Envirobytes

EnviroBytes, a Summary of Issues and Events for the Week Ending May 25, 2007

REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR TO APPEAR ON COMCAST NEWSMAKERS IN JUNE

Regional Administrator Donald S. Welsh taped an interview on May 24 with Comcast Newsmakers, a five-minute interview program that airs on Headline News. The Regional Administrator talked about the importance of the universal adoption of a green culture and why environmental responsibility must become everyone's responsibility. He pointed out how companies are voluntarily cutting pollution and reducing waste and gave tips on how individuals also can do much to help improve the environment. The interview will air twice a day for seven days beginning June 6.

EPA'S BIOLOGY TEAM DETERMINING CAUSE OF FISH KILLS

The Wheeling Freshwater Biology Team began conducting a 7-day chronic toxicity test on May 15 for eight sites along the South Branch of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers to identify the possible source or cause of the mysterious fish kills occurring there. Recent reports of dead and dying fish in the South Branch of the Potomac River are being investigated as is a substantial fish kill in the Shenandoah River and its tributaries in Virginia. Both states are actively cooperating and conducting research.

SPRING ISSUE OF THE LAND REVITALIZATION UPDATE IS AVAILABLE

The EPA Land Revitalization Update is a quarterly newsletter relating news, upcoming events and issues of interest to the mid-Atlantic region concerning the cleanup and sustainable reuse of contaminated sites. The current issue can be viewed at Land Revitalization Newsletter, Spring 2007 edition For previous editions and information on EPA Region 3's Land Revitalization program, go to http://www.epa.gov/region03/revitalization

EPA STAFF HELPS CELEBRATE CLEANUP OF W. VA. BROWNFIELD SITE

The Village of Barboursville, W. Va. was awarded a $200,000 EPA Brownfields grant to cleanup the former Barboursville Brickyard property on Peyton Street, at an event celebrating the upcoming removal of the site's contamination. The grant will help cleanup the soil and groundwater contaminated with petroleum products and hazardous substances from 75 years of brick manufacturing. The village plans to turn the abandoned property from an eyesore and potential health hazard into multi-family housing and a small mixed-use park to improve the quality of life for the people of the community.

EPA STAFF ATTEND WORKSHOP ON DRAFT WATERSHED PLAN

The Deer Creek Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) started through a grant from the state of Maryland to develop a watershed plan for the Deer Creek watershed to protect its water quality, conserve its fish and wildlife habitats, and restore areas found to be impaired. The Harford County (Md.) planning and zoning department hosted a public workshop May 16 on the progress of the watershed plan and to elicit comments by May 30 from area citizens. The final document is anticipated to be completed by the end of June. The Draft WRAS document was made available for review at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/PlanningZoning/WRAS/

FISH HABITAT RESTORATION WORKSHOP PROMOTES PARTNERSHIP

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission sponsored a workshop in Baltimore, Md. from May 16-17 to develop and implement an Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership. The partnership will provide opportunities for coast-wide collaboration on fish habitat restoration and protection efforts. Representatives from EPA, NOAA, several other Chesapeake Bay Program partners and numerous stakeholders from Florida to Maine were in attendance. For more information on the fish habitat action plan, visit http://www.fishhabitat.org/

PARTNERSHIP FOR THE DELAWARE ESTUARY TO BE HONORED

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary will formally receive the Heritage Conservancy's 2007 Award for Watershed Protection at a member appreciation and donor recognition celebration on June 7. The award celebrates the Partnership’s important role in maintaining the water quality and ecological integrity of the Delaware Estuary as well as the dedication, participation, and support of the federal and state agencies, nonprofit organizations, universities, corporations and other regional partners in protecting the environment. For more information on the event, go to http://heritageconservancy.org/events/

EPA ATTENDS DELAWARE'S MISPILLION NATURE CENTER GRAND OPENING

The new state-owned DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve near Milford, Del. opened on May 23 and is operated by the state's Division of Fish and Wildlife. The center will promote the educational, environmental, recreational, cultural and historical attributes of the tri-state estuary region as an ecotourism hub. Outstanding exhibits include those for horseshoe crabs and shorebirds, including the Red Knot. Horseshoe crab use as bait by commercial fisheries increased in the 1990s and may have led to a decline in Red Knot numbers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its many partners are dedicated to the conservation of this bird to restore its numbers and its value to the area ecology.

EPA UPDATES AIR QUALITY WEBSITE

EPA has made several air quality maps available depicting the current air quality conditions of the Mid-Atlantic region. The maps use the latest Air Quality Index (AQI) values for ozone and particulate matter, and can be found at EPA's "Air Quality" web page at http://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/airquality/airquality.htm#currentcond. The AQI describes the daily extent of pollution in the air, what associated health effects might be present, and what health effects may be experienced a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. For more information on the AQI visit EPA's AirNow web site at http://www.airnow.gov.

EPA'S OCEAN SURVEY VESSEL BOLD DOCKS IN BALTIMORE

On May 20, the EPA Oceans and Coastal Protection Division hosted an open house and tour of the OSV Bold during a port call at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The vessel (a converted U.S. Navy T-AGOS class vessel) is 224 feet long and 43 feet wide, and equipped with state-of-the-art sampling, mapping, and analytical equipment. Participants learned about EPA's monitoring and assessment surveys, how oceanographic equipment is used, and how the Bold supports EPA's mission to protect the nation's coastal and marine resources as well as human health and the environment.

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