What's Included This Week:
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Take Our Quick Survey: WPN Update Reader Interests
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WPN Members Share: Post-Hurricane Impacts
Several Water Protection Network member organizations are among those now dealing directly with the impacts of Hurricane Michael. Apalachicola Riverkeeper and Waterkeeper Alliance recently surveyed the Apalachicola Watershed by plane, noting damage to infrastructure, residences, and trees. They also shared that fish kills have been reported in Dead Lakes and the Apalachicola River, although the causes are not yet confirmed.
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Sound Rivers continues to gather information on the impacts of Hurricane Florence, including sewer spills, coal ash spills, industrial animal waste spills, and reports of serious illness linked to flooded waters. They, and other local organizations, are hosting post-hurricane river clean up events.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation is continuing its post-hurricane coverage in the Coastal Review Online. They are also urging people not to burn pressure-treated wood that has been washed up along shorelines: "Pressure treated lumber is considered hazardous waste by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Burning this wood releases the chemical bond that holds the arsenic in the wood and just one tablespoon of ash from the burnt wood contains a lethal dose of this poison."
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Pearl River Flood Control "One Lake" Project Update
In early September, 56 organizations, including many WPN members, signed on to the letter opposing the Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) for the Pearl River Flood Control Project or One Lake Project. As we shared in past updates, this project, if constructed, would bring a barrage of destruction to Mississippi and Louisiana: destroying 1,500 acres of floodplain wetlands, transforming a free flowing river into an artificial impoundment, collapsing bridges, threatening endangered species, hurting downstream oyster production, and exposing people and wildlife to toxic pollutants.
The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2018, now needing only the President's signature to become law, includes a provision addressing the One Lake project. Unlike an earlier version of WRDA that prematurely advanced project planning, the version of WRDA that Congress passed requires full project review and approval, and requires that the project be designed to "address all adverse downstream impacts and to provide a detailed mitigation plan as required by law" (Section 1176 of S. 3021).
Many others have recently voiced opposition to the project: the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, Louisiana and Mississippi politicians, state natural resource agencies, people from the recreational and commercial fishing industries, and many others. The Mississippi Department of Transportation reported that the proposed project would cause the catastrophic collapse of seven bridges and require significant upgrades to two additional bridges, significantly increasing the project's cost beyond the $345 million estimate in the DEIS.
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Article: "The most important science policy issue in every state"
What do you think the most important science policy is in your state? For more than half of all states, according to Popular Science, it's a water policy issue. Water pollution, stormwater management, sea-level rise, wetland conservation, drought, and other water issues show up repeatedly in the list of major issues. Click on your state to see if you agree with what Popular Science has identified as the top science policy issue for your state:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Click here to read the full article.
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Resource: FishViews - Street View for Waterways
Imagine an online first person point-of-view map to explore rivers, lakes, and more - that's FishViews. WPN member Georgia River Network recently shared this resource in its October NewsStream (thanks!). FishViews founders Scott Gallagher and Brian Foote say that FishViews is "the most comprehensive snapshot of waterways ever attempted." FishViews' uses can range from identifying invasive species to sharing restoration project results to serving as an online river guide to many other custom uses. Watch the video below to learn more!
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Submit Your Nomination for America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2019
WPN member American Rivers is now accepting nominations for their 2019 report on America’s Most Endangered Rivers® (MER). American Rivers describes the MER report as one that "highlights ten rivers whose fate will be decided in the coming year, and encourages decision-makers to do the right thing for the rivers and the communities they support. The report is not a list of the nation’s “worst” or most polluted rivers, but rather it highlights rivers confronted by critical decisions that will determine their future. The report presents alternatives to proposals that would damage rivers, identifies those who make the crucial decisions, and points out opportunities for the public to take action on behalf of each listed river."
Rivers are selected based upon the following criteria:
- A major decision (that the public can help influence) in the coming year on the proposed action,
- The significance of the river to human and natural communities, and
- The magnitude of the threat to the river and associated communities, especially in light of a changing climate.
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Army Corps Public Notices Published in the Past 45 Days
Notice of Availability of the Final Missouri River Recovery Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement
Published October 12, 2018
Availability of a Final Integrated Feasibility Report (Feasibility Report/Environmental Impact Statement), Little Colorado River at Winslow, Navajo County, Arizona, Flood Risk Management Project
Published October 12, 2018
Notice from the National Park Service: Available for Public Review: Transcanyon Water Distribution Pipeline Environmental Assessment
Published October 10, 2018
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Lake Ralph Hall Regional Water Supply Reservoir Project, Fannin County, TX
Published October 5, 2018
Published September 13, 2018
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