AgEP’s mission is to assist the agricultural cooperators of West Virginia Conservation Districts with the voluntary implementation of best management practices (BMPs) on agricultural lands in order to conserve and  improve land and water quality. The program offers technical and financial assistance as an incentive to implement suggested best management practices. Additional practice options will be determined by each Conservation District to best address the needs of the district.

The intent of AgEP is to be a simple, user-friendly program in order to encourage participation. Overall program primary objectives include the reduction of nutrients and sediment from entering the waters of the State and increasing farm profitability and sustainability. Each conservation district has the ability to modify the program to address specific agricultural issues in it’s area.

AgEP will provide opportunities for demonstration of site-specific agricultural best management practices and the education of  agricultural operators about innovative management and conservation practices and methods. AgEP supports implementation of new / innovative best management practices. CDs have discretion related to the evaluation and funding of these types of practices. Historically CDs have partnered with WVCA, WVU Extension, NRCS and  other agencies for on-site demonstration of new /innovative practices.

LID includes a variety of practices that mimic or preserve natural drainage processes to manage stormwater. LID practices typically retain rain water and encourage it to soak into the ground rather than allowing it to run into ditches and storm drains where it would otherwise contribute to flooding and pollution problems (see www.epa.gov/nps/lid).

The WV Stormwater Management and Design Guidance Manual is now available for download on WVDEP’s website.  You can access the manual here:

http://www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/Programs/stormwater/MS4/Pages/StormwaterManagementDesignandGuidanceManual.aspx

The manual focuses on the runoff reduction method of managing stormwater on-site to mimic natural hydrology.

PRESS RELEASE DECEMBER 4, 2012

State issuing new stormwater management guide

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has a new tool to help communities reduce the impacts of polluted stormwater on the state’s streams and rivers.

Produced for the WVDEP by the Center for Watershed Protection, the 500-page West Virginia Stormwater Management and Design Guidance Manual is the first of its kind in the state. Both state and federal funds were used for the $150,000 project, which took two and a half years to complete and is based on up-to-date research in the science of stormwater management.

The manual outlines innovative ways to use plants and soils to reduce runoff volumes and pollutants at development and redevelopment sites. The guide can be used as a design resource by any West Virginia community interested in more effectively dealing with the harmful effects of polluted stormwater to the state’s waterways.

The manual’s chief function, however, is to provide design instruction and guidance on implementing stormwater practices in accordance with West Virginia’s small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) General Permit. Forty-seven West Virginia communities are regulated under the MS4 permit.

“This is a resource tool for state stormwater officials, engineers and designers who are required to implement the provisions of the MS4 permit,” said the WVDEP’s Sherry Wilkins, project manager for the Guidance Manual. “By meeting these performance standards outlined in the permit, the MS4 communities will effectively improve the water quality of our streams and rivers and that benefits everybody.”

USDA Announces Federal Resource Guide to Assist Rural Communities

A series of websites associated with AMD experiments.  It includes not only the experiments but many additional study resources.  The complete manual is also available to download.

http://www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/getinvolved/sos/Pages/AMD.aspx

Project WET WASH Education Materials Available for Free Download

Children's WASH education activity booklet,
customized for Mexico

The Project WET Foundation's award-winning water, sanitation and hygiene materials have been collected on a single, easy-to-access page and are available as free downloads for educators worldwide. Project WET's WASH-related Educator Guides, Kids in Discovery series activity booklets, posters and reports cover multiple aspects of water, sanitation and hygiene, from proper hand washing to water source protection. The materials also promote basic literacy.

Many of Project WET's WASH education materials have been customized and translated in cooperation with local educators in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Materials are available in English, French, Spanish, Kiswahili and Chichewa; the Spanish-language materials have been further customized to reflect cultural and linguistic differences for five countries in Latin America.

To learn more, visit Project WET's WASH page.

New EPA PCB TMDL Handbook Released (PDF) (33 pp, 262K, About PDF)

EPA has issued a technical document titled Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Handbook, which provides EPA regions, states, and other stakeholders with updated information for addressing Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) waters impaired by PCBs.  PCBs rank sixth among the national causes of water quality impairment in the country, and of the 71,000 waterbody-pollutant combinations listed nationally, over 5,000 (eight percent) are PCB-related.  This handbook identifies various approaches to developing PCB TMDLs and provides examples of TMDLs from around the country, complete with online references.  It aims to help states complete more PCB TMDLs and ultimately restore those waters impaired by PCBs.

Free textbooks that volunteers, watershed groups, and formal educators may find helpful.

eMarketing: The Essential Guide to Online Marketing

eMarketing: The Essential Guide to Online Marketing is a comprehensive textbook containing holistic and integrated eMarketing tactics.

There is no doubt about it – the Internet has changed the world we live in. Never before has it been so easy to access information, communicate with people all over the globe

and share articles, videos, photos and all manner of media.

Rebuilding the Unity of Health and the Environment

This online book summarizes the results of a workshop that examined the connection between human health and the natural, built, and social environments. The book makes the assertion that a new vision for environmental health is needed because the current infrastructure for linking environmental health and public health is not working as well as it should. The book is available online for free, may be printed from PDF files, or hard copies may be ordered from the site.

Online Schoolbook "GOLD DUST"

GOLD DUST is the first online book that works on the basis of the "Papillon" educational concept. It's a combination of grand adventure, magical effects and global learning. By linking the book with the Internet, teaching books are transformed into a huge dynamic ecosystem of knowledge and allows children to see our world in a global context.

"The Best Management Practice is the Practice of Common Sense."

Please see attachment for manual.

An informational slideshow on how to build a rain garden.

Please see attachment.

Abstract

An Anchored Reinforced Vegetation System (ARVS) incorporates the combination of a geosynthetic, high strength woven, High Performance Turf Reinforcement Mat and Earth Percussion Anchors and is a system designed to provide erosion protection and armoring in the most critical of applications. Unlike traditional hard armoring techniques, this system is light weight, does not surcharge weak foundation soils, and is easy to maintain without heavy equipment and personnel. (Thompson, Propex, Inc.)  These systems have been traditionally utilized in non-agricultural situations including the Gordy Pumping Station by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans after being breached by Hurricane Katrina, as well as sites along the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and by the New York and California Departments of Transportation. 

Soil bioengineering is the use of live and dead herbaceous and woody plant materials in combination with natural and synthetic support materials for slope stabilization, erosion reduction, and vegetative establishment (NRCS).  Although often thought of as a new technology, these practices have been used for many years, as early as the 1930’s by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).  This paper will present demonstration projects conducted by the West Virginia Conservation Agency to control excess streambank soil erosion along pasture land, by utilizing a combination of Anchored Reinforced Vegetation and Soil Bioengineering techniques. 

Please see attachment for additional information.

DEP releases Marcellus Shale Industry Guidance 

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has released a guidance document and permit addendum designed to better manage water use and disposal by the oil and gas industry when drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation. Full article here. 

Our nation has made significant progress in cleaning up polluted waters. Yet, while we devote substantial resources to restoring impaired waters, we continue to experience the loss of some of our remaining healthy aquatic ecosystems. Some key statistics provide clear evidence of both recent and ongoing declines in our aquatic resources.

• Over the last 50 years, coastal and freshwater wetlands have declined; surface water and groundwater withdrawals have increased by 46%; and non-native fish have established themselves in many watersheds (Heinz Center, 2008).
• A recent national water quality survey of the nation's wadeable streams showed that 42% of the nation's stream length is in poor biological condition and 25% is in fair biological condition (U.S. EPA, 2006).
• Nearly 40% of fish in North American freshwater streams, rivers, and lakes are found to be vulnerable, threatened, or endangered; nearly twice as many as were included on the imperiled list from a similar survey conducted in 1989 (Jelks et al., 2008).

The objective of the federal Clean Water Act is to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters." While other EPA programs focus on restoring impaired waters, the Healthy Watersheds Initiative augments the watershed approach with proactive, holistic aquatic ecosystem conservation and protection. The Healthy Watersheds Initiative includes both assessment and management approaches that encourage states, local governments, watershed organizations, and others to take a strategic, systems approach to conserve healthy components of watersheds, and, therefore, avoid additional water quality impairments in the future.

EPA Handbook for Developing Watershed Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

EPA's Office of Water has issued a "Handbook for Developing Watershed TMDLs" available at:  http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/tmdl/upload/pcb_tmdl_handbook.pdf

PCB TMDL Handbook (PDF) (33 pp, 262K), December 2011.The Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Handbook provides EPA Regions, states, and other stakeholders with a compendium of updated information for addressing Clean Water Act section 303(d) waters impaired by PCBs.  This handbook identifies various approaches to developing PCB TMDLs and provides examples of TMDLs from around the country, complete with Web references.  It aims to help states complete more PCB TMDLs, and ultimately restore those waters impaired by PCBs.

Fact Sheet: PCB TMDL Handbook (PDF) (3 pp, 57K) December 2011.

River Network Launches New Antidegradation Database!

Ever wonder how your state's water quality protections compare to other states?  Now you can find out…at least for one critical Clean Water Act program. 

River Network's online antidegradation database lets you search by state or key policy questions for information about how states implement the Clean Water Act's main policy program for keeping clean water clean – the antidegradation policy. 

Today's database launch includes only one state in the Eastern Coalfields, Ohio, but they will be adding states monthly, so check back soon. You may also request that your state be added in the next round or request specialized search options by contacting Merritt at mfrey@rivernetwork.org.

Click here to check it out.

On-line NPS Encyclopedia, Courtesy of CA EPA

The NPS Encyclopedia is a free on-line reference guide designed to facilitate a basic understanding of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control and to provide quick access to essential information from a variety of sources by providing direct hyperlinks to resources available on the World Wide Web. The NPS Encyclopedia’s companion tool, the MP Miner, allows users to cull data from studies of management practices (peer reviewed and others) by filtering studies using two relevant site-specific variables such as slope, salinity, flushing and soil type.

The purpose of this on-line resource guide is to support the implementation and development of NPS total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) and watershed (action) plans with a goal of protecting high-quality waters and restoring impaired waters. The guide is organized around the six land-use categories: Agriculture; Forestry; Urban; Marinas and Recreational Boating; Hydromodification; and Wetlands, Riparian and Vegetative Treatment Systems.

You can access the Encyclopedia online here, or, if you would like a CD containing the NPS Encyclopedia sent to you, please leave your name and mailing address with Kelly Maurie at (916) 327-9530.

The link below is to a handbook created by Penn State Extension titled, “Natural Gas Exploration:  A Landowner’s Guide to Leasing Land in Pennsylvania”.  It looks like a useful handbook for landowners considering leasing their surface rights for oil and gas exploration.

http://cas.psu.edu/spotlight/gasprimer08_web.pdf

The guide covers topics ranging from program planning, integrating stormwater with land use planning, developing locally-appropriate stormwater criteria, stormwater inspection and maintenance programs, and program evaluation and tracking. The tools include a program self-assessment; model post-construction stormwater ordinance; plan review, inspection, and maintenance checklists; and more. The guide and tools can be downloaded at: www.cwp.org> Resources > Controlling Runoff & Discharges > Stormwater Management or by visiting http://www.cwp.org/postconstruction

Power Point Slide Show of:
Water Conservation Ideas
Developed by: West Virginia Conservation Agency Watershed Resource Center

Power Point Slide Show of:
West Virginia Best Management Practices of Conservation Practice Standards

Developed by: West Virginia Conservation Agency
Natural Resource Conservation Service

~ The Best Management Practice Is The Practice Of Common Sense.

http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/acad2000/sustainablefinance/

Many watershed organizations could increase their impact through long-term financial planning. In order to most effectively protect America's waters, watershed organizations must develop and implement strategies to obtain, diversify, and leverage sustainable sources of funding.

This training module is designed to help your watershed organization develop and implement a sustainable funding plan. This module:

• Outlines the six key steps of fundraising plan development
  
  
• Introduces a diverse set of fundraising options
  
  
• Provides case studies of successful finance mechanisms

Our hope is to give both established and new nonprofit watershed organizations a solid methodology for creating finance plans to ensure their own sustainability. This module is intended primarily for nonprofit watershed organizations. State or local governments should visit the EPA Financing for Compliance Page.

We use case studies throughout the module to provide real examples of finance strategies employed by nonprofit watershed organizations throughout the country. The title of this module may suggest a template for creating a written funding plan. While a written plan is one outcome, we hope the process of developing the plan—as outlined in six steps—is of even greater value.

Fun, educational placemat for kids!

Please see attachment for a printable / downloadable placemat.

  Rain Barrel Facts ~

Why Harvest Rainwater?...

Harvesting rainwater will save you money and help the environment at the same time. You can collect a substantial amount of rainwater with a simple system. This extra water can have a significant impact on your water bill.

Rain water is usually collected from the roofs of houses, it picks up very little contamination when it falls. That is, if you keep your roof clean of debris and potential contaminants to maximize purity. The material your roof is made of is also important in how much contamination the water will carry. The chemicals and hard water from many municipal water systems can produce an imbalance in the soil of your garden. Chemical fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, and drought can also disrupt the balance and harmony of the soil. This imbalance causes trees and plants to weaken and makes them more susceptible to disease.

One of the best reasons to start harvesting rainwater with rain barrels is that if you teach and encourage others to do the same, you will help to spread the culture of rainwater collection and in turn help the larger community and the environment. It is always important to remember that every living thing on the planet needs water to survive!

Please see attachment for printable / downloadable fact sheet.

Hampshire County Special Services (HCSS), provides gainful employment to over 60 developmentally disabled adults from Hampshire, Hardy, Grant and Mineral counties.  The program recently teamed up with the Potomac Valley Conservation District (PVCD) to produce a high quality compost made from agricultural wastes and sawdust. Clients are compensated for their efforts in shredding the paper and are involved in transporting the carbon source to the composting demonstration site in Moorefield, WV. The shredded paper is then mixed with agricultural and forestry by-products to produce a high quality soil amendment. This innovative partnership has proven to be a win-win situation for all involved. Clients of HCSS are earning a sense of  purpose and involvement in the project and the community while being compensated for their services.  The PVCD is assisting the environment in the reduction of nutrients potentially entering local water bodies. 

What are the Advantages of Using This Product?

PRODUCTION BENEFITS
· Safe, natural product
· No odor
· Provides valuable slow release of nutrients required for healthy plants
                 Nitrogen
                 Phosphorous
                 Potassium
· Provides many necessary micronutrients not found in commercial fertilizers
· Builds soils while adding organic material
· Helps sandy soils retain water and nutrients and loosens tightly bound clay or soil particles
· Buffers both acidic and alkaline soils
· Encourages healthy root systems

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
· Diverts waste that would typically enter landfill systems
· Alternative use for agricultural nutrients that might typically be over-applied
· Reduces need for water, fertilizers and pesticides in lawns
· Promotes Recycling!

For more information, please see the printable / downloable brochure attachment.

http://tagis.dep.wv.gov/wwt//index.html

            The West Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Best Management Practice Manual addresses erosion and sediment control for earth disturbing activities associated with construction.  The manual is designed to assist construction site developers, engineers, designers, and contractors in identifying and implementing the most appropriate best management practices for construction activities.

            The purpose of this manual is to provide standardized and comprehensive erosion and sediment control management practices for implementation on construction projects throughout West Virginia. It is intended that this manual be used as guidance for developing sediment control plans for the West Virginia/National Pollution Discharge Elimination System General Water Pollution Control Permit for Stormwater Associated with Construction Activities. However, the use of other best management practices manuals may also be acceptable. The goal is to reduce the water quality impacts of land-disturbing activities through the design and implementation of effective erosion prevention and sediment control.

Water Conservation - What You Can Do!

A book containing a series of ideas and fact sheets on different methods of water conservation.

For additional information, contact the WVCA Watershed Resource Center at 304.558.0382 or email at wrc@wvca.us.

Nonpoint Source Pollution - A Series of Fact Sheets

For more information, see attachment or contact:
WVCA Watershed Resource Center
1900 Kanawha Blvd., East
Charleston, WV 25305-0193
304.558.0382

Turbidity measures how clear the water is - or isn’t.  Turbid means there is a lot of debris, silt or other stuff floating around. That makes the water dark and murky, which makes it difficult for plants to grow and animals to breath.

Turbidity brochure available through the WVCA Watershed Resource Center. For additional information contact:

Jami R. Thompson
Resource Specialist
WVCA Watershed Resource Center
304.558.0382

An informational brochure on groundwater, what it is, where it comes from, and how kids can help too!

For additional information contact:

Jami R. Thompson
Resource Specialist
WVCA Watershed Resource Center
304.558.0382

http://water.epa.gov/action/weatherchannel/
DVD Copies of "After the Storm" Program Available

DVD copies of the popular half-hour television special about
watersheds -After the Storm - co-produced by The Weather Channel (TWC)
and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are now available at no
charge. This program premiered on TWC in 2004 and continues to be
used by teachers at all levels and by cable TV stations to help educate
citizens about stormwater management. The program highlights three
case studies - Santa Monica Bay, the Mississippi River Basin/Gulf of
Mexico, and New York City - where polluted runoff threatens watersheds highly
valued for recreation, commercial fisheries and navigation, and
drinking water. For more information on this program, including tips about
what you can do to prevent watershed pollution, visit EPA's Web site at:
www.epa.gov/weatherchannel. To order a free copy of After the Storm,
please contact NSCEP at 800-490-9198 or send an email to
nscep@bps-lmit.com and please refer to After the Storm (DVD), EPA
841-C-06-001 OR After the Storm (VHS), EPA 840-V-04-001.


Anne Weinberg
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Communications Coordinator
Assessment and Watershed Protection Division
____________________________________________________
Mailing Address: Off. Location & Fed Ex
Address
Mail Code 4503T 1301 Constitution Ave. NW
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Room 7330H
Washington, DC 20460 Washington, DC 20004

Phone: 202-566-1217
Fax: 202-566-1333
Email: weinberg.anne@epa.gov

http://www.epa.gov/owow/streamsurvey

What is the WV Save Our Streams Program?

For more information contact:

Timothy Craddock, Citizens Monitoring Coordinator
West Virginia Save Our Streams Program
601 57th Street, SE
Charleston, WV  25304

Office: 304-926-0499 (1040)
Mobile: 304-389-7630
E-mail: tcraddock@wvdep.org
Web Page: http://www.wvdep.org/dwwm/wvsos

  CREP

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program is another spin off the Conservation Reserve Program that allows farmers to voluntarily idle environmentally sensitive land, decrease erosion, restore wildlife habitat, and safeguard ground and surface water.

CREP is a partnership with federal and state government and is available to the majority of the geographic areas in West Virginia.

Sign up / Eligibility Requirements

Like CRP, CREP contracts require a 10 to 15 year commitment to keep lands out of agricultural production. CREP provides multiple payments to participants who offer eligible land, including a federal annual rental payment, incentive and maintenance payments.  Cost share to install practices is available at a 50%, plus an additional 40% incentive for a total of 90% cost  coverage.  A one time signing incentive is offered, by the federal government through FSA and also an additional by the state through the Conservation District.

Land must be owned or leased for at least one year prior to enrollment to be eligible, and must be physically and legally capable of being cropped in a normal manner.  Pasture land may also be eligible for the program.

Enrollment is on a continuous basis, permitting farmers to join the program at anytime rather than waiting for specific sign-up periods.

Approved Conservation Practices

The following conservation practices may be eligible for land enrolled into the West Virginia CREP:

· Establishment of Permanent Introduced Grasses and Legumes

· Establishment of Permanent Native Grasses

· Hardwood Tree Planting

· Filter Strips

· Riparian Buffer

 Wetland Restoration

Caring for our Roads and Rivers

Erosion and sedimentation, occur naturally as a result of
 
runoff from development. This sediment and erosion is a

serious challenge to water quality and road maintenance. 

This is a guide to what individuals can do to protect their
 
property and help ensure our rivers and roads are cared

for properly.

A Handbook for Stream Enhancement & Stewardship, prepared by The Izaak Walton League, provides a consolidation of much otherwise-dispersed information into a clearly written, well organized, easily manageable single volume. 

This handbook is intended to be a basic resource for individuals, classes, organizations, volunteer groups, or communities-- and for those who mentor them -- wishing to carry out environmentally sound, cost-effective stream corridor assessment, enhancement, and stewardship programs.  It will be of great value to readers who want to acquire a solid grasp of the fundamentals of assessing the physical condition and ecological well-being of streams, of what might be done to improve the stability and ecological health of stream corridors, and of implementing effective stream enhancement programs in their communities. 

Available from McDonald & Woodward Publishing, this title is more fully described at www.mwpubco.com/stream.htm. The regular price of $34.95 is currently discounted by 30% to $24.47 now through July 31, 2006.  Bulk discounts are also available for agencies, organizations, and educational institutions. For more information, and to order this publication, please contact M&W Publishing at 800-233-8787. 

Informational fact sheet on available help for dirt roads in WV.

• Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA)
• Driveway Tips
• Forestry Land Enhancement Program (FLEP)
• Active Oil and Gas Roads

Do you like the outdoors?  Are you 14 - 18 years old?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, West Virginia State Conservation Camp is the place for you!

• Non-point Source Impacts and Solutions
• Erosion and Sediment Control
• Stormwater Management
• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
• Proper Road Construction
• Water Quality Education for Watershed Associations, Federal and State
• Best Management Practices (BMP's)