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October
2001
Water
Policy News
Newsletter of the Water Resources Education Network
In this Issue
Promoting Source Water Protection
Groundwater Conference Focuses on Technology
Conservancy Announces New Watershed Assistance
Program
Award-Winning Watershed Education Program Offered on
DCNR's Web Page
Website Details Source Water Assessment Program
(to view Calendar, see our Calender Web page)
Promoting Source Water Protection
WREN' s newest project, Source Water Protection Promotion (SWPP) in
Pennsylvania, hopes to raise awareness among citizens, municipal officials,
community groups, and drinking water providers about the environmental
and economic benefits of protecting drinking water sources. Awareness
begins with knowledge of the basics:
- Where does my drinking water come from?
- How does water get to my faucet?
- Who makes sure that my drinking water is safe?
- Do we have a source water protection plan in our community?
- How can I get involved to protect my drinking water supply?
SWPP in PA will educate or provide educational tools to a variety of
audiences, ranging from the drinking water consumer to the drinking
water provider. The program will develop toolkits to help individuals
and groups get involved in drinking water education and protection.
"Public awareness is a critical first step to making beneficial
choices and fostering environmental stewardship," says newly named
SWPP Project Manager, Julie Kollar, "We hope to provide innovative
tools so that one person really can make a difference."
The SWPP looks to enhance communication and build on the many successful
partnerships already developed through the WREN project. SWPP is funded
by a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection.
For more information, please contact Julie Kollar, Project Manager for
SWPP, at 267/468-0555, or email: juls@voicenet.com
Groundwater Conference
Focuses on Technology
"Today's Technology Protecting Tomorrow's Groundwater" is
the theme of the Groundwater Foundation's Fall conference, to be held
at the Hilton Pittsburgh Towers November 14-16.
The Groundwater Foundation is a national organization dedicated to promoting
awareness of groundwater, threats to it and how to protect it. The Foundation
pioneered the Children's Groundwater Festival concept which has now
been replicated worldwide.
The goal of the conference is to introduce accessible, affordable and
innovation groundwater protection technologies to help citizens and
professionals protect groundwater more effectively.
Attending the conference will be representatives of grassroots organization
from across the nation who have been working to protect their water
resources. Groundwater Guardian communities will be recognized at the
conference.
WREN will provide scholarships to Pennsylvania residents who are working
in their communities to protect water resources. Contact sherenehess@yourinter.net
or 724-465-4978 for scholarship information.
This is a great opportunity to network with fellow water enthusiasts
and bring home ideas to improve your community programs. For a full
conference agenda and info on lodging and meals visit www.groundwater.org
or call 1-800-858-4844 to request a copy by fax.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Water Resources Education Network
project, as well as PA Department of Environmental Protection and PA
Rural Water Association.
Conference Highlights ...
Tuesday, Nov 13, 6 pm - Technology Expo
Wednesday, Nov 14, 8:15 am - Keynote address
Wed and Thurs, Nov 14-15 - Sessions on using data, the internet
and innovative technology to protect groundwater
Friday, Nov 16 - Groundwater Guardian recognition and
Area tours
Presentations on:
GIS (Geograpihc Information Systems)
GPS (Global Positioning Systems)
Aquifer Computer Modeling
Internet based technologies
Mapping software
Funding for technology
Remote Sensing
Groundwater Pollution Remediation - Innovative Technologies
and much more
Register online at www.groundwater.org
or call 1-800-858-4844 for an agenda and registration form
NOTE: Early Registration Deadline extended to October 30 for PA Residents
Conservancy Announces New
Watershed Assistance Program
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy on Aug. 9 unveiled its new Watershed
Assistance Center, a comprehensive resource for watershed organizations
that seek assistance in protection and restoration projects. The center
is based at the Bear Run Nature Reserve in Fayette County, adjacent
to Fallingwater. Center staff can assist groups in preparing funding
proposals or public presentations and offer technical resources and
planning assistance. Nick Pinizzotto, a veteran watershed specialist,
heads the program.
"Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is committed to assisting local
watershed leaders achieve their goals," WPC President Larry Schweiger
said. "Working together with many committed local organizations
and the Commonwealth, the center will assist those who are restoring
Pennsylvania's many degraded waterways and protecting healthy watersheds
that harbor abundant fish and wildlife."
Paving the way for the emergence of WPC's Watershed Assistance Program
are three primary funding components: An anonymous donor's gift of $500,000
and the Richard King Mellon Foundation's grant of $100,000. DEP, through
its Growing Greener Technical Assistance Grant program, granted WPC
$300,000 for the effort. The anonymous and foundation gifts may be used
for unrestricted purposes in the program, while the DEP grant is earmarked
for use in the Ohio River watershed.
So that the center can offer a full range of services, WPC formed formal
partnerships with the Western Pennsylvania Coalition of Abandoned Mine
Reclamation (WPCAMR) and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
WPCAMR offers expertise or links to experts in the field of mine drainage
issues, while the NRCS, a federal agency, provides engineering resources
and stream restoration expertise. With more than 3,000 miles of Pennsylvania
streams impacted by abandoned mine drainage, it's anticipated mine drainage
will be a frequent project topic brought to the center.
For more information about WPC's Watershed Assistance Program or the
center, contact Pinizzotto at 724 329-0531, e-mail npinizzotto@paconserve.org
or visit http://www.paconserve.org/
.
Award-Winning Watershed Education
Program Offered on DCNR's Web Page
Both human and environmental factors shape the health of Pennsylvania
waterways. Warwick Senior High School students know that well after
checking the pulse of a stream flowing close to their Lancaster County
homes.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resource's Watershed Education
program showed them what to seek and where to look. What they found
was a high chlorine source, traced to a factory's machine-cleaning process.
What they used to find it was an unique educational tool that recently
was saluted by state officials.
Last year it lured over 2,000 students and teachers out of the classroom
and into Pennsylvania's waterways. This year, even more participants
will be able to share data and view program goals and requirements on
a DCNR website.
DCNR's "Watershed Education" program enables teachers or civic
group leaders to attend workshops hosted at area state parks by park
environmental educators. Participants then are encouraged to launch
study efforts along Pennsylvania's wealth of waterways.
Teachers and their students are encouraged to pick a waterway and focus
on its historical, cultural, and geological features, while noting physical
features such as clarity, pH, sedimentation, runoff, and possible pollution
threats. An appropriate stewardship program, using this information
and data, can then be crafted to help the waterway. Students share what
they learned at the end of the year at a student summit.
The "Watershed Education" program for students in grades 6
through 12 was revised in 1998 and has chalked up some pretty impressive
statistics: almost 50 schools across the state have participated, involving
446 teachers in 28 teacher workshops.
The program addresses many of the new statewide standards, and also
just received approval from the state Department of Education to offer
professional education hours to teachers who participate in Watershed
Education training.
An overview of the watershed program can be accessed through the website
at www.watersheded.dcnr.state.pa.us;
or through the Bureau of State Parks site at www.dcnr.state.pa.us.
Prospective participating teachers are advised to review the web page
information; contact one of the listed parks personnel, and pick a waterway
students can study, learn from, and help protect.
This Bureau of State Parks effort was recently honored at the first-ever
Governor's Award for Watershed Stewardship ceremony.
submitted by Terri Kromel
Website Details Source Water
Assessment Program
PASWAP.COM is one of several websites to visit for information on the
Pennsylvania Source Water Assessment Program, the process for doing
an assessment of your drinking water source and the benefits of source
water protection.
Developed by Spotts, Stevens and McCoy (SSM), one of the subcontractors
which is helping PA DEP completed assessments of all the drinking water
sources in the state, PASWAP.COM also gives the dates for public meetings
on the water systems SSM is working with -- public water suppliers which
use surface water drawn from a watershed of greater than 100 square
miles.
Other subcontractors working with the program are: Philadelphia Water
Department, working with water suppliers in the Schuykill River watershed,
Penn State University, developing GIS maps for all noncommunity systems
- the restaurants, strip malls, schools and factories that serve a relatively
small, stable population, and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission,
working with systems in the lower Susquehanna watershed. PA DEP is doing
assessments for larger groundwater systems and smaller surface water
systems.
Other SWAP websites include: www.schuylkillswa.org,
www.delawareswa.org, and the
DEP website: www.dep.state.pa.us,
DirectLink to "Source Water."
This newsletter is a project of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania
Citizen Education Fund - WREN. Funded by a grant from the PA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
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