Water Conservation, Water Efficiency, Water Quality, Water Management: 2012

Saturday, December 22, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Releases Update on Ongoing Hydraulic Fracturing Study

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Dec 21, 2012 2:19 PM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] EPA Releases Update on Ongoing Hydraulic Fracturing Study
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

From: U.S. EPA [mailto:usaepa@govdelivery.com]
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2012 11:05 AM
Subject: Research News Release (HQ): EPA Releases Update on Ongoing Hydraulic Fracturing Study

CONTACT:
Julia P. Valentine (NEWS MEDIA ONLY)
valentine.julia@epa.gov
202-564-0496
202-564-4355

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2012

EPA Releases Update on Ongoing Hydraulic Fracturing Study

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today provided an update on its ongoing national study currently underway to better understand any potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Results of the study, which Congress requested EPA to complete, are expected to be released in a draft for public and peer review in 2014. The update provided today outlines work currently underway, including the status of research projects that will inform the final study. It is important to note that while this progress report outlines the framework for the final study, it does not draw conclusions about the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources, which will be made in the final study.

As the administration and EPA has made clear, natural gas has a central role to play in our energy future, and this important domestic fuel source has extensive economic, energy security, and environmental benefits. The study EPA is currently undertaking is part of EPA's focus to ensure that as the Administration continues to work to expand production of this important domestic resource safely and responsibly.

Among the information released today are updates on 18 research projects and details on the agency's research approach as well as next steps for these ongoing projects and analyses. Today's update follows the public release, in November 2011, of the agency's final study plan, which underwent scientific peer review and public comment.

EPA has engaged stakeholders, including industry, to ensure that the study reflects current practices in hydraulic fracturing. EPA continues to request data and information from the public and stakeholders and has put out a formal request for information which can be accessed through the federal register at: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/11/09/2012-27452/request-for-information-to-inform-hydraulic-fracturing-research-related-to-drinking-water-resources

EPA also expects to release a draft report of results from the study in late 2014. The study has been designated a Highly Influential Scientific Assessment, meaning it will receive the highest level of peer review in accordance with EPA's peer review handbook before it is finalized. The 2014 draft report will synthesize the results from the ongoing projects together with the scientific literature to answer the study's main research questions.

EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) is forming a panel of independent experts which will review and provide their individual input on the ongoing study to EPA. The SAB will provide an opportunity for the public to offer comments for consideration by the individual panel members. For more information on the SAB process, please visit: http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabpeople.nsf/WebCommittees/BOARD

More information: www.epa.gov/hfstudy

R 205
Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.
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Library. The center's Web site is at
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The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
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You can contact the list owner at
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Friday, December 21, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Releases Update on Ongoing Hydraulic Fracturing Study

Thursday, December 13, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Releases National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Dec 13, 2012 11:02 AM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] EPA Releases National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

From: Weinberg.Anne@epamail.epa.gov [mailto:Weinberg.Anne@epamail.epa.gov]
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2012 10:16 AM
To: NPS Information Exchange
Subject: [npsinfo] EPA Releases National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change

EPA Releases National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change

EPA has released the "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change," which describes how EPA's water-related programs plan to address the impacts of climate change and provides long-term visions, goals and strategic actions for the management of sustainable water resources for future generations. The strategy, which builds upon EPA's first climate change and water strategy released in 2008, focuses on five key areas: infrastructure, watersheds and wetlands, coastal and ocean waters, water quality, and working with Tribes. It emphasizes working collaboratively with partners and stakeholders, developing information and tools, incorporating adaptation into core programs, and managing risks of impacts including from extreme weather events. The 2012 strategy also includes goals and strategic actions for EPA in 10 geographic climate regions. For more, visit http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange .

***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.

The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
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Friday, October 26, 2012

Conserving water isn't just about water efficiency

Everything you do, every day is in some way related to water. Water conservation can be as simple as turning off a light when you don't need it on or recycling a plastic bottle rather than throwing it in the trash. The important thing awareness. How often do you drive by a house or place of business (day or night) and see a light on that doesn't need to be on?

- A recent United States-wide tally shows that power generation requires 655 billion gallons of water a year.

- Useing a compact fluorescent light bulb rather than an incandecant will not only save 60-70% in energy costs, it will also save as much as 4,000 gallons of water every year.

- Letting a hot water faucet run for 5 minutes uses about the same amount of energy as burning a 60-watt bulb for 14 hours.
This equates to approximately 8 to 16gallonsof water used to burn one 60-Watt light bulb for 12 hours per day. Over the duration of one year this one incandescent light bulb would consume about 3,000 to 6,300 gallons of water. It is estimated that there are about 111 million occupied housing units in the U.S. (United States Census Bureau 2005, so it much higher now presumably). If each housing unit was to burn one 60 watt incandecent light bulb for 12 hours each day, over the course of a year, it would add up to 336 to 656 billion gallons of water use.

- One recycled plastic bottle saves enough energy to power a 60 watt light bulb for 6 hours.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

ENVIRO NEWS: USDA Drought Assistance Minimizes Impacts While Spurring Improvements on 1M Acres of American Farmland

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Oct 23, 2012 10:23 AM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] USDA Drought Assistance Minimizes Impacts While Spurring Improvements on 1M Acres of American Farmland
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

From: USDA Office of Communications [mailto:usda@public.govdelivery.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 10:02 AM
Subject: USDA Drought Assistance Minimizes Impacts While Spurring Improvements on 1M Acres of American Farmland
[deletions]

Release No. 0333.12
Contact:
Office of Communications (202)720-4623

USDA Drought Assistance Minimizes Impacts While Spurring Improvements on 1M Acres of American Farmland

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2012 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) efforts to help producers rebound from drought have touched more than one million acres of farmland across the country as nearly 2,000 producers took advantage of conservation funding targeted to drought-stricken areas by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). NRCS made more than $27 million available to farmers and ranchers to make conservation improvements, spurring recovery and ensuring lands are more drought resistant in the future.

"This tremendous response reflects the severity of this year's drought conditions, "Agriculture Secretary Vilsack said."The level of producer participation is also a testament to the hard work of USDA and other federal agencies to help farmers and ranchers weather one of the worst droughts in decades."

NRCS provided financial and technical assistance to help crop and livestock producers in 22 states apply conservation practices, including conservation tillage, cover crops, nutrient management, prescribed grazing, livestock watering facilities and water conservation practices. These actions build healthier soil that lead to better harvests and cleaner water and air.

"The conservation investments made by these producers today will continue to improve the resilience of their lands in the face of drought as well as other natural events that are out of their control," Vilsack said. "The farmers and ranchers that have voluntarily implemented conservation improvements have taken an important step toward building drought resistance into their operations."
Exceptional drought continues to dominate sections of Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming, causing widespread losses of crops and pastures and water shortages in reservoirs, streams and wells.

Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and Utah are under extreme drought, with accompanying major losses of crops and pasture, widespread water shortages and restrictions on water use.

See the total NRCS drought assistance received by each state < http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/national/?cid=STELPRDB1048818 >.

Producers and landowners are encouraged to visit the NRCS website < http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ > or stop by their local NRCS office < http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?agency=nrcs > to find out if they are eligible for drought assistance.

Learn more about WHIP and EQIP and other NRCS programs < http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs >.

#
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

#
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***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.

The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: Mississippi National River and Recreation Area releases first-ever State of the River Report

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Oct 9, 2012 1:34 PM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] Mississippi National River and Recreation Area releases first-ever State of the River Report
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

Forwarded from
http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/printheadline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=12790

MISSISSIPPI NATIONAL RIVER & RECREATION AREA

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area releases first-ever State of the River Report

How is the Mississippi River? Can I swim in it? Is water quality improving? Can I eat the fish I catch? National Park Service staff have helped develop the State of the River Report, which assembles and analyzes a wealth of data-and communicates in plain terms how the river is doing, in order to answer these frequently-posed questions.

Forty years after the passage of the Clean Water Act, a new landmark report on the health of the Mississippi River shows that progress has been made, but there is also cause for concern as new issues emerge.

The State of the River Report was just released by the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MISS), in partnership with the Friends of the Mississippi River. The report examines the status and trends of 13 key indicators of the river's health and water quality, including bacteria, phosphorus, nitrate and sediment content, as well as the river's viability for recreation, fish and wildlife.

"The Mississippi River is a complex natural system, with many factors affecting its overall health and vitality," said Paul Labovitz, Superintendent of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. "This new report provides an important benchmark as we assess how the river is doing compared to the past, and which efforts have been effective at improving its health and water quality. In short, the report reveals that there has been a great deal of progress, but that there are areas of concern due to changes in how we use land, and the introduction of pollutants and invasive species the system."

Among the positive trends, bald eagle, mussel and fish populations are increasing, which are signs of a restored river that is home to healthy and abundant wildlife. On the other hand, recreation and aquatic habitat on the river face being degraded by excess sediment and phosphorus, and some portions of the river are impaired with excess bacteria. In addition, river flows and nitrate concentrations have both increased significantly over time, while invasive Asian carp continue to move upstream. And a number of additional contaminants, such as triclosan and pharmaceuticals, present risks to the river that, while not yet fully understood, are cause for concern due to their potential impacts on human and aquatic health.

"The solutions to these problems will require new tools and decisive public action before they move beyond our reach," said Lark Weller, Water Quality Coordinator for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. "We hope this report will help people better understand the challenges we all face in trying to preserve and improve the river, and we also want to provide strategies for doing so."

The report includes a companion guide with strategies for individual action. Its Stewardship Guide provides practical steps for individuals to take in their homes, yards, and communities to improve the health of the Mississippi River. The State of the River Report and its companion guides are available at www.stateoftheriver.com .

The State of the River Report was funded, in part, by the McKnight Foundation, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, and the Capitol Region Watershed District.

More Information...

Contact Information
Name: Lark Weller
Phone Number: 651-293-8442
Email: lark_weller@nps.gov

Posted: September 27, 2012

***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.

The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
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Monday, August 13, 2012

Keeping Pharmaceuticals Out Of The Water Supply

There is a lot to be concerned about when it comes to contaminants in our water supplies. One of the biggest concern in recent years has been the discovery of measurable concentrations of Pharmaceutical drugs in public and private water supplies. Improvements in our ability to test for such contaminants has lead to a realization that these drugs are present and in concentrations that are concerning to say the least. The EPA ha funded a Pilot "Mail-Back Program" in an effort to asses the viability of preventing consumers from disposing of these leftover prescriptions medications in ways that allow them to get in into the water supply systems. Below is a press release that came out today about the EPA funded program.

ENVIRO NEWS:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Report Released on Pharmaceutical Mail-back Pilot Program Funded by EPA

Agency provided $150,000 grant to University of Maine's Center on Aging
to undertake study

WASHINGTON -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/

CONTACT:
Enesta Jones
jones.enesta@epa.gov
202-564-7873
202-564-4355

Pharmaceuticals in my water is very bad news.
AP

AquaPro@AskaquaPro.com
www.AquaProSolutions.com,
www.AquaEnvi.org,
www.AshevilleGreenPlumbing.com,

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Are you still in denial of climate change?

Here is an important article that may help those who still doubt the effects of global climate change.

By James E. Hansen: Climate change brings the heat James E. Hansen Friday, Aug 3, 2012 James E. Hansen directs the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

When I testified before the Senate in the hot summer of 1988 ,I warned of the kind of future that climate change would bring to us and our planet. I painted a grim picture of the consequences of steadily increasing temperatures, driven by mankind's use of fossil fuels.

But I have a confession to make: I was too optimistic.

My projections about increasing global temperature have been proved true. But I failed to fully explore how quickly that average rise would drive an increase in extreme weather.

In a new analysis of the past six decades of global temperatures, which will be published Monday, my colleagues and I have revealed a stunning increase in the frequency of extremely hot summers, with deeply troubling ramifications for not only our future but also for our present.

This is not a climate model or a prediction but actual observations of weather events and temperatures that have happened. Our analysis shows that it is no longer enough to say that global warming will increase the likelihood of extreme weather and to repeat the caveat that no individual weather event can be directly linked to climate change. To the contrary, our analysis shows that, for the extreme hot weather of the recent past, there is virtually no explanation other than climate change.

The deadly European heat wave of 2003, the fiery Russian heat wave of 2010 and catastrophic droughts in Texas and Oklahoma last year can each be attributed to climate change. And once the data are gathered in a few weeks' time, it's likely that the same will be true for the extremely hot summer the United States is suffering through right now.

These weather events are not simply an example of what climate change could bring. They are caused by climate change. The odds that natural variability created these extremes are minuscule, vanishingly small. To count on those odds would be like quitting your job and playing the lottery every morning to pay the bills.

Twenty-four years ago, I introduced the concept of "climate dice" to help distinguish the long-term trend of climate change from the natural variability of day-to-day weather. Some summers are hot, some cool. Some winters brutal, some mild. That's natural variability.

But as the climate warms, natural variability is altered, too. In a normal climate without global warming,two sides of the die would represent cooler-than-normal weather, two sides would be normal weather, and two sides would be warmer-than-normal weather. Rolling the die again and again, or season after season, you would get an equal variation of weather over time.

But loading the die with a warming climate changes the odds. You end up with only one side cooler than normal, one side average, and four sides warmer than normal. Even with climate change, you will occasionally see cooler-than-normal summers or a typically cold winter. Don't let that fool you.

Our new peer-reviewed study, published by the National Academy of Sciences, makes clear that while average global temperature has been steadily rising due to a warming climate (up about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit in the past century), the extremes are actually becoming much more frequent and more intense worldwide.

When we plotted the world's changing temperatures on a bell curve, the extremes of unusually cool and, even more, the extremes of unusually hot are being altered so they are becoming both more common and more severe.

The change is so dramatic that one face of the die must now represent extreme weather to illustrate the greater frequency of extremely hot weather events.

Such events used to be exceedingly rare. Extremely hot temperatures covered about 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent of the globe in the base period of our study, from 1951 to 1980. In the last three decades, while the average temperature has slowly risen, the extremes have soared and now cover about 10percent of the globe.

This is the world we have changed, and now we have to live in it —the world that caused the 2003 heat wave in Europe that killed more than 50,000 people and the 2011 drought in Texas that caused more than $5 billion in damage. Such events, our data show, will become even more frequent and more severe.

There is still time to act and avoid a worsening climate, but we are wasting precious time. We can solve the challenge of climate change with a gradually rising fee on carbon collected from fossil-fuel companies, with 100 percent of the money rebated to all legal residents on a per capita basis. This would stimulate innovations and create a robust clean-energy economy with millions of new jobs. It is a simple, honest and effective solution.

The future is now. And it is hot.

End Article.

Thanks James for helping open those eyes that refuse to see the reality of global climate concerns.

Monday, August 6, 2012

When Less is More

We don't often equate less as being more but in the world of greywater recycling, AQUS provides exactly that.
AQUS is a Point of Use greywater recycling system. The system collects, filters, sanitizes and stores the waste water from a sink; most often a bathroom sink. The collected water is then pumped into the toilet tank as refill water when the toilet is flushed.
During the past 18 months, AQUS has undergone design changes that greatly improve functionality, maintenance, installation and cost. So, we have improved operation with less parts, easier installation thereby reducing the time required to install, simplified maintenance and the system retails at about half the cost of the original Aqus.
One of the things that really gets me fired up is the use of drinking quality water to dispose of toilet waste. This is an inexcusable and unnecessary waste of fresh water resources that can be easily rectified in most homes and many businesses. At a cost of less than $200 US, the average return on investment is 12 to 18 months, depending on your particular installation costs if you can't or choose not to do it yourself. The ROI can be improved even more if you use it with a Dual Flush toilet.
With about 2/3rds of the US currently experiencing extreme drought condition, flushing drinkable water down the toilet is ludicrous, especially when other options can be easily and cost effectively implemented.

That's what I think; what's your opinion?
AP

Saturday, July 14, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Climate Change and Water News

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Jul 12, 2012 2:01 PM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] EPA Climate Change and Water News
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

From: water_climate_change@epa.gov [mailto:water_climate_change@epa.gov]
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 10:49 AM
Subject: EPA Climate Change and Water News

EPA Climate Change and Water News

Other Federal Agency News

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coastal Services Center Releases Report: Incorporating Sea Level Change Scenarios at the Local Level

Just as flooding threats need to be factored into coastal community planning initiatives, so too should sea level change. Unfortunately, a 'one size fits all' approach does not work given the level of uncertainty and local variables. Local calculations are required for a scenario approach. This report outlines eight steps a community can take to develop site-specific scenarios. Using the information provided in the report, communities can develop a process that incorporates a range of possibilities and factors to address the specific circumstances of a community, in addition to developing the data and information that officials will need to make communities readily adaptable to changing circumstances. This report is a 'low-tech' companion for a technical report created by NOAA: Technical Considerations for Use of Geospatial Data in Sea Level Change Mapping and Assessment. To view the report, please visit: http://csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/_/pdf/slcscenarios.pdf.

Other News

37th Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop to Be Held July 14 - July 17, 2012 in Broomfield, CO

Since 1975, the Natural Hazards Center has hosted the Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop for federal, state, and local emergency officials; representatives of nonprofit and humanitarian organizations; hazards researchers; disaster consultants; and others dedicated to alleviating the impacts of disasters. The Workshop is designed to bring researchers and practitioners from many disciplines together for face-to-face discussions on how society deals with hazards and disasters. Session topics for this year's workshop include Climate Change and Extreme Events - Science and Practice, State and Drought Emergency Management and Emerging Critical Water Resource Issues. For more information on the workshop, please visit: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/workshop/2012/details.html.

First Stewards Symposium: Coastal Peoples Address Climate Change to Be Held July 17 - July 20, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

The symposium will bring together coastal indigenous tribal elders, leaders, scientists, and other scientists and policy leaders from around the nation to discuss traditional ecological knowledge and what it can teach us about past, present, and future adaptation to climate change. The event will include four regional panels (the West Coast states; Alaska; the U.S. Pacific states and territories; and the Great Lakes, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Gulf of Mexico states) of tribal leaders. Tribal and Western scientists will examine how native people and their cultures have adapted to climate change for hundreds to thousands of years, and what their future - and that of the nation - may hold as the impacts of climate change continue. This inaugural event will be hosted by several tribes in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, NOAA, and other partners. The symposium dialogue will identify ways indigenous cultures may be able to i!
ncrease their resilience and adaptability to predicted climate change impacts. For more information, please visit: http://firststewards.org/welcome/.

National Research Council Releases Booklet and Video to Help the Public Gain a Better Understanding of Climate Change

The National Research Council has released a new booklet and video designed to help the public gain a better understanding of what is known about climate change. The new resources are based on a number of independent reports from the National Research Council that represent the consensus of experts who have reviewed hundreds of studies describing many years of accumulating evidence. The 36 page booklet, Climate Change: Evidence, Impacts, and Choices answers commonly asked questions about the science of climate change in three parts. Part I summarizes the current state of knowledge about climate change with evidence of climate change being observed around the world; Part II summarizes projections of future climate changes and impacts expected in this century and beyond; and, Part III examines how science can help inform choices about managing and reducing the risks posed by climate change. The booklet is downloadable online and hard copies will be available later this summe!
r. A new video, Climate Change: Lines of Evidence, follows Part 1 of the booklet and explains the lines of evidence that have built the current scientific consensus about climate change and its causes. For more information about the booklet and the video, visit: http://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/more-resources-on-climate-change/climate-change-lines-of-evidence-booklet/.

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Releases Report: Sustainable Municipal Water Management - Measuring Progress and Reporting Publicly

In the face of accumulating impacts including urbanization and climate change, municipalities are increasingly embracing an integrated approach to water management that captures the full spectrum of a community's impact on water - cutting across traditional municipal delivery areas, to include infrastructure design and operations, land use planning and approvals, public education and participation, emergency planning and response, pollution prevention, and habitat and shoreline restoration. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative has developed a framework to reflect this new integrated approach, the Sustainable Municipal Water Management - Measuring Progress and Reporting Publicly. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a bi-national coalition of mayors and other local officials that works actively with federal, state, and provincial governments to advance the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. The framework!
was prepared under the guidance of the Cities Initiative Green CITTs advisory committee, with representation from large, medium and small municipalities across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence basin. The Cities Initiative's Green CITTs program adopts a comprehensive approach to protecting shared water resources. To read the report, visit: http://www.icleiusa.org/action-center/learn-from-others/sustainable-municipal-water-management-measuring-progress-and-reporting-publicly.

Study on 'Stress Index' Finds Water Supply Risk Could Threaten Growth in Vast Areas of U.S.

Vast areas of the United States are vulnerable to water shortages that could limit economic growth, according to a study by a United Kingdom risk analysis firm - Maplecroft. Maplecroft's Global Risks Portfolio and services combine rigorous research with technological innovation to offer risk screens, monitoring tools and invaluable insights into the most challenging political, economic, social and environmental risks and responsibilities facing global business today. Unsustainable household, agricultural, and industrial water use is outstripping supply in certain regions such as the Great Plains, according to the Water Stress Index 2012, which was released in May 2012. The report also opined that these impacts could have wider effects on the global economy, such as decreasing food supplies and increasing food prices. To determine the rankings, the report evaluated each country's renewable supplies of water from precipitation, streams, and rivers against its domestic, ind!
ustrial, and agricultural uses. To obtain a copy of the Water Stress Index 2012 and to see a global map of the index, please visit: http://maplecroft.com/about/news/water_stress_index_2012.html.

EcoSummit 2012: Ecological Sustainability - Restoring the Planet's Ecosystem Services to Be Held September 30 - October 5, 2012 in Columbus, OH

EcoSummit 2012 will bring together respected minds in ecological science to discuss restoring the planet's ecosystems. Speakers will include Nobel Prize laureate Elinor Ostrom, Pulitzer Prize winners E.O. Wilson and Jared Diamond, Kyoto Prize winner Simon Levin, Stockholm Water Prize laureates Sven Jorgensen and William Mitsch, and others in the first conference to link the Ecological Society of America, the International Association for Ecology, and the Society for Ecological Restoration International. Abstracts from 100 countries have been received by EcoSummit 2012 for presentations and workshops. For more information, please visit: http://www.ecosummit2012.org/index.htm.
________________________________________
This newsletter is produced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water (EPA). If you have questions related to the newsletter or want to submit an item, email the editor at water_climate_change@epa.gov. For past issues of EPA Climate Change and Water News, as well as further information on climate change impacts on water resources, visit www.epa.gov/water/climatechange. For more information on EPA's climate change activities, visit www.epa.gov/climatechange.

***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.

The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Climate Change and Water News

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Jun 5, 2012 4:43 PM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] EPA Climate Change and Water News
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

From: water_climate_change@epa.gov [mailto:water_climate_change@epa.gov]
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 3:24 PM
Subject: EPA Climate Change and Water News

EPA Climate Change and Water News

U.S. EPA News

EPA Launches Competition for College Students to Develop Innovative Approaches to Stormwater Management

The Campus RainWorks Challenge <http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm> encourages student teams on college and university campuses across the country to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. Stormwater is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas in the U.S., impacting the health of people across the country as well as tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and coastal shorelines, and hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. The competition will help raise awareness of green design and planning approaches at colleges and universities and train the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers in green infrastructure principles and design. Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. Registration opens September 4, 2012, and entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012. Win!
ning entries will be selected by EPA and winners will be announced in April 2013. Winning teams will earn a cash prize as well as funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure.

Other Federal Agency News

U.S. Geological Survey Announces Opening for Program Manager (Senior Research Fellow or Postdoctoral Fellow Level) for the Northeast Climate Science Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst - Applications due June 15, 2012

Applications are being accepted for the position of Program Manager <http://necsc.umass.edu/news/new-position-necsc-program-manager> (Senior Research Fellow or Postdoctoral Fellow Level) for the Northeast Climate Science Center. The Northeast Climate Science Center is led by the University of Massachusetts and consists of the College of Menominee Nation, Columbia University, the Marine Biology Laboratory, the University of Minnesota, the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Northeast Climate Science Center will develop stakeholder-driven research and decision support for assisting landscape and watershed management in the face of climate variability and climate change. Activities will include developing and integrating future scenarios of climate, hydrology, landscape and resource management change in the region, including the 22 states that comprise the Northeast.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Announces Funding Opportunity Award for Building Resilience against Climate Effects in State, Territorial and Tribal Health Departments - Deadline June 18, 2012

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Climate and Health Program intends to fund state health departments to conduct analytic and programmatic activities aimed at reducing the health consequences of climate change and variability by developing public health adaptation strategies. The application <http://www.cdc.gov/climatechange/funding.htm> deadline date is June 18, 2012.

U.S. Department of the Interior Announces New Online Application and Other Tools to Expand Public Access to Critical Data for Assessing Water Availability Across the Western U.S.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a new online tool for western water managers and the public to help increase accessibility of science-based information and understanding of how climate variations will impact the availability of water to communities. Projected streamflow data can be found at the Bureau of Reclamation's new website <http://gis.usbr.gov/Streamflow_Projections/> on Streamflow Projections for the Western United States. The site provides a straightforward interface to data for 195 sites on streams and rivers throughout the West. Along with additional information on the tools and official announcement are also available online <http://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=39908>.

U.S. Geological Survey Details Effects of Climate Change on Water Availability in 14 Local Basins Nationwide

Climate change projections indicate a steady increase in temperature progressing through the 21st century, generally resulting in snowpack reductions, changes to the timing of snowmelt, altered stream flows, and reductions in soil moisture, all of which could affect water management, agriculture, recreation, hazard mitigation, and ecosystems across the nation. Despite some widespread similarities in climate change trends, climate change will affect specific water basins in the U.S. differently, based on the particular hydrologic and geologic conditions in that area. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a study <http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.aspID=3205#.T75N67DLyI4> projecting changes in water availability due to climate change at the local level. So far, the USGS has applied these models to fourteen basins.

U.S. Global Change Research Program Makes Available Technical Input Reports to the 2013 National Climate Assessment

The 2013 National Climate Assessment, conducted under the auspices of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, will be a report submitted to the President and the Congress that integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of the U.S. Global Change Research Program; analyzes the effects of global change on the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and biological diversity; and analyzes current trends in global change, both human-induced and natural, and projects major trends for the subsequent 25 to 100 years. Technical input reports <http://www.globalchange.gov/what-we-do/assessment/nca-activities/available-technical-inputs> that were submitted for the 2013 National Climate Assessment by March 1, 2012 have now been made available online.

U.S. Global Change Research Program Announces NCAnet - A Network of Partners Supporting the National Climate Assessment

NCAnet <http://ncanet.usgcrp.gov> is a network of organizations working with the National Climate Assessment (NCA) to engage producers and users of assessment information across the United States. Partners extend the NCA process and products to a broad audience through the development of assessment-related capacities and products, such as collection and synthesis of data or other technical and scientific information relevant to current and future NCA reports, dissemination of NCA report findings to various users of assessment information, engagement of assessment information producers and users, supporting NCA events, and producing communications materials related to the NCA and NCA report findings. NCAnet currently consists of over 50 partners. The NCA is seeking additional partners.

Other News

Water Utility Climate Alliance (WUCA) Announces New Leadership for Climate Alliance - Seattle Public Utilities succeeds San Francisco as WUCA Chair

Following the first leadership change since its founding in 2007, the Water Utility Climate Alliance <http://www.wucaonline.org> (WUCA) is pursuing a work plan this year to expand its reach and influence on climate adaptation and related issues. The organization's new leaders are Executive Chair Ray Hoffman, who is Director of Seattle Public Utilities, and Executive Vice Chair Gerald Seeber, who is General Manager of Tampa Bay Water. Hoffman succeeds Ed Harrington, General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which founded WUCA in 2007 and chaired the coalition until this year.

Researchers Publish Paper in Nature Geoscience Journal that Seagrasses Can Store as Much Carbon as Forests

Seagrasses are a vital part of the solution to climate change and, per unit area, seagrass meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as the world's temperate and tropical forests. The paper, "Seagrass Ecosystems as a Globally Significant Carbon Stock <http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1477.html>," is the first global analysis of carbon stored in seagrasses. The results demonstrate that coastal seagrass beds store up to 83,000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, mostly in the soils beneath them. The new results, say the scientists, emphasize that conserving and restoring seagrass meadows may reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon stores--while delivering important "ecosystem services" to coastal communities. The research is part of the Blue Carbon Initiative, a collaborative effort of Conservation International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. !
The press release <http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=124263&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click> from the National Science Foundation is also available online.

________________________________

This newsletter is produced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water (EPA). If you have questions related to the newsletter or want to submit an item, email the editor at water_climate_change@epa.gov. For past issues of EPA Climate Change and Water News, as well as further information on climate change impacts on water resources, visit www.epa.gov/water/climatechange. For more information on EPA's climate change activities, visit www.epa.gov/climatechange. [deletions]

***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.

The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
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Thursday, May 31, 2012

What is "On Demand Hot Water"?

As the nation continues to improve energy and water efficiency, we are hearing more and more about on demand hot water systems. On demand hot water is pretty much just that; hot water is produced when called for rather than being stored and maintained at a given temperature. These kinds of systems have been is use for decades in most developed countries.
An on demand system is generally considered more energy efficient than a storage system, but this opinion really seems to vary from source to source when you look into statistics. Most Americans are accustomed to a storage type system and they know what to expect of them I.E. a limited amount of water at a set temperature. Although a tank type water heater is thermostatically controlled, recovery rate is typically much slower than the draw rate when showering, drawing a bath or loading a clothes washer. This slower recovery requires a conscious use of hot water or you may be left cold and wet, literally.
With tankless water heating the experience is quite the opposite. As long as the fuel supply remains adequate, tankless heaters will continually produce hot water for an unlimited period of time. Where we find limitation with tankless heaters is the flow rate. The volume/flow rate of tankless heaters is determined by the temperature rise required to meet the per-established temperature and by the maximum Btu rating of the appliance. Tankless gas water heaters operate on a modulating gas valve which varies the amount of fuel based on the demand. Demand is determined by the amount of water being called for and the temperature rise needed to provide the proper flow rate at the set temperature. If you turn on 1 bathroom sink faucet at 1.0 gallon per minute (gpm) the heater will fire at minimum Btu capacity. If more than one fixture is on or if a fixture with a higher gpm flow rate is turned on the heater increases the input amount of fuel to supply and fires additional burners to meet the demand. With flow rate limitations in mind it is important to properly size the system prior to installation.
A common misunderstanding with Tankless water heaters, also known as instantaneous heaters, is that the hot water will be immediately available at the point of use. The term instantaneous when referencing a tankless heater is greatly misleading. The term refers to the rapid firing and heating process. With most tankless brands burner ignition happens as soon as the minimum water flow is detected; that’s as close to instantaneous as tankless heaters get. The water doesn’t get to the point of use any sooner than with a traditional heater, unless additional design changes are implemented at the time of installation. This realization can be a great disappointment to a homeowner. If you are interested in having hot water readily available at any giving point of use, consider adding an On Demand Circulating Pump to your hot water system. These provide various methods of activating a circulation pump that brings the heated water to the faucet without having to turn on the faucet. Installing a circulation pump of this kind will save a lot of water in that you don’t let a faucet run until hot water arrives.
Whether or not tankless water heating systems conserve fuel and/or water is determined by the one thing everybody can control, without any expense. Personal habits become the deciding factor. Studies have shown that homes with on demand heaters are less concerned with the amount of hot water they use. Because these heaters provide a continual flow of hot water, people tend to take longer showers, fill the tub more, use hot water for clothes washing etc, etc. In this situation the water and fuel consumptions can be greater than when we have limitations of a tank type water heater.
On demand water heaters are likely to become the standard. The industry is moving toward phasing out the traditional water heater. This makes sense as long as we encourage behavioral change as well. Conservation begins with awareness.

AP

www.AskAquaPro.com
AquaPro@AskaquaPro.com
www.AquaProSolutions.com
www.AquaEnvi.org
www.AshevilleGreenPlumbing.com,

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Water Headlines for the week of April 23, 2012

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Apr 24, 2012 1:40 PM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] EPA Water Headlines for the week of April 23, 2012
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

-----Original Message-----
From: Amy Han [mailto:han.amy@epamail.epa.gov]
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 6:35 PM
Subject: [waterheadlines] Water Headlines for the week of April 23, 2012

Water Headlines for the week of April 23, 2012

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

Visit EPA's Water Is Worth It Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/EPAWaterIsWorthIt, and follow our Water Is Worth It tweets at http://twitter.com/epawater

In This Week's Water Headlines:

1) EPA's National Coastal Condition Report IV Available Online
2) DEA National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day: April 28, 2012
3) EPA to Host Web Conference on the Draft "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change" on May 3, 2012
4) EPA To Hold Infrastructure Operation, Maintenance, and Management Training for Tribal Water and Wastewater Operators and Leaders in Oklahoma City, Okla., and Albuquerque, N.M.
5) Blog Spotlight: Giving New Life To The Dead Zone
[deletions]

1) EPA's National Coastal Condition Report IV Available Online EPA has released the National Coastal Condition Report IV, the fourth in a series of environmental assessments of U.S. coastal waters and the Great Lakes. The national coastal condition reports summarize the condition of ecological resources in the coastal waters of the United States and highlight several exemplary federal, state, tribal and local programs that assess coastal ecological and water quality conditions. This report relies heavily on coastal monitoring data provided by coastal states through EPA's National Coastal Assessment to assess coastal condition by evaluating five indicators of condition-water quality, sediment quality, benthic community condition, coastal habitat loss, and fish tissue contaminants-in each region of the U.S. The overall condition of the nation's coastal waters was rated fair for the reporting period 2003 to 2006. The report is available at: http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/assess!
monitor/nccr/index.cfm

2) DEA National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day: April 28, 2012 The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with support from EPA, is sponsoring the National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day on April 28, 2012. DEA looks to build upon the success of its first three events which collected a total of 498 tons of household medications nationwide. These nationwide events provide a unified opportunity for the public to turn in expired, unwanted or unused prescription drugs and other medications to law enforcement officers for safe disposal. DEA's efforts bring national focus to the issue of pharmaceutical substance abuse, while providing a secure and environmentally-friendly outlet for disposal that will protect our water resources.

To find out more about this event and other information on how to properly dispose prescription medication, visit: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/ppcp/index.cfm

3) EPA to Host Web Conference on the Draft "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change" on May 3, 2012 EPA released the Draft "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change" on April 2, 2012 for a 45-day public comment period. As part of ongoing efforts to continue the public outreach process, EPA is hosting a web-based conference on May 3, 2012, 3 to 5 p.m. EDT. This web conference will provide an opportunity to pose clarifying questions to EPA on aspects of the draft 2012 Strategy document prior to the end of the public comment period on May 17, 2012. For more information on the draft "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change" and how to participate in the web conference, visit http://water.epa.gov/scitech/climatechange/2012-National-Water-Program-Strategy.cfm.

4) EPA To Hold Infrastructure Operation, Maintenance, and Management Training for Tribal Water and Wastewater Operators and Leaders in Oklahoma City, Okla., and Albuquerque, N.M.
From May 2 through 4, EPA will be sponsoring a training workshop in Oklahoma City, Okla., for federally- recognized tribes and Alaskan Native Villages to help increase participants' skills and knowledge in how to better operate and manage wastewater and drinking water systems. The training is intended for water system operators, wastewater system operators, tribal utility managers, tribal council members and leaders involved with water utility management. There is no registration fee for the workshop, but Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages that received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds will be given registration priority. To register, please go to: http://water.epa.gov/learn/training/tribaltraining/tcourse1_2012.cfm.

This training is part of a series of such training sessions that EPA is sponsoring throughout the country. An additional training session is scheduled for Albuquerque, N.M., May 15 through 17. For questions about the training, please contact Leon Latino by e-mail at latino.leon@epa.gov or by phone at (202) 564-1997; or Matthew Richardson by e-mail at richardson.matthew@epa.gov or by phone at (202) 564-2947.

5) Blog Spotlight: Giving New Life To The Dead Zone John Senn, Deputy Communications Director for EPA's Office of Water, blogged about his recent trip to Tennessee in joining the meeting of the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force in addressing the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone and his visit to a farm that demonstrated efficient water use and nutrient pollution control on site. Mr. Senn notes the work continuing to address nutrient pollution, such as excess nitrogen and phosphorus, going into the Mississippi River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico. To read the blog, visit: http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2012/04/giving-new-life-to-the-dead-zone/.
[deletions]

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.

The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

ENVIRONS NEWS: EPA Joins the U.S. Water

From: water_climate_change@epa.gov [mailto:water_climate_change@epa.gov] Sent: Friday, March 30, 2012 5:06 PM Subject: EPA Climate Change and Water News

EPA Climate Change and Water News

U.S. EPA News

Partnership EPA is one of 22 new members that have joined the expanded U.S. Water Partnership, announced on World Water Day, March 22, 2012. The U.S. Water Partnership is a U.S.-based public-private partnership established to unite American expertise, knowledge, and resources, and mobilize those assets to address water challenges around the globe, especially in the developing world. By bringing together the U.S. public sector, non-governmental organizations, science institutions, and the private sector, the U.S. Water Partnership will serve as a central synthesizer and force multiplier, making information easily accessible, connecting people and resources, and leveraging the assets of partners to offer a range of integrative solutions. For more information, see the U.S. Department of State fact sheet <http://www.state.gov/e/oes/rls/fs/2012/186581.htm>.

Friday, March 23, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: Position Vacancy: Water Resources Division Chief, National Park Service, Fort Collins,Colorado

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Mar 23, 2012 10:51 AM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] Position Vacancy: Water Resources Division Chief, National Park Service, Fort Collins,Colorado
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

From: <notifications@usajobs.gov> [DO NOT REPLY] [mailto:notifications@usajobs.gov]
Sent: Friday, March 23, 2012 6:38 AM
Subject: USAJOBS Saved Search Results - 3/23/2012

[deletions]

Supervisory Hydrologist - Water Resources Division Chief<http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/312495900>
National Park Service
Duty Locations: 1 vacancy(s) - Fort Collins,Colorado
Salary: $103,771.00 to $155,500.00 / Per Year
Series and Grade: GS-1315-14/15
Open Period: Thursday, March 22, 2012 to Thursday, March 29, 2012
Position Information: Permanent - Full-Time
Who May Be Considered: United States Citizens

Water Resources Program Manager<http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/312496800>
National Park Service
Duty Locations: 1 vacancy(s) - Fort Collins,Colorado
Salary: $103,771.00 to $155,500.00 / Per Year
Series and Grade: GS-0340-14/15
Open Period: Thursday, March 22, 2012 to Thursday, March 29, 2012
Position Information: Permanent - Full-Time
Who May Be Considered: United States Citizens
[deletions]

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.

The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
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Friday, March 2, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: New Conservation Reserve Program Initiative to Restore Grasslands, Wetlands and Wildlife

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Mar 2, 2012 10:52 AM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] New Conservation Reserve Program Initiative to Restore Grasslands, Wetlands and Wildlife
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

From: USDA Office of Communications [mailto:usda@public.govdelivery.com]
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2012 10:08 AM
Subject: Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces New Conservation Reserve Program Initiative to Restore Grasslands, Wetlands and Wildlife
[deletions]

Release No. 0076.12
Contact:
USDA Office of Communications (202) 720-3088

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces New Conservation Reserve Program Initiative to Restore Grasslands, Wetlands and Wildlife

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2012–Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the opportunity for producers to enroll a total of 1 million acres of land in a new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiative to preserve grasslands and wetlands. Vilsack will highlight the announcement later today at the Interior Department during the White House Growing America's Outdoor Heritage and Economy conference, which emphasizes the link between conservation and strong local economies through tourism, outdoor recreation, and healthy lands, waters and wildlife. The conference has attracted boaters, hunters, anglers, farmers, ranchers, land conservationists, historic preservationists, outdoor recreationists, small business owners, local governments, tribal leaders and others from across the 50 United States to discuss ways to spur and support successful conservation projects around the nation.

USDA's CRP has a 25-year legacy of successfully protecting the nation's natural resources through voluntary participation, while providing significant economic and environmental benefits to rural communities across the United States. Under the Obama Administration, USDA has enrolled more than 8 million acres in CRP. The goal of the new CRP grasslands and wetlands initiative is to increase enrollment of environmentally sensitive land through targeted signups. USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers CRP, will set aside acres within the 32-million acre program for specific enrollments that benefit duck nesting habitat, upland birds, wetlands, pollinators and wildlife.

"By focusing 1 million acres of CRP on grasslands and wetlands, this initiative will have enormous benefits for farmers, sportsmen, and all Americans," said Vilsack. "CRP is one of our nation's most valuable and vital conservation efforts, ensuring cleaner air and water, preventing soil erosion, and enhancing economic opportunity in rural America by supporting recreation and tourism. With high crop prices, this approach to target our most sensitive lands is essential if we want to maintain the substantial benefits of CRP while ensuring that productive farm lands continue to produce the food and fiber Americans and the world needs."

Rather than wait for a general sign-up (the process under which most CRP acres are enrolled), producers whose land meet eligibility criteria can enroll directly in this "continuous" category at any time. Some of the changes brought on by the expansion will take place immediately and some will be initiated in the coming months. Changes include:

New Continuous Pollinator Practice – 100,000 additional acres

A new continuous practice to permit producers to develop pollinator habitat for many pollinator species.

Increase Acreage for Wetland Restoration – 200,000 additional acres

Two practices will expand that are designed to restore wetlands that are both within a 100-year floodplain and outside of a100-year floodplain. Last year's floods were a strong reminder of the value of wetlands in absorbing storm water and slowing run-off.

Restoration of Critical Grassland Ecosystems

This initiative targets areas that can restore important habitats to protect threatened and/or endangered species, candidate species, or species of significant social/economic importance. The restoration work would be done through the following existing practices and sub-initiatives:

Increase Acreage for SAFE – 400,000 additional acres

SAFE practices provide the flexibility to meet the specific needs of high-value wildlife species in a participating state or region through higher-quality habitat. SAFE projects would be developed at the state and local level.

Increase Acreage for Duck Nesting Habitat – 150,000 additional acres

Restores wetlands and develops nesting habitat in areas deemed as the most critical waterfowl areas. Currently, there are 175,000 acres enrolled in this practice.

Increase Acreage for Upland Bird Habitat Buffers – 150,000 additional acres

Provides extremely valuable habitat for upland birds such as quail and pheasants. Currently, there are 244,000 acres enrolled in this initiative.

Provide Greater Incentives for Continuous CRP

To encourage producers to sign up their most environmentally valuable acres FSA will increase the Signing Incentive Payments (SIPs) to $150 per acre from the current level of $100 per acre. The incentive is offered on most continuous practices and will include wetland restorations, pollinators and upland bird habitat.

Recently, USDA announced two additional CRP sign-ups: a four-week general sign-up beginning on March 12 and ending on April 6; and a continuous sign-up for Highly Erodible Cropland beginning this summer, which seeks to protect the nation's most environmentally sensitive lands. The Highly Erodible Cropland initiative permits landowners to enroll up to 750,000 acres of land with an Erodibility Index (EI) of 20 or greater.

Currently, about 30 million acres are enrolled in CRP. Contracts on an estimated 6.5 million acres will expire on Sept. 30, 2012.
Over the past 25 years, farmers, ranchers, conservationists, hunters, fishermen and other outdoor enthusiasts have made CRP the largest and one of the most important in USDA's conservation portfolio. CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them use environmentally sensitive land for conservation benefits. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and develop wildlife habitat. In return, USDA provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance. Contract duration is between 10 and 15 years. Producers with expiring contracts and producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP. Producers also are encouraged to look into CRP's other enrollment opportunities offered on a continuous, non-competitive, signup basis.

Highlights of CRP include:

• CRP prevents the erosion of 325 million tons of soil each year, or enough soil to fill 19.5 million dump trucks;

• CRP has restored more than two million acres of wetlands and two million acres of riparian buffers;

• Each year, CRP keeps more than 600 million pounds of nitrogen and more than 100 million pounds of phosphorous from flowing into our nation's streams, rivers, and lakes;

• CRP provides $1.8 billion annually to landowners—dollars that make their way into local economies, supporting small businesses and creating jobs; and

• CRP is the largest private lands carbon sequestration program in the country. By placing vulnerable cropland into conservation, CRP sequesters carbon in plants and soil, and reduces both fuel and fertilizer usage. In 2010, CRP resulted in carbon sequestration equal to taking almost 10 million cars off the road.

As part of President Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative < http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/ >, the Administration is opening up recreational access to lands and waters, supporting the creation of urban parks and trails, increasing youth employment in conservation jobs and making historic investments in large landscapes such as the Everglades. The initiative is empowering locally-led conservation and outdoor recreation efforts, from supporting the working landscapes of the Dakota Grasslands and the Flint Hills in Kansas, to designating the Fort Monroe National Monument in Virginia, to countless other success stories across the country.

In 2011, USDA enrolled a record number of acres of private working lands in conservation programs, working with more than 500,000 farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices that clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and prevent soil erosion. Moreover, the Obama Administration, with Agriculture Secretary Vilsack's leadership, has worked tirelessly to strengthen rural America, implement the Farm Bill, maintain a strong farm safety net, and create opportunities for America's farmers and ranchers. U.S. agriculture is currently experiencing one of its most productive periods in American history thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and resourcefulness of our producers.

More detailed information on CRP is available in the FSA fact sheet "Conservation Reserve Program, which can be found at www.fsa.usda.gov.
#
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).
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#

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.

The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
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Saturday, February 11, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Releases Final Health Assessment for Tetrachloroethylene (Perc)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Feb 10, 2012 1:27 PM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] EPA Releases Final Health Assessment for Tetrachloroethylene (Perc)
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

From: U.S. EPA [mailto:usaepa@govdelivery.com]
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2012 1:04 PM
Subject: News Release: EPA Releases Final Health Assessment for Tetrachloroethylene (Perc)

CONTACT:
Latisha Petteway (News Media Only)
petteway.latisha@epa.gov
202-564-3191
202-564-4355

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2012

EPA Releases Final Health Assessment for Tetrachloroethylene (Perc)

Public health protections remain in place

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted the final health assessment for tetrachloroethylene – also known as perchloroethylene, or perc – to EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. Perc is a chemical solvent widely used in the dry cleaning industry. It is also used in the cleaning of metal machinery and to manufacture some consumer products and other chemicals. Confirming longstanding scientific understanding and research, the final assessment characterizes perc as a "likely human carcinogen." The assessment provides estimates for both cancer and non-cancer effects associated with exposure to perc over a lifetime.

EPA does not believe that wearing clothes dry cleaned with perc will result in exposures which pose a risk of concern. EPA has already taken several significant actions to reduce exposure to perc. EPA has clean air standards for dry cleaners that use perc, including requirements that will phase-out the use of perc by dry cleaners in residential buildings by December 21, 2020. EPA also set limits for the amount of perc allowed in drinking water and levels for cleaning up perc at Superfund sites throughout the country, which will be updated in light of the IRIS assessment.

"The perc health assessment released today will provide valuable information to help protect people and communities from exposure to perc in soil, water and air," said Paul Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Research and Development. "This assessment emphasizes the value of the IRIS database in providing strong science to support government officials as they make decisions to protect the health of the American people."

The toxicity values reported in the perc IRIS assessment will be considered in:

• Establishing cleanup levels at the hundreds of Superfund sites where perc is a contaminant
• Revising EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level for perc as part of the carcinogenic volatile organic compounds group in drinking water, as described in the agency's drinking water strategy
• Evaluating whether to propose additional limits on the emissions of perc into the atmosphere, since perc is considered a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act

The assessment replaces the 1988 IRIS assessment for perc and for the first time includes a hazard characterization for cancer effects. This assessment has undergone several levels of rigorous, independent peer review including: agency review, interagency review, public comment, and external peer review by the National Research Council. All major review comments have been addressed.

EPA continues to strengthen IRIS as part of an ongoing effort to ensure the best possible science is used to protect human health and the environment. In May 2009, EPA streamlined the IRIS process to increase transparency, ensure the timely publication of assessments, and reinforce independent review. In July 2011, EPA announced further changes to strengthen the IRIS program in response to recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences. EPA's peer review process is designed to elicit the strongest possible critique to ensure that each final IRIS assessment reflects sound, rigorous science.

More information on the perc IRIS assessment: http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0106.htm

More information on perc: http://epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/perchloroethylene_fact_sheet.html

More information on IRIS: http://www.epa.gov/IRIS

R016
#

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.

The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
***********************************************

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Releases New Tool with Information about Water Pollution

Keeping tabs on contaminant exposure is getting simpler. Check out the updated EPA ECHO website.
AP

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Jan 25, 2012 3:28 PM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] EPA Releases New Tool with Information about Water Pollution Across the U.S.; Webinar Jan. 26
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>

From: U.S. EPA [mailto:usaepa@govdelivery.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 3:05 PM
Subject: News Release (HQ): EPA Releases New Tool with Information about Water Pollution Across the U.S.

CONTACT:
Stacy Kika
Kika.stacy@epa.gov
202-564-0906
202-564-4355

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2012

EPA Releases New Tool with Information about Water Pollution Across the U.S.
EPA to host webinar on how to use tool to access information on pollutants released into local waterways

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of a new tool that provides the public with important information about pollutants that are released into local waterways. Developed under President Obama's transparency initiative, the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool brings together millions of records and allows for easy searching and mapping of water pollution by local area, watershed, company, industry sector, and pollutant. Americans can use this new tool to protect their health and the health of their communities.

"Transparency leads to greater accountability and better information about pollution in our nation's communities," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "By making the data we collect available in easy to use tools, we are keeping Americans informed about the health of the environment in their neighborhoods."

Searches using the DMR Pollutant Loading Tool result in "top ten" lists to help users easily identify facilities and industries that are discharging the most pollution and impacted waterbodies. When discharges are above permitted levels, users can view the violations and link to details about enforcement actions that EPA and states have taken to address these violations.

Facilities releasing water pollution directly into our nation's waterways, such as wastewater treatment plants or industrial manufacturers, must receive a permit to discharge under the Clean Water Act. Each permit sets specific limits for how much can be discharged. It also requires the permittee to frequently sample their wastewater discharges and report the data to their state or EPA permitting authority.

A link to the new tool can be found on EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website [ http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo/ ], which provides information about inspections, facility compliance, and state and federal enforcement actions. EPA has also released several new ECHO features, including a search for criminal enforcement cases and web developer tools that make it easy to tap into ECHO reports and maps.

Information about the webinar:
WHAT: A webinar to demonstrate how to use the new Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool.

WHO: Members of the media, non-profit organizations, industry, business, and citizens interested in learning how to use the tool are encouraged to participate.

WHEN: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 10 a.m., Eastern Time

HOW: To participate, please use the following dial-in numbers.

Audio Contact Instruction:
(1) Dial the toll-free dial-in number: (866) 358 1366
(2) At the recorded prompt, enter the Conference Code (2025661014) and the "#" sign, using the telephone keypad.
(3) Wait for the Leader to join and the conference to begin.
(4) To disconnect, hang up the telephone.

To access the Webinar use GoToWebinar link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/192410536

*** YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE TO ACCESS THE WEBINAR***

DMR Pollutant Loading Tool: http://www.epa.gov/pollutantdischarges

ECHO: http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo
More information about new features in ECHO: http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo/recent_additions.html

R011
[deletions]

***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.

The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
***********************************************

Water Conservation, Water Efficiency, Water Quality, Water Management

Water Saving Products

Saturday, December 22, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Releases Update on Ongoing Hydraulic Fracturing Study

Friday, December 21, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Releases Update on Ongoing Hydraulic Fracturing Study

Thursday, December 13, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Releases National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change

Friday, October 26, 2012

Conserving water isn't just about water efficiency

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

ENVIRO NEWS: USDA Drought Assistance Minimizes Impacts While Spurring Improvements on 1M Acres of American Farmland

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: Mississippi National River and Recreation Area releases first-ever State of the River Report

Monday, August 13, 2012

Keeping Pharmaceuticals Out Of The Water Supply

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Are you still in denial of climate change?

Monday, August 6, 2012

When Less is More

Saturday, July 14, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Climate Change and Water News

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Climate Change and Water News

Thursday, May 31, 2012

What is "On Demand Hot Water"?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Water Headlines for the week of April 23, 2012

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

ENVIRONS NEWS: EPA Joins the U.S. Water

Friday, March 23, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: Position Vacancy: Water Resources Division Chief, National Park Service, Fort Collins,Colorado

Friday, March 2, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: New Conservation Reserve Program Initiative to Restore Grasslands, Wetlands and Wildlife

Saturday, February 11, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Releases Final Health Assessment for Tetrachloroethylene (Perc)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

ENVIRO-NEWS: EPA Releases New Tool with Information about Water Pollution

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