Watershed Warrior: February 2013

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A Weekly Newsletter from the Office of Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

February 19, 2013

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Press Releases

Presque Isle Bay Removed from Great Lakes "Area of Concern" List; Second Area in U.S. to be Delisted

Transocean Pleads Guilty, Is Sentenced to Pay $400 Million in Criminal Penalties for Criminal Conduct Leading to Deepwater Horizon Disaster

Pompano, FL among Recipients of Smart Growth Assistance Provided by EPA

Bowling Green and Zolfo Springs, FL among Recipients of Smart Growth Assistance Provided by EPA

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EPA Issues Revised Total Coliform Rule

On February 13, EPA published in the Federal Register the revisions to the 1989 Total Coliform Rule. The Revised Total Coliform Rule, which applies to all public water systems (approximately 154,000 public water systems), offers an opportunity for greater public health protection against waterborne pathogens while at the same time reducing implementation burden for water systems. The rule is based on the Agency's consideration of public comments and recommendations from the total coliform distribution system advisory committee, which consisted of a broad range of stakeholder groups, including States, environmental groups, utilities, and public health and public interest groups. Public water systems and primacy agencies must comply with the revised requirements by April 2016. For more information please visit:http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/tcr/regulation_revisions.cfm

March 6 Webcast on Water Quality Exchange Tool

Join us for a webcast on March 6 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST to learn more about how tribes, volunteer monitoring organizations and others can enter their water quality monitoring data into EPA's Water Quality Exchange (WQX) and make the data available to the public via the water quality portal. The webcast will focus on simple methods smaller organizations can use to transfer their water quality data into WQX. WQX provides a framework for users with small data sets to upload and store their data to EPA's STORET data warehouse and share water quality monitoring data online. The webcast will help water quality program managers, data managers, and others understand WQX, how it relates to STORET and the water quality portal, and how to begin submitting data using WQX. For more information and to register for the webinar, please visitwww.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts.

March 7 Webinar on Consumer Confidence Report Rule Electronic Delivery Framework

On March 7, 2013, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST, EPA will hold a webinar to explain the consumer confidence report electronic delivery framework. Panelists will discuss electronic delivery methods and approaches appropriate to meet consumer confidence report rule requirements to "mail or otherwise directly deliver" the report to customers. The webinar is intended for community water systems, state and federal drinking water regulators and other interested parties. The webinar will also provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions of the EPA representatives regarding delivery requirements. Space is limited. Reserve your webinar seat now at:https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/217178782

Climate Ready Water Utilities Workshop Planner Available for Download

Extreme weather events such as hurricanes and continuing drought can have devastating impacts to utilities. It's important that utilities identify actions they can be taking to better prepare for these events. EPA's Climate Ready Water Utilities initiative has released a workshop planner to help utilities plan for extreme events. The workshop planner provides all of the materials needed to plan, conduct, and facilitate an adaptation planning workshop on five extreme event scenarios: floods, drought, wildfire, sea level rise, and reduced snowpack. Download the workshop planner at http://epa.gov/climatereadyutilities.

Success Spotlight: Big Creek in Kansas

EPA's Clean Water Act Section 319 Program provides funding for restoration of nonpoint source-impaired water bodies. This week's success spotlight shines on Big Creek in Kansas. Excess levels of fecal coliform bacteria from livestock activities prompted the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to add three areas of Big Creek to the state's 1998 list of impaired waters. Project partners implemented several livestock and agricultural best management practices throughout the watershed, such as: implementing prescribed grazing; planting pasture and hay land; restoring agricultural ponds, which serve as alternative watering sources for livestock; planting cropland borders to reduce runoff into the creeks; installing livestock fencing, and repairing 30 failing onsite wastewater systems.Bacteria levels dropped, and as a result, the state removed, approximately 56.6 stream miles, in the Upper Neosho watershed from Kansas' 2012 list of impaired waters for bacteria. Click here for more information.

Features From the Web

Students Give Water Conservation A New Beat (Huffington Post)

http://tinyurl.com/bzucex6