From EPA’s Water Headlines, 12/22/2016

“As population grows and water resources become stressed, water utilities may look to expand their water supplies through construction of new reservoirs, increased withdrawals from lakes and rivers, or increased pumping of groundwater. Before using alternative supplies, utilities should consider if they are making the best use of the supplies already under their control.

EPA has released a document that describes best practices and targets for well-managed water supply systems that control water loss, incentivize conservation, and manage demand. EPA has developed the best practices document to help water utilities and federal and state governments carry out assessments of the potential for future water conservation and efficiency savings to avoid or minimize the need for new water supply development. The document can also be used by a utility or a third party to conduct assessments of how the utility is managing its water resources from a technical, financial, and managerial perspective.”

For more information, click here.

From EPA’s Greenstream, 9/16/2016

“EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities invites communities to apply for targeted technical assistance to help overcome barriers to implementing smart growth development approaches.  Communities can choose from tools to help them make development more equitable, attract infill development, assess policies in small towns and rural areas, improve resilience to floods, or promote streets that are safe for all users and provide environmental benefits.

The Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program provides quick, targeted technical assistance to selected communities using a variety of tools that have demonstrated results and widespread application. EPA delivers the assistance using teams of experts who conduct one- to two-day workshops in the selected communities. After the workshop, the community gets a next-steps memo with specific actions it can take if it chooses to implement the ideas generated in the workshop.

Eligibility: The applicant can be a local, county, or tribal government, or a nonprofit organization that has the support of the local government on whose behalf they are applying.

Deadline: 4:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time on October 12, 2016.

How to apply: Submit a two-page letter of interest signed by a mayor, city manager, elected official, or other representative of the community (see the Request for Letters of Interest for details).

Tools offered:

• Tool 1: Creating Equitable Development

• Tool 2: Planning for Infill Development

• Tool 3: Sustainable Strategies for Small Cities and Rural Areas

• Tool 4: Flood Resilience for Riverine and Coastal Communities

• Tool 5: Green and Complete Streets

Timeframe: EPA expects to select 25 recipients by November 2016 and provide all technical assistance by July 2017.

For more information, see the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities webpage or contact Chip Gurkin (gurkin.charles@epa.gov).”

From ASDWA Weekly Update of 4/1/2016

The EPA Alumni Association has recently published an essay covering the history of drinking water and a look at the future as well. The article begins before the adoption of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974 and chronicles major actions in drinking water since that time. The authors, who represent decades of EPA service, highlight federal activities and actions throughout the industry that have all been in support of providing safe drinking water. Along the way, the authors discuss regulations and program accomplishments but also consider future challenges. You can access this 13-page essay at: http://www.epaalumni.org/userdata/files/library/610_HCDrinkingLong.pdf.

The Alumni Association has created similar histories of other environmental programs that can be found on their web page that features a Half Century of Progress: http://www.epaalumni.org/HC/HCPublicIndex.cfm.