CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING cosponsored by the Water Environment Federation and the Environmental and Energy Institute in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey, on Pesticides in the Nation's Streams and Ground Water

Friday, March 3, 2006, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
2318 Rayburn House Office Building

Speakers from USGS and EPA Discussion and questions from the audience will follow presentations.

The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) will release at this briefing its decadal, nationwide assessment on pesticide occurrence and concentrations in streams and ground water. The report will be available for briefing attendees.

The USGS assessment provides the most comprehensive national-scale analysis to date of pesticide occurrence, distribution and sources, and potential for effects on humans, aquatic life, and wildlife. Among the major findings are that pesticides are frequently present in streams and ground water, were seldom found at concentrations likely to affect humans, but were found in many streams at concentrations that may have effects on aquatic life or fish-eating wildlife.

The assessment also begins to examine two important topics with implications for the future-prediction of pesticides in unmonitored areas and long-term trends.

USGS findings can be used to help guide and inform state and national regulations and policies for water-quality protection, such as those currently being deliberated in the 2007 Farm Bill. For example, the science-based insights can help decision makers better anticipate the types of pesticides most likely to affect water quality in urban and agricultural areas, and improve investments in water-quality monitoring and management across the Nation's diverse environmental and pesticide use patterns.

Briefing Speakers:

• Robert Hirsch, USGS Associate Director for Water, will describe elements of the NAWQA design and significance of NAWQA's studies, providing a context for the pesticide findings.
• Bob Gilliom, NAWQA Pesticide Synthesis Team Leader, will present key findings and implications.
• Jim Jones, Director, Office of Pesticides of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will present implications of the findings and collaborative efforts by EPA and USGS to enhance the science base for EPA policy decisions.

For more information , please contact Pat Sinicropi at 703-684-2416 (psinicropi@wef.org) or Donna Myers at 703-648-5012 (dnmyers@usgs.gov)

Please distribute this notice among your colleagues and memberships.

The briefing is free and open to the public.

No registration is required.

NOTE: The USGS Circular and supporting materials will be available on the web (http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa, under "What's New") on March 3, 2006. The USGS Circular will be available in print in late March/early April. If you would like a copy of the report, please contact Pixie Hamilton (pahamilt@usgs.gov ; (804)-261-2602).