EPA Celebrates Drinking Water Week

The week of May 6 – 12 marks the celebration of Drinking Water Week, a time when EPA and its partners celebrate our nation’s vital drinking water resources. Safe drinking water relies on all of us. We must do our part to be informed and involved in our communities to protect our drinking water. EPA has developed a website with more information on what you can do around your home and within your community to protect your drinking water, ways to become involved in matters affecting the quality of your drinking water, and much more.

To find out what you can do, go to: http://water.epa.gov/drink/drinkingwaterweek

Making waves

May 6-12 is Water Week in New York: Celebrating Water Week in New York has been an annual tradition since 1985. It is a time to focus on our wealth of water in this state and find ways to help protect, restore and conserve it.

• During Water Week this year, the Division of Water will be sending you, our MakingWaves audience, daily special Water Week editions of MakingWaves. Each edition will provide information about a different topic. We will test your water knowledge and present some interesting facts. Also, each day we will provide webpage links where you can find more information about the day’s topic.

  If you would like to see a preview of Water Week topics, see our Water Week webpage.

  Happy Water Week!

EPA Celebrates American Wetlands Month

EPA Celebrates American Wetlands Month
May marks the 21st anniversary of American Wetlands Month, a time when EPA and its wetland partners across the country celebrate the vital importance of wetlands to our nation’s ecological, economic, and social health. EPA and a host of other public and private partners are planning a number of events as part of this year’s celebration:

• May 10 – the Environmental Law Institute, EPA, and other federal partners will honor a diverse group of individuals for their extraordinary commitment to conserving wetlands at the National Wetlands Awards ceremony on Capitol Hill (http://www.nationalwetlandsawards.org)

• May 15 – National webinar: “Restore-Adapt-Mitigate: Responding to Climate Change through Coastal Habitat Restoration” where representatives from Restore America’s Estuaries will give an overview of a newly-released study linking ecologically important coastal habitat restoration with adaptation and mitigation strategies as a way to reduce the impacts of ongoing global climate change. https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/592039530.

EPA regional activities planned for the month of May include educational displays, discussions, presentations, special feature articles, wetland walks and celebrations, and an array of other outreach and communication events. Information will be posted throughout the month at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/awm/.

EPA has also created an American Wetlands Month widget which can easily be shared and embedded on other websites linking to EPA’s American Wetlands Month website (http://tinyurl.com/3935qyh)

Contact Kathleen Kutschenreuter (202) 566-1383 for more information.

Human Health Benchmarks for Pesticides in Water Published

EPA has published a table of human health benchmarks for approximately 350 pesticides to enable states, water systems and the public to better determine whether the detection of a pesticide in drinking water or source waters for drinking water may indicate a potential health risk. Advanced testing methods now allow pesticides to be detected in water at very low levels. These small amounts of pesticides detected in drinking water or source water for drinking water do not necessarily indicate a health risk.

Concentrations of pesticides in drinking water that have the potential for cancer risk are not currently included in the human health benchmarks for pesticides table. EPA intends to include these concentrations later. The table includes pesticide active ingredients for which health advisories or enforceable National Primary Drinking Water Regulations have not been developed.

EPA intends to update its online table of human health benchmarks for pesticides annually to ensure that the best available science is accessible to the public.

To view the table of human health benchmarks for pesticides, visit: Human Health Benchmarks for Pesticides

Bathroom “Mini-Makeovers” Save Water, Energy, and Money

Giving a home’s main bathroom a mini-makeover by installing a WaterSense labeled toilet, faucet, and showerhead can save a household more than $80 annually and 7,000 gallons of water per year—enough water to wash six months’ worth of laundry. In addition to saving water, a mini-makeover saves energy by reducing the amount of water that needs to be heated—enough to power a refrigerator for two months. The combined utility savings can pay for the new fixtures in as little as two years.

Bathrooms are the biggest water users in homes, accounting for more than half of all indoor water use. With water utility costs on the rise—now averaging more than $700 per household per year across the United States—Americans can save by giving their bathrooms a mini-makeover with a WaterSense labeled toilet, faucet, and showerhead.

For more information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pubs/bathroom.html

For information on EPA’s WaterSense program: www.epa.gov/watersense