Rural Community Assistance Partnership

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drought

EPA offers water-conservation tips for the summer

A blog of the EPA's Mid-Atlantic Region featured a recent post with water-conservation tips for the summer.

Read the post

Missouri newspaper: 'Clean water is as much a job creator as any'

The HazlewoodPatch, a local newspaper in Hazlewood, Mo., has an Aug. 16 article with the headline "In Tough Economy, Midwest Businesses Say Jobs Depend on Clean Water."

The article begins:

"As the largest watershed in the United States, the Mississippi River Basin is something of a workaholic.

"The Mississippi River basin drains all or part of 31 states, irrigates the country’s bread basket, attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists, cools several power plants, and supplies drinking water to 15 million people. It also creates jobs.

USDA designates an additional 39 counties in 8 states as primary natural disaster areas due to worsening drought

WASHINGTON (USDA)—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack designated on July 18 39 additional counties in eight states as primary natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by drought and excessive heat. During the 2012 crop year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 1,297 counties across 29 states as disaster areas, making all qualified farm operators in the areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans. The additional counties designated today are in the states of Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming. The U.S.