FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Lori Burkhammer, (703) 684-2480
lburkhammer@wef.org
October 18, 2006
Water Environment Federation Celebrates World Water Monitoring Day on the Anacostia River in Washington, DC
Alexandria, VA - The Water Environment Federation (WEF) joined with Earth Conservation Corps (ECC) to host World Water Monitoring DayTM 2006 today on the Anacostia River in Washington, DC. Benjamin H. Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for U.S. EPA’s Office of Water, led local dignitaries, water quality professionals, environmental groups and 40 students from Washington, DC-based Ketchum Elementary School in hands-on testing of the river’s water quality.
World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is an international outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. Held annually between September 18 and October 18, the program engages communities in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries and other water bodies. October 18 – selected in honor of the Clean Water Act - marks the official conclusion of the month-long monitoring period.
Sponsored by CH2M Hill and Smithfield Foods, the event took place at ECC’s Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center in southeast Washington. Following opening remarks, the fifth- and sixth-grade students participated in a water monitoring demonstration by ECC corps members and went out on boats to test the river for a core set of water quality parameters including temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity) and dissolved oxygen (DO).
“The World Water Monitoring Day program is based on education and awareness of the importance of individual behaviors on water quality everywhere,” said WEF Executive Director Bill Bertera. “Today’s event only adds to the amazing work of the Earth Conservation Corps in connecting local residents to the Anacostia and reinforces how global participation in World Water Monitoring Day teaches the basic principles of scientific monitoring and how our actions directly impact local water bodies.”
In addition, EPA chose the occasion to announce the first recipients of its new grant program, the Anacostia River Urban Watershed Partnership Grants. Developed in collaboration with the US Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration, the program is designed to support the protection and restoration of urban water resources through a holistic watershed approach to water quality management. The funding – totaling approximately $1 million – was awarded to the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, the Anacostia Watershed Society, and Prince George’s County, Maryland for projects related to the restoration of the Anacostia River and watershed.
Formally adopted by the Federation in July 2006, WEF and its primary international partner - the International Water Association (IWA) - encourages citizens and organizations from around the globe to share in this unique experience of water quality monitoring. Since the program’s inception in 2002, more than 80,000 people have participated in 50 countries. For more information, visit www.WorldWaterMonitoringDay.org.
About WEF
Founded in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with members from varied disciplines who work toward the WEF vision of preservation and enhancement of the global water environment. The WEF network includes water quality professionals from 76 Member Associations in 30 countries.