Water Policy News

Water Policy News

July 1997
Water Policy News
Newsletter of the Water Resources Education Network

In this Issue

WHAT'S NEW
GRANTS AWARDED FOR WATER EDUCATION PROJECTS
SOURCE WATER PROTECTION/WELLHEAD PROTECTION
"TOOLS FOR DRINKING WATER PROTECTION" GETS WIDE DISTRIBUTION IN PENNSYLVANIA
SPRING CREEK WATERSHED FOCUS FOR PLANNING
RESOURCES
GRANTS AVAILABLE
NEW VIDEOS
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

WHAT'S NEW
Confirmation was received in January that funding would be available for a new round of grants to local projects for water resources education and the support the WREN project provides local groups . Requests for Proposals were sent out shortly thereafter and over forty were received. Choosing the 12 successful projects from the many excellent proposals was a difficult job. Funded projects are listed in the adjoining article. The WREN project welcomed a new Director in February. Kim Hankins comes to the project with almost ten years of valuable experience with the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC, most recently as Outreach Coordinator in the stormwater program. Kim moved to Northeastern Pennsylvania in July of 1995. Initially, she worked as Chief of Environmental Services for a local engineering firm. In 1996 she was appointed part-time Executive Director of the Brodhead Watershed Association, and she continues to hold that position, along with the part-time WREN Project Manager job. The popular guide, "Groundwater Protection and Management in Pennsylvania: An Introductory Guide for Citizens and Local Officials" has been reprinted and is available from the WREN Resource Center. See RESOURCES for ordering information.

GRANTS AWARDED FOR WATER EDUCATION PROJECTS Twelve community groups have been selected to receive funding from the WREN project to develop a wide variety of education activities, all aimed at protecting and improving local water quality. The projects are summarized below. For more information on any project, or to join with a group in your community, call the WREN Resource Center (1-800-692-7281) for contact names and a list of partners in each coalition. Funding for these grants is provided to the WREN project by the Department of Environmental Protection. Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority and partners will develop an educational program to abate point and nonpoint source pollution from numerous sinkholes on individual properties which impact the water quality of local aquifers and the Swatara Creek. Huntingdon County Conservation District and partners will provide educational programs on improving water quality in the Muddy Run watershed. Indiana County Conservation District and partners will host a conference to provide information to County municipalities on a variety of environmental issues and programs. Lancaster County Conservation District and partners will educate residents about watersheds and help to initiate and unify a watershed association in each Lancaster County watershed. Mars Schools' Groundwater Protection Program will conduct a children's groundwater festival as part of an ongoing source water protection curriculum for Mars Area School District in southern Butler County. Partners include the school district, PA DEP and the PA Rural Water Association. Trout Unlimited, Neshannock Chapter and the Mercer County Conservation District will present a workshop on the benefits and processes of comprehensive watershed planning for the Coolspring and Neshannock Creek watersheds in Lawrence and Mercer counties. Northern Liberties Neighbors Assn and partners will provide an educational surface water project on a 1.9 acre neighborhood greenspace (formerly a Superfund site) in the Northern Liberties area in Philadelphia. Activities include the possible daylighting of an underground stream and the practical application of techniques to mitigate surface water runoff impacts. Pike County Water Quality Coalition will conduct municipal water supply training sessions in all 13 municipalities in the county and initiate a water quality educational program in middle schools. Project PAH will involve high school students at Strong Vincent High School in Erie, using the latest technology to measure the amounts of PAHs in Cascade Creek. The Erie County Planning Department will work with the students to evaluate possible sources and develop a plan that may limit the introduction of PAH's into the ecosystem in the future. South Middleton Township and partners in Cumberland County will develop educational materials and hold a series of public meetings to promote understanding of the need for water supply protection and the tools available. Union County Planning Commission and the County Conservation District will host a workshop and make site visits with the intent of conveying educational information to farmers concerning the importance of water resource protection and how it fits into the framework of the recently passed Nutrient Management Act. Venango Museum of Art, Science and Industry and partners in the Big Scrubgrass Watershed Coalition will conduct two seminars -- one to solicit concerns about the health of the watershed and the second to present a conservation plan for evaluation and review. A display will also be created.

SOURCE WATER PROTECTION The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) connect, for the first time, the environmental issues of watershed protection and safe drinking water. The Act moves drinking water protection beyond end-of-the-pipe solutions to the place the water comes from and requires states to conduct source water delineations and assessments. Steps are underway at both the federal and state level to put source water protection in motion. EPA Stakeholders Meeting: On May 21 and 22, EPA Region 3 held a meeting of stakeholders to get public input to help formulate the final regulations that states must follow in developing their source water programs. The Pittsburgh meeting, attended by 70 people from Region 3 states, was structured to allow intense small group discussions on topics ranging from technical concerns to how to promote public participation. EPA is expected to release its final guidance for states on August 6. (See RESOURCES section on how to order the Draft Guidance.) Pennsylvania Program: PA DEP is developing its proposed Source Water Protection Program, which it must submit to EPA within two years. DEP expects to rely on contractors to delineate the source water protection areas for medium and large systems and use Geographic Information Systems to delineate areas for small systems. Voluntary management plans will be encouraged through technical, compliance and financial assistance. Pubic involvement will be a key component of the Program. WELLHEAD PROTECTION PA's Wellhead Protection Program, a formal document required by the SDWA, has been under development for seven years. DEP expects to publish its Program for comment this summer. For information on PA's drinking water program, call Joe Lee or Pat Bowling, 717-772-4018.

"TOOLS FOR DRINKING WATER PROTECTION" GETS WIDE DISTRIBUTION IN PENNSYLVANIA Thirty-five sites, with over 700 attendees, hosted the March 19 video-conference, Tools For Drinking Water Protection, which was sponsored by the League of Women Voters Education Fund. The two-hour program combined a nationally broadcast interactive panel discussion with local forums and provided a variety of viewpoints and suggestions for how communities can protect their drinking water. The message to participants: citizens and local government have the power to protect local drinking water supplies by putting just four key tools to work -- land-use planning, public education, water quality monitoring and contingency planning. Reflecting on public education programs, panelist Ken Lustig pointed out "You can regulate for compliance but you can't regulate for commitment." Commitment is something you build in your community, by building awareness of the importance of protecting water supplies. "The responsibility for protecting drinking water sources rests in the community" was the message from LWVEF chair Becky Cain and seconded by US EPA Administrator Carol Browner. A copy of the tape of the videoconference can be borrowed from the WREN Resources Center: call 1-800-692-7281.

SPRING CREEK WATERSHED FOCUS FOR PLANNING A watershed as a community became a reality last fall in Centre County's Spring Creek watershed when the watershed community hosted an International Countryside Stewardship Exchange. A six-member team of international resource experts met with the community and its leaders to discuss pressures on the watershed and ways to protect the area for the future. As a result of the Exchange and the public awareness it stimulated, the County Commissioners have formed the Spring Creek Watershed Commission, representing all the municipalities in the watershed, and charged it with developing a plan for dealing with the issues highlighted by the team's visit. A Liaison Committee has been formed to monitor actions that might affect the watershed. Most importantly, residents and municipalities within the watershed are beginning to consider themselves part of one community, a watershed community. For more information, contact Susan Campos, LWV of Centre County, PO Box 962, State College, PA 16804-0962

. RESOURCES

GROUNDWATER PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT IN PENNSYLVANIA: AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE FOR CITIZENS AND LOCAL OFFICIALS, 2nd Edition (LWVPA-CEF and Penn State Cooperative Extension, 1997, 58 pp.) Newly revised and updated guidebook covering methods and tools for protecting groundwater. Available from the WREN Resource Center, 1-800-692-7281.

A GLOBAL DECLINE IN MICROBIOLOGICAL SAFETY OF WATER: A CALL FOR ACTION (American Academy of Microbiology, 1996) A report on a colloquium convened by the Academy in Guayaquil, Ecuador in April 1995. "Control of water borne disease is dependent on education at every level..." Available free from the Academy, 202-942-9227.

DRINKING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS SURVEY (EPA, 1997, EPA 812-R-97-001) A survey of the costs to community water systems of complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act. The survey shows that PA's water systems will need $4.8 billion over the next 20 years. Available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 1-800-426-4791.

COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEM SURVEY (2 volumes) (EPA, 1997, EPA 815-R-97-001A and B) A survey of drinking water systems, their sources of water, treatment methods and financial conditions. Available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 1-800-426-4791.

STATE SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT AND PROTECTION PROGRAMS GUIDANCE - DRAFT (EPA, 1997, 816-R-97-007) describes the source water protection program and how EPA suggests states should implement it. Available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 1-800-426-4791.

PESTICIDES AND GROUNDWATER STRATEGY (Final Draft) (PA Department of Agriculture, 1997) describes the PDA strategy for managing pesticides to protect groundwater. Available from Dave Bingaman, PDA, 717-787-4843.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT HANDBOOK (PA DEP, 1997, 34 pp) contains information on grants, technical assistance and points of contact in DEP's central, regional and district offices. Available from DEP Local Government Outreach Staff at your DEP regional office.

VALUING GROUND WATER: ECONOMIC CONCEPTS AND APPROACHES (National Research Council, 1997) examines approaches for assessing the economic value of ground water and the costs of contaminating or depleting this resource. Provides a framework for evaluating tradeoffs when there are competing uses for groundwater. Available from the National Academy Press, 1-800-624-6262.

COUNTRY LIVING: A HOMEOWNERS GUIDE (Penn State Cooperative Extension, 1997, 15 pp.) Information on private wells and septic systems for homeowners. Available from your county Penn State Cooperative Extension office or by calling 814-865-6713.

FINDING THE COMMON GROUND: COMMUNITY CONFLICTS OVER AGRICULTURE, LAND USE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES (Penn State Cooperative Extension, 1996, 6 pp.) Common sense suggestions for resolving community conflicts. Available from your county Penn State Cooperative Extension office or by calling 814-865-6713.

PROTECTING THE SOURCE: LAND CONSERVATION AND THE FUTURE OF AMERICA'S DRINKING WATER (Trust for Public Land, 1997) reviews efforts to protect sources of drinking water through watershed protection and land use planning. Available from the Trust, 800-714-LAND.

THE ILLUSION OF SAFETY: Regulation of Toxic Chemicals to Pennsylvania Waters (Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 1996, 27 pp) examines Pennsylvania's program that regulates the discharge of toxic substances into the state's waterways through an analysis of its water quality permitting program. Available from CBF, 717-234-1006.

NATIONAL WATER QUALITY NEWS A new quarterly newsletter published by the Freshwater Foundation in cooperation with the US Geological Survey, which links science and policy by communicating up-to-date research results to policy makers and the public. The March issue focuses on pesticides in groundwater. Available from the Freshwater Foundation, 612-471-9773.

KEYSTONE IN THE CLEANUP A new newsletter for Pennsylvania's youth and their teachers providing informative articles, games and activities to teach water pollution concepts. Available from the PA Association of Conservation Districts, 717-236-1006. e GRANTS AVAILABLE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION DEP is accepting applications for 1998 Environmental Education grants until November 1. Schools, non-profit conservation and education organizations, and conservation districts are eligible applicants. To receive an application, write to PADEP, Environmental Education Grants Program, PO Box 8454, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8454.

WATER SYSTEM REGIONALIZATION Applications are being accepted for feasibility studies for developing regionalized water systems. An existing small water system (serving 3,300 people or less) must be involved in the study but grants are available to water suppliers, municipalities or authorities. The application period ends on July 31. contact PA Dept of Environmental Protection,Technical Assistance Center for Small Water Systems, Donna Green at 717-787-0125.

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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