United States
                      Environmental Protection
                      Agency
                   Office of Wetlands,
                   Oceans and Watersheds
                                                                  EPA841-N-93-011
                                                                  August 1993
3-EPA     The   Water  Monitor
Region 1
Maine
  New Hampshire
  Vermont
                        Connecticut
                         Rhode Island
Regional Coordinators

Monitoring, 305(b), Volunteer Monitoring:  Diane
Swteer (617) 660-4377
Waterbody System: Tim Bridges (617)8604603
303(eO: David Pincumbe (617) 565-3544
Nonpoint Source:  Bob Moorehouse (617) 565-3513
Clean Lakes: Warren Howard (617) 565-3515

MAINE:  Biological Criteria Development:
Maine is about to formally incorporate biological
information into water quality management practices
and is preparing to issue public notice of proposed
biological  criteria. In 1983, the Maine Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) began a stan-
dardized benthic macroinvertebrate sampling
program. The purpose of this program was to build
a database that could be used in establishing criteria
to classify water bodies according to the state's
aquatic life standards. The state initiated its biologi-
cal assessment of rivers and streams using benthic
macroinvertebrate community data, while also
recognizing the usefulness of fish community data.
 What's Inside.
 Headquarters Activities	p. 7
 Calendar Highlights	p. 8
 On the Bookshelf.	p. 9
 Order and Comment Form	p. 11
                                                          1 LIBRARY
                                                          -3-2211
                                               DEP has published a document entitled Maine
                                               Biological Monitoring and Biocriteria Development
                                               Program which discusses the process of developing
                                               numeric biological criteria in support of aquatic life
                                               standards.

                                               For more information and/or a copy of the docu-
                                               ment, contact Dave Courtemanch, Division of
                                               Environmental Evaluation and Lake Studies, Maine
                                               Department of Environmental Protection, Station 17,
                                               Augusta, Maine 04333, Phone: (207) 289-3901,
                                               FAX: (207) 289-7826.
                                               Region 2
                                               New York
                                                New Jersey
                                                 Puerto Pico
                                                Virgin Islands
                                               Regional Coordinators

                                               Monitoring: Randy Braun (908) 321-£692
                                               305(b), Waterbody System: Xuan-MaiTran
                                               (212)264-3188
                                               Volunteer Monitoring: Regina Harrison (908)321-6807
                                               303(d): Rosalia O'Connor (212)264-8479
                                               Nonpoint Source: Mack Henning (212) 264-2059
                                               Clean Lakes:  Terry Faber (212) 264-8708
                     NEW JERSEY: Estuarine Monitoring Program:
                     The problems facing the coastal environment of
                     New Jersey are continually increasing. These
                     problems include anoxic conditions, phytoplankton
                     blooms, public health concerns and changes in the
                     abundance of commercially important fish and
                     shellfish.

                     The NJ Office of Water Monitoring Management's
                     Estuarine Monitoring Program involves collecting
                     and analyzing samples at 200 stations located
                     throughout New Jersey's estuaries and the ocean

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waters within 4 kilometers of the coastline.  These
sites are sampled on a quarterly basis.

This program provides ongoing water quality
monitoring for key chemical parameters in the
estuaries and coastal waters throughout the state.
These parameters include temperature, salinity,
dissolved oxygen, and parameters relating to the
major nutrients affecting primary productivity (i.e.,
ammonia, nitrate, total nitrogen, and orthophos-
phate). In addition, fecal coliform bacteria are used
to assess the sanitary quality of the sampled waters.

This program provides a database of basic water
quality indicators that can be used to understand
coastal problems and to determine which problems
are the result of human activity and which are
simply part of the natural cycle of the estuaries. The
state summarizes the results of this monitoring
program and presents them in a data report which is
available on request.  For more information, contact
Eric Feerst or Robert Connell at (609) 748-2000.
Region 3
Delaware
 Pennsylvania
Maryland
 Virginia
West Virginia
Regional Coordinators

Monitoring, Volunteer Monitoring: Chuck Kanetsky
(215) 597-8176
305(b), Waterbody System: Margaret Passmore
(215)597-6149
303(d): Thomas Henry (215) 597-8243
Nonpolnt Source, Clean Lakes:  Hank Zygmunt
(215) 597-3429

REGIONAL OFFICE: Water Quality Monitor-
ing Meeting on Metals: On July 26, 1993, the
Regional Office held a meeting at the Central
Regional Laboratory with the state water quality
monitoring staffs to discuss the controversy sur-
rounding metals water quality criteria and monitor-
ing issues.  The purpose of the meeting was to
educate the monitoring staffs to obtain support on
any changes they may have to make to their sam-
pling and analytical protocols. Office of Water
(EPA-HQ), Water Management Division (Region El),
and Environmental Services Division staff made
presentations. As a result of the meeting, the states
have agreed to review data they have generated since
1986 to determine if they have the necessary quality
control documentation to support the accuracy of their
data. This internal review will be completed by
October 1. If the review indicates that changes to their
protocols are necessary, the Region HI Environmental
Services Division will provide technical assistance and
oversee that process.  For more information, contact
Chuck Kanetsky at (205) 597-8176.

Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring
Water Quality (ITFM): On July 28,1993, EPA
Region in and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
sponsored a meeting in Hunt Valley, MD, to discuss
the recommendations contained in the ITFM's first
year report (December, 1992). The report recom-
mends significant changes to sampling methods, data
management, and selection of environmental indica-
tors, requiring much better coordination among all
parties that generate water quality data.  The purposes
of the meeting were to educate the monitoring commu-
nity on the significance of the recommendations of the
Task Force and to generate some feedback on those
recommendations. Thirty representatives from water
quality management agencies, the Chesapeake Bay
Program, the USGS, state geological survey agencies,
and several river basin commissions attended the
meeting.  The attendees discussed environmental
indicators and sampling methods/data management,
and identified needs, implementation issues, and
incentives/opportunities.  In  general, it was agreed that
implementation of the ITFM recommendations is
needed, but that many significant implementation
issues must be resolved.  The EPA and USGS are
preparing a joint report on the meeting.  For more
information, contact Chuck Kanetsky at (215) 598-
8176.

EPA Region III MA HA Status Report: Partici-
pants in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Assessment
Project (MAHA) began sampling in late spring  and
completed sampling the week of July 26. Region III
coordinated the MAHA work with the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland,
Pennsylvania, and EPA  Office of Research and
Development labs in Corvallis, Cincinnati, and Las

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 Vegas. The project targeted 266 locations for
 sampling.  The assessment covers about 55% of
 EPA/Region III—65,000 square miles following the
 geography of the Appalachian Mountains.  This is
 the first time environmental data (water quality,
 biological and habitat) have been collected on such
 a large scale for assessing current conditions
 and forming a baseline for future management
 decisions.

 Field crews held a debriefing meeting immediately
 following the field sampling to determine the strong
 and weak points of the sampling program.  Neces-
 sary corrections will be made for next year.

 Participants will complete the analysis of water
 chemistry and physical habitat information late this
 fall and of the benthic, fish, and periphyton samples
 during the winter months.  Project staff will form
 interagency/interstate work groups to analyze and
 interpret the information as it becomes avaialble.

 Preparations are underway for the 1994 sampling
 season, when three Environmental  Monitoring and
 Assessment Program resource groups (forests,
 agroecosystems and landscape ecology) may join the
 MAHA project.  For more information, contact
 Chuck Kanetsky at (215) 597-8176.
 Region 4
 Regional Coordinators
North Carolina
      Kentucky
    South Carolina
  Tenneaee
   Georgia
    Alabama
    Mississippi
   Florida
Monitoring, 306(b), Waterbody System: Larinda Tervelt
(404)347-2126
303(d): Jim Greenfield (404) 347-2126
Volunteer Monitoring:  Virginia Buff (404) 347-2126 and
Connie Alexander (404) 347-1740
Nonpoint Source:  MaryAnn Gerber (404) 347-2126
Clean Lakes:  Howard Marshall (404)347-2126
GEORGIA:  Wetlands Survey on CNN: Cable
News Network (CNN) recently aired a 10-minute
segment on the CNN Science and Technology
Program about the Central Dougherty Plain Wet-
lands Advanced Identification (ADID) Project in the
Albany, Georgia area.  The CNN crew filmed
employees of the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources (GDNR) conducting wetlands functional
assessments and aerial surveys in search of the
federally endangered wood stork. GDNR received
grant money from EPA Region 4 to act as the lead
local agency on this ADID project. For more
information, contact Veronica Fasselt at (404) 347-
2126.

Chattahoochee River Class at Georgia Tech:  Dr.
Howard Marshall, EPA Region 4 Clean Lakes
Coordinator, and his wife, Dr. Gail Marshall, a
science teacher in the Douglas County schools, are
teaching a unique course at Georgia Tech in Atlanta
on the entire Chattahoochee River system and its
history, economic impact, ecology and beauty. Now
in its eighth year, the six-week course is believed to
be the only college level course in the country
devoted to an entire river system.

The course, which is supported by a federal
Eisenhower Act education grant, was created by the
Marshalls and focuses on river pollution. A 68-mile
stretch of the Chattahoochee between the City of
Atlanta and West Point Lake does not meet water
quality standards because of urban runoff and
pollutants from Atlanta's sewage treatment plants.

Students, many of whom are teachers themselves,
visit all parts of the river system and perform water
quality monitoring assignments at several points
along the river. Students study nautical, topo-
graphic, and Landsat maps as well as river data
accumulated by EPA, the Corps of Engineers, the
U.S. Geological Survey and the Georgia Department
of Natural Resources. For more information, contact
Howard Marshall at (404) 347-2126.
                          The Water Monitor is produced monthly to
                          exchange surface water assessment infor-
                          mation among states and other interested
                          parties.  If you would like more information
                          or want to be added to the mailing list,
                          please fill out the order and comment form
                          on page 11.

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 Region 5
Indiana
     Illinois
       Michigan
      Minnesota
       Ohio
      Wisconsin
 Regional Coordinators

 Monitoring, 305(b): Donna Williams (312) 3533175
 303(d):  Robert Pepin (312) 886- 1505
 Waterbody System: Fouad Dababneh (312) 353-3944
 Volunteer Monitoring: Donna Williams (312) 353-6175
 and Tom Davenport (312) 886-0209
 Nonpoint Source, Clean Lakes:  Tom Davenport
 (312) 886-0209
 MINNESOTA:  Riverwatch Curricula Being
 Developed: In a cooperative effort with Wisconsin,
 Michigan, and EPA, Minnesota will be developing
 high school curricula addressing lake and river
 ecology, pollution prevention, the Remedial Action
 Plan and Lakewide Management Plan processes, and
 impacts of toxics. These curricula, based on the
 Riverwatch example, will be placed into Wisconsin,
 Michigan, and Minnesota schools in FY 1995. For
 more information, contact Louise Hotka at (612)
 296-8860.

 St. Louis River Sediment Assessment: To update
 and expand current sediment contaminant data on the
 St. Louis River, the Minnesota Pollution Control
 Agency (MPCA) will be taking sediment cores from
 34 sites in the St. Louis Harbor and 20 locations near
 two Superfund sites. The state will analyze these cores
 for PCBs, pesticides, metals, PAH compounds, and
 other parameters, and use the information for evaluat-
 ing remedial action options at hot spots.  For more
 information, contact Louise Hotka at (612) 296-8860.

 Citizen Lake Monitoring Program: Minnesota's
Citizen Lake Monitoring Program (CLMP) provides
valuable water quality data for the MPCA and helps
citizens learn more about their lakes. For a one-time
$10.00 fee, volunteers receive a Secchj disk to
monitor their lakes throughout the summer months.
At the end of the year, they receive a report from
MPCA on the transparency of lakes in the state. For
more information on CLMP, contact its new Coordi-
nator, Jennifer Lindbloom, at 520 Lafayette Rd. N.,
St. Paul, Minnesota, 55155, or call (612) 282-2618.
INDIANA:  Fish Community Sampling: EPA has
published the first final product of the Indiana Depart-
ment of Environment Management/USEPA Ecoregion
Fish Community Project for the Central Cornbelt Plain
Ecoregion (EPA-905/9-91-025).  Project participants
sampled a total of 197 headwater and wadable stream
sites in the Central Corn Belt Plain Ecoregion to
develop and calibrate an index of biotic integrity (IBI)
for use in this Indiana ecoregion. Most of this field
work was conducted in 1990; the author of the report is
Tom Simon of USEPA Region 5.

Biological Studies Section personnel participated in
fish community sampling of the Huron/Erie Lake Plain
Ecoregion in 1991, and the Interior Plateau and Interior
River Lowland Ecoregions 1992. Dr. Simon is
developing similar documents describing the develop-
ment of a calibrated IBI for each of these ecoregions.
Staff are currently working out the details for comput-
erization and database maintenance of all of the field
data generated from this effort and from future fish
community monitoring.  For more information, contact
Lee Bridges at (317) 243-5030.

ORSANCO: Biological Program for the Ohio
River: Since the 1970's, the Ohio River Valley Water
Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) has sponsored
fish population studies of the Ohio River and selected
tributaries. ORSANCO historically used the
lockchamber approach, in which Rotenone was
applied to water in a closed lock at a navigation dam;
the Rotenone kills the fish, which float to the surface
and are then counted and categorized. This method
was considered the single most representative ap-
proach for large rivers.

In 1990, electrofishing was added above and below the
dam at which a lockchamber study was being con-
ducted, as well as at a midway point in the pool below
the dam.  This program was fully implemented in 1991
and continued in 1992. Two rounds of electrofishing
were conducted at each site: one six weeks before the
lockchamber study (July-August) and one at the time
of the lockchamber study (September-October).
Macroinvertebrate samplers were deposited at the time
of the first round and collected during the second.

ORSANCO compared the results from the two
methods and found that electrofishing yields a greater

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 number of species than lockchamber studies at most
 sites. This is partly because three locations are
 electroflshed per pool. Preliminary comparison of the
 application of the Modified Index of Well Being to the
 results indicates slightly higher scores from the
 lockchamber data; this may be due, however, to the
 adjustment of the formulae to account for the
 lockchamber volumes. A more detailed analysis of the
 data is rl^died for later this year.

 In 1992, the  member states of ORSANCO agreed on
 the need to pursue the development of numerical
 biological criteria for the Ohio River. To expedite this
 process, ORSANCO suspended lockchamber studies
 for 1993 in favor of an intensive survey of a single
 navigation pool. Electrofishing and macroinvertebrate
 sampling will continue in order to cover locations that
 were missed due to unfavorable weather conditions in
 1991-92. The pool chosen for study is the 62-mile
 portion of the Ohio River from Gallipolis Dam to
 Greenup Dam. This portion of the river is bordered by
 Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky.  ORSANCO
 expects that the results of this study will draw interest
 and input from a wide range of agencies and individu-
 als. For more information, contact Peter Tennant at
 (513)231-7719.
Region 6
  Arkansas
  Louisiana
 Oklahoma
   Texas
New Mexico
Regional Coordinators

Monitoring: Charlie Howell (214) 655-8354
303(d): MimiDannel (214) 655-6642
305(b): Russell Nelson (214) 655-6646
Watertxxiy System: PaulKoska (214) 655-8357
Volunteer Monitoring: Mike Bira (214) 655-6668 and
PaulKoska (214) 655-8357
Nonpoint Source:  Brad Lamb (214) 655-7140
Clean Lakes:  Mike Bira (214) 655-6668

REGIONAL OFFICE: Meeting on ITFM Re-
port: EPA Region 6 and corresponding US Geo-
logical Survey regions held a meeting of water
monitoring agencies on August 2, 1993, to discuss
the first report of the Intergovernmental Task Force
                      on Monitoring Water Quality (ITFM) entitled
                      Ambient Water Quality Monitoring in the United
                      States, First Year Review, Evaluation, and Recommen-
                      dations. The meeting was held to introduce additional
                      agencies to ITFM activities and get their feedback on
                      the proposed national monitoring strategy. Seventy-
                      four people were present, representing 35 agencies.

                      Meeting participants focused on the need for improved
                      communication to promote interagency coordination.
                      They identified a priority need to establish a formal
                      hierarchy for the exchange of data, reports, methods,
                      technical guidance, and training among all levels of
                      government. They also recommended holding inter-
                      agency meetings to discuss monitoring activities and
                      developing a computer bulletin board system dedicated
                      to water monitoring issues.

                      Local agencies were generally concerned about the
                      potential costs of data system integration and the
                      preservation of historical data. Participants suggested
                      alternatives for data sharing such as standardizing
                      methods for data transfer and/or developing public
                      domain data management software. Lastly, to facili-
                      tate data sharing, meeting participants agreed on the
                      need for improved documentation of investigator
                      training and QA/QC. For more information, contact
                      Charlie Howell at (214) 655-8354.
                      Region 7
                      Regional Coordinators
 Iowa
Nebraska
 Kansas
  Missouri
                      Monitoring: Jerry Anderson (913) 551-5066
                      305(b), 303(d): John Houlihan (913) 551-7432
                      Waterbody System: Jerome Pitt (913) 551-7766
                      Volunteer Monitoring: Jerome Pitt (913) 551-7766and
                      Donna Sefton (913) 551-7500
                      Nonpoint Source: Julie ErMng (913) 551-7475
                      Clean Lakes:  Larry Sheridan (913) 551-7439

                      REGIONAL OFFICE: Bioassay Laboratory
                      Modifications: The Regional Environmental
                      Services Division has acquired additional space for
                      the biological analysis activities performed in

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support of water monitoring and compliance activities.
The additional space will increase lab efficiency and
provide for new activities. Separate areas for culturing
and testing will reduce the possibility of contamination
of test organism cultures. Areas will be created for
culturing sediment toxicity testing organisms, for
preparing sediment samples prior to testing, and for
analysis of the samples after the test is conducted. The
lab will include an area dedicated to the fish and
benthic macroinvertebrate identification activities
performed in support of nonpoint source assessment
work and the R-EMAP project For more information,
contact Billy Fairless, Director, Environmental Ser-
vices Division, at (913) 551-5176.
 RegionS
     Montana
    Utah
     Wyoming
Colorado
North Dakota
'South Dakota
Regional Coordinators
Monitoring, 306(b): Phi/Johnson (303) 293-1581
303(d): Bruce Zander (303) 293-1580
Waterbody System: Toney Ott (303) 293-1573
Volunteer Monitoring:  Paul Mclver (303) 293-1552 and
Phi/Johnson (303) 293-1573
Nonpoint Source:  Carol Russell (303) 293-1449
Clean Lakes: Dave Rathke (303)293-1703
     Regional Biological Criteria Meeting

    EPA Region 8 will host a Biological
    Criteria Meeting on November 2-3,
    1993, at the Regional Office in Denver.
    A primary focus of this initial meeting
    will be the exchange of biological
    monitoring information and a discussion
    of techniques used by the states.
    Regional staff and state participants will
    also discuss and prepare comments on
    EPA's proposed direction for the bio-
    logical criteria program.  For more
    information, contact Phil Johnson at
    (303)293-1581.
                         Region 9
                            California
                            Nevada
                                Arizona
                                Hawaii
                                Guam
Regional Coordinators

Monitoring, 305(b), Waterbody System: Ed Liu
(415) 744-2012
303(d): David Smith (415) 744-2019
Volunteer Monitoring: Clarice Olson (415) 744-1489 and
Ed Liu (415) 744-2012
Nonpoint Source: Jovfa E. Pajarillo (415) 744-2011
Clean Lakes: Wendell Smith (415) 744-2018
PACIFIC BASIN: CZARA Meeting:  The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
Oceans and Coastal Resources Management Divi-
sion and the EPA Nonpoint Sources Branch met
with U.S. flag islands in Honolulu in August to
present the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization
Amendments' (CZARA) Section 6217(g) guidance
specifying nonpoint source control measures to be
adopted in the coastal management program.  Repre-
sentatives from Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth
of the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, Saipan,
the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico attended the
meeting.

Region 9 is working on technical tools to help the
Pacific and Caribbean Islands develop effective
nonpoint source monitoring programs. For example,
the Region is now working on the development of
small, accessible photo point databases that can store
photographic images as fields, along with th°, usual
numeric monitoring data.  These databis^, will be
usable by volunteer monitoring groups, local agen-
cies, or states, and will be linked to STORET via
common relational fields. Quality assurance/quality
control (QA/QC)  for photo points will rely on using
satellite-based Global Positioning System locations,
compass headings, description of photographic
equipment and film, and narrative descriptions of
location. No permanent physical benchmarks will
be placed in the ground to locate photo points. The
Region is also investigating pattern-recognition
6

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 software that may give quantitative estimates of
 landscape changes over time. For more information
 or to discuss alternative photo point QA/QC proce-
 dures, contact Ed Liu at (415) 744-2012.
 Region 10
 Regional Coordinators
Washington
  Oregon
    Idaho
      Alaska
 Monitoring, Waterbody System: Gretchen Hayslip
 (206)553-1685
 306(b): GfetchenHaysljp(206)553-16a5andJudithLecl^one
 (206)553-6911
 303(d):  Bruce Cleland (206) 442-2600
 Volunteer Monitoring: Susan Hundley (206) 553-1287
 and Gretchen Hayslip (206) 553-1685
 Nonpoint Source: Elberi Moore (206) 553-4181
 Clean Lakes: Judith Leckrone (206) 553-6911
REGIONAL OFFICE: Region 10 In-Stream
Biological Monitoring Handbook: Region 10
recently published a handbook that provides a refer-
ence for conducting biological assessments of wadable
streams in EPA Region 10.  It is intended as a supple-
ment to the Rapid Bioassessment Protocols (RBPs)
developed by EPA. This document describes the
minimum level of data that needs to be collected to
conduct a bioassessment, as well as methods for
additional levels of intensity for each sampling cat-
egory (macroinvertebrates, fish, water column and
physical habitat).

Many state, local, tribal and federal land and resource
management agencies are interested in conducting
biological assemblage assessments in the Pacific
Northwest. This document is an attempt to provide a
consistent minimal set of methods to facilitate informa-
tion exchange and interpretation. If you have any
questions or would like a copy of the Handbook,
contact Gretchen Hayslip, EPA Region 10, at (206)
553-1685.

WASHINGTON:  Forestry BMP Effectiveness
Study: The Washington Department of Ecology
(Ecology) recently published a report entitled
Effectiveness of Forest Road and Timber Harvest
Best Management Practices (BMP) with Respect to
Sediment-Related Water Quality Impact, Interim
Report No. 1.  This project is part of Washington's
Timber/Fish/Wildlife Cooperative Monitoring,
Evaluation, and Research Program. The overall
purpose of the project is to evaluate the effectiveness
of certain forestry BMPs that apply to activities on
state and private forest lands in Washington. This
first Interim Report describes the sampling design
for the study, the study sites established to date,
survey methodologies employed, and Ecology's
field survey methodology. General BMP categories
targeted in the study include road construction
practices, road maintenance practices, and timber
harvesting practices.  For more information, contact
Ed Rashin of Ecology, at (206) 586-5291.
                                        lls     •••
                         HiADC^PtTERS
                    OFFICE OF WETLANDS,
                    OCEANS, AND WATERSHEDS (OWOW):

                    Assessment and Watershed Protection
                    Division (AWPD)

                    FY 93 Mini-Grants Awarded to Total Maximum
                    Daily Load (TMDL) Projects:  The Watershed
                    Management Section of AWPD and the Watershed
                    Modeling Section of the Office of Science and
                    Technology (OST) have together awarded $150,000
                    in small grants to TMDL projects throughout the
                    country.  The mini-grants were awarded based on
                    recommendations from the Regional TMDL Coordi-
                    nators and review from Headquarters.  The award
                    criteria required that  1) the projects be located on

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waterbodies that are listed as "high" or "medium"
priority on the state's FY 1992 CWA§303(d) list;
2) the projects result in a TMDL being submitted
within 2 years from the date the awardee receives
the funds or services; 3) the projects have creative
approaches to solving water quality and watershed
problems, result in a TMDL for non-chemical
stressors, or produce "lessons learned" that could be
applicable to other projects; and 4) recipients of
mini-grant assistance agree to provide information
on overall project cost, project progress and success,
The Mini-Grant Award process was established in
FY 1992 to provide states with support as they
undertake implementation of TMDL projects. These
projects serve as useful demonstrations of techniques
and methods that can be applied nationally as part of
the TMDL program.  For more information, contact
Peggy Michell at (202) 260-5378.

Point/Nonpoint Source Trading: Staff from
AWPD's Watershed Management Section and from
the Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation
(OPPE) recently met with representatives of the
Truckee River Management Committee in Reno,
Nevada, and presented ideas on point/nonpoint
source trading and other economic incentive oppor-
tunities. OPPE plans to provide approximately
$100,000 to investigate the feasibility of economic
incentives in the watershed. Truckee River Manage-
ment Committee activities include total maximum
daily load development, riparian restoration, and
issues concerning water rights, tribal concerns, and
endangered species. For more information, contact
Theresa Tuaflo at (202) 260-7059.

TMDL Program Activities:  Staff from AWPD's
Watershed Branch and Nonpoint Source  Branch
along with staff from OST are planning a joint
TMDL/Nonpoint Source (NFS) Coordinators
Meeting to be held in early November. The purpose
of the meeting is to provide an opportunity for
Headquarters and Regional personnel involved in
TMDL development and implementation to address
the problems facing the program; share and examine
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-------
methods that are currently being used in implemen-
tation; and determine the best next steps in program
direction.  The meeting will also provide an opportu-
nity for staff in the TMDL and NFS programs to
better coordinate their efforts. The Watershed
Management Section is also drafting guidance for
states to use as they prepare to meet the  1994 section
303(d) listing deadline. For more information,
contact Amy Sosin at (202) 260-7058.

Oceans and Coastal Protection Division
(OCPD)

OSV Anderson Monitoring Survey: EPA's research
vessel, the OSV Anderson, completed a monitoring
survey of the Long Island Sound Ocean Disposal Site.
EPA conducted the survey to gather sediment infor-
mation for determining adverse biological effects of
dredged material. The OSV Anderson held tours for
the public on July 18 and 19, sponsored by EPA
Region 2.  Over 1,000 people toured the ship while it
was moored at two sites (the Liberty State Park, Jersey
City, New Jersey, and Battery Park, New York City,
New York).  For more information, contact Karen
Klima at (202) 260-9951.

Coastal Region/Watershed IAG: OCPD submitted
to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's (NOAA) Office of Coastal Re-
sources Management for signature an Interagency
Agreement to expand cooperative projects in coastal
regions and watersheds of mutual concern including
the National Estuarine Research Reserves, the National
Estuary Programs, and coral reef systems in the
Atlantic and Pacific. Projects focus on nutrient over-
enrichment, nonpoint source pollution impacts,
strategies for sustaining biodiversity, and in the case of
coral reefs, development of biocriteria for  monitoring
the health of the reefs. For more information, contact
Eric Slaughter at (202) 260-1051.

Volunteer Estuary Monitoring: A Methods
Manual: OCPD staff are working with the Alliance
for the Chesapeake Bay to draft one in a series of EPA
documents being developed in support of volunteer
water monitoring. The document, entitled Volunteer
Estuary Monitoring: A Methods Manual, takes the
reader from the planning stage through actual sampling
and analysis to the presentation of results of volunteer
data. Revisisons are now being discussed with the
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. The final document
is expected to be available by the end of this year. For
more information, contact Joe Hall at (202) 260-9082.

National Beach Cleanups: OCPD staff are organiz-
ing EPA's participation in a National Beach Cleanup
in celebration of "Coastweeks 1993." The National
Beach Cleanups are jointly sponsored by the Center for
Marine Conservation (CMC), NOAA, and other
federal, state, and local governments, and environmen-
tal organizations. Beach cleanups will take place in
every state in the U.S. and in over 50 other countries.
In the past, these cleanups have attracted more than
160,000 volunteers who remove  debris from beaches
and document their findings; expectations are to
exceed that number this year. For more information,
contact Edna Villanueva at (202) 260-6059.

National Estuary Program (NEP) Training Work-
shop: OCPD staff are conducting a training workshop
for the four newest additions to the  NEP (Peconic Bay,
San Juan Harbor, Corpus Christi, and Tillamook Bay)
in Corpus Christi, Texas, on September 20-23. The
purpose of the workshop is to explain programmatic
requirements and offer experiences and lessons learned
from established programs. The  preliminary agenda is
being distributed for review. For more information,
contact Darrell Brown at (202) 260-9103.

Wetlands Division (WD)

Study of Wetlands Characterization:  The National
Academy of Sciences/National Research Council
announced the membership of the study committee
for the Study of Wetlands Characterization. The 18-
member multidisciplinary committee has a wide
range of expertise including hydrology, ecology,
biology, soils science, agricultural  engineering,
forestry, land use planning/state  program manage-
ment, law, and natural resource economics. The
Committee Chairman is William L. Lewis, Jr. of the
University of Colorado at Boulder. The Committee's
report is expected by September 30,1994.  Financial
support for the project is being provided by EPA and
the Soil Conservation Service. For more information,
contact Mike Fritz at (202) 260-6013.
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