Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series


Get practical, comprehensive information on watershed restoration techniques with the Center’s Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual series. Together, the USRM manuals introduce an integrated framework for urban watershed restoration, outline effective techniques for assessing urban watersheds, and provide a comprehensive review of watershed restoration techniques.

Center for Watershed Protection to order/view

Monday, December 17, 2007

Stormwater Management in Portland


Stormwater is rain and snow melt that runs off surfaces such as rooftops, paved streets, highways, and parking lots. Stormwater carries sediment, oil, grease, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants into storm drains and then, untreated, into nearby waterbodies. Because most stormwater drainage systems provide no treatment, preventing contamination of stormwater is crucial to ensure that pollutants do not enter waterways. Improperly managed stormwater runoff is also a leading cause of flooding, which can lead to property damage, cause road safety hazards, and clog catch basins and culverts with sediment and debris.
The federal Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Endangered Species Act direct the City to improve stormwater quality and protect watersheds, rivers, streams and drinking water resources. The Bureau of Environmental Services coordinates the citywide response to the federal stormwater permit that requires the City to reduce stormwater pollution, and oversees other programs that respond to water quality requirements.

Read stormwater management

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Puget Sound: Decleansing rain

A cleansing rain? For Puget Sound, a downpour is polluting.

There could hardly have been better timing for a new report on the huge problems for the Sound caused by runoff from streets, roofs and the land. The runoff carries most of the worst pollutants plaguing Puget Sound.

The study, released Friday, is the start of attempts to systematically assess the sources of pollution that threaten the Sound's ecosystems for orcas, fish and people. It found that lands developed for residential, commercial and industrial use contribute to the bulk of lead, cadmium, oil and some other prime pollutants.

The report said, "Developed lands contributed the majority of several toxic chemicals to Puget Sound (i.e., cadmium, lead, zinc, nonylphenol, and oil and petroleum products)." But agricultural and forest lands also create problems. Air pollution also contributes some of the toxics.

Protecting Inland Waters

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Clean Water Act Definition of "Waters of the United States"


This page is designed to provide updates and background information regarding the scope of "Waters of the United States" protected under the Clean Water Act.

EPA and the Corps of Engineers have jointly issued a legal memorandum that interprets the June 19, 2006 Supreme Court decision in the consolidated cases Rapanos v. U.S. and Carabell v. U.S. (known as the "Rapanos" decision). The guidance is being released to Corps of Engineers and EPA field offices to ensure nationwide predictability, reliability, and consistency in identifying wetlands, streams and rivers subject to the Clean Water Act (CWA). The EPA/Corps guidance reflects the agencies’ intent to provide maximum protection for the Nation's aquatic resources under the CWA as interpreted by the Supreme Court in Rapanos. To ensure such decisions are made in a timely manner, the agencies have released concurrently with the guidance a Memorandum of Agreement laying out a process with specific short timeframes, when necessary, for reaching interagency agreements on jurisdictional calls. In addition, a series of questions and answers provides additional information.

Read more

Comments can be submitted to docket EPA-HQ-OW-2007-0282 through www.regulations.gov.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Operation Climate Vote - Tell the House to Act on Global Warming


Operation Climate Vote - Tell the House to Act on Global Warming

We've had a historic breakthrough on Capitol Hill! The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee just passed the Climate Security Act. This bi-partisan bill would cap America's global warming pollution.

Now, it's time for the House to act.

Time is running out to solve the global warming crisis. Waiting just two years to pass national climate legislation would double the rate at which the U.S. will need to cut emissions

Take action today. Urge your Representative to call on House leaders to make global warming a top priority.

Learn more about why Congress must act now.

"The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril. There may still be disputes about exactly how much is naturally occurring, but what we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return."
-- Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Iowa Daily Erosion Project

In our continuing effort to display informative erosion links, this website caught our attention.


Welcome to the homepage for the The Iowa Daily Erosion Project. Our project is a collaboration of scientists at Iowa State University, National Soil Erosion Research Lab, The National Soil Tilth Lab, and The University of Iowa. Our aim is to produce daily estimates of rainfall, runoff, and soil erosion for the state of Iowa. Our work is sponsored by Department of Agronomy's Path to the Future endowment.
Visit their erosion site
Enjoy!
P.S.
If you know of other sites similar to this, please contact us & receive a free subscription for your efforts.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Global Erosion

Today, on your home page, we changed one of your headlines from "Government Websites" to Global Erosion to more accurately reflect the true nature of the beast called erosion


Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth. It is known to produce greater biomass and 30% more oxygen than a hardwood forest of comparable size, while improving watersheds, preventing erosion, restoring soil, providing sweet edible shoots and removing toxins from contaminated soil. Ecologists tout bamboo as a renewable source of food and building material. Many promote bamboo planting for erosion prevention, and even to reverse the effects of global warming.
About Bamboo

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Types of Erosion

Erosion is the gradual wearing away of land by water, wind and general weather conditions. There are several types of erosion, including:
An interesting and informative website that discusses erosion

Monday, November 12, 2007

Earth Cell Module – Innovative Technology to Prevent Beach Erosion

Your website is honored to have Earth Cell Module – Innovative Technology to Prevent Beach Erosion as this month's featured website
Each month we strive to promote a different erosion web site be-it a product, agency or any one of these categories
If you have a suggestion or idea,or you would like to submit your site to be featured (@$0.00), please contact us and you will be re-paid with a free 6 month subscription if your reccommendation is facilited

Friday, November 9, 2007

Satellite Images Monitor 50 Year Coastal Erosion in Alaska

Satellite images from high resolution satellite sensors and moderate resolution sensors can provide researchers and scientists with data for assessment and analysis of water temperature, salinity, shoreline changes, bathymetry and potential threats to our coasts. Assessments and predictive capabilities through satellite imagery from satellite sensors incorporated with GIS mapping are needed to predict onset of events that may significantly affect human health, critical wetlands and ecosystems and economic development.
We added this new series of erosion photographs to your photo gallery of erosion
Enjoy!

Soil erosion and flooding are some of the effects fire can have when rain arrives.

Land slides, flooding and soil erosion are some of the current worries, and sandy soil, steep slopes and nearby homes make the Santiago fire area a top concern, authorities said.
Read Experts assess slide risk after fire

Firestorm 2007 Recovery

One of the most damaging effects of a wildfire to your land is soil erosion. Under normal circumstances, roots help to stabilize soil, while stems and leaves slow water down, giving it time to absorb or soak into the soil. These protective functions can be severely compromised or even eliminated by fires. In the aftermath of a fire, the potential for flooding, debris flows, and erosion is greatly increased. Fortunately there are many things you can do to protect your home or business from the damaging effects of a fire. The following resources are intended to assist you
Read Erosion Control

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Homeowners' policies don't cover landslides

In lieu of the tragic wildfires in Southern Ca, and the expected floods/landslides, view your "Guest commentary"

Phytoremediation—Using Plants to Clean up Polluted Soil

Your "Topic of the Month" has been expanded to include "Stormwater Runoff"
These two issues are inter-related and depend on the other
Phytoremediation cleans-up the runoff residue trapped by silt fences and detention ponds
If you wish to share your experience(s) , please do so trough our contact page

Monday, November 5, 2007

Student Spotlight on Erosion

Tomorrow a new page will be launched "Student Spotlight on Erosion"
If you have any recommendations, please forward them via our contact link
5% of all Google Adsense &10% of all subscription money will be earmarked as a donation to each school recommended, payable on a quarterly basis in the name of the student and his/her teacher

Thursday, October 25, 2007

California Wildfires

I lived in Santa Barbara and Ojai, CA from 1962-1976 during which time the land was devastated by wildfires and floods .
The winter brought rain, floods and uncontrolled hillside erosion continuing the misery.
I can't do anything from Bend, Oregon but by opening our growing database of erosion related items to those caught in Mother Nature's grip to any victims, free of cost and obligation, I can do something through my website
Send an e-mail verifying your loss and we'll send a link to access our database
In the meantime, visit our landslides/mudslides page listed in the Resources column
I only wish all a speedy recovery

Monday, October 22, 2007

Earth Cell Module - Innovative Technology to Prevent Beach Erosion

Today, we added a new link to our expanding
list of erosion sites
Click below to view the link or if you wish to add to this list
Earth Cell Module

Link to us

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Environmental Science Site

Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development

(more)

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Asbestos in Soil Workgroup

The Department of Environmental Protection is holding public hearings on proposed amendments to: 310 CMR 40.0000, the Massachusetts Contingency Plan or MCP (adopted pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 21E); 310 CMR 7.15 (the Air Quality regulations governing management of asbestos, adopted pursuant to M.G.L. c. 111, §142 A-D) and of 310 CMR 19.000 (the Solid Waste Management regulations, adopted pursuant to M.G.L. c. 111, §150A). The proposed amendments are intended to clarify and streamline requirements for assessment and cleanup of asbestos that has been released to the environment.

Meetings & Agendas (when available)

Click here to your website's offerings on this topic



Saturday, October 13, 2007

Bioremediation Technical Assisstance

I was doing keyword research on bioremediation this AM on www.wordtracker.com and was reminded how far-reaching/apropos this topic is to the issue (s) of erosion

To view examples of Bioremediation
Groups, go here

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Stormwater Manager's Resource Center

I ran across an informative erosion website of interest re: Watersheds, Stormwater etc

Designed specifically for stormwater practitioners, local government officials and others that need technical assistance on stormwater management issues,in a single site:
StormWaterCenter

Enjoy

Friday, September 28, 2007

Parking-Lot Sealcoat

Where does the contaminated water erosion from parking lots go? And what effects does it have?

Today (Sept 28,2007) we added a link on your FAQ for Parking Lot water run-off to answer these questions-and more

These questions and answers should be part of any town or city ordinance concerned with the quality of and protection for their environment

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Monthly Website Up-dates


New topics are incorporated as they evolve (e.g., Nanotechnology, Natural disaster Effects and Management, ...
33 new erosion control and nanotechnology websites were added to www.erosioncontrolforum.com
Nanotechnology is modernizing the way we stabilize soils and aggregates in ...
a revolutionary use of nanotechnology for dust suppression, soil stabilization, erosion control and re-vegetation for burn area rehabilitation, ...
Various opportunities have been identified by Sequoia Pacific through the pioneering research and development of nano chemical products with applications for solving environmental problems.
If you want to add your site to this directory, simply subscribe and send us the information
A reciprocal link would be appreciated

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Nanotechnology Products

A new category, nanotechnology products, will soon be added to our list of erosion control products
Visit your FAQ and scroll to Soilset FAQ to view an example

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Urban Watershed Planning Workshop

Communities across the nation have discovered that they must work at the watershed level to solve their diverse water resource problems। They have also found that no matter what watershed they are working in, the same eight basic management tools are needed to mitigate the impacts of development: watershed planning, land conservation, aquatic buffers, better site design, erosion control, stormwater treatment practices, control of non-stormwater discharges, and watershed stewardship. A major emphasis of this class is the discussion of current stream restoration techniques an their use in urban settings.

Cill Ide Native Plant

Monday, August 6, 2007

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

Water pollution degrades surface waters making them unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other activities. As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches
Read more

Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox, a comprehensive set of Web-based resources designed to assist communities across the U.S. conduct locally effective watershed education and outreach activities. The Toolbox, online at www.epa.gov/nps/toolbox, includes a searchable catalog of nearly 800 print, radio, and TV ads and outreach materials in the following categories: lawn and garden care, motor vehicle care, pet care, septic system care, household chemicals and waste, and general stormwater and storm drain awareness.
Read more

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Subscription Service

Today (July 25,2007) we added a new shopping cart for erosion firms, design agencies, government agencies, contractors and consultants who recognize that erosion is a daily, ongoing task.

This new process creates a user friendly environment and options for a 1-2-3-etc month subscription
All you do is notify us when to cancel the subscription
With a paid subscription (via PayPal) , the cart offers a free three day trial subscription.
Then the subscription is automatically billed out every 30 days for $9.99

New sites are added monthly to your database and will be found on the "Up-dates" page

If your site is not presently offered, or you have a suggestion for a site, notify us by e-mail with its information and the desired category, and the site will be listed with the next up-date
Please visit "http://www.erosioncontrolforum.com/link_to_us.html" to view this requirement



Saturday, June 23, 2007

Phytoremediation—Using Plants to Clean up Polluted Soil

(Conservation Currents, Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, Feb 2004)

Polluted soil poses a severe problem for both ecosystem health and land development. Because soil lies at the confluence of many natural systems, soil pollution can be spread to other parts of the natural environment. Groundwater, for instance, percolates through the soil and can carry the soil pollutants into streams, rivers, wells and drinking water. Erosion can create the same problem. Plants growing on polluted soil may contain harmful levels of pollutants themselves, and this can be passed on to the animals and people that eat them. Dust blown from polluted soil can be inhaled directly by passersby. Additionally, in an urban setting such as Fairfax County, polluted soil makes valuable open land unusable for parks, recreation or commercial development.

Despite the benefits of cleaning polluted soil, remediation often never takes place because of the cost and effort of the work. Both soil minerals and soil pollutants carry small electric charges that can cause each to bond with each other, thus making polluted soil very hard to clean. Additionally, soil is a dense medium. This causes excavation of polluted soil for off site treatment or disposal to be very expensive because of the time, labor and heavy machinery necessary to do the job. Therefore, cheaper on-site, or in-situ, remediation techniques have been the focus of much attention and research lately. One of the most interesting and promising of these in-situ techniques is phytoremediation.

Phytoremediation is the use of specialized plants to clean up polluted soil. While most plants exposed to high levels of soil toxins will be injured or die, scientists have discovered that certain plants are resistant, and an even smaller...

For more information about phytoremediation


Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Journal of Hydro-environment Research

We are pleased to announce that a new journal, the Journal of Hydro-environment Research, will be launched in July 2007. The journal is a collaboration between Elsevier, the International Association of Hydraulic Engineering (IAHR), and the Korea Water Resources Association (KWRA).

Published on a quarterly basis, Journal of Hydro-environment Research aims to provide an international platform for the dissemination of research and engineering applications related to water and hydraulic problems in the Asia-Pacific region.

The journal welcomes papers on all topics of hydraulics, in particular articles on sustainable water management, water-health issues, environmental hydraulics, eco-hydraulics, coastal engineering and integration of hydraulics with hydrology. Inter-disciplinary problems and linkage of theory to field application are particularly encouraged.

The full text of the "Aims and Scope" as well as information on the editorial board can be found on the journal homepage.

You can register to receive updates on this new journal and an alert when the first issue is live on ScienceDirect (Volume 1: Issue 1 will have free online access). At the same time you can enter into a draw to win one year's free print subscription to Journal of Hydro-environment Research.

Please do not hesitate to contact the editors or me should you desire additional information about the journal and Elsevier, or if you have any suggestions or ideas for Journal of Hydro-environment Research.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Christiane Barranguet
Publisher Journal of Hydro-environment Research

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Central Oregon Stormwater Manua

Hello,

This e-mail is to update you on (1) new ways you can get the final
Central Oregon Stormwater Manual and (2) the third Stakeholder Workshop
and Manual Training.

How to get the Manual
The full final Manual is now available for download from the COIC
website: http://www.coic.org/stormwater. A Revision Suggestion Form has
also been placed on the webpage so that users and readers can start to
suggest revisions for the next round of updates (currently scheduled for
Spring 2008).

If you would like to purchase a hardcopy of the Manual, COIC is now
accepting orders. A color hardcopy in a binder will cost $40. Please
contact Kelly Elzner to let her know you would like one and to arrange
payment at: KElzner@coic.org or (541) 548-9544. Hardcopies will be
available by June 29, the day of the third Stakeholder Workshop. If you
would like to order a hardcopy but will not be attending the Workshop
then alternate arrangements can be made for pick-up.

Third Stakeholder Workshop and Manual Training
The third workshop and training is scheduled for June 29, 2007. We
have already received 46 pre-registrations and have started to put later
registrants on a wait list for the workshop. As a result, we've been
working on additional space and it is very likely that anyone placed on
the wait list will indeed be able to attend the workshop. So if you
want to attend don't let the wait list deter you and please contact
Kelly Elzner to register soon: KElzner@coic.org or (541) 548-9544.
Those on the wait list will be notified definitively on Friday June 22
whether there is space for them to attend or not.

For more information about the workshop please visit
http://www.coic.org/stormwater.

Thanks for your interest in the Central Oregon Stormwater Manual and
please feel free to contact me about the Manual, workshop, or other
aspects of the project.

Phil Chang



Phil Chang
Program Administrator
Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council
2363 SW Glacier Place
Redmond, OR 97756
(541) 548-9534

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

It's time for the public to speak, and for your concerns to be heard! On Wednesday, October 25th, at 7 pm in the Old Town Hall, the public hearing on the gravel pit proposal will reopen and now it's your turn. As chair and vice chair of the Mount Carmel Environmental Trust*, my wife and I would like to thank you for your interest in this issue, and for the hard work many of you have put into fighting the pits. From signing petitions to putting up signs (I think I counted 25 on Monday) to attending planning meetings to gathering information for your comments at the hearing, you have helped to strengthen the case against the pits.

It's important to stress how this mining operation would affect us all. Some of you may live near the site, as we do. Many of us make frequent use of the Farmington Canal trail (my wife is out there twice a day). Certainly we all drive on Whitney Avenue regularly! And, almost all of us use the public water supply. We should not have to worry about noise and dust in our backyards, dangerous trucks crowding our streets, possible contamination of our water, and definite destruction of our town's natural resources and wetland habitat. It's time to put a stop to this proposed operation once and for all!

Again, thank you for all your work so far. We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday evening and joining our voices in protest.

Sincerely,
Andy Brand

* The Mount Carmel Environmental Trust was recently formed to protect and preserve the quality of life in the Mt. Carmel section of Hamden, CT

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Central Oregon Stormwater Committee

Dear Interested Stakeholder,

The Central Oregon Stormwater Committee is pleased to announce the release of the final Central Oregon Stormwater Manual. At this time, the Committee would also like to invite you to participate in the third and final public and stakeholder Manual workshop on June 29, 2007. The emphasis of this workshop will be hands-on application of the design guidance in the Manual.

Central Oregon Stormwater Manual Released
The final Manual is available for download from www.otak.com/COICStormwater and will soon also be available at www.coic.org/stormwater. The Committee received numerous valuable comments from stakeholders between April 2 and May 1, 2007. A summary of changes made to the draft Manual as a result of stakeholder comments is available at the COIC Stormwater webpage address above.

Cities and Counties Move Towards Adoption and Use of Manual
Next the cities and counties that participated in development of the Central Oregon Stormwater Manual will decide how they plan to use it. The Cities of Redmond and Bend will consider adoption of the Manual in early summer. Other participating jurisdictions will decide whether to consider adoption as well or to recommend use of the Manual as guidance for design and construction of stormwater facilities.

Third Stakeholder Workshop and Manual Training
The third stakeholder workshop will be held on June 29, 2007 from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM at the Redmond Fire Hall. The workshop will feature hands-on application of the Manual to two example projects. The workshop will also include a Manual overview, City and County reports on how they intend to adopt and/or use the Manual, and an update on the future of the DEQ UIC program. Please see the attached flyer for more information. If you plan to attend the workshop you must register with Kelly Elzner at COIC and send a $25 check for the workshop and lunch: KElzner@coic.org or (541) 549-9544.

For more information about the Manual project please visit www.coic.org/stormwater or contact Phil Chang, COIC Program Coordinator, at (541) 548-9534 or pchang@coic.org.

Sincerely,

Phil Chang


Phil Chang
Program Coordinator
Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council
2363 SW Glacier Place
Redmond, OR 97756
(541) 548-9534