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WaterNews for November 25, 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
$4 Million Grant Program AnnouncedA $4 million grant program to assess wadeable rivers and streams has been announced. Pre-proposals for the awards are due Dec. 19, 2003. EPA expects to award between 20 and 40 cooperative agreements ranging in value from $50,000 to $500,000 (the larger awards to go to applicants representing multiple states). Applicants may include states, tribes, and other organizations eligible for Clean Water Act section 104(b)(3) funding, such as interstate commissions and associations, universities, municipalities, and non-profit organizations. Participants will conduct monitoring at sites identified by EPA under a randomized design and will be asked to use specific monitoring protocols for their sampling. The Request for Pre-proposals, along with supplemental material, is available on EPA's website at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/rfp/index.html. For more information, contact Susan Holdsworth at (202) 566-1187 D.C. Circuit Dismisses July 2000 TMDL Rule LitigationThe D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granted EPA's motion to dismiss the consolidated challenges to the July 2000 final Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) rule on Nov. 18. In March 2003, EPA withdrew the controversial rule that would have revised EPA's program for cleaning up impaired waters. When proposed, the July 2000 TMDL rule received more than 34,000 comments (many negative) and was ultimately challenged in court by some two dozen parties. Following EPA's determination that the July 2000 rule was unworkable and its withdrawal of that rule in March 2003, EPA moved to dismiss the D.C. Circuit challenges as moot. To date, no petitions to review the March 2003 withdrawal have been filed, and the deadline to file such petitions in appellate court has passed. For more information on EPA's TMDL Program, visit our web site at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/. Celebrating Tribal Environmental PartnershipsThe American Indian Environmental Office participated in the 60th Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians in Albuquerque, N.M. One of the items highlighted was the nationwide celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP), which is EPA's largest program aimed at helping tribal governments. Since its inception in 1993, this program represents a successful partnership between tribal governments and EPA to protect the environment in Indian Country. GAP provides direct funding to federally-recognized tribes and intertribal groups, and makes technical assistance available to develop multimedia programs that address environmental issues. Some of the tribes' environmental accomplishments include: over 440 tribes developing environmental programs; constructing 140 tribal air monitors; improving water and sanitation; building the capacity to monitor streams and restore watersheds; closing open dumps and implementing waste management and reduction programs. For more information, go to: http://www.epa.gov/indian. Now Available: "Asset Management: A Handbook for Small Water Systems"A new booklet "Asset Management: A Handbook for Small Water Systems – One of the Simple Tools for Effective Performance (STEP) Guide Series has been published and will help guide small drinking water systems through the process of developing an asset management plan. The booklet includes worksheets on completing a thorough asset inventory; prioritizing the rehabilitation and replacement of assets; and developing and implementing a simple asset management plan. To access the booklet on-line, go to http://www.epa.gov/safewater/smallsys/ssinfo.htm. Hard copies can be obtained from the Office of Water Resources Center or by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 (reference Document Number EPA 816-R-03-016). For more information, please contact Andrew Bielanski at (202) 564-3824. "Water on Tap: What You Need to Know"The Office of Water has released "Water on Tap: What You Need to Know," an updated report which provides the general public with practical information about drinking water. It is written in plain language and is in great demand by students, teachers, concerned citizens, water professionals, and anyone who is interested in drinking water issues. Hard copies can be obtained from the Office of Water Resources Center or by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791. For more information, please contact Harriet Hubbard at (202) 564-4621. EPA Develops New Website on Water Quality Standards & CriteriaEPA has created a new Internet site to disseminate information on Water Quality Standards & Criteria in Indian Country. This internet site is designed to help carry out the Office of Water objectives to meet the goal of clean and safe water in Indian country. An approved Indian tribe can set the water quality goals for all surface waters (e.g., streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands) on the reservation. The tribe will also certify whether activities which require a federal license or permit are consistent with the tribe's water quality standards. This is the first time tribes will have all relevant WQS information available in one place to assist them in developing WQS. For more information on the "Tribes and Water Quality Standards and Criteria...EPA in Partnership with Tribes" visit the website at http://epa.gov/waterscience/tribes/index.htm, contact Bryan "Ibrahima" Goodwin at (202) 566-0762 or goodwin.bryan@epa.gov. 2004 Community Involvement Conference and Training-Denver, COThe 2004 Community Involvement Conference and Training sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and chaired by the Office of Water, will be in Denver, Colorado, June 15-18, 2004. In its 7th year, this conference has proven itself to be an excellent opportunity to share lessons learned and to establish and monitor EPA's standards for community involvement. It's a great event for representatives of federal agencies, states, local governments, NGOs and private practitioners of citizen engagement to showcase their successes, compare notes about best practices, and network, network, network. The conference covers the entire scope of public participation, community involvement, partnership building, and outreach and education related to all aspects of environmental protection. The Call for Presenters is now available and all proposals are due by December 19, 2003!!! To learn more, please go to http://www.epancic.org/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 listserv: 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.
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