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WaterNews for May 11, 2005Benjamin 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:
Grumbles Commends Ecomagination Focus on Water SustainabilityBenjamin Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for Water, gave a keynote address to a group of private and public sector attendees at General Electric's launching of its new platform for "Ecomagination” on May 9th, in Washington, DC. GE's initiative reflects its commitment to increased research, design and marketing of environmentally friendly products, especially for purposes of water quality, water conservation, and reduced energy usage. Mr. Grumbles emphasized the importance of technology and sustainable infrastructure for ensuring clean and safe water. He also noted the importance of public-private partnerships, and the need innovative solutions to water quality and quantity problems. Water EfficiencyDid you know that a typical household uses approximately 260 gallons of water per day. In the summer, the amount of water used outdoors by a household can exceed the amount used for all other purposes in the entire year? According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 30 percent of the daily water consumption in the U.S. is devoted to outdoor uses. The majority of this is used for landscaping, given that the typical suburban lawn consumes 10,000 gallons of water above and beyond rainwater each year. In order to address this pressing environmental problem, EPA is increasing its attention on water efficiency. A key area of focus is landscaping and irrigation, where using existing technologies and practices can reduce water use while maintaining healthy and beautiful landscapes, and saving money for consumers. We are also investigating ways to promote water-efficiency in landscape design and maintenance. We are also seeking to promote water-efficient products and practices in other areas, such as indoor water use in residences and commercial buildings. More information is available on EPA’s Water Efficiency website; www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency. National River Rally 2005 in Keystone, COThe River Network will host this year’s National River Rally 2005 from May 20-24, 2005, in Keystone, CO, which will feature workshops covering emerging watershed issues, including source water protection strategies. EPA’s Office of Water is involved through a cooperative agreement. You can register online and obtain more information at the River Rally Web site http://www.riverrally.org/rally/. OST Crossword Puzzle Published in Scholastic News Earth Day PublicationThe Office of Science and Technology (OST) within the Office of Water created a crossword puzzle for students titled “Healthy Waters start with Water Quality Standards.” Scholastic News selected the crossword puzzle to include in their Earth Day publication. This crossword puzzle teaches readers about healthy streams and rivers and how water quality standards are the foundation of clean and safe water. This eye catching crossword puzzle is available at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/KidsStuff/. This hard work from Frances Desselle, Lauren MacWilliams, and Cara Lalley, has provided young environmentalists an excellent educational tool to learn about taking care of their local watersheds. For more information about the crossword puzzle and the “Waterdrops” website for kids, contact Frances Desselle at 202-566-0375. 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 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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