Rural Community Assistance Partnership

Practical solutions for improving rural communities

February 2013

EPA releases state enforcement performance information and comparative maps

Posted Tue, 2013/02/12 - 2:57pm by RCAP

Agency to host webinar demonstrating new data features

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the release of state dashboards and comparative maps that provide the public with information about the performance of state and EPA enforcement and compliance programs across the country.

EPA provides tools for sustainable communities

Posted Tue, 2013/02/12 - 12:01pm by RCAP

Smart-growth policies can help achieve environmental justice goals

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a first-of-its kind report showing how low-income, minority and tribal communities can apply smart-growth land-use and development strategies to create healthy communities, spur economic growth and protect the environment.

Fact sheet on coordination among state primacy agencies and state emergency-management agencies

Posted Tue, 2013/02/12 - 11:44am by RCAP

This eight-page fact sheet, developed jointly by EPA and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) Security Committee, focuses on collaborative opportunities among public water and emergency-management agencies when an incident has state involvement. It contains information on the agencies' roles before and during an incident, tips on coordination and requesting federal assistance, and numerous examples of state collaboration that have improved water-sector preparedness and response.

Format:

Fact sheet/overview

Topic:

Security/emergency-response planning

Source:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

ASDWA

Audience:

Mayor/town manager/elected official (local)

State/federal decision-maker

EPA launches green infrastructure listserv

Posted Mon, 2013/02/11 - 4:22pm by RCAP

EPA's green infrastructure program has launched a green infrastructure listserv, called GreenStream, to share training opportunities, newsletters, and publications. Send an email to join.

Low-impact development fact sheets available online

Posted Mon, 2013/02/11 - 4:18pm by RCAP

EPA has released a fact-sheet series on the benefits of low-impact development (LID) and addressing obstacles to wider adoption of LID. Low-impact development is an approach to land development (or re-development) that works with nature to manage stormwater as close to its source as possible. It employs principles such as preserving and recreating natural landscape features, minimizing effective imperviousness to create functional and appealing site drainage that treat stormwater as a resource rather than a waste product.

Show off your water-smart landscapes!

Posted Mon, 2013/02/11 - 4:16pm by RCAP

Are you a green thumb with a knack for saving blue? If so, Facebook and Instagram aren't the only places where you can show off your water-saving landscape projects. WaterSense's Water-Smart Landscape Photo Contest invites home and business owners, landscape designers, irrigation professionals, and anyone else committed to saving water to submit snapshots of landscapes from any time of the year - including past years - that demonstrate how water-smart practices can be both beautiful and efficient.

EPA stormwater pollution-prevention webinar: Stormwater overview & lessons learned

Posted Mon, 2013/02/11 - 4:12pm by RCAP

On February 12, 2013, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, EPA will hold a webinar for municipalities, counties, departments of transportation, universities, and other newcomers to the municipal stormwater program to provide an overview of the program. Local governments who are already developing and implementing their programs will share their experiences and lessons learned, and there will be time to answer participant questions. Participants must register in advance for the webinar.

Register