|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MARCH FEATURE: Profile: The River Alert Information Network (RAIN): Making Regional Drinking Water Collaboration Work
Written by Ellen Kiley and Julie Kollar
RAIN's From the River to the Tap: What you can do to Keep it Clean 2011-2012 WREN Project
has been busy holding public education events, reaching out to new partners, working on its
website (www.3rain.org ), and deploying additional water quality monitoring stations in regions
where natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale is active. The River Alert Information Network
(RAIN) coalition has made great progress since holding its first public awareness events back
in August 2007 with seed funding from WREN, promoting the benefits of establishing an early
warning spill detection system on the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Youghiogheny rivers.
Although many people are aware of threats to area waterways and drinking water, they often
mistakenly assume that contaminant detection equipment is automatically placed for public
water systems that draw off rivers or streams. RAIN undertook the challenge to educate the
public about the gaps due to a lack of monitors that provide real time data, and outlined its
vision for a new robust monitoring network. Click to read more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RAIN Creates Corporate Sponsorship Program In addition to receiving a 2011-2012 WREN Source Water Protection grant, RAIN has received a number of sizable grants to really accelerate their vision as an early warning system for safe drinking water. Range Resources has offered assistance of roughly $20,000 per year for operating funds and to purchase two monitoring units in the Chartiers and Brush Run Creeks in Southwest PA. Also, the Colcom Foundation awarded RAIN $75,000 to expand the Ohio River Basin monitoring capabilities.
In addition to the grant, Range Resources is considering installing water monitoring downstream from their operations and tying into the RAIN network. By bringing the gas industry to the table as a partner, RAIN opened the door to better communication and collaborative efforts to keep drinking water clean.
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PROFILE on Pennsylvania Source Water Protection Collaboration: The North Central Source Water Protection Alliance (NCSWPA)
Written by: Nathan Merkel, PRWA Source Water Protection Specialist
When a tap is turned on, water comes out. There is usually not a lot of thought to the process of how
that water was treated or even where that water originated. What Source Water Protection (SWP) does is focus on the source directly; long before a drop of chemical is added in the treatment process. Once a community water system takes the step to embrace the concept of SWP, it opens the door for many proactive opportunities to protect its precious water resource. It also allows the system to enter into an elite group of forward-thinking water systems that openly grasp the long term benefits of source water protection. Click to read more.
In February, the Alliance hosted a tour of TerrAqua Resource Management (TARM), a Williamsport facility treating wastewater from the natural gas industry for reuse by that industry, following its business meeting on February 23, 2012. Click here to read the media release by Megan Lehman on the event.
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Allegheny County Town Implements Stormwater Fee
 Commissioners in Mt. Lebanon, PA approved a monthly stormwater utility fee for every property with over 800 square feet of impervious surface in August of last year. Like many built-out communities in Pennsylvania, Mt. Lebanon sought a fair way to provide a stable source of revenue to maintain and operate the aging stormwater system and to address capital improvements needed to mitigate flooding and erosion and sedimentation problems. Under the ordinance, all properties are assessed a monthly fee based on the demand a user places on the storm system.
Credits for stormwater controls are available, including a one time rain barrel credit. Fees will go towards the operation, repair and expansion of Mt. Lebanon's 75 miles of storm sewers, and drains, curbs and gutters, compliance for new development, and provide for drainage studies, public education and outreach. Mt. Lebanon used aerial photographs to measure impervious surface.
According to the Mt. Lebanon website, "Prior to 2011, funds for repairing and maintaining the storm water system came from the General Fund of the operating budget or from bond issue debt. This is no longer feasible because of the severity of the storm water issues; unfunded state and federal mandates to control these problems and meet standards; an aging conveyance system, and the competition for municipal tax dollars with other municipal needs."
Mt. Lebanon has adopted a five-year budget for capital improvements to address flooding and the other major needs of the system. Check out the Mt. Lebanon Stormwater Fee webpage for more details and a list of frequently asked questions about this solution to funding infrastructure. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Communities, Water Sources and Potential Impacts of Shale Gas Development In an article from the Water We Drink series, the National Environmental Services Center describes the challenges presented by shale gas development activities and offers suggestions for protecting your community and water sources from potential negative impacts from shale gas extraction activities. They urge that careful planning and oversight are critical for preventing potentially negative impacts and for protecting the community, the environment, and local residents' health, safety, and quality of life. To do this, communities need to become knowledgeable about the process. Click here to read the article. |
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Conservancy Receives State Funding to Help Manage Stormwater Runoff
 The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) and Millvale Borough will receive a $703,525 PENNVEST Non-point Source grant to plant approximately 850 trees and install landscape elements to control storm water runoff and pollution into Girty's Run in Millvale Borough.
WPC first began working with Millvale Borough officials and local residents in 1999 when it helped establish a gateway flower garden at the Route 28 exit. In 2010, WPC and Grow Pittsburgh helped community members establish a new community food garden, a shed and water system, sited on a vacant lot left condemned due to flooding. The food garden was supported through the Allegheny Grows program, a project funded by the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development. Click to read more.
Including this project, the PENNVEST Board Approved $98 Million Investment in Water Infrastructure Projects in 19 Counties.
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ State of the Mon Forum: How Does Flow Affect Data? From the River Alert information Network's (RAIN) January 2012 Rain News
How do we monitor water quality in big river systems with lots of tributaries? The answer isn't always clear when you take into account "mixing" according to John Fulton, a hydraulic engineer with the U.S. Geological Survey. Fulton spoke at the "State of the Mon" Forum at Carnegie Mellon University about how velocity of water flow has a major impact on pollution transportation and how creating velocity profiles can help determine where water quality monitors should be placed. A lot of the discussion surrounded the locks and dams that occupy our region's rivers and change the natural flow. Characterization of water quality issues takes on new meaning with velocity and mixing included in profiles. Fulton discussed the USGS's gages which use real-time Sonde units vertically through the water column to measure depth. There are also issues like temperature effects, density of salts that lay at the bottom, suspended solids, rainfall, discharge effects and buoyancy issues that influence the data. The goal of the project is to create a model using hydrostatic models, bathymetry (the depth of water in an ocean, sea or lake), and Doppler technology to create a simulated model with predictive capability. Fulton points out that validation through hands-on river access is always prescribed. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quick Links |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Save the Date PA Department of Environmental Protection
Online Sessions on New Marcellus Shale Law Visit www.dep.state.pa.us and click the "Act 13" button to register. - April 3, 2012 - Details on Permitting and Notifications
- April 10, 2012 - Information about Environmental Protection and Enhancement
- April 17, 2012 - Inspections and Enforcement
April 22, 2012 Earth Day - 42nd Anniversary April 23, 2012 Highlands Conservation Conference to Focus on Water April 28, 2012 10am - 2pm 4th National DEA Drug Take Back Program May 2-4, 2012 PA-AWWA 64th Annual Conference Lancaster, PA May 10, 2012 Hydromania - Lehigh Valley Water Suppliers, Inc. Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA
June 4-6, 2012
Marriott Lancaster at Penn Square
|
| Late-Breaking News - PA Senate Approves Creation of Stormwater Utilities
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.
 On March 26th, the Pennsylvania Senate unanimously approved legislation sponsored by Senator Ted Erickson (R-26) to allow local governments the ability to create stormwater authorities. Senate Bill 1261 amends the state Municipality Authorities Act to add stormwater management planning and projects to the purposes and powers of municipal authorities. These authorities offer a new tool with a dedicated funding source to tackle stormwater and flooding issues on a watershed basis. The bill now moves to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for consideration. |
|
