Water Policy News

Water Policy News

WHAT'S NEW

Nothing is so certain as change.. Kim Hankins, who got the current round of WREN community-based projects off to a great start, is leaving the area to follow her husband to a new opportunity in Toronto, Canada. We wish them both success in their new home. Kim worked as WREN Project Director for 10 months, handling the review of local project proposals and the September orientation meeting for the successful projects, and all the details both those activities entail. We will miss her. And, we are pleased to welcome Terry Schettini as the new WREN Project Director. Terry comes to us with very valuable experience with both mini-grant support and project administration at the Rodale Institute. He will be of great help providing support to both the nonpoint source education projects and the new wellhead protection education projects as well as other community-based groups undertaking water education activities. Terry can be reached at 610-434-1968 or e-mail: bytspa@aol.com The WREN statewide committee meetings will be coordinated by Beth Marshall. The committee next meets November 12 and will discuss water impacts of termiticide use, a new RFP from the Kellogg Foundation, and new federal Source Water Protection mandates.

WELLHEAD PROTECTION GRANT RECEIVED COMMUNITY PROJECTS FUNDED

Four new community coalitions will receive funding from a grant recently received by the Water Resources Education Network project from the Department of Environmental Protection. The Antis Township Action Committee will continue to educate residents about threats to their drinking water supplies with printed materials and speaking engagements. Antis Township has received recognition as a Groundwater Guardian Community for their previous efforts. The Lebanon County Wellhead Education Project will sponsor a workshop to promote voluntary implementation of wellhead protection programs by the public water supply systems. The workshop will follow up on a study of the 24 small water systems in the county conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers, with additional funding from a PA Water Supply Regionalization Grant, that pointed out the lack of wellhead protection for groundwater sources in the county. In Berks County, a team led by the Berks County Conservancy will host a series of groundwater events along the Saucony Creek and Marsh in the Kutztown area in the Spring of 1998. The programs will focus on the impact of discharges from a mining operation on the Marsh habitat and the groundwater which provides the Borough of Kutztown's water supply. In the Gettysburg area, a coalition of the Gettysburg Area School District and Franklin Township Planning Commission will host a Water-Science Fair and will reinforce water awareness through erection of Groundwater Guardian signs to delineate the wellhead protection area for Cashtown. WREN ORIENTATION MEETING PICTURE Project leaders Travis Martin and Charlotte Sprenkle (Lancaster Co), and Jesse Gardner (Northern Liberties, Philadelphia), enjoy a break during the WREN Project Orientation meeting, attended by 45 community leaders and resource persons, September 8 & 9.

NEWS FROM THE FIELD

LEBANON LOOKS AT SINKHOLES Sinkholes, which form in areas underlaid by limestone, can be a major source of groundwater contamination from polluted run-off from surrounding lands and, even more threatening, when they are used as dumping areas. The Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority hosted a workshop on November 12 to get the message out about this threat, and how groundwater can be protected. The workshop included information on how sinkholes are formed, how they can be managed on agricultural lands, methods for closing sinkholes, and resources for managing sinkholes, including a GIS map of sinkholes in the county. A field trip was also on the program. LANCASTER GETS THE MESSAGE OUT "Let's Make One Thing Perfectly Clear," is the message of Lancaster County's Watershed Awareness Campaign. The Campaign gets the message out with several billboards and is following up with a series of workshops to help communities establish watershed associations. The first meeting was held October 27, other meeting dates are November 10 and November 17. For information contact Travis Martin, 717-299-5361. INDIANA OFFICIALS DISCUSS ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS Local officials in Indiana County were well represented at a workshop presented by the Indiana County Water Education Project on September 24. The program covered environmental and safety laws which affect local government and was presented by the Conservation District, League of Women Voters, PA DEP and Indiana University's Safety Science Department. Follow-up programs on specific water resource issues are planned in individual municipalities. For more information contact Lou Kopczyk, 412-463-7702.

INTEREST IN WATER RESOURCE PLANNING GROWS

A summer drought, multiple controversies about large water withdrawals by companies wanting to tap into Pennsylvania's high-quality ground water, and growing recognition of the need to protect ALL sources of water for drinking water supplies -- all these issues are leading to a new interest in the need for coordinated planning for how our water resources are used and shared. At a recent conference of the PA Section of the American Water Resources Association, speakers discussed the issue of conflicts among competing uses and the lack of existing tools to deal with those conflicts. Special attention was given to the need to plan on a watershed basis and to understanding the interrelationship between water quality and quantity. PA law does not require that withdrawals of groundwater be related to sustainable yields or impacts on other users. However, the state's Environmental Hearing Board recently ruled that DEP must consider all environmental impacts of a groundwater withdrawal in reviewing permits under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Also, proposed legislation would enable municipalities to plan for surface water and groundwater withdrawals on a watershed basis. For more information, contact Senator Gerlach's office, 717-787-1398.

MARSHALL SERVES ON NATIONAL PESTICIDE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Beth Marshall, former Project Director of the Water Resources Education Network, represents the League of Women Voters of the United States, and is the "public" voice, on the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee. The Committee was established by US EPA to get input on pesticide use issues and implementation of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act. The FQPA promises to have as much effect on the environment as the Clean Water and Clean Air acts have had. It calls for reevaluation of every pesticide registered in the US and mandates that total exposure from all types of pesticides be taken into account when determining pesticide use regulations. Children must be given an extra margin of safety. Although concern about pesticide residues on food drove the passage of the bill, the FQPA will affect pesticide use in and out of agriculture.

GROUNDWATER GUARDIAN COMMUNITIES RECOGNIZED

Seven Pennsylvania communities will be recognized as Groundwater Guardians at the Groundwater Foundation's annual GG Designation conference later this month. In addition, the Groundwater Foundation has designated the WREN project as as Groundwater Affiliate, a new support program which recognizes projects, such as WREN, working to promote shared responsibility for groundwater protection. As a Groundwater Affiliate, WREN will help local groups carry out their community-based groundwater education projects. PA communities that have completed the requirements for recognition as Groundwater Guardians in 1997 are: Allegheny County, Antis Township, Kutztown, Lancaster County, Lebanon County, Mars Area School District, and Washington County. Several of these communities will be represented at the November 22-24 GG Designation conference. Information on how to apply for Groundwater Guardian designation in 1998 will be available in December. Basic requirements are to form a coalition to plan and implement educational activities about protection of groundwater. For more information, contact The Groundwater Foundation at 1-800-858-4844.

21st CENTURY ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION SEEKS GRASSROOT VIEWS

The 21st Century Environment Commission, a 40-member panel appointed by Governor Ridge, has been charged "To recommend methods and policies to improve the environmental qualities of the Commonwealth ... while allowing for enhanced economic and social progress." The Commission is also charged to involve citizens in developing that vision. As a first step, roundtable meetings are being held across the state to get public input on what PA's environmental priorities for the next century will be. Future dates are: November 12 DuBois November 13 Franklin November 20 York December 4 Mayfield (Scranton Area) December 12 Allentown December 16 Upper Merion & Conshocken For more information, contact: Carol Collier at 717-772-4770, e-mail: 21st.century.env.commission@a1.dep.state.pa.us website: http://www.21stcentury.state.pa.us

RESOURCES

VOLUNTEER MONITORING PUBLICATIONS: available from DEP Citizen Volunteer Monitoring Program, 717-787-3730 or e-mail: citizens.monitoring@a1.dep.state.pa.us

WATER QUALITY MONITORING OF PA STREAMS BY CITIZEN GROUPS, A PRIMER IN QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL (PA DEP, 1997, 42 pp.) A handbook for citizen groups starting or running a volunteer monitoring program.

STATEWIDE DIRECTORY OF CITIZENS' VOLUNTEER MONITORING PROGRAMS (PA DEP, 1997, 110 pp.) Information about and contacts for 64 volunteer monitoring programs statewide.

MONITORING MATTERS (Newsletter of PA DEP's Citizen Volunteer Monitoring Program) designed to facilitate exchange of ideas, practical advice, monitoring methods and data use among volunteer groups across the state.

LOCAL SOLUTIONS TO PENNSYLVANIA'S POLLUTION (PA Dept. of Environmental Protection, 1997, 15 pp.) Highlights of PA's Nonpoint Source Management Program - pollution sources, effects and success stories. Available from PA DEP, 717-787-5259.

GROWING GREENER: PUTTING CONSERVATION INTO LOCAL CODES (PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Natural Lands Trust, 1997, 16 pp.) summarizes how municipalities can use the development process to achieve conservation goals. Available from the Natural Lands Trust, 610-353-5587 or e-mail: natlands@pond.com.

NONPOINT POINTERS (EPA, Office of Watersheds, 1996, 11 pp.) A series of eleven one-page fact sheets on non-point source pollution and how to manage various sources. Available from the WREN Resource Center, 1-800-692-7281.

WETLAND AND RIPARIAN STEWARDSHIP IN PENNSYLVANIA (Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, 1997, 34 pp.) A guide to voluntary options to protect and restore wetlands and riparian buffers for landowners, local governments and organizations. Available from PA DEP, 717-787-5259 or ACB, 717-236-8825.

NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION PUBLICATIONS AND PROJECTS (Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, 1997, 15 pp.) A resource list, primarily of PA activities but includes some information from other states and the federal level. Available from ACB, 717-236-8825.

KNOW YOUR NITROGEN, A Guide to Reducing Nitrogen Pollution at Home (Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, 1997, 4 pp.) Identifies sources of nitrogen from homes and gives tips for reducing its use. Available from ACB, 717-236-8825.

DRINKING WATER: INFORMATION ON THE QUALITY OF WATER FOUND AT COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEMS AND PRIVATE WELLS (US General Accounting Office (GAO), 1997) A review of studies done on water quality of private wells and state and local regulation of wells in six states: CA, IL, NE, NH, NC, WI. Available from US GAO, PO Box 6015, Gaithersburg, MD 20884-6015; 202-512-6000.

CLEAN WATER ACT - STATE REVOLVING FUND LOANS TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY (US General Accounting Office (GAO), 1996, 20 pp) Report to Congress on use of state revolving funds for water quality projects. PA is highlighted. Available from US GAO, PO Box 6015, Gaithersburg, MD 20884-6015; 202-512-6000.

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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