Rural Community Assistance Partnership

Practical solutions for improving rural communities

November 2011

EPA seeking scientific views on draft carbaryl criteria for aquatic life protection

Posted Tue, 2011/11/08 - 3:12pm by RCAP

EPA has published draft ambient-water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life from the potential effects of carbaryl. Used to control insects, slugs and snails and to thin fruit in orchards, carbaryl can enter water bodies via runoff and potentially harm aquatic life. It is the second-most frequently found insecticide in water, with detections in approximately 50 percent of urban streams.

EPA’s WaterSense program to label innovative watering technology

Posted Tue, 2011/11/08 - 12:49pm by RCAP

Weather-based irrigation controllers can help save 110 billion gallons of water and $410 million per year on utility bills

WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense program announced Nov. 3 that irrigation controllers will soon be the first outdoor product eligible to earn the WaterSense label.

EPA announces final study plan to assess hydraulic fracturing

Posted Tue, 2011/11/08 - 12:45pm by RCAP

Congressionally directed study will evaluate potential impacts on drinking water

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Nov. 3 its final research plan on hydraulic fracturing. At the request of Congress, EPA is working to better understand potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources. Natural gas plays a key role in our nation’s clean energy future, and the Obama administration is committed to ensuring that we continue to leverage this vital resource responsibly.

EPA water chief: Upgrading water infrastructure is good for environment, public health and job growth

Posted Thu, 2011/11/03 - 9:30am by RCAP

In a recent blog post, the chief of the EPA's Office of Water said that upgrading water infrastructure is good for the environment and the public's health, but it also is good for economic growth and for jobs.

Read the post for the agency's Greenversations blog by acting Assistant Administrator Nancy Stoner

Reader's Digest ranks water/wastewater operators among 10 jobs Americans can't do without

Posted Wed, 2011/11/02 - 4:38pm by RCAP

In a recent article, the popular Reader's Digest provided a list of the "10 Jobs Americans Can’t Live Without." Many of the profession are in the public-service sector, working for utilities or essential security-related services like the police or fire protection. Number 2 on its list was water/wastewater treatment plant and system operators.

The article said this about the profession:

Number Employed: 108,330

Median Income: $40,770

RCAP produces three new guides to help small, rural communities better manage their utilities

Posted Wed, 2011/11/02 - 3:53pm by RCAP

For immediate release

November 1, 2011

RCAP PRODUCES THREE NEW GUIDES TO HELP SMALL, RURAL COMMUNITIES BETTER MANAGE THEIR UTILITIES

WASHINGTON—The Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) has produced three new guidebooks to assist small, rural communities in the management and operations of their drinking water and wastewater systems.

Following are the titles and descriptions of each guide:

EPA announces schedule to develop natural gas wastewater standards

Posted Wed, 2011/11/02 - 11:17am by RCAP

Announcement is part of administration’s priority to ensure natural gas development continues safely and responsibly

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a schedule to develop standards for wastewater discharges produced by natural gas extraction from underground coalbed and shale formations.

The Economist: A new analysis of the temperature record leaves little room for the doubters. The world is warming

Posted Wed, 2011/11/02 - 10:35am by RCAP

The Economist recently published an article that explains, in layperson's terms, recent research about global warming. The article beings: "For those who question whether global warming is really happening, it is necessary to believe that the instrumental temperature record is wrong. That is a bit easier than you might think."

Read the full article

NARA and EPA launch Documerica-inspired student multimedia contest

Posted Wed, 2011/11/02 - 9:48am by RCAP

'Document Your Environment' contest runs through January 6, 2012

WASHINGTON – The National Archives, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has announced the launch of a student multimedia contest, “Document Your Environment”. Drawing inspiration from a collection of environmental photos from the 1970s, this contest invites students ages 13 to 18 college and graduate students to create any type of graphic art, a short video, or a poem using a Documerica photo as a prompt. The grand prize for this contes

EPA launches Spanish version of MyRTK application/EPA lanza herramienta cibernética en español para conocer sustancias químicas

Posted Tue, 2011/11/01 - 3:29pm by RCAP

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making it easier to find information on toxic chemical releases in communities by making the “My Right-to-Know” (myRTK) application available in Spanish. For any location, myRTK maps facilities that report to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program and shows what chemicals are being released to air, water, and land. Users can find out about the potential health effects associated with the chemicals and learn whether a particular facility is in compliance with major environmental laws.