Meeting Summary: Dr. Ann Bartuska & SWC

Meeting Summary: Dr. Ann Bartuska & SWC Friday, April 15th 2:00-3:00 p.m. Meeting Location: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Participants (those with an asterisk participated by phone)  Jim Taft, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators  *Bill O’Connell, National Rural Water Association  *Kevin McCray, National Ground Water Association (NGWA)  *Chris Reimer, NGWA  *Mike Paque, Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC)  *Dan Yates, GWPC  Sylvia Malm, EPA-Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW)  Jyl Lapachin, EPA-OGWDW  Tom Wall, EPA-Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds  Christene Jennings, Salter Mitchell  Ann Bartuska, Deputy Under Secretary, Research, Education, and Economics, USDA  Chris Messer, Chief of Census Planning Branch, National Agricultural Statistics Service  Wayne Honeycutt, Deputy Chief, Science and Technology, Natural Resources Conservation Service  Deb Hayes, U.S. Forest Service  Mike O’Neill, National Program Leader, Division of Environmental Systems, Natural Resources and Environment, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA  Mark Walbridge, USDA Agricultural Research Service  Mary Ann Rozum, National Program Leader, Conservation and Environment, National Institute of Food & Agriculture, USDA

Background Information about the Source Water Collaborative  The Source Water Collaborative represents a group of 23 organizations at the Federal, State and local levels focusing on the collaboration and coordination needed to protect sources of drinking water. No one organization or agency has all the resources necessary to protect drinking water, which is why it is necessary to bring various groups together.  The SWC has existed for about 5 years and has produced a number of products, including a website at www.protectdrinkingwater.org. Recently sponsored two high profile watershed engagement collaborations  Salmon Falls Watershed for NH and ME (Collaboration initiated October 2010) http://www.wellsreserve.org/blog/32-salmon_falls_source_water_collaborative  Delaware River Basin – Linked together hundreds of people at 6 locations including a broadcast from Philadelphia (Forum occurred March 2011) www.delawarebasindrinkingwater.org.  Important to put information in the hands of local officials because ultimately land use decisions, ordinances and permitting occur on the local level.

Current Nutrients-Focused Priorities, Activities, and Interests of the Collaborative  The SWC enables a space for information sharing among members. The SWC is taking on nutrient reduction as one of the areas to address over the coming years. Interested in addressing non-point sources of pollution (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorous, and co-occurring contaminants)  SWC members recently conducted a series of interviews with agriculture groups to learn their thoughts about existing barriers and key concerns with respect to drinking water protection.  Desire to partner, share information and materials, and mobilize our memberships

Final Meeting Summary 4.29.11 1 Current Water-Related Priorities Throughout USDA

Overview  Water quality and quantity is a priority within the USDA. High Priority Performance Goals (HPPG) were set around a number of areas, including water. The water goal is to accelerate protection of water resources by installing high impact practices on 6 million acres of private working lands and national forests, in priority areas by the end of 2011. This requires monitoring what is going on in the watersheds as well as an assessment program (Conservation Effects and Assessment Program - CEAP) to show how practices are affecting water quality and quantity.  USDA has a new 5-Year Action Plan; water is one of priority goals. A focus on experimental watersheds was mentioned.  USDA interagency Water Team  USDA collaboration with the Johnson Foundation on their Fresh Water Imperative has brought in the private sector (List of CEOs who are engaged, ex. Kohler). Corporate policies need to address water issues (including water availability) because it affects business and their bottom line as well.

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

 Surveyed State Conservationists and the number one issue identified by greater than 60% of respondents was water quality, while soil erosion was only at 17%.  Program delivery:  Nutrient Management Standard has been undergoing a major revision. It has involved enhancing what the NRCS has already been doing and incorporating it on a site-specific basis. On Farm Network – Adaptive nutrient management concept helping farmers to fine tune their nutrient use and offer recommendations.  Intakes and Wellheads discussion and importance of these areas of source water.  Nutrient trading tool  GIS information on soils, conservation, property boundaries program prototype is in the works.

National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)  Focus is on supporting research, education, and extension to ensure that research findings are available in the classroom and for application in the field.  Research used to focus on pathogens, antibiotics, and hormones. Now climate change focus is taking into account weather, nitrogen, phosphorus, and greenhouse gases. They’re applying lessons learned and research findings to help foster precision farming.  Through the use of surveys determining the need and finding what information is most needed to be gathered from the farmers that is most useful in developing new practices.  Conducting survey of use of nutrients  Climate change research: looking at corn footprint, including fertilizer, water use, lifecycle assessment  In 2004, there was research on identifying how much water was needed for agriculture: Food production, drinking water, and for energy use. Never a full look at the quantity that these groups used together. Science is often developed in silos: they each look at the water source as their own and never as a shared resource.  Integrated water program currently trying to find solution to this, and balancing water use without restricting urban economies.  Focus on conserving water in agriculture for alternative uses – e.g. biofuels

Final Meeting Summary 4.29.11 2  CEAP studies in 16 watersheds to determine which conservation practices work best to reduce nutrients and when it is best to apply them. Also focus on conservation of water for alternative uses (e.g., biotechnology), and recycled water use in agriculture, seeking “win-win” alternatives.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)  Conduct Ag Census and follow-up surveys . Currently doing Farm & Ranch Irrigation Survey, including water re-use practices  Can provide GIS maps by HUC-6  Interested in input re: information needed by users of survey information  Chesapeake Bay pilot study  Chemical use studies  Irrigation practices

Forest Service  Water, Air, and Soil Strategic Plan coming soon, which lays out a watershed plan looking at the influence of climate change and extreme events on those ecosystem properties. The USFS also has its own water workgroup.  Data on forest management on a watershed scale (forest and rangeland sites), including water quality and climate data. That data is being placed online, although the water quality data may take another year to go live. Climate data also coming online soon.  Hydrologic database (hydrodb.net) – 50 years of watershed data

Agricultural Research Service (ARS)  Mark Walbridge mentioned the network of 28 benchmark watersheds covering most of the agricultural regions in the US.  The Upper Big Walnut Creek (Columbus, OH) – focus on source water protection; research effort was supported by source water research fund.  CEAP project, northeastern Indiana, watershed supplies water to city of Fort Wayne, IN.  Contributed to the Town Brook watershed (supply to NYC) – includes considerable work of interest to the SWC.  There are ARS research groups conducting watershed studies in Chesapeake Bay watershed and the Mississippi River basin - University Park, PA, Ames, IA, Columbia MO, Oxford, MI

Key Focus: How to move information out to the field  USDA’s Cooperative Extensions are designed to move science into practice -- putting knowledge into a system where it can be used. eXtension includes tools, webinars, and trainings along with a new community of practice on drinking water. http://www.extension.org/drinking%20water  The National Agricultural Library can be a resource for information on sustainability. A challenge is to consider how we might collectively get our arms around all the information available on sustainability as there are so many components that are often looked at individually. Dr. Bartuska suggested an emerging opportunity is to consider how EPA and USDA agencies might collectively use this information to pull relevant data to address problems, rather than just using it as a repository.

Suggested Next Steps and Initial Opportunities for Partnerships Where are some of the best opportunities over the next year?

1. SWC to connect with and provide a half-hour briefing to USDA’s standing water team.

Final Meeting Summary 4.29.11 3 a. A next step is to have a USDA water team member create a list of team members as a reference for the SWC. Recognizing the times when partners can work together will be key. b. Discuss possible partnership opportunities at the state or watershed scale

2. Conference opportunity: National Water Conference in Portland, OR, May 2012. SWC may develop a workshop to educate attendees about the Source Water Collaborative and to help provide training to help make State programs more effective. This is a great opportunity to network and share relevant information to a larger audience.

SWC could work with USDA water team to develop a half-day workshop to share key elements cooperative extension and county agents should know to be more effective. See http://www.usawaterquality.org/conferences/2012/default.html for details. a. Workshop might attract 30-40 very interested agents b. A nutrient trading workshop was well-received at an earlier conference c. Previous conference PowerPoints are stored online

3. Determine opportunity to coordinate with National Statistics Service regarding information needs that could be incorporated in National Ag Census, e.g., upcoming Farm & Ranch Irrigation Survey and other follow-up surveys. Consider providing input into priorities identified for particular geographic areas.

4. Explore possible connections with the work of the Johnson Foundation Fresh Water Imperative and source water protection.

5. Network and share information. Upcoming opportunity with full SWC at meeting on May 19th. Ongoing opportunities at future SWC meetings, as appropriate.

6. Attend and possibly present at NRCS State Conservationist meetings (1-2 times per year).

Contact Information for USDA Meeting Attendees Name Organization Title Phone Email Ann Bartuska Research, Education, Deputy Under 202-720-1542 [email protected] and Economics, USDA Secretary

Wayne Science and Deputy Chief 202-720-4630 [email protected] Honeycutt Technology, Natural Resources Conservation Service Chris Messer National Agricultural Chief of Census 202-690-8747 [email protected] Statistics Service Planning Branch

Mike O’Neill Division of National 202-505-5952 [email protected] Environmental Program Leader Systems, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Mary Ann USDA, National National 202-401-4522 [email protected] Rozum Institute for Food & Program Leader Agriculture Mark USDA Agricultural National 301-504-4731 [email protected] Walbridge Research Service Program Leader

Final Meeting Summary 4.29.11 4 Contact Information for SWC and EPA Meeting Attendees Name Organization Title Phone Email Deb Hayes U.S. Forest Service 703-605-5284 [email protected]

Jyl Lapachin EPA Office of Ground 202-564-0327 [email protected] Water and Drinking Water Sylvia Malm EPA Office of Ground 202-564-3889 [email protected] Water and Drinking Water Kevin McCray National Ground Executive 800-551-7379 [email protected] Water Association Director Ext. 503 Bill O’Connell National Rural Water Program 580-251-9080 Association Manager

Mike Paque Ground Water Executive 405-516-4972 [email protected] Protection Council Director

Chris Reimer National Ground Director of 800-551-7379 [email protected] Water Association Government Ext.560 Affairs Jim Taft Association of State Executive 703-812-9505 [email protected] Drinking Water Director Administrators Tom Wall EPA Office of Associate 202-564-4179 [email protected] Wetlands, Oceans, Director, and Watersheds Assessment & Watershed Protection Division Dan Yates Ground Water Director of 405-516-4972 [email protected] Protection Council Organizational Development

Final Meeting Summary 4.29.11 5