July is usually a vacation month for us, and we don't normally host a program for our membership. This summer though, we have received a special request from the Southeastern Regional Office of the Clean Water Network to host a workshop for them, in our area. Our program this month will be a presentation by Linda Young, Coordinator of the Southeast Regional Office of the Clean Water Network.
   As we have reported to our members who subscribe to our email updates, the hearing officer of the FL Department of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) ruled in favor of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with regard to the TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) ruling that the DEP has drafted. (Please see the "What's Hot" article on the next page for more information on this issue).
   The DEP will present to the EPA an updated listing of the state's impaired waters, using the qualifications of the TMDL ruling, this coming October. There is concern that some of the state's water bodies that were included on the previous list from 1998 may be "de-listed". Ms. Young will conduct the workshop to assist those who are interested in ensuring that the state's polluted waters receive the attention they need to restore them to standards set by the Clean Water Act.
   The workshop will include "… a brief discussion about the requirements of the federal TMDL program and the direction the DEP is going in terms of implementing the Clean Water Act. Then we inform workshop participants about resources they can use in order to gather data about the impaired waters they are concerned about and what steps to take from there in order to get more protection for those waters." Segments of the St. Sebastian River are included on the state's 1998 "Impaired Waters" list, and we hope to be able to ensure that it remains on the list that is schedule to be drafted this fall.
   The program will be on Wednesday, July 31, 7:30 P.M. at the North Indian River County Library on Route 512 in Sebastian. Please note the non-standard meeting day and new meeting location. Our program this month will be on Wednesday in order to accommodate the Clean Water Network. Also the library has finished their renovations, and our programs will be held there from now on. All are welcome to attend and refreshments will be served following the program.