The Alabama Water Resources Research Institute is a university-based interdisciplinary, problem-oriented research and technology center with support from the federal government that enables the program to address broad national needs and relevant industrial technology.

The Water Resources Research Institute coordinates research programs which are applicable to the solution of present and emerging water resources problems. In carrying out this mission, the Institute has developed a broadly based research, training, information transfer, and public service program involving personnel from many academic disciplines in the state's research universities.

The Alabama Water Resources Research Institute is one of 54 water resources institutes nationwide authorized by the federal Water Resources Research Act. The state-based Water Resources Research Institutes are located at land grant universities and promote research and information dissemination on the state's and nation's water resources problems.

FY-2010 USGS 104G RFP

The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FY-2010 National Competitive Grants Program authorized by Section 104G of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 is available by click here or by going directly to http://niwr.net/competitive_grants/RFP The research priorities for the FY-2010 program are the same as those used in FY-2009.

The closing date for proposals to be filed on niwr.net by the principal investigator is 3:00 p.m. Central time, Wednesday, April 7, 2010. The closing date for approvals on the applications by the Institute Director is 3:00 p.m., Central time, Wednesday, April 21, 2010.

AWRRI Awards FY-2010 AL Water Resources Grants

Alabama Water Resources Research Institute recently announced the award of three FY-2010 AL Water Resources Grants. The object of this program is to facilitate research faculty in the state in making significant advances, and increasing regional and national competitiveness, in the water resources arena. For the purpose of this competition, “water resources arena” is defined in the broadest possible terms. Proposals are invited from all permanent full time tenured, tenure-track and non-tenured faculty from any universities or colleges in Alabama.

Details are available at http://awrri.auburn.edu/grants10.php

StormCon Conference and Exposition Call for Papers

Texas A&M University – Kingsville, the Lower Rio Grande Valley TPDES Stormwater Task Force, the South Texas Environmental Institute and Forester Media Inc., publisher of Stormwater magazine, are seeking papers for presentation at StormCon 2010, which will take place at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort in San Antonio, TX, August 1 – 5, 2010.

StormCon is the only North American event dedicated exclusively to stormwater and surface-water professionals across the continent: municipal stormwater and public works managers, engineering consultants, regulatory personnel, watershed management professionals, academia, and others concerned with stormwater and surface-water quality.

This special Call for Papers targets storm water research projects, academia participation (faculty, graduate students), and environmental institutes. Presentations for StormCon 2010 will be 30 minutes each, including a question-and-answer period.

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EPA Releases Guidance to Help Federal Facilities Better Manage Stormwater

On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new guidance to help federal agencies minimize the impact of federal development projects on nearby water bodies. The guidance is being issued in response to a change in law and an Executive Order signed by President Obama, which calls upon all federal agencies to lead by example to address a wide range of environmental issues, including stormwater runoff.

“EPA is proud to issue this new guidance to help federal facilities reduce stormwater pollution,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “By taking these steps to create more sustainable facilities, federal agencies can lead by example in reducing impacts in the local watershed.”

EPA worked closely with other federal agencies to develop this document, which provides background information, key definitions, case studies and guidance on meeting the new requirements of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

Under the new requirements, federal agencies must minimize stormwater runoff from federal development projects to protect water resources. Federal agencies can comply using a variety of stormwater management practices often referred to as ?green infrastructure? or ?low impact development? practices, including reducing impervious surfaces, using vegetative practices, using porous pavements and installing green roofs.

EPA is using sustainable techniques for reducing the effects of stormwater runoff at its facilities, such as installing a 3,000 square foot green roof as well as using rain gardens and cisterns to capture and reuse stormwater.

Stormwater runoff in urban and suburban areas is one of the leading sources of water pollution in the United States . Runoff can cause increased flooding and erosion and more pollution to surface waters.

More information on the guidance : http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/section438/

USGS Senior Science Advisor for Water Quality

The vacancy announcement for the USGS Senior Science Advisor for Water Quality opened on December 4th and closes January 8th.
There are two announcements - one for status candidates and one of outside candidates. Below are the specific links.

For candidates who have never worked for the Federal Government:

http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/ftva.asp?OpmControl=1749941

For current status employees or reinstatement eligibles:

http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/ftva.asp?OpmControl=1749958

Pond and Wetland Management Guidebooks Online

EPA just released “Stormwater Wet Pond and Wetland Management Guidebook,” a new resource targeted at local government agencies. This guide, available at www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/pondmgmtguide.pdf, provides the inspector, program manager, designer and owner with information about common stormwater pond and wetland maintenance problems and possible solutions. This guide will help communities develop an integrated stormwater management system which includes properly maintaining existing wet ponds and wetlands, exploring retrofit opportunities and implementing low impact development design principles. A series of Web-based tools supplement the guidebook and are available on the nonprofit Center for Watershed Protection’s Stormwater Manager’s Resource Center Web site (go to www.stormwatercenter.net, click on Program Resources, then STP Maintenance). A separate, but similar guidebook, “Maintaining Stormwater Systems: A Guidebook for Private Owners and Operators in Northern Virginia” (2007), is available online from the Northern Virginia Regional Commission at www.novaregion.org/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1675

Invasive Species Expert Directory Available

The Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force now offers a publicly-accessible database designed to help people find invasive species experts. Available at www.anstaskforce.gov/experts/search.php the database will guide users to a state contact that can find the requested information or identify the invasive species. If state contacts can’t answer a user’s question, they will find additional experts who can. The ANS Task Force is an intergovernmental organization (10 federal agency representatives and 12 ex officio members) dedicated to preventing and controlling aquatic nuisance species.

EPA Document Analyzes Benefits of Using Green Roofs for Stormwater Control

EPA recently released a new document describing the results of a Pennsylvania project that evaluated green roofs as a stormwater management tool. Project results indicate that the green roofs are capable of removing 50 percent of the annual rainfall volume from a roof through retention and evapotranspiration. Rainfall not retained by green roofs is detained, slowing peak flows downstream. Green roof runoff contains concentrations of some nutrients and other substances, but levels are comparable to other planted systems. Due to the volume reduction, actual nutrient loadings from green roofs are less than loadings from asphalt roofing runoff. To read more, see “Green Roofs for Stormwater Runoff Control” (February 2009), available online at www.epa.gov/nrmrl/pubs/600r09026/600r09026.pdf

EPA Begins Testing Pesticides for Endocrine Disruption

EPA recently issued the first list of pesticides to be screened for possibly disrupting the endocrine system. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interact with and possibly disrupt the hormones produced or secreted by the human or animal endocrine system, which regulates growth, metabolism and reproduction. EPA issued test orders to the manufacturers of 67 pesticide chemicals during summer 2009 to determine whether their chemicals may disrupt the endocrine system. Testing, conducted through the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP), will be expanded over time to cover all pesticide chemicals. For more information, see www.epa.gov/scipoly/oscpendo

Atmospheric Sources of Nitrogen Biggest Contributor in Southeast

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program assessed total nitrogen loads and yields in streams throughout the southeastern United States using the USGS watershed model SPARROW (Spatially Referenced Regression On Watershed Attributes). Results from the southeast regional total nitrogen SPARROW model indicate that atmospheric deposition is the largest source of nitrogen delivered annually to many estuaries along the South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, such as Mobile and Apalachicola Bays (see http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pubs/nitrogen_loads for more details). The regional model integrates federal, state and local agency monitoring data from 2002 at 321 stations. The geospatial data describes nitrogen sources (fertilizer, animal waste, and urban inputs, atmospheric deposition and wastewater discharges) and watershed properties (soil characteristics, precipitation and land cover). Combining more calibration sites and refined geospatial data significantly improved results compared to previous SPARROW models.

What is Polyacrylamide (PAM)?

PAM is a term describing a wide variety of polymers based on the acrylamide and acrylate molecular units. When linked in long chains, these units can be modified to result in a net positive, neutral or negative charge on the PAM molecule. The positively charged, or cationic, PAM molecules, are not used for erosion control because they can be toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms if they spill into water bodies in sufficient concentrations. The negatively charged, or anionic, PAM molecules, are not generally toxic to aquatic organisms at working dosages and are widely used in furrow irrigation agriculture. PAM is available as a crystalline powder, an emulsion or a solid block and is nontoxic to humans and to other species in the environment. (This information is adapted from the 2006 NCSU fact sheet SoilFacts: Using Polyacrylamide (PAM) to Reduce Erosion on Construction Sites. For the complete text, see www.soil.ncsu.edu/publications/Soilfacts/agw439-61_low-res-060106.pdf)

The 3rd USGS Modeling Conference: Understanding and Predicting for a Changing World

Scientists and managers from all Department of the Interior (DOI) Bureaus, national and international Federal, State, and local agencies, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations are encouraged to participate.

Conference website: http://geology.usgs.gov/modeling2010/ Date: June 7-11, 2010 Location: Denver, Colorado

The 3rd USGS Modeling Conference will focus on the development and application of analytical and theoretical models and data availability that support managing the Nation’s resources and help protect lives and property. This Conference solicits presentations on development, use, assumptions, data resources, and applications of models for a diverse range of spatial and temporal scales. The agenda will include keynote speakers, oral and poster sessions, workshops, panel discussions, and field trips designed to encourage collaboration among the modeling and management communities.

Restore America’s Estuaries Conference

URL: http://www.estuaries.org/?id=4

November 13-17 2010, Galveston, TX Galveston Island Convention Center 5600 Seawell Blvd

2009 Alabama Water Resources Conference PowerPoint presentations available on web

The 23rd Annual Alabama Water Resources Conference was held Thursday & Friday, Sept. 10-11, 2009, at the Perdido Beach Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Orange Beach, Alabama. In conjunction with the Annual Conference, the Alabama Section of AWRA Symposium was held Wednesday, Sept. 9. Both have provided an excellent forum for stimulating discussion regarding the many multi-disciplinary aspects of current and future water use, management, and conservation issues.

The PowerPoint presentations for the conference are now available on the conference website. For details, please visit http://auei.auburn.edu/conference/

USGS Releases Online Interactive Tool to Predict Atrazine in StreamsAcross U.S.

Online predictions for stream concentrations of atrazine, one of the most heavily used herbicides in the United States, are now available as interactive maps and graphs for any stream across the country.

Access the online mapping tool, USGS report, and technical announcement at: http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/under Featured Highlights.

The predictions are based on a USGS statistical model – referred to as Watershed Regression for Pesticides (or “WARP”). This model also provides key statistics for each selected stream, including the probability that atrazine may exceed a water-quality benchmark of potential concern, and a level of confidence and uncertainty associated with each estimate.

This release is the first in a series of statistical models for atrazine and other pesticides. The models are based on monitoring in 112 streams from 1992-2001, as well as watershed characteristics that affect the occurrence of pesticides in streams, The driving characteristics include agricultural pesticide use, and natural features, such as soil characteristics, hydrology, and climate. Current models make predictions from estimated atrazine use during 2007.

Lead contact for questions: Bob Gilliom, rgilliom@usgs.gov, 916-278-3094.

Proceedings and Presentations now available from May 2009 NPS Outreach Conference

Fifth National Conference for Nonpoint Source and Stormwater Outreach: Achieving Results with Tight Budgets (May 2009, Portland, OR)

Proceedings and all presentations available online. Also be sure to check out the great videos from the People’s Choice Awards.

Nonpoint Source News Notes Now On-line!

Be sure to check out the latest issue of Nonpoint Source New Notes, a periodical packed with the latest information related to watershed management. In this month’s issue, Watershed Central, an exciting new clearinghouse of watershed information, and EPA’s new Healthy Watershed Initiative, are two of the featured stories.

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Nutrient Concentrations Remained Stable in Many Streams from 1993 to 2003

The U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment program conducted national- and regional-scale trend assessments (1993 to 2003) of nutrient concentrations and loads in streams and how these trends corresponded to changes in streamflow and nutrient sources, such as fertilizer applications, animal manure, population, and atmospheric deposition. Phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations remained relatively stable in about half of the streams assessed nationwide from 1993 to 2003; however, the pattern did vary in some regions, including increases in phosphorus concentrations in more than half of the streams assessed in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin. Linking trends in stream nutrient levels to changes in nutrient sources will enhance our understanding of the effectiveness of land management actions.

Regional-scale assessments of examined trends in nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations and loads in the Upper Mississippi, Ohio, Red, and Great Lakes River Basin, Missouri River Basin, Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf River Basin, and the Pacific Northwest River Basin.

For more information on how nutrients vary over time in streams assessed across the Nation, contact: Lori Sprague (lsprague@usgs.gov).

For more information on how nutrients and sediment vary over time in selected major river basins, contact: David Lorenz (lorenz@usgs.gov) — Upper Mississippi, Ohio, Red, and Great Lakes River Basin Lori Sprague (lsprague@usgs.gov) — Missouri River Basin Richard Rebich (rarebich@usgs.gov) — Lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and Texas-Gulf River Basin Daniel Wise (dawise@usgs.gov) — Pacific Northwest River Basin

Comprehensive Atlas for the Kansas River

University of Kansas Professor Emeritus, Wakefield Dort, has produced a comprehensive atlas for the KAnsas River that is now available through the American Geographical Society. Please see news release about the publication and flyer that contains information on how to purchase a copy.

Seven Wetland Stewards Win 2009 National Wetlands Awards

protecting these important natural resources. A diverse panel of wetland experts assembled at the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) to select the winners of the 20th Anniversary National Wetlands Awards. This year’s Award winners hail from all regions of the country and exemplify the extraordinary commitment and innovation that is so instrumental to conserving wetlands in the nation’s communities. This year’s winners are: Peter Bahls, Ken Brunswick, Richard Gitar, Carol Johnston, Melissa Samet, Richard Thieriot, and Susan Vincent. Collectively, the award winners have conserved tens of thousands of wetland acres and have mobilized hundreds of individuals to contribute to wetland conservation.

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Healthy Watersheds Initiative

EPA has launched a new initiative called “Healthy Watersheds” that emphasizes protection and conservation of aquatic ecosystems. The initiative is being introduced on a new Web site, Healthy Watersheds, which provides information on tools to identify and protect healthy watersheds and their components. The Web site provides critical information for making strategic decisions to both protect and restore our nation’s waters.

While significant progress has been made in protecting and restoring water quality under the Clean Water Act, the nation continues to lose healthy aquatic ecosystems. Preserving healthy watersheds will provide the critical natural infrastructure needed to restore water quality. EPA’s new initiative is predicated on the simple truth that it is much more cost-effective to protect the many benefits provided by healthy watersheds than it is to restore them once they become impaired.