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MONTANA WATER NEWS will come your way via email every month with fresh news about meetings and water topics that we hope is of interest to you. If you do not want to receive this newsletter, please scroll down and follow the directions to unsubscribe. If you are seeing only text in this email, or if it's not easy to read, please make sure your email program is set to view "HTML" messages, or view the newsletter online in the newsletter archives.

New Position at the Montana Water Center

National Dialogue on Water Policy

Due to scheduling difficulties and other concurrent meetings in the state, Montana’s annual meeting of the Montana Chapter of the American Water Resources Association has been rescheduled to Thursday and Friday, October 27 and 28, 2005, in Bozeman. Details will be posted at http://awra.org/state/montana/. Please re-mark your calendars, and watch for a Call for Papers coming your way soon.

Call for Nominations for the Targeted Watershed Grants

On February 18, EPA announced the Call for Nominations for the third year of Targeted Watersheds grants. Formerly called the Watershed Initiative program, the Targeted Watersheds Grant Program is an integral part of EPA’s watershed approach to clean water by providing assistance to state and local community groups to protect inland and coastal watersheds. This year Congress has provided a total of $18 million for grants to support community-based approaches and activities to protect and restore local water resources. Nominations are due on or before May 19, 2005. Final selections of watershed grantees will be announced this summer. The Federal Register Notice with the Call for Nominations, and other information about the Targeted Watersheds Grant Program is available at http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/initiative/.

National Dialogue on Water Policy

On February 14-15, 2005, the American Water Resources Association hosted a national dialogue on water policy in Tucson, Arizona at which 200 scientists and policy makers from throughout the country discussed the nature and extent of federal water resource policies, with a focus on western water issues. Conference planners are preparing an after-action report, “America's Water Policy Challenges,” to be presented to the President, members of Congress, and the nation's governors. Watch for this report on the AWRA web site at http://www.awra.org.

Now Online: "Growth and Water Resources" Training Module

A new on-line, distance learning training module called “Growth and Water Resources” has recently been posted on EPA's Watershed Academy Web at http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/smartgrowth/. This training module explains how changes in land use affect water resources, and presents national data on trends in development patterns and activities on lands that pose significant challenges for achieving water quality standards. The module describes approaches to accommodate future growth in a way that benefits the economy and the environment and will help us meet water resource goals. The module also includes links to on-line resources. For more information, contact Jamal Kadri at kadri.jamal@epa.gov.

Montana’s 2004 Integrated Water Quality Report Now Available

The EPA has approved Montana’s 2004 Integrated Water Quality Report submitted by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The 2004 draft report is now available to the public. It combines the 303(d) list of Montana water bodies impaired and in need of water quality restoration, as well as a water quality atlas, known as the 305(b) report, a summary of state water quality information. The report includes changes in assessment information for waters already on the list, and changes to the schedule for preparing total maximum daily loads or TMDLs. A TMDL is the total amount of a pollutant that a water body may receive from all sources without exceeding water quality standards.

The report is available at http://nris.state.mt.us/wis/environet/ under "Enter Water Quality Reports." Hard copies of the report are also available at libraries across the state of Montana. If you wish to obtain a hardcopy of the report, or have problems accessing the report via the Internet, please contact the Montana Integrated Report Coordinator, Staci Stolp at (406) 444-3409, sstolp@mt.gov.

Fellowships, Internship, and Grant Opportunities; Events Listings

Be sure to check the Montana Water web site for latest listing on student and professional funding opportunities, as well as a host of water resource meetings and trainings. Go to http://water.montana.edu, and view the appropriate menu tabs at the top of the page for new postings.

So many meetings, so little time. Even so, there are a few that water folks just shouldn't miss! Find more information on these and other upcoming events on the Events Calendar at MONTANA WATER.