EPA awards Montana Department of Environmental Quality over $2M grant to protect water quality.
www.epa.gov/newsroom (https://www.epa.gov/newsroom) CONTACT: Richard Mylott, 303-312-6654, mylott.richard@epa.gov EPA awards Montana Department of Environmental Quality over $2M grant to protect water quality EPA partners with the state to protect and restore watersheds, streams and groundwater DENVER (July 28, 2017) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $2,057,000 to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to help protect human health and the environment through two Nonpoint Source Program Clean Water Act Section 319 grants.
These grants are given to states to implement environmental programs that address nonpoint source pollution in surface and groundwater in order to meet and maintain water quality standards.
“I look forward to seeing the Montana Department of Environmental Quality use this funding to protect the quality of Montana’s treasured lakes, streams, and rivers,” said Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte.
The effects of nonpoint source pollution can be seen within the lakes, streams, and rivers of Montana.
Nonpoint source pollution encompasses a wide range of sources that are not always subject to federal or state regulation.
These sources include agricultural runoff, unpermitted urban runoff, abandoned mine drainage, failing onsite disposal systems, and pollution caused by changes to natural stream channels.
Through Section 319, the EPA provides states, territories, and tribes with guidance and grant funding to implement their nonpoint source programs and to support local watershed projects to improve water quality.
Hundreds of additional projects are underway across the country.
You can learn more about successful nonpoint source projects at: https://www.epa.gov/nps/nonpoint-source-success-stories ______________________ If you would rather not receive future communications from Environmental Protection Agency, please go to http://USEPA.pr-optout.com/OptOut.aspx?518041x25801x126737x3x1707742x24000x6&Email=epa%40feeds.newsroomamerica.com.

While more and more of us are living lives augmented by virtual reality, self-driving cars and “smart” homes, a global report released July 12 by the authoritative Joint Monitoring Program on Water Supply and Sanitation shows that 2.1 billion people don’t even have access to safe drinking water at home.
More than twice that number—4.5 billion people, or a full 60% of earth’s population—live without a toilet that safely protects them from human waste.
For generations, the United States has devoted a small portion of our national budget—currently less than 1 percent—to aiding the world’s least fortunate.
Unfortunately, President Trump’s first budget proposal submitted to Congress did not grasp this.
The unprecedented extent to which the President has proposed withdrawing life-affirming aid to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people fundamentally misjudges the value and purpose of America’s engagement with the world’s poorest countries.
Specifically, the President has proposed that Congress eliminate that part of the national budget—the Development Assistance account—which funds America’s core foreign assistance activities.
This is the very account that helps the world’s most impoverished communities gain their first access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
That account is administered by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the agency that has a mandate to target its aid to where aid is most needed.
Instead, the President’s budget would hand over USAID’s responsibility for administering development assistance to the State Department.
Specifically, the State Department’s Economic Support Fund—used to assist our strategic partners, who often have less poverty and therefore less need for development assistance.

While more and more of us are living lives augmented by virtual reality, self-driving cars and “smart” homes, a global report released July 12 by the authoritative Joint Monitoring Program on Water Supply and Sanitation shows that 2.1 billion people don’t even have access to safe drinking water at home.
More than twice that number—4.5 billion people, or a full 60% of earth’s population—live without a toilet that safely protects them from human waste.
For generations, the United States has devoted a small portion of our national budget—currently less than 1 percent—to aiding the world’s least fortunate.
Unfortunately, President Trump’s first budget proposal submitted to Congress did not grasp this.
The unprecedented extent to which the President has proposed withdrawing life-affirming aid to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people fundamentally misjudges the value and purpose of America’s engagement with the world’s poorest countries.
Specifically, the President has proposed that Congress eliminate that part of the national budget—the Development Assistance account—which funds America’s core foreign assistance activities.
This is the very account that helps the world’s most impoverished communities gain their first access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
That account is administered by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the agency that has a mandate to target its aid to where aid is most needed.
Instead, the President’s budget would hand over USAID’s responsibility for administering development assistance to the State Department.
Specifically, the State Department’s Economic Support Fund—used to assist our strategic partners, who often have less poverty and therefore less need for development assistance.

Every day, this 13-year-old sets out on a journey: to collect water.
And she spends eight hours doing it.
Aysha is just one example of the 2.1 billion people who aren’t able to get safe drinking water where they live.
The World Health Organization says billions more people now have drinking water and sanitation services nearby compared with a decade ago, but they’re not necessarily free of contamination.
Diarrhea, for example, kills over 360,000 kids each year.
There are various international efforts to help more people get clean water or sanitation.
The United Nations put a universal coverage target for 2030.
But a recent report acknowledges that the progress 90 countries have been making is too slow to meet that goal.
And other barriers exist, including lack of data, conflict and inequality in rural and urban environments.
Trending stories at Newsy.com

ODF plans chemical spraying on state lands across the North Coast.. Oregon Department of Forestry (“ODF”) has directed employees to avoid exposure to toxic chemicals being sprayed on clearcuts from July 24th to August 31st.
The exact date and time of the application is currently unknown but areas impacted include the Kilchis, Lower Nehalem, Cook Creek, Upper Wilson, and Upper Trask watershed areas.
While ODF has directly notified its employees, ODF has failed to sufficiently notify the public of these toxic spray events despite potential impacts on trails, watersheds and campsites during the peak summer season.
Nadia Gardner, a North Coast parent is appalled by the lack of notice, “I spend time with my toddler in the summertime near Cook Creek.
We were just swimming there yesterday and had no idea ODF had planned an aerial pesticide spray for the area.
The fact that ODF prioritizes killing native species like alder and salmonberry by spraying toxic pesticides from a helicopter over the health and safety of the State Forest users is appalling and unacceptable.
Oregonians and our State Forests deserve better.” Rockaway Beach Citizens for Watershed Protection (“RBCWP”), a citizen group working to ensure that North Coast residents have access to safe drinking water and clean air through education and advocacy, is calling on Governor Kate Brown to order an immediate cease to the toxic sprays on public lands, at a minimum until pubic notification can be guaranteed.
Rockaway Beach Citizens for Watershed Protection is leading a coalition of conservation groups calling on legislators in Salem to reform Oregon’s outdated forest practices laws, the weakest on the West Coast.
Isopropylamine salt of N- (phosphonomethyl) glycine EPA Registration Number: 81927-8 Alligare Rotary 2 SL Active Ingredient: Isopropylamine salt of Imazapyr (2-[4,5- dihydro-4-methyl-4-1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H- imidazol-2-yl]-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid) EPA Registration Number: 81927-6 Escort XP Active Ingredient: Methsulfuron methyl Methyll 2-(((((4-methoxy- 6-methyul-1,3,5-triazin-2-y1)amino)- carbonyl)amino)sulfony)benzoate EPA Registration Number: 432-1549 Nufarm Polaris SP Active Ingredient: Isopropylamine salt of Imazapyr (2-[4,5- dihydro-4-methyl-4-1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H- imidazol-2-yl]-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid) EPA Registration Number: 228-536 Oust XP Active Ingredient: Sulfometuron Methyl (Methyl 2-(((((4,6- Dimethyl-2-Pyrimidinyl)- Amino)Carbonyl)Amino)Sulfonyl)Benzoate).
EPA Registration Number: 352-601 Rodeo Active Ingredient: Glyphosate.

White Bear receives funding.
The federal government announced new investments that will lead to the elimination of the long-standing drinking water advisory at the White Bear First Nation.
Approximately $9.2 million has been committed to help replace the community’s water treatment system, enabling more than 800 residents to access clean water for the first time in over five years.
The project, expected to be completed by December 2018, is part of Canada’s commitment of $1.8 billion to improve water infrastructure and strengthen indigenous communities.
“This investment means that soon, people in White Bear First Nation will be able to turn on the tap and drink the water and businesses and organizations will be better able to provide effective services,” said Carolyn Bennett, the minister of indigenous and northern communities.
“We are a proud partner with White Bear First Nation as it continues to grow and prosper.
This is reconciliation in action.” White Bear First Nation Chief Nathan Pasap said he is looking forward to the project’s completion.
“The new water treatment facility, with the latest technology, will provide the best quality water for the health of our elders and children,” said Pasap.
“Having access to clean, safe and dependable water is critical for the long-term prosperity of our community, as we continue to grow in terms of our population and economic base.
© Copyright 2017 Estevan Mercury

Canada’s longest-standing First Nations boil water advisory will end in 2018, Liberals say.
The Liberal government says it will spend nearly $9 million to upgrade, renovate and improve the water plant in Neskantaga First Nation, a northern Ontario community that has been without safe tap water since 1995.
Indigenous Affairs and Northern Affairs provided the financial details of the plan on Thursday.
Neskantaga Chief Wayne Moonias said his community forced the government to take action on their plight by inviting Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett to their community last year and opening their homes to show her the impact Canada’s longest standing boil water advisory has on their daily lives.
"For more than 20 years we haven’t been able to drink water from our taps or bathe without getting rashes," Moonias said in a news release.
"Our members drove this process."
The project is expected to be completed by "late spring" 2018, according to Indigenous Affairs.
"We are one step closer to ending the water advisory, but there is much more work to be done," Moonias said.
It is a fly-in community, located approximately 450 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont.
Nearly 40 other First Nations in northern Ontario are without safe drinking water.

Tool provides communities with water infrastructure financing information.
WASHINGTON, DC, JLUY 28, 2017 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching the Water Finance Clearinghouse, a web‐based portal to help communities make informed financing decisions for their drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure needs.
The Clearinghouse provides communities with a searchable database with more than $10 billion in water funding sources and over 550 resources to support local water infrastructure projects.
The Water Finance Clearinghouse was developed by EPA’s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center, an information and assistance center that provides financing information to help local decision makers make informed decisions for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure to reach their public health and environmental goals.
"Every day, Americans depend on water infrastructure to ensure that their drinking water is safe and that local waterways stay clean," said EPA’s Office of Water’s Deputy Assistant Administrator D. Lee Forsgren.
"Investing in water infrastructure sustains local economies by creating jobs, protecting public health, and increasing quality of life.
Many communities around the country have aging or inadequate water infrastructure: each year approximately 240,000 main breaks occur while elsewhere billions of gallons of raw sewage are discharged into local surface waters from aging conveyance systems.
The Water Finance Clearinghouse gives local decision makers an opportunity to search for available funding sources for water infrastructure as well as resources (such as reports, webpages, and webinars) on financing mechanisms and approaches that can help communities access capital to meet their water infrastructure needs.
State, federal, local, and foundation funding sources and resources on public-private partnerships, asset management practices, revenue models, and affordability approaches are included in the Clearinghouse.
Stakeholders can use this interactive feature to manage how their programs and initiatives are displayed in the Clearinghouse.

There’s light at the end of the Delta tunnels, so what’s next for California water policy?.
For the last dozen years and more, California has been entangled in heated debate over updating the state’s water system.
The state’s WaterFix plan — the focus of contention — proposes to secure drinking water supplies for 25 million people in Southern California and the Bay Area, and enable farmers to continue providing fresh produce to the rest of the country and the world.
Late last month, two federal fisheries agencies, after reviewing more than 40,000 pages of environmental analysis, concluded the new “conveyance” wouldn’t “deepen any harm” to the Delta’s endangered species and habitat.
State and federal regulatory agencies overseeing the effects of the new delivery system could impose so many restrictions that some communities may not be able to afford the water.
Nonetheless, the recent progress on WaterFix is real, and its implementation would enable California to look beyond basic supply issues.
If access to water is a right — and it should be — then it must be enforceable.
In a state as sophisticated as California, with its natural and financial resources, this is obscene.
At the same time, we emphasize the importance of funding individual water-related projects on the basis of their efficiency.
The state is home to Silicon Valley, a resource of unprecedented innovation, capital and progressive thinking — and yet California has done little to engage its leaders in the creative disruption of water policy.

South Africa needs to invest $464 billion (R6 trillion) by 2040 in the water and electricity sectors to plug its infrastructure investment gap and address economic and population growth between now and 2040.
This was revealed in a G20 Global Infrastructure Hub (GI Hub) report‚ covering infrastructure investment needs globally and individually for 50 countries and seven sectors.
This means that the country has to fast-track its efforts to create a conducive environment to attract investment‚ otherwise it will not be able to meet its United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Between now and 2040‚ the country’s Gross Domestic Product is predicted to increase by 40% as its population increases by only 16%.
“Without a doubt the government is not doing enough (to ensure the country meets its infrastructure investment goals) … a very clear and simple example‚ is what is happening at Eskom and that has a negative impact on economic activity in South Africa‚” said Roodt.
Meanwhile it remains to be seen whether South Africa will meet the SDGs of providing universal access to drinking water and electricity by 2030 as entities tasked to ensure government reaches its target have been fingered in corruption scandals.
Two weeks ago the Sunday Times reported how the power utility had only enough cash to last for the next three months – but still wanted to bonuses to be paid to axed CEO Brian Molefe and suspended acting chief executive Matshela Koko.
Eskom has been at the centre of the Gupta leaks that have exposed how the controversial Gupta family and its associates have exercised their influence over the power utility and ensured that its businesses were awarded multiple lucrative tenders worth hundreds of millions.
GI Hub chief executive Chris Heathcote said: “Outlook is a comprehensive and detailed analysis of infrastructure investment need.
“It tells us three key things‚ how much each country needs to spend on infrastructure to 2040‚ where that need is for each infrastructure sector‚ and what their gap is‚ based on their current spending trends.’’ Roodt said the government did not necessarily have to invest more in infrastructure but had to bring the private sector on board.