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Meeting
Overview:
Over 50 faculty members and
professionals from the government and non-profit
sectors met at Cornell University in May for two days
dedicated to exploring Region 2 water quality issues.
The USDA Cooperative State Research Extension and Education
Service (CSREES), Regional Water Quality Program (RWQP),
started in 2001, provides a forum for faculty (from
the region’s Land Grant institutions and other universities)
to share information on current research with other
professionals and develop collaborative projects aimed at
solving water quality issues affecting Region 2. The
USDA CSREES Regional Water Quality Program in Region
2 covers the geographic area of New Jersey, New York, Puerto
Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
At the meeting, working sessions were
conducted on three regional initiatives: Animal Waste Management
for Small Farms; Nutrient Trading; and Onsite Wastewater Treatment
System Management. The group discussed current research, work
to date on the three initiatives, and opportunities for further
collaboration. A scoping session on watershed planning and
assessment was also convened to gather information and perspectives
from the participants on the challenges to effective watershed
protection and opportunities for collaboration within our
region. The State Water Quality Coordinators representing
three of our partner institutions chaired the regional initiative
sessions and a trained facilitator from Cornell Cooperative
Extension facilitated the watershed discussion.
In kicking off the event, Jeffrey Potent,
the Regional Water Quality Program Coordinator, noted that
“the regional program provides an important link between
science and policy. We promote the sharing of information
and collaborate on projects that draw on current research
and are grounded in addressing priority public policy issues.”
Working as a region allows us to share the expertise of our
partner institutions, build on their substantial networks,
and work on the same scale as our US Environmental Protection
Agency, Region 2 (US EPA) colleagues. Capabilities at our
universities are often complementary, and solutions found
in one jurisdiction may have application in another, across
the region, or nationally.
Mark your calendar; the 3rd Regional
Water Quality Program Annual Meeting is scheduled for May
10-11, 2005 at the US EPA headquarters in New York City.
Working
Session Summaries:
Animal
Waste Management for Small Farms
Nutrient
Trading
Onsite
Wastewater Treatment System Management
The following presentations
were given at the Annual Meeting:
Regional Water Quality
Coordination Program Meeting Overview
Jeffrey Potent, Regional Program Coordinator /US EPA Region
2 Liaison/Senior Extension Associate Cornell University
Animal Waste
Management in Small Farms
Rafael Davila, University of Puerto Rico
Environmental
Assessment for Horse Farms
Lee Telega, Cornell University
Plug
Flow Digesters
Peter Wright & Scott Inglis, Cornell University
Chesapeake Bay
and New York State, Water Quality and the Potential for Future
Regulations
Jim Curatolo, Upper Susquehanna Coalition
Pollutant
Trading in New Jersey: How to Meet TMDL Requirements for Total
Phosphorus
Christopher Obropta, Rutgers University
Nutrient
Trading
Gregory Poe, Cornell University
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