Some of you may have already seen a new AGFC notice at ramps warning about Didymo (popular name... rock snot) with instructions how to clean boats and equipment. This caution has been recommended as a first step approach to reducing transmission to other water bodies.
If you're not familiar with this invasive alga found in our rivers, here's a web site in New Zealand where they've had lots of experience. http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests-diseases/plants/didymo/
Latest from Jeff Williams, Trout Biologist, AGFC Mountain Home in response to an email thanking him and AGFC for taking this responsible action.
Thanks Gene. Yes, we are hoping to generate awareness and encourage folks to clean their equipment before moving between waters. Although most of our trout waters already have Didymo, we hope these efforts will help prevent the spread to waters not currently affected. I also have some smaller posters that we are going to distribute to local bait/fly shops, outfitters, etc.
As far as treatments to eliminate Didymo from the river, there is still no viable option. I was at a meeting last week of trout managers in the southeast and Didymo was a topic of discussion. One of the biologists from Virginia gave a presentation on a method to semi-quantify Didymo coverage that I think we will try to adopt here in AR. This will basically allow us to monitor coverage over time and might allow us to examine relationships between Didymo and certain water quality parameters as well as the trout populations.
The high flows definitely knocked the Didymo back some, but it's not gone for good. Please let me know if you have any additional questions/comments. take care.
Jeff
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
ADEQ RELEASES LANDFARM STUDY REPORT
ADEQ RELEASES LANDFARM STUDY REPORT
A study conducted by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) found that fluids used in natural gas production have been improperly applied by landfarms operating in the state, thus endangering the environment.
The study findings were released in a report Monday. The report indicated that existing practices had, in many cases, caused environmental harm. Particularly, all 11 sites that land applied fluids at some point had improperly discharged the fluids so as to cause runoff into the waters of the state. Also, chloride concentrations in soil used for land application were abnormally high.
ADEQ Director Teresa Marks ordered the department’s study in November 2008 because of repeated permit violations at some of the sites. At that time, Marks also halted consideration of any new landfarm permit applications until the study was completed.
“With the increase in the number of landfarms and applications for landfarms due to expanded drilling activity in the state, concerns about the resulting environmental impact warranted a closer look at these operations,” Marks said.
ADEQ has taken enforcement actions against all 11 landfarms studied and has sought to revoke permits at two of the sites. Additional enforcement actions are pending and other revocations could be forthcoming.
-MORE-
Landfarm report, Page 2
The study supports changes to all existing or new landfarm permits. The changes include requirements that routine soil and water sampling be conducted at specified locations in the presence of an ADEQ inspector and that fencing be erected around all on-site ponds.
“The results of the study have caused us to put additional measures in place to ensure that these facilities are complying with the terms of their permits and are not causing harm to the soils and waters of the state,” Marks said. “We recognize that there is a waste stream created by the drilling practices that must be dealt with, but we want to make sure it is dealt with in a way that will not cause harm to the environment.”
Scientists in ADEQ’s environmental preservation and water divisions prepared the report. ADEQ employees visited the 11 landfarms between November and January.
On many site visits, the department discovered downstream concentrations of chlorides and total dissolved solids that were higher than those taken upstream.
While landfarm permits prohibit land application of any fluid with chloride levels higher than 3,000 milligrams-per-liter, four facilities held fluids with levels over the permitted maximum.
Soil at eight of the sites contained chloride amounts that exceeded permitted limitations.
The study found that the high chloride content at some sites might irrevocably damage the soils there.
In addition, the study found at nine sites concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in amounts that suggested that application of oil-based drilling fluids had taken place. ADEQ permits strictly prohibit such application.
The full report is available on the department’s Web site, www.adeq.state.ar.us. A link to the report is located in the “Hot Topics” section on ADEQ’s home page.
A study conducted by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) found that fluids used in natural gas production have been improperly applied by landfarms operating in the state, thus endangering the environment.
The study findings were released in a report Monday. The report indicated that existing practices had, in many cases, caused environmental harm. Particularly, all 11 sites that land applied fluids at some point had improperly discharged the fluids so as to cause runoff into the waters of the state. Also, chloride concentrations in soil used for land application were abnormally high.
ADEQ Director Teresa Marks ordered the department’s study in November 2008 because of repeated permit violations at some of the sites. At that time, Marks also halted consideration of any new landfarm permit applications until the study was completed.
“With the increase in the number of landfarms and applications for landfarms due to expanded drilling activity in the state, concerns about the resulting environmental impact warranted a closer look at these operations,” Marks said.
ADEQ has taken enforcement actions against all 11 landfarms studied and has sought to revoke permits at two of the sites. Additional enforcement actions are pending and other revocations could be forthcoming.
-MORE-
Landfarm report, Page 2
The study supports changes to all existing or new landfarm permits. The changes include requirements that routine soil and water sampling be conducted at specified locations in the presence of an ADEQ inspector and that fencing be erected around all on-site ponds.
“The results of the study have caused us to put additional measures in place to ensure that these facilities are complying with the terms of their permits and are not causing harm to the soils and waters of the state,” Marks said. “We recognize that there is a waste stream created by the drilling practices that must be dealt with, but we want to make sure it is dealt with in a way that will not cause harm to the environment.”
Scientists in ADEQ’s environmental preservation and water divisions prepared the report. ADEQ employees visited the 11 landfarms between November and January.
On many site visits, the department discovered downstream concentrations of chlorides and total dissolved solids that were higher than those taken upstream.
While landfarm permits prohibit land application of any fluid with chloride levels higher than 3,000 milligrams-per-liter, four facilities held fluids with levels over the permitted maximum.
Soil at eight of the sites contained chloride amounts that exceeded permitted limitations.
The study found that the high chloride content at some sites might irrevocably damage the soils there.
In addition, the study found at nine sites concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in amounts that suggested that application of oil-based drilling fluids had taken place. ADEQ permits strictly prohibit such application.
The full report is available on the department’s Web site, www.adeq.state.ar.us. A link to the report is located in the “Hot Topics” section on ADEQ’s home page.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
"Sustainable Stormwater Management Practices" Webinar
Webinars are an easy, free way to learn at home. Context Sensitive Solutions has very good ones every month or so. The next is about stormwater management. Note it's Eastern Time - you can't log in after it starts.
Reminder: Webinar - Thursday, April 16, 2009, 2 pm EST
"Sustainable Stormwater Management Practices"
ContextSensitiveSolutions.org and the Federal Highway Administration are pleased to present a free webinar on April 16, 2009, from 2:00 - 3:30 PM EST. Wendi Goldsmith, President of the Bioengineering Group, Inc., and Clark Wilson, Urban Designer at the EPA Office of Smart Growth, will discuss the importance of sustainable stormwater management practices, along with innovative strategies for natural onsite stormwater storage and treatment. Sustainable stormwater management seeks to eliminate, where possible, the negative impacts of construction activities that disturb the natural hydrologic cycle resulting in elimination or reduction in the permeability of soils, increased "flashy" runoff and general water quality degradation.
Link to Join the Meeting:
http://fhwa.na3.acrobat.com/csseries/
On the login page, enter as a guest by typing your full name and clicking the "Enter Room" button. Please login to the conference at least 10 minutes prior to the start time to secure your space.
Phone Number to Join the Audio Portion of the Conference:
800-779-1509
Password: 4033692
Prior to the meeting, please make sure that you have the necessary Flash Player plug-in installed on your computer. To test your machine, click this link, which should also provide links to the software: http://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
For a short tutorial on how to participate in a web conference, please visit: https://admin.na3.acrobat.com/_a55098539/wctparticipate. If you are unable to access this link, you may need to install Flash Player (see directions above).
For more information, please contact Aurash Khawarzad at aurash@pps.org. We regret that we are not able to provide professional development credits for this event.
Stay Tuned...
Our next webinar will present "A Guide to Building CSS Knowledge and Skills for Successful Project Delivery," on Thursday, May 14, 2009, from 2:00 - 3:30 PM EST. Leigh Lane and Lisa Murphy of The Louis Berger Group, Inc. will provide background and resources to interested transportation agencies assigned the role of developing or improving an educational program to integrate CSS principles into project development and delivery processes.
The following webinar in the CSS series will be on "Complete Streets and Context Sensitive Solutions," scheduled for Thursday, June 11, 2009, from 2:00 - 3:30 PM EST. Barbara McCann, Executive Director of McCann Consulting, and Hannah Twaddell, Senior Transportation Planner at the Renaissance Planning Group, will be presenting.
Reminder: Webinar - Thursday, April 16, 2009, 2 pm EST
"Sustainable Stormwater Management Practices"
ContextSensitiveSolutions.org and the Federal Highway Administration are pleased to present a free webinar on April 16, 2009, from 2:00 - 3:30 PM EST. Wendi Goldsmith, President of the Bioengineering Group, Inc., and Clark Wilson, Urban Designer at the EPA Office of Smart Growth, will discuss the importance of sustainable stormwater management practices, along with innovative strategies for natural onsite stormwater storage and treatment. Sustainable stormwater management seeks to eliminate, where possible, the negative impacts of construction activities that disturb the natural hydrologic cycle resulting in elimination or reduction in the permeability of soils, increased "flashy" runoff and general water quality degradation.
Link to Join the Meeting:
http://fhwa.na3.acrobat.com/csseries/
On the login page, enter as a guest by typing your full name and clicking the "Enter Room" button. Please login to the conference at least 10 minutes prior to the start time to secure your space.
Phone Number to Join the Audio Portion of the Conference:
800-779-1509
Password: 4033692
Prior to the meeting, please make sure that you have the necessary Flash Player plug-in installed on your computer. To test your machine, click this link, which should also provide links to the software: http://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
For a short tutorial on how to participate in a web conference, please visit: https://admin.na3.acrobat.com/_a55098539/wctparticipate. If you are unable to access this link, you may need to install Flash Player (see directions above).
For more information, please contact Aurash Khawarzad at aurash@pps.org. We regret that we are not able to provide professional development credits for this event.
Stay Tuned...
Our next webinar will present "A Guide to Building CSS Knowledge and Skills for Successful Project Delivery," on Thursday, May 14, 2009, from 2:00 - 3:30 PM EST. Leigh Lane and Lisa Murphy of The Louis Berger Group, Inc. will provide background and resources to interested transportation agencies assigned the role of developing or improving an educational program to integrate CSS principles into project development and delivery processes.
The following webinar in the CSS series will be on "Complete Streets and Context Sensitive Solutions," scheduled for Thursday, June 11, 2009, from 2:00 - 3:30 PM EST. Barbara McCann, Executive Director of McCann Consulting, and Hannah Twaddell, Senior Transportation Planner at the Renaissance Planning Group, will be presenting.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Vigilance Needed To Protect Water, Wildlife Conference Highlights Need To Restore Measures
Vigilance Needed To Protect Water, Wildlife Conference Highlights Need To Restore Measures
Last updated Wednesday, March 11, 2009 4:18 PM CDT in Outdoors
By Scott Branyan
Commentary
A group of wildlife conservationists met in Little Rock Saturday to discuss wetlands conservation and to support efforts to restore the Clean Water Act protections impacted by two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006.
The event, called "Hunter Angler Water for Wildlife Summit," was sponsored by a long list of groups that are working together to support congressional action known as the Clean Water Restoration Act.
Jim Murphy and Jan Goldman-Carter of the National Wildlife Federation gave presentations explaining how the court cases and resulting Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers decisions have lessened Clean Water Act protections.
In short, narrow interpretations by both agencies have left non-navigable tributaries and their adjacent wetlands classified as geographically "isolated" waters and without Clean Water Act protection.
Both said the Clean Water Restoration Act would restore regulatory protections using long-standing decisions.
Also speaking was Scott Yaich with Ducks Unlimited who said his organization had estimated the loss of U.S. wetlands since the 1950s to be around 17 million acres. That includes 7 million acres lost in Arkansas.
Another 20 million acres nationally stand to be affected under the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers decisions. Most affected are the Prairie Potholes of North and South Dakota, which produces most of the ducks coming into Arkansas, the Great Lakes, the Mid-Atlantic Coast and the Lower Mississippi Valley.
Steve Filapek, Arkansas Stream Team coordinator and assistant chief of fisheries with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, said Arkansas has 90,000 miles of streams. Of those, 70,000 miles could be classified as perennial or intermittent and are hence without protection under the recent decisions.
The number one pollutant of Arkansas water is sediment. An indicator of how big the sediment problem can be is the rare Arkansas darter. Filipek said a one-tenth of an inch of sediment over the darter eggs can result in greater than 50 percent mortality to the eggs.
Crooked Creek, one of the best smallmouth streams in the state, is an intermittent stream which has had sediment issues from gravel mining.
Congress will have the opportunity this year to provide a legislative fix with a goal of restoring 35 years of Clean Water Act protection to our streams and wetland areas. Goldman-Carter recommended that people contact Arkansas' congressional delegation and urge them to support the Clean Water Restoration Act.
The act would return to the use of long-standing regulatory definitions, remove the word "navigable" from the definition of protected waters, and restore regulatory protections to headwater areas.
In the US Department of Agriculture's "Soils and Men" yearbook for 1938, F. R. Kenny and W. L. McAtee wrote, "Among the assets of mankind, wildlife receives its true appraisal only in advanced stages of civilization, when owning to the heedless destruction of earlier times, it has been seriously if not irreparably reduced. ..."
"If we had sufficient foresight we would preserve in due proportion nature's wealth-creating centers of every kind, but lacking it we are wasters. Experience at last brings regret, and we would re-create what we have destroyed. We see that it has values that we can ill afford to lose, not only in a material sense but for beauty as well."
"When at length we do realize what nature's bounties mean to us we should act promptly positively, and persistently in maintaining and restoring them."
Scott Branyan writes a blog and colimnist for the Morning News in Northwest Arkansas and is a fly fishing guide on the White River tailwater trout streams.
Last updated Wednesday, March 11, 2009 4:18 PM CDT in Outdoors
By Scott Branyan
Commentary
A group of wildlife conservationists met in Little Rock Saturday to discuss wetlands conservation and to support efforts to restore the Clean Water Act protections impacted by two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006.
The event, called "Hunter Angler Water for Wildlife Summit," was sponsored by a long list of groups that are working together to support congressional action known as the Clean Water Restoration Act.
Jim Murphy and Jan Goldman-Carter of the National Wildlife Federation gave presentations explaining how the court cases and resulting Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers decisions have lessened Clean Water Act protections.
In short, narrow interpretations by both agencies have left non-navigable tributaries and their adjacent wetlands classified as geographically "isolated" waters and without Clean Water Act protection.
Both said the Clean Water Restoration Act would restore regulatory protections using long-standing decisions.
Also speaking was Scott Yaich with Ducks Unlimited who said his organization had estimated the loss of U.S. wetlands since the 1950s to be around 17 million acres. That includes 7 million acres lost in Arkansas.
Another 20 million acres nationally stand to be affected under the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers decisions. Most affected are the Prairie Potholes of North and South Dakota, which produces most of the ducks coming into Arkansas, the Great Lakes, the Mid-Atlantic Coast and the Lower Mississippi Valley.
Steve Filapek, Arkansas Stream Team coordinator and assistant chief of fisheries with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, said Arkansas has 90,000 miles of streams. Of those, 70,000 miles could be classified as perennial or intermittent and are hence without protection under the recent decisions.
The number one pollutant of Arkansas water is sediment. An indicator of how big the sediment problem can be is the rare Arkansas darter. Filipek said a one-tenth of an inch of sediment over the darter eggs can result in greater than 50 percent mortality to the eggs.
Crooked Creek, one of the best smallmouth streams in the state, is an intermittent stream which has had sediment issues from gravel mining.
Congress will have the opportunity this year to provide a legislative fix with a goal of restoring 35 years of Clean Water Act protection to our streams and wetland areas. Goldman-Carter recommended that people contact Arkansas' congressional delegation and urge them to support the Clean Water Restoration Act.
The act would return to the use of long-standing regulatory definitions, remove the word "navigable" from the definition of protected waters, and restore regulatory protections to headwater areas.
In the US Department of Agriculture's "Soils and Men" yearbook for 1938, F. R. Kenny and W. L. McAtee wrote, "Among the assets of mankind, wildlife receives its true appraisal only in advanced stages of civilization, when owning to the heedless destruction of earlier times, it has been seriously if not irreparably reduced. ..."
"If we had sufficient foresight we would preserve in due proportion nature's wealth-creating centers of every kind, but lacking it we are wasters. Experience at last brings regret, and we would re-create what we have destroyed. We see that it has values that we can ill afford to lose, not only in a material sense but for beauty as well."
"When at length we do realize what nature's bounties mean to us we should act promptly positively, and persistently in maintaining and restoring them."
Scott Branyan writes a blog and colimnist for the Morning News in Northwest Arkansas and is a fly fishing guide on the White River tailwater trout streams.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
2nd Annual Environmental Conference Mar 27 Joplin
2nd ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE
La Quinta Inn ♦ Joplin, Missouri March 27, 2009
"We can store it, treat it and deliver it, but we can't manufacture it - Water Planning for a Critical Resource"
The 2nd Annual Environmental Conference will address state water plans in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
Representatives from each state will present a status report
on their respective state water plans. Global warning's effect on reservoirs will also be discussed.
The Conference is co-sponsored by the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition and Environmental Task Force of Jasper and Newton Counties.
Information and registration form can be obtained at www.envtaskforce.com or from Bob Nichols at bnichols66@sbcglobal.net or (417) 673-7151.
La Quinta Inn ♦ Joplin, Missouri March 27, 2009
"We can store it, treat it and deliver it, but we can't manufacture it - Water Planning for a Critical Resource"
The 2nd Annual Environmental Conference will address state water plans in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
Representatives from each state will present a status report
on their respective state water plans. Global warning's effect on reservoirs will also be discussed.
The Conference is co-sponsored by the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition and Environmental Task Force of Jasper and Newton Counties.
Information and registration form can be obtained at www.envtaskforce.com or from Bob Nichols at bnichols66@sbcglobal.net or (417) 673-7151.
Friday, January 30, 2009
National Water Quality Inventory Report Now Available On-line
Note: Only 16% of US streams have been assessed and 44% of them are considered impaired.
National Water Quality Inventory Report Now Available On-line
This report, available at http://www.epa.gov/owow/305b/2004report/, summarizes water quality assessments submitted by the states to EPA under section 305(b) of the Clean Water Act. The report finds that the states assessed 16 percent of the nation?s 3.5 million river and stream miles, 39 percent of its 41.7 million acres of lakes, ponds and reservoirs, and 29 percent of its 87,791 estuary square miles. Forty-four percent of assessed river and stream miles, 64 percent of assessed lake acres, and 30 percent of assessed estuary square miles were found to be impaired for one or more of the uses designated for them by the states. Leading causes of impairment included pathogens, mercury, nutrients, and organic enrichment/low dissolved oxygen. Top sources of impairment included atmospheric deposition, agriculture, hydrologic modifications, and unknown or unspecified sources. This report is a companion to electronically-submitted state water quality information available on EPA?s Web site, known as ATTAINS, at
http://www.epa.gov/waters/ir. In addition to viewing the national summary and information by state at this Web site, users can click down to the individual waterbody level to find out more about water quality conditions.
National Water Quality Inventory Report Now Available On-line
This report, available at http://www.epa.gov/owow/305b/2004report/, summarizes water quality assessments submitted by the states to EPA under section 305(b) of the Clean Water Act. The report finds that the states assessed 16 percent of the nation?s 3.5 million river and stream miles, 39 percent of its 41.7 million acres of lakes, ponds and reservoirs, and 29 percent of its 87,791 estuary square miles. Forty-four percent of assessed river and stream miles, 64 percent of assessed lake acres, and 30 percent of assessed estuary square miles were found to be impaired for one or more of the uses designated for them by the states. Leading causes of impairment included pathogens, mercury, nutrients, and organic enrichment/low dissolved oxygen. Top sources of impairment included atmospheric deposition, agriculture, hydrologic modifications, and unknown or unspecified sources. This report is a companion to electronically-submitted state water quality information available on EPA?s Web site, known as ATTAINS, at
http://www.epa.gov/waters/ir. In addition to viewing the national summary and information by state at this Web site, users can click down to the individual waterbody level to find out more about water quality conditions.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Free Used Tire Disposal at Solid Waste Sites
ADEQ awards more than $1 million in waste tire grants
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality awarded grants of more than $1 million this month to support tire disposal and recycling operations throughout the state.
The grants are given quarterly to the state's regional solid waste management districts to fund waste tire collection, transportation, recycling or disposal.
For the first quarter of 2009, ADEQ awarded $1,011,850.
ADEQ's grant awards are calculated based on population of each district and by the number of tires a district received the previous year.
Arkansas residents may dispose of up to four tires per month free of charge at waste tire collection sites within their region. The 125 sites in Arkansas are operated by regional solid waste management districts.
The ADEQ grants are funded by a $2-per-tire fee on automobile and light truck tires sold in the state. An additional $3-per-tire fee is assessed for large truck tires.
In addition to the tire management grants, ADEQ often awards money from its waste tire grant fund to pay for clean up of illegal tire disposal sites or support capital improvement projects.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality awarded grants of more than $1 million this month to support tire disposal and recycling operations throughout the state.
The grants are given quarterly to the state's regional solid waste management districts to fund waste tire collection, transportation, recycling or disposal.
For the first quarter of 2009, ADEQ awarded $1,011,850.
ADEQ's grant awards are calculated based on population of each district and by the number of tires a district received the previous year.
Arkansas residents may dispose of up to four tires per month free of charge at waste tire collection sites within their region. The 125 sites in Arkansas are operated by regional solid waste management districts.
The ADEQ grants are funded by a $2-per-tire fee on automobile and light truck tires sold in the state. An additional $3-per-tire fee is assessed for large truck tires.
In addition to the tire management grants, ADEQ often awards money from its waste tire grant fund to pay for clean up of illegal tire disposal sites or support capital improvement projects.
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