U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 Bulletin - EPA 910/9-92-043 August 1998

In This Issue...

Tools to clue you in on resources,

publications, opportunities, and

services

WaterWords to share stories from

communities around the Greater

Northwest

EPA News to Update you on agency

activities

First-of-its-kind Agreement Sets Course

to Keep Puyallup River Healthy

In an agreement believed to

be the first of its kind in the

country, more than 20

parties in Pierce County,

Washington—representing

industry, Indian tribes,

citizen and environmental

groups, local governments,

and state and federal environmental agencies—have

set a course that allows

future growth in the Puyallup River watershed while

protecting water quality.

The agreement was announced last month by three

of its major sponsors, the

Washington Department of

Ecology, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

and the Puyallup Indian

Tribe.

EPA regards the agreement

as a landmark in water

quality management. According to Phil Millam, EPA’s

regional water director, “The

agreement strikes a balance

between growth in the

Puyallup watershed and the

need for a healthy river. The

parties to the agreement

have individually committed

themselves to actions that

collectively will make sure

wastewater discharges won’t

overload the Puyallup with

effluent that would cause

violations of state water

quality standards.”

substances which create a

biochemical oxygen demand.

Ammonia can have a toxic

effect on fish and other

aquatic wildlife. Substances

that place a biochemical

oxygen demand (BOD) on the

river deplete the water of

oxygen needed to support

fish.

Although the Puyallup River

currently meets state water

quality standards for dissolved oxygen and ammonia,

a 1994 Ecology water quality

study of the river identified

the potential for future prob-

“Almost as important as the

agreement itself is the process by which it was

reached,” said Bob Duffy of

Ecology’s water quality program. “The groups that

produce pollution were asked

to devise their own plan —

state and federal agencies

did not tell them how to do

it.”

The agreement, over a year in

the making, focuses on

pollutants commonly discharged by municipal sewage

treatment plants and industries: ammonia and other

Ecosystem to provide news that goes

beyond water topics

Spotlight to showcase success stories

and environmental stars
Page 2

lems. As a result, Ecology

set limits on the river’s “reserve capacity” for handling

BOD and ammonia. The

agreement sets forth a plan

allocating the reserve capacity so it will never be exhausted and the river’s

health will be protected well

into the future.

Participants in the agreement

represent a broad crosssection of interests. Cities

have a stake because their

wastewater treatment plants’

discharges and runoff from

their streets affect the river.

Industries are involved due

the large amounts of water

they discharge. The

Puyallup Tribe of Indians

and the Muckleshoot Indian

Tribe were included because

of their land ownership and

their regard for protecting

natural resources. Also, the

Puyallup Tribe has been

delegated federal CleanWater

Act authority to administer

water quality standards in

the Puyallup River within its

reservation.

In addition to the Puyallups,

the Muckleshoots, Ecology,

and EPA, the parties to the

agreement are: Pierce

County, City of Bonney Lake,

Beatrice Cheese Company,

City of Buckley, Matsushita

Semiconductor, City of

Enumclaw, Sonoco Products,

City of Orting, Town of

Carbonado, City of Puyallup,

Town of South Prairie, City of

Sumner, Town of Wilkeson,

City of Tacoma, Trout Unlimited, Citizens for a Healthy

Bay, Washington Department

of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Department of

Social and Health Services.

For more information regarding the agreement, contact

Alan Henning, EPA, at 206/

553-8293 or 1-800-424-

4EPA x8293, or E-Mail:

henning.alan@epamail.epa.gov.

EPA Seeks

Comment on Clean

Water Program

On July 7, EPA published a

notice in the FEDERAL

REGISTER seeking public

comment on the future of

many aspects of the water

quality standards program.

The Advance Notice of

Proposed Rulemaking on

the Water Quality Standards Regulation requests

comment about possible

regulatory and policy

changes to strengthen and

modernize the water quality

standards regulation, including facilitating watershed

approaches. EPA will take

comments until January 4,

l999, and will hold three

public meetings. The first

meeting will be held August

27 and 28 in Philadelphia.

Two additional meetings,

specific locations yet undetermined, will be held in the

midwest and west in late

September and October. The

FEDERAL REGISTER notice

and information on the

public meetings are available

on the Internet at: http://

www.epa.gov/OST/Rules/

anprm.html. For more

information, contact Rob

Wood at 202/260-9536.

Nutrient Strategy

to Protect

Waterways

One key goal of the

President’s Clean Water

Action Plan---a comprehensive initiative to restore and

protect America’s waters---is

development of water quality

criteria for the nutrients

nitrogen and phosphorus by

the year 2000. Excess nutrients can degrade water

quality, reduce oxygen levels

with harmful results for

aquatic life, and may contribute to microbial diseases

such as pfisteria. In June,

EPA released a national

strategy that outlines the

approach for developing

numeric criteria for nutrients

and adopting nutrient provisions of state water quality

standards (clean water

goals). Under the strategy,

EPA will prepare nutrient

guidance documents for

waterbodies such as rivers,

lakes, coastal waters, and

wetlands over the next several years. States can use

these documents as they

develop numeric criteria for

nutrients as part of state

water quality standards. The

Nutrient Strategy is available

on the Internet at: http://

www.epa.gov/OST. Or, call

Mike Letourneau, EPA, at

206/553-1687 or 1-800-424-

4EPA x1687, or email

letourneau.mike@epamail.epa.gov.

Clean Water

Strategy

Documents Chart

Future Course

In June, EPA released the

Water Quality Criteria and

Standards Plan, which

presents a vision and strategy for EPA, states, and

tribes to work together over

the next decade to improve

water quality standards. The

Plan describes seven new

program initiatives that EPA

will undertake in the coming

years. It will be available

soon on the Internet at:

http://www.epa.gov/OST/

standards/quality.html or

contact Bill Swietlick at

202/260-9569.

On June 10, EPA released

the National Water Program

Agenda for 1998-1999. The
Page 3

Water Agenda presents how

the Clean Water Action Plan

and the new Safe Drinking

Water Act Amendments fit

into EPA’s Office of Water’s

broader planning activities

for its goal to achieve clean

and safe water. Over the

coming year, EPA will finalize

a multi-year plan that integrates the steps needed to

implement the Clean Water

Action Plan, the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments,

the Office of Water’s tribal

strategy, and other long term

activities of the agency.

The National Water Program

Agenda can be found on the

Internet at: http://

www.epa.gov/OW/ownews/

agenfin.html.

National Inventory

Takes Stock of

America’s Waters

EPA recently released its

1996 National Water Quality Inventory, a biennial

survey of the nation’s water

quality. Consistent with data

reported in the 1994 inventory, 40 percent of the

nation’s surveyed waters

remain too polluted for swimming, fishing, and other

recreational activities. For

rivers and streams, runoff

from agricultural lands

remains the largest sources

of pollution, affecting 25

percent of all surveyed river

miles. This latest report is

the result of surveys conducted by states in 1994 and

1995 of 19 percent of the

nation’s river miles, 40 percent of lake acres, and 72

percent of estuarine square

miles.

To view material related to

the inventory, visit EPA’s

Office of Water website at

http://www.epa.gov/305b/.

Here you will find a 12-page

summary entitled Report

Brochure: National Water

Quality Inventory 1996 Report to Congress (EPA 841-F97-003), a 197-page detailed

summary called The Quality

of Our Nation’s Water: 1996

(EPA 841-S-97-001), and

selected chapters from the

588-page Report to Congress

(EPA 841-R-97-008). Copies

are available from the National Center for Environmental Publications (NCEPI)

at 1-800-490-9198. Please

refer to publication numbers

shown in parentheses. For

more information, call

George Doumani, EPA, at

202/260-3666.

Cheney Wins

Wastewater Award

Not content to rest on its

intake pipes, the City of

Cheney’s Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation

Plant has garnered top

regional honors from EPA for

excellence in Operations and

Maintenance. The Cheney

plant demonstrated solid, allaround facility management

to earn this year’s award.

The Spokane County facility

has a strong history of compliance with their wastewater

discharge (NPDES) permit.

The facility has attained

superior effluent quality

through consistent biosolids

management, effective process control and monitoring,

and good collection system,

laboratory, and financial

management.

According to Terry Moan,

EPA regional Operations and

Maintenance Coordinator,

Cheney handles 2.7 million

gallons of wastewater per

day. “Between its innovative

control of dissolved oxygen

and going the extra mile to

remove organic pollutants,

nitrogen and phosphorous,

this outfit is truly a good

example of operation and

maintenance excellence,”

said Moan. Another notable

attribute of this facility is a

discharge polishing regime

that includes a man-made

wetland.

The Operation and Maintenance Awards program, a

self-nominating competition,

recognizes outstanding

operation of municipal sewage treatment facilities.

Congratulations to Cheney

for a job well done!

(continued)

Clean Water

Action Plan

Available

The President’s Clean

Water Action Plan,

featured in the May 98

issue of WaterTalk, represents a comprehensive

new initiative to restore

and protect our nation’s

waters. The plan

emphasizes collaborative

strategies built around

watersheds and the

communities they sustain. Containing 111

action items, the plan

focuses on preventing

polluted runoff, protecting human health and

habitat, improving federal

coordination, supporting

community based planning, and increasing

funding for clean water.

Free copies of the 89-

page booklet are available

from EPA’s regional

Public Environmental

Resource Center at

1-800-424-4EPA or

206/553-1200.
Page 4

The format assists the reader

by using consistent topics.

For each grant there is a

description of the purpose

and goals, the education

methods used, the results

and products of the grant,

the challenges faced by

project organizers, and success and strengths in educational and environmental

terms. The reader may also

find the various indexes

useful in reviewing specific

topics.

If you would like to receive a

copy of this publication,

please call the Public Environmental Resource Center

at 1-800-424-4372. If you

have questions about the

publication, call Sally Hanft,

Region 10’s Environmental

Education Grant Coordinator, at 206/553-1207 or

1-800-424-4EPA x1207.

Project XL:

Cleaner, Cheaper,

Smarter

Attention companies, industrial sectors, communities,

publicly-owned-treatment

works, federal facilities, and

others! EPA is calling for

more participation in Project

XL, a pilot program created

by President Clinton which

stands for eXcellence and

Leadership.

Under Project XL, EPA offers

flexibility in its regulations,

policies, procedures, and

guidance, as well as other

benefits to encourage development and testing of

“cleaner, cheaper, and

smarter” ways to protect

public health and the environment. Two key conditions for such pilot projects

are 1) that they produce

better environmental results,

For information about the

award program, including

guidelines and competition

categories, call the following

state officials:

Alaska: Kerry Lindley,

907/465-5143

Idaho: Al Stanford,

208/373-0577

Oregon: Steve Desmond,

503/229-6824

Washington: Carl Jones,

360/407-6431

Ag, Water Quality

Conference...

An Unusual Blend

Hundreds of farmers, environmentalists, natural resource managers, regulators,

and citizens are expected to

attend a conference on preserving agriculture and

protecting Northwest water

quality. The Conference on

Agriculture and Water

Quality in the Pacific

Northwest: Understanding

Each Other and Working

Together for a Better Future will take place October

20-21 at the Yakima Convention Center, Washington.

This unusual blend of participants and topics is

designed to get generally

separate groups to come

together in a non-confrontational setting to build cooperation and co-mingle perspectives. Presentations will

focus on applied activities

rather than scientific or

academic studies. The

conference is sponsored by a

coalition of farm associations

and government agencies,

including EPA. For information or a registration form,

contact Far West Fertilizer

and Agrichemical Association

at 509/838-6653, fax 509/

838-6685, or email:

farwest@ior.com, or visit

the conference web

site at http://

wwwdwatcm.wr.usgs.gov/

ccpt/ag_wq_conf98/

Celebrate

WaterWeeks!

Join the fun! Celebrate

Washington WaterWeeks,

which takes place this year

from August 29 through

October 4. This annual fiveweek long series of events is

designed to help Washington

residents of all ages understand and take action to

protect the state’s water

resources and shorelines.

The goal of WaterWeeks is to

get residents involved in fun

local activities and connect

them with organizations that

can help them become yearround stewards. EPA is one

of many sponsors of this

important program. To

request an activity guide that

lists events near you, and the

accompanying guide Hands

on for Healthy Habitats!, call

EPA’s Public Environmental

Resource Center at 206/553-

1200 or 1-800-424-4EPA.

 For more information on

WaterWeeks, visit

their web site at

www.waterweeks.org

or call

360/943-3642.

Enviro Ed Grant

Successes Shared

A new resource is now available from EPA. Called Great

Grants: Environmental

Education Success Stories

of EPA Region 10, this minibook showcases the regional

projects EPA has funded

under the National Environmental Education Act from

1992 through 1995.

It is our hope that the booklet will be used to assist

potential grantees in project

design, to help reduce duplication of efforts, to give an

understanding of the breath

and depth of EPA’s regional

grant education program,

and to provide educators

with ideas and inspiration.
Page 5

Wetlands, Wetlands, Wetlands!

America’s Wetlands---A Vital Link

Wetlands---marshes, swamps, bogs, and similar watery

places---are natural wonderlands of great value, serving

as the vital link between water and land. They are found

in nearly every US county, and take many forms and

sizes. Wetlands help improve water quality, control

flooding, provide critical habitat, and offer recreational

activities. Unfortunately, more than half of our wetlands

have been destroyed. A new booklet from EPA gives a

better understanding of the rich variety of wetlands, their

importance, how they are threatened, and what can be

done to conserve them for future generations. The booklet is 16 pages and contains full-color photos. To request

a free copy of America’s Wetlands: Our Vital Link Between Land and Water, call EPA’s Public Environmental

Resource Center at 206/553-1200 or 1-800-424-4EPA.

Tierras Pantanosas: Wetlands in

Spanish!

A poster-sized wetlands brochure---written entirely in

Spanish--is now available free from EPA. On one side is

a suitable-for-coloring poster showing different types of

plants and animals one might find in a wetland, complete

with written descriptions. On the other side is detailed

information about wetlands, including their types, values, and what individuals can do to help protect them.

For copies, call the Public Environmental Resource Center at 206/553-1200 or 1-800-424-4EPA.

Wetlands Guide for Partnerships

Folks seeking to organize a local partnership to protect

their watershed may find a new 8-page document helpful.

It’s called Wetlands: A Key Link In Watershed Management, A Guide for Watershed Partnerships. The guide

discusses how wetlands can benefit a watershed, provides information designed to build understanding about

wetlands, explores the management and restoration of

wetlands, and highlights what can be done on their

behalf. The Conservation Technology Information Center

developed the guide with support from EPA and others.

For a free copy, call EPA’s Public Environmental Resource Center at 206/553-1200 or 1-800-424-4EPA.

National Wetlands Information Hotline

Phone: 1-800-832-7828

Email: wetlands-hotline@epamail.epa.gov

and 2) that they involve

representatives of the public

in the project.

Projects already underway

demonstrate that alternative

regulatory strategies can

greatly increase environmental protection while producing substantial cost savings,

greater operational flexibility,

better stakeholder relationships, and the ability to

adapt processes and products more quickly to changes

in consumer demand.

FEDERAL REGISTER notices

and other materials are

available on the Internet at:

http://www.epa.gov/

ProjectXL and through faxon-demand at202/260-8590.

Or, call John Palmer, EPA, at

206/553-6521 or 1-800-424-

4EPA x6521, email:

palmer.john@epamail.epa.gov

Starthistle, Spurge,

Ragwort---Weeds!

It seems EPA’s collection of

documents on safe pesticide

use is growing like a weed!

Eleven new pamphlets are

available as part of EPA’s

Urban Pesticide Initiative.

The documents contain

integrated pest management

(IPM) information to help in

the control of noxious weeds

in the Northwest. Weeds

covered include: yellow and

purple starthistle; gorse;

tansy ragwort; leafy spurge;

spotted, diffuse, and Russian

knapweed; Canada thistle;

Scotch, French, and Spanish

broom; smooth cordgrass

(Spartina, A.); and purple

loosestrife. EPA also has

copies of other popular

documents such as “Integrated Vegetation Management for Roadsides” and

“Integrated Pest Management

for Schools: A How-To

Manual.” For free copies,

contact Donald Priest at

206/553-2584, 1-800-424-

4EPA x2584, or email:

priest.donald@epamail.epa.gov.
Page 6

Resources On Line!

Beaches and Fish on the Web

A new EPA Internet site is afloat for citizens interested in checking the health and environment of their beaches. Through the site, http://www.epa.gov/ost/beaches, citizens can get

information on whether their beach is monitored for microbial pollution and on advisories

and closings for those beaches. The information is limited to those beaches that responded

to EPA’s survey. The site currently has information on more than 1,000 beaches and continues to expand as responses are received. A similar website at http://www.epa.gov/ost/fish/

has been developed to give access to state fish advisories. EPA has also developed a Beach

Action Plan and a five-year strategy to develop stronger, faster and more accurate beach

monitoring programs for states. The program will strengthen beach water quality standards,

improve access to information on beach water quality, and increase research to address

health problems related to swimming. These initiatives were key action items in the

President’s Clean Water Action Plan. For more information about these initiatives, call Curry

Jones, EPA, at 206/553-6912 or 1-800-424-4EPA x6912, or email

jones.curry@epamail.epa.gov

Water Discussions OnLine

Folks who wish to network with others interested in small community drinking water, wastewater, or environmental training issues may want to check out new online discussion areas.

The online resources are intended to be networking tools for local officials, regulators, assistance providers, consultants, engineers, educators, and the public. The computer discussion areas offer an avenue to ask questions, discuss small community environmental issues,

learn of additional resources, or just read what others in the water and training fields are

talking about. The sites are listed below. For more information call Diana Knott, 1-800-

624-8301.

National Small Flows Clearinghouse: small community and onsite wastewater treatment

issues, www.nsfc.wvu.edu

National Drinking Water Clearinghouse: small community drinking water issues,

www.ndwc.wvu.edu

National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities: environmental training

issues, www.netc.wvu.edu

Enviro Funding OnLine

Looking for a way to fund a community-based environmental project? Check out the Community Based Environmental Protection webpage. It summarizes ten competitive grant

programs administered by EPA Region 10. Eligible applicants include tribes, communities,

and not-for-profit organizations. To access this information, visit Region 10’s homepage at

http://www.epa.gov/r10earth/index.htm. Select “Programs and Offices” from the menu on

the left. Under “Office of Ecosystems and Communities,” click on “Community Based Environmental Protection (CBEP).” A contact person is listed for each grant program if you have

additional questions or would like to request application materials.

lastname.firstname@epamail.epa.gov. For example, the email address for WaterTalk’s editor

is lindsay.andrea@epamail.epa.gov. Of course, there are exceptions---if you can’t get a

message through, call 1-800-424-4EPA for assistance.

Reach EPA Staff Via Email

To reach EPA staff by email, simply use this

formula for the address:

Visit EPA With Your Computer

at www.epa.gov/r10earth
Page 7

Mailing List Update

Please ❑ add me to WaterTalk’s Mailing List

❑ delete me from the Mailing List

(please write address as it appears on mailing label or attach label if available)

Comments and Suggestions:

(Your comments help us to provide a better newsletter. Please take a moment to let us know how we’re doing.)

Please return this form to:

WaterTalk, EPA Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, ECO-081, Seattle, WA 98101-1128.

August

4-7: Cross Currents in Water Policy, Hood

River, Oregon. University Council of Water

Resources, 540/231-8039.

16-20: Integrated Tools for Natural Resources Inventories in 21st Century, Boise,

Idaho. Society of American Foresters,

208/384-6328.

29-October 4: Washington WaterWeeks,

annual series of events to involve residents

throughout the state in water restoration

and education efforts. Marie McNamara,

360/943-3642.

September

11-13: Salmon Homecoming Celebration,

Seattle Waterfront, Washington.

1-2: Emergency Planning for Water and

Wastewater Utilities, Auburn, Washington.

Washington Environmental Training Center,

253/833-9111 x3369, 1-800-562-0858.

9-11: A Time For Hearing, tribal resource

protection conference, Olympia, Washington.

Skokomish Natural Resources, 360/877-

5213, email: dublanik@elwha.evergreen.edu

or www.nwlink.com/~mwf/

October

10-11: Salmon Festival, Oxbow Park,

Portland, Oregon.

16: Deadline for submissions for the November issue of WaterTalk Newsletter. Andrea

Lindsay, EPA Editor, 206/553-1896 or

1-800-424-4EPA x1896.

20-22: Environmental Forum for Business

Expo, Spokane, Washington, 509/358-2073.

20-22: Designing & Implementing Habitat

Modifications for Salmon and Trout, University of WA. Engineering Professional Programs, 206/543-5539, www.engr.washington.

edu/epp/Pepl/peplcal.html

26-28: Pacific Northwest Pollution Control

Association Annual Conference, Portland,

Oregon, 503/579-1472.

28-30: Ecosystem Restoration: Turning the

Tide, Tacoma, Washington. Society for Ecological Restoration Northwest Chapter,

1-800-942-4978.

November

3-4: Tribal Environmental Conference, Seattle,

Washington. EPA Region 10, Ruth Siguenza,

553-2143, 1-800-424-4EPA x2143, email:

siguenza.ruth@epamail.epa.gov

17-18: Northwest Environmental Conference

and Trade Show, Portland, Oregon. Northwest

Environmental Business Council,

503/227-6361, http://www.nebc.or/nwec/

conference.html

Name:

Organization:

Address:

City/State/Zip:
Page 8

WaterTalk is published quarterly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10. WaterTalk seeks to

be a useful tool for those who protect water resources and ecosystems in communities of the Greater Pacific

Northwest, by providing practical resources and relevant agency news.

Mention of trade names, products, or services does not convey, and should not be interpreted as conveying,

official EPA approval, endorsement, or recommendation.

You are invited to contribute items for publication. Submittal deadline is the 15th day of the month preceding

publication.

WaterTalk articles are available for use in other publications. Please give credit to WaterTalk.

For mailing list changes, call Tomi Rutherford at 206/553-0603.

To contact the Editor, call Andrea Lindsay at 206/553-1896,

1-800-424-4EPA x1896, or email: lindsay.andrea@epamail.epa.gov.

Accessibility Information: This publication is available in alternate formats (eg, large print, Braille). To request

an alternate format, contact EPA at 206/553-1200 or 1-800-424-4EPA. People with hearing or speech

impairments can call EPA’s telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD) at 206/553-1698.

Please recycle or share with a friend.

WaterTalk

U.S. EPA, ECO-081

1200 Sixth Avenue

Seattle, Washington 98101

Bulk Rate

Postage & Fees

Paid

EPA

Permit No. G-35