Federal Water Tap, October 22: GAO Recommendations and Open Council Seats

The Government Accountability Office recommends that the two federal agencies that run the three main assistance programs for rural water systems better coordinate their application requirements. This would save rural communities time and money, the GAO says.

Water-Energy
The GAO also evaluated federal progress on the connections between water and energy. Having written five reports on the topic since 2009, the GAO recommends that the Department of Energy create such a program, mandated by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Circle of Blue reporting two years ago showed that the department quashed a report that would have outlined a comprehensive research agenda.

Water Quality App
The Environmental Protection Agency released an app for water-quality data. Just type your zip code and the app pulls up assessment reports for nearby water bodies.

Drinking Water Advisory Council
The EPA is seeking nominations for the council that advises the agency on drinking water issues. Nominations must be made before November 19 and should be sent to Simon.Roy@epa.gov with the subject line NDWACResume2012.

Missouri River Council
The Army Corps of Engineers needs to fill two open positions on a committee that advises the corps on the Missouri River. Application must be received by November 19 and should be sent to info@mrric.org with the subject line MRRIC.

California Water
The Bureau of Reclamation is now accepting public comments on the water management plans for municipal and agricultural water districts in California’s Central Valley. Comments must be received by November 21 and should be emailed to lsharp@usbr.gov.

Biofuels
The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded Pennsylvania State University a US$10 million grant to develop a biofuel supply chain in the Northeast.

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 Walton

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