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Friday March 14, 1997
Experts Meet to Discuss EPA's Watershed Assessment Project
On March 12-13, EPA convened a meeting of approximately 40 experts to discuss issues, concerns and next steps relating to its National Watershed Assessment Project (NWAP). The project is intended to compile a variety of critical resource data and use these data to characterize the conditions of the 2,150 watersheds in the continental United States. Watershed assessments will provide a baseline for a dialogue among water managers and will also be available to the general public via data maps over EPA's "Surf Your Watershed" Internet Web Site. The March 12-13 meeting focused on making recommendations for improving the quality and usefulness of the data presented and what additional data layers may be needed to provide accurate assessments of watershed health. Bob Wayland, Director of EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds indicated that his office has received over 90 pages of comments from the regions, the states, and other federal agencies on the preliminary data maps and watershed characterizations (distributed to the AMSA membership via Regulatory Alert RA96-2). He indicated that EPA intends to be responsive to all comments, and expressed confidence for a spring 1997 completion of the first phase of the project.
Fred Stiehl, Director of EPA's Enforcement, Planning, Targeting, and Data Division, highlighted the vision of EPA's enforcement office that NWAP be used as an enforcement screening or targeting tool. "Lawyers appreciate the maps," Stiehl remarked, highlighting the ease in which enforcement staff will be able to identify problem areas. He emphasized that NWAP will "help EPA to move towards risk-based, multimedia, and sector-based enforcement approaches, and help focus activities by priority watershed." Stiehl also remarked on the two data layers which are of most concern to AMSA members. He indicated that the "loads over limits" data layer map, which compares point source loading data with permitted loads, is an opportunity to look at potential violations, but also emphasized that enforcement staff will still need to "get behind" the data and examine actual reported discharges, significant noncompliance, and enforcement actions taken before determining whether enforcement is warranted. When addressing the issue of how nonpoint agricultural impairments may be addressed when identified, Stiehl indicated that "compliance assistance efforts will be directed at agricultural sources." Other data layers that Stiehl hoped would be in the offing included data on landfills and mine drainage.
The group held several breakout discussions on individual data layers used to characterize watershed condition and vulnerability. Two of the data layers, which compared point source discharge loading information with permitted loads, were discussed in the "loads over limits" breakout, in which AMSA participated. AMSA, as well as EPA's Office of Wastewater Management, and some states are concerned that the preliminary loading data maps inaccurately portray actual compliance rates. Several issues were discussed including how to handle data below detection, and how to estimate monthly loadings from daily maximums when no monthly average is reported, especially in the case of residual chlorine.
The agenda for AMSA's 1997 National Environmental Policy Forum & 27th Annual Meeting has undergone significant revisions, and a detailed flyer highlighting these revisions will be forwarded to the membership soon. Persons planning to attend the policy forum should begin making arrangements now, as deadlines -- including the April 11 cut-off date for reserving a room at the ANA Hotel at the group rate -- are fast approaching.