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WaterNews for November 4, 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
Three Meetings Set For Water-efficient ProductsThis country faces both water infrastructure and water supply problems. The gap between needs and investments for water and wastewater infrastructure could potentially be $224 billion over the next 20 years. Just as important, 36 states expect to experience water shortages over the next ten years, even without drought conditions. To address these critical issues, Assistant Administrator for Water G. Tracy Mehan III announced a national program to promote water-efficient products to consumers. As a first step toward assessing the needs of a water-efficient product market enhancement program, Mr. Mehan is conducting a series of stakeholder meetings to work toward possible approaches and partnership opportunities to promote water efficiency in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. The first stakeholder meeting was held on October 9, 2003 in Washington, DC and attended by about 100 people representing a broad range of stakeholder interests. Jim Hanlon, Director of the Office of Wastewater Management, gave the opening remarks and introduced Assistant Administrator Mehan who gave the keynote address. Three panel discussions were held, each followed by a facilitated discussion. The first panel gave state, local, and public perspectives, with representatives of the California Urban Water Conservation Council, East Bay Municipal Utility District, and Friends of the Earth. The second panel discussed working programs and international perspectives. The Australian water-efficient product labeling program, the Energy Star program, and the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association were represented. The last panel session dealt with the perspectives of manufacturers and retailers of water-using products, with presentations by Home Depot, Rain Bird, the Irrigation Association, and the American Home Appliance Manufacturers. Presentations reflected a mixture of enthusiasm and caution. A great deal of support was expressed for a market enhancement program, particularly by the water industry. On the other hand, manufacturers and equipment installers cautioned that many products operate as part of a system, so that product performance is dependent on the other parts of the system. Manufacturers also urged that enough lead time be given for them to respond to voluntary standards. Currently, our plans call for three additional stakeholder meetings, as follows:
As meeting plans are finalized, notices will be placed on the water-efficiency website at http://www.epa.gov/water/water_efficiency.html. Permitting For Environmental Results LaunchedEPA has launched a major initiative to strengthen its core wastewater permitting program under the Clean Water Act. On Aug. 15, 2003, Assistant Administrator G. Tracy Mehan III announced the Permitting for Environmental Results (“PER”) Strategy in recognition of the numerous challenges facing the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program – including continuing impairment of the nation’s waterways, a backlog of expired NPDES permits, and legal challenges to state permitting programs. The PER Strategy describes an ambitious partnership between EPA permitting and enforcement authorities, and their state counterparts, to improve the environmental effectiveness, efficiency, and fundamental integrity of the NPDES program. It has three key components:
In an Oct. 9, 2003, memorandum Mr. Mehan addressed the program integrity component of the PER Strategy by initiating the Program Integrity Management System – a set of tools that will enable EPA and states to assess the integrity of the NPDES program, identify strengths and shortfalls, and promote continuous improvement. Between now and next spring, EPA and state NPDES authorities will use state self-assessments and data on program performance to prepare state profiles highlighting the strengths and shortfalls of individual permitting programs. The management system also provides for periodic reassessments and discussions to measure progress and to evaluate lessons learned. Mr. Mehan’s memo announcing the PER strategy is available on EPA’s web site at http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/final_per_strategy.pdf. International Symposium on "Underground Injection Science and Technology”The Second International Symposium, held at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California on Oct. 22-25, was sponsored by the Office of Water and the Department of Energy. More than 160 participants attended, and presentations were made by scientists and engineers from 13 countries and the USA. All of the abstracts and full presentations are available on a CD and in hard copy. Some presentations will be published in a scientific journal and the rest will be published in a book by a prestigious scientific publishing firm. The exchange of ideas among international and domestic participants was excellent and holds great promise for possible future cooperation. The hosting Laboratory is examining the possibility of a newsletter to further facilitate this interchange of technical issues. For more information, please contact Bob Smith at (202) 564-3895. Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program Celebrates SigningA signing ceremony was held on Oct. 23, 2003, in Tom's River, New Jersey to formally acknowledge EPA approval of the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program (NEP) Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and to celebrate the contributions of volunteers and partners who participated in developing the Plan. At the ceremony, which was attended by approximately 60 volunteers, Federal, county, and municipal partners, and other stakeholders, speakers re-affirmed their commitment to address the following program priorities: (1) water quality/water supply protection, (2) habitat protection and restoration, (3) management of competing human uses, and (4) public outreach and education. Each speaker emphasized Barnegat Bay commitment to restoring, maintaining, protecting, and enhancing the natural resources of the Bay and its contributing sub-watersheds. For more information, contact Marilyn Katz at (202) 566-1246. State of the Estuaries Report Issued in New HampshireThe New Hampshire Estuaries Project, (NHEP) one of 28 National Estuary Programs across the country, released their "State of the Estuaries" Report at a conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Oct. 21 - 22. The report highlights 12 key indicators in the areas of water quality, shellfish resources, habitat and land use, and evaluates their status against a set of management goals. While no overall assessment of the health of New Hampshire's estuaries (Great Bay and Hampton Harbor) was made, in general, fecal coliform bacterial levels have declined, eelgrass coverage has remained somewhat constant, nitrogen levels have increased, clam and oyster densities have declined, and the study area is experiencing "sprawl" growth. Dr. Andy Rosenberg, Dean of Life Sciences and Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire, and one of the Commissioners on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, served as the conference keynote speaker. Proceedings from the State of the Estuaries conference and a copy of the report will be placed on the NHEP website (www.state.nh.us/nhep New Zealand Water and Health Officials Visit EPA
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