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Volume 22 No. 1Winter 2013
In This Issue
Winter Feature: Are Rain Gardens Mini Toxic Cleanup Sites?
Still Time to Apply: WREN Grant Applications Due March 22
Bucks County Conservation District urges Municipalities to Take the Next Step and Maintain Their BMPs
Reading Area Water Authority Garners National AWWA Award for Drinking Water Protection
WREN Opportunity Grants Show Small Investments Can Boost Community Greening Efforts
New Guide Helps Doctors Connect Toxic Water to Health
Help Nature Protection through Spring Clean Ups!
Runners Raising Money to Combat Runoff Through Education
Technology Helps Save Water on Farms
Campaign: Pick Up Poop: Because Dogs Can't Flush Campaign
Campaign: Rain Garden Cost Share Program
More Water Education Campaign Examples
WREN Winter
Feature 

Are Rain Gardens Mini Toxic Cleanup Sites?

 

By Lisa Stiffler, Sightline Institute
Webinars

"Practical Considerations for Management, Re-Use and Disposal of Waste Waters"

Free Webinar from U.S.Water Alliance Hydraulic Fracturing Series 
March 18, 2013  

2:00 - 3:00 pm EST 

 

"Smart Stormwater Retrofitting in the Urban Environment" 

CWP'S Watershed & Stormwater Management Webcast Series 

March 13, 2013

12 Noon - 2:00pm EDT

Registration ends 3/8/13 - Fee applies 

 

4 Steps to Aha! Messages 

Join the 24% of Nonprofits Whose Messages Move People to Act
Free Webinar 
March 27, 2013
1:00-2:00 PM EDT 

 

Free Webinar
March 27, 2013
11:30 am -1 pm 
 
March 27, 2013
Noon

CWP'S Watershed & Stormwater Management Webcast Series 

April 17, 2013

12 Noon - 2:00pm EDT

Fee applies  

Reports
2012 Report by The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread

  

Johnson Foundation 2012 Report
Deloitte Water Tight 2012 Rpt
"State of the Susquehanna 2013" by SRBC features trends in key water resource indicators, as well as "The Drinking Water Connection," to draw attention to the importance of protecting drinking water supplies for the more than 6 million people who rely on the basin.
2013 State of Susquehanna Report SRBC
  "Water Treatment Contaminants: Forgotten Toxics in American Water" by Environmental Working Group Feb 2013

Videos to Watch

Working to install 100 rain gardens in the Borough:
"Rain Gardens: Saving Streams One Yard at a Time" 


Yellow Jug Old Drugs - Pharma disposal program




Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District's Regional Stormwater Management Fee Program began Jan 1st  to help address stream problems like flooding, erosion and pollution

Quick Links


SRBC Adopts Low Flow Protection Policy


Rain Garden Simulation


UMD-led Study Identifies "Superbug" MRSA in U.S. WastewaterTreatment Plants








EPA Launches Green Infrastructure Listserv
To join email [email protected]

Stroud Launches Watershed Restoration Group  - Focus is to assist farmers with financial and technical support to install conservation measures



Grants

2013 PA River Sojourn Grants  

Due: March 27, 2013  

 

Local Government Academy's Multi-Municipal Planning & Community Sustainability Grant Program awards grants of up to $8,500 per municipality 

Due: May 1, 2013 

 

2013 Schuylkill River

Restoration Fund
Grant Program
 
Due: May 28, 2013

Commonwealth Finance
Authority Accepting
Applications For Water
Supply, Wastewater
Infrastructure Projects
 Due: June 28, 2013
 

Act 13 Abandoned Mine,
Watershed Restoration,
Greenways Grant
Due: July 31 2013
 
Resources

Low Impact Development (LID) "Barrier Busters" Fact Sheet Series

EPA Fact sheets LID

 

  Permitting Green

Infrastructure: A Guide

To Improving Municipal

Stormwater Permits

And Protecting Water

Quality

AR report permitting green infra
  
Recommended Practices:
Water Pipelines by Marcellus Shale Coalition
Shale Pipelines

Pennsylvania's Field Guide to 
Aquatic Invasive
Species
  
Aquatic invasive

 

PA Local GovernmentGuide: Pennsylvania ACT 13
Conservation and
Recreation Funding
Trust for Public Land Act 13
 
Well numbers mean

Dive Deeper for Youth Water Educators Conference Presentations

Save the Date
Local Government Academy 

Requirements for Municipal Storm Sewer Systems (MS4): Do you Get it?

March 21, 2013

Pittsburgh, PA 

  

World Water Day

March 22, 2013

  

Free Training Session for Audubon's Stream Ecology Field Trip Volunteers

March 23, 2013

LeTort Park, Carlisle, PA


PA Land Trust Association Conference 

April 4-6, 2012 

State College, PA  

 

PA Watersheds

Conference

April 5-6, 2013

Nittany Lion Inn

State College, PA


PRWA Annual Conference 

April 9-12, 2013

State College, PA  

 

International

Earth Day 2013

April 22, 2013

 

  Got Drugs?

National Drug Disposal Day

April 27, 2013

10am-2pm 

Help residents stop flushing medications to protect our local water resources and use proper  disposal. 

 

Project WET USA Water Education Conference

Denver, CO

August 7-9, 2013

Regulations Open for Comment
PA DEP requested comments on a draft policy on the review of onlot sewage systems in High Quality and Exceptional Value watersheds in PA Bulletin of 3/2/13. Comments due by May 1, 2013 

For More Information, visit PA DEP Public Participation website, click on "Proposals Currently Open for Comment"
WREN CONNECT
 

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Winter Feature: 

Are Rain Gardens Mini-Toxic Cleanup Sites? 

By Lisa Stiffler, Sightline Institute 

rain garden installation
Students in Columbia County dig a rain garden at their school. The project was part of the 2010-2011 Columbia County WREN Grant Project, "Community Raingarden Model."

Here's what happens to the pollutants swept up in stormwater runoff.

 

If you're concerned about water pollution, you've likely heard this message: The runoff that gushes from our roofs, driveways, streets, and landscaped yards is fouling rivers, lakes, and bays nationwide. You probably also know about the most popular stormwater solutions, including rain gardens and other green infrastructure that soak up the filthy water, cleaning it before it reaches sensitive waterways that are home to beloved wildlife and where people like to play and fish.

 

But those two ideas taken together are making some people anxious. If stormwater is the source of such devastating amounts of petroleum and heavy metals, won't the rain garden in my front yard become a mini toxic waste site that could harm children and pets?

 

Read more...

Still Time to Apply:

WREN Grant Applications Due March 22

Septic brochure
This  septic system education brochure was produced by a 2006-07 WREN grant by Riegelsville Borough, Bucks County.
The 2013 round of WREN Watershed Education and Source Water Protection Collaborative Grants is still open.When applying, be sure to involve municipal officials and propose a project that will result in behavior change! 

One example would be a project to address a common problem across Pennsylvania:  failing septic systems. Many homeowners are unaware their on-lot system may be a source of unhealthy pollutants that reaches streams and groundwater due to lack of proper maintenance.


There are many "off-the shelf" public education tools developed by prior projects and resources ready to customize at the WREN website, and at the EPA Nonpoint Source Toolkit. No need to start from scratch.


Funded project activities will run July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. The deadline for submitting  proposals for WREN grants for source water protection and watershed education is March 22nd.  Download the grant announcement flyer here. For more information and application forms, click here.

Help your residents better understand their wonderful water assets by planning and implementing a locally-led community project that will provide environmental, economic and social benefits. Be the "sparkplug" and make a difference.

Bucks County Conservation District urges Municipalities to Take the Next Step & Maintain Their 

Best Management Practices (BMPs)

BCCD maintain BMP brochure Have you been successful working over the past few years with your municipality to install stormwater best management practices (BMPs)?   How well will they perform over time? The key factor may be how well they are maintained.  

 

Bucks County Conservation District (BCCD) realized that just as cars need periodic tune-ups to keep them running at peak performance, the same is true for installed green stormwater tools (BMPs).  They found that some BMPs were not being maintained, thus decreasing their effectiveness!  

 

Mary Ellen Noonan, BCCD's Environmental Educator, is urging municipalities to learn about the importance of maintaining green stormwater best management practices to ensure they will function properly for years to come.

 

BCCD's Take the Next Step: Maintain Your BMPs project is funded by a $3,400 2012-2013 WREN Watershed Education Grant and features an outstanding set of expert speakers. 

 

As part of the project, Noonan worked with WREN through several drafts to develop a very professional and attractive brochure to advertise the April 10th workshop that will feature site demonstrations.  


Kudos to Bucks County for realizing the work wasn't finished when the BMPs were originally installed. With the help of this WREN grant, they continue to work to provide clean water to their communities. 

Reading Area Water Authority Garners National AWWA Award for Drinking Water Protection

Reading Area Water Authority (RAWA) in Berks County just received notice that it has been selected to receive the 2013 National  "Exemplary Source Water Protection Award" from the American Water Works Association in the large system category.  The award recognizes organizations in North America that have developed and are implementing exemplary source water protection programs.  

 

Reading Area Water Authority serves the City of Reading and relies primarily on surface water from Lake Ontelaunee which was constructed in 1926 and is located about six miles north of the City.

 

Source water is the untreated "raw" water from streams, rivers, lakes or underground aquifers that is used to provide public drinking water. It is important to protect the integrity of source waters in order to minimize the cost of treatment, as well as to reduce the risks to public health and our ecosystems.Source water protection is a voluntary effort in Pennsylvania, supported by PADEP and partners such as WREN.

 

According to RAWA's Executive Director Dean Miller, "RAWA has invested many man hours and resources into this program. We are known throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as having one of the more elite programs...and RAWA is looked upon highly in this regard.  This program implements Best Management Practices in our watershed to protect our Source Water and ultimately keep treatment costs down."

 

"We at RAWA are VERY proud of this accomplishment and recognition," continued Mr. Miller, "and hope that this accomplishment shows the dedication that is instilled into the day to day tasks that we do here and shows that efforts are continually being made to keep Reading Area's water safe!"

 

 

RAWA will join other organizations within North America that have been recognized for their outstanding source protection efforts such as:

  • 2010 - Boston, Massachusetts
  • 2011 - Wilmington, Delaware
  • 2012 - Portland, Maine
  • 2013 - READING AREA WATER AUTHORITY, Reading, Pennsylvania
RAWA is a former WREN Source Water Protection Grantee 2008-2009.  Congratulations to Dean Miller and the entire team at RAWA and partners for their outstanding achievement!
WREN Opportunity Grants Show Small Investments Can Boost Community Greening Efforts

Lemoyne flyer

 
WREN funded a $300 Opportunity Grant to Lemoyne Borough, Cumberland County, for their Lemoyne Rain Garden Workday Workshop during the fall 2012.
 
The funds were used to purchase approximately 230 native plant plugs to fill in mulched areas in existing streetscape rain gardens on Market Street in Lemoyne, Cumberland County, PA. Shirley Stark of  the PSU Master Gardener Program led the Workshop with a wonderful team of hard working volunteers. A colorful and attractive flyer was used to advertise the event. 

Lemoyne is a local leader of the greenscapes movement, and was the first community in the area to install a green infrastructure streetscape with a rain garden system to filter stormwater. The Borough uses its greenscape to educate and inspire residents to accept responsibility for their own stormwater at home.
  
Before - Grove Park, home of Abington Twp Shade Tree Commission gets a new rain garden - fall 2012
Abington Township Shade Tree Commission (Montgomery County) led another $300 Opportunity Grant Project, and constructed a demonstration rain garden at Grove Park, home of the Abington Township Shade Tree Commission. 
"The design was created by members of the Shade Tree Commission with planning, project labor and much of the logistics managed via a BSA Troop 48 Eagle Scout project, which in itself afforded a significant educational and outreach opportunity." 
After
"The project included excavation, soil enhancement, grading, routing of
downspouts to direct rain to garden, planting, installation of a complementary rain barrel and the purchase of two oak trellises to display educational brochures and signage. I
n addition to purchased materials, local residents donated decorative stones and several downspout sections." 

"The Abington Township Environmental Advisory Council donated a rain barrel, and Abington Township delivered free of charge leaf compost for soil amendment purposes. We estimate that the project exceeded 140 volunteer hours, involving approximately 25 volunteers at different stages of the project." 

An educational brochure was also developed to be distributed at an open house and unveiling of the "best practices" area at Grove Park, as well as through the Abington Shade Tree Commission's web site and Facebook. 

Thanks to Shirley Stark and the volunteers in Lemoyne Borough and to Rita Stevens, Chair of the Abington Township Shade Tree Commission, for her leadership and to the Scouts and community volunteers who made the Abington Twp. project possible! WREN Opportunity Grants are funded by the PADEP Nonpoint Source Management Program through Section 319 of the federal Clean Water Act, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.   

New Guide Helps Doctors Connect Toxins in Water to Health

There are over 80,000 chemicals available for use in the United States, and many enter our surface waters, air and soil.  Awareness and education are needed to minimize exposure and assess whether policy changes are needed.  


River Network's Clinician's Guide to Toxic Exposure and Disease was created "to alert health care professionals to the growing body of evidence that shows chemical exposures play a significant role in the evolution of disease." 

Clinician's Guide to Toxics

From breast cancer to heart disease to immune and neurological disorders, the Guide details which toxic contaminants can play a factor in each illness and the strength of the evidence, and provides citations to the most recent research.


River Network believes that the medical community can -- and should -- be a strong ally in advocating for pollution prevention, and hopes the Guide will both inform and motivate more medical professionals in that direction.

Help Nature Protection through Spring Clean Ups!

Registration is Now Open for the 2013 Great American Cleanup of PA. 

Keep PA Beautiful
Photo from www.keeppabeautiful.org.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful announced that registration is now open for the 2013 Great American Cleanup of PA. Event coordinators can visit the Great American Cleanup of PA webpage, www.gacofpa.org, to register their event. This annual event is held in conjunction with the Great American Cleanup of Keep America Beautiful and in partnership with support from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, and Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association. 

The 2013 Great American Cleanup of PA will begin on March 1st and end on May 31st. During this period, registered events can get free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests from PennDOT district offices. Events consist of litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, beautification projects, special collections, and educational events. Events must be registered through the Great American Cleanup of PA website, www.gacofpa.org, to get these free cleanup supplies. 

 

Take advantage of this opportunity to make a difference for your community! This is a perfect project for your local watershed association. Read more...


Clean Up with the 2013 Schuylkill Scrub
Schuylkill Scrub The Schuylkill Scrub will again take place this Spring with the support of many partners. The 2013 Scrub hopes to attract many residents up and downstream to lend a hand to clean up miles of road, stream and parkland to keep trash from making its way into drinking water sources along the 130-mile long Schuylkill River. Besides protecting drinking water, cleanups like these go a long way to help nature protection by keeping it litter-free and beautiful.
Runners Raising Money to Combat Runoff Through Education
 Urban Runoff logo

On April 20, runners and walkers in Portland, Maine will teaming up to raise watershed awareness by participating in the Urban Runoff 5K race

 

The event is to raise money for clean water education to build healthy communities. As part of this public outreach effort, educational signage about water, runoff, and pollution will be placed along the race course!

Urban runoff
Photo by Remick Photography

 

A Green Neighbor Family Fest will follow the race.  The Family Fest celebrates clean water and Earth Day (April 22, 2013) through "green" kids' activities, live performances, hands-on education, face painting, and more! 

 

There are even volunteers who will run behind the racers to pick up trash with the goal of making the course cleaner than when the race started.

Urban runoff fest
Photo by Brian Peterson

The Urban Runoff and Green Neighbor Family Fest are coordinated by the Cumberland County Soil & Water  Conservation District on behalf of 14 municipalities in Southern Maine. This event is not only a fundraiser for community clean water education, but will also feature hands-on learning. The organizers really are practicing what they preach!   

 

Consider engaging the runners and walkers in your community with a Clean Water Race. Couple it with a nature hike for walkers, and you have potential to reach a new audience with a winning fundraising event that offers something for the whole family while getting the clean water message out in town. Combining outdoor recreation with clean water is a natural healthy fit.  Prizes could enhance the outdoor recreation theme:  think paddling or fly fishing lessons, or chance to win a rain barrel or green backyard make-over design.  

Technology Helps Manage Water & Fertilizer Use on Farms

cropmanage header
Farmers in California are now able to access CropManage, a free website which helps them to predict their fertilizer needs and irrigation times. Fertilizer and water are expensive. By calculating the needs of each, the least amount possible is used saving money, water, and keeping excess nutrient out of water supplies.

 

The website pulls soil, crop growth and water needs information from a University of California research database. The farmer goes to a simple website, names his or her fields, adds the type of irrigation systems to be used and how much water they deliver per hour.  


In testing, researchers demonstrated at 30% reduction in nitrogen fertilizer application. The University of California Cooperative Extension developed the program. 


Michael Cahn, Water Resources and Irrigation Advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension is aware of only one other aimilar program in the country: 
Adapt-N from Cornell University. However, this program only focuses only nitrogen management.

These online tools are two examples the important role technology will play in keeping pollutants out of our most precious resource - our water.

Campaign: Pick Up Poop: Because Dogs Can't Flush

pick up poop

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and www.wheredoesitgo.org have a clever campaign to clean up dog waste and other pollutants that may reach Lake Erie. In the campaign, Wally Waterdrop and his dog Pup raise awareness and feature multiple social marketing tools (incentives, norms) to help address this common pollutant source for waterways.The campaign was the winner of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) 2011 Public Information & Education Award. Watch the Dogs Can't Flush and  Where Does It Go Video.


There are four actions you can take at http://wheredoesitgo.weebly.com:
pick up poop 2

As the campaign urges, "one simple action can make an environmental difference: Pick Up Poop." Residents are urged to take the PUP pledge to bag pet waste and properly dispose of it in a trash receptacle.

 

Consider implementing a program like this in your community as some WREN Grantees have done and make a difference for clean water today!  To learn more about using social marketing tools, click here.

Campaign: Rain Garden Cost Share Program 
Westmoreland Rain Garden
Rain Gardens  Produce Results
Back in our Sept WREN E-News, we shared an article with readers about an innovative stormwater public education campaign in Rochester, Minnesota.  As an update, we thought we'd share information about their 2013 residential Rain Garden Cost Share Program.
 
The City of Rochester provides up a 50% cost-share grant up to a maximum of $750 per project for a limited number of residential demonstration raingardens. Homeowners must agree that the raingarden will be a tool that will help others learn about and install their own raingardens. Grant recipients also agree to educational efforts and will:
  • Place a Realize Raingardens Rochester sign in the raingarden.  
  • Attend a Raingarden Party Host Training and Host a Raingarden Party for friends, families, or neighbors.
  • Register the raingarden and submit photos for the City's Realize Raingardens Rochester website.
  • Allow the site to be published on the Realize Raingardens Rochester location map and allow the public to view the raingarden.
  • Serve as a community resource to promote raingardens, pollution prevention activities, and other events. 
Funding source is the City's Stormwater Utility Fee implemented in 2004 in which every developed residential and non-residential property parcel is charged a Fee based on its size, land use and amount of impervious (or hard surface) area.  The city believes this is an equitable approach because the charges are proportional to a property's contribution to storm water runoff and impact on water quality. 

For more information on funding stormwater solutions, read the July/August 2012 article in Stormwater Magazine, Trends in Stormwater Utility Implementation, and the
EPA Funding Stormwater Programs Fact Sheet. Check out the survey of U.S. Stormwater Utilities (SWUs) recently compiled by WKU:  Western Kentucky University Stormwater Utility Survey 2012.
More Water Education Campaign Examples

RainWise: Managing Stormwater at Home - Seattle, WA - Residential Focus
Web-based tool to encourage residents to explore different Green Stormwater solutions for their property that welcome the rain - storing, draining, and cleaning it.

RiverSmart Homes - District of Columbia - Residential Focus

This District-wide program offers incentives to homeowners interested in reducing stormwater runoff from their properties. Homeowners receive up to $1,200 to adopt one or more  landscape enhancements.
 
Blue Certification Program Lake Champlain BLUE� -  Lake Champlain - Residential Focus

http://www.mychamplain.net/BLUE

To help combat a growing blue green algae problem at Lake Champlain due to pollutants like phosphorus, Lake Champlain International developed a homeowner focused program to reduce the residential pollution footprint. "BLUE� is an innovative, effective, simple, and fun program that certifies residential properties as watershed friendly, or BLUE�. To earn BLUE� certification, private property owners follow simple, yet scientifically accepted, practices that reduce water pollution runoff starting on their properties."  Program also addresses septic systems. Certifications are available for homes, condos, businesses, products, or services.  Listen to a podcast (9:58 min) on the program at Vermont Public Radio. 

 
Water Is Your Business - National Water Infrastructure Focus

Last month, the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce  announced the launch of Water Is Your Business, a campaign designed to dramatically increase local dialogue -- informed by facts -- on the critical need to address our nation's decaying water infrastructure, and to mobilize communities to become actively involved in finding solutions to this challenge. Website includes current facts and figures, information and content about the realities of U.S. water infrastructure and how it may affect economic growth.  

Water Policy News is published three times a year; E-News is published monthly by the Water Resources Education Network, a project of the League of Women Voters of PA - Citizen Education Fund.  Please send your water education related programs and activities to WREN Communications DirectorVisit www.sourcewaterpa.org to learn more about drinking water protection.  Visit wren.palwv.org to learn more about WREN and local projects in PA.