The Environmental Protection Agency is joining forces with Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC) to host the World Water Monitoring Day.
The event will be sponsored by CH2M Hill and Smithfield Foods, and will feature Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for U.S. EPA’s Office of Water, Timothy L. Miller, chief, Office of Water for the U.S. Geological Survey, Dennis Treacy, vice president of Smithfield Foods, WEF executive director Bill Bertera and 40 students from Ketcham Elementary School located in southeast Washington, DC.
World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is an international outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. The event is Held annually between September 18 and October 18, and engages communities in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries and other water bodies.
October 18, selected in honor of the Clean Water Act, marks the official conclusion of the month-long monitoring period.
Following brief opening remarks, attendees will participate in a water monitoring demonstration by ECC corps members and then break into groups to conduct hands-on testing of the Anacostia River. In addition, EPA has also selected the event to announce the first recipients of its new grant program, the Anacostia River Urban Watershed Partnership Grants. Developed in collaboration with the US Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration, the program is designed to support the protection and restoration of urban water resources through a holistic watershed approach to water quality management. The total amount to be awarded is approximately $1,000,000.
Originating as a national event, the international program was created in 2003 to engage communities around the world in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries and other water bodies. For more information, visit www.WorldWaterMonitoringDay.com.
Source: WEF
