March 26, 2012

1) EPA Joins the U.S. Water Partnership
2) EPA to Host Energy Management Webinar for Water Utilities with Spanish Language Interpretation on March 28th
3) EPA To Hold Infrastructure Operation, Maintenance, and Management Training for Tribal Water and Wastewater Operators and Leaders in Nashville, Tenn.
4) Blog Spotlight: Southern Hospitality Can Host Great Partnerships for Water
5) Success Spotlight: Middle Creek, Virginia--Mined-Land Restoration Improves Middle Creek's Benthic Population

1) EPA Joins the U.S. Water Partnership
EPA is one of 22 new members that has joined the expanded U.S. Water Partnership, announced on March 22, 2012, on World Water Day. The US Water Partnership is a U.S.-based public/private partnership established to unite American expertise, knowledge, and resources, and mobilize those assets to address water challenges around the globe, especially in the developing world.

The 22 new partners are: Africare; Clean Water America Alliance; Centers for Disease Control; The Coca-Cola Company; Department of Energy; Department of Interior; EPA; U.S. Export-Import Bank: Ford Motor Company, International Boundary and Water Commission (U.S. Section); National Aeronautics and Space Administration; National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration; Overseas Private Investment Corporation; Procter & Gamble; Skoll Global Threats Fund; Rockefeller Foundation; The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Agency for International Development; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; U.S. Trade and Development Agency; and U.S. Geological Survey.

For more information on the U.S. Water Partnership: http://www.state.gov/e/oes/rls/fs/2012/186581.htm

2) EPA to Host Energy Management Webinar for Water Utilities with Spanish Language Interpretation on March 28th
Providing safe drinking water and wastewater treatment requires substantial energy consumption and represents a high cost to the providers of these services. These providers can reduce operating costs and help mitigate the effects of climate change in many ways. The objective of this workshop is to provide drinking water and wastewater utilities with a systematic approach to identify implement, measure, and improve energy efficiency and incorporate sustainable practices into their operations. On March 28, 2012, from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, EPA will host an energy efficiency webinar to help utilities reduce operating costs while protecting the environment. The webinar will be presented in English with Spanish language interpretation. To register for the webinar: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/177510714.

3) EPA To Hold Infrastructure Operation, Maintenance, and Management Training for Tribal Water and Wastewater Operators and Leaders in Nashville, Tenn.
From April 10 to 12, EPA will be sponsoring a training workshop in Nashville, Tennessee, for federally recognized tribes to help increase participants' skills and knowledge in how to better operate and manage wastewater and drinking water systems. The training is intended for water system operators, wastewater system operators, tribal utility managers, tribal council members and leaders involved with water utility management. There is no registration fee for the workshop. To register, please go to: http://www.horsleywitten.com/tribalARRA/. Tribes that received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds will be given registration priority.

This workshop is part of a series of such training sessions that EPA is sponsoring throughout the country. Additional training sessions are scheduled for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on May 2 to 4 and Albuquerque, New Mexico, on May 15 to 17. For questions about the training, please contact Leon Latino by e-mail at latino.leon@epa.gov or by phone at (202) 564-1997; or Matthew Richardson by e-mail at richardson.matthew@epa.gov or by phone at (202) 564-2947.

4) Blog Spotlight: Southern Hospitality Can Host Great Partnerships for Water
Nancy Stoner, acting Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Water, blogged about her visit to Mobile, Alabama, where she witnessed the efforts of state and local officials, utilities, universities, environmental groups and others to work to improve their drinking water sources and reduce pollution.In the blog, Ms. Stoner cites the work of different partners and their holistic effort in making improvements possible. To read the blog, visit: http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2012/03/22/southern-hospitality-can-host-great-partnerships-for-water/.

5) Success Spotlight: Middle Creek, Virginia--Mined-Land Restoration Improves Middle Creek's Benthic Population
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 Middle Creek, Virginia.

Pollution from decades of coal mining affected the health of the aquatic biological community in Virginia's Middle Creek. As a result, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) added an 11-mile segment of Middle Creek to the state's list of impaired waters in 1998 because of violations of the General Standard, which requires that all state waters be free of substances that harm aquatic life. Between 2000 and 2005, the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy's Department of Mined Lands and Reclamation implemented mined-land best management practices. Post-best management practice water quality monitoring indicated significant water quality improvements, prompting DEQ to remove Middle Creek from the list of impaired waters in 2006.

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