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Water Online's EPA Update: May 26, 2010
May 26, 2010
Welcome to Water Online's review of the latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, resources, and activities related to the water, wastewater, and stormwater industries. EPA offices and programs covered in this installment are listed below. Click on an office or program name to go directly to that section of the article. Office of Water (OW) New "Water You Waiting For" Video
New Federal Strategy For Chesapeake Launches Major Initiatives And Holds Government Accountable For Progress To view the strategy: http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net
EPA Releases Land Management Guidance To Reduce Water Pollution To Chesapeake Bay
Fiscal Year 2011 National Water Program Guidance Is Released
EPA Announces Second Water Laboratory Alliance Security Summit
EPA Launches New Web Tools To Inform The Public About Clean Water Enforcement
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
(NRMRL) Remote Observation And Monitoring Of Genetically Modified Crops — A New Approach To Sustainability
Watershed Central: A New Interactive Management Tool Watershed Central was developed to bridge the gap between user needs and the variety of resources offered by EPA and other groups. The result is an interactive web-based resource that helps users locate the information they need, including environmental data, watershed models, guidance documents, nearby local organizations, technical resources, and funding. A unique feature of Watershed Central is the "Watershed Central
Wiki" — similar to Wikipedia — which allows registered users to submit case studies, tools, local approaches to watershed management, lessons learned, and success stories. To ensure that user needs are met and information is up-to-date, three teams were
established — a Content Team, a User Team and an Information Technology (IT) Team. Team members and participants are solicited from within and outside EPA. In addition, as a feedback mechanism, EPA has sponsored regional workshops where participants are introduced to Watershed Central and encouraged to collaborate on improving the information it contains. The Watershed Central teams and other participants utilize the
wiki site as a forum for discussing and vetting information for inclusion on the Watershed Central public web site. Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program ETV Verified Technologies
Vendor Solicitations
Upcoming Conferences and Meetings
For more information on the ETV, visit www.epa.gov/etv. Other EPA News EPA Launches Spanish Web Site On BP Oil Spill
EPA Releases Draft Dioxin Report For Peer Review And Public Comment Report Released On Pharmaceutical Mail-Back Pilot Program Funded By EPA EPA Recognizes Students From Across The Country For Contributions Toward A Healthier Environment
SOURCE: EPA
Report Released On Pharmaceutical Mail-Back Pilot Program Funded By EPA
A new video, "Water You Waiting For," is now available for viewing on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Website. Produced by EPA as part of the Agency's efforts to promote water sector careers as green jobs, the "Water You Waiting For" video is designed for high school and vocational students. The video shows vocational students with internships at drinking water systems located in the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut, and highlights the many different types of jobs available at water utilities. Published reports indicate that approximately 30 percent of the water sector workforce is eligible to retire in the next 10 years. EPA, American Water Works Association (AWWA) and Water Environment Federation (WEF) are partnering in various efforts to highlight the need for qualified professionals to enter this important field.
The video can be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/operatorcertification/index.html and is expected to be available for viewing on AWWA and WEF Websites early this summer.
The new federal strategy for the Chesapeake region released May 12th focuses on protecting and restoring the environment in communities throughout the 64,000-square-mile watershed and in its thousands of streams, creeks and rivers. The strategy includes using rigorous regulations to restore clean water, implementing new conservation practices on 4 million acres of farms, conserving 2 million acres of undeveloped land and rebuilding oysters in 20 tributaries of the bay. To increase accountability, federal agencies will establish milestones every two years for actions to make progress toward measurable environmental goals. These will support and complement the states' two-year milestones.
The "Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed" was developed under the executive order issued by President Obama in May 2009, which declared the Chesapeake Bay a national treasure and ushered in a new era of shared federal leadership, action and accountability.
The strategy deepens the federal commitment to the Chesapeake region, with agencies dedicating unprecedented resources, targeting actions where they can have the most impact, ensuring that federal lands and facilities lead by example in environmental stewardship and taking a comprehensive, ecosystem-wide approach to restoration. Many of the federal actions will directly support restoration efforts of local governments, nonprofit groups and citizens and provide economic benefits across the Chesapeake region.
To restore clean water, EPA will implement the Chesapeake total maximum daily load (a pollution diet for the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways), expand regulation of urban and suburban stormwater and concentrated animal feeding operations and increase enforcement activities and funding for state regulatory programs.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide farmers and forest owners throughout the bay watershed with the resources to prevent soil erosion and keep nitrogen and phosphorous out of local waterways. USDA will target federal funding to the places where it will have the greatest water quality impact and ensure that agricultural producers' conservation efforts are accurately reported. USDA will also lead a federal initiative to develop a watershed-wide environmental services market that would allow producers to generate tradable water quality credits in return for installing effective conservation practices.
Conserving 2 million acres of natural areas, forests and farmland preserves the environmental, recreational, cultural and economic benefits these lands provide. To protect priority lands, the Department of the Interior will launch a collaborative Chesapeake Treasured Landscape Initiative and expand land conservation by coordinating federal funding and providing community assistance. Interior will also develop a plan for increasing public access to the bay and its rivers.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will launch a bay-wide oyster restoration strategy in close collaboration with Maryland and Virginia that focuses on priority tributaries, expands commercial aquaculture and bolsters research on oyster stock, habitat and restoration progress. Oysters are among the bay's most struggling species and restoration in 20 tributaries will yield great environmental and economic benefits.
Several overarching approaches in the strategy are also important:
For the full announcement: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/3881d73f4d4aaa0b85257359003f5348/efdfab237bdc4c9a8525772100465d3d!OpenDocument
On the same day the federal government announced a comprehensive strategy to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced guidance to help federal facilities reduce their pollution to the bay. EPA is delivering to federal land managers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed the most effective tools and practices to reduce water pollution from a variety of nonpoint sources, including agricultural lands, urban and suburban areas and septic systems. This guidance to provide the technical tools that will be needed to restore the bay is in response to the Chesapeake Bay executive order issued by President Obama in May 2009.
The guidance provides federal land managers with the help they need to implement the best proven tools and practices to restore and protect the region's waterways and the bay. The cost-effective tools and practices outlined in the document are indicated by current scientific and technical literature to be the most state-of-the-art approaches to reduce water pollution from nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment. Others in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including states, local governments, conservation districts, and watershed organizations, can also benefit from the information presented in this guidance.
EPA has developed this guidance in close consultation with its federal agency partners. In addition, EPA
benefited from a technical peer review and provided an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the guidance. Based upon this input, EPA modified the final guidance to ensure that it accurately reflects the state of the art in managing nonpoint source pollution in the bay.
To view the guidance: http://www.epa.gov/nps/chesbay502/
This Guidance describes water program priorities and strategies, including the suite of water performance measures and their targets, for the coming fiscal year. The National Water Program thanks stakeholders who have provided comments on the draft Guidance in March for their contribution to the revision of the draft document.
The final Guidance is available at http://www.epa.gov/water/waterplan/fy11.html
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Water, in collaboration with its partners in the Water Sector, is sponsoring a second Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA) Security Summit in June 2010. The WLA provides the Water Sector with an integrated, nationwide network of laboratories capable of processing a surge of samples in the event of a drinking water contamination event. The WLA Security Summit will actively engage a vast array of technical and leadership staff from the water, laboratory, and emergency response communities. Attendees can expect to learn about WLA Programmatic elements, practice the WLA Response Plan for water contamination incident response, and gain hands-on experience with EPA security-related tools and resources. The Summit will take place June 16-17, 2010, at the San Francisco Grand Hyatt in San Francisco, California. Registration for the Summit is free and can be accessed on-line:
https://www.thetestportal.com/wlasummit.
Interactive Web tool allows the public to check water violations in their communities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new set of web tools, data, and interactive maps to inform the public about serious Clean Water Act violations in their communities. Improving water quality is one of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's priorities and in 2009, Administrator Jackson directed the agency to develop concrete steps to improve water quality to better enforce the Clean Water Act and to use 21st Century technology to transform the collection, use and availability of EPA data. The web tools announced are part of EPA's Clean Water Act Action Plan to work with states in ensuring that facilities comply with standards that keep our water clean.
The new web page provides interactive information from EPA's 2008 Annual Noncompliance Report, which pertains to about 40,000 permitted Clean Water Act dischargers across the country. The report lists state-by-state summary data of violations and enforcement responses taken by the states for smaller facilities. The new web page also makes it easy to compare states by compliance rates and enforcement actions taken and provides access to updated State Review Framework reports.
Interactive Map for Clean Water Act Annual Noncompliance Report: http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo/ancr/us/
State Review Framework: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/state/srf/index.html
Enforcement and Compliance History Online: http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo
EPA researchers are exploring the use of remotely sensed imagery to detect changes in the foliage of genetically modified (GM) food crops as a measure of infestation by pest insects. To enhance EPA's requirement for monitoring the development of resistance by these insects, researchers in the National Risk Management Research Laboratory are using patented imaging technology to monitor vegetation changes and plant stress by means of an aircraft-mounted hyperspectral sensor and satellite imagery.
About GM Crops
Plant breeding for selected genetic traits has been practiced for thousands of years, but has always been a time-consuming and sometimes unpredictable technique. By contrast, the genetic modification of plants can create desired traits very rapidly and with great accuracy. One popular technique is the use of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), a naturally occurring bacterium, to produce a protein toxin lethal to the European corn borer and the corn rootworm, two pests that inflict devastating global damage to corn crops.
Introducing Bt genes into corn (or other food plants) enables the plants to produce their own pesticides, thereby reducing the need for hazardous commercial products. Plants can be genetically modified to enable cutbacks in toxic herbicides, or to resist viruses, or to tolerate extreme weather conditions such as drought or unexpected frosts.
Despite social and political resistance to GM agriculture, about 167 million acres are in cultivation globally. Growth has been most rapid in the U.S.: between 1997 and 2009, plantings of Bt corn grew from about 8 percent to 63 percent of the total U.S. corn
crop — about 55 million acres.
EPA's interest in plant modification arises from its authority to regulate pesticides and, by extension, plant-incorporated protectants. EPA requires, as part of each pesticide crop registration, a stewardship program associated with each GM crop variety that monitors Bt tolerance levels in insects to manage Bt-resistance. For instance, farmers are required to reserve 20 percent of total plantings for unmodified corn to minimize the risk of inherited resistance for certain pest
insects.
Spectral Analysis of Plant Health
Researchers have long understood that changes in plant ecosystems can be detected through measurement of light reflected from plant foliage. The correlation of plant pigment and reflected light is a well-known indicator for evaluating plant growth and identifying different disease and stress conditions. Currently, through the use of new technological advances in airborne and satellite sensing instrumentation, EPA researchers and collaborators from NASA and USDA are developing a process for more sophisticated and accurate analysis of reflected light from plants.
This patented imaging technology combines aircraft-based, hyperspectral (120-300 simultaneous visible and near-infrared color-specific) images with satellite imagery to permit assessment at the regional-to-individual field levels. To do this, the aircraft-mounted camera, flying at about 7,000 feet, passes over the same crops at 10-day intervals during the growing season. Image data are then transferred to a computer system where a complex process analyses pest infestation in all varieties of crop and distinguishes GM crop varieties from neighboring non-GM crops. Inspection at the field level is necessary since infestation is a local phenomenon and needs to be identified in a proactive manner to initiate resistance management options.
This airborne spectral imaging technology provides a powerful and cost-effective tool for the monitoring of insect pest populations as part of long-term agricultural stewardship efforts to maintain these crops as environmental assets thus advancing EPA sustainability goals. Resistance management has become very important for these crops with the discovery of pest infestation of GM cotton in India and GM corn in Minnesota. Besides ensuring the continued efficacy and productivity of GM crops, use of this technology permits modeling of land-use changes and productivity estimates for biofuel applications, nitrogen requirements for precise application, and carbon exchange for global warming impact assessments.
For more information visit the Global growth of genetically modified crops webpage and
The U.S. Department of Agriculture post statistics about domestic GM acreage webpage.
EPA recently launched a new web site called "Watershed Central" to help watershed organizations and other stakeholders find key information they need to implement watershed management decisions. The
Watershed Central site includes guidance, tools, case studies, and data resources that integrate EPA programs to help users share information, analyze data, and initiate, or strengthen their own watershed efforts.
Watershed Central is a cooperative development effort among EPA's Office of Research and Development (National Risk Management Research Laboratory), Office of Water (Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds), and Office of Environmental Information. This growing and changing program is part of EPA's ongoing commitment to the protection of human health and the environment.
The ETV Program has verified the performance of 421 innovative environmental technologies that can be used to monitor, prevent, control, and clean up pollution. For a full list of ETV verifications, visit
http://www.epa.gov/etv/verifiedtechnologies.html.
ETV centers issue periodic solicitations for vendors and collaborators interested in verification. For a list of active ETV vendor
solicitations, please visit www.epa.gov/etv/vendorswanted.html,
or contact the appropriate ETV center (see www.epa.gov/etv/contacts.html).
As part of the ongoing federal response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, EPA today launched a Spanish language Web site to inform the Spanish-speaking public about the spill's impact on the environment and the health of nearby residents. The Web site —
http://www.epa.gov/espanol/derramebp —
will contain data from EPA's ongoing air monitoring along with other information about the agency's activities in the region, frequently asked questions and fact sheets.
EPA is also translating information into the Vietnamese language to reach the population along the gulf coast.
Additional information on the broader response from the U.S. Coast Guard and other responding agencies is available at:
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com
All of the data EPA collects from its air and water monitoring will be posted to
http://www.epa.gov/bpspill in English along with links to more information on the spill and the government's response. Spanish updates will be provided regularly.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a significant milestone toward the completion of the agency's dioxin reassessment with the public release of its draft scientific report, EPA's Reanalysis of Key Issues Related to Dioxin Toxicity and Response to NAS Comments. The draft dioxin report is EPA's response to key comments and recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences on the agency's draft dioxin reassessment. EPA is moving forward with Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's commitment to complete the long-awaited dioxin reassessment. This comprehensive human health and exposure risk assessment on dioxin, one of the most toxic environmental contaminants, aims to protect the health of the American public. The draft report will now undergo scientific peer review by independent, external experts as well as public review and comment.
EPA previously asked the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the science advisors to the nation, to review EPA's 2003 draft dioxin reassessment. The NAS completed its review in 2006. The draft report released today contains the agency's response to key comments and recommendations in the NAS's 2006 report. EPA's draft report also includes significant new analyses that relate to issues raised by the NAS, including potential cancer and non-cancer human health effects that may result from exposures to dioxins. Thus, this draft dioxin report includes an oral reference dose (RfD) for TCDD —
the most well-studied and considered to be among the most toxic of the dioxin-like compounds. An RfD was not in the 2003 draft dioxin reassessment.
As part of EPA's commitment to scientific quality, integrity, and transparency, EPA's draft scientific report will undergo external peer review by an expert panel of scientists convened by EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) in July 2010. Public comments on this draft report are encouraged, and a Federal Register Notice published today provides details on how to submit comments. EPA will use the feedback and recommendations of the expert panel, as well as the public comments, to update and complete its draft dioxin reassessment.
Dioxin is a general term that describes a group of hundreds of chemicals that are highly persistent in the environment. Dioxins are formed during combustion or burning. Sources of dioxins include commercial or municipal waste incineration; the burning of fuels like wood, coal, or oil; and natural processes such as forest fires.
While dioxin levels in the United States environment have been declining for the last 30 years due to reductions in emissions from man-made sources, the chemicals break down so slowly that dioxins from past releases will still be in the environment for many years.
EPA and other federal agencies have updated a series of questions and answers to provide the public with general information on dioxins, including what they are, where they can be found, and major sources of dioxins. They also discuss possible effects of dioxin exposure in humans, include advice about consumption of food that might contain dioxins, and explain the review process for the dioxin reassessment. To view the questions and answers:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/ChemicalContaminants/DioxinsPCBs/ucm077524.htm
To read the draft report: http://www.epa.gov/dioxin
Federal Register Notice with details on the public comment process: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2010-05-21/html/2010-12280.htm
EPA's Risk Assessment Process: http://epa.gov/riskassessment/basicinformation.htm#arisk
Through a grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the University of Maine's Center on Aging has completed the first statewide mail-back pilot program for managing pharmaceutical waste from consumers. Studies show that pharmaceuticals are present in our nation's waterbodies and that certain drugs may cause ecological harm. EPA is currently evaluating the potential risks associated with pharmaceuticals and personal care products on public health and aquatic life.
"This pilot is important because it has filled research gaps about the volumes and types of medications that can end up in our waters, and affect our ecosystems," said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Water. "The pilot also gave residents a way to serve as environmental stewards to reduce water pollution."
The program included the use of mailers to return unused and unwanted medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, from households.
Maine Care (Maine's Medicaid program) established a limit for certain drugs on the quantity that can be filled with an initial prescription. This policy is targeted at reducing the supply and accumulation of unused medications and to prevent pollution. The Maine legislature also recognized the value of the take-back pilot and enacted legislation to continue the program for an additional two years. As part of the EPA grant, the University of Maine's Center on Aging developed a handbook on the project and collected data on the type and amount of unused medications.
The grant is part of EPA's larger efforts to protect the health of older adults and encourage older adults to engage in environmental stewardship in their communities. Older adults were actively involved in the design and implementation of the safe medicine disposal; for Maine pilot program.
To view the executive summary of the report: http://www.epa.gov/aging/RX-report-Exe-Sum/
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson recognized young people from across the country at the 2009 President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) ceremony today. These students have made outstanding contributions to environmental protection through projects that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and protect America's waters. Some of the projects include collecting the town's cooking oil for recycling into biofuel and distributing it to charities; designing and building an environmental education center made entirely out of green, earth friendly materials; and starting a recycling program and class on recycling.
"The President's Environmental Youth Award recognizes young people from across the United States who have stepped up to protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the communities where we live," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "Our winners represent the future of environmental innovation. We're proud to recognize their incredible work, and thrilled to have their invaluable help in taking on the environmental challenges of today and tomorrow."
The 10 individuals or teams of students who were awarded are from Westerly, R.I.; Syosset, N.Y.; Bethlehem, Pa.; Gainesville, Fla.; Addison, Ill.; Lubbock, Texas; Bettendorf, Iowa; Bigfork, Mont.; Pleasant Hill and Martinez, Calif.; and Homer, Ark.
These dedicated youth developed projects that involved hundreds of community members, students, educators and policy makers in environmental science research, community recycling, energy conservation, sustainability and environmental education.
Winners were selected from among applicants to EPA's 10 regional offices. Regional EPA panels judged the projects on environmental need, accomplishments of goals, long-term environmental benefits and positive impact on local communities. The panels also consider project design, coordination, implementation, innovation and soundness of approach.
PEYA has been presented annually since 1971 to honor students in kindergarten through 12th grade who design and implement innovative environmental projects.
More information on winners and project descriptions: http://epa.gov/peya/winners.html
