River Habitat Blog

In late February, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the final, 2012 Nationwide Permits. Every five years the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) reissues a series of general wetland dredge and fill and stream alteration permits known as the Nationwide Permits (NWPs). These permits allow for all types of activities that may harm wetlands and streams.

Five stories and resources from the last week you don't want to miss:

EPA's proposed bacteria standards let 1 in 28 swimmers fall ill

I'm late with the Wednesday Roundup again but I have a good excuse. Several good excuses.

Join us on Wednesday, February 15 at Noon eastern/11 central/10 mountain/9 pacific for a River Network webinar on a fundamental tool of the Clean Water Act – water quality standards.

I hate to do a post that just says "read this," but sometimes a piece of writing is so compelling there is little to add except an exhortation to engage with the thinking. A recent paper -- Water-Use Efficiency and Productivity: Rethinking the Basin Approach -- by Peter Gleick and two of his colleagues at the Pacific Institute is just such a piece.

In the last week it seems like suddenly everyone in the West is talking about the weather -- or the lack of it. The lack of snow and hence snow pack in particular. While it is early in the season and much can still change, the current clear skies seem to be motivating a flurry of media coverage of issues related to snow, climate, flows and related concerns in the region.

Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a draft document detailing new recreational water quality criteria for bacteria. Comments on the draft document are due February 21, 2012.