Federal Water Tap, May 28: Water, Snow and Fire
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that a pollution permit, called a NPDES permit in the lingo, will not be necessary for stormwater coming from logging roads. The agency will continue to study the best way to reduce sediment runoff from what it calls “a relatively small subset” of roads that affect stream quality.
Powder Play
Responding to a lawsuit from ski resorts operating on public lands, the U.S. Forest Service said that restrictions it placed on water rights are a legal administrative procedure, the Summit County Voice reports. The restrictions are designed to prevent water from being sold.
Legislation
This week the House of Representation might discuss the appropriations bill that sets the fiscal year 2013 budget for the Department of Energy, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other water and energy agencies.
Glen Canyon
Ecosystem protection in the Grand Canyon is the goal of two research programs announced by the Interior Department. One program will use high-volume releases from Glen Canyon dam, upstream on the Colorado River, to mimic natural flood flows. The other seeks to protect endangered fish from non-native species.
Fire Threat
Infrared sensors on NOAA satellites show the dry conditions that led to large fires last week in the Southwest. A fire in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest spreads over 49,000 hectares (122,000 acres).
Drought
The latest government drought report shows “exceptional” drought conditions–the most severe category–in much of Georgia and north Florida.
Federal Water Tap is a weekly digest spotting trends in U.S. government water policy. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton
Yeah, it is highly expected that few parts of the country are going to be hit by the drought conditions. So, it is suggested to everyone that they should try to preserve as much of water as they can to make use of it in difficult situations. So, to save life, save water.