U. S. Recreational Water Quality Criteria (RWQC): A Vision for the Future
March 11, 2013 - March 13, 2013Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu
U.S. recreational water quality criteria (RWQC) are needed to protect the public health of people who swim and bathe in designated beaches. However, advances in microbiology, environmental science and engineering, and epidemiology, as well as progress in monitoring programs in the last decades have called into question the scientific credibility of the RWQC. Hence in 2000, the U.S. Congress (the Clean Water Act as amended by the BEACH Act) mandated USEPA to conduct studies concerning pathogen indicators in recreational waters and to review the criteria. USEPA responded with several epidemiological studies, as well as organized a series of scientific and stakeholder workshops to learn about relevant issues to be considered in the development of new or revised criteria.
In December 2011, USEPA published a draft of the proposed recreational water quality criteria. This draft document indicated that the revised RWQC would not differ substantially from the previous recreational water quality criteria published in 1986. However, a significant change in this document was the publication of new guidelines that will allow individual states to use alternative methods for monitoring water quality, and opportunities to implement state specific water quality standards. The effectiveness of these new guidelines has not been tested at the state level. Moreover, during the planning of this conference, USEPA had not yet published the guidelines for alternative methods and standards nor finalized the proposed criteria; hence the specifics of implementation strategies as well as incentives to develop and adapt alternative standards have remained unclear so far. For these reasons, science-based assessment of RWQC and discussion on how new science can be used to take advantage of the flexibilities alluded to in the new RWQC are needed. Furthermore, as the BEACH Act requires RWQC reviewed at least once every five years, it is timely to identify current research needs and available opportunities.
CONFERENCE GOALS:
The conference focuses on the use of scientific method to achieve the following goals:
1. Evaluate the methods and approaches which were used in developing and implementing new RWQC.
2. Evaluate how newer methods and approaches can be used to establish site-specific criteria.
3. Evaluate how published experimental methods can be used to determine health risk to swimmers and be applied to develop RWQC.
Ticket Information
Registration required: Regular Rate: $400, Student $300
Event Sponsor
Water Resources Research Center, Mānoa Campus
More Information
956-7848, E-mail: rwqc2013@hawaii.edu, Web Address: http://www.wrrc.hawaii.edu/rwqc2013/, Program (PDF)
Tuesday, March 19 |
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9:30am |
Graduating Student Global Seal of Biliteracy Testing
Mānoa Campus, Moore Hall 153B EWA Computer Lab
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12:00pm |
East-West Toastmasters Leadership/Public Speaking Club Meeting
Mānoa Campus, Hemenway Hall 215
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Thursday, March 21 |
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12:00pm |
NDPTC Webinar - Disaster Planning for Vulnerable Populations
Mānoa Campus, Online
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Monday, March 25 |
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12:30pm |
Linguistics Final Oral
Mānoa Campus, Moore Hall, Room 155A and Zoom, Link Below
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Wednesday, March 27 |
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9:00am |
Community Dialogues: “Microaggressions” with Jessica Lau
Mānoa Campus, ACCESS Lounge, Dean Hall, room 5/6
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11:00am |
Community Dialogues: “Microaggressions” with Jessica Lau
Mānoa Campus, Online
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12:00pm |
Law School Admissions Zoom Information Session
Mānoa Campus, Virtual
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3:00pm |
Fifty Years as Historians of Southeast Asia: Personal Perspectives
Mānoa Campus, UHM Music Building, Room: 36
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4:30pm |
Student Sustainability Council Meeting
Mānoa Campus, Gilmore Hall 212
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4:30pm |
Entrepreneurship Live x ThriveHI
Mānoa Campus, Walter Dods,Jr. RISE Center, Level 2
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6:00pm |
Turning to the Archives to Decenter the Settler State
Mānoa Campus, Kuykendall 410
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Thursday, March 28 |
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9:00am |
PI-CASC Graduate Student Symposium
Mānoa Campus, Inmin Conference Room, East West Center
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9:30am |
Mathematics Final Oral
Mānoa Campus, George 213
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12:00pm |
Lunchbreak Mindfulness Series: The Spring Refresh
Mānoa Campus, Online
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2:00pm |
ASUHWO General Senate Meeting
West Oʻahu Campus, Student Life Center, C-214 OR Online via Zoom
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3:00pm |
Gaza is Palestine: On Bakers and Storytellers
Mānoa Campus, 3114 Paliuili st
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4:30pm |
Gaza is Palestine: On Bakers and Storytellers
Mānoa Campus, 3114 Paliuili st
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5:00pm |
Part Time JD Flex and Law School Admissions - Zoom Information Session - March
Mānoa Campus, Virtual
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7:00pm |
Navigators Bible Study
Mānoa Campus, Honolulu Christian Church 2207 Oahu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96822
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Friday, March 29 |
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3:00pm |
Business Administration Final Oral
Mānoa Campus, Zoom
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Saturday, March 30 |
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7:30pm |
JAVANESE GAMELAN CONCERT
Mānoa Campus, Music Department Barbara Smith Amphiteater
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Sunday, March 31 |
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12:00pm |
Kalo Grant 3rd Round Application
Mānoa Campus, Walter Dods,Jr. RISE Center, Level 2
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