taken from the CQ Roll Call, written by Katey McGettrick
The House on Monday passed legislation that would exempt fire hydrants from new lead-free requirements for drinking water systems scheduled to go into effect in January.
The bill (HR 3588), passed 384-0 under suspension of the rules, would clarify that fire hydrants could be built with materials that do not meet the revised standards.
With the current low interest rates any municipal system thinking about a project should start the process.
Work is underway on a high-tech scientific monitoring system that’s designed to protect Lake George’s long-term water quality. This summer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, IBM and The Fund for Lake George unveiled plans for a three-year, multimillion-dollar effort to counteract forces that threaten the lake, such as road salt, stormwater runoff and invasive species.
With support from USDA Rural Development, the Environmental Finance Center will fund up to three proposals for as much as $5,000 each to provide NYS rural municipalities with the proper tools and resources to fully conduct an Asset Management inventory for their water or wastewater system. All submissions must be received by 5:00pm on January 3rd, 2014, to be considered.
More floods like those in 2011 are expected; preparation is urged
Times Union
Albany
The extreme flooding that hit Lake Champlain twice in 2011, causing millions of dollars in damage in New York, Vermont and Quebec, will become more likely due to ongoing climate change and work must be done now to prepare, a report issued by the Vermont-based Lake Champlain Basin Program says.