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Watershed News
October 2007
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Watershed News is a publication of EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. It is designed to provide timely information to groups working at the watershed level.
In this month's newsletter
1) FY08 Proposal Guidelines for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants
2) NOAA Open Rivers Initiative
3) Tribal Border Infrastructure Program
4) Watershed Tool of the Month: The Watershed and Wetland Protection Information Kit
5) Livestock Management Improves Dissolved Oxygen in Big Sandy River, Tennessee
6) EPA's Watershed Academy to sponsor free October 17th Webcast on Watershed Financing – Moving Beyond Grants
7) Cacapon Institute Announces 3rd Annual Oh Deer! Environmental Forum
8) Training Opportunity: The Mid-South Watershed Training Program Presents Elements for Successful Watershed Planning
9) New Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management Document Now Available
10) World Water Monitoring Day Event Held in Virginia
11) EPA Launches New Wastewater Web site for Small Communities
12) EPA Awards Grants to Further Source Water Protection
13) Partnership Develops Digital Urban Forest Map for Trees in San Francisco
14) Upcoming Conferences and Workshops
Funding Opportunities
FY08 Proposal Guidelines for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants
These grants may be used to address sites contaminated by petroleum and hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum). Opportunities for funding are as follows: Brownfields Assessment Grants (each funded up to $200,000 over three years), Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years) and Brownfields Cleanup Grants (each funded up to $200,000 over three years). The proposal deadline is October 12, 2007. More information on these grants can be found at www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicat.htm#fy08.
To learn about how Brownfields grants can be used for watershed restoration projects, see the archived version of the September 2006 Watershed Academy Webcast, Using Brownfields Grants for Watershed Restoration and Revitalization featuring Wendy Jackson, Executive Director of Freshwater Land Trust, and Camilla Warren, EPA Brownfields Project Manager for Alabama. www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts/
NOAA Open Rivers Initiative
The NOAA Open Rivers Initiative (ORI) provides funding and technical expertise for community-driven, small dam and river barrier removals, primarily in coastal states. Projects are expected to provide an economic boost for communities, enhance public safety, and improve populations of NOAA trust resources such as striped bass, Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon, Atlantic and Pacific salmon, American eel, American shad, blueback herring, and alewife. Funding of up to $6,000,000 is expected to be available in FY 2008. Applications are due October 31, 2007. For more information, visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/projects_programs/crp/partners_funding/callforprojects3.html.
Tribal Border Infrastructure Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 Water Division is soliciting proposals from eligible tribes for the Tribal Border Infrastructure Program. This program funds high priority wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects on federally-recognized Indian lands within 62 miles (100 kilometers) of the U.S. / Mexico Border. EPA anticipates that approximately $1 million will be available for awards under this program. EPA estimates that 1-4 projects will be funded under this announcement. Proposals must be postmarked or received through Grants.gov by November 1, 2007. For information can be found at www.epa.gov/region09/funding/tribal-border-infrastructure.html.
Watershed Tool of the Month
The Watershed and Wetland Protection Information Kit for County Officials is a collection of resources that can assist county and local officials with efforts to protect and restore the multiple benefits of their community’s water resources.The information kit was produced by the Center for Watershed Protection and the National Association of Counties with support from the U.S. EPA and is available online at http://www.cwp.org/wetlands/naco.htm. 
Spotlight: Watersheds at Work
Livestock Management Improves Dissolved Oxygen in Big Sandy River, Tennessee
Polluted runoff from pasture-grazing cattle caused abnormally high pathogen levels and low dissolved oxygen concentrations in Big Sandy River. These problems led to the state placing a 7.3-mile river segment on its 303(d) list for impairments in both 2002 and 2004. Using Clean Water Act Section 319 funding, farmers installed a number of best management practices (BMPs) on pasturelands adjoining the river's impaired segments, including foundations to support cattle in heavy-use areas, grade stabilization structures, pasture and hay planting, critical area planting, livestock watering pipelines, and alternative watering structures. The BMPs resulted in water quality improvements in the 7.3-mile segment and its removal from the state's 2006 303(d) list for dissolved oxygen impairments. For more information about this success story, visit http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/Success319/state/tn_bigsandy.htm.
Webcasts
EPA's Watershed Academy to sponsor free October 17th Webcast on Watershed Financing – Moving Beyond Grants
EPA's Watershed Academy sponsors free monthly Webcasts for watershed practitioners from around the globe. On Wed., Oct. 17, 2007, Tim Jones, EPA Environmental Protection Specialist and Dan Nees, Senior Associate of People and Ecosystems Program, World Resources Institute will discuss essential elements of developing a watershed finance strategy and key steps in the financing planning process. Registration opens October 5, 2007. For more information or to access archived audio versions of past Webcasts, please visit www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts.
Education and Outreach
Cacapon Institute Announces 3rd Annual Oh Deer! Environmental Forum
Cacapon Institute is currently enrolling high school classes for the 3rd Annual Oh Deer! Environmental Forum, one of Cacapon Institute’s two annual eForums. Students participating in the eForum explore the ecological, agricultural, and societal issues of ecosystems out of balance. Students then challenge one another across the internet to find socially and environmentally acceptable solutions to this complex problem. In Oh Deer! students learn about, and pose solutions to, deer overpopulation. The eForum connects students with current real-world issues in an exercise that fulfills many curriculum requirements. For teachers it offers a chance to bring outside perspective to the classroom. For conservationists it offers a curriculum-based platform to introduce their work to students.
For more information visit www.cacaponinstitute.org and follow the e-school link to the high school classroom then click on the eForum Info & Sign up.
Training Opportunity: The Mid-South Watershed Training Program Presents Elements for Successful Watershed Planning
December 3rd – 7th, 2007, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The goal of "Essential Elements for Successful Watershed Planning" is to provide an overview of watershed planning as the first step in implementing the watershed approach. This introductory course on watershed management emphasizes the importance of public involvement and utilizing technical tools to develop science-based solutions. Attendees will also have the opportunity to exchange views and network with each other and course instructors, while learning about successful watershed management both regionally and nationally and how they can incorporate these tools into their own programs and projects. The four and a half day course will concentrate on four topic areas:
- Overview of the Watershed Approach
- Understanding Watersheds & Monitoring Approaches
- Strategies for Watershed Management
- Coordination & Integrating Stakeholder Involvement
For more information, visit www.watershedconservation.org
News
New Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management Document Now Available
A second edition of a popular publication called "Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management: Technical and Institutional Issues" was recently published by the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS). This document revises an earlier 1994 edition and was prepared with support from EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management and the Nonpoint Source Control Branch in EPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. The update is important because of the tremendous amount of new information available as well as the significant shift in stormwater program direction from the historic mitigation-based approach to a more source-based approach. Copies of the document are posted in pdf format at: http://www.nalms.org/
World Water Monitoring Day Event Held in Virginia
On September 18, 2007, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles spoke at the kickoff event for World Water Monitoring Day. The event, sponsored by the Water Environment Federation and the International Water Association, was held at a
scenic waterside park in Alexandria, Virginia. About 90 elementary and middle school students joined Mr. Grumbles and other speakers, including Congressman Jim Moran and meteorologist Joe Witte from WJLA-TV, at the event. The students participated in hands-on testing of the Potomac River and visited a variety of educational exhibits from partner organizations including the EPA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Smithsonian Institution, the Girl Scouts, and others. World Water Monitoring Day is an international outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. World Water Monitoring Day is held annually between September 18 and October 18. For more information, visit www.WorldWaterMonitoringDay.org.
EPA Launches New Wastewater Web site for Small Communities
On September 19, EPA launched a new Website to help small communities achieve and maintain sustainable wastewater services. This new site provides information about grants, funding resources, technical assistance and training. A variety of tools is also available on this website to help small communities plan, design, build, and maintain their wastewater infrastructure. Visit the Wastewater in Small Communities website: http://www.epa.gov/owm/mab/smcomm/index.htm.
EPA Awards Grants to Further Source Water Protection
EPA recently awarded $600,000 in grants to the Trust for Public Land (TPL), in partnership with the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators and the River Network, and the Smart Growth Leadership Institute to enhance source water protection at the local and watershed levels by encouraging more effective collaboration and better harmony between various state policies and programs. Working together will maximize the effectiveness of initiatives taken by land use planners, water utilities, watershed associations, government officials, conservationists, farmers and foresters in protecting drinking water resources.
Partnership Develops Digital Urban Forest Map for Trees in San Francisco
The Friends of the Urban Forest, the San Francisco Department of Public Work Bureau of Urban Forestry and Autodesk have created an Urban Forest Map for San Francisco, which digitally pinpoints the location of each tree, maintains tree data in a consistent database, and offers web access to the tree data – key for maintenance and planting efforts. The community can get involved by posting photos and stories about their own trees that they plant and map online. The map data layers can also be exported to Google Earth. MapGuide Open Source was used to create an open source urban forest management application that will help to improve interagency communication, increase public access to urban forest information, develop an accurate cost/benefit analysis for San Francisco’s urban forest and encourage public participation and volunteerism. For more information about this innovative San Francisco project and the technologies used, visit www.urbanforestmap.org.
Upcoming Conferences and Workshops
EPA Water Quality Trading Training
October 23, 2007, Kansas City, Kansas. Attend EPA's free one-day training course to learn about water quality trading. From trading basics to financial and environmental feasibility analyses to designing a credible trading program, this course will explain the benefits of this important watershed protection strategy. Learn how trading can help you reach your water quality goals effectively and efficiently. To view registration information for this course, please visit An Introduction to Water Quality Trading (PDF) (1 pg, 435K, About PDF). For more information on water quality trading, please visit www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/trading.htm.
EPA Stormwater Workshop
October 25-26, 2007, Tacoma, WA.Local stormwater program managers and staff are invited to attend this two-day workshop which will provide in-depth training on several key elements of the NPDES Stormwater program. Specifically, the workshop will present innovative tools and real-world examples to address Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE), Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations, and Public Education and Outreach. The workshop will feature several local case studies and many opportunities for discussion. A $30 registration fee helps to cover lunch and workshop materials. To register, please visit www.epa.gov/npdes/training.
2007 National Conference on Agriculture & the Environment
November 7-9, 2007, Monterey, CA. The Central Coast Agricultural Water Quality Coalition announces the 2007 National Conference on Agriculture & the Environment, a consortium of university and private researchers, nonprofit organizations, and governmental agencies with an interest and expertise in agriculture and natural resource protection. The purpose of the conference is three-fold: (1) to highlight trends in data collection methodologies and data findings; (2) examine case studies in agricultural and environmental stewardship; and (3) foster the cross pollination of new ideas, technologies, and methodologies among leading resource protection professionals. For more information visit www.agwaterquality.org/2007conference/.
"Turning a New Leaf" Conservation Landscaping Conference
November 9, 2007, Annandale, VA. Troubled by all the development in your community? Want to know how to protect water quality and conserve wildlife habitat where you live? Then mark your calendar now for the 2nd annual "Turning a New Leaf" conference on November 9, 2007 hosted by the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council. The one-day regional conference, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, features tracks on conservation landscapes, green development, and creative stormwater management. Topics include eco-friendly lawns; native alternatives to traditional plantings; backyard forests; rain gardens; techniques for stream restoration; and public-private partnerships for green development. Exhibits will also showcase an "eco-marketplace." Registration begins on August 1, 2007. For more details, visit chesapeakelandscape.org
2007 STORET/WQX Conference
November 27-29, Austin, TX. EPA's STORET Team will host the 2007 STORET/WQX Users Conference in Austin, Texas. This conference will be a great opportunity for water quality data managers, program experts, and information technology (IT) specialists to meet together and share information about STORET and the new Water Quality Exchange (WQX) framework. Water quality data management and program specialists of all kinds are invited to attend, including representatives from States, Tribes, Interstate Commissions, watershed organizations, academia, and organizations that are concerned with beach monitoring and health. For more information, visit the conference website at www.epa.gov/storet/2007conf.html.
Save the Date: FLOW 2008: Interdisciplinary Solutions to Instream Flow Problems
October 7-9, 2008, San Antonio, TX. Sponsored by the Instream Flow Council, the conference will provide opportunities to learn about creative, interdisciplinary tools and approaches to instream flow problem-solving, explore the latest developments in instream flow science, policy and public dialogue and build collaborative decision-making skills through an interactive session with Professor Larry Susskind of Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation. For more information, visit www.instreamflowcouncil.org/.
Be sure to check EPA and Watershed Funding Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/funding.html
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