It’s Not Too Late to Register for Today’s Webinar on Road Salt!

Date:  Thursday, March 8, 2018

Time:  2:00 to 3:30 pm (eastern)

REGISTER HERE

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Center for Environmental Excellence (CEE) and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) are pleased to announce a free webinar entitled, “How State Highway and Drinking Water Programs Can Work Together for Mutual Benefits and Reduce Impacts from Road Salt.” The webinar will include an introduction from AASHTO, a brief presentation about ASDWA’s new handout and web page on the “Intersection of Roads and Drinking Water,” and feature presentations from representatives for each of the state programs in New Hampshire and Maryland, who will share how they work together, along with a few examples and some more specific information on best practices for road salt applications and impacts to drinking water. State drinking water program and state highway program personnel are encouraged to attend, along with anyone else who is interested and would like to participate.

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AASHTO-ASDWA Webinar: How State Highway and Drinking Water Programs Can Work Together for Mutual Benefits and Reduce Impacts from Road Salt

Date:  Thursday, March 8, 2018

Time:  2:00 to 3:30 pm (eastern)

REGISTER HERE

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Center for Environmental Excellence (CEE) and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) are pleased to announce a free webinar entitled, “How State Highway and Drinking Water Programs Can Work Together for Mutual Benefits and Reduce Impacts from Road Salt.” The webinar will include an introduction from AASHTO, a brief presentation about ASDWA’s new handout and web page on the “Intersection of Roads and Drinking Water,” and feature presentations from representatives for each of the state programs in New Hampshire and Maryland, who will share how they work together, along with a few examples and some more specific information on best practices for road salt applications and impacts to drinking water. State drinking water program and state highway program personnel are encouraged to attend, along with anyone else who is interested and would like to participate.

EPA Seeks Comments on Clean Water Act Coverage of Groundwater Discharge Connections to Surface Water

On February 20th, EPA published a Federal Register Notice asking for comments on whether point source discharges, that have a direct hydrologic connection to jurisdictional surface waters via groundwater or other subsurface flow, should be subject to Clean Water Act regulation. EPA is requesting comment on whether the Agency should consider clarification or revision of those statements and if so, comment on how clarification or revision should be provided. Comments are due on or before May 21, 2018. Comments must be submitted at http://www.regulations.gov using Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0063. For more information, view the Federal Register Notice. For questions, contact Scott Wilson of EPA at (202) 564-6087 or wilson.js@epa.gov. For some more perspective, read this Earth & Water Law Group Article.

EPA Fact Sheet on Funding Agricultural BMPs with CWSRF

EPA has published a fact sheet on how the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) can be used for agricultural best management practices (BMPs) to protect water quality, including drinking water sources. The fact sheet shares information about the types of projects that can be funded, along with state examples highlighting the Maryland and Virginia Farm Credit Banks that can provide financing to farmers for the entire cost of a project and can be partially repaid by a USDA grant; and the Minnesota Ag BMP Loan Program that has used CWSRF funds for over 13,000 projects by leveraging funding from the state and other sources. State drinking water programs are encouraged to reach out to their Clean Water Act program partners to discuss CWSRF funding options like this (if you haven’t already) that may be used to implement BMPs in sensitive source water protection areas. View the fact sheet here.  For more information about other uses of the CWSRF, you may also want to read through EPA’s document entitled “Financing Options for Nontraditional Eligibilities in the CWSRF Programs“.

Register Now for AWWA’s Sustainable Water Management Conference

AWWA’s Sustainable Water Management Conference is being held on March 25-28, 2018 in Seattle and ASDWA is co-sponsoring a technical session this year on Sunday, March 25th entitled “Harness the Power of the Clean Water Act to Protect Sources of Drinking Water.” The session will feature national, state, and local leaders who will speak about their efforts to leverage regulatory programs and funding mechanisms of the Clean Water Act to protect sources of drinking water and using the Safe Drinking Water Act to advance watershed goals.

The conference brings together water sector organizations and professionals to discuss critical matters related to resilient and efficient water management. Attendees will gain insights into best practices for managing water resources, source water protection, sustainable utility planning, analyzing the costs and benefits of water conservation and exploring alternative water sources including stormwater and reuse. The early registration deadline is February 23rd. For more information and to view the program and register for the conference, visit the AWWA website.

One Water Agriculture-Utility Partnerships Webinar

On Wednesday, January 31st from 1:00 – 2:00 pm (eastern), the US Water Alliance will hold its next webinar entitled, “Accelerate Agriculture-Utility Partnerships to Improve Water Quality,” as part of its One Water for America Policy Framework webinar series on their Seven Big Ideas. Speakers will include partners from the Tualatin and Middle Cedar Watersheds. Register for the webinar here.

EPA and USGS Surface Water Toolbox Webcast

On February 8, 2018 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm (eastern time), EPA’s Watershed Academy will host a webinar on the newly developed Surface Water Toolbox created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and EPA. The Surface Water Toolbox is a user-friendly, downloadable tool for water managers to estimate a wide variety of streamflow statistics. Register for the webinar here. For more information about the Watershed Academy and to view previous webinars, visit EPA’s website.

Bureau of Reclamation Funding for WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management in Western States

The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) announced its 2018 funding opportunity for Phase I of the WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program. This funding opportunity seeks proposals for activities to develop a watershed group, complete watershed restoration planning activities, and to design watershed management projects. In contrast, Phase II of this program focuses on the implementation of watershed management projects, though it is not included in this funding opportunity at this time. The goal of the whole program (for Phase I and II) is to promote the sustainable use of water resources and improve the ecological resilience of rivers and streams using collaborative conservation efforts.

Proposals are due by Wednesday, January 31, 2018, at 4:00 pm (mountain time). States, tribes, local and special districts (e.g., irrigation and water districts), local governmental entities, interstate organizations, and non-profit organizations, including existing watershed groups, within the 17 western states are eligible to apply. To view this funding opportunity, go to:  www.grants.gov. To learn more about the WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Phase I grants for FY 2018, go to:  www.usbr.gov/watersmart/cwmp.

USDA NWQI Adds 30 New Watersheds and $30 Million to Improve Water Quality in 2018

 USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will invest more than $30 million this year in 201 high-priority watersheds across the country through its National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI). This includes 30 new watersheds where targeted assistance will help farmers and ranchers implement conservation practices such as nutrient management, cover crops, conservation cropping systems, filter strips, terraces and buffers to improve water (and drinking water) quality. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds this assistance, and in some cases, is leveraged by funds from local and state partners. State drinking water programs should coordinate with their state clean water program and their USDA NRCS state conservationist and technical committee to include drinking water priorities in these watersheds and projects. Visit the NWQI website for more information and to see the list of watersheds.

 

SWC Webinar on Engaging Drinking Water Utilities in USDA RCPP Funding Projects

On Thursday, January 11th, 2018, from 1:30 to 3:00 pm (eastern) the Source Water Collaborative (SWC) will host a webinar as part of its Learning Exchange Webinar Series entitled, “Conservation Grant Funding & Drinking Water Utilities: Partnering for Success.” During the webinar, participants will learn about the efforts of drinking water utilities and conservation groups to partner with farming operations and landowners to protect their water supplies through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The webinar will be moderated by Adam Carpenter of AWWA and speakers will include:

• Jimmy Bramblett, Deputy Chief of Programs, USDA NRCS
• Tariq Baloch, Water Utility Plant Manager, Cedar Rapids. Iowa
• Sandi Formica, Executive Director, Watershed Conservation Resource Center

Save your spot today by registering here.