EPA, in cooperation with U.S. Geological Survey, has launched the National Environmental Methods Index for Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Methods (NEMI-CBR). NEMI-CBR is a secure, Web-based database for locating, evaluating, comparing, and retrieving analytical methods for chemical, biological, and radiological-related contaminants that could pose a threat to public water supplies.

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An extension of the National Environmental Methods Index (NEMI), it includes all the information of NEMI, plus three additional fields needed to address emergency response. The tool also includes the CBR Advisor, an expert system companion that enables users to obtain advice in response to an incident and to access detailed information for planning and training purposes. NEMI-CBR is a password-protected tool with access granted to personnel from drinking water and wastewater utilities, State primacy (primary enforcement) Agencies, Federal officials (including government laboratory perso nnel), and public health agencies. For more information about NEMI-CBR, visit http://www.epa.gov/nemicbr

 

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EPA has developed the Corrective Actions Guidance Manual to support implementation of the Ground Water Rule. The rule, which will apply to approximately 147,000 public water systems that use ground water as a source of drinking water, establishes a risk-based approach to target systems that are vulnerable to fecal contamination. Public water systems must comply with the rule by December 2009.


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The guidance will assist states and public water systems to select and implement corrective actions in response to significant deficiencies identified during sanitary surveys or in response to fecal contamination of source water as required under the rule. To access this guidance and other information about the rule, visit EPA?s Web site at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/gwr/compliancehelp.html

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EPA has released a sampling guidance document to help drinking water utilities address unknown contaminants in drinking water. The Sampling Guidance for Unknown Contaminants in Drinking Water provides comprehensive guidance that integrates pathogen, toxin, chemical, and radiochemical sample collection, preservation, and transport procedures to support multiple analytical approaches for the detection and identification of potential contaminants in drinking water.
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The guidance is intended to support sampling for routine and baseline monitoring to determine background concentrations of naturally occurring pathogens, sampling in response to a triggered event, and sampling in support of remediation or decontamination efforts. While intended for drinking water utilities, it may also be a useful reference for emergency response personnel. To view this document, please visit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/wla.cfm

 

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EPA has published the Seattle-King County, Washington Community Case Study Report - Security and Preparedness Practices: A Collaborative Approach to Water Sector Resiliency, which is intended to encourage and enhance security related practices at drinking water and wastewater utilities across the country and raise awareness of water preparedness issues among local and state emergency management agencies, elected leaders, and leaders of other critical infrastructure sectors.

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This pilot report describes the community case study methodology and compiles information on 23 existing water sector utility practices already being implemented in Seattle-King County Washington which can serve as examples to other communities and water sector utilities. This report provides valuable information about the importance of communities working together in implementing security and preparedness practices that will help make our nation?s water sector infrastructure safe and resilient. For a copy of the Seattle-King County, Washington Community Case Study Report, please visit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/features.cfm#seattleking

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On Election Day, 153 measures in 35 states appeared on ballots across America. Of the 59 citizen petition initiatives, voters approved 24 (5 were undecided at press time). Of the 84 measures referred by the state legislatures, voters approved 59 (2 were undecided at press time).

Infrastructure related initiatives received generally strong support from voters. Transportation related initiatives, for example alone totaled over $71 billion, with measures that included improvements to roads, bridges, rail and public transportation. Energy and the environment were also popular, with around a dozen measures. States like Maine, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania all approved the environmental initiatives on their ballots. These included water projects, stormwater control, environmental revitalization and water sewer improvements.




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On Election Day, 153 measures in 35 states appeared on ballots across America. Of the 59 citizen petition initiatives, voters approved 24 (5 were undecided at press time). Of the 84 measures referred by the state legislatures, voters approved 59 (2 were undecided at press time).

Infrastructure related initiatives received generally strong support from voters. Transportation related initiatives, for example alone totaled over $71 billion, with measures that included improvements to roads, bridges, rail and public transportation. Energy and the environment were also popular, with around a dozen measures. States like Maine, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania all approved the environmental initiatives on their ballots. These included water projects, stormwater control, environmental revitalization and water sewer improvements.

Highlighted below are several infrastructure-related state and city initiatives and how they fared.

Alaska:
Bonds for Transportation Projects: Voters in Alaska approved the sale of up to $315 million in bonds to pay for more than two dozen transportation projects.

Arkansas:
Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal, and Pollution Abatement Facilities Financing Act of 2007: Voters approved Question 1, a measure allowing the Natural Resources Commission to authorize up to $300 million in bonds for financing the development of water, waste disposal and water pollution control.

California:
Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act: Voters approved Proposition 1A, $9.95 billion in bonds that would finance a 220 mph electric high-speed train system.

Colorado:
Use of Severance Tax Revenue for Highways: Voters failed to approve Amendment 52, which proposed amending the Colorado Constitution to require the State Legislature to spend a portion of state severance tax collection on highway projects.

Maine:
Bonds for Water Projects: Voters in Maine approved a $3.4 million bond issue to support drinking water programs and construction of wastewater treatment facilities.

Missouri:
Grants and Loans for Storm Water Control: Voters approved Constitutional Amendment 4, which amends the Missouri Constitution to change the provisions relating to the financing of stormwater control projects. The measure also limits funding to only public water and sewer districts.

Ohio:
Bonds to Continue the Clean Ohio Program for Environmental Revitalization and Conservation: Voters in Ohio approved Issue 2 which allows the state to issue bonds to pay for the conservation of natural open spaces and the environmental revitalization of other lands.

Pennsylvania:
Water and Sewer Improvements Bond Referendum: Voters approved a measure to allow the state to borrow $400 million to repair, improve, expand and construct drinking water, stormwater and wastewater treatment systems.

Rhode Island:
Transportation Bonds: Voters in Rhode Island approved the issuance of $87 million in bonds to provide funds to the Department of Transportation for improvements to the state’s highways, roads and bridges.

Washington:
Transportation Initiative: Washington voters failed to approve Initiative 985, which would have opened carpool lanes and diverted a slice of state automobile sales tax toward traffic-relief projects.

Seattle, WA:
Sound Transit Proposition 1: Voters in King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties approved Proposition 1, a $17.9 billion plan to stretch light rail systems by 34 miles into the Seattle suburbs. To pay for this, the sales tax would increase a nickel per $10 purchase.

Los Angeles, CA
Traffic Relief. Rail Extensions. Reduce Foreign Oil Dependence: Voters approved Measure R, a half-cent sales tax increase that will provide resources to finance new transportation projects. Over 30 years, it is projected to generate $40 billion.

Arlington, VA
Water Pollution Control Plant: Arlington residents voted and approved up to $50 million in bonds to finance the cost of improving and expanding Arlington County’s Water Pollution Control Plant.

Kansas City, MO
Light Rail Sales Tax: Kansas City voters failed to approve a sales tax that would have been used to fund a light rail passenger system.

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Sustainable Sites Initiative invites public comment on the new report titled Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks Draft 2008, the most comprehensive set of national guidelines yet developed for the sustainable design, construction and maintenance of landscapes.


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The report is available for download at www.sustainablesites.org, and an online feedback form has been created for users to help improve the guidelines. These guidelines will enable built landscapes to support natural ecological functions by protecting existing ecosystems and regenerating ecological capacity where it has been lost. The report includes more than 50 prerequisites and credit options that cover everything from initial site selection to construction and maintenance. The report represents thousands of hours with input from 37 technical advisors in hydrology, vegetation, soils, materials and human health and well being. These credits were tailored to apply to any landscape, with our without buildings.

For information, contact info@sustainablesites.org

 

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The latest issue of the Clean Water Exchange is now available.
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Please click on the following link to access the October issue:

http://archive.nacwa.org/nn/cwex_oct2008.htm

 

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EPA is pleased to announce three recent publications from the Agency's  Water Security Initiative:

 

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Interim Guidance on Developing an
Operational Strategy for Contamination Warning Systems will assist drinking water utilities with developing standard operating procedures for the monitoring and surveillance components of a contamination
warning system.

Interim Guidance on Developing Consequence Management
Plans for Drinking Water Utilities will aid utilities with developing plans for validating, responding to, and recovering from a contamination incident in the drinking water distribution system. These guidance documents reflect lessons learned from EPA’s implementation of a comprehensive drinking water contamination warning system pilot in Cincinnati.

Further, EPA has released a detailed report, Cincinnati Pilot Post-Implementation System Status, which describes enhancements associated with the pilot in the areas of online water quality monitoring, consumer complaint surveillance, public health surveillance, contaminant sampling and analysis, physical security, and consequence management. The attached document, Water Security Initiative Available Products, provides a brief summary of these publications, as well as earlier documents from the Water Security Initiative. These documents, along with additional information about the Water Security Initiative, are available at http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/initiative.cfm

 
Comments on the interim guidance documents and recommendations for future products and tools from EPA’s Water Security initiative are encouraged. Please send your comments and recommendations to watersecurity@epa.gov

or contact Dan Schmelling, Water Security Initiative Project Coordinator, at schmelling.dan@epa.gov or 202-564-5281.

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On October 29, APWA President Noel Thompson submitted testimony to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The hearing, entitled Investing in Infrastructure: The Road to Recovery was held in order to examine how infrastructure investment contributes to job creation and economic recovery.
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On October 29, APWA President Noel Thompson submitted testimony to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The hearing, entitled Investing in Infrastructure: The Road to Recovery was held in order to examine how infrastructure investment contributes to job creation and economic recovery. Three panels and a total of nineteen witnesses, including New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine and Maryland Transportation Secretary John Porcari, were called to testify during the nearly seven hour hearing.

In his testimony submitted for the record, President Thompson encouraged a robust economic recovery package with a strong emphasis on infrastructure investment, as a way to boost the economy and repair our nation’s deteriorating infrastructure. President Thompson also urged the committee to consider the billions of dollars of backlogged infrastructure projects that are ready to go but lack funding. Targeting projects that have been approved, yet remain unfunded, such as road resurfacing, bridge repair and water treatment facility upgrades will create jobs, generate immediate economic activity and spur a multiplier effect.

To view a copy of President Thompson’s testimony go to: http://www.apwa.net/Documents/Advocacy/Congressional%20Testimony/APWATandIInfrastructureInvestmentStatement.pdf

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EPA's Water Security Initiative has released two interim guidance documents on drinking water contamination warning systems. 

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The Interim Guidance on Developing an Operational Strategy for Contamination Warning Systems will assist utilities with developing standard operating procedures for the monitoring and surveillance components of a contamination warning system. The Interim Guidance on Developing Consequence Management Plans for Drinking Water Utilities will aid utilities with developing plans for validating, responding to, and recovering from a contamination incident in the drinking water distribution system. These guidance documents reflect lessons learned from EPA?s implementation of a comprehensive drinking water contamination warning system pilot in Cincinnati. Further, EPA is releasing a detailed report, Cincinnati Pilot Post-Implementation System Status, which describes enhancements associated with the pilot in the areas of online water quality monitoring, consu mer complaint surveillance, public health surveillance, contaminant sampling and analysis, physical security, and consequence management. These documents, along with additional information about the Water Security Initiative, are available at http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/initiative.cfm.

 

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The National Research Council, Water Sciences and Technology Board has just released the report "Urban Stormwater Management in the United States." The report is the product of a 2-year process undertaken by a 15-member committee of national experts.
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The study was commissioned by EPA in 2006 to evaluate the NPDES stormwater program program and make recommendations for improvement of the program. The 513 page report provides a description of the history of stormwater management in the United States; an overview of stormwater regulations and the federal regulatory program; and information on a number of relevant scientific and technological issues such as hydrology, geomorphology, biology, monitoring and modeling. The report also provides a number of significant findings and recommendations on how stormwater management in the United States should be improved to achieve better environmental outcomes.

The study report is available at:
www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater
The NRC press release is at:
www.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12465

 

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The Office of Water has released a new guide that will help municipal and utility owners and operators, engineers, local decision makers, and state permit writers and regulators plan cost-effective nutrient removal projects for municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Excess nutrients are a leading cause of water body impairment and can cause the growth of excessive algae and aquatic vegetation in receiving waters, leading to decreased oxygen levels. Excess ammonia nitrogen is toxic to fish and other aquatic species. Additionally the discharge of nitrates in wastewater can result in groundwater contamination.


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The Municipal Nutrient Removal Technologies Reference Document presents detailed technical and cost information about existing nutrient removal technologies and information on emerging technologies. This document includes detailed process descriptions, performance and reliability data, and operating factors for processes that can remove nitrogen, phosphorus, or both from municipal wastewater. It also includes nine in-depth facility case studies from around the country and one in Canada.

Many of our nation's 16,583 municipal wastewater treatment facilities discharge to sensitive waters or waters designated as impaired. Facilities are increasingly using treatment processes to help reduce nutrient concentrations to protect receiving waters. This document will help in the evaluation of technologies to meet their needs.

More information on the Municipal Nutrient Removal Technologies Reference Document: http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/index.htm

 

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Water-quality data from the National Water Information System (NWIS) of the USGS can be readily accessed online in a comparable format to data housed in the Storage and Retrieval (STORET) water quality system of US EPA. 

 

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Data are retrievable in a comparable format developed collaboratively between USGS and EPA.  The results include discrete provisional and finalized results of physical, chemical, biological and other descriptive water quality characteristics using comparable naming conventions.  Several file formats are availabe from the web services including Extensible Markup Language (XML), tab-delimited text, Microsoft Excel, and Google Earth Keyhold Markup Language (KML).  The EPA water qualtiy web service provides data from the STORET data warehouse that contains, biological, chemical and physical data on surface and ground water collected by federal, state and local agencies, Indian tribes, volunteer groups, academics and others at http://www.epa.gov/storet/web_services.html.  The USGS water-quality web service provides data from the NWIS web database at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis, and hosts 4.3 million samples and 72 million results representing approximately 368,000 sites across the US from a century of monitoring.  The new water quality web service is an integral part of the USGS mission to disseminate to the public water information in a reliable, impartial and timely fashion that is needed to understand the Nation's water resources.  For additional information please contact Nate Booth, at nlbooth@usgs.gov. 
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Green Infrastructure is associated with a variety of environmental, economic, and human health benefits, many of which go hand-in-hand with one another. The benefits of green infrastructure are particularly accentuated in urban and suburban areas where green space is limited and environmental damage is more extensive.

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EPA's Green Infrastructure Web page features links to predictive models and calculators to assist in modeling stormwater runoff, water quality impacts from land use changes, benefits of urban tree coverage and pollutant load reductions from LID techniques. The calculators can assist with quantifying costs and benefits of green infrastructure investments
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/greeninfrastructure/modelsandcalculators.cfm

 

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APWA launched a federal transportation authorization outreach campaign, Reinvesting in America’s Transportation System, during the 2008 APWA International Public Works Congress and Exposition. Designed to provide information and guides for advocacy and outreach, the campaign includes a new video, toolkit and Web site (www.reinvestintransportation.apwa.net).
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APWA launched a federal transportation authorization outreach campaign, Reinvesting in America’s Transportation System, during the 2008 APWA International Public Works Congress and Exposition. Designed to provide information and guides for advocacy and outreach, the campaign includes a new video, toolkit and Web site (www.reinvestintransportation.apwa.net).

“Now is the time to be actively engaged in the future of our nation’s transportation system,” said Noel Thompson, APWA President. “As stewards of public infrastructure, we in the public works profession have an opportunity with the next transportation authorization to seek long-term policy solutions ensuring an adequately funded, sustainable transportation system for the next century.”

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) is the federal law funding state and local transportation programs. It expires September 2009.

Reinvesting in America’s Transportation System provides tools and resources to equip APWA members and chapters for transportation authorization advocacy at the local, state and national level. Campaign elements reinforce the benefits of transportation investment – improved safety, congestion relief, environmental protection, job creation and a stronger economy.

A comprehensive toolkit offers resources to interact with elected officials and media professionals, and includes template letters, fact sheets, position papers and background information. It is designed to evolve over time as new and updated materials become available.

An accompanying six-minute video outlines transportation funding challenges, solutions, benefits and a call for action from a public works perspective.

Updated materials and resources are available at www.reinvestintransportation.apwa.net.
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The U.S. EPA offers the podcast on green streets, From Gray Funnels to Green Sponges, featuring an interview with Clark Wilson, Senior Urban Planner, Smart Growth Program, EPA, who discusses an alternative to the way streets have been built in the past -- Green Streets -- and how they're used for stormwater management.


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Hosted by Jamal Kadri, this resource also includes a transcript of Green Streets and links to Green Street initiatives mentioned in the podcast.

Available in MP3 format (19.2 MB, 28:06 minutes). Read more at the resource link below.

Resource: http://www.epa.gov/owow/podcasts/grayfunnelsgreensponges.html

 

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On Friday, the House of Representatives approved a $60.7 billion economic stimulus package by a 264-158 vote. The legislation HR 7110, also known as The Job Creation and Unemployment Relief Act, includes approximately $36.9 billion for infrastructure funding.

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On Friday, the House of Representatives approved a $60.7 billion economic stimulus package by a 264-158 vote. The legislation HR 7110, also known as The Job Creation and Unemployment Relief Act, includes approximately $36.9 billion for infrastructure funding. Highlights of the infrastructure provisions include:

Transportation

• $12.8 billion for roads and bridges
• $3.6 billion for transit
• $6 million for an airport investments
• 500 million for AMTRAK

Water Infrastructure

• $6.5 billion for the EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund
• $1 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
• $300 million to the Bureau of Reclamation water projects
• $5 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers flood control, navigation and water infrastructure projects.



The Senate on Friday failed to approve its $56.2 billion economic stimulus package, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd (D-WA). The Reid/Byrd Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which included $10.8 billion for infrastructure, failed to pass by a 52-42 vote. The economic package included funding for job creation, economic recovery and infrastructure financing. The Senate version of the bill included the following infrastructure provisions:

Transportation

• $8 billion for roads and bridges
• $2 billion for transit
• $4 million for an airport investments
• $350 million for AMTRAK

Water Infrastructure

• $600 million for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
• $300 million for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Project Grants


The Bush Administration has expressed opposition to the packages and has threatened a veto. This threat coupled with a failure in the Senate, make chances of another stimulus this year very uncertain.

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On July 24, the House approved H.R. 3999, The National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act. The bill would authorize an additional $1 billion for bridge projects, above the $4.5 billion authorized annually under current law.
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On July 24, the House approved H.R. 3999, The National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act. The bill would authorize an additional $1 billion for bridge projects, above the $4.5 billion authorized annually under current law. Specifically, the money would be targeted towards 6,000 bridges identified on the National Highway System. The bill would also institute a risk-based system for prioritizing bridge replacement and repair, including state inspections every two years and more often for bridges identified as deficient.

The bill’s chances for becoming law are uncertain. A Senate companion measure has yet to be introduced, and with only a limited number of legislative days left in this election year, such a bill looks unlikely. Finally, the White House has objected to certain provisions, including the $1 billion authorization, which makes a veto threat a possibility. For updates and more information, please visit http://www.apwa.net/Advocacy/


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The Water Environment Federation (WEF), through a cooperative agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has announced a training program focused on the interdependencies among the water sector and other critical sectors including energy, information technology, and transportation.
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Eligible participants include water and wastewater utility
executives and managers, state drinking water and wastewater security managers, and lead representatives from other sectors.
WEF will be offering three pilot training sessions and, upon approval from DHS, seven subsequent regional training sessions. The three pilot sessions will be held October 14-15, 2008 in Chicago, IL; November 5-6, 2008 in San Francisco, CA; and January 7-8, 2009 in Atlanta, GA. The training will be provided at no-cost to the participant. Interested parties must submit an application for registration. Priority consideration will be given to utility applicants. However, some support may be available to state water program and peer agency staff for hotel and travel reimbursement. Upon approval, WEF will send participants more detailed
background information on the course as well as logistical details.
For more information, please contact Jim Sullivan of WEF at 703-684-2436 or jsullivan@wef.org.
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President Bush’s fiscal year 2009 (FY09) budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) represents $50.5 billion in funding, which is an increase of 6.8 percent over the 2008 fiscal year level – excluding funds provided in emergency supplemental funding. The request targets five areas that are essential to preserving freedom and privacy, meeting future challenges, and fulfilling the Department's mission of securing America.

The Department is improving its capabilities and preparing those who respond to acts of terror and other emergencies by incorporating lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, other disasters, and the 9-11 Commission Recommendations. The President’s Budget requests funding for the following initiatives that support strengthening the department’s ability to build an effective emergency response system and culture of preparedness:
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President Bush’s fiscal year 2009 (FY09) budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) represents $50.5 billion in funding, which is an increase of 6.8 percent over the 2008 fiscal year level – excluding funds provided in emergency supplemental funding. The request targets five areas that are essential to preserving freedom and privacy, meeting future challenges, and fulfilling the Department's mission of securing America.

The Department is improving its capabilities and preparing those who respond to acts of terror and other emergencies by incorporating lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, other disasters, and the 9-11 Commission Recommendations. The President’s Budget requests funding for the following initiatives that support strengthening the department’s ability to build an effective emergency response system and culture of preparedness:

* An increase of $64.5 million in funding to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Vision- Shape the Workforce program. Phase II of FEMA’s transformation will strengthen FEMA’s ability to marshal an effective national response, deliver service of value to the public, reduce vulnerability to life and property, and instill public confidence.

* Total funding of $2.2 billion will support FEMA’s state and local assistance programs, which prepares state and local governments to prevent or respond to threats or incidents of terrorism and other catastrophic events. This funding will support existing Homeland Security grants, Port and Rail Security grants and Emergency Management Performance grants.

* The Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Fund has been reduced to $75 million in grants - a substantially lower number than the $178 million in estimated spending for FY08. APWA had joined with other association in requesting that the funding levels remain unchanged.

* The Flood Map Modernization program has been reduced by $70 million, with a FY09 request of $150 million.

However, on a more positive note, total funding of $2.2 billion will support FEMA’s state and local assistance programs, which prepares state and local governments to prevent or respond to threats or incidents of terrorism and other catastrophic events. This funding will support existing Homeland Security grants, Port and Rail Security grants and Emergency Management Performance grants.
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EPA’s popular webcast series for municipal stormwater professionals will resume again on February 6, 2008.

 

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This year will feature five webcasts on a variety of topics, including BMP Performance, Stormwater Retrofits, Finding and Fixing Illicit Discharges, and MS4 Program Performance.
Based on many requests, we will also offer a Stormwater 101 Course in the Summer. As in past years, this year’s line up will feature speakers who are national experts and each webcast will build upon the array of information covered in past webcasts. To see the new schedule (and to access recorded versions of past webcasts), please visit www.epa.gov/npdes/training
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