Reproduced courtesy of EPA Region 10 - Seattle
WaterTalk Newsletter February 1999
In this issue:
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You can celebrate Earth Day every day by doing something for your planet, just like Dewayne.
Earth Day is officially observed on April 22nd of each year. The importance of that day dates back to 1970 when thousands of people joined together to show their respect and dedication to protecting our planet. Today, this recurring observance brings environmental concerns to the public's attention worldwide. For public awareness, Earth Day is a huge success. For long term environmental benefit, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites you to make daily lifestyle choices that are easier on the planet.
One choice is planning how you will participate in Earth Day in your own community. There are many opportunities for you, from national issue-oriented efforts by organizations like Earth Day 2000 (based in Seattle), regional cleanup efforts like Earth Works Northwest, neighborhood efforts, or simply a personal commitment to buy recycled products. Your actions are the best demonstration of your commitment.
Another choice is what you will do today, tomorrow, and everyday to consider your impact on the planet. Do you bring your used oil or leftover paint to a recycling center? Do you buy products made from natural or recycled materials? Do you walk or ride a bike rather than drive? Do you select organic foods? So many choices everyday, yet considering the impact of them can help lead to both personal health and environmental health.
Why do we make these choices? We are rapidly discovering the impact our actions have on the environment. One example relates to our salmon. The Federal government (National Marine Fisheries Service) will decide in the coming months whether chinook salmon in Puget Sound should be protected by federal law as threatened or endangered due to declining populations. That decision may mean a change in the way counties and cities make planning decisions, how businesses operate, and perhaps where you will be allowed to live. The Federal designation of salmon as threatened or endangered will mean changes, but will not guarantee the recovery of these fish. In a complex web of marshes, streams, lakes, rivers, and Puget Sound it is our everyday attitudes about our impact on the lands and waters that will lead to recovery of a precious species like salmon.
Make your choices wisely, others will follow your lead, and we all will make a difference.
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Environmental Protection Agency
1-800-424-4EPA
206/553-1200
www.epa.gov/earthday
www.epa.gov/r10earth
Earth Day 2000
206/264-0114
earthday@earthday.net OR send online mail right now to: Earthday
EarthWork Northwest
206/324-4649
earthwrk@seattle.sca-inc.org OR send online mail right now to: EarthWork Northwest
Procession of the Species Celebration
procession@olywa.net OR send online mail right now to: Procession of the Sepcies
360/705-1087
Northwest EnviroExpo
Seattle Center, April 24-25
206/464-0194
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EPA Region 10's Office of Water recently welcomed a new Director. Randy Smith came to the Water program after many successful years as Director of EPA's Regional Office of Environmental Cleanup. Welcome to Water, Randy! And a big thanks and best wishes to Phil Millam , previous Water Director, who now serves as EPA's liaison to the National Marine Fisheries Service while tackling timber, fish, and wildlife issues, as well as Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act integration efforts.
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A notable new cooperative effort among federal agencies is underway here in the Northwest. The regional heads of the Environmental Protection Agency, National Marine Fisheries Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service recently began efforts to better integrate the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA). Agency staff are hard at work developing policy options and working on pilot projects where the two laws overlap. Three primary issues drive this effort.
First, landowners want to be able to resolve liabilities and achieve certainty for both the CWA and ESA in one process. This is sometimes referred to as "one-stop shopping." For example, if a landowner is voluntarily proposing an ESA Habitat Conservation Plan that might affect surface waters, the landowner may not wish to commit to the plan until CWA issues are resolved.
Second, EPA and the Services want to settle on one set of objectives. While many ESA/CWA issues are related to fish and fish habitat, EPA is concerned with meeting clean water goals called water quality standards, while the Services are attempting to save or stabilize threatened or endangered species. Given these similar goals, EPA and the Services are examining how certain CWA water quality criteria can be linked to ESA habitat objectives.
Finally, the agencies all agree that the consultation process required under section 7 of the ESA needs to be streamlined. Section 7 requires federal agencies taking actions which could affect endangered or threatened species to consult with the Service(s) responsible for that species. This typically means that EPA must consult before we make a decision on approving a state water quality standard, or issue a pollution control permit.
Additionally, EPA and the Services are working together on several pilot projects that link CWA and ESA requirements. The CWA requires that a water quality management plan (usually known as a Total Maximum Daily Load or TMDL) be prepared for waters that are not meeting water quality standards. Many of the water quality problems in the Northwest are caused by nonpoint source pollution (runoff) from forest practices and agriculture. One pilot project is attempting to concurrently prepare a Habitat Conservation Plan approval and a TMDL for a large timber ownership. Another project addresses streams impacted by extensive cattle grazing.
You will hear more about ESA/CWA integration efforts as environmentalists, businesses, local, state, and federal governments confront the challenging issues of protecting and restoring native salmon runs in the Northwest. For more details about this project, call Jim Werntz, EPA, at 206/553-0257 or werntz.james@epa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Jim Werntz
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EPA Region 10 recently demonstrated its commitment to "green building" construction in a project to remodel its Regional Administrator's suite and adjacent offices. Green buildings are described as Astructures that incorporate the principles of sustainable design---design in which the impacts of a building on the environment will be minimal over the life-time of that building."
An Executive Order, signed by President Clinton in 1993, states that "the Nation's interest is served when the Federal Government can make more efficient use of natural resources by maximizing recycling and preventing waste whenever possible." In order to implement both Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Executive Order requirements in building construction, renovation, and maintenance, EPA drafted its own Green Buildings Vision and Policy Statement .
Recently, Region 10's executive team endorsed a space plan that substantially shrinks the size of their private offices and increases space for informal teaming and meeting areas. The plan was based on the recognition that organizations work best when people work together, and that individual executive offices usually occupy large areas of "prime real estate" which are often vacant due to demanding schedules. The new rooms erected in this remodel will have modular floor-to-ceiling walls and compatible modular systems furniture. The executive suite will be finished with modular, recyclable carpet tiles that can be rotated to prolong the life of the carpet.
Region 10's project features three related elements: green design and construction, new concepts about space and work, and ultra flexible spaces that allow for future growth and changes. The project includes:
* recycling and reuse of demolished materials and construction waste, including carpet reclamation, recycling of drywall, and reuse of doors and fixtures on-site,* materials and finishes that emit low or no harmful fumes,
* materials that include specified minimum recycled content and wood from forests certified for their sustainable management practices,
* construction and demolition practices that protect indoor air quality including 24 hour, 100% ventilation, appropriate work sequencing of dry and wet materials, and airing out of products before installation,
* energy saving designs and devices such as increased day lighting, light sensitive dimmers and motion sensors, and
* selection of vendors and contractors based partially on the environmental consequences of their manufacturing processes and practices.
For more information about this environmentally-sensitive remodel project, call Donna Brookfield at 206/553-0082 or 1-800-424-4EPA x0082.
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Last November, EPA and eight other federal agencies signed the Federal Multi-Agency Source Water Agreement for assessing and protecting drinking water sources. The agreement, a key action item of the President's Clean Water Action Plan, will make valuable data and expertise more accessible to drinking water quality managers at the state, tribal, and local government levels and to the public. It will also help states, tribes, and localities delineate source water protection areas, identify and map sources of contamination that threaten drinking water supplies, and inform the public about these threats. This agreement ensures full federal cooperation with states as they fulfill the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act mandate to assess the potential threats to each public drinking water system. For more information, contact Denise Coutlakis at EPA's national office, at 202/260-5558 or coutlakis.denise@epa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Denis Coutlakis
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EPA recently prepared a three-page bulletin highlighting current happenings in the Region 10 Underground Injection Control Program . EPA estimates there are more than one million Class V injection wells in the United States. Class V injection wells are typically shallow disposal systems that place a variety of fluids below land surface and in many cases into or directly above underground sources of drinking water. The bulletin discusses EPA's proposed revisions to the regulations for these injection wells. It also requests assistance for registering wells on Indian lands, features an Alaska program to help businesses cost effectively reduce wastewater discharges underground, introduces Idaho's new shallow injection well program, covers Oregon's plan to grant amnesty for registering shallow injection wells, and tells how to get a copy of an Underground Injection Control Focus Sheet published for Washington State. Contacts for each state are also provided. For your free copy of the bulletin, call Calvin Terada, EPA, at 206/553-4141 or 1-800-424-4EPA x4141, or email terada.calvin@epa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Calvin Terada
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Two Northwest youths and their sponsor will be honored at a national ceremony in Washington DC this spring. They are the 1998 regional winners of the President's Environmental Youth Award , a national program designed to recognize young people who make contributions to the environment. Laiva Thomasson and Julija Rankis of North Beach High School in Ocean Shores, Washington (and their sponsors Ken Loomis of North Beach High School and Gene Woodrick of the Ocean Shores Interpretive Center) are being recognized for their outstanding work on the Hyak Cyberlake Trail Project.
The Hyak Cyberlake Trail Project started in 1995 when five High School Freshman were selected to participate in a University of Washington Summer Science Camp. The students built an education/research/ecotourism trail and conducted experiments on this small freshwater lake and wetland area which lies on a small peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and Grays Harbor. The final construction phase of the trail is an environmentally-friendly pontoon bridge that is part of a mitigation project being undertaken by the Quinault Indian Nation.
The girls designed the project, obtained permits, raised funds, and organized work parties, then posted their research notes and drawings on the Internet. The website was selected by the Discovery Channel as an online connection for their Animal Planet CD-Rom. The website can be visited at www.techline.com/~nbcrow.
Award applications are accepted year-round. The program encourages youth groups and individuals (K-12) to create projects which promote environmental awareness and positive community involvement. To request an application, call 206/553-1200 or 1-800-424-4EPA. For program information call Sally Hanft, EPA, at 206/553-1207, or 1-800-424-4EPA x1207, or email hanft.sally@epa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Sally Hanft
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EPA is pleased to announce that four new Washington State businesses have received the Region's Evergreen Award for Pollution Prevention . Companies awarded in 1998 include Busch Collision of Issaquah, John Morgan Service of Bellingham, Cascade Pest Control of Bellevue, and IKEA in Renton. EPA's Evergreen Award is designed to showcase small, medium, and large companies in the Pacific Northwest that have clearly incorporated a pollution prevention ethic into their business planning.
"The Evergreen Award showcases companies that are demonstrating how to build an environmentally sustainable economy in the Northwest," said Chuck Clarke, EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle. "Evergreen award winners demonstrate how a thriving business and an environmental ethic can go hand in hand. We continue to look for northwest companies to recognize and showcase as environmental leaders."
Previous winners of the award include Wacker Siltronic of Portand, Oregon; Micron of Boise, Idaho; Fluke of Everett, Washington; United Paint and Coatings of Spokane, Washington; Container Care of Seattle, Washington; and EarthGuard of Redmond, Washington.
Companies in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington will be considered for nomination if they are in full compliance with environmental laws, and meet the criteria of 1) having documented achievement in pollution prevention, 2) a commitment to the environment, and 3) a history of environmental leadership.
Nominations for the EPA Region 10 Evergreen Award for Pollution Prevention will be accepted from employees of environmental regulatory agencies as well as companies themselves. In 1999, in addition to the usual open competition to all companies, the Region will be looking particularly for nominations for dry cleaners and metal finishers to focus attention on successes in these business sectors. The next deadline for nominations is March 12, 1999. Nominations received after that date will be considered for subsequent rounds. For complete nomination information and official forms, contact Carolyn Gangmark, at EPA Region 10, at 206/553-4072, 1-800-424-4EPA, or by e-mail at: gangmark.carolyn@epa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Carolyn Gangmark
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Check it Out! An EPA Grant-Writing Tutorial is available on the Internet. This interactive software tool walks the user through the grant-writing process and helps them learn to write more competitive grant proposals. The program includes detailed information and tips on writing a grant proposal, how to complete a grant application package, and program-specific sections on three EPA grant programs:
1. Environmental Justice2. Environmental Justice Through Pollution Prevention
3. Environmental Education
Besides featuring a mock grant-writing activity where users can compare their results to a successful grant application, it also offers examples of good, complete grant packages; references; a glossary of terms; and resources and contacts. Visit the site at http:/www.epa.gov/seahome/grants/src/grant.htm
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The Environmental Justice Grants Program is now accepting applications. This grants program provides financial assistance to eligible community groups, such as community-based or grassroots organizations, churches, or other non-profit organizations and federally recognized tribal governments, that plan to carry out projects to address environmental justice issues. While state and local governments and academic institutions are eligible to receive grants, preference will be given to non-profit, community-based/grassroots organizations, and tribal governments. Funds can be used to develop a new activity or substantially improve the quality of existing programs.
EPA Region 10 will have about $160,000 to award in grants during 1999. A maximum of $15,000 for non-superfund or $20,000 for superfund projects can be awarded for each grant. For an application or more information, contact Susan Morales, Environmental Justice Grants Coordinator at 206/553-8580, 1-800-424-4EPA x8580, or email morales.susan@epa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Susan Morales . Applications must be postmarked no later than Friday, March 5, 1999.
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EPA recently awarded River Network $300,000 to be used for grants to local watershed partnerships to support their development and long-term effectiveness. River Network, a national organization based in Portland, Oregon, supports river and watershed advocates at the local, state, and regional levels. Under the Watershed Assistance Grants Program in 1999, grants ranging from $2000 to $30,000 will be distributed to support local communities as they work to protect and restore their watersheds.
Applications are due February 18. Grants will be selected by River Network with the help of an advisory committee with representatives from local and tribal governments, industry, agriculture, and experts in watershed management. Grants will be awarded to a diverse mix of applicants in terms of geography, watershed issue, type of partnership, and approaches, for projects demonstrating nationally important lessons associated with group process, organizational structure, and actions to protect and restore watersheds. For a grant application or more information, call River Network at 1-800-423-6747 or visit the Internet site http://www.rivernetwork.org/nonprofi.htm
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EPA is now accepting application proposals for the National Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Program . Brownfields Assessment Pilots (each funded up to $200,000 over two years) test innovative assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment planning models and facilitate coordinated environmental efforts at the federal, tribal, state, and local levels. Application guidelines are available via the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicat.htm
EPA expects to select up to 100 additional Assessment Pilots by May. Applications are being accepted on a "rolling submissions" schedule. The first deadline passed in December. The next round are due March 22. The Pilots are administered on a competitive basis, and proposals are evaluated against the selection criteria outlined in the newly revised application booklet.
General information on the Brownfields Initiative is at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/. For questions regarding the application, call EPA's Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346, or TDD for the Hearing Impaired at 1-800-553-7672. Or, you may contact Lori Cohen, EPA Region 10, at 206/553-6523, 1-800-424-4EPA x6523, or email cohen.lori@epa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Lori Cohen
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EPA is accepting applications from local governments for a total of about $3.4 million in grants to establish local environmental monitoring pilot programs as part of a Presidential initiative called Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT). EMPACT is designed to provide public access to clear, understandable, timely, and accurate environmental monitoring data in at least 75 of the larger U.S. metropolitan areas in all 50 states. Environmental monitoring consists of systematic measurements, evaluations, and communication of physical, chemical, and biological information. This information on environmental conditions will assist the public in day-to-day decision-making concerning their health and the environment. These pilots will be developed through community partnerships between state, local, and tribal governments, universities, not-for-profit organizations, and the private sector. Applications are available on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/empact. If you have questions regarding the EMPACT program, call 1-800-490-9194. Press 4 to have information faxed to you, or press 5 to leave a message, and your call will be returned the next business day. Applications are due April 8.
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The Environmental Education Clearinghouse is a service offered through EPA Region 10 to help connect classroom teachers and informal educators with those who have information, materials, and resources. The Clearinghouse can assist you in finding information on various topics, among them training, publications, grants, curricula, teaching kits, and speakers. Call 1-800-424-4372 (toll-free), or in Seattle 206/553-1200 Monday through Friday from 8:30 until 4:00.
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Last year, EPA created a series of helpful informational brochures highlighting different ways citizens can use education to participate in helping protect the environment. These brochures also offer tips and guidance on different aspects of environmental education. One brochure provides information on programs and partnerships within EPA's Office of Environmental Education, and another is a fun, yet revealing quiz called Test Your 'Environmental IQ '. Other titles are:
- -Environmental Education Improves Our Everyday Lives
-Getting Involved in Environmental Education: Things Educators Can Do
-Educator Training: Environmental Education and Training Program
-Environmental Education World Wide Web Sites
-Environmental Education Publications
-Environmental Education Advance Quality Education To order your free copies, please call 206/553-1200 (in Seattle), or toll-free at 1-800-424-4372.
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New EPA recently released the fifth edition of the National Directory of Volunteer Environmental Monitoring Programs. The directory chronicles the continuing growth of volunteer monitoring and provides highlights of programs from around the country. Volunteer data are being used by state, federal, and local governments, community organizations, and by the programs themselves. Community education, establishment of baseline water quality conditions, and pollution screening are the primary uses for the volunteer data. Over half the programs in the Directory involve classroom teachers and their students in monitoring activities. For a copy of the directory, call EPA's National Center for Environmental Publications and Information (NCEPI) at 1-800-490-9198. Ask for publication number EPA 841-B-98-009. The directory is also available on EPA's volunteer monitoring website at www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/vol.html.
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New A unique national environmental hotline is now up and running. Called Earth's 911 , this telephone resource is billed as a "public/private partnership for our planet and its environment." Calling the toll-free number 1-800-CLEANUP gets you environmental and recycling information specific to your community after you enter your zip code. It offers environmental tips, event information, local drop off sites, and more. The Hotline originated in EPA Region 9 in 1991 as a region-wide source of information. The program has since proven itself a success and expanded nationwide, with access for citizens across the globe not far off. The hotline can also be found on the Internet at www/1800cleanup.org.
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New EPA's second update (Version 1.2) of the Index of Watershed Indicators is now posted on the Internet. The index portrays a national picture of watershed health. Overall, the update shows little change in watershed conditions from the previous year. Watersheds are land areas that act as catch basins for rain and snow, and funnel water to specific marshes, streams, rivers, lakes, or to groundwater. The updated website now provides easier access to national and local information, more recent data, and several new data layers. In addition, EPA added several new features. The EnviroMapper for Watersheds allows users to map and learn more about their own watersheds, and Where Does My Drinking Water Come From? identifies watersheds that are used as water supply sources by specific communities. To learn more about the index and to find out more about your watershed, visit EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/surf2/iwi/update/
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New Consumers have a new way to tap into important information about their drinking water. EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water has developed a website that provides easy public access to local drinking water information. This site offers statistics about water suppliers' compliance with EPA and state rules, links to state plans for using federally-provided drinking water funds, annual state and national compliance reports, and contacts for state drinking water source protection programs. The site also will link to water systems' consumer confidence reports as they become available online in 1999. To find out more about your drinking water, visit the website at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo.htm
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New EPA has published a compilation of water quality criteria for about 150 pollutants, presented in the form of a summary table. These recommended criteria provide guidance for States and Tribes in adopting clean water goals called water quality standards, under the Clean Water Act, Section 303(c). EPA has also published changes to its process for deriving new and revised national water quality criteria. The compilation was published in the Federal Register and can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/OST/. For more information about the compilation or EPA's process for deriving new and revised criteria, call Cindy Roberts, EPA, Washington DC, at 202/260-2787. To request a hard copy, call Bella Patheal, EPA, 206/553-1256 or 1-800-424-4EPA x1256, or email patheal.bella@epa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Bella Patheal
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New Fifteen federal agencies recently published the document Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Processes, and Practices , which provides a logical framework to help environmental
managers recognize needs, designs, and ways to implement stream restoration projects. It was
developed by a team of stream and watershed management specialists, hydrologists, engineers and other experts on restoration. Copies are available through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) by calling 1-800-553-NTIS. The final draft of the document is accessible under the table of contents icon at http://www.usda.gov/stream_restoration/newgra.html/ on the Internet.
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New The Willapa Watershed Information System CD-ROM is now available. This computer disk provides easy access to extensive information describing the natural and human resources of the Willapa Watershed located in southwestern Washington. The information on the CD was gathered and developed over several years by numerous organizations, agencies, and local residents. Included are more than one hundred different spatial data sets as well as additional information in the form of reports, maps, charts, and tables about the Willapa Watershed. The publication of this CD-ROM was a cooperative effort between Interrain Pacific, the Willapa Alliance, and EPA under the auspices of the EPA Near Coastal Waters Program. The Willapa Watershed Information System CD-ROM is available from the National Center for Environmental Publications and Information at no cost. Call 1-800-490-9198 and order document EPA-910-C-96-001.
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New EPA's brochure, A Guide to Environmental Issues , is available through the Public Environmental Resource Center (PERC) in Seattle's EPA Regional Office. The Guide emphasizes the importance of our daily activities in impacting the environment, and illustrates how our personal choices have the power to harm or help the environment. Citizen participation and involvement in the public decision-making process is also stressed as having a major role in environmental protection.
Information on several topics, including pollution prevention, public health, and community safety, also appears in this brochure. Water and air contamination are covered, as well as information on hazardous waste risks and safe disposal of hazardous and toxic materials. A comprehensive glossary provides a useful resource, explaining terms and acronyms used throughout the Guide . To order your copy, please call the PERC at 206/553-1200, or toll-free at
1-800-424-4372.
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New In Washington, under Chapter 90.84 RCW, Wetland Mitigation Banking , mitigation banks can be used to compensate for unavoidable impacts to wetlands. The law requires the Department of Ecology to write a rule outlining a workable, statewide process for certifying wetland mitigation banks. Mitigation banking is a regulatory tool which creates an economic incentive for restoring, creating, enhancing, or preserving wetlands. Typically mitigation banks involve the consolidation of many small wetland mitigation projects into a larger, potentially more ecologically valuable site. Further, mitigation banks require up-front compensation prior to harming a wetland at another site. Ecology's proposed rule will identify the criteria necessary for implementing a sound banking system, adding another tool to the regulatory toolbox for protecting wetlands in the state. The rule is expected to be available for public review this Fall. For more information, call 360/407-7257 or visit the website at www.ecy.wa.gov/ under "Shorelands and Wetlands."
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New The Wetland Strategic Plan Implementation Program of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will host a Partnering Workshop on February 25 at the St. Martin's College Conference Center in Olympia. The workshop seeks to identify partnership opportunities between environmental projects and WSDOT highway projects with compensatory mitigation needs along the I-5 corridor from Olympia to Tacoma (including the Hylebos sub-basin) and the Upper and Lower Chehalis River Basins. For more information contact Joel Gjuka at 360/705-7461, email: gjukajo@wsdot.wa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Joel Gjuka
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New The Child Health Champion Campaign is a program initiated by EPA in early 1998 to empower local citizens and communities to take steps toward protecting their children from environmental health threats. The Campaign was developed to meet requirements established by EPA's 1996 National Agenda to Protect Children's Health from Environmental Threats as well as President Clinton's 1997 Executive Order on the Protection of Children from Environmental Health and Safety Risks. Each EPA Region called for nominations of local communities to participate in the program. Toppenish, Washington was selected as the pilot project for Region 10.
Once the Toppenish community was selected, EPA called a local meeting of potential stakeholders, and a Community Team was formed. Subsequent meetings resulted in selection of a grantee, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic. After considerable discussion, reduction of Emergency Room visits and hospital admissions due to childhood asthma was targeted as the environmental factor to be focused on.
The Community Team met during July, August, September and October to develop an Action Plan for implementation in the Toppenish area. The Action Plan has been submitted to EPA for approval. Once approved, a grant application will be submitted for implementation funding.
Some of the startling facts which have come from this pilot are that the rate of hospitalization due to asthma for children between the ages of zero and eighteen residing within the Toppenish zip code was 233 per 100,000 in 1997. This compares to 136 per 100,000 for the whole of Washington State. Children under five years of age are most affected by asthma in the Toppenish area. The incidence of asthma appears to be increasing at dramatic levels, particularly in children under age five. The residents of Toppenish possess many risk factors that are strongly associated with asthma, such as poverty and minority status.
Since asthma is thought to be a manageable condition, the approaches for controlling asthma should emphasize empowerment of the children, parents, and other caregivers by increasing knowledge of asthma control methods. The Action Plan developed by the Community Team has identified approaches that the community can take to reduce the incidence of asthma attacks in children. These are:
1. Home visits to families of children with asthma.
2. Asthma education to childcare providers, preschools, Headstart and the Toppenish School District.
3. Parent education through regular support groups.
4. Broad-based community education on environmental awareness for control of asthma.
5. Expansion of the Community Team by holding regular team meetings and public meetings to reach a broader audience.
The Team is enthusiastically looking forward to beginning Action Plan implementation and watching the results. The winners in this effort will be asthmatic children in the Toppenish area. For more information about this project, call Dan Robison, EPA, in Yakima at 509/575-5845.
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New 9 : UW Environmental Business Forum, Seattle, Washington. John Mason, 206/675-1786.
10-11 : New Technologies and Concepts in Stormwater Treatment, University of Washington. Engineering Professional Program, 206/543-5539, or email: uw-epp@engr.washington.edu OR send online mail right now to: Engineering Professional Program
25 : Partnering Workshop, Washington State Department of Transportation, Joel Gjuka, 360/705-7461, email: gjukajo@wsdot.wa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Joel Gjuka
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New 8-11 : International Oil Spill Conference, Seattle, Washington, 202/973-8689.
23-25 : Washington Water/Wastewater Operations Workshop, Ocean Shores, Washington. Washington Environmental Training Center, 253/833-9111 x3373, or 1-800-562-0858.
24 : Future of Our Public Lands II: Symposium on Federal Land Policy, Boise State University, Idaho. Andrus Center for Public Policy, 208/426-4218.
30-1 : Creative Solutions: Moving Rural Communities into the 21st Century, Seattle, Washington. Rural Community Assistance Corporation, 916/447-9832 x139.
31 : Soils for Salmon: The Urban Environment Seminar, University of Washington. Gabriella Uhlar-Heffnar, Seattle Public Utilities, 206/386-9772.
31-April 2 : Wastewater Collection System Operation and Maintenance, Wenatchee, Washington. Washington Environmental Training Center, 1-800-562-0858, or 253/833-9111 x3369.
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New 12-13 : American Water Resources Association Conference, Alaska Chapter, Juneau, Alaska. Geoff Coble, AWRA, 907/235-1066 or cgs@alaska.net. OR send online mail right now to: CGS
12-16 : 23rd Annual National Indian Timber Symposium, Warm Springs, Oregon. Intertribal Timber Council, 503/282-4296.
17 : Procession of the Species Celebration, participatory Earth Day Event, Olympia, Washington. Earthbound Productions, 360/705-1087.
21-22 : Economic Research and Policy Concerning Water Use and Watershed Management, Workshop, Seattle, Washington. Tracey Wolff, EPA, 202/260-3378, wolff.tracey@epa.gov OR send online mail right now to:Tracey Wolff or visit www.epa.gov/oppe/eaed/eedhmpg.htm
22 : Earth Day
24 : NW Enviro Expo, Seattle, Washington. Seattle Public Utilities and Caffe Appassinoco, Steve McCracken at 206/464-0194, or Kelly Kipkalov at 206/623-0232.
24-28 : National Planning Conference, American Planning Association, Seattle, Washington. 312/786-6389, email: rkaiser@planning.org OR send online mail right now to: R, Kaiser
, or www.planning.org/conferen/98indx.htm
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American Wetlands Month , Terrene Institute, 703/548-5473, www.terrene.org/, or EPA Wetlands Protection Hotline 1-800-832-7828.
1-9 : National Drinking Water Week
3-7 : Idaho Water Awareness Week. Dick Larsen, Idaho Department of Water Resources, 208/327-7933, email dlarsen@idwr.state.id.us OR send online mail right now to: Dick Larsen
, or visit website www.idwr.state.id.us/idwr/info/h2oweek/waw1.htm
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New 25-28 : Boise River Festival, Idaho, 208/345-8363, www.boiseriverfestival.org
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.
You are invited to contribute items for publication. Submittal deadline is the 15th day of the month preceding publication.
For mailing changes, call Tomi Rutherford at 206/553-0603. To contact the editor, call Andrea Lindsay at 206/553-1896 or 1-800-424-4EPA x1896, or email lindsay.andrea@epa.gov OR send online mail right now to: Andrea Lindsay
Accessibility information: To request services to accommodate persons with disabilities, contact EPA at 206/553-1200 or 1-800-424-4EPA.
Mention of trade names, products, or services does not convey, and should not be interpreted as conveying, official EPA approval, endorsement, or recommendation.
This page created and maintained by Chehalis River Council
Environmental Ed Brochures Offer Tips
Key Findings of America's Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors
Volunteer Monitoring Program Directory Released
Earth's 911
Index of Watershed Indicators Posted
Drinking Water Info Now On Internet
Water Quality Criteria Table Offered
Stream Corridor Restoration Document Published
Willapa Watershed CD-ROM Available
Get Your Guide to Environmental Issues
WA Wetland Mitigation Rule Under Development
WA Partnering Workshop Announced
ECOSYSTEM
EPA Helps Community Tackle Childhood Asthma
CALENDAR
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