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Water Headlines for March 1, 2007Benjamin H. Grumbles Water Headlines 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 Water Headlines:
Propose permit fee rule comment period closes March 5The proposed rule to create a grant incentive for states that recoup a significant portion of their permit program costs through fee programs will close on March 5, ending the 60-day public comment period. A public meeting was held on February 21. EPA will review the comments received and make necessary adjustments to the rule. The Agency has pledged to issue the final rule by late Spring in order to give states several months to prepare for the rule’s effective date of October 1, 2007. Revised Freshwater Criteria for CopperIn a February 22 Federal Register Notice, EPA announced the availability of the revised national recommended freshwater aquatic life criteria for copper. Since EPA published the hardness-based recommendation for copper criteria in 1984, new data have become available on copper toxicity and its effects on aquatic life. The Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) - a metal bioavailability model that uses receiving water body characteristics to develop site-specific water quality criteria - incorporates the best available science and serves as the basis for the new national recommended criteria. For more information about the criteria, visit our web site at www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/copper/. May is American Wetlands Month - Start Now to Plan a Wetlands EventEPA will once again celebrate American Wetlands Month in May with our partners in federal, state, tribal, local, non-profit, and private sector organizations. This annual celebration is a time to recognize and highlight the wonderful ways wetlands enrich the environment and human society. As part of this year’s celebration, EPA would like to encourage interested groups to plan activities and events that help raise awareness of the critical role wetlands and other aquatic resources play in our environment and build support for the protection and restoration of these valuable ecosystems. Ideas for celebratory activities and events that could be planned in conjunction with American Wetlands Month include:
EPA intends to post American Wetland Month events and activities information on its web site (http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/awm) and encourages groups that are planning local, regional, or national events to provide EPA with information about your event. To post your event or discuss ways to participate in American Wetlands Month, please contact Kathleen Kutschenreuter (202-566-1383, kutschenreuter.kathleen@epa.gov) or Gregg Serenbetz (202-566-1253, serenbetz.gregg@epa.gov) in EPA’s Wetlands Division. More information on EPA’s wetlands programs can be viewed at http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands, or by calling the toll-free Wetlands Helpline at 1-800-832-7828. WaterSense FactoidDid you know that flushing an old inefficient toilet is like flushing twice? Older model toilets use more than twice the amount of water per flush than their new, high-efficiency counterparts. In fact, it only takes 37 flushes of an older toilet - a little more than one person's weekly flushes - to use as much water as 101 flushes of a WaterSense labeled high-efficiency toilet. WaterSense labeled toilets are not only more efficient, they are also tested to perform as well or better than their older, water-guzzling counterparts. Subscribe to Water HeadlinesPlease 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 Water Headlines listserve: Send an email message, leave the subject line blank, and address it to: In the body of the message write: Subscribe Water Headlines first name last name (Please leave one blank space between each word, do not include any other message, and use your actual name- i.e. Subscribe Water Headlines Robert Jones)
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