In early July, an Environmental Action Team returned to Mandaue City in the Philippines to continue providing technical assistance to the Butuanon River Watershed Management Project (BRWMP). More than thirty plants operating near Mandaue were directly discharging their wastewater into the Butuanon River, which serves the local population and feeds into the marine-rich Boholo Strait. In the first year of the project, the team, together with the local participants, assisted in river sampling and industrial inspection, trained government and industry staff in monitoring techniques, and prepared a preliminary report on the water quality problems, the causes, and nineteen recommendations. The Action Team is now preparing a watershed management plan that will be submitted to the BRWMP Management Board for implementation. The plan will include, among other items, continued collaboration with 33 of the industries and several residential communities to treat their wastes, and control of storm water runoff from construction sites. The success of this project is the result of the continuing cooperation of the public and private sectors and local citizens who have made it possible to complete the first year's activities largely through in-kind services, which would otherwise have required substantial funds.

Since May 1996, US-AEP-sponsored Environmental Action Teams have been working with the Department of Environment in Malaysia on an "Integrated Scheduled (Hazardous) Waste Project" (see UPDATE, March 10, 1997). Most recently, EPA Region 8 Action Team members, Laura Farris and Nat Miullo, facilitated a workshop, held August 4-9, 1997, on hazardous waste incineration in Melaka, Malaysia. The event, attended by more than 45 officials from the Department of Environment and industry representatives responsible for operating incinerator systems, introduced permitting and incinerator management approaches developed in the United States. Participants were able to evaluate U.S. processes, technologies, combustion designs, and regulatory requirements for applicability to Malaysian licensing and enforcement procedures. Special thanks to Vivian How (US-AEP/Malaysia) who provided valuable support and training content feedback. U.S. EPA and US-AEP's Environmental Exchange Program are working together to develop a fellowship to provide follow-up to this training.

Officials from EPA Region 4 are leading an Environmental Action Team to provide technical assistance to the Korean Ministry of Environment on conventional and advanced treatment technologies for drinking water. The team will be traveling from September 2-13, 1997 to Seoul, Taejon, Pusan, Ulsan, Taegu, and Kimhae to meet with policy makers, regulatory officials, municipal officials, treatment plant managers and operators, and drinking water researchers from the Ministry of Environment, Korea Institute of Construction Technology (KICT), and the Korea Water Resources Company. This Action Team will address issues identified by 1995 and 1996 Action Teams: regulation of tap water and treatment systems; ozonation of drinking water; selection and management of fresh-water sources; distribution system improvements; design standards for drinking water treatment facilities; treatment and recycling of water treatment plant sludges; small system technologies and operation; desalination; bottled water regulations; optimization of water treatment - coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection; and dissolved air flotation. The team will also conduct a seminar at KICT at the conclusion of the trip and introduce potential U.S. environmental technology applications to the Korean drinking water industry.