Book discusses USDA & EPA Clean Water Action Plan

MORGANTOWN, WV, June 6, 2001 — A book titled "Clean Water Action Plan: Restoring and Protecting America's Waters" is now available from the National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC).

Prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this book details the Clean Water Action Plan, which the USDA and the EPA initiated to meet the promise of clean, safe water to all Americans. The book explains how this federal initiative builds on existing clean water programs and proposes new actions to restore and protect water resources.

Under this plan, the federal government will support locally led partnerships, increase financial and technical assistance to states, and help states and tribes restore and sustain aquatic systems. The book identifies factors-such as regulation, economic incentives, technical assistance, education, and accurate information-as the necessary tools for restorating and protecting water resources.

The book discusses how the goals of the Clean Water Action Plan can be achieved through a good watershed approach, strong federal and state standards, natural resources stewardship, and educating citizens and officials. This 101-page book can serve as a resource for local and state officials and the general public.

The book is free, but shipping charges still apply. To order, call the NSFC at (800) 624-8301 or (304) 293-4191, and request Item #WWBKGN142. You also may send e-mail to .

Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the NSFC helps small communities find affordable sewage treatment options to protect public health and the environment. Located at West Virginia University, the NSFC is a nonprofit organization established in 1979 under an amendment to the 1977 Clean Water Act. Since that time, the NSFC has become a respected national source of information about "small flows" technologies-those systems that have fewer than one million gallons of wastewater flowing through them per day, ranging from individual septic systems to small sewage treatment plants.

Anyone who works with small communities to help solve wastewater treatment problems can benefit from the NSFC's services, which include more than 450 free and low-cost educational products, a toll-free technical assistance hotline, five computer databases, two free publications, and an online discussion group. For more information, visit NSFC's Web site at http://www.nsfc.wvu.edu.