Sept. 12, 2002 -- The Environmental Protection Agency has released information on an upcoming flood and stormwater agency meeting and other news.
National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies will feature three Office of Water speakers at annual meeting
Deputy Administrator Benjamin Grumbles will travel on Sept. 10, 2002, to New Orleans to be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of The National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies.
More than 100 local and state flood control and stormwater management agencies which serve more than 76 million citizens will hear Ben discuss the Watershed Initiative, Trading Policy, Urban Rivers Restoration Initiative, and TMDL/Watershed Rule.
Also speaking at the meeting:
• Jim Hanlon, Director of the Office of Wastewater Management, will discuss Stormwater Phase II;
• Donald Brady, Branch Chief of the Watersheds Branch in the Office of Wetlands, Oceans & Watersheds, will discuss the TMDLs: New Rule, Pollutant Trading, Relationship to NPDES Stormwater Permits
Regulation guidelines published
The Effluent Guidelines Program Plan, published in the Federal Register on August 27, 2002, describes the effluent guidelines program and guidelines underway. The Plan also gives a brief update on the status of EPA's draft "Strategy for National Clean Water Act Regulations."
The Agency invites the public to identify existing regulations that EPA should consider revising, and any industrial categories that need new guidelines.
September is Watershed Month
EPA's National Water Program is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act by featuring water programs each month. We will focus in September on "Watersheds." EPA Administrator Whitman has referred to watersheds as "Communities connected by water." This is a good reminder that we all live downstream from someone.
Roper Poll Surveys found that fewer than one-third of Americans could select the definition of a watershed from a simple multiple choice quiz. We are trying to do a better job of educating people about watersheds.
Please visit EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/ to obtain further information.
