E&E News Idaho landowners Chantell and Michael Sackett are behind a new Supreme Court case that could upend Clean Water Act precedent. Pacific Legal Foundation The Supreme Court’s decision today to take a fresh look at the scope of the Clean Water Act could impair EPA’s ability to protect isolated wetlands and ephemeral and intermittent streams. It’s the latest brawl the high court has agreed to tackle with the potential to reshape national environmental policy. “They very well could address this whole issue fresh, what we call de novo, look at it in light of what the language of the statute really means,” said Larry Liebesman, a senior adviser at Dawson & Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in permitting. “With a 6-3 majority conservative, there’s a fair chance they may…
Please join Idaho DEQ and Boise State University for the 32nd annual Idaho Water Quality Workshop. It is the longest-running and best-attended gathering of water quality professionals in the state. Agenda topics will include stream restoration, nutrient and metal pollution, reservoirs and more. The conference will be held March 16-17, 2022, in Boise. We will have a hybrid format, so you can choose whether to attend in person or virtually. Attendees and presenters hail from Idaho and neighboring states, and include agencies, consultants, tribes, cities, academics, and the public. This mix provides outstanding opportunities for discussion and networking. Unlike almost every other conference, attendance is free. That includes drinks, snacks, and an afternoon social hour. If you would like to join us, please register on the website.
For 30 years, SIWI has organized World Water Week. Today it is the world’s most influential movement focused on transforming global water challenges. World Water Week 2022 will take place 23 August to 1st September online and in Stockholm! This new edition will offer opportunities to connect face to face and propose online components to engage worldwide. For more info and register please visit: https://worldwaterweek.org/tickets
EPA will host a webinar on Advancing Water Equity as part of its DWSRF and Capacity Building in Action series. The webinar will feature state presenters and will focus on how states can use their DWSRF set-asides for activities that identify and prioritize water infrastructure and capacity building projects for underserved communities. For more information and to register, click here. For information about drinking water capacity and other upcoming webinars, visit www.epa.gov/dwcapacity.
By Chelsea Newby, Shoshone News Press CATALDO — Canyon Elementary School appears to have found the light at the end of the tunnel for its school’s water system worries. The rural elementary school has been operating under Panhandle Health’s boil order since Oct. 20, after its quarterly water sample led to the discovery of E. coli bacteria in the school’s reservoir tank. After several minor repairs and attempts to clean the tank proved unsuccessful, the school went on to hire a specialty company to perform a final deep-cleaning and extended chlorination flush of the reservoir tank during the school's Thanksgiving break. Canyon Elementary students and staff are back to using the water for hand washing only — taking extra precautions until Jan. 3 when results of the final water sample…
The 2021 NGWA Groundwater Summit will take place virtually but will feature a variety of formats in which you can increase your groundwater knowledge and engage with other professionals who share your interests. The virtual program will feature concurrent conference sessions and workshops on Tuesday, December 7. Wednesday’s schedule will feature concurrent extended learning sessions, conference sessions, and poster presentations. Please visit https://pheedloop.com/Summit2021/site/home/ to register.
Register at https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_B7J5tY92RtGVlh2QxvqDrg Harmful Algal Blooms: The federal and innovative funding sources for the prevention, monitoring, and treatment of harmful algal blooms November 9-10 at 11:00am - 2:00 pm MT During this virtual forum, participants from federal agencies will provide an overview of the federal funding programs related to harmful algal blooms (HABs), the funding allocation/application process for those programs, and how inland and coastal communities can use the programs to address HABs challenges. Invited speakers will provide an overview of federal funding programs from: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) United States Geological Survey (USGS) United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) The forum will also include presentations from communities that have utilized funds from these federal programs as well as a session dedicated to…
By Brad Carlson, Capital Press The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will study the Cascade Reservoir in Idaho to figure out ways to improve its water quality. Cascade Reservoir, near timberlands and meadows about 80 miles north of Boise, is shallow and subject to algae blooms. The blooms are driven by high water temperatures and nutrient levels. It also is known as Lake Cascade. The Snake River Area Office received a $308,200 grant for the pilot project to model the reservoir's operations. The goal is to find operations-related ways to improve water quality. The pilot project will evaluate whether operations at Cascade and nearby Deadwood Reservoir can be coordinated to improve water quality. Operating alternatives will consider “all requirements and constraints” such as physical capacity, irrigation demands, flow augmentation and flood…
AGI is hosting a webinar series will cover an array of thought-provoking, timely topics relating to the Earth Science Week 2021 theme of "Water Today and for the Future." These webinars are being presented for a general public audience. Today's Seminar will be presented by Dr. George Veni, Executive Director of National Cave and Karst Research Institute https://www.americangeosciences.org/webinars/earth-science-and-international-year-caves-and-karst
AGI is hosting a webinar series will cover an array of thought-provoking, timely topics relating to the Earth Science Week 2021 theme of "Water Today and for the Future." These webinars are being presented for a general public audience. Today's Seminar will be presented by Dr. David Kramer, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and President of the International Association of Hydrogeologists https://www.americangeosciences.org/webinars/perspectives-crucial-resource-importance-and-vulnerability-our-water-supplies
