&EPA
United States
Environmental Protectio
Agency
:tion
EPA-842-N-14-002
Volume 1, Issue 1
October, 2014
The Flow of... Trash Free Waters
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
EPA's Roles 2
Regional TFW Strategies and
Tactical Plans 2
TFW in the:
Lower Mid-Atlantic 2
Upper Mid-Atlantic 3
Puerto Rico 3
Gulf of Mexico 4
The Rapids: News Drops 4
Upcoming
Meetings
NY/NJ Stakeholder
Trash Free Waters
Summit
OctSO, 2014
Alice Ferguson
Foundation Trash
Summit
Washington, D.C.
Nov7, 2014
Puerto Rico
Stakeholder Trash
Free Waters Meeting
Nov13, 2014
HOW IS IT FLOWING?
The purpose of this
newsletter is to provide
specialized information to
all of our Trash Free
Waters partners.
Among the followers, we
have federal, state and
local government officials.
Quasi-governmental
organizations like Ports,
Transportation Authorities,
Airports, and others are
monitoring progress.
Academic institutions at
every level of public and
private education are
watching as we look to
develop good science and
educate our youth. We
have friends in the private
sector representing small
businesses and large,
associations,
confederations,
partnerships, and more.
Interested citizens,
watershed groups, and a
whole host of others have
expressed interest in our
efforts and next steps.
This newsletter is for all
of you.
Each quarter we will
attempt to report on the
progress of Trash Free
Waters on a National,
Regional, and even local
scale. More frequent
"Bonus" issues may be
published from time to
time, as news and
opportunities arise.
We welcome your
feedback.
We sincerely hope you
will share your ideas on
how to make "The Flow"
more meaningful to you,
your colleagues and the
work that you do to
reduce and ultimately
prevent trash from
entering our watersheds.
Please feel free to send
your suggestions to our
Team Lead, Laura
Johnson at:
Johnson.Laura-S@epa.gov
What is the "Trash Free Waters" Program?
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's
(EPA) National Trash
Free Waters (TFW)
program is striving to
develop a focused set of
actions and projects that
significantly reduce or
even eliminate the
volume of trash and litter
entering watersheds,
aquatic ecosystems, and
the marine environment.
Commonly held analysis
suggests that up to 80%
of trash in the ocean
derives from land-based
sources. Strategies to
eliminate aquatic trash
must necessarily involve
measures that reduce
litter and trash on land
and far upstream of the
oceans. These
strategies also support
initiatives by many public
and private stakeholders.
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Page 2
The Flow of.. Trash Free Waters
EPA's Role in Achieving Trash Free Waters
EPA contracted the
National Academy of
Sciences to convene
an expert panel on
Microplastics in the
Marine Environment
and Potential Human
Health Effects this
past Spring.
Comments are being
incorporated into the
meeting summary,
which is slated to be
released next month.
EPA is developing
unique and tailored
regional strategies (see
below) to enhance
federal state and local
programs that reduce or
prevent aquatic trash
from entering our
watersheds and
ultimately our coastal
ecosystems. Our
general approach as we
expand to different
geographic regions of the
U.S. is for EPA
Headquarters, our
Regional Offices and our
consulting team:
• Serve as
catalyst/convenor of
strategic and tactical
planning;
• Identify "champions" to
serve as project leads
on the ground where
these projects are
evolving;
• Consult with and to
government, business,
non-governmental
organizations, and
citizen stakeholders;
• Identify collective
actions that enhance
trash prevention
"drivers" and remove
"barriers;"
• Facilitate project
implementation; and
• Measure results.
Through these efforts
and other activities,
EPA hopes to achieve
marked reductions in
the flow of trash in our
nation's waters and
along our shores.
Regional TFW Strategies and Tactical Plans
EPA has had a mature
aquatic trash/marine
debris program in
California and the
Pacific Islands led by
EPA Region 9. Now,
with greater attention
at the highest levels at
Headquarters, EPA is
expanding its TFW
program into the lower
and upper Mid Atlantic,
the Gulf of Mexico
region ("the Gulf) and
Puerto Rico.
In each area, we are
undertaking a
structured, three-phase
process to support and
advance aquatic trash
prevention and
reduction initiatives on
local, statewide, and
watershed levels:
• Phase I:
Reconnaissance
including interviews
and research.
• Phase II: Strategy
and Planning
including stakeholder
discussions and
priorities
• Phase III: Tactics
and Project
Implementation.
While the regional
strategic plans are
more static in nature,
our projects will be
more dynamic with
the completion of
some and the start-
up of others as
capacity ebbs and
flows.
TFW in the Lower Mid-Atlantic
(Contactcolombo.matt@epa.gov; (202) 566-2518)
Much is happening behind
the scenes as we move
from our Strategy and
Planning phase into
Tactics and
Implementation. The
Hampton Roads Region
and the City of Richmond
have put forward their
initial concept plans for a
Municipal Level Project.
The concepts are being
refined and private sector
partner(s) are being
sought. Washington, DC;
Baltimore, MD; and
Philadelphia, PA are in the
midst of defining their
early concepts. At our
Annapolis meeting earlier
this year, TFW also
endorsed a "Great
Practices" project, noting
that the sharing of
successful practices to
reduce litter and aquatic
trash was an essential
component of a TFW Mid-
Atlantic regional strategy.
After much anticipation,
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The Flow of.. Trash Free Waters
Page 3
TFW in the Lower Mid-
Atlantic (continued)
we are preparing this
'Great Practices' tool. The
purpose of this tool is to
highlight activities
(outreach, policies,
programs, etc) in the Mid-
Atlantic region that are
advancing the goal of
reducing the loading of
trash to water. Matt
Colombo has received
your responses to his
request and will be
working with SRA
International to develop
the tool. EPA will be
leading a session at the
Alice Ferguson
Foundation's Annual
Trash Summit, entitled
Measuring the
Progress and Success of
Aquatic Trash Reduction
and Prevention Activities,
on Friday, November 7th.
This session will highlight
ongoing work in the region
that is reducing and
preventing aquatic trash,
and contribute to EPA-led
dialogue on establishing
guidance for commonly
accepted measures of
aquatic trash
reduction/prevention
success.
TFW in the Upper Mid-Atlantic
(Contactcolombo.matt@epa.gov; (202) 566-2518)
We are stationed at the
headwaters in the Upper
Mid-Atlantic (NY/NJ) and
readying to move
downstream. Matt has
participated in a
stakeholder call with EPA
Region 2, state officials,
and local NGOs. Matt will
be working closely with
EPA Region 2 and
facilitation support from
the Syracuse
Environmental Finance
Center to begin the
assessment phase of
ongoing activities in
NY/NJ. We plan to use
this assessment to define
a strategic action planto
reduce and prevent
aquatic trash. EPA Reg 2
will be hosting a Trash
Free Waters Planning
Meeting for the Upper-Mid
Atlantic on Thursday,
October 30th.
TFW in Puerto Rico
(Contact mercado.noemi@epa.gov; (202) 566-1251)
The TFW Program was
introduced to Puerto Rico
by Noemi at a meeting
held in San Juan on
September 9, 2014 with
the San Juan Bay
National Estuary Program
and the Puerto Rico
Recycling Partnership.
Noemi is working closely
with these two entities,
along with EPA Region 2
and facilitation support
from the Syracuse
Environmental Finance
Center (SEFC), to design
an action plan with
initiatives to reduce
loadings of trash into
Puerto Rico water bodies.
During the September
meeting, stakeholders
from different sectors
brainstormed actions to
address aquatic trash in
Puerto Rico. As we move
forward with the planning
stage, another
stakeholder meeting is
planned in San Juan on
November 13, 2014.
Our Economic
Analysis White
Paper looking at
the direct and
indirect costs to
society of trash
in waterways will
be released in
the weeks
ahead.
An EPA State of the
Science White Paper,
A Summary of the
Effects of Plastics
Pollution on Aquatic
Life and Aquatic
Dependent Wildlife, is
in review and on track
to be released before
the end of the
calendar year.
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Page 4
The Flow of.. Trash Free Waters
ERA'S
Trash Free Waters
USEPA Headquarters
William Jefferson Clinton
Building
1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W.
Mail Code: 4504T
Washington, DC 20460
Team Lead:
Laura S.Johnson
Phone 202.566.1273
E-mail
Johnson.laura-S@epa.gov
Consultant
Adam R. Saslow
Phone 678.388.1670
E-mail
Saslow_Adam@sra.com
TFW in the Gulf of Mexico
(ContactJohnson.Laura-S@epa.gov; (202) 566-1273)
This summer we traveled over 2,500 miles of coast, conducted over 25 meetings and
met with over 500 stakeholders in the Reconnaissance Phase of our work in the
Gulf. Short summaries of the two week-long trips have been distributed to our Gulf
stakeholders. Copies are available upon request. We've been consulting with EPA
Regions 4 and 6 as well as the Gulf of Mexico Program Office. We have identified
project champions and are in the midst of refining six project concepts that support our
Regional Strategy. We encourage our Gulf stakeholders to consider a TFW
project/program for funding under the RESTORE Act. Please contact your respective
Gulf State for information pertaining to applications and due dates.
The Rapids: News Drops
PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE PACKAGING INDUSTRIES
EPA issued a draft charter this month for endorsement by our packaging industry
partners. We are seeking ways in which to integrate associations and their
membership into projects on the ground in the Mid-Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and in
Puerto Rico.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
TFW is not a grant program. That said, from time to time our partners do have
resources available to those who are looking to make progress in reducing or
preventing aquatic trash.
The TFW team is currently working with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to
explore the opportunity to incorporate language into the Request for Proposals (RFP)
that could allow for TFW projects to be considered for funding. The RFP would be
issued in November, 2014, and the application due date is in February, 2015. We'll
provide updates as we receive more information.
NATIONAL PROGRAM ACTIVITIES AND BEYOND
Bob Benson, the visionary of the TFW program, was invited to make a brief
announcement about the program at the State Department's "Our Ocean" Conference
in Washington, D.C. Bob attended the Marine Debris Panel discussion and
announced the Trash Free Waters program at the conclusion of the panelists'
remarks. All in all, the event was a success. The statement was well-received with a
warm round of applause from the 250 or so attendees in the auditorium. It was
broadcast on the live conference webcast. The announcement prompted a flurry of
positive tweets observed on a large projection of the rolling Twitter feed. In July, John
Kerry mentioned TFW at a White House National Ocean Council meeting.
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