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Canada

Ontario has rejected a controversial proposal to curb water diversions from the Great Lakes, saying the new proposal is too permissive. The proposal was floated by the Council of Great Lakes Governors, made up of officials from eight U.S. states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec. The plan outlined conditions for possible water diversions to communities located just outside the Great Lakes basin, while denying long-distance diversions to other states and countries now clamoring for water. Scientists and Canadian policymakers say the plan may not be protective enough because too little is known about the water budget to safely implement it.

Arkansas

A 13-inch minimum length limit for largemouth bass is now in effect for Lake Ouachita, replacing a 13- to 16-inch slot limit. However, the daily limit will remain six bass, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). Recent sampling work conducted by the AGFC estimates that roughly 40 percent of the largemouth bass in Ouachita are currently "inside the slot" and state biologists believe a minimum length limit will eventually increase the chance for trophy bass growth.

The new boat ramp in Helena, Ark., on the Mississippi River has been officially named the "James O. 'Scooter' Gabbie Access" in honor of the individual who did much to get this site completed. In addition to his efforts on the new ramp, Gabbie has been instrumental in several other sportsmen's causes in Arkansas, including passage of Amendment 75, which is known as the conservation sales tax.

Fishermen visiting Bull Shoals, Table Rock and Norfork can play a vital role in the formulation of the lakes' fisheries management strategies. Together with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, personnel from the AGFC will conduct random "user surveys" at public boat ramps. Surveys will continue through October and will take only a few minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary, but the public is urged to take advantage of the opportunity. "We want to have as much (public) input as possible to help guide us through our management plans for the lakes," said Mike Armstrong, AGFC's assistant chief of fisheries.

California

In a closely watched and controversial move, the Bush administration has agreed to pay San Joaquin Valley farmers $16.7 million as compensation for undelivered irrigation water. The settlement relieves farmers with the Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District and others whose water was diverted to help endangered species. The money is less than what a federal judge originally ordered, but far more than what some California officials wanted. "I believe that settling this lawsuit is a mistake," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. "(It) will establish a precedent that could require the public to pay tens of millions of dollars to water users, in many cases where even a small portion of their anticipated deliveries is needed to protect endangered salmon or other fish." Technically speaking, though, the settlement is not a precedent. The three page agreement filed with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims specifies, as is customary, that the agreement should not be interpreted as "a precedent or argument in this or any other case." A single opinion by a claims court judge does not bind other judges.

Colorado

Colorado and six other drought-plagued states have been given less than four months to craft new water-sharing rules for the Colorado River or they will be forced to accept a federal water allocation plan. Citing the five year drought and alarmingly low reservoir levels, federal water officials said new rules for sharing water in times of shortages are critical to ensuring that Western states have adequate supplies. States in the basin knew they would have to develop new drought rules, but the April 1 deadline is aggressive, several water officials said. By comparison, similar guidelines crafted to divide Colorado River water when there was extra to go around took more than a decade to complete. Colorado, worried that the drought would trigger a demand for more of its supplies, has said it will spend up to $2 million during the next two years to ensure it has the data and legal clout to defend its shares, in case a basin-wide drought plan can't be developed. Approximately 25 million people from Wyoming to California rely on the Colorado River.

Florida

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) directed its staff to proceed with public hearings to help develop new manatee zones in Lee County. Proposed zones, developed by the FWC and a local rule review committee, resemble boat speed zones for manatee protection previously in place in Lee County. The previous speed zones did not survive a court challenge, based on procedural issues. If the FWC does not adopt the new rules to establish the zones, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may establish permanent federal boating speed zones in the county. The FWC's position is that manatee protection is best designed at the state level in a process that incorporates more public input than in the federal process. The FWC will advertise the proposed rules, hold a public hearing in Lee County in early 2005 and solicit public input and comments. The FWC plans to take final action on the rules proposals at its April meeting.

Illinois

A new agreement between the former owner of an old oil refinery and government agencies should accelerate by at least a decade the restoration of a polluted stretch of southeastern Illinois riverfront, officials announced Tuesday. The 990-acre property along the Embarras River near Lawrenceville was used for disposal of oil, acid sludge and other waste from 1907 until the 1990s. Toxins created a "dead zone" in forests and polluted groundwater and the nearby Embarras and Wabash rivers. Tarlike waste was removed from several nearby homes in the 1990s. ChevronTexaco Corp., the refinery's former owner, agreed in 2001 to begin assessment and cleanup as part of a consent decree after the state sued the company. The new agreement streamlines federal regulations that govern the cleanup of sites under the Superfund program. Under the pact, environmental workers will assess physical contamination at the same time they survey the damage to the site's natural resources, a combination that will accelerate restoration by 10 to 15 years, officials said. Restoration possibilities could include purchasing land for tree planting to replace lost flood plain forest and installing ripple pools in area streams to improve water quality and revitalize fish populations.

Maryland

Reiterating their commitment to improve government efficiency and continue efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay, officials at Maryland recently announced the transfer of a grant program and its associated employees from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) over to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). This administrative action calls for transferring a division of the Watershed Service Unit of DNR to the Technical and Regulatory Services Administration of MDE. The transfer impacts 13 positions within Maryland's Nonpoint Source Management Program. Effective Jan. 10, the transferred employees reported to MDE headquarters in Baltimore. "This transfer enables a more comprehensive and streamlined approach in working to reduce pollution and help restore the Chesapeake Bay, a goal Gov. Ehrlich, Secretary Philbrick and I are passionate about," said DNR Secretary C. Ronald Franks. "I believe this action will enable us to progress in team efforts to restoring the Bay in a more expedient manner."

Michigan

Michigan government leaders and environmentalists are at odds over proposed federal standards that would allow communities to dump partially treated sewage into local waterways during heavy rainfalls. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to decide soon whether to allow "sewage blending," a practice in which cities mix untreated sewage with fully treated wastewater during storms. The policy could save Metro Detroit millions of dollars in sewer repairs and ease basement flooding, but raises health and ecological fears. The new rules could send more potentially harmful contaminants into the Detroit River or Lake St. Clair, the source of drinking water for much of Metro Detroit.

Minnesota

Minnesota officials believe it will take a 93 percent reduction in mercury emissions — based on 1990 levels — before fish in state lakes are safe to eat. But they stopped short of proposing regulations to help meet that goal. Instead, the state will wait to see if proposed federal regulations help reduce the overall mercury emissions before taking action. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the sources of thousands of pounds of mercury pollution have to be shut off or fixed so they no longer spew mercury into the environment. Of the mercury that contaminates fish in Minnesota, officials estimate that 70 percent can be traced to human-related sources, most of which are located outside the state's borders. State scientists say that cutting only the 10 percent of human-caused mercury produced in Minnesota will do little to solve the environmental and public health problems of contaminated fish. Wisconsin has taken a different tack, not waiting for federal action. In July, Wisconsin regulators enacted tough mercury-reduction regulations, demanding that electric utilities cut mercury emissions in the state 40 percent by 2010 and 80 percent by 2015.

New Mexico

Speaking at a water conference in Nevada, top federal officials warned that the prolonged drought means that New Mexico and the six other states that draw from the Colorado River must devise a plan by April 1 spelling out how they can cut consumption. Meanwhile, both Santa Fe and Albuquerque are moving ahead with plans to build multimillion-dollar facilities along the Rio Grande to draw water that's been imported into the state from the headwaters of the Colorado River. The cities say getting the additional water is critical to supporting future growth. However, if this spring's runoff from mountain snowpack is only at the same level as 2002, federal officials say the water level in Lake Powell would fall below the level at which the dam can produce electrical power by January 2006 at the current rate of releases.

Oregon

Work to deepen the Columbia River by 3 feet will begin this spring, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This news comes after President Bush signed a new federal budget that allocates $9 million for the project, which has been planned for 15 years. The money is short of the $15 million Bush had promised during an August campaign visit to Oregon, but is enough — combined with money from Oregon and Washington — to begin dredging to the new depth of 43 feet, said Matt Rabe, a spokesman for the Corps in Portland. The Columbia dredging project, which would deepen a 103-mile shipping channel from Portland to the Pacific Ocean, has been contentious for years. Advocates say deepening the navigation channel will allow larger, more efficient ships to load Northwest exports. It also will help lower shipping costs for wheat and barley farmers and others who use the river. Critics counter that the dredging could damage habitat for endangered fish and could erode beaches.

Texas

Last summer's rains could produce lots of big bass in Texas in the coming weeks. The 19th Budweiser ShareLunker season began Oct. 1 and continues through April 30, and program coordinator David Campbell anticipates a good year. "Many lakes caught a lot of water this summer, and that produces more habitat for fish to spawn. Plus, when the lakes remain full for a longer period of time, the spawning areas are more accessible to anglers, and they catch more big fish." Anglers who catch largemouth bass weighing 13 pounds or more through April are encouraged to enter the fish in the state's ShareLunker program. Offspring of the lunkers are then stocked in public waters statewide in an effort to improve the quality of fishing. Anglers receive a replica of their fish by Lake Fork Taxidermy, plus other prizes, and may donate the fish to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department or have it returned to them alive after spawning. Anglers wishing to enter a big bass in the program may call Campbell at 903-681-0550, day or night, to arrange to have a fish picked up. Or they may page him by leaving a phone number with area code at 888-784-0600. TPWD personnel will attempt to retrieve the fish within 12 hours.

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