EPA Water Headlines Excerpts

The following articles were published this week in EPA Office of Water’s electronic newsletter:

EPA & USDA Release New Tools to Assist Rural and Small Water Systems in Providing Sustainable Services:  EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed two new tools to assist rural and small water and wastewater systems that face significant challenges in providing sustainable services to their communities.  The first new tool is the Rural and Small Systems Guidebook to Sustainable Utility Management to help such systems assess their strengths and priorities for potential improvements, and develop an action plan to address these priorities. The second new tool is a “Workshop in a Box,” that contains a series of materials and instructions to help both rural and small systems and service providers market and conduct workshops based on the guidebook.  For more information, visit the website HERE.

Workbook Helps Users to Develop Climate Change Adaptation Plans:  EPA is seeking comments on its draft document entitled, “Being Prepared for Climate Change: A Workbook for Developing Risk-Based Adaptation Plans,” that provides a systematic process for environmental professionals and city managers for determining important climate risks that should be addressed, along with approaches for building local capacity to understand and manage these risks to protect future generations.  The workbook was produced by EPA’s Climate Ready Estuaries program, which works with 28 National Estuary Programs and the coastal management community to assess climate change vulnerabilities, develop and implement adaptation strategies, and engage and educate stakeholders. For more information, visit the website HERE.

October 30th Webinar on Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater Utilities:  On October 30th, EPA will host a webinar for water and wastewater utilities to learn how they can achieve sustained energy improvements through equipment upgrades, operational modifications, and modifications to facility buildings. This webcast will outline a step-by-step approach for developing and implementing energy management plans at these facilities, featuring presentations and case studies from EPA and local governments. EPA will also discuss relevant tools, resources, and funding opportunities to support energy efficiency improvements.  Register HERE.