Army Corps and EPA Improve Wetland and Stream Mitigation

On March 31, 2008, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a new rule to clarify how to provide compensatory mitigation for unavoidable impacts to the nation's wetlands and streams. The rule will enable the agencies to promote greater consistency, predictability and ecological success of mitigation projects under the Clean Water Act.

"This rule greatly improves implementation, monitoring, and performance, and will help us ensure that unavoidable losses of aquatic resources and functions are replaced for the benefit of this Nation. This is a key step in our efforts to make the Army's Regulatory Program a winner, and the best it can be for the regulated community we serve and those interested in both economic development and environmental protection," said John Paul Woodley, Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.

"This rule advances the president's goals of halting overall loss of wetlands and improving watershed health through sound science, market-based approaches, and cooperative conservation," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water, Benjamin H. Grumbles. "The new standards will accelerate our wetlands conservation efforts under the Clean Water Act by establishing more effective, more consistent, and more innovative mitigation practices."

Benefits of the compensatory mitigation rule include:

• Fostering greater predictability, increased transparency and improved performance of compensatory mitigation projects
• Establishing equivalent standards for all forms of mitigation
  
• Responding to recommendations of the National Research Council to improve the success of wetland restoration and replacement projects
  
• Setting clear science-based and results-oriented standards nationwide while allowing for regional variations
  
• Increasing and expanding public participation
  
• Encouraging watershed-based decisions
  
• Emphasizing the "mitigation sequence" requiring that proposed projects avoid and minimize potential impacts to wetlands and streams before proceeding to compensatory mitigation

Each year thousands of property owners undertake projects that affect the nation's aquatic resources. Proposed projects that are determined to impact jurisdictional waters are first subject to review under the Clean Water Act. The Corps of Engineers reviews these projects to ensure environmental impacts to aquatic resources are avoided or minimized as much as possible. Consistent with the administration's goal of "no net loss of wetlands" a Corps permit may require a property owner to restore, establish, enhance or preserve other aquatic resources in order to replace those impacted by the proposed project. This compensatory mitigation process seeks to replace the loss of existing aquatic resource functions and area.

Property owners required to complete mitigation are encouraged to use a watershed approach and watershed planning information. The new rule establishes performance standards, sets time frame's for decision making, and to the extent possible, establishes equivalent requirements and standards for the three sources of compensatory mitigation: permittee-responsible mitigation, mitigation banks and in-lieu-fee programs. The new rule changes where and how mitigation is to be completed, but maintains existing requirements on when mitigation is required. The rule also preserves the requirement for applicants to avoid or minimize impacts to aquatic resources before proposing compensatory mitigation projects to offset permitted impacts.

Wetlands and streams provide important environmental functions including protecting and improving water quality and providing habitat to fish and wildlife. Successful compensatory mitigation projects will replace environmental functions that are lost as a result of permitted activities. For more information on the compensatory mitigation rule visit: http://www.usace.army.mil/

cw/cecwo/reg/citizen.htm or http://www.epa.gov/wetlandsmitigation.

Information about the importance of wetlands is available at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/.

Aircraft Drinking Water Regulation Proposed

Aircraft passengers and crews will be able to drink safer water under new regulations proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The proposed Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR) will tailor existing health-based drinking water regulations to fit the unique characteristics of aircraft public water systems. The rule will protect the public from illnesses that can result from microbiological contamination.

"We're upgrading airline drinking water standards to first-class status with better testing, treatment and maintenance," said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles.

In 2004, EPA tested aircraft drinking water quality and reviewed air carrier compliance with regulations. EPA found that 15 percent of tested aircraft tested positive for total coliform bacteria. The agency also found that air carriers were not meeting existing regulations, primarily because those regulations were designed for stationary public water systems. In response, EPA began a process to tailor the existing regulations for aircraft public water systems and placed 45 air carriers under administrative orders on consent that are in effect until aircraft drinking water regulations are final.

The proposed ADWR will protect drinking water through monitoring, disinfection, and public notification, a combination that EPA believes will better protect public health. The approach will build on existing aircraft operations and maintenance programs and better coordinate federal programs that regulate aircraft water systems. The proposed ADWR applies to the aircraft's onboard water system only. The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for regulating the airport watering points that include the water cabinets, carts, trucks, and hoses from which aircraft board water. EPA and the states are responsible for regulating public water systems that supply drinking water to the airport watering points. While the proposed rule only addresses aircraft within U.S. jurisdiction, EPA is also supporting an international effort led by the World Health Organization to develop international guidelines for aircraft drinking water. More information about aircraft drinking water: http://www.epa.gov/airlinewater/regs.html.

Australian Collaboration

On Tuesday, April 8th, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and the Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong signed a Statement of Cooperation between the United States EPA and the Commonwealth of Australia for water management. During their visit, Administrator Johnson and Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin Grumbles met with Australian Commonwealth, state, and local officials for discussions on several key water management issues, including reuse/recycling, climate change policies as well as regulatory practices in areas such as carbon sequestration and pharmaceuticals. These meetings concluded with a consensus to share information in the areas of water research, regulatory practices and stewardship programs. Australia, because of the unique challenges brought on by extended drought, is using new technologies and practices to adjust to drought and climate change. EPA officials were able to see and learn about Australian practices that have potential application in the United States.

Track Flooding with the New USGS Flood Map

To accompany a USGS field crew as they measure flooding, contact Robert Holmes at (217) 621-3002.

An online, user-friendly map that tracks flood conditions has been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

As expected rains drive flood waters higher along the Mississippi River Valley, USGS crews are in the field collecting data needed to update the flood maps, prepare forecasts, manage the flood and warn communities.  

This new system is part of the USGS WaterWatch suite of web-based streamflow products and can be accessed at http://water.usgs.gov/

waterwatch/?m=flood%2Cmap&r=us&w=real%2Cmap.

“The water monitoring systems shown on this map help ensure timely and uninterrupted water information for forecasters, emergency managers, scientists and the general public,” says Robert Hirsch, USGS Associated Director for Water.  “Improved flood monitoring and assessment will help reduce the risks to communities, property and human life.”  

This real-time water monitoring is part of a continuing effort by the USGS to assist the National Weather Service (NWS) in making accurate and timely flood forecasts. During a flood, teams of USGS hydrographers travel to streamgages to keep the instruments operating and to make crucial calibration measurements of the streamflow.

Other information available from this web site for each streamgage include current flood levels, historical peaks and NWS flood forecast information. Monthly flood reports are also available that include maximum flows and compares the data to previous years that observations were made at each station.
For more than 125 years, the USGS has monitored flow in selected streams and rivers across the U.S. The USGS collects data from more than 7,400 streamgages, many of which provide real-time data in 15-minute increments. The information is routinely used for water supply and management, monitoring floods and droughts, bridge and road design, determination of flood risk, and for many recreational activities.

Access USGS information for surface and ground water from 1.5 million sites across the U.S., Puerto Rico and Guam through the National Water Information System Web Interface (NWISWeb) by visiting http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/.

EPA's Water Laboratory Alliance Forum

On Saturday, May 17th, 2008, a forum will be held to discuss EPA's developing Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA) program.  The forum will be held at the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), 2008 Annual Meeting & Second State Environmental Laboratory Conference at the Hilton at the Ballpark Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri.

The WLA will be designed to provide the water sector with an integrated nationwide network of laboratories with the analytical capabilities to support monitoring surveillance, response, and remediation in response to an intentional and unintentional contamination event.

Participants who successfully complete the program will be awarded Continuing Education Credit.  All state, county, city and local environmental and public health personnel are encouraged to attend.  To register or for more information, please click here, or see the attached flyer.

ASCE/EWRI News

Attend the International Symposium on the 5th World Water Forum

EWRI invites participants at the World Environmental & Water Resources Congress 2008 (May 12-16, 2008; Honolulu, Hawaii) to attend the International Symposium on the 5th World Water Forum. This event will take place at the Congress on May 12th, from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m.

The Symposium expects to feature prominent members of the EWRI, World Water Council, and the Army Corps of Engineers; and it provides an opportunity to learn about the 5th World Water Forum (March 16-22, 2009; Istanbul, Turkey) and share opinions on the state of global water policy.

Topics of discussion will include:

• An overview of the WWC and the 5th World Water Forum.
• How U.S. "National Water Policy Dialogues" might be offered as an approach in developing national water policy.
• How to become involved in the World Water Forum.

Click here to view an event press release, or click here for the Symposium Agenda.

For more information on the 5th World Water Forum, visit http://www.worldwaterforum5.org/.

Critical Priorities for Irrigated Agriculture and World Water Demand Survey

Task Committee seeks additional participants!

A task committee of the On-Farm Irrigation Committee is developing a position paper titled:  Critical Priorities for Irrigated Agriculture and World Water Demand.  In addition to an extensive literature review and invited papers to two EWRI technical conferences, the committee is seeking the opinion of irrigation professionals on this topic.  A number of survey questions have been developed to evaluate areas of concern and identify critical priorities for irrigated agriculture.  The results will be presented at the EWRI World Environmental and Water Resources Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii, May 2008. 

Please click here to complete the survey.

Participate in the 33rd International Association of Hydraulic Engineering & Research Congress

The 33rd IAHR Congress may seem far off; but there are many reasons to get excited for the event, being held August 10-14, 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The location of the Congress provides an excellent venue for environmental and water-related professionals. Located at the mouth of the Fraser River, Vancouver offers a dynamic locale with a big-city feel, situated on the water. Several large environmental engineering companies have appropriately made their home in this city, where a variety of water engineering challenges take place.

Vancouver has been described as one of the most spectacularly situated cities on earth. The downtown core stands proudly on an ocean swept peninsula surrounded by beaches, sailboats, parks and wildlife. The downtown core is only one mile across at its widest point making it a perfect city for walking. Local site-seeing opportunities include everything from whale watching tours to kayaking along the city shores, mountain biking some of the best trails in the world, to a gondola ride up Grouse Mountain to visit the grizzly bears. 

In addition to the enticements of the city, the Congress will offer an abundance of events and activities for all interests. Full of sessions, seminars, and technical tours, the 33rd IAHR Congress is sure to leave participants impressed.

For more information on the 33rd IAHR Congress, please visit www.iahr2009.org.

2008 Committee Open House

EWRI encourages you to take part in the 2008 Committee Open House at the World Environmental & Water Resources Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii. This event will take place on Tuesday, May 13, 2008, from 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. in the Congress Exhibit Hall. EWRI Councils and Committees will be on hand to meet you and provide insight on the workings of their committee.

This event should provide a very casual atmosphere for individuals curious about joining Committees to interact with active members and learn how you can contribute. The Exhibit Hall will host concession stands at the Open House, and attendees will be eligible for complimentary beverages upon visiting with Councils/Committees.

For more information regarding the 2008 Committee Open House, please contact EWRI Special Project Coordinator Andy Kropf at (703) 295-6078 or akropf@asce.org.

ASCE's Engineering Mechanics Institute Invites New Members

ASCE's recently founded Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI) seeks new members within the engineering community. This Institute encourages the development and maintenance of both traditional and innovative engineering mechanics. Established on October 1, 2007, EMI already has 14 technical committees that focus on a variety of topics; and the Institute is also planning its Inaugural International Conference, EM'08, which will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 18-21, 2008.

Please click here to view an Invitation to join the Institute from EMI President Wilfred D. Iwan, Ph.D. For more information on EMI, please visit http://www.engmechinstitute.org/.

18th Annual Student & Younger Member Photography Competition Winner Chosen

Going strong for nearly two decades, the 18th Annual Student & Younger Member Photography Competition was recently decided. This year's winner is Rachel Roblin, a student seeking her Masters Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New Orleans. Her photograph of Steps Beach in Rincon, Puerto Rico was chosen from a collection of entries, and it will be featured on the cover of the proceedings for the EWRI World Environmental & Water Resources Congress 2008 (May 12-16, 2008). In addition to this publication, Rachel will travel to the site of the Congress to receive her award. Her choice of a beach side photo is a particularly appropriate one with the annual conference being held in tropical Honolulu, Hawaii.

Sponsored by the Student & New Professionals Council of EWRI, the competition stands true to the Council's namesake of involving not only student members, but also young professionals who belong to the Institute. The chair of the competition this year was Glenn Folsom of Chastain-Skillman, Inc. He performed admirably in the selection process which openly invited submissions from student and younger members of EWRI, followed by the winning decision via a panel of judges. The victorious photographer is, as always, invited to attend the EWRI World Environmental & Water Resources Congress.

If you are a student member or young professional member of EWRI, keep your eyes open for the 19th Annual Student & Younger Member Photography Competition. Although chair persons and deadlines have not yet been determined, the details will surely be announced in EWRI e-Update and EWRI Currents. Next year's winner will have the opportunity to travel to the World Environmental & Water Resources Congress 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri (May 17-21, 2009), with their photograph appearing on the cover of the Congress Proceedings.

So photographers, start snapping your cameras to represent the 2009 Congress theme of Great Rivers!

AAWRE Ceremony and Events at EWRI Congress 2008

In its fourth annual induction ceremony, AAWRE will recognize Major General Steven Abt, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, and the following recent honorary diplomates:

• Professor Asit K. Biswas, Ph.D.,
  Hon.D.WRE, from Third World Centre for Water Management in Atizapan, Mexico
• Professor Rafael L. Bras, Sc.D., P.E., Hon.D.WRE, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA
• Mr. Paul Boulos, Ph.D., Hon.D.WRE from MWH Soft in Broomfield, CO
• Additional new diplomates from Fall 2007 and Spring 2008.

A reception will follow the ceremony to honor all new diplomates and to recognize cooperating organizations.

AAWRE will also conduct three separate 2-hour engineering ethics courses, in which participants will examine different ethical dilemmas for engineers, as presented via video. This will be an interactive short course and include breakouts in small group discussions. Participants will earn 2 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) for attending one full session. The ethics sessions will be offered three times throughout the Congress and will be presented by Steve Starrett, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, Associate Professor from Kansas State University.

2008 Member-Get-A-Member Campaign

Recruit Members & Win Prizes!

ASCE kicked off its annual Member-Get-A-Member campaign, and the 2008 drive gives you even more incentive to recruit new members.  When you sponsor members now through June 30, 2008, you could be eligible to win an Omaha Steaks' - Steak Lovers Combo, featuring four of the most popular steaks. Plus, each month you could be one of five lucky winners who receive a $25 gift card, whether your recruits join ASCE or not – it’s ASCE’s way of saying thank you for helping us bring in new members.

Visit www.ascedrive.org today and help your colleagues and peers find their professional home at ASCE.

PUBLICATIONS

Ordering Information: Visit http://www.pubs.asce.org or call 1-800-548-2723 (U.S.) / 1-703-295-6300 (Int’l.) / 1-703-295-6278 (Fax)

Sedimentation Engineering: Theories, Measurements, Modeling, and Practice

Sedimentation Engineering (ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 110) is intended to supplement Sedimentation Engineering: Classic Edition (ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 54), a seminal text on the nature and scope of sedimentation problems, methods for their investigation, and practical approaches to their solution. This version updates selected topics in the original manual and addresses new topics, such as the hydraulic action of flowing water in the context of rivers and inland water bodies.

This manual is forthcoming -- To be real eased May 2008. Backorders will be shipped once title is in stock.

Click Here to Order

Hardcover, 2008, 1,150 pp., Stock# 40814,

ISBN 978-0-7844-0814-8, List Price $185.00 /

ASCE Member $138.75

Environmental and Water Resources: Milestones in Engineering History

Environmental and Water Resources: Milestones in Engineering History contains 18 papers, many of which were presented at the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Congress and Fourth National EWRI History Symposium held May 15–19, 2007 in Tampa, Florida. This is the fourth in a series of History and Heritage publications produced from EWRI and ASCE. Unique to this volume are a photo essay of the Hoover Dam taken by Ansel Adams and papers on the remarkable career of James Pugh Kirkwood (1807-1877), waterworks engineer and ASCE leader, on the 200th anniversary of his birth. Other papers address such topics as historic small-scale water projects, the history of U.S. water filtration, the Florida Water Management Project, the history of experimental watershed research in the U.S., and other important historical water issues.

Click Here to Order

Softcover, 2007, 168 pp., Stock# 40928,

ISBN 978-0-7844-0928-2, List Price $79.00 / ASCE Member $59.25

Offshore Technology in Civil Engineering: Hall of Fame Papers from the Early Years, Volume 3

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is the world’s leading event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection. Offshore Technology in Civil Engineering: Hall of Fame Papers from the Early Years, Volume Three is a collection of the nine winning papers inducted in 2008. The ASCE OTC Committee have chosen these classic documents to represent the outstanding papers from the early years of the OTC that withstand test of time. These classic documents, together with those contained in the preceding volumes, form a core of current practice worldwide, covering major topics in offshore technology. This volume will be valuable to anyone involved in the design, construction, and installation of offshore infrastructure.

Click Here to Order

Softcover, 2008, 132 pp., Stock# 40982 , ISBN 978-0-7844-0982-4, List Price $75.00 / ASCE Member $56.25

CONFERENCES

Groundwater Resources Association of California Hosts Climate Change Symposium

Climate Change:
Implications for California Groundwater Management
August 12-13, 2008
Radisson Hotel Sacramento, Sacramento, CA

Registration Forms - http://www.grac.org/climatereg.htm
Hotel Information - http://www.grac.org/climatehotel.pdf
Sponsor Exhibitor Opportunities - http://www.grac.org/se.doc

"I say the debate is over. We know the science, we see the threat
and we know the time for action is now"
-- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2005

The Groundwater Resources Association of California (GRA) invites participants for a Symposium focusing on the implications of Climate Change for groundwater supplies. Regardless of the uncertainties in various Climate Change scenarios, the State of California is taking aggressive steps based both in legislation and agency policies. Immediate actions range from initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to consideration of Climate Change under CEQA in Environmental Impact Reports and these initiatives will also trickle down to water resources and groundwater supply estimates and management.

GRA is assembling a distinguished group of invited and abstract-solicited speakers on Climate Change and groundwater to present a 1½-day Symposium. The goal of the Symposium is to address what is known, what is predicted, what to expect in terms of state guidance, and what water resources technical and management professionals can do to study their own systems, update their own predictions, and manage and plan for Climate Change impacts on water resources.

Virginia Beach, Virginia - located at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and in the heart of the Atlantic Coast - is  an ideal location for the AWRA Summer Specialty Conference, Riparian Ecosystems & Buffers: Working at the Water's Edge.  The Mid-Atlantic Region is home to some of the most aggressive programs to conserve and restore riparian areas and coastal shorelines in the world.

The study of riparian ecosystems and the proliferation of initiatives and programs using riparian areas as buffers and living shorelines have demonstrated the need to remain on the cutting edge of science and practice when working at the water's edge.

Technical Program Highlights

• Riparian Restorations & Evaluations
• Agrochemical / Pesticide Processing
  
• Nutrient & Nutrient Dynamics
  
• Buffer Zones / Implementing Buffers / Forest Buffers
  
• Watershed Scale Design of Buffers
  
• Streambank Erosion / Urban Stream Corridors
  
• Streamside Management Zones
  
• Hydrologic Modeling / Modeling & Mapping / Floodplains
  
• Managing for Multiple Objectives in Riparian Ecosystems
  
• Groundwater & Surface Water Contributions to Streamflow
  
• Emerging Issues in Riparian Management
• ... and much more

Who Should Attend?

• Natural resources professionals, whose work involves riparian areas, streams, fisheries, wildlife, and water quality, practicing in:
  • private industry
  • consulting firms   
  • government agencies
  • academia
• Policy makers and elected officials dealing with natural resources issues
• Members of water-related agencies and non-governmental agencies
• Members of watershed groups, conservation organizations, and water-related volunteer organizations
• Hydrologists, engineers, ecologists, biologists, physical scientists, students, and faculty

To register, view the preliminary program, or garner additional information about the AWRA Summer Specialty Conference, visit the event website.

Upcoming Conferences

World Environmental & Water Resources

Congress 2008

May 13-16, 2008

Honolulu, HI

http://content.asce.org/conferences/ewri2008/

AWRA 2008 Summer Specialty Conference

Riparian Ecosystems & Buffers: Working at the

Water's Edge

June 30-July 2, 2008

Virginia Beach, VA

http://www.awra.org/meetings/Virginia_Beach2008/

Multidisciplinary Conferences on Sinkholes and the Engineering & Environmental Impacts of Karst

September 22-26, 2008

Tallahassee, FL

www.asce.org/conferences/karst2008

2008 International Low Impact Development Conference

November 16-19, 2008

Seattle, WA

http://content.asce.org/conferences/lid08/index.html

44th AWRA Annual Water Resources Conference

November 17-20, 2008

New Orleans, LA

Submit Abstracts by May 12, 2008!

http://www.awra.org/meetings/

NewOrleans2008/index.html

IAHR International Groundwater Symposium

June 18-20, 2008

Istanbul, Turkey

http://www.iahr-gw2008.net/web/index.asp

10th International Water Distribution System Analysis Conference

August 17-20, 2008

University of Johannesburg, South Africa

http://www.uj.ac.za/Default.aspx?alias=www.uj.ac.za/wdsa2008

Thailand 2009

January 5-7, 2009

Bangkok, Thailand

http://content.asce.org/conferences/

thailand09/index.html

World Environmental & Water Resources Congress 2009

May 17-21, 2009

Kansas City, MO

International Association of Hydraulic Engineering &

Research Congress 2009*

August 10-14, 2009

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

http://www.iahr2009.org

India 2010: 3rd International Perspective on

Current & Future State of Water Resources & the Environment

January 2010

Chennai, India

http://content.asce.org/conferences/india2010/index.html

* EWRI  Co-sponsored Events

CONTINUING EDUCATION WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS

Advanced Detention Routing: Improving the Operation and Effectiveness of Detention Facilities - Newly Updated!

May 8-9, 2008

Las Vegas, NV

http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=4#abc290abc

NPDES Stormwater Permit Compliance

May 8-9, 2008

Boston, MA

http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=2#abc30abc

Advanced Detention Routing: Improving the Operation and Effectiveness of Detention Facilities

February 21-22, 2008

Seattle, WA

http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=4

Treatment Plant Hydraulics for Civil Engineers

May 22-23, 2008

St. Louis , MO

http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=4#abc305abc

Wetlands and 404 Permitting

May 22-23, 2008

Charleston, SC

http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=2#abc35abc

HEC-HMS Computer Workshop

May 29, 2008

Baltimore, MD

http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=4#abc112abc

Low Impact Development (LID) Applications for Water Resource Management

May 29-30, 2008

Charleston, SC

http://www.asce.org/conted/seminars/seminar.cfm?cat=4#abc29abc

SPREAD THE WORD

Please forward this message to your friends and colleagues who share an interest in environmental and water-related issues and would like to hear from the Environmental and Water Resources Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Encourage your friends and colleagues to JOIN EWRI and receive all the benefits of being an EWRI Member.