These briefings are co-sponsored by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute and the Water Environment Federation in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey. The briefings are targeted for policy makers and open to the public. National Liaison Committee Briefings in 2006 March 3, 2006: Pesticides in the Nation’s Streams and Ground Water: A Decade of Assessments Provide Information for Future Protection   The USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) will release a report documenting its nationwide assessment of pesticides in streams and ground water from a decade of monitoring and analysis. The report was released at this briefing and available for briefing attendees. The findings also provide important implications for water-quality protection and can be used to help guide and inform state and national regulations and policies, by reflecting actual environmental conditions, identifying sources of nonpoint pesticide pollution in both urban and agricultural areas, and improving investments in water-quality monitoring and management across the Nation’s diverse environment and pesticide-use patterns. Speakers: Dr. Robert Hirsch, USGS Associate Director for Water Describe unique design and significance of NAWQA’s studies, providing a context for its findings. Bob Gilliom, Chief, NAWQA Pesticide Synthesis Team Present the major findings and implications from the assessment. Jim Jones, Director, Office of Pesticides of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Evaluate the implications of the assessment and describe ways EPA and USGS have collaborated to enhance the science base for EPA policy decisions. National Liaison Committee Briefings in 2005 Briefing Series. A series of briefings focused on Water Quality Monitoring were organized under the National Liaison Committee in cooperation with the leadership of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. They were held on February 25, March 4, and March 11, 2005, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. February 25, 2005: Water Quality Monitoring: Answers It Provides for Water Quality Protection This briefing explored the questions that can be answered through monitoring, the strategies that are used to provide the answers, and how federal agencies and states use data acquired through different monitoring strategies. It included discussion of the needs and options for national policy on water quality monitoring and focused on probabilistic and targeted monitoring. Moderator: Robin O'Malley, Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and Environment Speakers: Tim Miller, Chief, USGS Office of Water Quality   Mike Shapiro, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water   Sally Knowles, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control March 4, 2005: Moving from Monitoring to Prediction: The Quality of the Nation's Streams NAWQA scientists working on the "SPARROW" model described how they are able to provide information about pollution in unmonitored streams by extrapolating from data collected from monitored sites. Specifically, they provided information about streams throughout the country with phosphorus concentrations above recommended levels, about the sources of nutrients their relative impacts on pollution in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico, and about the water quality impacts of the concentration of the livestock industry across the country. Keith Robinson and Laura Blake described how they adapted "SPARROW" and use it to help protect the Long Island Sound from hypoxia and to control non-point pollution in the region. Moderator: Eileen O'Neill, Water Environment Federation Speakers: Richard Alexander, USGS   Dick Smith, USGS   Keith Robinson, New Hampshire USGS   Laura Blake, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission March 11, 2005: Moving from Monitoring to Prediction: The Quality of the Nation's Ground Water This briefing described how NAWQA has determined the likelihood of high nitrate levels in ground water for the entire country from monitored nitrate levels at 1,280 sites. Scot Ator also presented predicted concentrations of nitrogen, agricultural pesticides, and urban pesticides in ground water in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain based on extrapolated monitoring data during base stream flows. Keith Robinson described how USGS has adapted its national methods for determining arsenic levels in groundwater to New England conditions and how states are using them to target drinking water wells for monitoring. Moderator: Lynn Orphan, President, WEF Speakers: Tom Nolan, USGS   Scott Ator, Maryland USGS   Keith Robinson, New Hampshire USGS A total of 145 individuals attended these briefings. At least two news articles that were published in the Daily Environment Report and by United Press International. The first briefing seems to have aided, an understanding that different strategies are required to answer different questions and that they should be used to complement each other. The briefings also demonstrated how modeling can be used to expand the information gained through monitoring and how the resulting information can then be used in water protection policy and activities. The briefings helped NAWQA plan for delivering its findings from the first decade of studies. Perhaps the most important lesson learned is that NAWQA needs to be able to demonstrate concrete ways that findings are used to protect or improve water quality. This means that application of findings needs to be given a higher priority in study design, planning, and implementation so that findings will be more readily usable. In this way, potential users will be involved in NAWQA's work and will develop their own plans for using the information as soon as it is available. National Liaison Committee Briefings in 2004 Briefings on NAWQA Topics held in 2002-2003 March 7, 2003 - Policy Options for Reducing Mercury Emissions Ellen Brown, EPA's Office of Policy, Analysis and Review Development of maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards for utility emissions, designed to reduce mercury emissions. Larry Parker, Congressional Research Service, Energy and Environmental Policy Section Legislative proposals to reduce power plant emissions of mercury Proposal to reduce all mercury releases February 2, 2003 - Deposition and Methylation of Mercury David Krabbenhoft, USGS Scientist Sources, deposition and methylation of mercury Health effects of mercury January 18, 2002 - MTBE MTBE Findings in Drinking Water Supplies Two briefings on mercury were planned jointly, in cooperation with NAWQA and National Liaison Committee, and the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Northeast Midwest Congressional Coalition, and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). Please watch the meeting schedule of the Advisory Committee on Water Information for details on confirmed National Liaision Committee and other subgroup meetings@ http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/upcom.html Related Links National Water Quality Assessment Program NLC Meeting Years 2002-2003 ACWI Planned Meeting Schedule What's New ACWI Members National Water Quality Monitoring Council Other Links of Interest