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Message
Please
contact us with information about your watershed
organization. By sharing successes and strategies throughout the
community, we will be better equipped to tackle the issues that threaten
our waters.
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EPA Study Reveals Widespread Contamination of Fish in U.S.
Lakes and Reservoirs
Release
date: November 10, 2009
WASHINGTON - A new EPA study shows concentrations of toxic
chemicals in fish tissue from lakes and reservoirs in nearly all 50
U.S. states. For the first time, EPA is able to estimate the percentage
of lakes and reservoirs nationwide that have fish containing
potentially harmful levels of chemicals such as mercury and PCBs.
"These results reinforce Administrator Jackson's strong call for
revitalized protection of our nation's waterways and long-overdue
action to protect the American people," said Peter S. Silva,
assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Water. "EPA is
aggressively tackling the issues the report highlights. Before the
results were even finalized, the agency initiated efforts to further
reduce toxic mercury pollution and strengthen enforcement of the Clean
Water Act - all part of a renewed effort to protect the nation's health
and environment."
The data showed mercury concentrations in game fish exceeding EPA's
recommended levels at 49 percent of lakes and reservoirs nationwide,
and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in game fish at levels of
potential concern at 17 percent of lakes and reservoirs. These findings
are based on a comprehensive national study using more data on levels
of contamination in fish tissue than any previous study.
Burning fossil fuels, primarily coal, accounts for nearly half of
mercury air emissions caused by human activity in the U.S., and those
emissions are a significant contributor to mercury in water bodies.
From 1990 through 2005, emissions of mercury into the air decreased by
58 percent. EPA is committed to developing a new rule to substantially
reduce mercury emissions from power plants, and the Obama
Administration is actively supporting a new international agreement
that will reduce mercury emissions worldwide.
New Mine Drainage
Treatment Plant Will Improve 35-Plus Miles of the West Branch
Susquehanna River
PA DEP News Release,
November 12, 2009.
Barr Township,
Cambria County - Construction has begun on a mine drainage treatment
facility that will restore aquatic life to the upper reaches of one of
America's most polluted rivers and improve the economic outlook for the
entire region, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
During a groundbreaking ceremony today, DEP Deputy Secretary for Mineral
Resource Management J. Scott Roberts said the Lancashire #15 treatment
plant will improve water quality in at least 35 miles of the West
Branch Susquehanna River. "No place in America has paid a heavier
price for the unregulated mining practices of the past than
Pennsylvania's northern bituminous coal fields and the West Branch
Susquehanna River," Roberts said. "Here in the midst of some
of the most remote and beautiful country in the eastern United States,
approximately 1,000 miles of the West Branch and its tributaries are
impaired because of mine drainage." The new mine drainage
treatment plant will treat up to 10 million gallons per day of acidic
water from the abandoned 7,100 acre Lancashire #15 mine complex.
Currently, the Susquehanna River is losing this water because the
Lancashire #15 mine pool is pumped, treated and discharged to the Ohio
River Basin on the other side of the mountain. This prevents the mine
pool from rising to an elevation where it will drain into the West
Branch. In 1969, the mine blew out and caused a fish kill for more than
40 miles of the West Branch of the Susquehanna. The influx of fresh
water into the basin will counteract the effects of numerous acidic
discharges in the headwaters, restoring aquatic habitat to an estimated
35 miles of the river and improving water quality as far downstream as
the Curwensville Lake in Clearfield County.
In addition, the added water will help make up for the estimated 15.7
million gallons that agricultural operations use in the middle and lower
Susquehanna Basin, extending the benefits of this treatment plant as
far downstream as the Chesapeake Bay. "Capturing and treating the
acid mine drainage that impairs 5,500 miles of Pennsylvania's rivers
and streams and reclaiming our 180,000 acres of abandoned mine lands is
one of the most ambitious environmental restoration efforts in the
nation," Roberts said. "Construction of the Lancashire #15
mine drainage treatment facility is a significant step toward restoring
this waterway and the entire region, improving property values and
recreational opportunities, and providing fresh water to offset
downstream agricultural consumption."
Watershed
Celebration Day
Davis - West
Virginia Watershed Network recognized watershed groups from all across
West Virginia for their efforts in protecting and restoring local
watersheds on November 13, 2009 at Blackwater Falls State Park during
the 11th annual Watershed Celebration Day.
Over 100 volunteers attended the event and were given awards for their
work to create partners, to implement projects, to educate their
communities and to monitor water quality to determine project
success. "We host this event to show our gratitude for the
many hours volunteers give to improving West Virginia's streams and
rivers" says Jami Thompson, Manager, WV Watershed Resource Center.
The highest honor went to the Coal River Group as the 2009 Watershed
Association of the Year. The group received a $5,000 cash award
donated by the Dominion Foundation. The Division of Highways also
provided highway signs designating the watershed association as the
watershed of the year.
Baker Run
conservation Society, Hardy County
Elks Run Study
Committee, Jefferson County
Friends of Deckers
Creek, Monongalia County
Upper Guyandotte
Watershed Association, Wyoming County
Warm Springs
Watershed Association, Morgan County
Project
Implementation
Guardians of the West Fork, Harrison County
Morris Creek
Watershed Association, Kanawha County
Plateau Action
Network, Fayette County
Buckhannon River
Watershed Association, Upshur County
Sleepy Creek
Watershed Association, Morgan County
Opequon Creek
Watershed Association, Berkeley County
New Watershed
Association of the Year
Meadow River
Watershed Association, Greenbrier County
Potomac Valley
CommuniTree Chapter, Hardy County
Guiding Light
- Bill Thorne, Monongalia County
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GRANTS
Habitat Restoration Projects Funded
The Five-Star Restoration Matching Grants Program, an initiative of the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, supports community-based
wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration projects throughout
the United States. Grants ranging from $10,000 to $40,000 are provided
to projects that build diverse partnerships and foster natural resource
stewardship through education, outreach, and training activities.
Partnerships should include at least five organizations (nonprofit
organizations, government agencies, educational institutions,
businesses, etc.) that contribute to project success through funding,
land, workforce support, technical support, and/or other in-kind
services. Projects that can leverage the amount of funds requested with
significant cash or in-kind contributions from project partners are
given priority. The application deadline is February 11, 2010; an
online webinar for potential applicants will be offered on December 10,
2009. Visit the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation website to download the 2010 Request for
Proposals.
Technical
Assistance and Support for Improved Ground Water Protection
Current Closing Date for Applications: Dec 18, 2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting
applications from eligible applicants for technical assistance and
support that will enhance communication and coordination between EPA and
the states to protect ground water. The technical assistance and
support are related to activities that will develop and expand the
capability of state Underground Injection Control (UIC) programs (Class
I-V and proposed Class VI), tribes with UIC primary enforcement
authority (primacy), and source water protection (with an emphasis on
ground water protection) programs. The successful applicant will
provide leadership and support in assisting states and tribes with UIC
primacy in highlighting UIC and source water protection issues,
prioritizing these issues, and formulating potential strategies for
solutions and recommendations to states. The applicant will work with
state agency officials who are responsible for implementing ground
water protection programs to identify strategies that address
solutions. The successful applicant will monitor, coordinate,
represent, and advance state environmental interests among states and
to EPA. Click here for full description.
Environmental Justice
Small Grants Program
Current Closing Date for Applications: Jan 08, 2010
Historically, the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program (EJSG) is
designed to provide funding for eligible applicants working on, or
planning to work on, a project that addresses a local environmental and
public health issue within an affected community. The EJSG Program is a
multi-statute program designed to help communities understand and
address their exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks. Click
here for full description.
Clean Vessel Act Grant Program
Current Closing Date for Applications: Jan 08, 2010
CVA provides States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealths, and
territories with federal funding to support their ongoing efforts to
improve recreational boating opportunities and provide boaters with the
clean, efficient facilities to preclude disposing of waste into public
waterways and other ecosystems. CVA is one of the Service's "user
pay, user benefit" grant programs. Excise taxes paid for fuel
taxes attributable to recreational boating and sport fishing equipment
go into the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.
Approximately two percent of the trust fund is available for CVA grants
each fiscal year. CVA has had tremendous benefits from improving
public drinking water, restoring river ecosystems, keeping coastal
waters conveniently serviced, and informing boaters in popular
reservoirs how best to dispose of vessel sewage. Full description here.
Applied Science
Program Cooperative Agreements Related to Coal Mining & Reclamation
Last date for Submittal January 15, 2010
The objective of
the National Technology Transfer Team Applied Science Program is to
develop and demonstrate improved technologies to address environmental
issues related to the mining of coal and reclamation of the land after
mining. During FY 2005, Congress approved OSM's request to
initiate a program to select and fund applied science proposals that
would result in improved protection of the public and environment by
advancing improved technology development and transfer related to
surface coal mining and reclamation. Such efforts are needed to
better protect identified endangered species, improve reforestation and
revegetation, protect prime farmland, improve technologies to mitigate
acid mine drainage, improve methods for locating underground mines, and
many other issues related to protecting the public and environment
associated with surface coal mining. Full description here.
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 EVENTS
2010 Conference on Environmental Justice, Air Quality,
Goods Movement, and Green Jobs: Evolution and Innovation
Who: Communities, tribes, advocates, city/county/state governments,
colleges/universities, faith-based organizations, businesses and other
stakeholders interested in learning about opportunities to move toward
environmental justice in their communities.
Where: New Orleans Marriott Hotel, 555 Canal Street, New Orleans,
Louisiana 70130
Dates: January 25-27, 2010
Registration Fee (None). Registration starts on November 11, 2009, and ends
on January 15, 2010.
TOPICS
Goods Movement - New initiatives to reduce the impacts of
transporting goods or produce.
Sustainability/Green Jobs -sustainability in the context of jobs
aimed at preserving ecosystems and reducing consumption.
Ambient Air/Climate Change - impacts of ambient air pollutants
and greenhouse gases on disproportionately affected communities.
Hazardous Waste Cleanup/ Job Training - impacts and challenges
of hazardous materials, waste exposure and cleanup activities.
Ohio Environmental
Council and the Ohio League of Conservation Voters 2009 Legislative
Summit
The goal of this
year's Summit is to build a winning strategy to address urgent funding
challenges left in the wake of Ohio's biennial operating budget. Summit
agenda items include:
-Presentations from
public agency officials
-Breakout sessions
with environmental-conservation leaders
-Securing funding
for state nature preserves, soil and water conservation districts, and
public transit
-Creating a Winning
Game Plan for 2010
December 7, 9:30
a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Columbus
Metropolitan Library, Downtown Branch,
1st Floor
Auditorium
96 S. Grant Avenue
Columbus, OH 43215
Free. Includes lunch and materials. Register by Friday, December 4.
To register, email us at EventRegistration@theOEC.org
or call (614) 487-7506.
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RESOURCES
National Environmental Services Center (NESC) Website
The NESC is a program within the The National Research
Center for Coal & Energy (NRCCE) located at West Virginia
University. It serves as a resource for water quality
information and training events. Click here for link.
This Web page
provides an outline of the legislative and regulatory history, and
current status of the mining waste exemption. Links to key regulatory
and technical documents are also provided. Link here.
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Featured
Articles:
Massey Cited for
Coal River Mountain Blasting
By
Ken Ward Jr., Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Massey Energy subsidiary has been cited for
blasting violations at a mountaintop removal mine on Coal River
Mountain, a site where environmental groups have campaigned to put a
wind energy facility instead of a strip mine. Full story here.
The New Wave of Urban Farming
November 12, 2009
By Makenna Goodman, Daily Grist
In Fresh Food From Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's
Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting, author R. J.
Ruppenthal turns a seemingly anti-urban idea-that farming has to be
done outside, with a red barn and rolling fields of wheat-on its head.
Because urbanites, too, can grow their own food indoors, in cramped
spaces, and without access to land! Full story here.
Tiny Bubbles Used to Clean Oil-Contaminated Water and Soil
November 16, 2009
By Vanessa L. Bourlier, Environmental News Network
Even small amounts of oil leave a fluorescent sheen on
polluted water . This oil sheen is difficult to remove-until now.
According to a recently published article in the journal Chemosphere,
an inexpensive new method has been developed at the University of Utah to
remove oil sheen by repeatedly pressurizing and depressurizing ozone
gas, creating microscopic bubbles that attack the oil so it can be
removed by sand filters. Full article here.
Spacing Out on Solar Energy
November 17th, 2009
By Bill DiBenedetto, Triplepundit
Solar power satellites are the yin to the yang of Ronald
Reagan's 1980s Star Wars fantasy, and almost as old. Scientists for
decades have explored the potential of using space-based solar cells to
beam power to the Earth. Full article here.
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