EPA Webinar – Tools for Source Water Protection

Tue, Mar 21, 2023 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM MDT EPA’s Office of Water’s Source Water Protection (SWP) team will be presenting on two tools: The Drinking Water Mapping Application to Protect Source Waters (DWMAPS) and the Funding Integration Tool for Source Water (FITS). In addition, there will be a brief overview of the background and concepts of source water protection. Both tools were developed by the SWP Program and can be used either independently or in tandem by many stakeholders for their source water protection needs. DWMAPS incorporates layers from other EPA programs and federal agencies that inform users of potential sources of contamination, land use trends, ongoing source water protection projects and collaborations, and more. Webcast participants will learn how to utilize spatial data from DWMAPS and upload…
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National Groundwater Awareness Week

  Groundwater Awareness Week (GWAW) is taking place March 5-11 in 2023! An annual observance established in 1999 to highlight the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater, the event is also a platform to encourage yearly water well testing and well maintenance, and the promotion of policies impacting groundwater quality and supply. Groundwater advocates across the country also use GWAW to highlight local water issues in their communities.
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SepticSmart Week

Each year, EPA holds SepticSmart Week with outreach activities to encourage homeowners and communities to care for and maintain their septic systems. During SepticSmart Week, EPA seeks to inform homeowners on proper septic system care and maintenance, assist local agencies in promoting homeowner education and awareness, and educate local decision makers about infrastructure options to improve and sustain their communities.
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ASDWA resource provides definition of ‘disadvantaged community’ by state under SDWA

National News
Water Finance and Management ASDWA has announced the launch of its new Environmental Justice webpage. The webpage includes ASDWA’s environmental justice strategy, developed by ASDWA’s members and staff and will guide the association’s work in the future, as well as a variety of resources related to environmental justice and drinking water. Most notably, ASDWA staff worked with members to include a table that provides the text definition of a disadvantaged community for each state, along with the link to where that definition can be found (Intended Use Plans, regulations, statute, or policy). Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, states are responsible for defining what constitutes a disadvantaged community. States use these definitions to make determinations and help prioritize the funds for drinking water infrastructure that are distributed to communities and water…
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EPA acts to curb air, water pollution in poor communities

National News
By Matthew Daly, AP News WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency announced a series of enforcement actions Wednesday to address air pollution, unsafe drinking water and other problems afflicting minority communities in three Gulf Coast states, following a “Journey to Justice” tour by Administrator Michael Regan last fall. The agency will conduct unannounced inspections of chemical plants, refineries and other industrial sites suspected of polluting air and water and causing health problems to nearby residents, Regan said. And it will install air monitoring equipment in Louisiana’s “chemical corridor” to enhance enforcement at chemical and plastics plants between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The region contains several hotspots where cancer risks are far above national levels. The EPA also issued a notice to the city of Jackson, Mississippi, saying its…
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