Rural Community Assistance Partnership

Practical solutions for improving rural communities
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May 2012

Need to Know: Anticipating the Public's Questions during a Water Emergency

Posted Tue, 2012/05/15 - 12:24pm by RCAP

An EPA document that helps water and wastewater professionals prepare for communication during and after an emergency situation. The report identifies the most important elements the public wants and needs to know and highlights some of the common challenges in managing public perception.

Need to Know: Anticipating the Public's Questions during a Water Emergency

Format: 
Report
Topic: 
Security/emergency-response planning
Source: 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Audience: 
Operator
Board/council member
Mayor/town manager/elected official (local)
Plant manager

Chicago Tribune: Loyola to ban sale of bottled water on campus

Posted Tue, 2012/05/15 - 11:00am by RCAP

A May 8 article in the Chicago Tribune reports:

"Loyola University Chicago began encouraging students to drink tap water by giving all freshmen reusable bottles last fall and installing more refill stations around campus throughout this past year.

Now it's planning to ban the sale of bottled water altogether.

Starting next fall, the university will stop selling bottled water in its cafeterias and retail locations. Then in 2013, bottled water will be removed from campus vending machines."

EPA's online water-quality standards policy and guidance reference library

Posted Tue, 2012/05/15 - 10:52am by RCAP

EPA has an online water-quality standards policy and guidance reference library, which includes relevant water-quality standards policy and guidance documents. The library is sortable by document title, issue date, topic and EPA publication number. 

Go to the library

Format: 
Website (with more resources)
Topic: 
Regulations
Source: 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Audience: 
Operator
Board/council member
Mayor/town manager/elected official (local)
Plant manager
State/federal decision-maker

EPA's online water-quality standards handbook

Posted Tue, 2012/05/15 - 10:49am by RCAP

EPA has an online version of its water-quality standards handbook. It is user-friendly and provides transparency by providing links to EPA’s most recent policy documents. The handbook is a compilation of EPA's guidance on the water-quality standards program and provides direction for states, territories and authorized tribes in reviewing, revising and implementing water-quality standards.

Go to the handbook

Format: 
Website (with more resources)
Topic: 
Regulations
Source: 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Audience: 
State/federal decision-maker

EPA updates online water-quality standards guidance

Posted Tue, 2012/05/15 - 10:46am by RCAP

EPA has updated the online version of its water-quality standards handbook to make it more user-friendly and improve transparency by providing links to EPA’s most recent policy documents. The handbook is a compilation of EPA's guidance on the water-quality standards program and provides direction for states, territories and authorized tribes in reviewing, revising and implementing water-quality standards.

EPA promotes safer alternatives to nonylphenol ethoxylates

Posted Fri, 2012/05/11 - 10:26am by RCAP

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the final report on alternatives to nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) through the Design for the Environment (DfE) Alternatives Assessment Program. NPEs are widely used surfactants with a range of industrial applications and are commonly found in consumer products, such as laundry detergents. When released into the environment, they can be persistent and highly toxic to aquatic organisms. The report identifies eight safer alternatives to NPE that meet EPA’s criteria for safer surfactants.

The Drinking Water: Protecting the Source instructional materials for students

Posted Wed, 2012/05/09 - 12:27pm by RCAP

From the National FFA Organization (also known as Future Farmers of America):

Format: 
Training materials
Topic: 
Source water
Climate change
Watersheds
Source: 
Other nonprofit/organization

Webinar on using EPA's energy-use assessment tool for water and wastewater systems

Posted Tue, 2012/05/08 - 9:07am by RCAP

Join us to learn the steps in performing an energy-use assessment at small- to medium-sized water or wastewater systems.

Thursday, May 31, 2012
1:30-3:30pm ET

Register

What have we heard?
Providing safe drinking water and clean water is an energy-intensive activity. Many drinking water and wastewater utilities are recognizing the importance of reducing energy consumption as a means to reduce their operational costs.

EPA Celebrates Drinking Water Week

Posted Tue, 2012/05/08 - 9:02am by RCAP

The week of May 6 to 12 marks the celebration of Drinking Water Week, a time when EPA and its partners celebrate our nation’s vital drinking water resources. Safe drinking water relies on all of us. We must do our part to be informed and involved in our communities to protect our drinking water. EPA has developed a website with more information on what you can do around your home and within your community to protect your drinking water, ways to become involved in matters affecting the quality of your drinking water, and much more.

Webcast series for water and wastewater utilities

Posted Tue, 2012/05/08 - 9:01am by RCAP

EPA has scheduled the first in a series of webcasts built around the core elements of its February 2012 handbook, “Planning for Sustainability: A Handbook for Water and Wastewater Utilities.” Effective planning is essential for utilities to sustainably manage their operations and ensure that water infrastructure investments are cost-effective over their life-cycle, resource-efficient, and support other relevant community sustainability goals.