January2007

Protecting the Nation's Water Supply from AttackDrafts of the nation's first voluntary standard guidelines for protecting the public from potential malevolent acts and other threats by enhancing the physical security of water and wastewater infrastructure systems were released today for trial use by water and wastewater/stormwater utilities. Developed by ASCE and the American Water Works Association (AWWA), with technical input from the Water Environment Federation (WEF), as a part of the Water Infrastructure Security Enhancements (WISE) program, the new standards are open for public comment until June 30, 2007.

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On February 5, 2007, the ASCE Georgia Section will host the Carl E. Kindsvater Symposium to be held in Atlanta, GA. This conference is being held with the objective of overcoming barriers to water resources sharing and demonstrating successful examples. The symposium is organized by ASCE Georgia Section's Environmental and Water Resources Group, the Georgia Water Resources Institute, the U.S. Geological Survey (Georgia District), the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, and the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The following individuals will be serving as distinguished speakers for the event: Water 2

Price options include $40 for the afternoon sessions (1:00-6:00 PM), $45 to attend the dinner and evening lecture (5:00-7:30 PM), and only $75 to attend both (afternoon and dinner/lecture sessions). All who attend must pre-register by February 1, 2007. To pre-register, send an RSVP to ASCEGA_EWRG@yahoo.com, or call Janice Davis at (404) 894-2217.

ASCE Offers New Online Course on Water-Related GIS

A new on-demand, online course on “GIS Applications in Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Systems” is now available from ASCE. This course will teach you how to use GIS in planning, design, mapping, modeling, monitoring, inspection, maintenance, and operation of your water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. This course will not train you in the use of specific GIS software. Instead, with the help of new methods, case studies, and software demonstrations it will show you how to use GIS to develop mapping, monitoring, modeling, and maintenance applications. You will learn how to integrate your water, wastewater, and stormwater system hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) models with GIS. ASCE’s videostreamed online courses are similar to attending a live seminar. You listen to and watch the instructor and view their PowerPoint slides as the course progresses. You can attend different segments of the course at times convenient for you and easily navigate from one section of the course to another. With ASCE’s on-demand, online courses you can learn anytime, anywhere and work at your own pace. By taking and passing an online test upon completion of the course, you will earn 1.1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)/11 Professional Development Hours (PDHs). For additional information on the course or to place an order, call 1-800-548-2723 extension 6153 or go to http://www.asce.org/conted/distancelearning/environmental.cfm#GISApplications

The Environmental and Water Resource Institute (EWRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR) invite you to exhibit at the 2007 Hydraulic Measurements and Experimental Methods Conference (HMEM 2007) in Lake Placid, New York scheduled to be held September 10-12, 2007*.

Don't miss the opportunity to reach the decision-makers at this extraordinary conference!

For just $925, this conference will enable you to showcase your products, services, systems, and applications to more than 250 national and international engineers and scientists in the hydraulic measurements and experimental methods field. Our meeting historically attracts industry leaders with an immediate need to put theory into practice!

Take advantage of this high traffic exposure to develop new customers, increase sales, and educate customers regarding your company. Come and enjoy the breath-taking views of the Lake Placid and the fine amenities at the Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club.

Exhibit space is limited, and is assigned on a first come first served basis….so we advise you to act quickly!

* An icebreaker reception is scheduled for September 9, 2007 to kick off the event. The conference technical sessions are scheduled to be held September 10th-12th with technical tours on September 13th.

ASCE counts on its members to help us grow by participating in the Member-Get-A-Member Drive. The 2007 campaign presents new opportunities to recruit and new prizes to win. The next drawing will be held March 31 when ten members will win a $50 Bank of America Visa gift card. Each recruit who joins earns their sponsor an entry in the quarterly drawing. Help colleagues discover why ASCE has become the professional home for more than 140,000 civil engineers. Visit www.ascedrive.org to start recruiting today!

The Society’s inventory of awards is comprehensive. It may seem daunting if you are a prospective nominator. Now there is a brand new tool on the Web that will help match your candidate to an appropriate Society award. Visit www.asce.org/awards and click on What Award Am I Eligible For? Society awards are listed, along with membership requirements and whether the award is for a paper or an achievement.

AAWRE's Diplomate Certification Program - Apply Today at a One-Time Special Rate!

Please take this opportunity to join over 200 of your fellow water resources engineers that have achieved the Diplomate credential. You may apply at a one-time special discounted rate of $100 - a savings of $200! Online applications must be received by February 28, 2007. Mark your excellence in water resources engineering and apply today for the AAWRE's Diplomate Certification Program. To apply, please visit: http://www.aawre.org/appaawre.cfm.

EWRI’s 5th Annual Council Weekend has been scheduled for February 24-25, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia. A packet was mailed on January 19, 2007 to invited attendees who have confirmed their attendance. The packet included all items needed for Council Weekend including, but not limited to, the agenda and a travel reimbursement form. If you have not yet RSVPed for this event please do so immediately! Additionally, if you have not made your hotel reservation, please do so before the room block rate deadline of February 2, 2007.

Online meeting request forms are currently available for all committee chairs for EWRI's World Water & Environmental Resources Congress, to be held in Tampa, FL, May 14-19, 2007. Please visit here to complete the form. Electronic and hard-copy mailings will be issued in the near future with the request form as well.

Please be certain to submit the form no later than Friday, March 16, 2007. Contact EWRI staff member, Andy Kropf, with any questions regarding the committee meetings.

The Committee is pleased to announce the formation of a subcommittee to focus on sustainable design in water pollution engineering. Although ASCE is fully committed to the principles of sustainable design (Policy Statement 418) and urges civil engineers to serve as “agents for change,” many of us continue to go about business as usual. Sustainable design requires dynamic interaction between engineering disciplines, while water issues tend to divide between two very excellent but separate professional organizations. Through this new subcommittee, ASCE will provide a unique forum where those working in all aspects of water pollution engineering can engage and focus attention on understanding and applying sustainable practices in our work. The mission of the committee is to (a) increase dialogue about what it means to design sustainable water pollution control systems; (b) enhance interactions among related engineering disciplines; and (c) promote new approaches that can lead to regulatory reevaluations and new innovations that minimize resource consumption and maintain the economic and environmental systems needed for a sustainable future. Please join us. Contact Helene Hilger, hhilger@uncc.edu.

The Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs have posted updated financial and programmatic information to the EPA web site. The SRFs are EPA's premier financing programs for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure. EPA provides federal funding to states to capitalize revolving loan funds that provide states with a sustainable source of funding for important public health and environmental projects. In 2006, the CWSRF provided more than $5 billion for wastewater infrastructure, nonpoint source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management water quality projects. Cumulatively the program has provided close to $58 billion since 1988. The DWSRF provided $1.7 billion in 2006 and has cumulatively provided more than $11 billion for drinking water infrastructure projects since 1997. States have also spent more than $800 million for other types of activities that support their drinking water programs. The CWSRF data is available at http://www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/cwsrf/cwnims/index.htm . The DWSRF data is available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwsrf/dwnims.html .

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is encouraging citizens in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands to nominate a friend, peer or organization for this year's U.S. EPA Environmental Awards program.

The program, now in its ninth year, seeks to recognize individuals and groups outside of the U.S. EPA who made significant contributions to improve the environment in the year 2006. Anyone can be nominated, such as scientists, teachers, journalists, citizen activists, young people, organizations, business representatives, public officials and others committed to protecting public health and preserving our natural surroundings.

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

EPA to Require Monitoring for Unregulated Contaminants

Approximately 4,000 public water systems will monitor drinking water for up to 25 unregulated chemicals to inform EPA about the frequency and levels at which these contaminants are found in drinking water systems across the United States. The information will help determine whether regulations are needed to protect public health. This is the second scheduled review under the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 2).

"Through continuous monitoring and research, EPA collects the information needed to make effective policy decisions," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "Good policy is fundamental to protecting public health and the environment."

EPA currently has regulations for more than 90 contaminants. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires EPA to identify up to 30 contaminants for monitoring every five years. The first cycle, UCMR 1, was published in 1999 and covered 25 chemicals and one microorganism. The new rule requires systems to monitor for contaminants that are not regulated under existing law. EPA selected the contaminants that will be monitored through a process that included a review of:

EPA's Contaminant Candidate List, which contains priority contaminants that are researched to make decisions about whether regulations are needed. The contaminants on the list are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems. However, they are unregulated by existing national drinking water regulations.
Additional contaminants of concern based on current research about occurrence and various health-risk factors.

Costs for the five-year UCMR 2 will total about $44.3 million. EPA will conduct and pay for the monitoring for those water systems serving 10,000 people or fewer at a cost of $9 million. More information about the UCMR 2 rule: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ucmr/ucmr2 or call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., EST.

Incentives Proposed for Clean Water Permit Fees

A proposed EPA rule would provide a financial incentive to states to use fees when running a clean water permit program. EPA's rule would allot up to three percent of state water pollution control grant funds to states that have adequate National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit fee programs.

"We encourage states to use permit fees for additional funding for their clean water programs," said EPA Assistant Administrator of Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "A variety of tools and funding approaches are needed for a strong program, including having permitted facilities share the cost of keeping water clean."

The increased cost of administering water permit programs has prompted some states to levy permit fees to cover shortfalls. Certain states, however, still operate with little or no reliance on permit fees. The proposed NPDES Permit Fee Incentive for Clean Water Act Section 106 Grants; Allotment Formula is designed to create financial incentives to prompt more states to implement adequate fee programs and shift part of the financial burden to those who benefit from the permits. It will also allow states to move funds to other critical water quality program activities. The proposed rule would not take effect until after Oct. 1, 2007. The proposed rulemaking includes a 60 day public comment period.

About the proposed permit fee:

http://www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/npdes-permit-fee.htm

About water pollution control programs: http://www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/pollutioncontrol.htm

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)

2nd National Low Impact Development Conference*
March 12-14, 2007
Wilmington, NC

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

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.