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  E-News   June  2011  
A monthly Update from the Water Resources Education Network
a project of the League of Women Voters of PA - Citizen Education Fund 
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In this issue
June Feature - Rodale Eco-Center
Highlights of WREN meeting
Updated Nonpoint Source Toolbox
Drug Take-Back Day a Success
Water Impacts of Fracking
Adams Co. Water Resources
Childrens Groundwater Festival
Northwest Workshops
Stormwater conferences in Philadelphia
Quick links
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June WREN Feature is Posted 
Rodale "Water Purification Eco-Center"
Unveiled  
Jim Wilson Rodale
A constructed wetland, trickling filter and drip irrigation system are all part of the "Water Purification Eco-Center" at Rodale Institute in Kutztown, PA.    The demonstration project at new visitor center restrooms was introduced
and the ribbon cut at an event on June 16 attended by local builders, designers and engineers.  Read more on how the system works and Rodale's goals for the project on the WREN Features page.
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Highlights from WREN June Meeting

Where are bromides showing up in PA's rivers and streams?  What is the Susquehanna River Basin Commission's early warning system telling us?  And, most importantly, how can we share our water message with the public and municipals officials?   All this and more were on the agenda on the WREN meeting for local project leaders on June 14-15.

To see the full agenda, and review most of the presentations, visit http://wren.palwv.org/resource.html 

and click on WREN 2011 conference.

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EPA's Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox is Updated

ToolboxGetting In Step: A Guide for Conducting Watershed Outreach Campaigns, EPA's "flagship publication" has long been a recommended tool for WREN local projects.  It lays out an easy-to-use,  step by step process for developing an outreach campaign.  The Guide is part of the newly updated Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox, available on the EPA website at http://cfpub.epa.gov/npstbx/index.html  or the WREN website at  http://wren.palwv.org/OutreachTools.htm

The Nonpoint source Toolbox contains many examples of effective outreach tools, including video, audio and print, to  increase awareness and/or change behaviors.  The update Toolbox also includes enhanced search features and use permission requirements.  Be sure and check it out.

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Drug Take-Back Day Gathers 10 Tons in PA

The April 30 Drug Take-Back Day, the second sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency in partnership with local police departments,  was a
rousing success with 20,499 pounds collected.  65 counties participated, with 429 sites statewide.  To see how your county fared, check out the list for the state on the WREN website at Take-back Day Report.    DEA seems to have a winning formula, let's hope the collection days continue.
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Capitol Hill Briefing on Water Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing 

On June 21 the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC about the water impacts of hydraulic fracturing of shale gas deposits. Speakers included representatives from both domestic and international organizations. The full briefing, with audio and video, can be found at: 

http://www.eesi.org/transatlantic-perspectives-shale-gas-development-21-jun-2011    

Visit  EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study, for more information on that study.  Three sites in PA were recently selected for inclusion in the study, which looks to examine potential environmental and human health implications of hydraulic fracturing with emphasis on impacts to drinking water resources.

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Adams County Water Resources Advisory Committee

Located on Pennsylvania's southern tier, Adams County spans the Susquehanna and Potomac choose clean waterdrainage basins which each drain about half the county.  As a headwaters area, there is minimal streamflow into Adams County while nearly all streams, none of which are very large, flow out of the county.  Ground water which is limited by regional geologic conditions, is the major source of drinking water in the County.  County and local officials have always been concerned with water resources and as an outgrowth of the 2001 Adams County Water Supply Planning and Wellhead Protection Study, Adams County Commissioners adopted a resolution in 2008 that established the Adams County Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC).  WRAC is comprised of representatives from municipalities, county agencies, water suppliers, industry, state and federal agencies, county and state organizations, and citizens-at-large.  The purpose is to bring together groups to share information and provide recommendations to the Commissioners on water resource issues.  A specific task is to oversee the development of a Water Resources Monitoring and Protection Program.  WRAC can also provide information to assist municipal officials with planning for development as the County has faced significant development pressure from the Baltimore-Washington area.  Promoting source water protection and proper water well construction standards are also WRAC initiatives.  For more information, contact Bill Hanne, Adams County WRAC Chair at  [email protected] .

Many thanks to Pat Bowling, Adams County resident, for submitting this and the following article.

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Water Systems Council Holds Children's Water Festival in Pennsylvania for First Time Ever

WSCThe 2011 Pennsylvania Children's Water Festival was held at Gettysburg College on May 24.  Nearly 1,700 fourth and fifth grade students from schools in Adams County and southwestern York County, along with their teachers, attended the event where they explored the "History of Water in Pennsylvania" through various interactive activities in both classroom and outdoor settings.  Topics included ground water, drinking water, watersheds, water quality, surface water and water conservation.  For each of the past seven years, the Water Systems Council, a national non-profit organization that focuses on individual water wells and ground-water protection, holds a Children's Water Festival in a different state to educate students about the importance of their water resources. The festival is offered at no cost to the participating schools and this marked the first time the festival was ever held in Pennsylvania.  This year's festival was co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Ground Water Association (PGWA), Gettysburg College, local businesses, Watershed Alliance of Adams County and several water industry equipment manufacturers and suppliers.  Activities and presentations were led by water and natural resource experts from national, state and local organizations.  The event also included a performance by Grammy Award-winning environmental singer/songwriter Tom Chapin. Preliminary feedback from attendees, school administrators and festival presenters/volunteers has been quite complimentary and PGWA expressed interest in developing a coalition to hold the festival at a different location in the future.      Read more in the Hanover Evening Sun  and in the Watershed Winds newsletter.
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Northwest PA  Local Officials On-board to Protect Drinking Water Sources

WREN,  DEP and local partners brought a pair of free half day workshops to Ridgway, Elk County last week to help communities, planners, and public water systems learn more about available tools and management options to protect drinking water now and for the future.  Local officials and system operators from all surrounding counties attended with 32 attending each day.  Potential  threats to drinking water from Marcellus gas drilling has raised public awareness of the issue -- and has municipal officials asking what they can do to protect water supplies.  Presentations have been posted on WREN's Sourcewaterpa.org   workshop page.

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Philadelphia to Host Stormwater Conferences for 3 Days in September 

19th National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Workshop,  5th National LID Conference, Pennsylvania Stormwater Symposium 

September 25-28 promise to be a valuable three days for anyone working on stormwater and polluted runoff issues in PA.  Save the dates, and look for more information on the conferences on the WREN Calendar. 

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Quick Links  

PFBC Fish kill hotline1-855-FISH-KIL (1-855-347-4545) to report suspected pollution incidents or fish kill.  More info at:   http://www.fish.state.pa.us/newsreleases/2011press/fish_kil.htm   

 

PA Environmental Council MarcellusFacts website

WREN websites: http://wren.palwv.org and www.sourcewaterpa.org  

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