WaterNews for November 12, 1998

WaterNews is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water.

Inside this week's WaterNews:
1) Nationwide Listening Sessions Scheduled for Draft Animal Feeding Operations Strategy
2) EPA Posts Updated Index of Watershed Indicators

1) Nationwide Listening Sessions Scheduled for Draft Animal Feeding Operations Strategy

EPA and USDA will conduct 11 public listening sessions on the Draft Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations from November 16 through December 15, 1998. These meetings will provide individuals an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback on the draft strategy. The draft strategy addresses numerous topics including relationships between AFOs and environmental and public health, expectations for AFO owners and operators, and actions that USDA and EPA will take to minimize public health impacts and improve water quality. The draft strategy is one of the key actions in the Clean Water Action Plan announced by President Clinton in February, 1998.

The public is invited to attend the sessions to gain a better understanding of the draft strategy. For more information on the meeting dates, sites, and contacts, visit http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/afo/

2) EPA Posts Updated Index of Watershed Indicators

Today, EPA released the second update, Version 1.2, of the Index of Watershed Indicators (IWI), which portrays a national picture of watershed health. Overall, the update of IWI data shows little change in watershed conditions from last year. Watersheds are land areas that act as catch basins for rain and snow and funnel water to specific marshes, streams, rivers, lakes, or to groundwater. The updated IWI website now provides easier access to national and local information, more recent data, and several new data layers which are available for public comment. In addition, EPA also added several new features to the website. The EnviroMapper for Watersheds allows users to map and learn more about their own watersheds, and "Where Does My Drinking Water Come From?," identifies watersheds that are used as water supply sources by specific communities.

To learn more about the IWI and to find out more about the watershed in your backyard, please visit EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/surf2/iwi/update/

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