected scientists, and a tour of the McLaughlin Wetland as an example of nitrogen reduction. First Meeting Convened to Report on Uniform National Discharge Standards RulemakingThe first meeting of the Uniform National Discharge Standards (UNDS) Consultation Committee (UCC) was held on July 1, 2003, co-chaired by Craig Hooks (Deputy Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds) and Don Schregardus (Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy). Representatives of the State Department, U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coastal States Organization, Environmental Council of States, and Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators attended the meeting. The committee focused its discussion on the implementation of a new batch rulemaking process for the UNDS program, and determination of appropriate venues for conducting outreach. The UCC was established to support the Administrator of EPA and the Secretary of the Navy in carrying out their duties to establish performance standards for discharges from Armed Forces vessels. The committee is chartered to facilitate consultation with Federal and State agencies, and provide input on the planning and implementation of State, Territory, and Tribal outreach activities. For more information, contact Brian Rappoli at 566-1548. Five Star EventOn June 19, at a ceremony in Tookany Creek Park (Cheltenham Township) in PA, Environmental Protection Agency Region 3 officials honored Cheltenham Township for its environmental stewardship. EPA presented a bronze marker to the township officially designating Tookany Creek Park as a Five Star Restoration site. The Five Star Restoration program is a voluntary restoration effort involving at least five different organizations. At Tookany, there were 11 partners involved in the project. The Township’s goal, along with its partners, is a comprehensive revitalization and restoration of the creek. With the EPA grant of $20,000 and the additional funds provided by the partners, volunteers planted native vegetation along the streambank to slow eroding and flooding. The partners have also developed a watershed information and training manual on issues related to the Tookany Creek watershed for middle school students. For additional information on this project visit http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/restore/5star/tookanycreek.html. EPA Presents $700,000 Grant to Protect Susquehanna WatershedBinghamton, N.Y. – Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presented a $700,000 grant July 2 to the Upper Susquehanna Coalition as part of a new EPA national initiative supporting community-based approaches to cleaning up the nation’s watersheds. The Upper Susquehanna watershed, a 7,534 square-mile largely agricultural area that stretches from Otsego, New York to Athens, Pennsylvania, is home to 100,000 people. The coalition’s efforts will help ensure that the people who rely on the Susquehanna River for their drinking water continue to receive high quality water in years to come. "The many threats to water quality demand a multi-faceted strategy for watershed protection," said Jane M. Kenny, regional administrator for EPA’s Region 2, which includes New York State. "With this funding, the coalition will wisely take many routes to improving the Upper Susquehanna – from restoring wetlands to reducing streambank erosion to repairing roadside ditches. Just as important, citizens and students will gain expertise that will contribute to the watershed’s ongoing improvement." Donald S. Welsh, Regional Administrator for EPA's Region 3, which includes Pennsylvania said: "This funding recognizes the public and private partnerships which improve the environmental health of the Susquehanna Headwaters watershed. The continuing dedication of community partners will ensure cleaner water and measurable environmental change." The Upper Susquehanna Coalition will use its funding to restore wetlands throughout the watershed, build county coalitions to support community needs, install stream bank buffers, train local groups in natural stream restoration; assesses erosion, restore road ditches and establish a college internship program. Mark Watts, District Manager, Chemung County Soil and Water Conservation District and Chairperson of the Upper Susquehanna Coalition said, "This funding will support our efforts at the county level to address local water quality issues of importance while also having positive benefits to our downstream neighbors. We are excited about showing how 14 counties can develop a watershed approach that crosses town, county and state lines to implement meaningful projects in a cost effective manner." 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.
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