EPA has released the draft national water program guidance for Fiscal Year 2014. The guidance describes how EPA, states, territories, and tribal governments will work together to protect and improve the quality of the Nation's waters, and focuses on five priorities: protecting populations at risk; improving the integrity of the nation's drinking water and clean water quality; providing safe and sustainable water resources and infrastructure; controlling nutrient pollution; and assuring high quality and accessible water information. Accompanying these priorities are strategies that describe key actions needed to accomplish the public health and environmental goals of Protecting America's Waters as part of EPA's Strategic Plan. The draft guidance is available at http://water.epa.gov/resource_performance/planning/FY-2014-National-Water-Program-Guidance.cfm for public comment until May 9, 2013. Please send comments to Vinh Nguyen at nguyen.vinh@epa.gov and Ian Achimore at achimore.ian@epa.gov by May 9, 2013. 

EPA Releases Final Section 319 Nonpoint Source Program and Grant Guidelines for Water Pollution Control

EPA has released final nonpoint source program and grants guidelines for states and territories for the Clean Water Act section 319 grant program. The section 319 program provides funding to states, territories and tribes to mitigate nonpoint source or diffuse sources of pollution.These guidelines are applicable for Fiscal Year 2014 grant awards and subsequent section 319 grant awards, and replace guidelines that have been in effect since 2004. The final guidelines provide updated program direction, an increased emphasis on watershed project implementation to restore impaired waters, increased accountability measures and appropriate flexibility for state programs, while emphasizing the importance of states updating their nonpoint source management programs to ensure that section 319 funds are targeted to the highest priority activities. After extensive state/EPA work, stakeholder outreach and public comment, the guidelines have now become available at http://www.epa.gov/nps/319.

Small stream ecosystems comprise more than 72 percent of U.S. river miles, and water quality of small streams can impact the condition of local and downstream ecosystems. Sarah Blau from EPA's Office of Research and Development introduces readers to EPA's experimental stream facility, one of only a handful of research facilities in the country designed to conduct small stream research that uses experimental systems designed to simulate natural conditions to study how pollutants affect stream habitat. Read Sarah's blog at

EPA's Clean Water Act Section 319 Program provides funding for restoration of nonpoint source-impaired water bodies. This week's success spotlight shines on Credit River in Minnesota. Runoff from urban and agricultural areas led to excess sedimentation and turbidity in Credit River. As a result, in 2002, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency added the river to the state's list of impaired waters for failing to support aquatic life. Watershed partners worked with private landowners to stabilize stream banks and ravines, thereby reducing erosion and sediment runoff. Several cities in the watershed also implemented nonpoint source pollution control projects, such as rain gardens, to reduce urban runoff. Through a combination of stormwater discharge regulations, innovative low impact development projects and capital improvement programs, city, township, state and federal partners removed excess turbidity, prompting Minnesota to remove Credit River from its list of impaired waters in 2012. Click here for more information. 

Clean Water, Great Beer (Natural Resources Defense Council)
http://www.nrdc.org/water/brewers-for-clean-water/

National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation (Wyland Foundation)
http://www.wylandfoundation.org/mywaterpledge/