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Best Practices For Septic System Repairs using CWSRF Funds

The Office of Water and Region 8 are pleased to announce the 8th in a series of monthly 1-hour webinars on best practices in the implementation of the National Water Program.  The next webinar is scheduled for Thursday, July 17th from 2 to 3 pm (Eastern Daylight Time). Representatives from EPA’s Region 3 Office will provide a presentation on using CWSRF funds for septic system repairs by partnering with state housing agencies.  Tune into the webinar next Thursday to hear how they

States Top Court Rules in Favor of Local Town Prohibiting Hydraulic Fracturing

On June 30th, the State Court of Appeals in a 5-to-2 decision found that the Town of Dryden in Tompkins County and the Town of Middlefield in Otsego County have the authority to prohibit fracking through local land use regulations.  Opponents of fracking immediately celebrated the ruling whereas a lawyer for one of the energy companies in the suit indicated that the ruling made it increasingly unlikely that gas drilling companies would invest in New York State.

Legislature Slams Clean Water Act Reform

The Greene County Legislature is fighting a proposed modification to the Clean Water Act that lawmakers say will burden farmers with “costly and time-consuming permitting and regulatory protocols,” according to a resolution passed last week.

The change was proposed in April by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the stated intention of clarifying protections for streams and wetlands, which became confusing and complicated after Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006.

European Cities’ Sewer Water Exposes Drug Use

 European cities’ sewer water exposes use of cocaine, cannabis, meth and ecstasy
Imagine you could let your city urinate in a cup and submit the sample to a laboratory for drug testing. Would it pass?

Researchers in Europe did something similar with 42 major cities, and many of them failed.

Lab tests on sewage water to detect chemicals excreted after drug use turned up high levels of cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, meth and other amphetamines.