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Water's What's New
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October 29, 2004
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Nonpoint Source Outreach Digital Toolbox
Learn about, and contribute to, EPA's upcoming outreach product--tentatively titled the "Nonpoint Source Outreach Digital Toolbox."
June 17, 2004
February 26, 2004
Getting In Step: A Guide for Conducting Watershed Outreach Campaigns (PDF, 3.3MB) This guidebook provides some of the tools that watershed practitioners need to develop and implement an effective watershed outreach plan.
February 12, 2004
January 28, 2004
WATER, Soil, and Hydro-Environmental Decision Support System (WATERSHEDSS)
WATERSHEDSS is a watershed-level, web-based decision support system. Its two primary objectives are to:
1. transfer water quality and land treatment information to watershed managers in order to assist them in making appropriate land management and land treatment decisions to achieve water quality goals.
2. assess and evaluate sources, impacts, and potential management options for control of nonpoint source pollution in a watershed based on user-supplied information and decisions.
January 5, 2004
Best Management Practices for Environmental Issues Related to Highway and Street Maintenance (PDF format, 10MB)
This document, produced by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, is appropriate for state, county, city and local agencies. It is a compilation of practices likely to increase the environmental sensitivity of road maintenance work, including many practices that have become widely adopted and adapted.
October 24, 2003
Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidelines for States and Territories (Oct. 23, 2003)
HTML version PDF version
EPA has developed guidelines for States' implementation of
nonpoint source management programs under Section 319 of the Clean
Water Act and for the award of Section 319 grants to States to
implement those programs. These guidelines apply to grants appropriated
by Congress in Fiscal Year 2004 and in subsequent years. The guidelines
continue EPA's policy of focusing a significant portion of Section 319
funds ($100 million annually) to address watersheds where nonpoint
source pollution has resulted in impairment of water quality. The
remaining funds are to be used by States to assist in their
implementation of their broad array of programs and authorities to
address all of the water quality threats and impairments caused by
nonpoint source pollution.
October 6, 2003
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Building Capacity for NPS Management (PDF, 2.8MB, Best viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader version 5 or above.)
The case studies included in this document highlight watershed groups, local governments, and organizations engaged in innovative approaches for building capacity, such as group building and organization (establishing partnerships and soliciting volunteers), organizing capital resources and fiscal management (obtaining private grants and federal funding), and using technical and specialized resources (using experts, developing innovative projects, procuring office space and equipment, etc.).
September 24, 2003
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National
Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from
Agriculture
National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from Agriculture is a technical guidance and reference document for use by State, local, and tribal managers in the implementation of nonpoint source pollution management programs. It contains information on the best available, economically achievable means of reducing pollution of surface and ground water from agriculture (Final Version - July 2003).
August 25, 2003
August 22, 2003
August 21, 2003
May 21, 2003
May 12, 2003
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EPA's NPS News-Notes: Issue #71 (May 2003) - HTML , PDF (1.2MB)
NPS News-Notes Events Calendar
May 1, 2003
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Applying for and
Administering CWA Section 319 Grants: A Guide for State Nonpoint Source
Agencies
This manual provides an overview of federal grant requirements that will
guide state and territory nonpoint source agency staff when applying for
and administering grants awarded under the Clean Water Act Section 319.
April 23, 2003
April 2, 2003
March 27, 2003
March 14, 2003
February 5, 2003
- NPS News Notes: Issue 70
, PDF 1.2MB)
January 13, 2003
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Massachusetts Unpaved Roads BMP Manual (PDF format, 1.5Mb)
"This manual presents BMPs that can be used to improve water quality
while enhancing the quality of unpaved roads. It is designed to be
used by highway department supervisors, road crews and others engaged
in maintaining private or public roadways."
December 12, 2002
- National
Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from
Agriculture
National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollu
tion
from Agriculture is a final draft technical guidance and ref
erence
document for use by State, local, and tribal managers in the
implementation
of nonpoint source pollution management programs. It contains
information on the best available, economically achievable means
of reducing pollution of surface and ground water from agricultu
re.
November 29, 2002
- Water Quality and BMPs for Loggers
This web site serves as a convenient national, regional, and local online service providing ready access to educational and training opportunities, relevant legislation and regulations, water quality and best management practices materials and key resources for managing forested watersheds.
September 9, 2002
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National Management Measures
to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from Urban Areas is a draft techn
ical guidance and reference document for use by State, local, and tribal manager
s in the implementation of nonpoint source pollution management programs.
It contains information on the best available, economically achievable means of
reducing pollution of surface and ground water from urban areas.
The due date for comments on the draft are due on December 9, 2002.
Please send comments to Rod Frederick of EPA at frederick.rod@epa.gov.
August 28, 2002
- Supplemental Guidelines for the Award of Section
319 Nonpoint Source Grants to States and Territories in FY 2003
EPA has developed guidelines that describe the process and criteria to be used to award Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 319 nonpoint source grants to States and Territories (hereinafter referred to collectively as “States”) in FY 2003. The process and criteria for FY 2003 are similar to those established for FY 2002, but are modified as described in the guidelines. The guidelines continue to emphasize a concentrated focus on the implementation of projects that are designed to improve waters that have been listed as impaired under Section 303(d) of the CWA.
June 11, 2002
- Riparian Areas:
Functions and Strategies for Management
The National Research Council has carried out an extensive study on riparian
areas. The scope and results of this study are available in this
pre-publication on-line document.
June 5, 2002
- Road Maintenance Video Set
The "Road Maintenance Video Set" is a five-part video series developed for USDA
Forest Service equipment operators. It focuses on environmentally sensitive
ways of maintaining low volume roads.
May 21, 2002
- Web-Based Reach Indexing Tool
for Grants Reporting and Tracking System (WebRIT-GRTS)
The Web-based Reach Indexing Tool (WebRIT) for the Grants Reporting Tracking
System (GRTS) is an interactive mapping procedure that allows users to view
surface waters within the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and related
information about impaired waters as context for georeferencing their own water
quality information to the NHD. The primary purpose of this initial release of
the WebRIT-GRTS application is to allow users of GRTS to georeference the
locations of non point source projects funded by grants issued under Section
319 of the Clean Water Act. These projects are tracked in GRTS.
May 6, 2002
- Onsite
Wastewater Treatment Systems Manual (February 2002) (PDF, 1.4MB)
This manual provides up-to-date information on onsite wastewater treatment
system (OWTS) siting, design, installation, maintenance, and replacement. It
reflects significant advances that the expert community has identified to help
OWTSs become more cost-effective and environmentally protective, particularly
in small suburban and rural areas.
April 16, 2002
- Section 319 Success Stories: Volume
III
This document is the third volume of Section 319 Success Stories. It contains
approximately two new stories per state, highlighting some of the additional
successes achieved since the 1997 publication. These stories demonstrate
better-defined water quality improvements, as well as growing partnerships and
funding sources, as state 319 programs expand and states learn increasingly
more from past 319 demonstration projects.
February 22, 2002
February 8, 2002
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Nonpoint Source
Minigrants (PDF, 100KB)
This report describes mini-grants programs used by various States, local
agencies, and non-profit organizations to implement efforts to address nonpoint
source pollution and to protect or restore watersheds. Many of these are
implemented as sub-awards, through State grant or contract mechanisms, of funds
received by the State as part of an EPA grant under Section 319 of the Clean
Water Act. Others are purely State-funded. In addition, the report closes with
some examples of similar mini-grants used by estuary programs in the National
Estuary Program under Section 320 of the CWA. The report is a product of the
Grants Workgroup of the
State-EPA Nonpoint Source Partnership.
January 2, 2002
- Showcase of Exceptional
Education Products
The state of Washington's Department of Ecology has developed a site that will
help you find outstanding educational products related to nonpoint source water
pollution. The products come from many different sources in a variety of
formats -- publications, videos, classroom materials, etc. The site provides
contact information as well as other useful background information so that you
can obtain the products and adapt them to your needs. You can also nominate
your own favorite educational products to be put on the site.
December 4, 2001
- National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint
Source Pollution from Marinas and Recreational Boating
National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from
Marinas and Recreational Boating is a technical guidance and reference
document for use by State, local, and tribal managers in the implementation of
nonpoint source pollution management programs. It contains information on the
best available, economically achievable means of reducing pollution of surface
water runoff from marinas and recreational boating. (Final Version)
November 6, 2001
October 31, 2001
October 23, 2001
- NPS News Notes: Issue 66 (
HTML
, PDF 1.6MB)
October 22, 2001
- Gravel Roads: Maintenance and Design
Manual
This manual was developed with a major emphasis on the maintenance of gravel
roads, including some basic design elements. The purpose of the manual is to
provide clear and helpful information for doing a better job of maintaining
gravel roads. The manual is designed for the benefit of elected officials,
mangers, and grader operators who are responsible for designing and maintaining
gravel roads.
October 19, 2001
- Capacity Building
Resources
This website, put together by the Nonpoint Source Capacity Building and
Funding Work Group, provides watershed groups and local governments links to
technical tools for scientific support, engineering support, information
technology, assistance with legal issues, project management, outreach, and
planning support. It also provides links to legal resources for activities such
as permitting, enforcement, contracting, fund raising, and resource
management.
August 8, 2001
- Stormwater News
This site provides information on stormwater pollution, treatment
methodologies, and related issues. The site's on-line library contains
downloadable research papers, software, and information regarding nonpoint
source pollution, best management practices, upcoming conferences, total
maximum daily loads, and other stormwater topics.
August 1, 2001
- Water and the Forest
Service (PDF)
This report focuses on the role of forests in water supply, including
quantity, quality, timing of release, flood reductions and low flow
augmentation, economic value of water from national forest lands, and economic
benefits of tree cover for stormwater reduction in urban areas.
- National Fire Plan:
Rehabilitation and Restoration
The USFS National Fire Plan includes a significant emphasis on rehabilitation
and restoration of watersheds with the goal of closely matching historical or
pre-fire ecosystem structure, function and diversity and dynamics. Restoration
projects focus on restoring watershed function, including protection of basic
soil, water resources, biological communities, and prevention of invasive
species.
July 26, 2001
- Low-Impact Development
Center
The Low-Impact Development Center was established to develop and provide
information to individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting the
environment and water resources through proper site design techniques that
replicate pre-existing hydrologic site conditions.
July 20, 2001
July 19, 2001
- NPS News Notes: Issue 65 (
HTML, PDF
1.6MB)
July 5, 2001
May 16, 2001
April 24, 2001
April 12, 2001
- Financing
Stormwater Management
This site was developed by the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment at
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in cooperation with
the Watershed Management Institute, Inc. Funding was provided by the EPA. The
site includes an annotated bibliography of existing stormwater finance
materials; an archive that contains selected previously published materials
concerning stormwater finance; a manual that discusses the financing options
available to communities for stormwater management programs; a set of case
studies that describe successful finance mechanisms that have been used in
seven communities around the country; and a group of links to other useful web
sites about stormwater management.
April 10, 2001
- State-EPA NPS
Partnership
States and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have joined together
to form a new State/EPA Nonpoint Source Partnership. The Partnership provides
an excellent framework for States and EPA to work together cooperatively to
identify, prioritize, and solve nonpoint source problems. The States and EPA
initiated the new partnership at a national nonpoint source meeting sponsored
jointly by The Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control
Administrators (ASIWPCA) and EPA in April 2000.
March 8, 2001
- NRCS Photo Gallery
NRCS has about 1,500 conservation-related images that can be downloaded from
this site. The photos are organized in a database that allows users to search
54 categories from 30 States using key categories like buffers, conservation
tillage, water quality and wildlife.
March 2, 2001
- Recommended Practices Manual: A
Guideline for Maintenance and Service of Unpaved Roads
This is a manual of standard procedures, produced by Choctawhatchee, Pea and
Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority, which describes and illustrates
cost effective techniques and practices which can be used to enhance stability
and maintenance of unpaved roadways while reducing sedimentation and improving
the quality of surface waters.
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Conservation Buffers to Reduce Pesticide Losses (PDF, 1.2MB, 25 pages)
This document summarizes recent research investigating the ability of
conservation buffers to trap and degrade pesticides carride in field runoff. It
is the result of a joint effort between the Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) National Water and Climate Center and US EPA's Office of
Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances.
February 7, 2001
January 30, 2001
January 23, 2001
- National Stormwater Best Management
Practices (BMP) Database
This database provides access to stormwater BMP performance data in a
standardized format for over 70 BMP studies conducted over the past fifteen
years. The database was developed by the Urban Water Resources Research Council
(UWRRC) of ASCE under a cooperative agreement with the US Environmental
Protection Agency.
- How to
Create a Stormwater Utility (PDF, 3M)
This is a set of documents placed into a single PDF file that describes the
various steps necessary to create an effective stormwater utility. The document
was created by the towns of Chicopee and South Hadley, Massachusetts using
Section 319 grant funds.
January 22, 2001
January 11, 2001
- (G) Unified Federal Policy for a
Watershed Approach to Federal Land and Resource Management
The Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy and the Interior,
the Environmental Protection Agency, theTennessee Valley Authority, and the
Army Corps of Engineer are adopting a unified Federal policy on watershed
management. The following policy has two main goals: (1) Use a watershed
approach to prevent and reduce pollution of surface and ground waters resulting
from Federal land and resource management activities; and (2) Accomplish this
in a unified and cost-effective manner. The policy was signed on October 18,
2000.
January 3, 2001
- (G) Best NPS Documents
This is not a publication. It is a list of documents that the Nonpoint Source
Control Branch at EPA headquarters has found to be especially well done. The
list includes agriculture documents, forestry documents, marina documents,
urban documents, stream restoration documents, nonpoint source monitoring
documents, and funding documents.
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