EPA Research Updates
Ammonia is found at high levels in many agricultural areas where groundwater is the primary drinking water source. To combat this problem, EPA researchers developed affordable and easy-to-use biological drinking water treatment systems. EPA successfully partnered with a community in Iowa in a year-long pilot project to test the technology.
All communities rely on clean air, clean water, green space, and other natural amenities for their economic sustainability and quality of life. However, these factors aren’t always fully understood or considered when making planning decisions. EPA’s EnviroAtlas combines a variety of data to help inform decision makers. EPA recently added data for six new urban areas, including Baltimore and Chicago.
Many students are familiar with common chronic illnesses, but may be unaware of how the surrounding environment is linked to these conditions. EPA’s new suite of educational materials aims to address that knowledge gap with classroom-ready lessons that teach students about the environment’s effects on their daily lives, including their health and well-being.
The “One Health” approach recognizes that human health is connected to the health of animals and the environment. An article by EPA researcher Betsy Hilborn describes how using a One Health approach could help address and reduce the risks associated with harmful algal blooms on human, animal, and environmental health.
EPA has announced the winner of its “Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability Award.” The winning student is Melanie Quan from Walnut Creek, California. Her research sought to filter microplastics using sustainable, low-cost technology to address sources of microplastics in our waterways.
Meet Our Researchers
 Meet EPA Researcher Elizabeth (Betsy)
Hilborn, RN, DVM, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM
Dr. Hilborn has worked
as a health scientist and epidemiologist at EPA for more than 20 years. She is
a nurse, a veterinarian, has a master’s degree in public health, and is Board Certified in Veterinary
Preventive Medicine. Learn more about her work.
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Events
Webinar: Tools for Assessing Lakes and
Streams: Lake Catchment (LakeCat) and Stream-Catchment (StreamCat) Datasets
Wednesday
May 30 | 2:00 PM ET
StreamCat
dataset is an extensive collection of landscape metrics for 2.6 million streams
and associated catchments within the conterminous U.S. and includes both
natural and human-related landscape features. StreamCat is available to the
public for download and provides an important tool for stream
researchers and managers to understand and characterize the Nation’s rivers and
streams.
LakeCat
Dataset is an extensive collection of landscape metrics for about 378 thousand
lakes and associated catchments within the conterminous U.S. and includes both
natural and human-related landscape features. The data is available to the
public for download and provides an important tool to understanding
and characterizing the Nation’s lakes.
Register here.
Webinar: Conventional Treatment Options for
Harmful Algal Blooms
Tuesday
June 5 | 2:00 PM ET
This
webinar will focus on conventional drinking water treatment options for surface
waters impacted by harmful algal blooms (HABs). Covered topics will
include the following:
- Cyanobacterial cell removals
through coagulation and sedimentation.
- Toxin removals through
coagulation, sedimentation, and filtration.
- Propagation of toxins and
indicators of cyanobacterial biomass through a surface water treatment
facility.
- Removal of cyanobacterial
toxins by powdered activated carbon (PAC).
- Impact of permanganate
oxidation on cyanobacterial cell integrity, toxin release, and toxin
degradation.
- Toxin degradation by free
chlorine.
Register here.
EPA Air Quality Sensor Workshop
June
25-26, 2018
EPA
will host an in-person workshop and online webinar, Deliberating Performance
Targets for Air Quality Sensors, to discuss a broad range of issues involved
with establishing and adopting a common set of non-regulatory performance
targets for air sensor technologies. The workshop will be held at EPA’s
research campus in Durham, NC. Anyone from state and local government, tribes,
industry, academia, or the public with special interest or technical expertise
in measuring ambient or near source air pollution is encouraged to attend the
workshop.
Register here.
Webinar: Use of Microbial Source Tracking Tools
in Waterborne Disease Outbreak Response
Wednesday
June 27 | 2:00 PM ET
Fecal
pollution in recreational and drinking source waters can result in outbreaks
leading to the transmission of disease. Recent advancements in the field of
molecular biology have led to the development of microbial source
tracking (MST) tools that can characterize fecal pollution from different
animal groups.
The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is using tools developed
by EPA scientists for environmental investigations of waterborne outbreaks. For
this webinar, EPA's Dr. Orin Shanks will provide an overview on EPA's MST
method development activities, and CDC's Dr. Mia Mattioli will highlight a CDC
response to a recent waterborne outbreak where an EPA developed
human-associated MST procedure was employed to help confirm a source of
norovirus.
Register here.
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