Year of Clean Water events around the nation
Oct. 24, 2002 -- In its weekly update of news on drinking water and the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides details on how the organization's regions celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act.
Region 1
Regional Administrator of EPA's New England Office, Bob Varney, joined with school students to celebrate National Monitoring Day and the 30th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Bob spoke to approximately 100 middle school students in Nashua, NH and then the students, Bob, and representatives of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the Merrimack River Council monitored the water quality of a tributary of the Merrimack River.
In a second event, Bob and several EPA scientists demonstrated how to monitor for water quality to several high school classes in Lowell, MA.
Region 2
Regional Administrator Jane Kenny and EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman joined 4th graders from Public School #30 at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey to conduct water monitoring. The EPA boat, "Clean Waters" traveled across the New York Harbor Estuary to Liberty State Park from EPA's Edison, New Jersey laboratory.
EPA staff provided a tour of the boat. Volunteer coordinator Paula Zevin and staff demonstrated how to conduct technical water quality monitoring tests.
Local newspapers "Star Ledger," "Bergen Record," "Jersey Journal," as well as channel 63, along with other news teams covered this event. EPA employee, Donna Somboonlakana, showed local neighborhood children from Highland Avenue at the New Rochelle High School Twin Lakes in New Rochelle, New York how to monitor their water.
EPA volunteer monitoring coordinator, Paula Zevin, presented an Environmental Awareness Course - "What it takes to gain a better understanding of the environment and environmental issues," on Sept. 25, October 2, October 16, at the Temple Beth-El in Hillisborough, New Jersey. Participants included 8th and 9th grade students.
EPA employee, Maureen Krudner, and members of the Boy Scouts performed monitoring tests at Pouch Lake on Staten Island. A sampling event in Onondaga Creek, sponsored by EPA, was held with an environmental studies class from Henninger High School, along with United States Geological Survey, the Army Corps of Engineers and other members of the Onondaga Lake Partnership in Syracuse, New York.
Region 3
Regional Administrator Don Welsh and US Fish & Wildlife Service Deputy Director Marshall Jones joined members of the Senior Environmental Corporation (a senior environmentally-based community volunteer organization); elementary, high school and university students; as well as community volunteers and US Fish & Wildlife Service employees - all from the Philadelphia area at John Heinz National Refuge - to celebrate the Year of Clean Water and partnerships: 30th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act, National Volunteer Monitoring Day, and National Wildlife Refuge Week.
Region 4
Deputy Regional Administrator Stan Meiberg and other managers joined Region 4 staff, family and friends who volunteered to spend the afternoon cleaning the banks and bottoms of the Chattahoochee River, a creek in Huntley Hills section of Chamblee, Proctor Creek, and Woodall Creek.
Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns with WSB-TV Channel 2 included information about the cleanup and monitoring efforts during the evening news. Numerous monitoring events were conducted throughout the Southeast.
EPA is putting a scrapbook together to highlight monitoring efforts, and show appreciation to the volunteers.
Region 5
Region 5 celebrated the Clean Water Act anniversary with numerous monitoring activities. Jodi Traub, the EPA Water Division Director, EPA staff, representatives from the Kane County Forest Preserve, local teachers and trained students sponsored at the Tekakwitha Woods Nature Center on the Fox River a two hour program of sampling techniques and demonstrations on how to determine biotic indices.
Associate Water Director Tim Henry worked with over 100 sixth graders from Downers Grove, Illinois schools as they collected and analyzed local water samples.
Linda Holst, Water Quality Branch Chief, joined 60 students and volunteers as they sampled the Skokie River and tested for various parameters.
EPAers Rich Zdanowicz and Mery Jackson and students at the Sabin Magnet School conducted a series of physical, chemical and biological monitoring tests of the Chicago River, and Robert Pepin participated in a field trip with over 60 9th graders from Chicago's Clemente High School discussing and demonstrating monitoring techniques. Press coverage included articles in the Chicago Tribune of events at the Chicago River and the Skokie River.
Region 6
Ecosystems Protection Branch Chief Dr. Jane Watson and EPA employees partnered with the City of Denton, Texas and The Institute of Applied Science at the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton to participate in volunteer monitoring activities with Texas Watch Monitors, including demonstrations of benthic sampling and fish sampling, and visits to a monitoring site in nearby Pecan Creek.
Region 7
Regional Administrator James Gulliford joined two Roosevelt High School chemistry classes in St. Louis to talk about the Clean Water Act Anniversary and demonstrate water testing and monitoring.
Region 8
Regional Administrator Robbie Roberts and staff went to Commons Park at the South Platte River to participate in water monitoring. Also, EPA employees joined two 7th grade classes from Dora Moore School in taking samples at Cherry Creek.
Region 9
Regional Administrator Wayne Nastri and members of his senior staff participated in National Water Monitoring Day events at the Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona. Newspaper coverage of the Anniversary included articles in the San Diego Union Tribune, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and others.
Region 10
Deputy Regional Administrator Ronald Kreizenbeck and members of their executive team joined home schooled students at a local water monitoring event in Carkeek Park in North Seattle.
Washington, DC EPA Deputy Administrator Linda Fisher along with local, county, and federal officials, water quality experts, and representatives of nonprofit organizations attended the 30th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act celebration, hosted by Alexandria Seaport Foundation, along the banks of the Potomac River in Old Town Alexandria.
Deputy Assistant Administrator Benjamin Grumbles along with Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams attended the Anacostia River Clean Water Month Ceremony at the Anacostia Community Boat House in Washington, DC.
Chinese Water Officials Meet with EPA Water Officials
Mr. Gu Enda, Deputy Chief for Science and Standards, Environmental Protection Agency of Jilin Province, Changchun, China met with EPA officials to discuss ground water use, drinking water regulatory implementation, source water protection, and state-EPA interactions. For additional information, contact Phil Berger at 202-564-5255 or Jimmy Chen at 202-564-5258.
New Clean Water Act Web-Based Training Module
The Office of Water's Watershed Academy has completed a web-based training module called Introduction to the Clean Water Act at http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/cwa/ Users may go through the entire 65 slide course on the CWA in sequence or they can jump to the particular Clean Water Act program of interest by going to the CWA Big Picture by linking to: http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/cwa/slide.htm shown at the top of each slide. For further information please contact Bill Painter at 202-566-1218.
Commission on Ocean Policy Releases Interim Report
The Oceans Act of 2000 requires the establishment of a Commission to make recommendations for a coordinated and comprehensive national ocean policy. The Commission has been established, has conducted public meetings across the country, and has now released an interim report.
The interim report, entitled "Developing a National Ocean Policy: Mid-term Report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy," can be found at http://www.oceancommission.gov/documents/midterm_report/ReportCovREV10_01_02.pdf.
This report includes a brief history of national ocean policy, an overview of the Commission mandate and organization, highlights of invited testimony and public comment through June 2002, and a list of Commission products and future Commission activities.
The report also includes three appendices which are available for download.
Appendix I: A Synthesis of Testimony, Comments, and Recommendations from Presenters: September 2001 - June 2002
Appendix II: Summary of Testimony, Comments, and Recommendations from Presenters: September 2001 - June 2002
Appendix III: Toward a National Ocean Policy: Topics and Related Issues
Additional information on the Oceans Commission can be found at http://www.oceancommission.gov/documents/welcome.html or by contacting Kathy Hurld at [email protected].
Filter Backwash Recycling Rule Publication Finalized
The Office of Water is offering Filter Backwash Recycling Rule: A Rule Summary for Systems (EPA-816-R-02-013). The publication will be useful in conveying basic information to water systems, new personnel, and in educating stakeholders about the rule.
The eight-page document also contains a checklist to help systems keep track of information that they are required to either report or retain on file. Copies may be ordered through the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-1479. For more information, contact Katie Leo at 202-564-3839.
Source Water Education Materials Published
Two source water educational publications were recently published under a cooperative agreement between the Office of Water and the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, including: Where Does Your Water Come From, a resource booklet produced by the Water Education Foundation; and, Wade into Watersheds, a curriculum by Adopt-a-Watershed.
For more information, contact Jori Copeland at 202-564-3876.
Source: EPA. Web site: http://www.epa.gov.
