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News and resources from the Environmental Protection Agency

EPA issues Clean Water State Revolving Fund Green Project Reserve highlights report, case studies, and fact sheets

EPA has released a suite of materials highlighting the innovative approaches states have used to successfully implement projects that address green infrastructure, water or energy efficiency, or other environmentally innovative activities using the Clean Water State Revolving Fund’s (CWSRF) Green Project Reserve. The CWSRF program, through the reserve, is helping achieve innovative solutions to wastewater infrastructure needs, achieving economic and environmental benefits that will continue to accrue for years to come.

The Green Project Reserve requires all CWSRF programs to direct a portion of their capitalization grant toward projects that address green infrastructure, water or energy efficiency, or other environmentally innovative activities. While these types of projects have always been eligible for CWSRF financing, the reserve originated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. With the success of the Green Project Reserve implemented under ARRA—approximately 30 percent of total ARRA funding for CWSRF projects went to reserve projects—the reserve has become a part of all subsequent CWSRF appropriations.

More information: http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/cwsrf/Green-Project-Reserve.cfm.

Videos show how water utilities can help each other in emergencies

EPA has produced two videos on Water and Wastewater Agency Response Networks (WARNs), which are intrastate networks of “utilities helping utilities” to respond to and recover from emergencies by sharing resources with one another. The videos aim to improve awareness of the WARN initiative, attract new members to existing WARNs, and promote the benefits of WARN and conducting tabletop exercises.

The first video, titled “Background on the WARN Initiative”, is targeted to non-WARN members and response partners unfamiliar with WARN. The video describes the benefits of joining a WARN, how WARN programs were started, and the current status of WARNs across the United States.

The second video, “WARN Tabletop Exercises”, targets existing WARN members and uses footage from actual tabletop exercises. The video describes the benefits of tabletop exercises, discusses key issues and lessons learned from previous exercises, and encourages participation in tabletop exercises.

Both videos can also be viewed on (and shared from) the EPA Office of Water’s Mutual Aid and Assistance webpage at http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/mutualaid/index.cfm

New tool helps estimate the affordability of water-pollution control requirements

EPA has released a new, web-based tool to help a variety of stakeholders evaluate the economic and social impacts of pollution controls needed to meet water-quality standards set for specific uses for a waterbody, such as swimming or fishing. This tool could be used by states, territories, tribes, local governments, industry, municipalities and stormwater management districts.

The tool will help stakeholders identify and organize the necessary information. It will perform the calculations to evaluate the costs of pollution-control requirements necessary to meet specific water-quality standards. The tool prompts users to submit treatment-technology information, alternative pollution-reduction techniques and their costs and efficiencies, and financing information, as well as explain where that information can be found.

http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/economics/

Principles for an Energy Water Future document available

Water and energy consumption are interdependent – the more water we use, the more energy we need, and vice versa. In fact, approximately four percent of the nation’s electricity is used just for moving and treating drinking water and wastewater. Conversely, it takes 3,000 to 6,000 gallons of water annually to power just one 60-watt incandescent bulb for 12 hours per day.

To help move toward a more sustainable energy and water future, EPA has drafted Principles for an Energy Water Future. EPA encourages all stakeholders–including government, utilities, private companies and ratepayers–to consider these principles and incorporate them into their work.

The principles are familiar concepts: water and energy efficiency, a water-wise energy sector, an energy-wise water sector, viewing wastewater as a source of renewable resources, integrated resource planning, and maximizing social benefits.  EPA hopes that having them listed in one document that touches upon all aspects of energy and water’s interdependency will help to further raise awareness, stimulate discussion and advance progress.

Read the principles at http://water.epa.gov/action/energywater.cfm

Other news and resources

AWWA website has new and improved section for small systems

The website of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) has a newly redesigned page for small systems. It has listings for conferences, online learning opportunities and webcasts. It also has links to management-assistance resources and handy tools.

The page for this topic is one of AWWA’s online “Communities.” The other communities are on the topics of conservation, customer service and desalination.

The AWWA website also offers Resource Pages, which cover backflow and cross-connection control; emergency preparedness; and asset management. These pages are restricted to AWWA members only and are intended to disseminate technical information and learning opportunities.

Communities accomplish this too while also promoting information exchange and other networking opportunities. You can create a free AWWA login to access the Communities. Visit www.awwa.org/Resources/index.cfm?navItemNumber=1416

New report highlights benefits of regional collaborations

Sometimes it makes a lot of sense to partner with communities of a similar size as yours or even of a much different size. A new report funded by the American Water Works Association, National Inventory of Regional Collaboration Among Water and Wastewater Utilities, includes examples of communities small and large participating in collaborative projects.

From joint purchasing programs to developing a regional water authority, the economic, environmental and social benefits are explored in this report as well as the lessons learned from the case studies. The report can be useful to small communities looking for innovative approaches to remaining sustainable for the long term.

Get the report at http://www.awwa.org/files/Resources/TECProjects/AWWAUtilityCollaborationFinalReport.pdf

New guide lists federal resources to assist rural communities

USDA Rural Development has published a guide outlining programs the federal government has available to support rural communities as they promote economic development and enhance the quality of life for rural residents.

“Creating great places to live, raise families, provide recreational opportunities, and infrastructure for high paying jobs in rural America is very important to the Obama administration and our efforts at USDA, said Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager. “This publication will provide easy, one-stop access to federal programs.”

The publication, Federal Resources for Sustainable Rural Communities, is a collaborative effort among USDA, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency. It ensures rural communities have access to all of the federal resources that can support their efforts to promote economic competitiveness, protect healthy environments, modernize infrastructure, and provide services to residents. The guide has key information on funding and technical-assistance opportunities available from the four agencies as well as examples of how rural communities across the country have benefitted from federal resources.

Get the guide at www.rurdev.usda.gov/supportdocuments/RD_FedResourcesSustainableCommunities.pdf

USDA announces efforts to improve the quality of life of two major populations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced July 24 that low-income rural areas in the Southwest will benefit from changes in the way USDA funds water and wastewater projects. USDA also announced in June that it will make it easier for individuals living in Substantially Underserved Trust Areas (SUTA) to obtain USDA funding to improve basic services, including water and sewer systems, broadband and electric infrastructure.

“This change in our water and wastewater funding process will provide more assistance to colonias to address significant health risks in communities along the U.S.-Mexico border,” said Rural Development Acting Deputy Under Secretary Judith Canales. “Many of these areas are not served by water and waste facilities. The change to our funding process will assign priority points for projects in colonias, which will help increase investments needed to strengthen these communities and improve the quality of life for their residents.”

Water and waste funding is made through USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development agency. USDA outlined the changes to the funding process in a regulation published on page 43149 of the July 24, 2012, Federal Register. Colonias are defined as those recognized by states or counties before Oct. 1, 1989. They must lack adequate infrastructure, including water and sewer facilities.

Regarding changes to funding for Tribal areas, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said they are a crucial step for American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders to build modern utility infrastructure, create jobs and improve their quality of life. “The changes will put resources where they are most needed and will give USDA Rural Development added flexibility that will help tribes located in Trust Areas.”

A Substantially Underserved Trust Area is any land that: (1) is held in trust by the United States for Native Americans; (2) is subject to restrictions on alienation imposed by the United States on Indian lands (including Native Hawaiian homelands); (3) is owned by a Regional Corporation or a Village Corporation as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; or (4) is on any island in the Pacific Ocean if such land is communally-owned land by cultural tradition.

The changes, which apply to the Rural Utilities Service program area (RUS), give the Secretary of Agriculture authority to:

• make loans and issue loan guarantees with interest rates as low as 2 percent and with extended repayment terms
• waive certain matching-fund or credit-support requirements for loans and grants. This will facilitate infrastructure construction, acquisition or improvements.
• give highest priority to designated projects on Substantially Underserved Trust Areas.

The enhancements are being implemented through a final regulation published on page 35245 of the June 13, 2012, Federal Register.

USDA Rural Development conducted numerous government-to-government Tribal consultations and meetings with Native communities in developing the final rule. RUS will make annual reports to Congress on the progress of the initiative and recommendations for additional regulatory or legislative changes to improve services to Substantially Underserved Trust Areas. The SUTA initiative is authorized under the 2008 Farm Bill.

Filmmaker takes on the public’s disgust of recycling wastewater

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jessica Yu writes about the water crisis—pollution, shortages and aging systems—in the United States in an April 12, 2012, post in The New York Times Op-Docs, a forum for short, opinionated documentaries, produced with creative latitude by independent filmmakers and artists.

“While we can’t ‘make’ more water, there is one solution to water-shortage problems that addresses issues of both quality and supply,” Yu writes. “…a solution to provide a valuable source of extremely pure water: reclaim it from sewage.”

Accompanying Yu’s short editorial (at www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/taking-the-waste-out-of-wastewater.html?_r=1&ref=opinion) is a short video titled “Taking the Waste Out of Wastewater,” which Yu directed. It features psychologist Paul Rozin arguing that recycling wastewater is a necessary solution to our domestic water woes. Rozin shows some experiments on camera that would disgust most Americans with the current attitudes they have on this issue.

Yu is the director of a longer feature documentary on the water crisis—“Last Call at the Oasis.” The film presents an argument for why the global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this century. It illuminates the vital role water plays in our lives, exposes the defects in the current system and depicts communities already struggling with its ill-effects.

The film was developed, financed and executive produced by Participant Media, the company responsible for Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” The film is scheduled to show in select cities in the coming months, but the website for the film (www.lastcallattheoasis.com) provides a way for communities to request it to be shown. The website also suggests actions that concerned citizens can take.

RCAP and partner to produce new resources for tribal utility operators

This fall, RCAP will be working with SmallWaterSupply.org to further expand the resources available to tribal utility operators.

SmallWaterSupply.org supports water and wastewater operators in small systems with comprehensive resources and information in one easy-to-use place on the web. The website is free to use.

One of the website’s main means of outreach is a weekly newsletter, which operators and other staff and leaders in small communities can subscribe to for free. It includes site updates, helpful tips and weekly reading suggestions. The site also maintains a blog with useful information and announcements.

SmallWaterSupply.org will continue to share newsletter content and blog posts pertinent to all small systems, but the new initiative for tribes will be an added service.

Earlier this year the site officially launched the Tribal Technical Assistance Contact Database (www.smallwatersupply.org/TribalResources/SearchtheContactManager/tabid/70/Default.aspx). This continues to be the best way to find out what entities serve a specific tribe, facilitating improved partnerships.

If you are an operator for a tribal water or wastewater utility or you serve these communities in any way, RCAP and SmallWaterSupply.org invite you to join the new tribal interest group at www.smallwatersupply.org/TribalResources/tabid/68/Default.aspx. All we need are your name and email address.

Know someone who would work well in a water-operations job?

RCAP has produced two brochures for recruiting drinking water and wastewater operators. They encourage those who are entering the workforce or those looking for a career change to consider a job in drinking water/wastewater operations. The brochures talk about the benefits of jobs in the water sector, the education, training and experience that is needed for these jobs, the duties operators perform, and how drinking water/wastewater are treated.

There are separate brochures for drinking water and wastewater operations. Each can be used alone, or both can be used together. Download and print them yourself from www.rcap.org/opcareers

Get Rural Matters electronically and save a tree

In an effort to reduce postage costs and respect the environment by having to print fewer copies of the magazine to mail, Rural Matters is now offering an electronic-only subscription. When you sign up, you will be sent an email with a preview of each new issue’s contents, and you will be able to click through to read the article or the full issue online at www.rcap.org.

To change your subscription to email delivery, please provide your current mailing information (so we know what postal address to remove from our mailing list) and your email address at www.rcap.org/RMmailtoemail

Your subscription will then be converted to email-only.

Other articles in this issue:

• Director's Letter
• The presidential candidates and rural America
• Report: Aging infrastructure, capital costs and funding top concerns for U.S. water utility leaders
• Why it’s important to discuss water-sector interdependency in your community
• New study describes challenges and ways to strengthen rural communities in Appalachia
• Guest editorial:  Managing our finite water resources