CPA/100/R-99/001
1998 Regional Geographic
Initiatve
Air, Water, Waste, Toxics;
Integrated Solutions to
Local Environmental Problems
Highlights
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iir communities are the building
Weeks so they must be strong, they
must be stable, they must be long-
lived --• they must be places where
neighbors work together — business
owners, local planners, community
leaders, government, ordinary citizens
•"•creating in partnership healthier,
economically vibrant places to live
and work and play — not just for our
lifetimes, but far into the future.
Carol Browner
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The Regional
Geographic Initiative
Program (RGI)
A Catalyst for Environmental Renovation
in All Media
The RGI Program is a grassroots approach to long-term,
sustainable enviro-restoration now proving itself in diverse
communities across the nation. RGI was established in 1994
to help integrate local initiatives for control of hazards to
human health and ecosystems, matters often of intense
state and local concern or controversy.
Many RGI projects are critical components of larger
Agency programs. RGI funds have been used to comple-
ment national programs like the study of invasive species
in Puget Sound. RGI provided quick start-up funds to
identify sources of coal mine drainage in the Paint Creek
watershed in Pennsylvania. RGI helps develop community
partnerships for environmental awareness and
sustainablity in various localities, e.g., North Charleston,
South Carolina. RGI grants help EPA partner with neigh-
borhoods, small communities and local governments
otherwise unreachable under national programs.
The regions use RGI to further Presidential and Agency
initiatives. In fact, more than 80 percent of the projects
contribute to one initiative or another: Children's Health,
Cleaning up Toxic Waste Sites, Clean Water and Watershed
Restoration, Revitalizing Communities through
Brownfields, Strengthening Partnerships with Indian
Tribes, Environmental Justice, U.S./Mexico Border, Global
Warming, and Improving Public Access to Information.
Moreover, a number contribute to targeted Congressional
directives, for example: Region 3 - Acid Mine Drainage
Cleanup, Region 6 - Mexico Border projects and Region 10 -
Idaho Water Initiative.
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Forward
"1998 Regional Geographic Initiative Highlights" is a
publication showcasing ten of the 107 projects supported in
1998, one from each Region. It would be impossible to
highlight them all. These ten are a good representation of
what the RGI program is all about. All of the projects
support either Presidential or Agency Initiatives, contribute
to at least one of the Air, Water, Waste, and Toxics
environmental goals and support the overall National EPA
mandates.
During the past two years I have been privileged to visit
and work with all ten EPA Regions. As I traveled around
the country, it became clear to me how fortunate Americans
are to live in places that are so beautiful, yet different in
many ways. Whether it is New York City, the Florida
Everglades, Wyoming's open range, or Arizona's desert
they all have their different awe inspiring characteristics.
They also have their own unique environmental challenges.
The Regional Geographic Initiative (RGI) Program ad-
dresses those unique environmental challenges. It is a
grassroots approach, for environmental protection tailored
to the community. It is a model of government partnering
with communities and industries to develop long-term
solutions to environmental protection. Sustainability is
built into the program.
The goal of the "1998 Regional Geographies Initiative
Highlights" is not only to inform, but to inspire. With its
stories, pictures and charts, it provides snapshots of how
people, working together, have improved their world. I
hope the stories transport you to their world so you can
truly understand the virtue of the saying "Think Globally,
Act Locally."
-*^7^
Frankee Greenberg, Director /
Office of Regional Operations
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Contents
The Regional Geographic Initiative Program i
Forward ii
Regional Geographic Initiative Stories
Urban Communities 1
Two Communities Working Together to Improve the Chelsea Creek 2
Improving the Quality of Life for the Charleston /North Charleston Community 4
Environmental Costs of Illegal Dumping in the Great Lakes Region 6
Strategies for Meeting St. Louis's Priority Environmental Issues 8
Mountain Communities 11
Combating Visibility Problems in Big Bend National Park - the BRAVO Study 12
San Miguel Community Rallies to Save Alpine Ecosystems 14
Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem 16
Estuary Communities 19
Reducing Toxics in the New York-New Jersey Harbor 20
Restoring Chesapeake Bay Habitats 22
Valley Communities. 25
Multi-Media Pollution Prevention Techniques for the California Agriculture Industry 26
CIS Map of Story Sites 28
Appendix A
Supporting Presidential and Agency Initiatives 29
Appendix B
Supporting GPRA 30
Appendix C
All 1998 RGI Projects 32
in
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/•-v ._-
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Two Communities
Working Together
to Improve the Chelsea Creek
REGION 1
• Chelsea won the National
Civic League's 1998 All Amer-
ican City Award presented by
Vice President Gore
• Bringing technical expertise,
institutional support and
recognition to the community
Location
Regional Geographic Initiative (RGI)
funds have been a key source of support
for the Region's New England's Urban
Environmental Initiative (UEI). The
Urban Environmental Initiative encom-
passes activities that support major
national and regional priorities like
children's health and environmental
justice. It is also a cornerstone of New
England's community based environ-
mental protection approach focusing on
certain neighborhoods in Boston, MA,
Providence, RI and Hartford, CT. A UEI
team works with each community, using
RGI money to establish coalitions of
stakeholders including neighborhood,
nonprofit, academic, private sector, city,
state and federal representation. The goal
is to enable communities to participate
better in environmental decision making,
to reinforce their role as stakeholders
within the environmental community,
and to create sustainable infrastructure
that maintains connections between
residents, their community organizations
and the public sector. Chelsea Creek is
one of the 1998 projects that shows how
important the UEI program is to the
environment and the communities.
Chelsea Creek
The Chelsea River, or "Creek" as it is
called by residents, is a small inlet off
Boston Harbor that drains parts of
Chelsea, Revere and East Boston, Massa-
chusetts. It is a working river, navigated
Old Pansons Beach - What
Could Have Been
by large cargo ships and tankers, and a
designated port area within Boston
Harbor. It is a tributary of the Mystic
River. There are 21 towns and a half-
million people residing within the 120-
square-mile Mystic Watershed.
Chelsea and East Boston are the two
most densely populated communities
abutting Chelsea Creek. The population
of Chelsea is approximately 28,000; East
Boston about 32,000. These communities
are sites for seven oil storage tank farms
along both sides of the Creek and other
heavy industrial uses, although most of
the area is abandoned, underutilized;
contaminated, or otherwise problematic.
The Challenge
Chelsea and East Boston have large low-
income populations and many new
immigrants, people with few choices in
employment or recreation. There is little
public access to Chelsea Creek and, for
the most part, public agencies have
turned their back on this potential
resource. The bottom-line? Chelsea
Creek is one of the most polluted, least
accessible parts of the Mystic Watershed,
and adjacent to some of the poorest
riparian neighborhoods.
1998 Activities
For the past three years, the UEI has
provided consistent support, technical
assistance and partnership to the Chelsea
Creek Action Group. This Group and its
member organizations, Chelsea Green
Space and Recreation Committee,
Neighborhood for Affordable Housing,
and East Boston Ecumenical Community
Council, are working to build community
capacity to identify, prioritize and
address environmental issues and
concerns on both sides of Chelsea Creek.
UEI also supports and partners with
organizations that can provide technical
assistance and resources to meet the
needs and priorities of the people in the
area. For example, UEI provides funds
to the Massachusetts Riverways Program
of the State Division of Fisheries and
Wildlife. Riverways has in turn created
an Urban Rivers Program to work with
community organizations in Chelsea and
East Boston, as well as residents, munici-
palities and the Greater Boston Urban
Resources Partnership to expand public
access, improve habitats, and provide
recreational opportunities for residents
along the headwaters to the Creek.
The Greater Boston Urban Resource
Partnership, also supported by UEI in
collaboration with USD A (providing the
lion's share of funding), is an organiza-
tion EPA hopes will be a force to sustain
urban renovation. It is a coalition of 23
community organizations and agencies,
businesses, and federal, state and local
governments, whose mission is to help
urban communities link social, economic
and environmental remediation.
Chelsea and East Boston have received
widespread support both locally and
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"The Green Space Committee started out focusing on maintenance and loss of park space. Protecting the environ-
ment and open space wasn 't part of the community's thinking. By having conversations with and assistance from
EPA and other agencies we have expanded our vision to think of our community in environmental terms."
Gladys Vega, Former Chair of the Chelsea Greenspace and Recreation Committee
nationally as a result of the Urban Envi-
ronmental Initiative's focus on the Creek.
For example, Senator John Kerry came to
Chelsea to announce the Urban Resource
Partnership grant and applauded the
efforts of a true government /community
collaborative effort. Katie McGinty of the
Council on Environmental Quality toured
the Chelsea River and talked with partici-
pating community, city and state organi-
zations. Chelsea won the National Civic
League's 1998 All American City Award,
presented by Vice President Al Gore.
Mill Creek Wetland Restoration:
EPA, in partnership with the Massachu-
setts Riverways Program, is conducting a
restoration assessment of the Mill Creek
estuary between Chelsea and Revere.
Mill Creek is the last remnant of the salt
marsh that once covered much of Chelsea.
EPA is providing Geographic Information
Services, historical information and
education outreach tours of the estuary to
the community and to the Greater Boston
Urban Resources Partnership. As a result,
the Conservation Law Foundation and the
Watershed Institute of Boston College
have joined the project. The Conservation
Law Foundation has a Pew Foundation
Grant for urban estuary restoration. Mill
Creek is one of its pilot projects.
Comparative Risk Assessment
Member organizations of the Chelsea
Creek Action Group applied jointly to
EPA for funding in January 1998 to
undertake a comparative risk assessment.
Two years ago, when this project was first
proposed and presentations were made to
the community, there was very little
interest. The scope and magnitude of the
project, like the environmental issues
themselves, had overwhelmed and
demoralized community residents.
Outreach and support from UEI helped
unite the community and empower
organizations to apply for funds.
Chelsea Environmental and
Educational Community
Right-to-Know Project
In partnership with Chelsea High
School, EPA has intensified compliance
under the Emergency Planning and
Community Right to Know Act
(EPCRA) and has computerized
reporting so that local emergency
responders are now able to access this
information on their lap tops. As a
result of their planning, preparedness
has improved greatly. Chelsea small
businesses in compliance have risen
from nine to 60.
Cross-Media
Compliance/Enforcement:
The Mystic River Recon project as-
sembled technical experts from the
Office of Environmental Measurement
and Evaluation to perform a short-term
environmental investigation of the
Mystic River Watershed. The team
combined interviews of local officials
and environmental advocates with
field reconnaissance. It identified
target opportunities for cross-media
compliance and enforcement actions,
technical assistance, permitting,
Superfund responses, and citizen
volunteer monitoring and clean up.
Ultimately, it aided the Agency in
prioritizing and aligning resources to
prevent further degradation.
Summary
UEI has been a catalyst in bringing to the
Chelsea Creek community access to technical
expertise, institutional support, funding and
political recognition. Without such a multi-
media, place-based approach, the
community's efforts to organize and take
action would have been confounded.
Residential I Industrial
Zoning Conflict
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Improving the Quality of Life for the
Charleston/North Charleston
Community
REGION 4
• Initiating prevention of lead
poisoning among new and
expectant mothers
9 Promoting environmental
sustamability by teaching
small lousinesses pollution
prevention methods
Location
The Charles ton /N. Charleston Commu-
nity Project covers approximately 17
square miles at the neck of the Charles-
ton, SC peninsula. It is bordered on the
west by the Ashley River and on the east
by the Cooper. The area is an industrial
corridor surrounded by 40,000 residents
and abundant tidal creeks, marshes, and
rivers. The community is 73 percent
minority, almost 40 percent of whom live
at or below the poverty level.
The Challenge
Much of the Charleston/N. Charleston
area has been heavily industrialized since
the 1800s, resulting in a complex combi-
nation ot environmental problems. The
area has both active industry and histori-
cal hazardous waste releases. The
environmental concerns in the area cut
across air, surface water, groundwater,
sediments, and soil. The community has
major health concerns, such as cancer and
lead poisoning.
1998 Activities
The long-term goal of this project is to
improve the quality of the land, air,
water, and living resources to ensure
human health, ecological, social, and
economic benefits. To reach this goal,
many short-term objectives have been
developed through partnerships with
citizens, industry, conservation groups
and other stakeholders. In 1997, a
Community Advisory Group (CAG) was
officially formed. The CAG comprises
representatives from eight neighbor-
hoods, business and industry, local
environmental and social advocacy
groups, academic institutions, as well as
local, state and federal government
representatives. The CAG's success is
such that other local organizations—the
South Carolina Aquarium and the
Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley
Counties Council of Governments—have
requested to become partners in the
project and gain CAG membership.
Regional Geographic Initiative (RGI)
funding was indispensable to the early
success of this project. RGI funding to
the Medical University of South Carolina
(MUSC) in 1997 provided seed money for
creating the Community Advisory
Group, initiating outreach efforts to
communities in the target area and
starting the data-gathering effort critical
to priority setting and developing
environmental indicators. The entire
database will soon be accessible to the
CAG and the local community. A data
catalog was developed, and GIS data
layers were obtained from various
sources.
MUSC, the City of Charleston and the
Low Country Area Director for Congress-
man James L. Clyburn all offered their
expertise in working with communities
in the area. This group, along with EPA
and SCDHEC, supported organizing and
capacity-building efforts related to the
Community Advisory Group. EPA used
a local facilitator, obtained by MUSC, to
help the CAG establish operating
procedures and mission and vision
statements. There were briefings and
training for the CAG, as well as outreach
activities for residents of the target area.
With coordination by EPA, SCDHEC and
MUSC, an Enviro-Fair was conducted
early in the CAG's development, which
introduced local residents and businesses
to the community-based environmental
protection approach.
The CAG's first efforts included
holding numerous neighborhood meet-
ings to find out what human and envi-
ronmental issues were of greatest con-
cern. One priority that surfaced immedi-
ately was lead poisoning of children as
well as lead contamination in soil. Much
of the housing along the 17-mile corridor
was built in the early and mid 1900s, when
lead was deployed liberally. Residents
were also concerned about drainage and
flooding, noise, air quality, crime, jobs,
aesthetics, contamination in open ditches,
environmental justice and compliance with
environmental regulations.
Compliance Assistance:
In light of the multitude of operating
industries in the area, particularly small
businesses, EPA and the South Carolina
Department of Health and Environmental
Control formed a partnership to address
compliance assurance issues. The goals for
Charleston include informing the regu-
lated community of their compliance
obligations; assisting the regulated com-
munity in understanding complex federal
and/or state requirements; and motivating
behavioral change (e.g., pollutants re-
duced, permits adopted) from on-site visits
and in-depth workshops/training.
The EPA and State Compliance Assur-
ance partnership is focusing on small
businesses that traditionally have not been
fully aware of their compliance obliga-
tions. Compliance assistance is being
offered to the two sectors that appear to
represent the greatest potential for trouble-
-dry cleaners and paint and body shops.
The effectiveness of this assistance will be
measured in terms of three indicators:
behavioral change, compliance indicators,
and environmental and human health
improvements.
Progress in 1998:
EPA used Regional Geographic Initiative
(RGI) funding to support three distinct
projects in 1998. The projects were
proposed and are being developed in
direct response to community concerns
and environmental data were evaluated by
EPA, SCDHEC and MUSC.
• Lead Poisoning Prevention Program:
The purpose of the program is to initiate
primary prevention of lead poisoning
among new and expectant mothers in the
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"/ am extremely proud of our residents, academia, civic and business lenders who have come together to
foster community-based environmental protection in our community. 1 look forward to their continued
dedication in addressing environmental concerns and setting environmental priorities for our future."
Honorable Joseph P Ritev, |r, Mayor, Charleston, South Caiohna
EPA working with the Community
Advisory Group, partner agency
representatives and students performing
cleanup activities during the April 1998
Clean Cities Sweep at an area school.
target area and institutionalize it in the
community. Recognizing this, ten
community members have volunteered
for training by health specialists from
various federal, state and local partners.
Then, the lay health advisors will be
further tested by health specialists to
ensure they are qualified to instruct at-
risk individuals. The lay health advisors
will train new and expectant mothers and
other family members in the target area
to protect their children from lead
exposure in their homes and in other
child-care locations. The Community
Advisory Group will inform community
members, local physicians and health
clinics of this effort and ask that they
refer possible participants. Environmen-
tal indicators, evaluation and tracking of
lead exposure data are being put in place
to assist the CAG in evaluating the
program.
* Radon Initiative: Historical phos-
phate operations have affected portions
of the 17-mile targeted area. These
operations have raised strong health and
environmental concerns about the
possibility of radon contamination in the
community. The purpose of this initiative
is to educate residents, survey the area to
identify high levels of radon, provide
mitigation assistance where needed, get
residents assistance in solving the
problem, and measure environmental
results.
The Community Advisory Group will
undertake a major outreach effort,
disseminating pamphlets and talking
with neighborhoods to educate and boost
participation. The Southern Regional
Radon Training Center has been engaged
to provide training on how to organize
and conduct radon surveys and on
residential radon mitigation techniques.
The training will include mitigating at
least one home in the target area. Efforts
are underway to incorporate the Radon
Initiative into area housing rehabilitation
programs generally.
• Environmentally Friendly Small
Businesses - Pollution Prevention Oppor-
tunities: An important part of working
with this community is to ensure environ-
mental gains are sustained and amplified
in the future. Small businesses are incor-
porating pollution prevention methods
into their daily activities to promote
enviro-sustainability.
Proposed activities include members of
the community, as well as partner agen-
cies, meeting with small business owners
and providing information on pollution
prevention. A community outreach team
will be trained; some will have experi-
enced the benefits of incorporating
pollution prevention techniques in their
daily business. This will be an educa-
tional/outreach activity of the community,
not an extension of regulations. Addition-
ally, a small business fair is being planned
by the CAG, to provide direct access to
EPA and South Carolina Department of
Health and Environmental Control
(SCDHEC) pollution prevention and small
business assistance. Finally, the CAG will
organize meetings between small busi-
nesses and communities to foster better
understanding and coordination.
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Environmental costs
of Illegal dumping in the
Great Lakes Region
REGION 5
• 1999 EPA Gold Medal for the
Illegal Dumping Assessment
and Prevention Project Team, a
principle concern of the Region's
Geographic Initiative
• l^eveloping an economic
assessment model that will
be used to estimate the financial
impact of illegal dumping
Location
Throughout Northwest Indiana, Greater
Chicago, Southeast Michigan, Northeast
Ohio, and Gateway/East St. Louis, illegal
dumping is a major problem. These
urban centers range in size from 500,000
to 5 million people. They exhibit unique
problems and characteristics, especially
with respect to land use, population and
social/economic conditions. In recent
years, each of these communities took
steps to address illegal dumping, but
were having trouble making progress. To
maintain momentum, EPA, through the
Regional Geographic Initiative (RGI)
Program, has established partnerships in
each area to assist them.
The Challenge
Any area can become an illegal dump
site. Once established, conditions only
get worse as more and more trash is
dumped and the perception evolves that
it is OK to dump there. What starts as a
few tires or old pieces of furniture may
soon attract used oil, asbestos tiles or old
paint, which can pose a serious health
and environmental threats. Children
playing near these sites may be exposed
to protruding nails, glass, harmful dust or
liquids. Dumping can impact drainage,
making areas more susceptible to flood-
ing, or contaminate drinking water wells
and surface waters. In one Chicago
suburb, illegally dumped materials
clogged a creek and caused a perpetual
cycle of flooding in the Spring and
during storms. The basements of homes
flooded, which created more waste
materials such as soaked carpeting and
furniture that were then dumped into the
same creek, causing a "vicious cycle" of
dumping and flooding. Unless some-
thing is done, a community thus abused
can quickly fall apart, property values
drop and the area becomes unattractive
to investors. During the 1970s, East St.
Louis was a vibrant community with
thriving local businesses. In the last 20
years, the community has collapsed and
has only one drugstore, property values
have plummeted by 30% and school
enrollment has dropped by 20%. Ulti-
mately, it is the redevelopment of areas
most susceptible to illegal dumping and the
creation of prevention programs that
eliminates the problem—together, of course,
with a panoply of educational and socio-
economic reforms to make the community
prosperous.
1998 Activities
Illegal dumping is a problem where govern-
ments fail to enforce regulations, but it is
impossible to conduct 24-hour surveillance
in all areas where dumping could possibly
take place. The most effective way to keep
neighborhoods clean is for government
agencies to team up with residents and
local businesses, becoming part of one
united effort to attack the problem. Using
RGI funds, Region 5 has established
partnerships consisting of residents, local
governments and industries to develop
common sense, community-based, collabo-
rative approaches to solve this intractable
problem. These approaches include
Chicago Outreach Materials
Dumping on an open lot
in Cleveland
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7 write to commend the Environmental Protection Agency... for the quick, cost-efficient and thorough cleanup of
the illegal dumps throughout the Village of Ford Heights...The results of your agency's work are nothing short of
spectacular...As you know. I am working hard to improve the quality of life for the residents of lord Heights.
Undoubtedly, by removing the mountains of debris and eradicating the health hazards that they posed, the EPA
has helped to accomplish that critical mission..."
Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, |r (IL)
Gateivay Task Force Arrest of Illegal Tire Dumper
• Preparing detailed assessments of the
nature of the illegal dumping, including
potential motivations, and what current
efforts to combat the problem were
working or not working and why
• Contacting stakeholders from the
community, private industry, and
government to share information and
exchange perspectives and ideas for
solutions
• Taking information from communities
with effective programs
• Facilitating stakeholder meetings to
identify target areas and priority objec-
tives, and plan collaborative projects
• Utilizing grant agreements or other
assistance mechanisms
• Documenting implementation and
results of projects to share with others
Since 1995, over twenty collaborative
projects are underway. These range from
conducting community-sponsored clean
ups and establishing site watch-dog
groups to holding training programs for
local police officers and establishing task
forces to catch dumpers. In 1997, such
task forces led to 170 arrests and 89
impounded vehicles in Detroit and
another 133 tickets written and over
585,000 cubic yards of debris cleaned up
by dumpers in Chicago. Approximately
1,500 local police officers have been
trained in identifying, investigating and
responding safely to illegal dumping sites
region-wide. EPA is also working with
local officials, prosecutors and judges to
show the importance of prosecuting
illegal dumpers. As a result of these
efforts, in East St. Louis over 50,000 scrap
tires have been cleared off the streets,
alleys and vacant lots in cooperation with
community groups and local govern-
ments and sent to a recycler for profit.
EPA's Illegal Dumping Prevention
Guidebook was created to share results
and lessons learned, with over 10,000
copies distributed nationwide in coopera-
tion with Keep America Beautiful and the
U.S. Conference of Mayors. EPA is also
developing an economic assessment
model, scheduled to be completed by
Summer, 1999, that will estimate the
financial impact of illegal dumping and
support prophylaxis.
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Strategies for Meeting St. Louis's
Priority Environmental Issues
REGION 7
• Demolishing/Rehabilitating
abandoned asbestos and lead
contaminated houses
• Targeting two neighborhoods
for environmental improvement
Location
St. Louis, MO lies on the banks of the
Mississippi River just south of its
confluence with the Missouri. It adjoins,
but is independent of, East St. Louis,
Illinois and the eight counties in Missouri
and Illinois constituting the metropolitan
area.
The Challenge
Because of its aging infrastructure, loss of
half a million people since 1950, col-
lapsed industrial base, sprawl, crime and
poverty, St. Louis has more than its share
of environmental and health problems. It
has one of the highest rates of childhood
asthma in the U.S., lead poisoning of
children is seven times the national
average, and it was among the 10
counties with the lowest life expectancy
in the country in 1998. The City has an
inventory of over 10,000 vacant or
abandoned properties, and the air in the
region frequently violates the National
Ambient Air Quality Standards for
ozone. In order to address these critical
issues, Regional Geographic Initiative
(RGI) funds have been crucial in addition
to the traditional EPA funding.
1998 Activities
In 1997, EPA started a Community-Based
Environmental Protection (CBEP)
Initiative to work in partnership with
citizens and state and local governments
in Region 7 to identify environmental
concerns at the local level; establish
priorities among participants and
governmental agencies; and assist
residents and partners in resolving
environmental issues that will improve
the quality of life in their neighborhoods.
To launch the first phase of this
initiative and gain information on
citizen's concerns about their environ-
ment, RGI funds were used for the St.
Louis Community College to conduct a
series of interactive public meetings
called "The Listening Tour." Every
neighborhood in the city was included in
one of 12 community meetings or tours.
The College, in turn, organized a task
force of community representatives to
shape and guide the tours and contracted
with a local communications firm to
capture audiences and initiate candid
dialogue. The 1997 fall tour was a major
triumph.
During the spring of 1998, EPA and its
partners compiled data from the tour,
prepared a final report and video, and
EPA began a series of meetings with local
organizations to respond to the 10
priority environmental issues that had
emerged. The issues identified most
frequently were air pollution, vacant and
abandoned properties, Brownfield
redevelopment, lead poisoning, illegal
dumping, litter and trash, lack of recy-
cling options, urban sprawl, highway
expansion, water pollution and the need
for parks and playgrounds. EPA deter-
mined that the next phase should be to
work with neighborhoods to design and
implement strategies to meet priority
environmental needs. Two key projects
emerged over the course of 1998.
• The Abandoned Building Project
Most of the housing in the 18th ward was
built in the early 1900s when asbestos
was used as furnace insulation and as a
component in ceiling and floor tiles; lead-
based paint was also widely applied. The
10-15 houses targeted for demolition are
in poor condition— some of them crum-
bling from neglect, all of them owned by
the city as a result of tax foreclosures.
These structures pose a physical hazard
as well as a threat of release of asbestos
and lead. Asbestos containing materials
require special handling under the
federal NESHAPS rules, thus making
demolition expensive-part of the reason
the properties have been abandoned.
Clearing multiple abandoned houses
within a single neighborhood in order to
assemble parcels for redevelopment has
never been attempted by the city hereto-
fore. Following the Listening Tour, EPA
met with its partners to design a pilot
project, working with the alderman,
residents and developers with current
ward investments, to select structures for
demolition. A team of federal, state and
city staff will perform building inspec-
A crumbling
abandoned
house
contaminated
with
asbestos and
lead, which
will be
demolished
in the pilot
abandoned
building
project
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"Thanks for EPA Region 7's support and commitment to assisting the City of St. Louis in identifying new ways to
address the critical issue of asbestos and lead contaminated abandoned and vacant buildings in our neighborhoods.
This project provides a unique opportunity for federal, state and local officials to work collaboratively to bring
resources and expertise to a problem that is a top priority for many St. Lomsans."
Clarence Harmon, Mayor
A stop
on the
Listening
Tour,
October
1997
tions to identify and quantify hazardous
materials for removal. Then, using critical
RGI funding the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, through an Interagency
Agreement will design and oversee
demolition. Through this process, we are
seeking to create a model that neighbor-
hoods, contractors and the city can
deploy in other locations. We also plan to
resolve the issues surrounding NESHAPS
compliance that have strained relation-
ships among the regulators and the city
for years, and to find cost-effective,
environmentally sound ways to demolish
buildings en masse.
• Listening Tour - Phase II
During 1998, St. Louis Community
College proposed and was awarded a
RGI grant for a second phase of work to
amplify the public engagement launched
by the Listening Tour. This second phase
will enlist community residents in two
neighborhoods to plan, develop and
implement a project tailored to their
specific environmental interests and
concerns. This project will be well
documented and used as a model that
can be replicated in other neighborhoods
as resources and citizen support come
down the pipe.
Phase II will begin with five "celebra-
tion briefings" in April of 1999: one each
in the north, south, east and west quad-
rants of the city and one at the annual
Neighborhoods Conference, sponsored
by the Community College. Each ninety-
minute celebration will include a public
showing of the award-winning Listening
Tour video, a presentation of the results
of Phase I, a briefing about Phase II and
an explanation of how neighborhoods
can compete for participation in Phase II
projects.
Each Phase II project will include 16-20
residents from each neighborhood.
Known as the core leadership group, they
will be responsible for the stewardship of
the project and receive leadership
instruction so they can manage this and
other neighborhood projects in the future.
It will include 40 hours of experiential
training, a city/state government day
and a final project presentation. The
training will encompass group process;
strategic planning; project management;
asset mapping; relationship building; the
art of inquiry and grant writing. The
city/state government day is designed to
give participants an opportunity to meet
and interview key officials who will help
shape their projects. The core leadership
groups will select an environmental issue
from among the top ten identified during
the Listening Tour, learn the details of the
problem and design a project to mitigate
it. EPA will offer technical assistance and
information on environmental topics or
issues as needed.
In addition to training a cadre of
neighborhood leaders, the Community
College is committed to solicit and train
young people in the two neighborhoods.
The College will work with Team Sweep,
a youth neighborhood beautification
program that targets young people aged
8-14. The youth component will build
capacity across generations so momen-
tum isn't lost, encourage systemic
change, and generate a diversity and
energy beyond what working adults can
always provide.
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Combating Visibility Problems
in Big Bend National Park -
The BRAVO Study
REGION 6
• Reducing sulfur dioxide
emissions to meet National
Standards
• Reducing transboundary
threats to human health and
shared ecosystems
,,*„
Location
Remote southwestern Texas, where
the Rio Grande makes a large U-turn
along the US-Mexico border, is known
as "Big Bend Country." Big Bend
National Park—a 1,252 square-mile
reserve—was established in 1944 and
designated as a Biosphere Reserve in
1976. Big Bend is a land of contrasts:
the Rio Grande, portions of which
have been designated as a Wild and
Scenic River; the huge Chihuahuan
desert; and the Chisos Mountains,
towering 2400 meters (7800 feet) above
the desert sea and the Sierra del
Carmen across the river in Mexico.
Along the Rio Grande are deep cut
canyons—Santa Elena, Mariscal, and
Boquillas-alternating with narrow
valleys walled by towering cliffs. It is
a region of great biological diversity,
containing more than 1,000 species of
plants (including 65 cacti), 434 birds,
78 mammals, 71 reptiles and amphib-
ians, and 35 fish. Endangered species
include the peregrine falcon, black-
capped vireo, Mexican long-nose bat,
Big Bend gambusia (a fish), and three
threatened cacti. Big Bend is also
known and appreciated in both
countries for the beauty of its scenic
vistas. So remote is the Park that only
300,000 visit annually.
A Good Visibility Day at Big Bend
The Challenge
However, anthropogenic emissions— fossil
fuel combustion, petroleum refining, and
smelting activities- are ruining the park
experience: visibility is perhaps the worst of
any national park in the western United
States. In recent years residents have
reported greater frequency and severity of
regional hazes. As EPA's Regional Adminis-
trator in Dallas, Gregg Cooke, noted after a
recent trip to Big Bend: "I was dismayed to
see how polluted the once blue skies over the
park have become." Since 1993 the govern-
ments of the United States and Mexico have
been investigating the causes of regional
haze. Preliminary estimates of sulfur dioxide
emissions from nearby power plants in
Mexico were calculated at approximately
240,000 tons per year, equivalent to the
second largest emitter of sulfur dioxide in
the United States, and certainly the largest
emitter in that region.
A binational work group was established
in October 1993 to investigate the potential
impacts from power plants on Big Bend's air
quality. After two years-plus of study and
application of atmospheric dispersion
models, the group issued a joint statement in
March 1996, saying the two governments
should conduct a comprehensive field study
to analyze all potential regional sources that
might contribute to the park's air quality and
visibility problems.
12
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"It is an extremely important step forward."
Mary Rellv, Texas Center for Policy Studies
A Bad Visibility Day at Big Bend
1998 Activities
The primary goals of the Big Bend
Regional Aerosol and Visibility Obser-
vational (BRAVO) Study funded in part
by FY 97 and 98 Regional Geographic
Initiative (RGI) are to understand the
long-range, transboundary transport of
visibility-reducing particles from
regional sources in the U.S. and Mexico
and to quantify the contributions of
specific U.S. and Mexican sources (or
source regions) responsible for poor
visibility at Big Bend National Park,
including power plants. Important
aspects of BRAVO will include atmo-
spheric tracer releases from major
industrial sources and widespread
atmospheric sampling throughout
northern and central Mexico and the
south-central U.S. The results of a
preliminary study were released
January 8,1999.
The comprehensive BRAVO field
study will be conducted from July
through October 1999. Data will be
analyzed over the next year and should
demonstrate which types of sources
(e.g., smelters, auto emissions, power
plants) in the U.S. and Mexico are
responsible for the haze. U.S. policy-
makers in the two countries can then
devise a strategy to cut emissions.
The BRAVO Steering Committee will
continue its outreach program with
stakeholder groups. In June 1998 the
Steering Committee held a meeting in
Dallas with over 50 stakeholders, and in
August 1998, EPA, the U.S. National Park
Service (NFS), and the Texas Natural
Resource Conservation Commission
(TNRCC) participated in a public meeting
in Alpine, Texas (near Big Bend National
Park), which more than 150 people
attended for an exchange of views.
Organized groups of stakeholders include
the Sierra Club-Big Bend chapter, the
Sierra Club-Texas State chapter, Friends
of Big Bend National Park, and the
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
13
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San Miguel Community Rallies
to save Alpine Ecosystems
REGION 8
• Local citizens act to protect
source water
• Local officials redefine land
use codes to protect ecological
values
Location
The one-million-acre San Miguel Water-
shed lies within one of the largest
remaining relatively undisturbed areas of
Colorado and, indeed, North America.
At its heart, the free-flowing San Miguel
River extends for 80 miles from high
alpine headwaters above Telluride,
Colorado, to a desert confluence with the
Dolores River. Biologists consider the
basin to be one of the few remaining
ecologically and hydrologically intact
systems in America. The area is economi-
cally blessed but ecologically challenged,
with some of the highest relocation and
resort growth rates in the nation ( 7.3%
annually). It has witnessed a five-fold
increase in non-skier recreational uses in
the past decade. Since 1996, Region 8 has
invested Regional Geographic Initiative
(RGI) funding to support community-led
activities through a cooperative effort
with stakeholders. Applying RGI
resources to this geographic area has
been critical for meeting locally set goals.
The San Miguel Watershed, located in
two counties (the majority in San Miguel
& the rest in Montrose), is a natural
treasure house for locals and visitors.
Historically, the area's economy has been
based primarily upon mining and
agricultural operations, which have
destabilized river channels and degraded
water quality. Fragile source-water is
threatened by extractive industries and
development in remote areas, some
without waste water treatment infrastruc-
tures. Retirement communities are
sprouting in the western agronomic part
of the basin.
The Challenge
Communication and understanding
between the upper basin (resort/second
home/mining) and lower basin (ranch-
ing/farming/mining) were problematic.
Over the last three years, there has been
significant investment to promote
collaboration in the basin. Citizens,
community groups, local governments,
state and federal agencies have taken a
watershed approach to address increas-
ing threats to environmental integrity
and economic sustainability. Also, a
unique aspect of the San Miguel Water-
shed effort has been its ability to work
with traditional regulatory programs,
such as the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), wetlands enforcement
and source-water protection, within a
Community Based Environmental
Protection (CBEP) framework.
1998 Activities
RGI funds were strategically critical in
providing access to flexible resources that
would address the unique needs of small,
resource-limited communities. The
distribution of these funds has resulted in
leveraging, other EPA program funds as
well as other stakeholder funds and
services for this important ecosystem
protection and quality-of-life effort.
•San Miguel County's High Alpine/GIS
Land Use Assessment and Source Water
Protection
This project developed ecological assess-
ments of 18 alpine basins, identification
of sensitive aquatic ecological resources
and establishment of county land-use
codes that tightly restrict development.
Recently, as a result of this assessment
effort funded by EPA RGI, it was discov-
ered that these pristine alpine ecosystems
are impacted by regional atmospheric
nitrogen deposition. The establishment
of GIS resource based land-use codes in
the west is controversial and precedent
setting for such undisturbed alpine
systems. After many community
meetings and intense public discus-
sions, ecological sensitivity maps and
land use protection ordinances were
passed by County Commissioners on
June 3, 1998, protecting several thou-
sand acres of pristine land from intense
development. The Commissioners, the
County Planning and Environmental
Health Departments, the Southwestern
Data Center, and The University of
Colorado's Institute of Arctic and
Alpine Research (INSTAAR) all
received the Regional Administrator's
Excellence in Environment Award in
1998.
This effort also included a voluntary
local stakeholder source-water protec-
tion delineation, assessment and
mapping effort by seven communities.
Results include GIS maps of the
source-water protection areas and local
participation in source-water manage-
ment planning. An interactive web site
provides access to all the assessments
& delineation products for the commu-
nity (http://www/landuse.com/
epaproject / indexhtm)
• Local Watershed Coordinator/Multi-
Stakeholder Watershed Plan
This project used a CBEP approach in
partnership with a broad-based
community stakeholder coalition
dedicated to restoration, preservation
and sustainable economic development
of the San Miguel Watershed. RGI
funds partially supported a local
watershed coordinator, leveraging an
additional $25,000 from the Bureau of
Land Management and the Town of
Telluride. In-kind services (which
equate to thousands of dollars) from
local, federal and state organizations
were also contributed (e.g. facilitation
by the National Park Service's Rivers
and Trails Conservation Assistance
(RTCA) program). The Town of
Telluride, in partnership with the
14
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"Certainly, the examples of watershed environmental protection, like the Town of Norwood's desire for
assistance with [its] source-water protection plan and expanding the coalition stakeholder representation to
the Town ofNucla, are testaments that EPA's community-based approach is a brilliant and effective way of
empowering local communities."
Linda Luther, Local San Miguel Watershed Coordinator
EPA Regional Administrator William Yelloivtail with San Miguel county
Commissioners Anna Zivian, Art Goodtimes and Jim Craft in Fall of 1998 discussions
about the watershed. The county set aside thousands of acres under lowimpact use
restrictions.
Watershed Coalition, focused on projects
that led to completion of Clean Water Act
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
calculations. As a result, a locally based
multi-stakeholder group formed a solid
coalition for addressing watershed issues
in the basin. A broadly distributed and
adopted final watershed plan identifies
over 300 specific on the ground projects
needing attention within the basin. These
include wetland and river restoration,
flow studies, monitoring and ecosystem
stewardship projects.
• High Alpine Phase II & Applebaugh
Wetlands Restoration
These projects focus on reassessment of
key alpine basins for metal contaminants,
map verification and accuracy. RGI
funds were also used to support develop-
ment of a meteorological and atmo-
spheric monitoring program to identify
the source of regional nitrate deposition.
Also, working with local high school
students, a wetlands monitoring and
restoration project is moving forward
near the community of Placerville.
15
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Restoring the
Umatilla Ecosystem
REGION 10
• Changing grazing practices
to improve native vegetation,
water quality, and fish habitat
in entire subwatersheds
• Converting more than 15,000
acres of farmland to practices that
protect groundwater, improve air
quality, restore soil health, and
reduce runoff to streams
Location
The Umatilla Basin in northeastern
Oregon has a population of approxi-
mately 65,000 people and covers approxi-
mately 3000 square miles of the Columbia
River Basin. It is bound on the east and
south by the Blue Mountains, which store
most of the area's precipitation in the
form of winter snowpack. Receiving only
8-12 inches of precipitation annually, the
arid region below the mountains once
was a shrub-steppe/grassland ecosystem,
but it is used today for livestock grazing
and dryland or irrigated agriculture. The
primary land use of the higher elevations
is forestry. The Umatilla Indian Reserva-
tion is located almost entirely within the
basin. Much of the reservation is being
farmed or grazed.
The Challenge
Except for a small wilderness area in the
Umatilla River headwaters, most of the
basin has poor water quality and declin-
ing coldwater fish populations, and has
lost much of the native habitat and plant
diversity. The mainstem of the river and
most of its major tributaries are desig-
nated as water-quality-limited under
Clean Water Act 303(d) for temperature,
nutrients, flow modification, pH, and/or
fecal coliform. Wild steelhead runs are
diminishing and reintroduced salmon
populations are limited. The once
extensive shrub-steppe ecosystem has
been almost entirely converted to
agricultural uses; its unique flora and
fauna are sparse at best. Noxious weeds
have overrun appreciable areas where
16
natural ground cover has been disturbed.
Groundwater in the lower basin is highly
contaminated with nitrates. Portions of
the basin have significant seasonal air
quality problems from windblown dust,
field burning, forest fires, and winter
inversions.
1998 Activities
The Umatilla Regional Geographic
Initiative (RGI) goal is long-term
sustainability of a healthy ecosystem
based on a multi-media (air/water/land),
whole-basin approach, including healthy
human communities. A consortium of
public and private entities is working to
restore and protect the valuable streams,
native plants, air, soil health, and ground
water in the Basin. EPA staff in the area
are catalysts for broad-based partnering
for local solutions. The Umatilla Initia-
tive is involved in about fifty on-the-
ground improvements, monitoring,
assessment, education, and coordination
projects. Following are a few examples.
Buckaroo Total Watershed Restoration
RGI funds initiated this effort, and project
partners have secured additional funds
from the Natural Resources Conservation
Service, Bonneville Power Administra-
tion, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and CWA
319 through EPA and the Oregon Depart-
ment of Environmental Quality. This is a
ridgetop-to-ridgetop, headwaters-to-
mouth restoration effort for a small
watershed on the Umatilla Indian
Reservation. Within the next two years,
grazing management improvements will
include forage allocations for livestock,
feral horses, and wildlife; planting of
vegetation in riparian and spring areas;
riparian, pasture, and aspen grove bound-
ary fencing; off-channel stock watering;
livestock herding; weed management; and
monitoring.
The focus is on water quality and
temperature; hydrologic function; fish
habitat; range and forage; noxious weeds;
and native plants, especially for riparian
and floodplain areas. Grazing is the most
pervasive land use in the watershed.
Grazing will continue, consistent with
watershed recovery. Significant hydrologic
modifications have been caused by
development in the floodplain at the
mouth of Buckaroo Creek: homes; roads,
railroads, bridges; and a major, off-
reservation city water supply infiltration
gallery. Discussions are underway to
relocate or otherwise modify these impacts.
Key Milestones: In the next five years,
project managers expect to see significant
decreases in grazing impacts, reductions
in upland weeds, and bourgeoning native
riparian vegetation. Within five to ten
years, the stream should begin to respond
to these changes, improving living condi-
tions for fish and wildlife. Monitoring is
planned for this project with 2003 and 2008
representing important 5-10 year mile-
stones in measuring changes on land and
in water, respectively.
Conservation Tillage/Direct Seeding
Approximately 700,000 acres of the
Buckaroo
Creek
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"The Umatilla RGI has strategically taken advantage of previous successes in the Umatilla Basin. Chris Kelly, the
load EPA staff person, has successfully tapped into the collaborative potential and brought the diversity
reprinted by agriculture, the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and others together to do good environmental uvrk "
Mike I'arrow, Confederated Tribes of the Umahlla Indian Reservation
Umatilla Basin is agricultural land.
Umatilla County is the largest wheat
producer in Oregon and the second
highest producer in Oregon for total
agriculture sales. The non-irrigated
portion of the basin primarily utilizes a
conventional wheat-fallow system,
nonsustainable due to degradation of soil
productivity. Environmentally, wheat-
fallow lands can produce large amounts
of stream sediment and windblown dust.
In addition, as farm subsidies drop, the
system is economically unsustainable.
The conservation tillage project is an
effort to demonstrate both economic and
environmental sustainability by provid-
ing financial and technical incentives to
convert conventional methods to direct
seeding/annual cropping methods, along
with substantial training in these nontra-
ditional methods. Environmental
benefits include less windblown dust and
stream sedimentation and soil health
upgrades. Through tours, press cover-
age, individual direct mailings to all
producers and operators, and group or
individual meetings, this project attracts
participants who have never availed
themselves of other agricultural services.
Participation in the first year alone is
more than three times the target.
Key Milestones: Because attempts at
conservation tillage have failed in the
past, project managers have been reluc-
tant to set numerical targets. The produc-
ers instrumental in initiating the effort
envision at least 30% of the dryland
wheat area converted to direct seed/
annual cropping systems over the next
five years, provided commodity prices
stay level or increase slightly. The number
of acres converted to direct seed/annual
cropping systems are assessed annually.
Efforts are underway to define water
quality and soil health improvements.
The Shrub-Steppe Ecosystem Assess-
ment and Restoration Demonstrations
The little known yet priceless shrub-
steppe ecosystem of the Columbia
Plateau Physiographic Province is
considered one of the most threatened
ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.
Conversion to cropland has eradicated
most of this ecosystem; grazing on the
few intact lands has significantly de-
graded native plants and wildlife.
Through mapping remaining frag-
ments and critical conservation areas,
assessing biodiversity, determining
wildlife uses, and identifying stressors,
this project is developing a strategy to
protect and restore the ecosystem. The
information generated is already being
used to protect intact habitat fragments
and sensitive species; critical shrub-
steppe lands slated for exchange out of
the public domain are being retained;
crucial fragments enjoy highest priority
for acquisition through the BPA wildlife
mitigation program; species are being
reviewed for threatened status and
protection; vegetation enhancement is
beginning; and management of military
lands is more sophisticated. Small
demonstrations are restoring native
habitat and controlling weeds.
Key Milestones: Within the next year,
the assessment and conservation strategy
for remaining fragments will be com-
pleted. With the cooperation of interested
landowners, several remaining fragments
may be connected in future. As all these
pieces come together, we expect that the
total effort will expand existing protected
shrub-steppe habitat to almost 70,000
acres by 2003, five times the present level.
About one
half of
Umatilla
Agriculture
is a
traditional
dry land
wheat
fallow
system
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Reducing Toxics in the New
York-New Jersey Harbor
REGION 2
• Enhancing the ability of stake-
holders to utilize the Harbor's
resources in an environmentally
and economically sound
manner
• Reducing Pollutants in the
Harbor
Location
The New York-New Jersey Harbor
Estuary Program (HEP) is one of 28
community-based estuary protection
programs under EPA's National
Estuary Program. The Regional
Geographic Initiative (RGI)-funded
New York-New Jersey Harbor Toxic
Source Reduction project is one compo-
nent of the HEP, which encompasses
770 miles of waterfront. This includes
the urban harbor of New York and New
Jersey running south from the Tappan
Zee Bridge on the Hudson River to
Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and east to
Jamaica Bay, New York City. It also
includes the tidally influenced portions
of all rivers and streams that empty
into the Harbor (the Hudson, Passaic,
Hackensack, Raritan and Bronx Rivers).
The Region's approximately 30 million
residents are concentrated in its urban
areas. Close to 85% live in New York
and New Jersey, mainly in the New
York/New Jersey metropolitan area,
and derive some benefit from the
Harbor. RGI funds have been a key
source of support for the New York-
New Jersey Harbor Toxic Source
Reduction project.
New York Harbor is a precious
natural resource: its watersheds,
wetlands, open waters, and other
habitats support an abundance of fish
and wildlife, for example, spawning
grounds of the striped bass and
American shad, and colonies of water
birds known as the Harbor Herons. It
also supports a multitude of human
recreational uses including fishing, and
boating. Various waterways within the
Harbor are also lifelines of commerce.
The Port of New York/New Jersey is the
largest port on the east coast of the
United States, generating $20 billion in
economic activity. Approximately 120
million tons of cargo with a value in
excess of $93 billion pass through the port
each year.
The Challenge
The harbor continues to be degraded by
point and non-point discharges of toxic
pollutants, such as urban runoff, sewage
treatment plants, industrial waste,
household chemicals, and pesticides.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
scientists drop a sampling device
through the floor of a specially-modified
Huey helicopter which is part of the
Agency's water quality monitoring
program along New Jersey and Long
Island ocean beaches.
HEP has listed 15 chemicals of concern:
arsenic, nickel, copper, mercury, PCBs,
dioxin, PAHs, tetrachloroethylene and
seven organochlorine pesticides. These
compounds are present at levels that
may cause ecological and human health
risks, indeed, much of the sediments are
too toxic for unrestricted ocean disposal.
Levels of many toxic contaminants in the
harbor are among the highest levels in
U.S. estuaries, violating water quality
standards, contaminating fish and
generating other ecological effects.
1998 Activities
Through the New York-New Jersey
Harbor Toxic Source Reduction project,
trackdown of contaminants within the
system has focused on the use of passive
sampling devices known as PISCES
(passive in-situ concentration extraction
samplers), which are placed in the harbor
for a period of up to several weeks.
Compounds such as PCBs, DDT, PAHs in
the water accumulate in the sampler, are
brought back to the lab and analyzed.
These devices are placed in the field at
strategic locations within wastewater
collection systems or tributaries, and by
comparing values at different locations,
the sources of loadings can be narrowed
down. Sampling during 1997 and 1998
has identified significant sources of PCBs,
DDT, dioxin and PAHs. The problem is
determining which sources contribute the
most significant loadings of priority
chemicals. Reconnaissance prior to
deployment greatly improves the
efficiency of sampler placement.
Information from the sampling will be
used to determine the appropriate action
(e.g., permit enforcement, compliance
assistance, pollution prevention, non-
point source controls) so as to reduce
loadings of toxic chemicals into the
harbor, and therefore, lower concentra-
tions of toxics in sediment, water-column,
and biota. Upgrading the quality of
water in the harbor estuary boosts
recreational and economic opportunities
20
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"Nav York Harbor is a remarkable asset, it provides fish and wildlife habitats, it sustains an important
commercial fishery, it carries cargo and passenger shipping and it provides exceptional outdoor recreational
opportunities for millions of people."
Governor George E. Pataki
A look at the Harbor and Lower Manhattan from Governors Island
for area residents as well as purifying
habitats.
The RGI project supports the overall
goals outlined in the Comprehensive
Conservation and Management Plan
(CCMP) developed for the New York-
New Jersey Harbor Estuary. These are:
•To establish environmentally sound,
economically feasible ways to dispose
of dredged material.
•To control continuing sources of toxic
chemicals so that all sediments
entering the harbor will meet Category
I criteria (acceptable for unrestricted
ocean disposal).
•To restore and maintain a healthy
and productive harbor/bight ecosys-
tem, with no adverse ecological
effects from toxic contamination.
• To ensure fish and shellfish caught
in the Harbor/Bight are safe for
unrestricted human consumption.
The New York-New Jersey
Harbor Estuary is a large and
complex system requiring coordina-
tion by many agencies and indi-
viduals. The bi-state NY/NJ
Harbor Estuary Program is a
partnership of representatives from
federal government, the states of
New York and New Jersey, inter-
state compact agencies, local
governments, scientists, commercial
and sport fishermen, public interest
groups, environmentalists, busi-
ness, industry and educators.
21
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Restoring Chesapeake
Bay Habitat
REGION 3
• Opening dams and obstruc -
lions to restore historic spawn-
ing and freshwater nursery
habitats
• Restoring natural reefs to
improve the oyster resource
Location
Chesapeake Bay has a surface area of
4,400 square miles, a length of 200 miles,
and a watershed covering 64,160 square
miles. The watershed supports approxi-
mately 15 million people along five
major, and several smaller, rivers includ-
ing two American Heritage Rivers, the
Susquehanna and the Potomac, as well as
the Rappahannock, York, and James. As
a highly productive coastal estuary, the
bay provides an array of habitats
offering protection and sustenance to
more than 2,700 migratory and resident
animal species. They are threatened by a
watershed population that may rise as
much as three million by the year 2020
C.E.
The Challenge
Certain habitats—wetlands, streams,
forests, and riparian corridors— are
directly and acutely affected by clearing,
agriculture, and development. Nutrient,
sediment, and toxic loadings to the Bay
from point and non-point sources of
pollution and over-harvest of fish and
wildlife have degraded once productive
habitats. Bay islands and salt marshes
are declining due to sea level rise,
shoreline erosion and regional subsid-
ence.
The Chesapeake Bay Program is a
unique regional partnership, supported
by the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
Office in Annapolis, Maryland, that's
been directing and conducting the
restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since
the signing of the historic 1983 Chesa-
peake Bay Agreement. The agreement
was signed by the EPA Administrator, the
Governors of Maryland, Virginia, and
Pennsylvania, the Mayor of Washington
D.C. and the Chesapeake Bay Commis-
sion. This partnership increased their
dedication to the Chesapeake Bay
through a second, more detailed, agree-
ment signed in 1987. The 1987 agreement
recognizes that existing habitats should
be conserved and degraded habitats
restored. However, most site-specific
habitat restoration has not been coordi-
nated. The development of the Chesa-
peake Bay Habitat Restoration Frame-
work provides for a disciplined and
streamlined approach to restoration
activities in the bay watershed.
Four habitat areas were selected for
attention :
• Fresh water tributaries and streams,
including nontidal wetlands, as anadro-
mous fish- spawning and nursery areas
• Shallow water areas and submerged
aquatic vegetation, as refuges for juvenile
fish and crabs and waterfowl feeding areas
• Open water areas for adult fish and
oyster reefs
• Islands and inlands, including forested
wetlands, with their waterfowl and
neotropical birds.
1998 Activities
The Regional Geographic Initiative (RGI)
has generated great results in most of
these habitats via projects cooperatively
funded by Chesapeake Bay Program
(CBP) partners and other funding
partnerships. RGI funds have been
instrumental in leveraging partners'
funding; these partnerships have been
instrumental in our ability to meet the
following habitat restoration goals:
Rock Hill Dam on the Conestoga River in
Pennsylvania before it was removed.
Shad and herring can not get over the
dam to their historic spawning rivers.
The dam also is a safety hazard, respon-
sible for the loss of at least one life.
22
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"We arc thrilled that there has been such broad community support for this [Basher's damfishway] project from
the beginning. This was a major undertaking, but we knew that it was one of the most important initiatives
necessary to bring back the shad and river herring populations in the James River and in the Chesapeake Bay"
Patricia Jackson, Executive Director of the James River Association, a nonprofit watershed conservation organization
• opening 1,357 miles of anadromous
fish spawning habitat along major
tributaries by 2003
• restoring 2010 miles of riparian forest
buffers by 2010
• designating 11,000 acres of oyster reef
habitat by 2000
• restoring habitats for migratory song
birds
• achieving a net gain in wetlands
acreage and function
Watershed Restorations:
Anadromous fish spend their adult lives
in the ocean but spawn in fresh water
tributaries and streams. In Chesapeake
Bay, these species include striped bass,
blueback herring, alewife, American
shad, hickory shad, shortnose sturgeon,
and Atlantic sturgeon. Catadromous
species, on the other hand, spend their
adult lives in the fresh water tributaries
and spawn in the ocean. One such
species, the American eel, inhabits
Chesapeake Bay. Finally, there are semi-
anadromous fish, such as white and
yellow perch, that principally inhabit
tidal tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay
but spawn in the fresh water reaches.
Migratory fish are excluded from a
major portion of their historic spawning
and freshwater nursery habitats in the
Chesapeake watershed due to dams and
other obstructions. For example, well
over 300 river miles are blocked in the
Susquehanna River drainage and 227
miles or nearly 13,000 acres of historic
spawning areas are blocked along the
James.
• Maryland has inventoried 887 barriers,
including 445 dams;
The Conestoga River in Pennsylvania
one year after the Rock Hill dam was
removed. Already there are signs of the
river restoring itself to its original size.
• Virginia has inventoried 1,496 barriers;
nearly one-quarter may affect upstream
passage of migratory fish
• Pennsylvania has identified 138
obstructions along the Susquehanna
River
• The District of Columbia has identified
five obstructions in Rock Creek
The absence of a vegetated buffer
between farmland and tributaries can
affect the dissolved oxygen (DO)
available to critical life stages, owing to
non-point source loads of nutrients,
suspended sediments and contaminants.
Lower DO is also caused by higher water
temperatures resulting from loss of forest
buffers along streams. Urban and
suburban development adjacent to
streams or freshwater tributaries can
modify stream character through
stormwater inputs, heavy metal releases,
suspended solids, higher temperatures,
lower DO via point and nonpoint releases
of nutrients, and alteration of pH for eggs
and larvae.
To enhance spawning and nursery
habitat for anadromous fish, it is impera-
tive that we take a watershed approach.
Restored forest buffers along historical
spawning grounds will not help shad and
herring if dams block entry. Conversely,
removal of dams would not restore shad
populations without stocking programs,
fisheries management, and stream
restoration to ensure the survival of the
larvae. RGI success in the Conestoga
River and James River watersheds are
good examples of such "simultaneous"
watershed approaches.
Conestoga River Watershed - Few
Pennsylvanians know that American
shad once dominated the Susquehanna
River and its tributaries. Man's ability to
tame the river by erecting dams soon cut
off their ability to reproduce. The first
blockages to this migration were hun-
dreds of mill dams erected on most
tributaries of the Susquehanna, followed
in the early 20th century by the large
hydroelectric dams on the Susquehanna
mainstem. Laws providing fish passage
were largely ignored by dam owners and
the technology to ensure fish passage
over the large hydroelectric dams was not
23
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at hand until the latter half of the 20th
century. RGI funds have been used
along some of the lower tributaries to
the Susquehanna to ensure free
passage over abandoned mill dams.
The Conestoga is an agricultural
watershed around Lancaster, PA that
flows into the Susquehanna River.
Under the Administration's Clean
Water Action Plan (CWAP), Pennsylva-
nia has identified the Conestoga as a
high priority watershed. RGI-funded
projects address living resource
restoration on two fronts: from up-
stream, helping small communities
plan for wetlands restoration and
protection, and from downstream,
removing blockages to anadromous
fish.
In Lititz, PA, using RGI and other
funds, GIS-based wetland functional
evaluation protocols were developed
in a pilot project as planning tools for
local governments. These protocols
have been tested in small watersheds
in MD and VA. In each case, local
governments and citizens have
participated in developing the maps.
Once prototypes have been completed
and evaluated, this protocol will be
available for any local government
throughout the Chesapeake Bay
watershed that wants to identify the
most important wetlands needing
restoration or protection.
Downstream, at Conowingo Dam,
RGI partially funded the operation of a
fish lift that transports spawning
herring over the dam, and is coordi-
nated with lifts at two upstream dams,
Safe Harbor and Holtwood. That
allowed more shad and herring access
to some 43 miles of habitat on the
Susquehanna mainstem in 1998.
Upstream , RGI partially funded
the removal of the Rock Hill Dam in
1997 and the American Paper Products
Dam in 1998. RGI funding was also
used to remove two dams on Lititz
Run.
James River Watershed - The James
River is the largest Chesapeake tributary
in Virginia and historically supported
large spring migrations of shad and
herring. Originating in West Virginia, it
flows 450 miles to Chesapeake Bay across
a watershed of 10,495 square miles,
approximately one quarter of the State of
Virginia. Nearly two million people live
within this watershed, with large
increases expected. The James receives
the largest nutrient loading of any
Virginia river; more than two hundred
miles of the mainstem have been blocked
by dams. This habitat is lost to all
spawning anadromous fish; but it could
support 1.2 million American shad and
13 million river herring.
RGI funding allowed a two-pronged
approach to watershed restoration. RGI
funding helped leverage a partnership of
federal, state, local governments, several
foundations, corporations, fishing and
hunting groups, conservation organiza-
tions, and individuals to provide over
$1.4 million to cover costs of design and
construction to complete a long-awaited
fishway at Bosher's Dam in 1998. This
fishway is the last of five on the James at
Richmond and reopens 137 miles of the
James and 168 miles of tributaries
between Richmond and Lynchburg to
spawning shad and river herring. In 1998
RGI funds supported collection of wild
shad eggs for hatcheries in Virginia's
American Shad Restoration Project.
Aquatic Reef Habitat Restoration:
Thanks to RGI funds, reef restoration
progressed farther in 1997 and 1998 than
ever before, both in terms of completed
projects (four in Virginia, three in Mary-
land) and in our understanding of the
ecological value of reefs. Significant
improvements in the oyster resource,
especially spatset, were credited to reef
restoration. A significant effort was
initiated by citizen volunteers in the
lower Chesapeake Bay to place disease-
tolerant oysters on a reef in the
Lynnhaven River.
24
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VALLEY COMMUNITIES
Multi-Media Pollution Prevention Techniques for the California Agriculture Industry
25
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Multi-Media Pollution Prevention
Techniques for the
California Agriculture Industry
REGION 9
• Pursuing pollution preven-
tion techniques that help all
farmers save the precious
ecosystem they depend on
• Slashing pollutant discharges
from key non-point sources
Location
The Central Valley spans nearly forty
percent of the state, stretching from the
Oregon border to the northern tip of Los
Angeles County and includes all or part
of 38 of 58 counties. Although the
region does not include the largest
metropolitan areas, it is one of the
fastest growing regions in the U.S.,
with a population of over five million.
Most significantly, the valley is the
world's richest agriculture region,
forming the backbone of California's
$26 billion in annual agricultural
production. The rivers of the Central
Valley feed into the San Francisco Bay
Delta National Estuary, the largest
estuary on the west coast of the Ameri-
cas, supporting more than 120 species of
fish, and a waterfowl migration and
wintering area of hemispheric signifi-
cance.
The Challenge
In the Central Valley, many water
bodies do not meet water quality
standards due to an influx of pesticides,
fertilizers, selenium, and sediment.
Moreover, many counties in the Central
Valley are not meeting air quality
standards for PM-10 and ozone, owing
in part to agricultural activities such as
application of pesticides, combustion of
waste, and dust blowing off-site. These
activities also impact wetlands, riparian
areas, and other aspects of the ecosystem.
Further, there are major human health
effects from pesticide applications,
especially for farm workers and their
families. Children in local communities
are at special risk.
The long term goal of the Agriculture
Initiative, which includes the BIOS
project (Biologically Integrated Orchard
Systems) is to promote multi-media
pollution prevention in the agriculture
sector by developing broad public-
private partnerships with key Western
commodities producers. The effort draws
together local, state and federal agencies
and community organizations with
industry leadership to demonstrate on-
farm use of alternative techniques, with
the goal of significant cuts in
agrichemical use. Regional Geographic
Initiative (RGI) funds were strategically
critical in providing access to flexible
resources that would address the needs
of all the stakeholders.
1998 Activities
Since 1994, BIOS has become a nationally
recognized model of technology transfer
that is voluntary, flexible, and commu-
nity-based. Using workshops, field days,
and farmer outreach, funded by RGI,
EPA and its partners/stakeholders in the
BIOS project persuaded over 100 almond
and walnut growers in seven counties to
use ecologically sensitive farming
practices; together they farm more than
10,000 acres. As one farmer put it, "This
program sounded like a perfect way to
do what we've wanted to do for years,
because we wouldn't have to discover
everything on our own."
Some 90% of BIOS almond growers
dropped organophosphate dormant
sprays altogether. Overall, use of organo-
phosphate insecticides by participating
farmers has plummeted 71% since the
beginning of the BIOS program. The
program has impacted almond growers
throughout Merced County as well,
where use of the most targeted pesticide
diazinon has fallen more than 50%: This
is extremely significant as diazinon has
been found frequently in the region's
water bodies at elevations exceding the
criteria for the protection of aquatic life.
In fact, BIOS has been so successful
that it spawned a number of other
sustainable agriculture programs in
California including the University of
California's Biologically Integrated
Farming Systems (BIFS) program. Grape
growers participating in the EPA spon-
sored BIFS Program in Fresno County
have successfully cut by 30% their use of
the national priority pesticide simazme.
Similarly, cotton growers enrolled in the
EPA supported Biological Agriculture
Systems In Cotton program (BASIC),
have continued to document higher
beneficial insect populations, lower
operating costs and significant reduction
in agrichemical use - for example, in 1998
BASIC growers reduced synthetic
insecticides by 85% and chemical fertil-
izer by 58%! In addition, the BASIC
program's parent organization, The
Sustainable Cotton Project, in cooperation
with BASIC and the Organic Fiber
Council, continues to secure contracts
from major apparel companies (e.g.,
Patagonia, Levis and Nike) to purchase
BASIC organic cotton.
In 1998, the Agriculture Initiative
focused on a number of specific activities,
now ongoing, all of which either succeed
BIOS or implement a BIOS approach.
• Continued support for the University
of California's Biologically Integrated
Farming Systems program for perennial
and annual crops
• BIOS marketing feasibility study for
BIOS almonds
• Continued support of the BASIC
program's technical assistance and
education program for San Joaquin
Valley cotton farmers
• Development of a open book pest
management system for tomato pest-
control advisors and farmers in the
Sacramento Valley
26
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"These are the kinds of projects the Clinton Administration wants to see taking place all across the country."
Richaid Kommger, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
Sherman Boone, a participating almond grower, describes his orchard management
during one of the typical BIOS educational field days that have attracted hundreds
of growers, agricultural professionals, and policy-makers.
• Commodity partnerships/assessment
of alternatives for minor-use crops
• Inter-agency agreement staff to
provide technical support to both the EPA
and its agriculture partners/stakeholders
• Support to carry out the BIOS project
under the leadership of the local Merced
County Resource Conservation District
• Providing seed money for corporate
partnerships as an adjunct to on-farm
agrichemical use reduction demonstra-
tion projects
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Regional Geographic Initiatives
San Miguel
Watershed
Initiative
City of St. Louis
CBEP Initiative
Illegal Dumping
Prevention Project
Umatilla
Basin
Agriculture
Initiative:
BIOS
Program
Urban
Environment
Initiative:
Chelsea Creel*
NY-NJ Harbor
Toxic Source
Reduction
Habitat
Restoration in
Chesapeake Bay
Charleston/North
Charleston CBEP
Initiative
Big Bend
National Park
Bravo Study
Region 9 RGI Project
Chesapeake Bay Watershed
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APPENDIX
Regional Geographic Initiatives Contributing
to Presidential and Agency Initiatives
Environmental Justice
Region 1 - Two Communities Working Together to Improve the Chelsea Creek
Region 4 - Improving the Quality of life for the Charleston/North Charleston Community
Region 5 - Environmental Costs of Illegal Dumping in the Great Lakes Region
Region 7 - Strategies for Meeting St. Louis's Priority Environmental Issues
Region 9 - Multi-Media Pollution Prevention Techniques for the California Agriculture Industry
Restoring and Protecting America's Waterways through the President's Clean Water and
Watershed Restoration Initiative
Region 2 - Reducing Toxics in the New York - New Jersey Harbor
Region 3 - Restoring Chesapeake Bay Habitats
Region 8 - San Miguel Community Rallies to Save Alpine Ecosystems
Region 10 - Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem
Focusing on Health Risks to Children
Region 1 - Two Communities Working Together to Improve the Chelsea Creek
Region 4 - Improving the Quality of life for the Charleston/North Charleston Community
Region 7 - Strategies for Meeting St. Louis's Priority Environmental Issues
Region 9 - Multi-Media Pollution Prevention Techniques for the California Agriculture Industry
Strengthening Partnerships with Indian Tribes
Region 10 - Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem
Reducing Risks Posed by Persistent, Bioaccumluative and Toxic Pollutants
Region 2 - Reducing Toxics in the New York - New Jersey Harbor
Revitalizing Communities through the Brownfields Initiative
Region 5 - Environmental Costs of Illegal Dumping in the Great Lakes Region
U.S. / Mexico Border
Region 6 - CombatingVisibility Problems in Big Bend National Park - The BRAVO Study
Confronting the Global Climate Challenge
Region 6 - CombatingVisibility Problems in Big Bend National Park - The BRAVO Study
Region 10 - Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem
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APPENDIX B
Regional Geographic Initiatives Contributing to the
Agency's Goals and Objectives
GOAL1
Clean Air
Objective 1: OAR:
By 2010, improve air quality for Americans living in areas that do not meet the National
Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone and particulate matter (PM).
Region 10 Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem
GOAL 2
Clean and Safe Water
Objective 1: OW
By 2005, protect public health so that 95% of the population served by community water systems will receive
water that meets drinking water standards, consumption of contaminated fish and shellfish will be reduced,
and exposure to microbial and other forms of contamination in waters used for recreation will be reduced.
Region 3 Restoring Chesapeake Bay Habitats
Region 8 San Miguel Community Rallies to Save Alpine Ecosystems
Region 10 Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem
Objective 2: OW
By 2005, conserve and enhance the ecological health of state, interstate, and tribal waters and aquatic
ecosystems—rivers and streams, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, coastal areas, oceans, and groundwaters—
so that 75% of waters will support healthy aquatic communities.
Region 2 Reducing Toxics in the New York-New Jersey Harbor
Region 3 Restoring Chesapeake Bay Habitats
Region 8 San Miguel Community Rallies to Save Alpine Ecosystems
Region 10 Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem
Objective 3: OW
By 2005, pollutant discharges from key point sources and nonpoint source runoff will be cut at least 20%
from 1992 levels. Air deposition of key pollutants impacting water bodies will be reduced.
Region 2 Reducing Toxics in the New York-New Jersey Harbor
Region 9 Multi-Media Pollution Prevention Techniques for the California Agriculture Industry
Region 10 Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem
GOAL 4
Preventing Pollution and Reducing Risk in Communities, Homes,
Workplaces and Ecosystems
Objective \: OPPTS
By 2005, public and ecosystem risk from pesticides will be slashed through migration to lower-risk pesticides
and pesticide management practices, improving education of the public and at risk workers, and forming
pesticide environmental partnerships with user groups.
Region 1 Two Communities Working Together to Improve the Chelsea Creek
Region 9 Multi-Media Pollution Prevention Techniques for the California Agriculture Industry
Region 10 Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem
Objective 2: OPPTS
By 2005, the number of young children with high levels of lead in their blood will be significantly reduced
from the early 1990s.
Region 1 Two Communities Working Together to Improve the Chelsea Creek
Region 4 Improving the Quality of life for the Charleston/North Charleston Community
Region 7 Strategies for Meeting St. Louis's Priority Environmental Issues
30
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Objective 4: OAR
By 2005, reduce lung cancer, respiratory diseases including asthma and other indoor air health problems.
Some 11.5 million more Americans will be exposed to healthier air in their homes by mitigation of 700,000
homes with high radon levels, the construction of one million homes with radon-resistant construction
techniques, and the reduction of the proportion of households in which children six and under are regularly
exposed to smoking from 27% in 1994 to 15%.
Region 4 Improving the Quality of life for the Charleston/North Charleston Community
Objective 5: OPPTS
By 2005, reduce by 25% (from 1992 level) the quantity of toxic pollutants released, disposed of, treated, or burnt
for energy recovery. Half of this reduction will be achieved through pollution prevention practices.
Region 4 Improving the Quality of life for the Charleston/North Charleston Community
Objective 6: OSWER
By 2005, boost recycling and slash the quantity and toxicity of waste generated.
Region 5 Environmental Costs of Illegal Dumping in the Great Lakes Region
Region 7 Strategies for Meeting St. Louis's Priority Environmental Issues
Objective 7: AIEO
By 2003, some 60% of Indian Country will be assessed for its environmental condition, and tribes and EPA
will be implementing plans to address priority issues.
Region 10 Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem
GOALS
Reduction of Global and Cross-border Environmental Risks
Objective 1: OAR
By 2005, reduce transboundary threats to human health and shared ecosystems in North America, including
marine and Arctic environments, consistent with our bilateral and multilateral treaty obligations in these areas,
as well as our trust responsibility to tribes.
Region 6 Combating Visibility Problems in Big Bend National Park - the BRAVO Study
GOAL 7
Expansion of Right-to-Know
Objective 1: ALL
By 2005, improve the ability of the American public to participate in the protection of human health and the
environment by raising the quality and quantity of general environmental education, outreach and data availabil-
ity programs, especially in disproportionally impacted and disadvantaged communities.
Objective 2: ALL
By 2005, improve the public's ability to reduce exposure to specific environmental and human health risks by
making current, accurate substance-specific information widely accessible.
Objective 3: ALL
By 2005, meet or exceed the Agency's customer service standards in providing sound environmental information
to federal, state, local, and tribal partners to enhance their ability to protect human health and the environment.
Region 1 Two Communities Working Together to Improve the Chelsea Creek
Region 2 Reducing Toxics in the New York-New Jersey Harbor
Region 3 Restoring Chesapeake Bay Habitats
Region 4 Improving the Quality of life for the Charleston/North Charleston Community
Region 5 Environmental Costs of Illegal Dumping in the Great Lakes Region
Region 6 Combating Visibility Problems in Big Bend National Park - the BRAVO Study
Region 7 Strategies for Meeting St. Louis's Priority Environmental Issues
Region 8 San Miguel Community Rallies to Save Alpine Ecosystems
Region 9 Multi-Media Pollution Prevention Techniques for the California Agriculture Industry
Region 10 Restoring the Umatilla Basin Ecosystem
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APPENDIX C
1998 Regional Geographic Initiative Projects
REGION 1
Urban Environmental Initiative
Since 1996, the Urban Environ-
mental Initiative has used a
community-based, multimedia
approach to reduce risks to
human health (especially
sensitive populations such as the
elderly and children) and the
urban environment. Emphasis is
placed on neighborhoods in
Boston, Massachusetts, Provi-
dence, Rhode Island, and
Hartford, Connecticut. Technical
assistance and funding include,
but are not limited to, lead
poisoning, asthma, contaminated
urban land and restoring urban
watersheds and green space.
Resource Protection Project
The Resource Protection Project
identifies natural resources that
need protection instead of
remediation, and to work to
protect them in collaboration with
communities and other partners.
FY 98 resources supported the
identification phase in all six New
England states, and funded
community-based protection
efforts. In New Hampshire, the
identification phase has been
completed; community-based
efforts in high priority areas were
financed. In Connecticut and
Rhode Island, small grants
supported conservation. In
Maine, the identification phase
was started and work is under-
way in Massachusetts.
Charles River Initiative
In 1995, EPA set a goal of
restoring fishable and swimmable
conditions in the Lower Charles
River by Earth Day, 2005. The
Lower Charles River is heavily
used by rowers, windsurfers and
sailors, but is badly contaminated
by sewer overflows and storm
water runoff. The Clean Charles
2005 initiative includes enforce-
ment, technical assistance,
pollution prevention, and public
education to reduce both direct
and indirect discharges to the
river. Progress is reflected in
major improvements in overall
boating and swimming standards
in the Charles. Boating standards
were met 70% of the time in 1997,
but 83% in 1998, and compliance
with swimming standards rose
from 34% to 52% over the same
time period
REGION 2
Delaware Estuary Sub-Water-
shed Initiative - This effort
fosters community involvement
in the conservation and restora-
tion of the Cohansey-Maurice
sub-watershed of the Delaware
Estuary. Small grants are
provided for reduction and
control of non-point sources of
pollution, habitat restoration, and
enhancement of public under-
standing of the Comprehensive
Conservation and Management
Plan (CCMP).
The Barceloneta-Manati
Environmental Protection
Project, Puerto Rico - The goal of
this project is to enhance local
capacity for preventing contami-
nation of groundwater. As project
co-leads, EPA and the Puerto Rico
Environmental Quality Board
(EQB) are helping communities
develop and implement the
Commonwealth's first local
wellhead protection program.
The design of this pilot project
will be used in other municipios
throughout Puerto Rico.
Mayagiiez Comprehensive
Watershed Plan - Strategies to
restore, protect and manage all
pollutant sources within the
watershed will be developed with
an emphasis on biota, sediment
quality and quantity, and erosion.
Projects will be implemented as
they are identified and prioritized
by the stakeholders.
South Bronx, New York Initiative
- The South Bronx initiative
comprises two intervention
projects designed to gain more
information about the origins of
asthma, and examine the
feasibility and effectiveness of
environmental interventions in
slashing asthma morbidity and
mortality. Through education,
outreach and intervention,
asthma morbidity and mortality
in the South Bronx can be
reduced.
Measurement of Watershed
Improvement in New Jersey
This RGI project enabled New
Jersey and EPA to conduct a
demonstration project in the
Passaic and Rancocas Watershed
Management Areas to improve
watershed management through
development of environmental
indicators and enhanced monitor-
ing network design. The
indicators and monitoring
network design will be applicable
to other watersheds in NJ.
REGION 3
Green Communities
A workshop will train service
providers on how to apply Region
Ill's Green Communities tool kit
in a pilot community.
Philadelphia Asthma
This project correlates informa-
tion on air pollutants and climatic
situations, both indoor and
outdoor, with peak visits to
hospitals/clinics by asthma
sufferers from different socio-
economic neighborhoods, to
determine what environmental
conditions cause surges in asthma
related emergencies and treat-
ment.
American Heritage Rivers
Acid Mine Drainage-related
issues are being addressed in
three of the American Heritage
Rivers - the New, the Upper
Susquehanna, and the Potomac.
Cheat River - This project
emphasizes financially and
technically effective acid pollution
mitigation projects; monitoring
the status of water quality and
fisheries in the watershed and
sharing data; and promoting the
recreational use of the river, with
economic benefits for all.
Paint Creek - The project focuses
on characterizing the watershed
and identifying significant
sources of coal mine drainage and
non-point sources of pollution,
developing public awareness of
the extent and impacts of
pollution, and developing
cooperative efforts and effective
technologies to mitigate it.
Potomac Headwaters - This
project will develop an interstate
water quality management plan
for the South Branch of the
Potomac River, in which Region
III, each of the affected states, and
the District of Columbia would be
partners.
Lenker Brook Stream and
Wetland Restoration - Restore a
headwater wetland and native
vegetative cover along a _ mile
riparian corridor that winds
through a suburban development.
The project will ultimately
produce a model of a suburban
stream restoration that engages
the public in planning, restoring,
and monitoring a local waterway
for water quality and wildlife
benefits.
Virginia's American Shad
Restoration Project - Funds will
expand an intensive restoration
effort to remtroduce American
shad along two of Virginia's river
tributaries (James and Pamunkey)
to Chesapeake Bay. This project
utilizes spawning adults (brood
fish) from the wild as an egg
source to supply and support
state and federal fish hatchery
operations
Conowingo West Lift Operations
FY 98 will be the third year of a
cooperative project of the
Susquehanna River Technical
Advisory Committee, made up of
members from SECO, USFWS,
Maryland DNR and the Pennsyl-
vania Fish &Boat Commission.
Restoration success will be
evaluated via counts of anadro-
mous fish species, including
tagged and untagged American
shad. Project funding will also
cover costs of delivery of shad
and herring to tank spawning
hatcheries, and stocking of pre-
spawn American shad and
herring upstream of dams on the
Susquehanna and its tributaries.
Pamunkey Tribal Government
Shad Restoration -This is an
aggressive American shad
restoration project the Pamunkey
Tribal Government has been
operating since 1918. The
hatchery is located on the King
William County reservation, close
to the Pamunkey River.
Somerset Project (MD)- This
project will fund streambank
sediment stabilization of a still-
unnamed tributary of the
Potomac River. Restoration
includes installation of vegetated
erosion matting on steeply sloped
streambanks, as well as planting
of shade-tolerant grasses and
32
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shrubs for permanent habitat
improvement and stabilization.
Also, bluebird and bat boxes will
be set up along the riparian
corridor.
James River Habitat Restoration
Project - This project will address
critical habitat restoration and
protection along 25 miles of the
Lower James River by providing
assistance to landowners for
donation of conservation
easements, development of
resource management agree-
ments, and implementation of
shoreline improvements and
replanting activities. Anticipated
benefits will be preservation of
significant habitat for striped bass
and shad, bald eagles, herons/ and
migratory neotropical birds.
Trout Unlimited Riparian Buffer
Restoration - Funding will
contribute to the establishment of
a private/public partnership to
conduct landowner outreach and
education and to coordinate the
restoration of riparian forest
buffers on targeted streams. Trout
Unlimited will conduct direct
outreach to landowners, and
develop restoration plans in
cooperation with the Maryland
DNR
REGION 4
Cahaba River Basin - Past water
quality monitoring and recent
studies in the basin have found
indications of low dissolved
oxygen, toxics, eutrophication,
habitat degradation due to
sediments and high bacteria
levels. An on-site Project
Coordinator has been hired to
prepare a basin plan; work is
proceeding on reintroduction of
fish species.
Chattanooga - An ambient air
toxics monitoring program. EPA
Region 4 is now conducting a
monitoring program focusing on
the risk imposed on neighbor-
hoods by air toxic emissions from
surrounding industrial sources.
Children's Pal - This is a commu-
nity education and outreach
program to reduce children's
exposure to environmental health
threats in the pilot area of
Baldwin County, Georgia.
Parents and children will be
provided with the information
necessary to make decisions to
help cut exposures from pesti-
cides, asbestos, lead, PCBs,
secondhand smoke and radon.
Chip Mill - Funding was
provided to Southern Appala-
chian Man in the Biosphere
(SAMAB)
for the study of the impacts of
chip mills in the southeast. Data
sets are being upgraded.
Data Acquisition - A grant was
issued to the University of Florida
to conduct a comprehensive
analysis of the ecological
connectivity in the states of
Region 4. Two objectives of this
analysis are to identify primary
ecological areas protected by
some type of conservation or
ecosystem management program
and to identify a green infrastruc-
ture network that connects them.
Hiwassee - The Southern
Appalachian Hiwassee Basin
Interagency Initiative is a
community- based project
covering the Hiwassee and Ocoee
River basins shared by the states
of Georgia, North Carolina and
Tennessee. Streambank restora-
tions have been undertaken along
Shular Creek and Turtletown
Creek. Brook trout restoration is
underway in Short Creek.
Outreach/Education - Two
workshops in the Cahaba River
Basin will disseminate informa-
tion to urban and agricultural
audiences describing responsibili-
ties of various government
agencies and how to use the
agencies for environmental work
in the area.
Charlotte Harbor - This project
located in Southwest Florida, is
part of a larger NEP project. An
atmospheric chemistry model,
coupled with an existing air mass
circulation model for the predic-
tion of nitrogen deposition rates
and chemical species, will be
funded.
Southern Appalachian Mountain
Initiative (SAMI) - Identify and
recommend measures to remedy
existing, and to prevent future,
adverse effects from human
induced air pollution. This RGI
funding is to help assess acidic
deposition to sensitive forests,
streams, and aquatic life.
Tri-State - EPA Regions 3, 4, and 5
are working in partnership with
Kentucky, West Virginia, and
Ohio in a six-county, heavily
industrialized valley with major
chemical manufacturing, oil
refining, metal refining, and
coking operations. In the past
year, substantial progress was
made in gathering data to assess
the human health and ecological
risks in the Kenova industrial
sector.
Tampa Bay - This project
addresses atmospheric deposition
of toxic materials to Tampa Bay
and its watershed, which is a
priority for development of a
Toxic Material Management Plan.
The project is quantifying
loadings of toxic materials from
atmospheric deposition to Tampa
Bay. It is part of the larger Tampa
Bay NEP project.
Savannah River Basin Watershed
Project - The Savannah River
Basin is a 10,000 square-mile
basin, including portions of
Georgia, South Carolina and
North Carolina. A GIS landscape
analysis is being conducted to
evaluate the impact on water
quality of each of the major land
uses in the basin. Education and
outreach activities for local
stakeholders is also underway.
REGION 5
Ritual Mercury Use Exposure
Assessment - Reduce the
prevalence of practices that lead
to exposures to mercury in
Chicago's Hispanic community.
A grant will assess whether ritual
uses of mercury are creating
health risks, and help make
citizens and health practitioners
aware of the dangers of mercury
exposure and the need for proper
disposal.
Brownfields Re-Use Plan - This
is a cohesive community plan and
consensus land-use document for
the Southeast Michigan
Initiative's Jefferson East Indus-
trial Park that demonstrates the
community's re-development
strategy for the identification,
assessment and marketing of
Brownfields sites in the commu-
nity.
Sediment Inventory -A database
of contaminated sediments for the
Upper Mississippi River system
will provide information to
agencies, organizations and
residents regarding sediment
quality, potential for
bioaccumulation of contaminants
and sediment toxicity.
Assessment of Uncontrolled
Lead Releases - The Illinois
Department of Public Health is
gathering information to deter-
mine the health and environmen-
tal risks associated with uncon-
trolled releases of lead within the
Mississippi River Gateway/East
St. Louis study area, complete a
hazard ranking of the site under
Superfund and determine the
need for mitigation or remedial
response.
Grand Calumet River Corridor
Local stakeholders within
Northwest Indiana's River
corridor envision future land uses
adjacent to the river and ship
canal, building environmental
remediation and restoration
projects to create a sustainable
urban ecosystem.
ZAP Asthma - This project
combines the Children's Health
Initiative with the Greater
Chicago Initiative to build
strategic alliances among
community organizations in order
to improve the health of asthmatic
communities. A coalition of
stakeholders lead by the Depart-
ment of Health and Human
Services is training unemployed
community residents to teach
residents intervention strategies,
which include a range of indoor-
air measures.
Environmental Indicators Profile
A profile of environmental
indicators will characterize the
state of the environment in
Southeast Michigan to measure
progress in environmental
management, support policy
decision-making, and communi-
cate trends to the public and
interested stakeholders.
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REGION 6
Integrated Contingency Plan-
ning & Risk Communication
Project for the Corpus Christi
Petroleum Cluster - Despite local
efforts to prepare for and respond
to oil spills and other emergen-
cies, the area has had a number of
significant, accidental releases of
hazardous materials. An
electronic integrated contingency
plan has been prepared by the
LEPC, the US Coast Guard,
Region 6, state agencies, and the
local industries.
LEPC, Eagles Pass, TX
emergency response outpost
This project will provide an
emergency response vehicle to
meet contingency needs of the
Kickapoo Indian reservation
through an MOU between the
Eagle Pass Fire Department and
Indians along the Rio Grande
River.
Public Drinking Water Contami-
nant Warning System for
Facilities along the Louisiana
Industrial Corridor- Public
health and the environment are
being threatened by contamina-
tion of water bodies. Optimiza-
tion of the Waterworks Warning
Network via e-mail or AUTOFAX
will link it to the Dept of Environ-
mental Quality's early warning
organic chemical detection System
and provide further linkages to
state police, the Louisiana Office
of Emergency Preparedness and
the Coast Guard's proposed
Vessel Traffic System.
Children's Uses of Galveston
Bay Health Risk Characterization
and Risk Management - There is a
need to characterize and better
manage the health risks to
children in Galveston Bay,
including consumption of seafood
and contact recreation, especially
along its tributaries. This project
will sample seafood from the Bay,
calculate potential health risks to
children of consuming it and take
appropriate action.
GIS Support to Regional
Geographic Initiatives - This will
allow regions to query, analyze,
and display information via GIS
tools and data sets for multimedia
integration & spatial analysis of
program & environmental
information.
U.S./Mexico Cooperative Air
Modeling in the Paso del Norte
Airshed - This project will
address critical air quality
problems in the Paso del Norte
area, the largest population center
on the Mexico-U.S. border. A
report will be prepared to assist
senior U.S. and Mexican policy
makers in adopting emissions
control strategies for the El Paso-
Juarez-Dona Ana airshed.
Rapid , Selective and Cost-
Effective Analytical Methods for
Toxic Organics in Air- There is a
need for better, less-expensive
data to form a scientific and
statistical base for evaluating or
predicting the long-term chronic
health effects of exposure to
indoor or hazardous-site air. This
program will provide cost-
effective, rapid screening
procedures for carcinogens and
other toxic organic compounds in
air samples.
REGION 7
Middle Platte River Sub-basin,
Nebraska Community-Based
Environmental Protection Project
Studies, surveys, assessments and
reports were compiled and
distributed to the middle Platte
Community. Partners began the
process of developing a compre-
hensive, long-range environmen-
tal plan to address ecological,
social and economic issues in
protecting the Middle Platte
Watershed.
Hillsdale Lake Community
Based Environmental Project
The project has helped direct
USDA Water Quality Improve-
ment Project funds (WQIP)
toward priority areas within the
watershed, assumed the role of
"Lake and Watershed Ombuds-
man," and brokered innovative
partnerships and solutions.
Kansas River Watershed
Enhancement Initiative - The
project supports the Kaw Valley
Heritage Alliance, providing
technical assistance to the state in
support of the Kansas Governor's
Water Quality Initiative, promot-
ing a CBEP approach in regula-
tory analysis, and encouraging
inter-state liaison 'twixt Kansas
and Nebraska on trans-boundary
issues.
Mni Sose Intertribal Water
Rights Coalition - Efforts of the
tribes to form interagency
partnerships to address environ-
mental issues (i.e., water quality
and quantity), data collection and
verification, remediation
consensus building, and the
coordination and leveraging of
existing resources-all were
reinforced. Tribe Profiles explain
the environmental, social, and
economic perspectives and
histories of 28 tribes.
Omaha Community Based
Environmental Project
Public/private organization and
residents worked to clean up
recurring illegal dumping sites in
three diverse areas. They
developed relationships with
multiple business/organizations
& agencies to support a compre-
hensive dialogue within the
community to identify environ-
mental priorities, and began
forming local workgroups around
issues of asthma and lead.
The Missouri River Project
Two projects will gather informa-
tion' for the protection and
restoration of the Missouri. 1)
The MOInfoLink is a centralized
database that will gather "mile-
by-mile" information along
Region 7's portion of the river.
Various types of data will be
available for the public to view on
the internet. 2) The Manitou
Bluffs community in Missouri
will be engaged to plan this flood-
ravaged area's environmental
future
REGION 8
Wetland Restoration in Devil's
Lake - Several sites of drained
wetland in the Devil's Lake basin
will be selected by high resolution
satellite imagery and evaluated
by GIS technology so optimal
water storage capacity can be
restored. Water quality sampling
sites will be referenced and
located. Surface water flow will
be documented into sub-basins
and a land ownership overlay
will be developed.
Animas Watershed Coordinator
The Watershed Coordinator is the
sole employee of the Animas
River Stakeholders Group
developed as a collaboration of
agencies, corporations, land
owners, local citizens, and citizen
groups with the mission to
improve water quality, aquatic life
and habitat through out the
watershed.
Upper South Platte Watershed
Protection Program - This project
funds a watershed data inventory
and assessment to identify
responsible entities; data will not
be limited to water quality,
monitoring, land use, pollutant
sources, and GIS data layers.
James Creek Watershed Protec-
tion - This is a citizens' initiative
to encourage stakeholder
education and interaction in the
management of natural resources
within the watershed. Assess-
ment, monitoring and public
outreach will continue.
"A River Runs Through Us"
This organization's goal is to
create opportunities for citizens in
the Bear River Basin to learn
about local water quality issues,
and to collaborate, share re-
sources and network to develop
lasting water quality solutions.
This project will develop a web
site highlighting activities
contributing to better water
quality in the basin.
Southern Rockies Ecosystem
Project - The goal of the project is
an ecosystem assessment for
conservation planning. Funding
in 1998 will be used to increase
the report's utility for local and
regional planning, by undertak-
ing further regional and water-
shed level assessments and
conservation prioritization.
Economic Analysis of the
Environmental Alternative for
Missouri River Management
Funds will procure the services of
a economist trained in natural
resource valuation to analyze
economic benefits of upgrading
river management. This analysis
will help EPA fulfill its NEPA
responsibilities in evaluating and
rating the Master Manual draft
and final EIS, and provide
interested stakeholders and the
public with objective information
on the value of Missouri River
natural resources.
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ScSeed Saguache County, CO -
Sustainable Environment &
Economic Development/
Initiative - This collaborative
citizen-led process will result in a
strategic plan for compatible and
sustainable development in
Saguache County.
North Dakota Consensus
Council's Devils Lake Basin
Community Conversation - The
NDCC will design, organize,
facilitate, and document a two-
year Community Conservation
Project for the Devil's Lake Basin
and adjacent regions affected by
the proposed lake outlet.
Community Conservation will
provide a collaborative mecha-
nism to help citizens and
institutions build agreement on
and implement a community
agenda. Over two years Commu-
nity Conservation will convene
meetings region-wide, develop
regional indicators and bench-
marks, build a regional network
of trained facilitators, and
coordinate sustained facilitation.
SD Missouri River Corridor
Program - Funding is requested to
secure a full-time program
coordinator to continue with
program development and
planning assistance. Tasks will
include creation of GIS database
and securing additional funds for
day-to-day management,
administration and program
coordination.
Comprehensive design of a
water quality monitoring
network for the Big Thompson
Watershed - The design will
satisfy the needs of stakeholders
in the Big Thompson Watershed
Forum by focusing on the
generation of statistically valid
information, including easy-to-
understand reports and maps.
Native Waters Project - Native
Waters Student Activity Booklet
This is an American Indian water
resources education project for
people developing, managing,
and protecting tribal waters. It
will provide tribe members and
citizens with up-to-date contem-
porary water resources manage-
ment information through
educational materials, training,
and support services. Funds will
support a Native Waters Activity
Booklet for students.
Inventory of Biological Resourc-
es Of the Upper Yellowstone
This is Phase III-the last one— of a
project previously funded by RGI.
It will support field work to
verify information gathered thus
far and to provide EPA with a
final report. It takes information
scattered among many sources
and assembles a single data
system for stakeholders.
Benthic Fish Analysis along the
Missouri River - This is a four-
year comprehensive evaluation of
benthic fish communities and
habitat conditions of all
unimpounded stretches of the
Missouri River. In its third year,
the project is funded primarily by
the Army Corps for North
Dakota's portion of the overall
budget for data analysis and
hypothesis testing.
Grantsville-Millford UT, CBEP
Environmental Exposure &
Health Surveys - These two
communities have contacted
UDEQ and EPA to help them
address multiple exposures to
several environmental impacts.
This funding request is for studies
at Milford as a control/pilot com-
munity and then applying lessons
learned to the Grantsville area.
Biological Survey for the Topeka
Shiner - The Topeka shiner has
been proposed for listing as
endangered under the ESA. The
fish is believed to inhabit
tributaries of Big Sioux, James, and
Vermillion Rivers in South Dakota.
Surveying the entire SD range of
this fish will be more cost effective
than a project-by-project survey.
Surface Water Protection
Demonstration Project for the
Havre, MT Public Water System
- Information from groundwater
demonstration sites project is
assisting development of a multi-
media operator training module.
This funding will complete the
draft guidance manual and make
the module available on CDROM.
Septic Tank Density Analysis for
two proposed subdivisions in
Cedar Valley, Iron CO, UT - This
funding will support the County
Planning office of Iron County in
dealing with explosive population
growth in the Cedar Valley. A
scientific study is necessary to
determine the appropriate septic
tank density in proposed
subdivisions to ensure longterm
protection of groundwater and
drinking water resources.
Virginia Canyon Project - The
project demonstrates BMP for
scope stabilization and reducing
erosion of mine waste containing
heavy metals, and disseminates
this information to the Clear
Creek Community.
Denver Urban Resources
Partnership - DURP is now
embarking on a two-year
transition to sustainability,
focusing on collaboration and
investment in a smaller geo-
graphic area. RGI funds would
be used to support the work of a
community builder.
REGION 9
Tomato Reference Field Monitor-
ing - Having demonstrated a
nearly 50% pesticide reduction
with cooperating farmers, this
grant to the Bio-Integral Resource
Center will add a critical educa-
tion component for pest control
advisors (PCAs) in California's
Yolo and Solano Counties.
Biological Agriculture Systems
in Cotton - Carried out by the
Sustainable Cotton Project, this
effort will maintain base support
for demonstration of dramatic
cuts in pesticide use on cotton
farms in Madera County, CA.
Organic Fiber Campaign - As an
adjunct to on-farm demonstra-
tions of lower pesticide use, this
effort by Mothers and Others for a
Livable Planet, will provide seed
money for building corporate
partnerships.
BIOS Marketing Initiative
Having built an enormous
reputation as a model for
agricultural pollution prevention,
the Community Alliance for
Family Farmers will use this seed
money to test the feasibility of an
eco-label to support farmers in
California's Central Valley.
FQPA Commodity Partnerships
The Commodity Boards of Fresno
and Sonora Counties will use this
grant to build commodity partner-
ships and assess economic alterna-
tives for "minor-use" crops.
USDA Interagency Agreement
The USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service will provide
technical service support directly
to the Region 8 Agriculture
Initiative, and maintain inter-
agency coordination between EPA
and USDA.
Biologically Integrated Orchard
Systems (BIOS) Transition to
Community Leadership - This
grant to the California Association
of Resource Conservation
Districts will maintain support for
a community-based BIOS effort
under the leadership of the local
Merced County Resource
Conservation District.
Stewardship of Rangelands,
Vernal Pools, and Farmlands
To advance our ongoing partner-
ship with the California Associa-
tion of Resource Conservation
Districts, this project will add the
Alameda County RCD. Building
on our Vernal Pool Initiative, it
will promote private conservation
and sustainable ranching through
technical workshops, incentive
programs, mitigation banks, and
the BIFS (Biologically Integrated
Farming System)/BIOS (Biologi-
cally Integrated Orchard System)
projects.
Promoting Collaborative
Rangeland Management and
Habitat Conservation - This
project will improve rangeland
management by sponsoring
presentations to ranchers by a
noted expert who will also assist
the California Cattlemen's
Association in preparing a report
highlighting successful transfer
and collaborative efforts in the
San Francisco Bay/Delta region.
A Partnership with California
Land Trusts to Protect Water
Quality and Ecosystems - The
Trust for Public Land will provide
critical support to enhance the
capability of local land trusts,
resulting in a network of local
trusts leveraging other resources
to protect critical Bay/Delta
(Central Valley) wetland habitats
San Francisco Bay Regional
Wetlands Management Plan The
San Francisco Estuary Project will
assist the development of the
Regional Wetlands Management
Plan, intended to help implement
the Wetlands' Goals Project
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Financial Incentives Roundtable
and Environmental Management
Systems (EMS) - Cosponsored by
the President's Council on
Sustainable Development, this
Roundtable explored the financial
and environmental implications
of using environmental manage-
ment systems (EMSs). The event
was attended by more than 100
invited leaders in industry,
banking, the insurance sector,
public interest groups and
agencies. A survey report
analyzing company experiences
was produced; a final report with
recommendations is forthcoming.
Industrial Laundry EMS Project
This project will implement an
environmental management
system at Best Western Laundry
in Long Beach, California,
including methods to reduce
point- source loading, and will
serve as a model for developing
effluent guidelines for the
industrial laundry industry.
EMS Template Development and
Testing - This project will develop
and test an environmental
management system for the metal
finishing sector, including
identification of environmental
impacts, collection of baseline
data, and documentation of
environmental performance. A
compliance/pollution prevention
tool was developed that received
favorable reviews from industry
and environmental groups. Upon
completion, this EMS template
should serve as a model for other
small industry sectors.
Metal Finishing Projects Various
efforts will be undertaken to
support active transfer of
pollution prevention technologies
developed for the metal finishing
industry, including distribution of
fact sheets, development of a
tech-transfer video highlighting
case studies, a worker training
video, and training workshops.
Prevention of Lead Poisoning
The African-American Unity
Center will provide lead poison-
ing prevention and lead hazard
awareness outreach to the African
American and Hispanic popula-
tions within South-Central Los
Angeles, CA.
Lead Outreach - Consumer
Action will provide educational
outreach on healthy, lead-safe
children and lead-safe housing to
San Francisco's low-income
communities of color.
Lead Community Awareness
San Diego's Environmental
Health Coalition will use funds to
increase the community aware-
ness of the multiple sources of
lead exposure, and ways to
reduce them in the predominant
Latino communities of Barrio
Logan, Logan Heights, Sherman
Heights, Memorial and
Southcrest.
REGION 10
Puget Sound/Georgia Basin, WA
and British Columbia - The
waters of the Puget Sound/
Georgia Basin are shared by
Canada and the United States.
We are studying our mutual
concerns including the introduc-
tion of exotic or nonnative
species, loss of near-shore
habitats, declining populations of
marine fish and wildlife, the need
for marine protected areas, and
toxic chemical inputs.
Coeur d'Alene Basin, ID - The
basin's water quality has been
impacted from many years of
mining in the region. The area is
investing in a community-based,
ecosystem management approach
to environmental issues, as well
as educating youth on bald eagles
and hardrock mining.
Columbia Plateau Agricultural
Initiative, WA - Community
leaders, farmers, the public and
governmental entities are
developing ways to slash
agricultural impacts on air
quality, groundwater and surface
water quality, while protecting
drinking water sources, cutting
pesticides and restoring habitats.
Community-based Grants
Program, ID & AK - Funding
under this initiative is specifically
targeted to small communities,
incorporated nonprofit organiza-
tions, or stakeholder groups to
help them address environmental
problems. In FY 98 the initiative
funded 12 projects in Alaska and
Idaho, and tribal lands within
these state boundaries.
Aquatic Strategy Data Support
A multi agency effort is working
to lower water temperatures so
that salmon can survive in the
Columbia and Snake River
system. Stream and river
temperature data are being
acquired for further analysis.
Columbia River Temperature
Workshop - A Dec 3-4-98
workshop was held to present
EPA's Columbia River mainstem
water temperature model and
share water data issues. One
hundred and fifty participants
from federal, state, and tribal
governments, as well as industry,
private citizens and environmen-
tal groups, attended.
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