Water Headlines

Water Headlines for the Week of November 27, 2012 

1) EPA Recommends New Recreational Water Quality Criteria to Better Protect Public Health
2) Register to Watch the Webcast of the December 4 Symposium on the Importance of Water to the U.S. Economy
3) Success Spotlight: Wallkill River, New Jersey

1) EPA Recommends New Recreational Water Quality Criteria to Better Protect Public Health
Pursuant to an order from a U.S. District Court and as required by the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000, EPA has recommended new recreational water quality criteria for states that will help protect peoples' health during visits to beaches and waters year round. The science-based criteria provide information to help states improve public health protection by addressing a broader range of illness symptoms, better accounting for pollution after heavy rainfall, providing more protective recommendations for coastal waters, encouraging early alerts to beachgoers and promoting rapid water testing. The criteria released do not impose any new requirements; instead, they are a tool that states can choose to use in setting their own standards. Click here for the news release.

2) Register to Watch the Webcast of the December 4 Symposium on the Importance of Water to the U.S. Economy
EPA is conducting a study on the importance of water in the U.S. economy to better understand how water contributes to the economic welfare of the nation and plays a critical role in many sectors of the U.S. economy. On December 4, EPA will host a public symposium in Washington, D.C. with speakers that represent a diverse array of industries including agriculture, food and beverage production, manufacturing, recreation, tourism and fishing. EPA will also release a draft report on the importance of water to the U.S. economy. Click here to register to watch the symposium via webcast. For more information, contact John Powers (powers.john@epa.gov or 202-564-5776).

3) Success Spotlight: Wallkill River, New Jersey
EPA's Clean Water Act Section 319 Program provides funding for restoration of nonpoint source-impaired water bodies. This week's success spotlight shines on Wallkill River at Hamburg, New Jersey. The New Jersey portion of the Wallkill River watershed is a scenic area that receives stormwater runoff from residential, agricultural and steeply sloped forested areas. Stormwater runoff nutrients from agricultural areas impaired New Jersey's Wallkill River. As a result, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection added two sections of the Wallkill River to the state's list of impaired waters for phosphorus—"Martin's Road to Hamburg," in 2000, and "Hamburg to Ogdensburg," in 2002. Local, state and federal partners collaborated to implement agricultural best management practices such as integrated crop, nutrient and pasture management. Water quality improved, prompting the state to remove both sections from the impaired waters list in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Click here for more information.