U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 Bulletin - EPA 910/9-92-043
                                   February 2009
Columbia River Basin Faces Continued Threat from Toxics

EPA Report Seen as "Call to Action"  for Governments, Tribes, Public

                                                  Another problem highlighted in the Report is a general
                                                  lack of monitoring for toxics in many locations, making
                                                  it difficult to know if toxics are increasing or decreasing
                                                  over time.

                                                  There are many other contaminants in the Basin. They
                                                  include arsenic, dioxins, radionuclides, pesticides,
                                                  industrial chemicals, and "emerging contaminants"
                                                  such as Pharmaceuticals. This report does not
                                                  characterize those contaminants, but EPA plans to
                                                  address them in future work.

                                                  The report also highlights important federal, state, tribal
                                                  and local efforts to reduce toxics already underway in
                                                  the Basin.  It concludes with six broad Toxics Reduction
                                                  Initiatives intended to improve understanding about
                                                  the health of the  Basin and  strengthen coordination for
                                                  efforts to reduce  toxics. The report can be viewed at
The first comprehensive look at toxic contamination    www.epa.gov/region 10/columbia/sorr.html.
in the Columbia River Basin has been released by the
U.S.  Environmental Protection Agency. The Columbia
River Basin State of the River Report for Toxics
compiles data on four widespread contaminants:
• Mercury
• Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its
  breakdown products
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame
  retardants.

A team of more than 20 federal and state agencies,
tribes, local governments and organizations drew this
latest portrait of the toxic threats faced by the Columbia
River Basin. The Basin drains nearly 260,000 square
miles across seven U.S. states and a Canadian
province. The report calls for a coordinated effort by all
levels of government, Tribes, interest groups and the
public to address the complicated  problem.

Toxics are present at levels that could harm people,
fish, and wildlife.  Federal, tribal, state, and local efforts
have reduced levels of some toxics such as PCBs and
DDT. However, in many areas, they continue to pose
risk.

While some populations of important Basin species like
bald  eagles and ospreys have rebounded over the past
two decades, some toxics such as mercury and PBDEs
are increasing in wildlife and fish.
In This Issue...

               EWS
    SPOTLIGHT
      CALENDAR
EPA News to update
you on agency activities,
pages 1-4.

Tools to clue you in on
resources, publications,
opportunities, and ser-
vices, pages 5-8.

Waterwords covering
water related issues,
page 8.

Spotlight to showcase
success stories and envi-
ronmental stars, page 9.

Ecosystem to provide
news that goes beyond
water topics, page 10.

Calendar to highlight
environmental events,
page 11.

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EPA Authorizes Alaska to Run Water Permits Program
EPA recently approved the Alaska Department of
Environmental Conservation's (ADEC) application to
run the NPDES permit program in the state.

The NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System) program is a key part of the federal Clean
Water Act.  The program controls water pollution
by regulating sources that discharge pollutants to
waters in the United States. While the approval gives
the State of Alaska responsibility for water quality
permitting,  EPA will continue its government-to-
government relationship with Tribes as it oversees the
state's permitting program.

By seeking and accepting the NPDES program,
Alaska's environmental regulators gain the authority
to both write wastewater discharge permits for local
businesses and industry, and enforce those permits to
ensure compliance with permit conditions.
Alaska's authority to write permits will be phased-in
over three years. EPA will continue to write permits
for those facilities that Alaska has yet to assume.
Permits previously issued by EPA will remain in effect
and become State APDES permits, administered and
enforced by ADEC.
For information, contact Christine Psyk, EPA, at
(206) 553-1906, or psyk.christine@epa.gov. For
information about EPA's NPDES program, visit: http://
cfpug.epa.gov/npdes/index.cfm.  For information
about Alaska's NPDES Program, visit EPA's Region
10 NPDES website at http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/
water.nsf/NPDES+Permits/Permits+Homepage.
EPA Enforcement Reduces Pollution in Pacific Northwest, Alaska
In fiscal year 2008, EPA enforcement work in the
Pacific Northwest and Alaska helped reduce or treat
almost 22 million pounds of pollution. EPA did 1183
inspections which led to 142 completed enforcement
actions.  These efforts resulted in facilities investing
over $57 million in plant and process improvements
to ensure compliance.  FY '08 more than doubled the
pollution reductions of FY '07.

According to Elin D. Miller, EPA's regional administrator,
the Agency's robust enforcement and compliance
program helps protect public health and inspires
responsible behavior in the regulated community.

"Our enforcement results speak for themselves,"
said Miller. "We've increased our inspections, more
than doubled the pounds of pollution reduced or
treated, and required more than $57 million in process
improvements to ensure future compliance. This
translates directly into better health protection for both
the environment and local  communities."
Here's a snapshot of EPA's regional enforcement record for the past three years:

FY06
FY07
FY08
Total
inspections:
1299
976
1183
Pollution reduced/treated
(in pounds):
26,429,316
9,100,000
21,244,945
Total penalties
assessed:
$3,567,324
$4,115,000
$3,050,796
      For more regional enforcement program results: http://epa.gov/region10/offices/oec/2008results.htm
 Watertalk February 20(ğ

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Protecting People  Who Eat More Fish:
Fish  Consumption  Rate  Review Project
Progress is underway for the Oregon Fish
Consumption Rate Review Project.  Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) has
been collaborating with the Confederated Tribes of
the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Umatilla Tribe) and
EPA Region 10. The team has been reviewing the fish
consumption rate  used to set Oregon's human health
criteria.

The rate at which  humans consume fish is used
to develop water quality criteria to protect human
health. Oregon's current fish consumption rate of 17.5
grams per day is based on EPA's default rate. The
default rate is derived using data from studies of the
general public.  However, in several studies of tribal
communities within Oregon and the Pacific Northwest,
the rate of fish consumption is shown to be much
higher. This difference between fish consumption rates
of tribal communities and that of the general public
prompted the Umatilla Tribe to seek further review of
Oregon's fish consumption rate.

Jannine Jennings, Manager of EPA's Water Quality
Standards Unit, says, "We are working to change a fish
consumption rate  so it reflects the dietary patterns of
tribal communities. This will help ensure that they do
not bear a disproportionate share of health risk from
contaminants."

The first phase of the review recently culminated in the
Oregon Environmental Quality Commission directing
ODEQ to:
•  revise the fish consumption rate to 175 grams per
   day;
•  propose rule language that will allow ODEQ
   to implement the revised  standards in permits
   and other Clean Water Act programs in an
   environmentally meaningful and cost effective way;
•  propose rule language or develop other strategies to
   reduce the impacts of toxic substances in Oregon's
   waters coming from non-point source discharges;
•  consider the costs and benefits of the fish
   consumption  rate and the latest data and scientific
   analysis.

ODEQ is working closely with EPA, the Umatilla Tribe,
and other stakeholders to develop the proposed rule,
which will undergo public review and comment. Final
rule language adoption is expected within 18-24
months. More information can be found at: www.deq.
state.or.us/wq/standards/toxics.htm, or by contacting
Melinda McCoy, EPA, 206-553-6102; email mccoy.
melinda@epa.gov.
                              Get Watertalk Electronically
                                 Save trees and limit mailbox clutter!  Sign up now for the Watertalk
                                 List-Serv. You'll get your Watertalk electronically every quarter. It's
                                 quick and easy to sign up.  Just go to www.epa.gov/region10. Click
                                 on A to Z Subject Index, then W for Watertalk. There you will find an
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                                 removed from the hard copy mailing list.
                                             Page 3
                            Watertalk February 2009

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How Healthy Are America's Coasts?
EPA Assessment Provides  Check-up
The overall condition of the nation's coastal waters
has improved slightly, based on a recently released
environmental assessment. The National Coastal
Condition Report III (NCCRIII) is the third in a series of
environmental assessments of U.S. coastal waters.

The report is a collaboration of EPA; National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS); U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service; coastal states; and the National Estuary
Program.  It assesses coastal conditions using five
indicators: water quality, sediment quality, the health of
bottom-dwelling invertebrate species, coastal habitat
loss as indicated by changes in wetland area, and fish
tissue contaminants.

The overall condition of America's coasts is rated as
"fair," based on the five indicators. Overall condition
in U.S. coastal waters has improved slightly since the
1990s. To learn more go to www.epa.gov/owow/
oceans/nccr/.
Rule Requires control of Manure, Wastewaterfrom Animal Feeding Operations

EPA has finalized a rule helping to protect the nation's
water quality by requiring concentrated animal feeding
operations (CAFOs) to safely manage manure. EPA
estimates CAFO regulations will prevent 56 million
pounds of phosphorus, 110 million pounds of nitrogen,
and 2 billion pounds of sediment from entering streams,
lakes, and other waters annually.

This is the first time EPA has required a nutrient
management plan for manure to be submitted as part
of a CAFO's Clean Water Act permit application. The
regulation also requires that an owner or operator of a
CAFO that actually discharges to streams, lakes, and
other waters must apply for a permit under the Clean
Water Act. EPA provides an opportunity for CAFO
operators who do not propose to discharge to show
their commitment to pollution prevention by obtaining
certification as zero dischargers.

EPA worked closely with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture during  rule development and will work
closely with states during implementation. The deadline
for newly defined facilities to apply for permits is
February 27, 2009. For more information, visit www.
epa.gov/npdes/caforule.
 Watertalk February 2(XW

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Grant Opportunity:
West Coast Estuaries, Feb. 19 Deadline

EPA Region 10 has issued a request for grant
proposals for the West Coast Estuaries Initiative.
EPA is soliciting proposals to support the protection
and restoration of high valued aquatic resources in
coastal areas threatened by growth pressure. The
grant program emphasizes local, holistic watershed
protection and management approaches. Grant funds
will assist local and tribal governments in managing
land uses while protecting watershed functions and
values. Successful projects will match proposed
activities to the appropriate watershed scale to ensure
environmental results. EPA plans to award a  total of
$2.8 million dollars. Up to ten awards will be made,
ranging from about $400,000 to $600,000.

Entities of local governments, special purpose districts,
and federally recognized Indian tribes west of the
Cascades in Oregon and Washington and in  Cook Inlet
near Anchorage, Alaska are eligible to apply.  State
agencies, institutions of higher learning, and  non-
governmental entities are not eligible to directly receive
these grant awards; however, EPA encourages tribes
and local governments to solicit their participation as
local collaborators. Proposals are due by February
19, 2009. For details, contact Daniel Steinborn,
EPA Puget Sound Estuary Program, (206)  553-
2728, steinborn.daniel@epa.gov. Or, visit the
website: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/water.nsf/
Office+of+Water/WEI08RFP.
   Community "CARE" Grant

     Proposals Due March 16

 March 16, 2009 is the deadline for community
 groups to submit proposals for Community Action
 for Renewed Environment (CARE) grant awards
 that range from $75,000 - $295,000. EPA plans
 to award about $3 million nationally. CARE grants
 are to help grantees form partnerships, identify
 and understand varied sources of risk from toxic
 pollutants; and then prioritize and work to reduce
 risks through collaborative action.

 Eligible groups include: public non-profit institutions/
 organizations, federally-recognized Indian tribal
 governments, Native American organizations,
 private non-profit institutions/organizations, quasi-
 public nonprofit institutions/organizations both
 interstate and intrastate, local governments (not
 state), colleges, and  universities.

 Information sessions for cooperative agreement
 applicants will take place through Internet
 Webcasts, on February 24 and 27, 2009. To
 register, go to:  www.cluin.org/studio/seminar.
 EPA Region 10 CARE co-leads are Sally Hanft
 at (206) 553-1207 and Davis Zhen at (206) 553-
 7660 (or toll-free 1-800-424-4372).  The request for
 proposals and examples of funded CARE projects
 in Washington, Alaska, and Oregon can be found
 at: www.epa.gov/CARE.
 EPA Website Goes Mobile:


 m.epa.gov

 Why not blog on important environmental issues
 while on the go? EPA recently launched one of the
 first government websites tailored specifically for cell
 phone users: http://rn.epa.gov.

 The world is getting more mobile, with estimates
 of more than 250 million cell phones in use in the
 U.S. - and now EPA can go with you. The site has
 been tailored to load fast on a small screen. Services
 available on m.epa.gov include:
 • how to contact EPA
 • environmental information by ZIP code
 • EPA news releases
 • Greenversations blog, including the question of the
   week
 • links to other government mobile websites.
Over the coming months, EPA will add more features.
We invite readers to help us improve - there's a
feedback form right on the home page. EPA's mobile
site:  http://rn.epa.gov.
                                                                              Watertalk February 2009

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Video Shows Green Practices to   Partnership  Helps You
Manage Stormwater                   Learn How to Save  Water
EPA and the U.S. Botanic Garden have produced
an online video, Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down,
Spread It Out, Soak It In. The video highlights green
techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs, and rain
barrels to help manage stormwater runoff.

The film  showcases green techniques being used
in urban  areas to reduce the effects of stormwater
runoff on the quality of downstream  receiving waters.
The goal is to mimic the natural way water moves
through an area before development by using design
techniques that infiltrate, evaporate, and reuse runoff
close to  its source. (See Rain Garden article on
page 10.)

The innovative stormwater management practices
manage  urban stormwater runoff at  its source.  The
techniques are very effective at reducing the volume
of stormwater runoff and capturing harmful pollutants.
Using vegetated areas that capture  runoff also
improves air quality, mitigates the effects of urban heat
islands, and reduces a community's overall carbon
footprint.

The video highlights green techniques displayed at
the U.S.  Botanic Garden's 2008 "One Planet - Ours!"
exhibit and at EPA in Washington, D.C., including
recently  completed cisterns.  To watch the video: www.
epa.gov/nps/lid.
   If you live in the Puget Sound region, you may have
   seen a bus drive by with a large picture of a little girl,
   a deer and a flower all drinking from a glass of water.
   The caption reads:  "We all share the same water.
   Water is a shared resource. Please use it wisely!" This
   advertisement is one way the Partnership for Water
   Conservation (PWC) is raising awareness that our
   water is a precious resource shared by many, and that
   it is important we all conserve - rain or shine!

   PWC is a non-profit organization committed to
   increasing water conservation in 11 counties of the
   Puget Sound region and is a partner in the EPA's
   WaterSense program. PWC's mission is to ensure
   that the region's water meets the needs of people
   and business as well as our environment, especially
   keeping adequate amounts of water in our rivers and
   streams.  The Partnership is a coalition of public and
   private groups and individuals including -citizens,
   businesses, water utilities, and those with concerns
   about the environment. To learn how to conserve water
   or to get involved, visit www.partners4water.org.
             Possible  Violation of
             Environmental Law?

     If you have seen what appears to be a violation of
     environmental laws and regulations, visit www.epa.
     gov/tips. This webpage gives you a tool to report
     possible environmental violations.  Because different
     activities fall under different jurisdictions, the page
     gives examples of situations and who to call. The
     webpage also helps you tell the difference between
     environmental violations and emergencies.
  Visit Watertalk online at www.epa.gov/rlOearth/watertalk.htm
 Watertalk February 2009
Page 6

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     Call for Presentations

 Community Involvement
 Training Conference

 EPA is soliciting presentation proposals for its 2009
 Community Involvement Training Conference.  The
 conference will be held in Seattle, WA, August
 18-20, 2009. The conference brings together
 EPA staff and partners who plan and implement
 environmental community involvement, partnership,
 outreach, and educational programs.  For details
 or to submit a proposal, visit www.epa.gov/
 ciconference.  Or, contact Freya Margand,
 EPA, margand.freya@epa.gov, (703) 603-8889.
 Proposals are due February 20, 2009.
 Water and Land Use in the
 Pacific Northwest

 The State of Washington Water Research Center,
 in partnership with USDA-CSREES Regional Water
 Program, EPA Region 10, and natural resource
 based departments from the Pacific Northwest
 States, is calling for presentations. The conference
 will take place in Stevenson, WA, November 11-
 12, 2009.  Learn more at www.swwrc.wsu.edu/.
 Proposals are due February 20, 2009.
Bright
Ideas!
eCycle:  Take your old computers \^^  or other
    electronics to a local recycling    center.
    This helps keep lead, cadmium, and other toxics
    out of the landfill. Find eCycling centers near
    you. www.epa.gov/ecycling/live.htm

Shop for an Energy-Efficient TV:  Televisions
    that meet the new energy efficiency rating are
    available in stores nationwide. (Many people will
    be shopping also for a new TV for the upcoming
    change to digital broadcasting.)
    http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/
    names/hq_2008-10-30^Energy_Efficient_
    Televisions

Slay Your Energy Vampires: Electronics and
    adapters can consume electricity even when
    they are not being used. Unplug power adapters
    or battery chargers when not connected to the
    device.  Look for EnergyStar-rated electronics
    when shopping. The average U.S. household
    spends $100 per year to power devices when
    off or in standby mode,  http://yosemite.epa.
    gov/opa/admpress.nsf/names/hq_2008-10-
    27_energy

Join the Greenversation:  Each week we ask you
    a question related to the environment and invite
    you to share your thoughts.
    http://blog.epa.gov/
For Municipalities:

Managing Wet Weather with  Green Infrastructure

EPA is developing a series of documents, collectively called the Municipal
Handbook, to help local officials implement green infrastructure programs.  Each
15-20 page issue covers a very specific issue related to establishing and carrying   /
out a comprehensive program.

Available issues include:  Funding Options, Green Infrastructure Retrofit
Policies, Green Streets, and Rainwater Harvesting Policies. Handbook
installments coming in 2009 will cover operation and maintenance, municipal
incentives, and more. Find the handbook online at: www.epa.gov/
greeninfrastructure. Click on Municipal Handbook on the left menu bar.
                                           Page 7
                          Watertalk February 2009

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Guidebook of Financial Tools

                 The Guidebook of Financial
                 Tools: Paying for Sustainable
                 Environmental Systems offers
                 an overview of financial tools that
                 decision-making officials  may
                 find useful. It references over
                 300 tools that can be used to pay
                 for environmental systems. It
                 is divided into ten sections that
                 present information on traditional
                 means of raising revenue,
borrowing capital, enhancing credit, creating public-
private partnerships, ways of lowering the costs of
compliance, encouraging pollution prevention, paying
for community-based environmental protection,
financing brownfields redevelopment, and
improving access to capital for small businesses, local
governments, and the environmental goods and service
industry. Check it out at www.epa.gov/efinpage/
guidebook.htm.
    Clean Water Act:

    Learn  More

    The Clean Water Act is the nation's cornerstone law
    for protection of our waterways. That law recognizes
    that citizens are central to the effort to protect the
    nation's waters. EPA's Watershed Academy Web
    provides some helpful  resources for people who
    want to become more familiar with this law. A simple
    introduction to the act is provided, as well as a "Fact
    or Fiction Quiz" so you can test your knowledge,
    and a glossary.  The entire text of the act is
    available through this site, too. Visit www.epa.gov/
    watertrain/cwa.
The  Cost of Bottled Water
                     Tap water is a tremendous
                     value for families and
                     communities, typically costing
                     less than half a penny per
                     gallon. Bottled water is often
                     an important and convenient
                     choice for consumers and the
                     traveling public, but it certainly
                     has its costs.

                     Bottled water comes with
                     its own carbon footprint and
                     environmental impacts.  It
                     takes a lot of energy to
                     manufacture, transport, and
                     store bottled water. Experts
                     estimate the plastic bottle
                     manufacturing process alone
                     consumes 17 million barrels
                     of oil a year.
Street litter and marine debris are costly concerns,
as well.  Marine debris is a major pollution problem
affecting the world's oceans, coasts, and watersheds.
Although impacts may be more visible at the local
beach, marine debris is a national and international
problem. Anything can become marine debris.
   Extremely light-weight items, like plastic bottles, are
   more likely to become marine debris than heavier items
   because they can easily be carried by wind from one
   location to another.

   Think globally and drink locally. Tap into the savings
   and recycle for the streams' sake. Learn more at
   EPA's Water on Tap website:  http://www.epa.gov/
   safewater/wot/index.html.
           WaterSense Factoid

     If every home in the United States installed
     WaterSense labeled faucets or faucet aerators in the
     bathrooms, it would save 60 billion gallons of water
     annually.  It would save households more than $350
     million in water bills and about $600 million in energy
     costs to heat their water. Additionally, water and
     waste water utilities would save 200 million kilowatt-
     hours of electricity normally used for supplying and
     treating that water. The WaterSense website has
     a complete list of WaterSense labeled products at
     http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pp/index.htm.
 Watertalk Februair 2009
Page 8

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                               IGKT
Communities  Get Public  Health Protection Awards

Two communities in Region 10 recently received 2008 Sustainable Public Health Protection Awards for activities
using the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). Congratulations to the City of Castleford, in Idaho, and
Pasadena Park Irrigation District #17, in Washington!
Castleford used_a DWSRF disadvantaged assistance
                           loan to help fund a
                           $1.6 million arsenic
                           treatment and water
                           system rehabilitation
                           project. Despite the
                           challenges of being
                           a smaller community
                           with limited finances,
                           Castleford was one
                           of the  first Idaho
                           communities to
address compliance with a lowered arsenic standard.
The loan helped construct a new well, new water lines,
and an arsenic treatment facility.

                                               "*RKSATION DISTRICT NO.V
Pasadena Park Irrigation District #17 had a 1940's
                    era cast iron water main
                    leaking in over 240 places.
                    This problem was costing
                    the system about $45,000
                    per year in wasted electricity
                    for pumping. The leaks
also posed a public health threat due to the potential
for cross connection contamination. Pasadena Park
signed a DWSRF loan for $379,684 to replace the
water main and install water meters. The project
eliminated the public health threat and greatly improved
the system's efficient use of water.
Since the program began in 1997, the Region 10 DWSRF program has provided more than $656 million in low
interest loans to water systems. The infrastructure projects funded by the DWSRF have helped ensure that the
8.5 million people served by these systems continue to receive clean and safe drinking water. For details, contact
Rick Green, EPA, at (206) 553-8504, 1-800-424-4372, or green.richard@epa.gov.
Water  Competition Coming to Anchorage

                                              a water project can self-nominate for the competition
                                              by entering online. By May, judges select one winning
                                              project from each state. Winners and their science
                                              teachers get a free trip to the U.S. national competition.
                                              The national winner joins the international competition
                                              in August in Stockholm, Sweden. For details, visit
                                              www.sjwp.org.
High School science buffs, get ready! Alaska Water
Wastewater Management Association will host the
Stockholm Junior Water Prize in Anchorage, AK, June
25-27, 2009. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is
"the world's most prestigious youth award for a water-
related science project." Students in grades 9-12 with
                                                                         Watertalk February 2009

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Beneficial Landscaping

Rain  Gardens  Help  Protect  Our  Streams
                          Classroom and Installation Workshops, King County, Washington
                                                 (article adapted with permission from Stewardship Partners)
As our area grows, increasing amounts of native
forest and prairie lands are replaced by roads, roofs,
driveways, and other hard or impervious surfaces.
Rainfall that formerly was caught in the forest canopy
or soaked into the soils now becomes stormwater
runoff flowing across the landscape.

This creates two problems.  Flooding can occur as
too much water flows into yards, streets, and parking
lots.  In addition, stormwater can wash pollutants into
local  creeks and rivers, and ultimately Puget Sound.
While modern developments include highly engineered
solutions for stormwater management, rain gardens
offer  a low impact development approach that enables
homeowners  to help protect streams and wetlands.

Rain  gardens work like a native forest by capturing  and
infiltrating stormwater. They can help  slow down and
soak up rain in ail kinds of climates. Rain gardens:
reduce flooding by absorbing water from impervious
surfaces; filter oil, grease, bacteria from pet waste, and
toxic  materials before they can pollute waterways;
help to recharge the aquifer by increasing the quantity
of water that soaks into the ground;
and provide wildlife habitat.

In a nutshell,  rain gardens are modest depressions
in the landscape of people's yards where water is
directed. Rain gardens are typically excavated to a
depth of about two feet. Then a mix of amended,
compost-rich  soil is placed in the depression, filling
it to a level about 6-12 inches below the surrounding
landscape to  enable ponding to occur during periods of
heavy rain. This soil and compost mix soaks up water
which is rapidly retained.

Rain  gardens are finished off with plants that do well
in both wet winter and dry summer conditions. While
many of these plants are Northwest natives, a number
of nonnative ornamentals may also be used to create a
colorful, attractive landscape.

Rain  gardens are easy to create but they must be built
carefully. They have to be designed to accommodate
the correct amount of rainfall. Soil conditions must also
be assessed during the design to determine the depth
of the soil and compost mix.

EPA's Nisqually River Targeted Watershed Grant to
the Nisqually  River Foundation, along with  funding
from  Washington Department of Ecology, supported
Stewardship Partners in training and installation of
three large rain gardens in the Nisqually watershed.
    This new poster designed by John Pitcher shows how a
    rain garden can be incorporated into yards and landscapes.
    Publisher: Good Nature Publishing.
        More Rain Garden Resources

     Rain Garden Webcast, a streaming audio version
     of Internet training which took place in December
     2008, for public viewing and listening, www.epa.gov/
     watershedwebcasts/ (look up rain garden webcast)
       tomtit
Rain Garden Handbook
for Western Washington
Homeowners, funded in
part by EPA, http://www.
pierce.wsu.edu/Water
Quality/LID/Raingarden
introduction.pdf.
     EPA's National Green Infrastructure Webpage,
     which offers basic information, technical resources,
     case studies, and funding tools, www.epa.gov/
     g reen i nf rastructu re.
 Watertalk February 2009
P./.S.V 10

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                                 CALENDAR
 March

 March 8-14:
    Ground Water Awareness Week,
    www.ngwa.org/public/awarenessweek/index.
    aspx

 March 16:
    Northwest Conference on Climate Change,
    Environmental Law Education Center, Portland,
    Oregon, www.elecenter.com

 March 22:
    World Water Day, www.worldwaterday.org/
 April

 April 1-3:
     Working Collaboratively for Sustainability
     Conference: Research Meets Practice, Seattle
     University, John Dienhart, dienharj@seattleu.
     edu, (206)296-5714.

 April 5-11:
     National Week of the Ocean,
     www.national-week-of-the-ocean.org/

 April 9:
     Washington's Innovation Summit 2009:
     Innovating to Sustain our Future, Bellevue, WA,
     http://watechcenter.org/?s=1603
 April 18-26:
    National Park Week,
    http://usparks.about.com/od/
    nationalparksus/a/natlparkweek.htm

 April 22:
    Earth Day,
    www.epa.gov/earthday
 May

    American Wetlands Month, http://www.epa.
    gov/wetlands/awm/

 May 3-9:
    National Drinking Water Week,
    www.awwa.org

 May 4-6:
    Managing Water Resources and Development
    in a Changing Climate: AWRA Conference,
    Anchorage, AK, 907-479-8891,
    www.awra.org/meetings/Anchorage2009/
    index.html

 May 11-14:
    National Conference for Nonpoint Source and
    Stormwater Outreach: Achieving Results with
    Tight Budgets, Portland,
    www.epa.gov/nps/outreach2009
Build Your Own Rain Garden

To learn how you can add a rain garden to your yard's
landscape, sign up for a free, hands-on classroom
workshop on rain garden design and construction.

King Conservation District, Stewardship Partners,
Native Plant Salvage Project, Seattle Tilth, Seattle
Aquarium, Seattle Public Utilities, NW Environmental
Education Council and King County Department
of Natural Resources and Parks are offering Rain
Gardens: The Key to Managing Rain Water and
Protecting Puget Sound classroom workshops. An
installation workshop will be scheduled later in the
spring.

The rain garden classroom schedule:
•  Tuesday, March 3, Renton
•  Tuesday, March 17, Downtown Seattle
•  Thursday, March 26, Wallingford
•  Thursday, April 23, South Seattle
Workshops will be held in the evening and registration
is required. Contact Stewardship Partners to
register, for details, or to learn about possible classes
in Pierce and Thurston Counties: (206) 292-9875 or
email ba@stewardshippartners.org. Visit www.
stewardshippartners.org.
                                                II
                           Watertalk February 2009

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     Watertalk is published quarterly by the U.S. Environmental Protection
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    Please recycle or share with a friend.
In  This Issue...
Columbia River Basin Call
  to Action

Fish Consumption study

Grant Opportunities

Environmental Tools and
  Tips

Raingardens

Environmental Events

And More...

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