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WaterNews for December 21, 2004Benjamin Grumbles WaterNews is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water. In This Week’s WaterNews:
1) Permitting for Environmental Results, NPDES Profiles ReleasedEPA is implementing a nation-wide assessment to improve the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit programs. To fulfill a major milestone in the "Permitting for Environmental Results (PER) Strategy," the states and EPA have worked closely to develop a detailed assessment of each NPDES program. EPA has released 33 NPDES profiles. The remaining profiles will be released in early 2005. The NPDES profiles can be viewed at www.epa.gov/npdes/PER 2) Stormwater Case StudiesTo assist the 5000 municipalities that are currently building programs to prevent and control stormwater pollution, EPA has developed 17 case studies that highlight successful municipal approaches to the six minimum measures that are outlined in the NPDES Stormwater Phase II regulations. Most of the case studies are drawn from local governments that implemented the Stormwater Phase I requirements in the 1990s. The stormwater case studies can be viewed at www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/casestudies 3) EPA Assistant Administrator Praises Safe Drinking Water ActU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for Water, Benjamin H. Grumbles, celebrated 30 years of progress under the Safe Drinking Water Act last week at the Clayton County, Georgia Water Authority. The Assistant Administrator visited the Clayton County Water Authority to see how the utility is using innovative technology for making drinking water safer and more secure in the 21st century. “We salute the Safe Drinking Water Act and the many Americans who work hard to make sure our water is safe to drink,” Mr. Grumbles said. “We can all help – by working within our own communities to prevent contamination in the lakes, rivers, streams, and underground aquifers that are the source of our water supply.” Mr. Grumbles praised the Clayton County Water Authority for taking action to go beyond regulatory requirements in ensuring that their customers have access to safe drinking water. In addition to conventional treatment, the Authority uses ultraviolet disinfection at all of their treatment plants to provide greater removal of microbial pathogens that can negatively impact human health by causing gastrointestinal illness. The Safe Drinking Water Act, signed December 16, 1974, governs a mandatory national program to protect public health through drinking water safety. In the United States, more than 53,000 community water systems test for the presence of up to 90 contaminants that are regulated in drinking water. In the last 30 years, the percentage of individuals and communities receiving safe, clean water that meets public health standards has increased significantly. EPA encourages citizens to learn more about where their drinking water comes from and how it is treated by reading their water utility’s annual water quality report. Additionally, States have identified potential sources of contamination that could affect drinking water for nine out of every ten community water systems in the nation. Local governments, business, and residents can use this information to take actions to prevent drinking water from becoming contaminated. Throughout 2005, EPA will recognize the anniversary of the Act by conducting a campaign focused on four themes: “Community Water Systems: The Backbone of Public Health;” “Protecting Sources of Drinking Water;” “Public Involvement in Safe Drinking Water;” and “Planning for the Future.” Visit www.epa.gov/safewater/sdwa/30th to view fact sheets created in commemoration of the anniversary and for updates on events and activities. Aquatox Workshop Announced for March 2005AQUATOX is a PC-based simulation model for aquatic ecosystems that covers eutrophication, chemical fate, bioaccumulation, and ecotoxicology. It predicts the fate of various pollutants and their effects on the ecosystem. EPA is sponsoring an AQUATOX workshop, March 8-10, 2005 at the EPA Region 5 offices in Chicago. The course will provide a detailed overview of the model and allow ample time to work with it in a lab setting. There is no charge for the workshop but prior registration is required and attendance is limited. For more information, visit the AQUATOX training page at www.epa.gov/waterscience/models/aquatox/Atraining.html 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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