January08

The Trust for Public Land, the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, the Association of Drinking Water Administrators and River Network have announced that Maine, New Hampshire and Ohio have been selected for the first round of demonstrations under a unique project to align state water quality protection and land use programs and policies to better protect drinking water sources. These three states demonstrated a high level of commitment to source water protection, as well as timely policy initiatives and support for finding linkages among state programs.

A second Call for Entries is planned for summer 2008, and the team expects to select three additional states following that process. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded project, Enabling Source Water Protection: Aligning State Land Use and Water Protection Programs, will provide the selected states with recommendations based on state-specific program reviews, consultation with experts on best practices from around the country, exposure to other state examples and strategies, strategies for improving funding for water protection, and a support network (both within and outside government) for implementation. For more information on the project details, the project team, and the next round of applications, visit http://www.landuseandwater.org.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a new report "Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices," which contains 17 case studies from across North America that show the economic viability of LID practices. Using these practices in construction projects can lower costs while improving environmental results.

"Low impact development can deliver big benefits for the environment and the economy and this report has the numbers to prove it," said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "It pays to save watersheds, reuse stormwater, and grow sustainably with green infrastructure."

LID practices are innovative stormwater management practices to manage urban stormwater runoff at its source. The goal is to mimic the way water moved through an area before it was developed by using design techniques that infiltrate, evapotranspirate, and reuse runoff close to its source. Some common LID practices include rain gardens, grassed swales, cisterns, rain barrels, permeable pavements and green roofs. LID practices increasingly are used by communities across the country to help protect and restore water quality. The report highlights examples that, in most cases, reduce project costs while improving environmental performance. Total capital savings ranged from 15 to 80 percent, with a few exceptions in which LID project costs were higher than conventional stormwater management costs. As LID practices become more common, it is likely that they will become cheaper to use. For a copy of the report: http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/ .

EPA is seeking public comment on the Draft Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report that will be used to help the agency develop the final report and identify a range of alternatives for addressing waste streams from cruise ships. The draft report assesses five waste streams from cruise ships: sewage, graywater, oily bilge water, solid waste and hazardous waste. For each waste stream, the draft report discusses the nature and volume of the waste stream generated; existing federal regulations applicable to the waste stream; environmental management, including treatment, of the waste stream; potential adverse environmental impacts of the waste stream; and actions by the federal government to address the waste stream.

EPA also is seeking public input on options, alternatives, and recommendations on whether and how to better control and regulate the five waste streams. EPA intends to use this public input to help identify a range of options and alternatives to address these waste streams as it completes the Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report. EPA has performed a comprehensive, multi-year evaluation of cruise ship sewage and graywater to better understand the nature of these waste streams.

Complete results of that evaluation will be made public in 2008, and are summarized in this draft report as well. The public has 45 days to comment on the draft report. Comments must be received on or before February 4, 2008. Learn more about the report and download it: http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/cruise_ships/disch_assess.html.

The gasoline additive methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is widespread in New Hampshire’s ground water, particularly in four counties -- Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough and Merrimack. Ground water from these counties was more likely to contain MTBE than were samples from the rest of the state. Across the state, however, the MTBE concentrations were significantly below the state drinking water limit and the federal drinking water advisory. These findings were released today by the U.S. Geological Survey.

In Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough and Merrimack counties, cleaner-burning reformulated gasoline was mandated in 1995, but not in other counties in the state.

“In the four counties using reformulated gasoline, we found MTBE at or above 0.2 parts per billion (ppb) in 30 percent of public supply wells and in 17 percent of the private homeowner wells,” said USGS hydrologist, Joseph Ayotte, lead author of the study.

“One in every three wells tested in Rockingham County had MTBE. In the most densely populated areas of the county, one in two wells tested contained MTBE,” said Ayotte. “We also found that more than 70 percent of the water tested from wells serving mobile home communities in the state had MTBE.

“While levels are mostly very low, the study shows that MTBE occurs in ground waters throughout the state. A low analytical measurement of 0.2 ppb enabled us to characterize MTBE contamination throughout the state,” said Ayotte.

For this study, scientists sampled more than 800 wells throughout New Hampshire in 2005 and 2006. Statewide, scientists detected MTBE in untreated ground water from 18 percent of the public supply wells and 9 percent of the private wells tested. Despite the prevalence of MTBE in water samples from wells, most concentrations measured were less than 1 ppb. About two percent of the public and one percent of the private wells sampled had levels that were greater than the state of New Hampshire health-based limit of 13 ppb.

Done in cooperation with the NH Department of Environmental Services, this study is the most comprehensive examination to date of MTBE in water from public and private wells in the state.

“This study provides valuable information for tracking this state-wide water contamination issue,” said Thomas Burack, Commissioner, and New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. “We are now actively monitoring many public drinking water supplies for MTBE. I believe we need to continue to study MTBE in the waters of New Hampshire to determine how best to address an issue that is important to the health and welfare of the entire state’s population and its environment.”

Nationwide, starting in 1979, MTBE was added to gasoline as an octane booster to replace lead. In 1995, under the Clean Air Act, cleaner-burning reformulated gasoline was required for areas with the worst smog. In New Hampshire, the only areas that were required to use reformulated gasoline were Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough and Merrimack counties. Reformulated gasoline in New Hampshire had about 11 percent MTBE by volume. In January 2007, New Hampshire banned MTBE use in gasoline.

No data exist on the human health effects of ingesting MTBE in drinking water, although some studies have generated concern about possible cancerous and non-cancerous effects. No federal regulatory standards have been set for MTBE, but an advisory of 20-40 ppb has been issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Much of New Hampshire’s public and private water supplies are derived from wells drilled into surficial and bedrock aquifers, where ground water can travel slowly. This, in addition to factors like New Hampshire’s unique geologic formations and fractured-rock aquifers, makes it uncertain how long MTBE will persist in the state’s ground water.

The USGS report, “Methyl tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE) in Public and Private Wells in New Hampshire: Occurrence, Factors, and Possible Implications,” is published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. The abstract can be viewed at http://pubs.acs.org/journals/esthag/index.html.

Information on previous studies of MTBE in water supplies in New Hampshire can also be found at:

USGS Water Resources of New Hampshire and Vermont
http://nh.water.usgs.gov/projects/mtbe.htm

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
http://www.des.state.nh.us/factsheets/ws/ws-3-19.htm

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/drinking/mtbe.html

Raising the grades on America’s failing infrastructure doesn’t stop with assessing its condition. It also requires motivating public support and engaging community leaders.

Liquid Assets, a new documentary and outreach program being produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting and sponsored by ASCE, aims to educate the public on the condition of drinking water, wastewater and storm water infrastructure in the U.S. and drive community action for its improvement. Using the Liquid Assets resources as a model, ASCE will host a day-long, interactive workshop to help civil engineers and related professionals plan and conduct effective community outreach programs focused on infrastructure improvement.

This workshop is ideal for civil engineers and other professionals dedicated to improving public support for infrastructure improvement.

Registration is free but space is limited. Advance registration is required. For more information on the training session contact Katie Gorscak at (703) 295-6409 or kgorscak@asce.org. For more information on the Liquid Assets program, or to see a video preview, visit www.liquidassets.psu.edu.

Contamination or disruption of water systems may be caused by natural, industrial or unintentional man-made accidents or by acts of terrorism conducted in efforts to damage our nation's infrastructure. If this were to occur, it could paralyze an entire community, agency or business and cause major havoc among those affected.

At the Water Security Conference, you will learn water protection methodologies and techniques, including ways to identify and mitigate problems that may occur with services. You'll understand what may be done NOW to minimize the impact of such an event.

During the second half of the conference, you will hear from industry experts on what do to if a situation occurs, including how to effectively respond and recover, and how to best communicate to customers or staff. A coordinated and effective response to water security issues will depend upon cooperation and collaboration with the public health community, first responders, and water authorities, to control a public health crisis and prevent serious business continuity issues.

The information contained in the Water Security Conference will be critical lessons to maintain water security and safety and to protecting the nation?s health and infrastructure in the future.

For more information, or to register for the conference, please visit www.homelanddefensejournal.com or call (703) 807-2758.

The deadline for the Call for Proposals for Restore America's Estuaries' 4th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration is quickly approaching!

Download the Call for Dedicated Sessions, Presentations and Posters, or submit a proposal online, at http://www.program.estuaries.org.

The Conference - Creating Solutions through Collaborative Partnerships - will be held October 11-15, 2008 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI. We anticipate 1,500 participants.

The Conference will bring timely national attention to the challenges and opportunities to comprehensive coastal ecosystem restoration throughout the U.S. Habitat restoration at all scales is essential to the very fabric of our lives - the social, economic and ecological well being of humans in the coastal landscape.

This Conference is the premiere nationwide forum focused solely on advancing the knowledge, pace, practice, scale and success of coastal and estuarine habitat restoration. Incorporating the non-profit, government, scientific, business, tribal and academic sectors, the Conference will enable networking and communication throughout this growing movement.

We invite you to submit a proposal for a presentation or a dedicated session for this important National Conference. The deadline for proposals is Thursday, January 31st.

If you would like to submit a proposal for a poster presentation, the deadline is Friday, February 29th. Please see the conference website (http://www.estuaries.org/conference) for additional information regarding the Student Poster Contest.

For more information, and to view the Call for Dedicated Sessions, Presentations and Posters, visit the conference website at http://www.estuaries.org/conference, or contact Steve Emmett-Mattox at
program@estuaries.org or 303-652-0392.

For information about exhibiting or sponsorships, please contact Harvey Potts at hpotts@estuaries.org or 206-624-9100 x2.

The 2008 Global Development Marketplace (DM2008) competition began its search for early-stage, innovative ideas with potential for high impact in promoting Sustainable Agriculture for Development on January 22, 2008.

Proposals are welcome from all innovators: civil society groups, foundations and development agencies in the country of implementation can submit their ideas. Other applicants – individuals, government entities and businesses – can also apply, but only if they work with a local partner.

DM2008 is specifically focused on the agricultural challenges related to:

A total of US $4 million in awards is available, with a maximum award size of US $200,000 per project. The call for proposals closes on March 21, 2008 (23:00 GMT time). Applications will undergo a rigorous review drawing on hundreds of development experts, who will narrow down the pool of finalists to about 100 finalists.

The DM will then bring the finalists to Washington DC for the Marketplace event on September 24-25, 2008. Finalists will participate in knowledge exchange workshops and will present their ideas to the public, World Bank staff and an international jury comprised of senior development specialists. Some 25-30 winners will be announced at the close of the Marketplace.

Proposals must be written in English and submitted through the DM website, www.developmentmarketplace.org. Competition guidelines and step-by-step instructions are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

2008 Low Impact Development Conference: LID for Urban Ecosystem & Habitat Protection

A number of national and regional Low Impact Development (LID) Conferences have been held in the United States, including the September 2004 conference hosted by the University of Maryland, College Park, and most recently the March 2007 conference hosted by North Carolina State University in Wilmingon, NC.

The 2008 International LID Conference will highlight new and continuing work including research, developments, and community adoption of LID throughout the United States and other countries.

As the conference sponsor, the Environmental & Water Resources Institute invite you to submit paper abstracts and session proposals online at www.asce.org/conferences/lid08.

Abstracts are due March 14, 2008. Authors will be notified by April 30, 2008, and final papers will be due on July 15, 2008.

Thailand 2009: An International Perspective on Environmental and Water Resources Conference is scheduled to be held January 5-7, 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand at the AIT Conference Centre. The conference will consist of a three-day technical program, inclusive of opening keynote session, a closing panel discussion session, and three concurrent technical session tracks in between the opening and closing sessions. The conference will also include social and networking events as well as tours of Bangkok.

This conference will cover a wide variety of topics related to environmental and water resources. While technical sessions will include topics on both developed and developing countries, much of the focus of this conference will be on water resources and the environment in developing countries, especially in Asia and Africa. The emphasis will be focused on global effect of regional issues and solutions. Participants, including paper presenters and attendees, will include engineers, scientists, planners, economists, and legal professionals from all over the globe.

Abstracts should describe the theme and content of the proposed paper and should address one or more of the conference topics listed above or noted on the conference website. Abstracts should be submitted electronically via the conference website: http://content.asce.org/conferences/thailand09.

Several organizations with broad representation from the North American
water engineering community – namely the Environmental & Water Resources Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); the Coasts, Ocean, Ports, and Rivers Institute of ASCE; theUniversity of British Columbia; and the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers – are collaborating with IAHR to organize the 33RD IAHR Congress and the co-located 19th Canadian Hydrotechical Conference. Themed “Water Engineering for a Sustainable Environment,” the Congress focuses on the central roles of hydraulic engineering and hydroinformatics in water engineering for a sustainable environment, and how these roles link to broader aspects of environment sustainability in watershed and coastal settings.

The Technical Program comprises sessions that address major water engineering topics associated with the sustainable wellbeing of the environment at local, regional, as well as global scales. Topics include water engineering to facilitate the built environment in which people largely live, and to protect and enhance the natural environment that encompasses the built environment. Sessions examine the research, education, engineering-practice, hydroinformatic, and policy issues associated with these topics.

You are invited to submit paper abstracts and session proposals online at www.iahr2009.org. Online submission is easy and is required in order to be considered for acceptance into the Congress program. Simply follow the on-line
instructions.

Abstracts should be in English and of no more than 300 words. Please note that deadlines will be strictly adhered to and authors will be required to register for the Congress at the time of paper upload. Papers not submitted by the due date for Final Papers will not be included in the Congress program or proceedings. Authors whose abstracts are accepted and who submit a final paper are expected to attend the Congress, pay the appropriate fees, and make their presentation(s) in person. For program questions, contact the Technical Program Chair.

Currently, all university civil and/or environmental engineering programs are required to incorporate an undergraduate team design experience. While the mechanisms used to implement these requirements may vary from school to school, most institutions expect students to produce at least one design project and an oral presentation.

Due to these academic expectations, the Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will be teaming up with Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) in order to encourage water and environmental resources design experiences for undergraduate Civil and Environmental Engineering students. These efforts will also provide these premier students with the opportunity to interact with industry leaders, as well as an introduction for the students to EWRI.

Up to four finalist student teams will be selected to compete at EWRI’s World Environmental & Water Resource Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii. Each finalist team will orally present their project to a panel of industry judges during a special session at the conference. These teams will receive up to $1,000 for travel reimbursements, and a year’s membership in EWRI. Plaques will be awarded to each team member and the advisor, and the members of the top team will win a subscription to one of the EWRI Journals for one year.

Any undergraduate Civil and/or Environmental Engineering student team design project is eligible for the competition. Some aspect of environmental and water resource design or research should be incorporated to the project. The student teams selected will present their project during one of the conference sessions at the EWRI Congres, May 12-16, 2008. The teams will compete before a panel of university and industry judges.

To enter the competition, submit a four (4) page project description, to include the Faculty Advisor’s recomendation, to Dr. Bijay Panigrahi by March 1, 2008.

ASCE/EWRI Student Chapter or Club Members and Younger Members are invited to submit photographs appropriate to the theme of the Congress. One photograph will be selected to publicize the Congress, and appear on the cover of the conference proceedings. In order to participate in the competition several regulations apply:

Cash prizes will be awarded, and the winning photographer will receive up to $500 for travel reimbursement to attend the Congress in Honolulu. The winner will be required to sign a copyright assignment to ASCE. The results of the contest will be announced March 15, 2008.

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.

After being featured in the October 2007 issue of Stormwater magazine, the American Society of Civil Engineers was presented with the Advertising Achievement Award. The ad featured information on the EWRI Congress, to be held in Hololulu, Hawaii on the dates of May 13-16, 2008. This year's Congress, themed Ahupua'a: Sustainability from the Mountains to the Sea, will have a heavy emphasis on the ancient Hawaiian lifestyle of maintenance through the proper use of natural resources. Information in the ad included many of the general issues to be discussed at the Congress, as well as local issues, specific to Hawaii.

According to the award, the "advertisement achieved outstanding reader ratings in comparison with all other ads measured in Stormwater." This piece garnered the award from the "Best Overall Score - Consulting/Engineering - Half Page" category, and was presented by the Publisher and President of Readex Research.

Reserve Time Slots for Committee Meetings at World Environmental & Water Resources Congress 2008!

EWRI's World Environmental & Water Resources Congress is an excellent venue for learning, experiencing, and networking. This year's Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii should prove to be even more successful in years past. Put your company’s innovative products, services and computer applications in the spotlight in our Exhibit Hall during the bustling Congress. This year's event should expect to hold over 1,000 attendees, including water resources planners and environmental professionals.

The deadline for exhibit sales is May 1, 2008, but it is recommended to reserve your exhibit space as early as possible. Please contact EWRI at ewri@asce.org, Jeff Sandersen at jsandersen@asce.org or (703) 295-6107 or Westley Chun at westley.chun@ch2m.com.

For more information on the exhibit set-ups and times, as well as access to the Exhibitor Prospectus, please visit the the Exhibits page at the EWRI Congress 2008 website.

Nomination packets for EWRI Governing Board Vice President are due no later than 5:00 PM on Monday, February 4, 2008. Once elected to the position, the member will essentially serve a three-year term, as follows:

Following the above terms, the individual will then remain one additional year as the EWRI Past-President in FY12. Once a nominee(s) is chosen by the Nominations & Elections Committee (NEC) and presented to the GB for approval by March 1, an announcement of the Official Nominee(s) will be made to the
membership. (Petition nominations will be accepted after that time until June 1.)

The election will be held after June 1 with a deadline of August 4, 2008. Announcement of the new EWRI GB Vice President will be made before
October 1, 2008, the start of the new fiscal year.

Please click here to view the NEC 09 page, as well as access the Nomination Packet.

The American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) is now accepting applications for Winter/Spring 2008 review. The Academy continues to grow with 350 water resources engineers already having qualified for the Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (D.WRE) credential worldwide. Join your colleagues and peers from around the globe that have earned the D.WRE designation and validate your knowledge and expertise with AAWRE certification. For more information and to apply for AAWRE's Diplomate, Specialty Certification program, please visit: http://www.aawre.org/appaawre.cfm.

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 March 31, 2008, you could be eligible to win an iPod Touch. 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.

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)

A hydrologically-based legal framework that balances human and environmental needs, Appropriative Rights Model Water Code provides integrates the management of water quality and water quantity, and takes into consideration the appropriate social, economical, political, and administrative aspects of water management.

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Softcover, 2007, 378 pp., Stock# 40887,

Measurement of Oxygen in Clean Water, ASCE/EWRI 2-06, provides the latest methods for measuring the rate of oxygen transfer from diffused gas and mechanical oxygenation devices to water. A complete revision of ANSI/ASCE 2-91, this Standard represents the current consensus of the ASCE Committee on Oxygen Transfer Standards.

Site remediation is a complex and costly process that aims to restore adversely affected land and groundwater resources to environmentally sustainable conditions. Remediation Technologies for Soils and Groundwater provides a comprehensive and thorough overview of conventional engineered processes and technologies used for the remediation of contaminated sites.

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Softcover, 2007, 456 pp., Stock# 40894 , ISBN 978-0-7844-0894-0, List Price $110.00 / ASCE Member $82.50

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

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

HEC-RAS Sediment Transport Analysis Using the Hydrologic Engineering Center's River Analysis System - New Seminar!

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