December 5, 2011

1) EPA Proposes Updated Vessel General Permit and Permit for Small Vessels
2) Keeping the Clean Water Act Strong--An Op-Ed by former EPA Administrator, William K. Reilly
3) Webcast on Clean Water Act Permitting of Pesticide Discharges
4) Success Spotlight: Yellowdog Creek, Idaho--Removing Forest Roads and Restoring Streams Reduces Sediment in Yellowdog Creek

1) EPA Proposes Updated Vessel General Permit and Permit for Small Vessels
EPA last week issued two draft vessel general permits that would regulate discharges from commercial vessels, excluding military and recreational vessels. The proposed permits would help protect the nation's waters from ship-borne pollutants and reduce the risk of introduction of invasive species from ballast water discharges.

The draft Vessel General Permit, which covers commercial vessels greater than 79 feet in length, would replace the current 2008 Vessel General Permit, when it expires in December 2013. Under the Clean Water Act, permits are issued for a five-year period after which time EPA generally issues revised permits based on updated information and requirements. The new draft small Vessel General Permit would cover vessels smaller than 79 feet in length and would provide such vessels with the Clean Water Act permit coverage they will be required to have as of December 2013.

Both permits will be subject to a 75-day public comment period, which will allow a broad array of stakeholders, including industry and communities, to provide feedback. That information will help inform EPA's decision on the final permits which are expected to go into effect in 2013. EPA intends to issue the final permits in November 2012, a full year in advance, to allow vessel owners and operators time to prepare for new permit requirements.

For the full announcement: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/1e5ab1124055f3b28525781f0042ed40/b2bc930144417d2a852579580075cb6c!OpenDocument

For more information: http://www.epa.gov/npdes/vessels

2) Keeping the Clean Water Act Strong--An Op-Ed by former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly
William K. Reilly, EPA Administrator from 1989 to 1993, wrote an op-ed in The New York Times about protecting the Clean Water Act against attempts to weaken it. Next year is the 40th anniversary of this landmark law. The op-ed is available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/29/opinion/keep-the-clean-water-act-strong.html

3) Webcast on Clean Water Act Permitting of Pesticide Discharges
On October 31, 2011, EPA issued a final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Pesticide General Permit for point source discharges from the application of pesticides to waters of the United States. This action was in response to a 2009 decision by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in which the court vacated EPA's 2006 final rule on aquatic pesticides and found that point source discharges of biological pesticides, and chemical pesticides that leave a residue, into waters of the U.S. were pollutants under the Clean Water Act. As a result of the court's decision, NPDES permits are generally required for these types of discharges as of October 31, 2011.

EPA will host a webcast on December 8, 2011 to discuss the implications of the Sixth Circuit Court decision on Clean Water Act NPDES permitting requirements for pesticide discharges. Webcast participants can learn about the general national NPDES permit requirement for discharges to waters of the US, as well as requirements specific to EPA permitting areas.

The webcast will consist of two sessions:

2:00 - 2:50 p.m. (EST): Overview of the Clean Water Act NPDES permitting requirements for pesticide discharges and EPA and state roles in administering these requirements.

3:00 - 4:00 p.m. (EST): Information on EPA's Pesticide General Permit, which is applicable in the limited geographic areas where EPA remains the NPDES permitting authority, including six states (Alaska, Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Oklahoma), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, other U.S. territories, most Indian Country lands, and federal facilities in Colorado, Delaware, Vermont and Washington.

All participants must register in advance for this webcast; please click here to register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/627494304 Space will be limited to up to 1,000 participants.

EPA will post an archived version of this presentation on the following webpage after the webcast: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/outreach.cfm?program_id=0&otype=1.

For questions on this webcast, please contact Hema Subramanian at subramanian.hema@epa.gov

4) Success Spotlight: Yellowdog Creek, Idaho--Removing Forest Roads and Restoring Streams Reduces Sediment in Yellowdog Creek
EPA's Clean Water Act Section 319 Program provides funding for restoration of nonpoint source-impaired water bodies. Success stories are posted at: http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/success319/  This week's success spotlight shines on Yellowdog Creek in Idaho.

Eroding forest roads contributed excessive sediment to Yellowdog Creek in northern Idaho. As a result, 12.2 stream miles of Yellowdog Creek was added to the state's 1994 impaired waters list for sediment impairment. Beginning in 2000, the U.S. Forest Service removed or repaired failing roads, restored riparian areas and implemented in-stream habitat improvement projects. Sediment loads in Yellowdog Creek have declined, and monitoring results show that sediment no longer impairs cold-water aquatic life such as the native westslope cutthroat trout. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality will propose removing the Yellowdog Creek assessment unit from the state's list of impaired waters in 2012 for sediment.

For more information on this story, visit: http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/success319/id_yellowdog.cfm