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May
2001 In this Issue Wren Awards 28 Grants
Competition was stiff for this round of WREN grants. 73 proposals were submitted, totalling over $322,000 in funding requests. The proposal review focused on those projects that best meet the grant criteria: would a coalition of community groups carry out the project, was the project educational, were municipal leaders involved, and, in the case of drinking water projects, was the water supplier involved? The community projects will be carried out from July 2001 to July 2002. Project leaders will meet on June 14-15 to learn about resources available to them and to network with leaders of successfully completed projects. For a list of the sucessful projects, Water Forums Seek Public Views Water - Is Our Future Draining Away The Department of Environmental Protection is sponsoring a series of
public meetings to hear your views on how we manage (or don't manage)
our water resources. Should we continue to pursue water conservation
initiatives? Are in-stream flows important to maintain? How should competition
between water users be addressed? (Right now, the biggest pump and deepest
well wins.) Although most of the meetings are past, you can still give your thoughts on water issues on the DEP website: http://www.dep.state.pa.us, directLink "Water Forums." DEP, and its partners in this effort, the departments of Community and Economic Development, Conservation and Natural Resources and Agriculture, will be analyzing the comments received over the summer and proposing policy initiatives to deal with concerns expressed in the fall. Groundwater Foundation
Seeking Presenters for Groundwater Technology Conference Presentation topics will include but are not limited to: application of Internet-based technology in diverse communities; mapping software; funding for technology; remote sensing; aquifer computer modeling; using GIS and GPS effectively. Preference will be given to presentations that have a groundwater protection focus. In addition, the conference will offer a technology fair featuring
displays and demonstrations by Groundwater Guardian National Partners
and Conference Co-sponsors. These displays will focus on the practical
use of technology for communities. Students Report On Study Of
Standing Stone Creek To Municipal Officials After analyzing their data and data collected in previous years, the students recommended to Council that a full-scale watershed assessment be completed, nitrates and phosphates entering the watershed should be decreased, Best Management Practices to reduce streambank erosion should be implemented, public education should continue and a Standing Stone Watershed Association should be established. Margo Wilson, one of the students, reported in a summary of the project that, "the objectives of the study were to educate people about events that impact the watershed, to help start a plan to protect its water quality, and to educate people about conservation planning and environmental protection." Partnering with the students in this WREN funded project are the Huntingdon County Conservation District and Juniata College's Environmental Science and Studies Department. The Borough Council plans to use the study to apply for future grants and as a pre-assessment in their source water assessment program. The report can be accessed at the Juniata Clean Water Partnership website at http://www.jcwp.org/web frame.htm. For more information on the students' project, contact Fred Wilson, fwilson@dns.tiu.k12.pa.us Creek Week Celebrates Watersheds For nine days in May, residents and visitors to the Chester, Ridley and Crum creeks watersheds, in Delaware and Chester counties, celebrated their streams with a variety of activities, walks, demonstrations and displays. Organized by the Chester-Ridley-Crum Creeks Watershed Association (CRCWA),
Creek Week is in its fourth year of raising awareness about the importance
of the region's water resources. The program grew out of the development
of the Ridley Creek Conservation Plan and a recognized need to connect
residents to their watershed. For more information contact Eunice Alexander, Chester-Ridley-Crum Creek Watershed Association, 610-692-0923. Resources Stream Restoration In Pennsylvania: Ten Case Studies The Practice of Watershed Protection, Techniques for protecting our nation's streams, lakes, rivers and estuaries. (Center for Watershed Protection, 2000, 742 pp) An extensive collection of articles and technical notes reprinted from the past seven years of the CWP's journal, Watershed Protection Techniques. Available from CWP, 410-461-8323, emailcenter@cwp.org or order online: www.cwp.org Drinking Water And Waste Water Handbook For Local Officials (College
of Southern Maryland, October 2000 49 pp) A Small Town Source Water Primer: Building Support For Protection Programs (National Center for Small Communities, 2000, 36 pp) and From Assessment To Action: Protecting Small Town And Rural County Public Water Sources (National Center for Small Communities, 2000, 36 pp) Information to serve the unique needs of small and rural community leaders. Both of the publications from the National Center for Small Communities can be ordered through Robert Neidlinger at 202 624-3555, email: rneidlinger@sso.org Water Infrastructure: Water-Efficient Plumbing Fixtures Reduce Water
Consumption and Wastewater Flows Public Notification Handbook Preparing Your Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Report (US
EPA, Office of Water, EPA 816-R-01-003, 2001, 36 pp) guidance for water
suppliers. "Working Draft for Public Review" 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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