208     bullet
Number 10
WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT
June  14, 1976
  Agri culture
  and  the
  Control of
  Water Pollution
    The role of the  agricultural sector in
controlling water pollution was  the topic of
a speech given in Hawaii by Eckardt C.  Beck.
Mr.  Beck, EPA Deputy  Assistant Administrator
for  Water Planning and  Standards, spoke to the
National Association  of Conservation Districts
(NACD).

    Praising the extensive work done by local
conservation districts, Beck noted the
successful  cooperative  efforts of 40 State
sediment control institutes.  He added  that
NACD is developing a  plan for manpower  develop-
ment and training to  aid the Water Quality
Management Program.   "This study is well under-
way ..." said Beck.

    Beck outlined other instances of cooperation.
He said that several  of the 208  areawide planning
agencies have entered into a variety of con-
tractual relationships  with soil conservation
districts or with a  regional organization of
conservation districts.  "The Dane County Soil
and  Water Conservation  District  has a working
program with the Dane County Council of Govern-
ments  within the 208  program," he said. "Other
areawide agencies such  as Suffolk County, New York;
Lake County, Illinois;  and Yellowstone  Valley,
Montana, have all initiated or completed planning
agreements  with soil  and water districts or
regional associations of districts."

    Several States  have begun to develop formal
relationships involving soil and water  commissions,
within the State water  quality planning and
management process for  both'designated  and non-
designated areas,he  added.  Florida, Iowa,
Wisconsin,  Maine, Colorado, South Dakota,
Mississippi, and Oklahoma are among these
States .

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Format!on
an Urban
Planning
Task Force
of
            -2-

     "In the future, we see the districts
being involved in the 208 process  in a
variety of activities, for example,  in the
delineation of future sewer -service  areas,"
he said.

     "We will  need your assistance in deter-
mining where there are nonpoint source
problems, what their estimated magnitude
is, and how to develop priorities  for program
solutions."

     Beck also said that the districts could
expand their important role of Federal and
State interagency coordination.  He  felt
there would be an acce'l era ti on in  the districts'
concern and role in sediment control from
roadsides, as well as from land being held
for development and land being developed.

     "We see the districts, together with
the Soil Conservation Service, expanding or
reviewing their management practice  systems
to encompass best management practices for
water quality needs."

     EPA's Office of Research and  Development
has formed an Urban Planning Task  Force to
provide a focal point to coordinate  activities
and provide assistance and technological
support to the agency's 208 program.

     Located at the Municipal Research Labo-
ratory  in Cincinnati and directed by John M.
Smith,  this 6-member task force will act as
liaison between EPA's Office of Air, Land and
Water Use  (OALWU) research program and the
operating programs  responsible for implementing
Section 208 of PL 92-500.  The task  force will
first summarize and accelerate the delivery of
pertinent  research  results to  the designated
208 agencies and related user  communities.  The
task  force  recently completed  a two-month survey
of 208  planning needs which  included agency
visits,  telephone interviews,  ar)d discussions
and meetings with Regional  208 coordinators,
208 contractors, and  other agency personnel.

      As  a  result  of this  survey,  along with
a  complete  review of  the  OALWU related
research  programs,  the  task  force will
prepare  an  "Areawide  Assessment Procedures

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                            -3-

                Manual"  (AAPM)  to  provide  a  critically  needed
                technological  guidance  for areawide  planners
                in  a  readily  useable  form.   The  AAPM will
                contain  data  base  inventory  and  problem identi-
                fication,  procedures  for  urban and non-urban
                pollutant  source and  load  assessment, analysis
                of  stream  impacts,  and  evaluation and selection
                of  control  alternatives.   In  addition to  this
                information,  the AAPM will also  contain twelve
                separate appendices  including a  model applica-
                bility  summary,  land  use  data bases  and methods,
                monitoring  requirements,  best management
                practices  and a  major appendix summarizing
                structural  cost  information  and  methods.  The
                AAPM  will  be  published  in  three  separate  volumes
                Portions of the  first two  volumes will  be
                available  after  July  15 and  the  third volume
                will  be  ready by September 15, 1976.

208 Official          Mark  Pisano,  director of EPA's  Water
Encourages      Planning Division,  discussed implementation
Implementation  of  208-generated  plans  recently  at a  conference
                for local  officials.

                     Speaking to  local  officials and  208
                members, he charged that the program is failing
                to  develop a  commitment to implementation.
                He  said that  most  agencies are working  at
                full  speed developing detailed work  plans,
                projecting population figures and  land  use,
                and developing alternatives.   Agencies  are
                doing what they have done for years  Pisano
                pointed out;  they  are developing plans  which
                may or may not be  implemented.

                     Pisano emphasized  that  the  process of
                developing commitment must start the day
                someone begins to  think about being  designated.
                Once the funding grant  is obtained,  he  said,
                implementation must become the number one
                priority.   "Obviously the plan must  be  tech-
                nically sound," the EPA official commented.
                "But, as we all know, there  are  thousands of
                technically sound  plans that have gone  nowhere."

                     Pisano  listed a series  of  questions
                which must be addressed as a program for
                implementation is developed:

                     1) Who  are the  community,  local and
                State leaders who will  play  a significant
                role in the  success  of the program?

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                             -4-

                      2)  Are  their  major  interest environ-
                 mental?. ..economic?...re-election?

                      3)  Are  their  interests being met?

                      4)  Are  leaders  and  nonleaders partici-
                 pating  in  plan development?  Or are  they
                 being used as  rubber  stamps by the planning
                 staff?

                      5)  Have  the program's supporters been
                 identified?   How about potential supporters?
                 Is  the  support being  strengthened?
                                               •
                      6)  Does  the developing plan allow  for
                 compromise and bargaining, especially with
                 those who  could block it?

                      7)  Have  Regional Planning Agencies and
                 Councils  of  Government made concerted efforts
                 to  strengthen  relationships with localities?

                      8)  Are  State  Administrators and legislators
                 being brought  into  the process now?

                      Pisano  pointed  out  that the answers to
                 these questions are  the  deciding factors of
                 a plan's  implementation.  "Developing a com-
                 mitment  to implementation is the most difficult
                 task  facing  us," he  said.  "Unless we devote
                 substantial  resources to it and unless  we begin
                 working  on it  now,  it will elude us... I firmly
                 believe  that  it has  to be our  number one
                 p r i o r i ty ."

Urban Storm-         The EPA Office of Research and Development
water Impact     through  the Municipal Environmental Research
Studies          Laboratory in Cincinnati  is attempting  to
                 locate potential sites for projects to  determine
                 the pollution effect in receiving waters from
                 separate and combined sewer loadings.   Priority
                 will be  given to sites within 208 planning areas
                 and additional funding will be provided to
                 support  the collection of receiving water
                 impact data.

                     To  qualify for consideration as a  study
                 site, the project  location should have:

                     * Receiving water conditions that will
                       allow correlation between impact and
                       pollution loads

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                            -5-

                     * Sources and receiving waters  accessible
                       for moni tori ng

                     * Some evidence of pollution impact due
                       to separate or combined discharges

                Other desirable characteristics of a site
                i nclude:

                     * The potential for a dissolved oxygen
                       sag to  occur as a result of the inter-
                       mi 11ant load

                     * Cooperating organization that has need
                       for the impact data

                     * Receiving water conditions that will
                       enable  field verification of water
                       quality prediction models

                     The project is primarily a field study
                to collect real time urban stormw.ater and
                receiving water data over a one to two-year
                period.  This  will require storm related
                sampling to determine hydrographs and polluto-
                graphs for major discharges and the receiving
                water response to such loads.  For additional
                information,  call John English, NERL,
                Cincinnati (513) 684-7613.

Innovative           Innovative 208 meetings  recently held
Meetings in     in Palm  Beach  and Dade County, Florida provided
Florida         an opportunity for local elected officials  to
                meet with their Congressmen and discuss  208
                planning objectives.


                     EPA Region IV representatives on hand
                to field questions during the sessions were
                Frank Reed, Regional Congressional and Inter-
                governmental  Affairs Officer  and Scott P.
                Berdine, 208  Project Officer.

                     The local 208 agencies coordinated  with
                Congressional  representatives in mailing
                invitations and acquiring meeting space.
                This cooperation helped generate attendance
                of local officials; more than half of the
                governmental  units in each planning area
                were present  and involved in  the sessions.

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Wastewater
Faci1i ties/
Construct!on
Grants
Workshops Set
               Se
          Constru
          They  wi
          Knoxvi1
          July  21
          August
          The  wor
          being s
          a t i o n o
          and  The
            -6-

       veral sess
       ction Gran
       11  be held
       le, July  1
       -22; Washi
       26-27;  and
       kshops ,  de
       ponsored  j
       f Counties
        Internati
ions on Wastewater Facilities/
ts are scheduled this  summer.
 in Chicago,  June 17-18;
6-17; Dallas/Ft. Worth,
ngton, August 12-13;  Atlanta,
 San Francisco,  September 1-2.
signed for local leaders, are
ointly by the National  Associ-
,  The National  League  of  Cities,
onal City Management  Association
                     The opening day  sessions  wil
                Washington perspective  and  the In
                perspective,  and include  a  city-c
                and a feedback session.   Planning
                Federal  regulations,  and  EPA  regi
                trative  procedures  are  to be  disc
                second day.   For more information
                tration  materials contact the  Con
                Grants Project Manager  at the  nat
                quarters of  any of  the  sponsoring
                                           1  be  on  the
                                           tergovernmenta1
                                           ounty  dialogue
                                           ,  financing,
                                           onal  adminis-
                                           ussed  on  the
                                            and  rsgis-
                                           s truction
                                           ional  head-
                                            associations .
                     The relationship  between  the  areawide  plan
                and plans  for individual  facilities  is  funda-
                mental  to  the Water  Quality  Management  Program.

                The 208 staff is  responsible for working
                closely with local  officials to  see  that
                the ongoing facility planning  is consistent
                with the areawide program.   Close  coordi-
                nation  developed  early in  the  planning  process
                is  essential for  implementation  of sound
                programs.
Break
Print
Into
Change of
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     You too can be a published author.   The
Bulletin staff is looking for 208 progress
stories, information exchange, requests  for
advice or information,  public participation
suggestions, items relating 208 to other
programs, etc.  Send your material or inquiries
to the 208 Bulletin.

     Are you receiving  your 208 Bulletin at the
correct address?  If not, please let us  know
so that corrections can be made.  Send
changes to:   208 Bulletin, Water Planning
Division (WH-554), US EPA, Washington, D.C.
20460.

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Wciter Planning  Division iWH 5541
U S Environmental Protection Agencv
Washington  0 C  20460
OrrICIAL
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