The simplest way to prevent your drinking water of MTBE contaminations is to install a Water Filter or Purification system at home. Technology normally take 3-5 years of research & testing before it is available to consumers...
Method removes MTBE from water
Pollutant thought to be a carcinogen
By By Doug Main
Dec. 9, 2004 — A researcher has discovered an effective way to remove a troubling new pollutant from our nation's water sources.
Pratim Biswas, The Stifel and Quinette Jens Professor of Environmental Engineering Science and director of the Environmental Engineering Science Program at Washington University in St. Louis, has found a method for removing the toxin MTBE from water. MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) has been detected at low levels in municipal water sources around the nation and in several cases has made its way into citizens' tap water.
A new technique by a WUSTL environmental engineer addresses the toxicity of the gas additive MTBE.
A new technique by a WUSTL environmental engineer addresses the toxicity of the gas additive MTBE.
Biswas discovered that a nanostructured form of a compound called titanium dioxide causes MTBE to react with dissolved oxygen so that it yields the harmless gas carbon dioxide. This reaction proceeds via oxidation of MTBE on the surface of the titanium dioxide to produce a harmful end product. Biswas then designed nanostructure configurations of this catalyst to optimally degrade the pollutant.
"These photo-catalysts can be powered by an artificial light source or can be designed to run on solar power," said Biswas.
Biswas presented his research at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting, held Aug. 23-25 in Philadelphia.
One of the researcher's innovations was developing a special micro-lamp (corona) that emits a glow after a current is run through it. But that's not all: This system also can be tailored to produce ozone, which speeds up the oxidation of MTBE to carbon dioxide. Read More...
Method removes MTBE from water
Friday, December 10, 2004
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Sarnia company faces charges in spill - thetimesherald.com
Any form of spill would cause contamination to the ground & air as well. Therefore, local authority is to check on these constantly....
Sarnia company faces charges in spill
Royal Polymers may pay millions if it's convicted
By CHRIS SEBASTIAN Times Herald
CHARGES FILED: Sarnia's Chemical Valley glows at night. One of its companies, Royal Polymers, is being charged for a spill into the St. Clair River.
ONLINE
ONTARIO MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
# For details on the ministry and for details about other environmental-protection enforcement, visit www.ene.gov.on.ca.
The Ontario government has charged Canadian chemical company Royal Polymers Ltd. with violating several environmental laws relating to the August 2003 chemical spill into the St. Clair River.
If convicted, the Chemical Valley petroleum company could face fines of more than $12 million Canadian.
Royal Polymers Ltd. spilled almost 300 pounds of toxic vinyl chloride monomer into the river during last year's massive U.S. and Canadian blackout.
Company officials said equipment failed during the blackout.
No one reported illness or injury related to the spill.
The leak was the first in a chain of unrelated spills from a few companies during a yearlong period. The Royal Polymers spill, as with about six after it, caused U.S. and Canadian water plants to temporarily stop drawing drinking water from the river.
It's the first company to be charged by the Ontario Ministry of Environment for the latest spills. The first court date is Jan. 14 in Sarnia. Read More....
Sarnia company faces charges in spill - thetimesherald.com
Sarnia company faces charges in spill
Royal Polymers may pay millions if it's convicted
By CHRIS SEBASTIAN Times Herald
CHARGES FILED: Sarnia's Chemical Valley glows at night. One of its companies, Royal Polymers, is being charged for a spill into the St. Clair River.
ONLINE
ONTARIO MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
# For details on the ministry and for details about other environmental-protection enforcement, visit www.ene.gov.on.ca.
The Ontario government has charged Canadian chemical company Royal Polymers Ltd. with violating several environmental laws relating to the August 2003 chemical spill into the St. Clair River.
If convicted, the Chemical Valley petroleum company could face fines of more than $12 million Canadian.
Royal Polymers Ltd. spilled almost 300 pounds of toxic vinyl chloride monomer into the river during last year's massive U.S. and Canadian blackout.
Company officials said equipment failed during the blackout.
No one reported illness or injury related to the spill.
The leak was the first in a chain of unrelated spills from a few companies during a yearlong period. The Royal Polymers spill, as with about six after it, caused U.S. and Canadian water plants to temporarily stop drawing drinking water from the river.
It's the first company to be charged by the Ontario Ministry of Environment for the latest spills. The first court date is Jan. 14 in Sarnia. Read More....
Sarnia company faces charges in spill - thetimesherald.com
County insists on chloramine answers - San Mateo Daily Journal
The addictives in Drinking Water must be filtered out 1st, before you drink. Therefore the best things is to use a Drink Water filter system at home. I will gives you some advise on water filter or purifier system. Write me at CharlieBrown8989@gmail.com
County insists on chloramine answers
By Michelle Durand Daily Journal Staff
Chloramine, the controversial water additive, may be safe for general consumption but county supervisors unanimously called yesterday for a scientific stamp of approval.
The board agreed to support the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s request for a formal position on the additive by the California Conference of Local Health Officers. The vote came only after a litany of possible side effects were rattled off by water users: severe asthma, rashes, lesions, passing out, skin burns.
“I survived cancer 10 years ago but my water may kill me,” said Claudette Maine, an ovarian cancer survivor with a compromised immune system.
Fremont resident Wynn Greich, who works in Millbrae, brought jars and bottles of nails soaked in water to show how chloramine eats at metal.
“When aluminum corrodes it leeches into the brain and gives you Alzheimer’s,” she said, adding that most people cook with aluminum pots.
The speakers were so demonstrative that Mark Church, president of the Board of Supervisors, reminded them the county is not the agency which put chloramine in the drinking water.
Chloramine is the combination of chlorine and ammonia and is used as a disinfectant in the public water supply. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission — which oversees the Hetch Hetchy water system along the Peninsula — switched from chlorine to chloramine Feb. 1 to comply with stricter environmental standards. Chlorine kills germs but isn’t considered as effective or long-lasting as chloramine. Opponents, though, have publicly questioned if the change left the system of 2.4 million customers more at risk for health problems.Read More...
San Mateo Daily Journal
County insists on chloramine answers
By Michelle Durand Daily Journal Staff
Chloramine, the controversial water additive, may be safe for general consumption but county supervisors unanimously called yesterday for a scientific stamp of approval.
The board agreed to support the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s request for a formal position on the additive by the California Conference of Local Health Officers. The vote came only after a litany of possible side effects were rattled off by water users: severe asthma, rashes, lesions, passing out, skin burns.
“I survived cancer 10 years ago but my water may kill me,” said Claudette Maine, an ovarian cancer survivor with a compromised immune system.
Fremont resident Wynn Greich, who works in Millbrae, brought jars and bottles of nails soaked in water to show how chloramine eats at metal.
“When aluminum corrodes it leeches into the brain and gives you Alzheimer’s,” she said, adding that most people cook with aluminum pots.
The speakers were so demonstrative that Mark Church, president of the Board of Supervisors, reminded them the county is not the agency which put chloramine in the drinking water.
Chloramine is the combination of chlorine and ammonia and is used as a disinfectant in the public water supply. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission — which oversees the Hetch Hetchy water system along the Peninsula — switched from chlorine to chloramine Feb. 1 to comply with stricter environmental standards. Chlorine kills germs but isn’t considered as effective or long-lasting as chloramine. Opponents, though, have publicly questioned if the change left the system of 2.4 million customers more at risk for health problems.Read More...
San Mateo Daily Journal
Tallevast residents want answers
Florida resident voice their concerns on the drinking water, contamination.... But in many other countries in people are not as
open like US or Europe, openly voicing their concern on Drinking Water contaminations...
Tallevast residents want answers
DONNA WRIGHT Herald Staff Writer
Did a past industrial spill put their health at risk?
Are the illnesses, miscarriages and cancers they have experienced during the past 40 years connected to toxins released by the now-defunct Loral American Beryllium Co.?
The questions don't stop at Tallavest's borders.
Former employees of the Tallavest plant want to know if their exposure to beryllium dust during the processing of the exotic metal put them at risk for a rare and sometimes fatal lung disease.
Residents who lived close to the plant are concerned about chronic beryllium disease, too, because of their exposure to dust from the factory.
Finding answers to those long-term health questions could take months, if not years, as scientists and industrial health experts run tests to learn who might have been exposed to what toxins in the air, groundwater and even private, drinking-water wells.
Local and state health officials are scheduled to update residents today on the Tallevast Health Assessment, an official study being conducted by a state team under the supervision of the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Participants will also hear an overview of the county's plan to test former workers and residents known to have a past high risk of exposure to beryllium dust, said Dr. Gladys Branic, Manatee County's health department director.
Branic said she will also share her strategy for collecting medical histories by sending health workers door to door to gather data on cancer deaths among Tallevast's 85 households.
That data will then be matched with maps of the contamination area to see if any patterns emerge, Branic said. Read More...
Tallevast residents want answers
open like US or Europe, openly voicing their concern on Drinking Water contaminations...
Tallevast residents want answers
DONNA WRIGHT Herald Staff Writer
Did a past industrial spill put their health at risk?
Are the illnesses, miscarriages and cancers they have experienced during the past 40 years connected to toxins released by the now-defunct Loral American Beryllium Co.?
The questions don't stop at Tallavest's borders.
Former employees of the Tallavest plant want to know if their exposure to beryllium dust during the processing of the exotic metal put them at risk for a rare and sometimes fatal lung disease.
Residents who lived close to the plant are concerned about chronic beryllium disease, too, because of their exposure to dust from the factory.
Finding answers to those long-term health questions could take months, if not years, as scientists and industrial health experts run tests to learn who might have been exposed to what toxins in the air, groundwater and even private, drinking-water wells.
Local and state health officials are scheduled to update residents today on the Tallevast Health Assessment, an official study being conducted by a state team under the supervision of the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Participants will also hear an overview of the county's plan to test former workers and residents known to have a past high risk of exposure to beryllium dust, said Dr. Gladys Branic, Manatee County's health department director.
Branic said she will also share her strategy for collecting medical histories by sending health workers door to door to gather data on cancer deaths among Tallevast's 85 households.
That data will then be matched with maps of the contamination area to see if any patterns emerge, Branic said. Read More...
Tallevast residents want answers
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Helping the Public Reduce Exposure to Biological Contamination - NSF International : Newsroom
This press release is worth reading...
NSF International Completes Testing of Household Drinking Water Products to Provide Homeland Security Protection
Helping the Public Reduce Exposure to Biological Contamination
Ann Arbor, MI - NSF International in conjunction with the U.S. EPA National Homeland Security Research Center and Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program has recently completed verification tests of three residential point-of-use water treatment systems. The test results indicate that the three residential drinking water treatment systems could reduce waterborne bacteria and viruses in the event of intentional contamination within a municipal or private water supply during a homeland security event.
Through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant, the NSF/EPA ETV program provides independent performance evaluations of drinking water technologies. Technologies were tested for their ability to remove waterborne bacteria and viruses similar to those that could be used in an intentional biological contamination event. The Kinetico Purefecta™, Sears Kenmore Ultrafilter 500, and Watts Premier Ultra 5 were tested at the Ann Arbor, Michigan laboratories of NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization.
All devices tested reduced biological agent surrogates that represent possible biological contaminants. The surrogates were selected by experts from government agencies and academia working on water security. The units were tested using five different microorganisms, and the ability of the devices to reduce the concentration of each was measured and verified. All three products use reverse osmosis, a membrane separation technology, to remove microorganisms. The results are available on the ETV website.
ETV is a public/private partnership that provides quality-assured, peer-reviewed test data about the performance of new environmental technologies so that purchasers and regulators are aided in their decisions about innovative environmental technology.
"For more than 40 years, NSF International has been working with the EPA, and we think that the tests conducted through the ETV program will help contribute to protecting the nation's water supply," said Gordon Bellen, NSF vice president of research, who manages the program. Read More....
NSF International : Newsroom : News and Press Releases
NSF International Completes Testing of Household Drinking Water Products to Provide Homeland Security Protection
Helping the Public Reduce Exposure to Biological Contamination
Ann Arbor, MI - NSF International in conjunction with the U.S. EPA National Homeland Security Research Center and Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program has recently completed verification tests of three residential point-of-use water treatment systems. The test results indicate that the three residential drinking water treatment systems could reduce waterborne bacteria and viruses in the event of intentional contamination within a municipal or private water supply during a homeland security event.
Through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant, the NSF/EPA ETV program provides independent performance evaluations of drinking water technologies. Technologies were tested for their ability to remove waterborne bacteria and viruses similar to those that could be used in an intentional biological contamination event. The Kinetico Purefecta™, Sears Kenmore Ultrafilter 500, and Watts Premier Ultra 5 were tested at the Ann Arbor, Michigan laboratories of NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization.
All devices tested reduced biological agent surrogates that represent possible biological contaminants. The surrogates were selected by experts from government agencies and academia working on water security. The units were tested using five different microorganisms, and the ability of the devices to reduce the concentration of each was measured and verified. All three products use reverse osmosis, a membrane separation technology, to remove microorganisms. The results are available on the ETV website.
ETV is a public/private partnership that provides quality-assured, peer-reviewed test data about the performance of new environmental technologies so that purchasers and regulators are aided in their decisions about innovative environmental technology.
"For more than 40 years, NSF International has been working with the EPA, and we think that the tests conducted through the ETV program will help contribute to protecting the nation's water supply," said Gordon Bellen, NSF vice president of research, who manages the program. Read More....
NSF International : Newsroom : News and Press Releases
Agencies aren't monitoring air, water pollution in Greene County PennLive.com: NewsFlash - Study:
This is certainly surprising news, Agencies not doing their work!
Study: Agencies aren't monitoring air, water pollution in Greene County
12/7/2004, 1:41 a.m. ET
The Associated Press
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (AP) — Government agencies aren't adequately monitoring air and water pollution in Greene County and aren't researching possible links between the county's high cancer rates and unhealthy levels of smog, soot and other contaminants, a study by a national environmental group said.
The Natural Resources Defense Council's "Pollution Unchecked" study, to be released Tuesday, not only found Greene County's cancer rates were among the highest in the state and nation, but also accused the state and federal environmental agencies of not actively gathering pollution data.
"There's a lot of pollution in southwestern Pennsylvania that both the state and federal environmental agencies have been sweeping under the rug and haven't been monitoring," the study's co-author, Erik Olson, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for its Tuesday edition. "It's a double whammy for the population because the agencies have been looking the other way." Read More....
PennLive.com: NewsFlash - Study: Agencies aren't monitoring air, water pollution in Greene County
Study: Agencies aren't monitoring air, water pollution in Greene County
12/7/2004, 1:41 a.m. ET
The Associated Press
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (AP) — Government agencies aren't adequately monitoring air and water pollution in Greene County and aren't researching possible links between the county's high cancer rates and unhealthy levels of smog, soot and other contaminants, a study by a national environmental group said.
The Natural Resources Defense Council's "Pollution Unchecked" study, to be released Tuesday, not only found Greene County's cancer rates were among the highest in the state and nation, but also accused the state and federal environmental agencies of not actively gathering pollution data.
"There's a lot of pollution in southwestern Pennsylvania that both the state and federal environmental agencies have been sweeping under the rug and haven't been monitoring," the study's co-author, Erik Olson, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for its Tuesday edition. "It's a double whammy for the population because the agencies have been looking the other way." Read More....
PennLive.com: NewsFlash - Study: Agencies aren't monitoring air, water pollution in Greene County
Chemical company ordered to extend ground water monitoring. 08/12/2004. ABC News Online
Australia is having serious problem on water supplies issue, my earlier blog have report on these. Now it is the contamination issue..
Chemical company ordered to extend ground water monitoring
The Department of Environment and Conservation has ordered chemical company Orica to extend a ground water monitoring program around Botany Bay in Sydney's south after tests showed contamination spreading outside an existing exclusion zone.
Orica is already spending $167 million on removing a plume of contaminated water that had threatened to spill into Botany Bay.
Now low levels of contamination have been found in a residential bore at Collins Street in Botany, an area the department's chief executive of operations, Joe Woodward, says should not be affected.
"It is surprising that these new results are upstream of where we thought the ground water was flowing, but the good news is that the results are within drinking water standard and the additional information we've required will allow any new contamination to be picked up," he said.
Opposition environment spokesman Michael Richardson says it is disturbing news and shows the Carr Government can not guarantee where the plume is moving. Read More...
Chemical company ordered to extend ground water monitoring. 08/12/2004. ABC News Online
Chemical company ordered to extend ground water monitoring
The Department of Environment and Conservation has ordered chemical company Orica to extend a ground water monitoring program around Botany Bay in Sydney's south after tests showed contamination spreading outside an existing exclusion zone.
Orica is already spending $167 million on removing a plume of contaminated water that had threatened to spill into Botany Bay.
Now low levels of contamination have been found in a residential bore at Collins Street in Botany, an area the department's chief executive of operations, Joe Woodward, says should not be affected.
"It is surprising that these new results are upstream of where we thought the ground water was flowing, but the good news is that the results are within drinking water standard and the additional information we've required will allow any new contamination to be picked up," he said.
Opposition environment spokesman Michael Richardson says it is disturbing news and shows the Carr Government can not guarantee where the plume is moving. Read More...
Chemical company ordered to extend ground water monitoring. 08/12/2004. ABC News Online
A Link Between Lead Exposure and Cataracts? Health News Article | Reuters.com
Lead contamination in Drinking water is certainly serious. Now the research found that it will developing caataracts..
A Link Between Lead Exposure and Cataracts?
Tue Dec 7, 2004 04:09 PM ET
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Lifetime exposure to lead from paint in older houses, drinking water pipes and other sources appears to increase men's risk of cataract development, researchers reported on Tuesday.
"This research suggests that reduction of lead exposure throughout a man's lifetime should help reduce his chances of developing cataracts and of requiring cataract surgery," said Debra Schaumberg of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, lead author of the study.
"By preventing or delaying the onset of this condition, many instances of blindness worldwide could be prevented," she added.
Her study, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at data from 795 U.S. men age 60 and older for whom bone lead levels were measured between 1991 and 1999. The report did not speculate about whether the findings would also apply to women.
In the United States about 20 percent of those in their 60s develop cataracts. The problem accounts for more than 40 percent of all cases of blindness worldwide, the report said. Read More....
Health News Article | Reuters.com
A Link Between Lead Exposure and Cataracts?
Tue Dec 7, 2004 04:09 PM ET
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Lifetime exposure to lead from paint in older houses, drinking water pipes and other sources appears to increase men's risk of cataract development, researchers reported on Tuesday.
"This research suggests that reduction of lead exposure throughout a man's lifetime should help reduce his chances of developing cataracts and of requiring cataract surgery," said Debra Schaumberg of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, lead author of the study.
"By preventing or delaying the onset of this condition, many instances of blindness worldwide could be prevented," she added.
Her study, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at data from 795 U.S. men age 60 and older for whom bone lead levels were measured between 1991 and 1999. The report did not speculate about whether the findings would also apply to women.
In the United States about 20 percent of those in their 60s develop cataracts. The problem accounts for more than 40 percent of all cases of blindness worldwide, the report said. Read More....
Health News Article | Reuters.com
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Water board OKs river discharge
Waste Water should not be allow to discharge to the ground or sea or Lakes, unless is processed, with the harmful contaminants removed..
Water board OKs river discharge
By Bryan Brooks bryan.brooks@gwinnettdailypost.com
LAWRENCEVILLE — A board charged with overseeing metro Atlanta’s water supply has endorsed a temporary plan that would let Gwinnett put more wastewater in the Chattahoochee River.
Gwinnett is asking the state for permission to send 9 million gallons of highly treated sewage per day to the river on its western border, but state regulators cannot approve the discharge unless it complies with regional water plans.
With that in mind, officials who direct a 16-county water planning agency changed their long-range plans last week so Gwinnett can get the permit from the state Environmental Protection Division.
EPD is still reviewing Gwinnett’s permit request and will issue a draft permit and take public comment in early 2005.
“We’re still fairly early in the review process,” said EPD spokesman Kevin Chambers.
Gwinnett needs the temporary river permit because it’s expanding the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center near Buford, and so far litigation has blocked efforts to send the additional wastewater to Lake Lanier.
For that reason, it’s unlikely a pipeline to the lake can be built before the county’s population and business growth outstrips the plant’s current capacity, which means the county must find an alternate discharge point.
“The permit would help us bridge the time while we are under construction with the reclaimed water pipeline to Lake Lanier,” said Frank Stephens a deputy director at the Gwinnett Public Utilities Department.
Even before growth requires the extra capacity, the county would like to be able to use the $400 million plant expansion so it can treat less wastewater at older plants across the county, Stephens said. Read More....
Water board OKs river discharge
Water board OKs river discharge
By Bryan Brooks bryan.brooks@gwinnettdailypost.com
LAWRENCEVILLE — A board charged with overseeing metro Atlanta’s water supply has endorsed a temporary plan that would let Gwinnett put more wastewater in the Chattahoochee River.
Gwinnett is asking the state for permission to send 9 million gallons of highly treated sewage per day to the river on its western border, but state regulators cannot approve the discharge unless it complies with regional water plans.
With that in mind, officials who direct a 16-county water planning agency changed their long-range plans last week so Gwinnett can get the permit from the state Environmental Protection Division.
EPD is still reviewing Gwinnett’s permit request and will issue a draft permit and take public comment in early 2005.
“We’re still fairly early in the review process,” said EPD spokesman Kevin Chambers.
Gwinnett needs the temporary river permit because it’s expanding the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center near Buford, and so far litigation has blocked efforts to send the additional wastewater to Lake Lanier.
For that reason, it’s unlikely a pipeline to the lake can be built before the county’s population and business growth outstrips the plant’s current capacity, which means the county must find an alternate discharge point.
“The permit would help us bridge the time while we are under construction with the reclaimed water pipeline to Lake Lanier,” said Frank Stephens a deputy director at the Gwinnett Public Utilities Department.
Even before growth requires the extra capacity, the county would like to be able to use the $400 million plant expansion so it can treat less wastewater at older plants across the county, Stephens said. Read More....
Water board OKs river discharge
Proposed bill may affect Great Lakes' water quality - News
Any sinful act in contaminating our mother earth is not accepted. This proposal should receive good endorsement from resident's in the region.
Proposed bill may affect Great Lakes' water quality
MARQUETTE, MI � US Rep. Bart Stupak has introduced a bill that aims to block an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal he believes would harm the Great Lakes, according to a Dec. 7 article by The Mining Journal.
The Sewage Free Waters Act was introduced to block a proposal Stupak expects from the EPA in coming weeks. The bill would prohibit the EPA from allowing partially treated human sewage to be pumped into waterways, according to the article.
Stupak's legislation was brought about because of an EPA proposal from November 2003, which would allow publicly owned water treatment facilities to divert sewage around secondary treatment units during heavy rains and then combine the filtered but untreated human sewage with fully treated wastewater, the article said. Read More...
News
Proposed bill may affect Great Lakes' water quality
MARQUETTE, MI � US Rep. Bart Stupak has introduced a bill that aims to block an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal he believes would harm the Great Lakes, according to a Dec. 7 article by The Mining Journal.
The Sewage Free Waters Act was introduced to block a proposal Stupak expects from the EPA in coming weeks. The bill would prohibit the EPA from allowing partially treated human sewage to be pumped into waterways, according to the article.
Stupak's legislation was brought about because of an EPA proposal from November 2003, which would allow publicly owned water treatment facilities to divert sewage around secondary treatment units during heavy rains and then combine the filtered but untreated human sewage with fully treated wastewater, the article said. Read More...
News
High Desert district works on water project
This certainly is good action for people in the high dersert area, as the populations is growing fast...
High Desert district works on water project
By CHUCK MUELLER Staff Writer
Saturday, December 04, 2004 - VICTORVILLE - Anticipating continued High Desert growth, a water district is constructing a system of ponds to percolate water into this city's underlying aquifer to meet future demand.
If the $10 million system is feasible, the Victor Valley Water District will link the ponds via an 8-mile-long pipeline to bring water from the California Aqueduct to the ponds.
Eventually, as much as 13,000 acre-feet of aqueduct water may be released annually into ponds on 64 acres at the southwest corner of Yates Road and Cypress Avenue. An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, the amount of water consumed yearly by a family of four.
The water district serves 20,000 customers in a 55-square-mile area encompassing Victorville and unincorporated Mountain View Acres to the west.
"Work is now under way on our pilot percolation project along the Oro Grande Wash,' said district spokeswoman Amy Lyn De Zwart. "The project, which includes two one-acre ponds, will provide the district with data to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of additional ponds.
"Water will be pumped from the underground basin into the ponds (so that) the water will seep back into the aquifer.'
De Zwart said a special monitoring well, drilled by the U.S. Geological Survey to a depth of 230 feet, will provide details about how far, how fast and in what direction the percolated water is flowing.Read More..
High Desert district works on water project
By CHUCK MUELLER Staff Writer
Saturday, December 04, 2004 - VICTORVILLE - Anticipating continued High Desert growth, a water district is constructing a system of ponds to percolate water into this city's underlying aquifer to meet future demand.
If the $10 million system is feasible, the Victor Valley Water District will link the ponds via an 8-mile-long pipeline to bring water from the California Aqueduct to the ponds.
Eventually, as much as 13,000 acre-feet of aqueduct water may be released annually into ponds on 64 acres at the southwest corner of Yates Road and Cypress Avenue. An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, the amount of water consumed yearly by a family of four.
The water district serves 20,000 customers in a 55-square-mile area encompassing Victorville and unincorporated Mountain View Acres to the west.
"Work is now under way on our pilot percolation project along the Oro Grande Wash,' said district spokeswoman Amy Lyn De Zwart. "The project, which includes two one-acre ponds, will provide the district with data to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of additional ponds.
"Water will be pumped from the underground basin into the ponds (so that) the water will seep back into the aquifer.'
De Zwart said a special monitoring well, drilled by the U.S. Geological Survey to a depth of 230 feet, will provide details about how far, how fast and in what direction the percolated water is flowing.Read More..
Water defense technology project begins
The earlier posting, I said about the Foods defense against terrorism.. Now this report is the research for Water Defense Technology. Yes not Only Water, Air as well!! The most important is the mental & culture defense for all.
Water defense technology project begins
LIVERMORE, CA � Today, Sandia National Laboratories, CH2M Hill and Tenix Investments Pty. Ltd. announced a multi-year, multi-million dollar partnership to develop an unattended water safety system for chemical and bacteria detection in water supplies, according to a news release.
The technology plans to offer detection to unmonitored biological agents such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa, the release said.
"We applaud this first major agreement announced by Sandia to develop technology with such strong potential for homeland security applications," Carol Linden, deputy director of Threat Analysis and Countermeasures for the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Research and Development, said in the release.
According to the release, Tenix, an Australia defense and technology contractor, is working with Englewood, CO-based CH2M Hill, Inc. to develop, pilot and demonstrate an Unattended Water Safety analyzer for use in potable water, reclaimed water and wastewater systems. Read More...
News
Water defense technology project begins
LIVERMORE, CA � Today, Sandia National Laboratories, CH2M Hill and Tenix Investments Pty. Ltd. announced a multi-year, multi-million dollar partnership to develop an unattended water safety system for chemical and bacteria detection in water supplies, according to a news release.
The technology plans to offer detection to unmonitored biological agents such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa, the release said.
"We applaud this first major agreement announced by Sandia to develop technology with such strong potential for homeland security applications," Carol Linden, deputy director of Threat Analysis and Countermeasures for the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Research and Development, said in the release.
According to the release, Tenix, an Australia defense and technology contractor, is working with Englewood, CO-based CH2M Hill, Inc. to develop, pilot and demonstrate an Unattended Water Safety analyzer for use in potable water, reclaimed water and wastewater systems. Read More...
News
- FDA completes plan to protect food supply from attacks - USATODAY.com
Beside Food supply protections, it is a holy responsibity & duties of each & individual to protect our Drinking Water...Ground Water & Air..
FDA completes plan to protect food supply from attacks
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday announced the final portion of its post-9/11 rules to protect the USA's food supply.
The action comes just four days after outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said he can't understand why terrorists haven't attacked the U.S. food supply, because 'it's so easy to do.'
The rules are the final piece of new authorities given to the FDA by Congress in the wake of the anthrax contamination that followed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. That contamination further highlighted the nation's vulnerability to less well-known forms of terrorism and harassment. Five people died because of their exposure to envelopes laced with the deadly bacteria.
The rules require that companies keep records so officials can trace the source of food contamination. The hope is that investigators will zero in on the exact point at which a particular food was tainted.
The new rules will be important in allowing the FDA to deal with food-related emergencies, 'such as deliberate contamination of food by terrorists,' says Lester Crawford, acting FDA commissioner.
Any company that manufactures, processes, packs, transports, distributes, receives, holds or imports food must keep records showing where it obtained the food and where it shipped it.
Farms, restaurants, food banks and individuals preparing food in the home are exempt. Read More...
USATODAY.com - FDA completes plan to protect food supply from attacks
FDA completes plan to protect food supply from attacks
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday announced the final portion of its post-9/11 rules to protect the USA's food supply.
The action comes just four days after outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said he can't understand why terrorists haven't attacked the U.S. food supply, because 'it's so easy to do.'
The rules are the final piece of new authorities given to the FDA by Congress in the wake of the anthrax contamination that followed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. That contamination further highlighted the nation's vulnerability to less well-known forms of terrorism and harassment. Five people died because of their exposure to envelopes laced with the deadly bacteria.
The rules require that companies keep records so officials can trace the source of food contamination. The hope is that investigators will zero in on the exact point at which a particular food was tainted.
The new rules will be important in allowing the FDA to deal with food-related emergencies, 'such as deliberate contamination of food by terrorists,' says Lester Crawford, acting FDA commissioner.
Any company that manufactures, processes, packs, transports, distributes, receives, holds or imports food must keep records showing where it obtained the food and where it shipped it.
Farms, restaurants, food banks and individuals preparing food in the home are exempt. Read More...
USATODAY.com - FDA completes plan to protect food supply from attacks
Monday, December 06, 2004
DEVILS LAKE: Threat on tap -- Grand Forks Herald | 12/05/2004 |
PipeLine Problem is also a big problem, it have to attend to it immediately...
DEVILS LAKE: Threat on tap
Underground and under water, aging pipeline looms as major city worry By Ryan Bakken Herald Staff Writer
DEVILS LAKE - The City of Devils Lake has a water problem.
No, not that water problem. Another water problem. A bigger water problem.
"We've added 3 feet to our dike system this fall, and the state outlet will start taking water off the lake next year, so we've done what we can to protect us from the flooding lake," Devils Lake Mayor Fred Bott said.
"The issue of a new water supply is a bigger issue."
The city's drinking water source is an aquifer near Warwick, N.D., 18 miles southeast. Six miles of the 18-mile underground pipeline is under the flooding lake, some of it up to 40 feet below the water surface.
So, fixing a potential pipeline break would be expensive and time consuming. It also would mean a dramatic change in the water-use habits of residents.
"Not being able to readily repair any problems puts us in a precarious situation," said Mike Grafsgaard, Devils Lake city engineer.
But the water uncertainties don't end there. The drinking water's arsenic level is too high.
If the city receives an expected extension to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act, it has until 2009 to find a remedy.
But a remedy will cost $13 million to $18 million, and a funding source is uncertain. Even if everything runs according to plan, the work wouldn't be completed until mid-2008.
Until then, city residents will keep their fingers crossed about the underground and underwater pipe.
"That's another clock that is ticking," Bott said.
Aging pipeline
Devils Lake's pipeline to the Warwick Aquifer is 40 years old. It hasn't suffered any leaks yet, but the threat is great. Read More...
Grand Forks Herald | 12/05/2004 | DEVILS LAKE: Threat on tap
DEVILS LAKE: Threat on tap
Underground and under water, aging pipeline looms as major city worry By Ryan Bakken Herald Staff Writer
DEVILS LAKE - The City of Devils Lake has a water problem.
No, not that water problem. Another water problem. A bigger water problem.
"We've added 3 feet to our dike system this fall, and the state outlet will start taking water off the lake next year, so we've done what we can to protect us from the flooding lake," Devils Lake Mayor Fred Bott said.
"The issue of a new water supply is a bigger issue."
The city's drinking water source is an aquifer near Warwick, N.D., 18 miles southeast. Six miles of the 18-mile underground pipeline is under the flooding lake, some of it up to 40 feet below the water surface.
So, fixing a potential pipeline break would be expensive and time consuming. It also would mean a dramatic change in the water-use habits of residents.
"Not being able to readily repair any problems puts us in a precarious situation," said Mike Grafsgaard, Devils Lake city engineer.
But the water uncertainties don't end there. The drinking water's arsenic level is too high.
If the city receives an expected extension to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act, it has until 2009 to find a remedy.
But a remedy will cost $13 million to $18 million, and a funding source is uncertain. Even if everything runs according to plan, the work wouldn't be completed until mid-2008.
Until then, city residents will keep their fingers crossed about the underground and underwater pipe.
"That's another clock that is ticking," Bott said.
Aging pipeline
Devils Lake's pipeline to the Warwick Aquifer is 40 years old. It hasn't suffered any leaks yet, but the threat is great. Read More...
Grand Forks Herald | 12/05/2004 | DEVILS LAKE: Threat on tap
Land purchase to protect water
LeeAnne Connolly, certainly worth to commemorate for her actions..
Land purchase to protect water
Sunday, December 05, 2004
By JENNIFER PICARD
jpicard@repub.com
BELCHERTOWN - Conservation crusader LeeAnne Connolly doesn't wait for state officials to confirm they'll grant the town money for land preservation.
She's already started a campaign to raise $123,200, which, along with the grant, will allow the town to buy 51 more acres of the former Topping Farm.
Permanently shielding the parcel from development will protect the area's drinking water supply, said Connolly. The land is a major recharge area for the Lawrence Swamp aquifer, whose wells pump drinking water to Amherst, Belchertown, and Pelham, and for the Daigle Well, which serves Belchertown.
People may "think clear drinking water is in unlimited supply, but it's not. Once it's gone, it's gone forever," Connolly said earlier this week.
"This is something I really believe in, and I think other people in town do, too," she said. "When you talk about aquifer protection, it should tug at people's hearts."
The state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs grant for $261,800, which Connolly hopes will be awarded, will cover two-thirds of the land's $385,000 purchase price.
For the rest, Connolly is turning to residents; local land trusts, such as the Kestrel Trust of Amherst and the Belchertown Land Trust; nonprofit organizations; and any other generous private and public entities.
In 2000, Connolly led the campaign to preserve more than 100 acres of Topping Farm land. Later, she plans to go after the remaining 103 acres, which will be a preservation coup for one of the fastest-growing communities in Massachusetts. read More...
Land purchase to protect water
Land purchase to protect water
Sunday, December 05, 2004
By JENNIFER PICARD
jpicard@repub.com
BELCHERTOWN - Conservation crusader LeeAnne Connolly doesn't wait for state officials to confirm they'll grant the town money for land preservation.
She's already started a campaign to raise $123,200, which, along with the grant, will allow the town to buy 51 more acres of the former Topping Farm.
Permanently shielding the parcel from development will protect the area's drinking water supply, said Connolly. The land is a major recharge area for the Lawrence Swamp aquifer, whose wells pump drinking water to Amherst, Belchertown, and Pelham, and for the Daigle Well, which serves Belchertown.
People may "think clear drinking water is in unlimited supply, but it's not. Once it's gone, it's gone forever," Connolly said earlier this week.
"This is something I really believe in, and I think other people in town do, too," she said. "When you talk about aquifer protection, it should tug at people's hearts."
The state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs grant for $261,800, which Connolly hopes will be awarded, will cover two-thirds of the land's $385,000 purchase price.
For the rest, Connolly is turning to residents; local land trusts, such as the Kestrel Trust of Amherst and the Belchertown Land Trust; nonprofit organizations; and any other generous private and public entities.
In 2000, Connolly led the campaign to preserve more than 100 acres of Topping Farm land. Later, she plans to go after the remaining 103 acres, which will be a preservation coup for one of the fastest-growing communities in Massachusetts. read More...
Land purchase to protect water
Cause of oil spill still pending
This is happen in Delaware. We need to be alert on any form of contamination on our drinking water..
Cause of oil spill still pending
Monday, December 6, 2004
By STEVE LEVINE Courier-Post Staff
PHILADELPHIA
Officials investigating the Delaware River oil spill emphasized Sunday they have neither determined nor discounted any causes.
Media reports over the weekend suggested pilot error or negligence had been ruled out, but that is not the case, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Russ Tippets.
'That's still under investigation,' Tippets said. 'I don't know where they would have gotten that information, but it wasn't from the Coast Guard.'
A leak was discovered from the Cyprus-flagged Athos I as it prepared to dock at a CITGO refinery in Paulsboro on Nov. 26.
Divers found two gashes in the tanker's hull, including one that is six feet long.
There has been speculation that the Greek-owned tanker might have struck a 14-foot propeller missing since it was dropped by an Army Corps of Engineers' dredge boat in April."Cause of oil spill still pending
Monday, December 6, 2004
By STEVE LEVINE
Courier-Post Staff
PHILADELPHIA
Officials investigating the Delaware River oil spill emphasized Sunday they have neither determined nor discounted any causes.
Media reports over the weekend suggested pilot error or negligence had been ruled out, but that is not the case, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Russ Tippets.
"That's still under investigation," Tippets said. "I don't know where they would have gotten that information, but it wasn't from the Coast Guard."
A leak was discovered from the Cyprus-flagged Athos I as it prepared to dock at a CITGO refinery in Paulsboro on Nov. 26.
Divers found two gashes in the tanker's hull, including one that is six feet long.
There has been speculation that the Greek-owned tanker might have struck a 14-foot propeller missing since it was dropped by an Army Corps of Engineers' dredge boat in April. Read More...
Cause of oil spill still pending
Cause of oil spill still pending
Monday, December 6, 2004
By STEVE LEVINE Courier-Post Staff
PHILADELPHIA
Officials investigating the Delaware River oil spill emphasized Sunday they have neither determined nor discounted any causes.
Media reports over the weekend suggested pilot error or negligence had been ruled out, but that is not the case, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Russ Tippets.
'That's still under investigation,' Tippets said. 'I don't know where they would have gotten that information, but it wasn't from the Coast Guard.'
A leak was discovered from the Cyprus-flagged Athos I as it prepared to dock at a CITGO refinery in Paulsboro on Nov. 26.
Divers found two gashes in the tanker's hull, including one that is six feet long.
There has been speculation that the Greek-owned tanker might have struck a 14-foot propeller missing since it was dropped by an Army Corps of Engineers' dredge boat in April."Cause of oil spill still pending
Monday, December 6, 2004
By STEVE LEVINE
Courier-Post Staff
PHILADELPHIA
Officials investigating the Delaware River oil spill emphasized Sunday they have neither determined nor discounted any causes.
Media reports over the weekend suggested pilot error or negligence had been ruled out, but that is not the case, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Russ Tippets.
"That's still under investigation," Tippets said. "I don't know where they would have gotten that information, but it wasn't from the Coast Guard."
A leak was discovered from the Cyprus-flagged Athos I as it prepared to dock at a CITGO refinery in Paulsboro on Nov. 26.
Divers found two gashes in the tanker's hull, including one that is six feet long.
There has been speculation that the Greek-owned tanker might have struck a 14-foot propeller missing since it was dropped by an Army Corps of Engineers' dredge boat in April. Read More...
Cause of oil spill still pending
TX: NM judge approves land, water buyout plan on Pecos River
Good neighbor must help each other. Why cannot settle these peacefully have to go to the court to iron out?? These , wasting time & money...
NM judge approves land, water buyout plan on Pecos River
SANTA FE A New Mexico judge has dismissed challenges to a plan to buy land and associated water rights along the Pecos River.
The U-S Supreme Court has ordered New Mexico not to fall short on its required water deliveries to Texas.
If New Mexico does fall behind, the federal government could take over managing the river.
State District Judge David Bonem yesterday granted requests from New Mexico and from irrigation districts along the river to dismiss the challenges.
Critics say the plan to spend 70 (m) million dollars to purchase land and water rights along the river would violate New Mexico law, the state constitution and the Pecos River Compact.
An appeal is expected. Read More...
KLTV 7 Tyler-Longview-Jacksonville, TX: NM judge approves land, water buyout plan on Pecos River
NM judge approves land, water buyout plan on Pecos River
SANTA FE A New Mexico judge has dismissed challenges to a plan to buy land and associated water rights along the Pecos River.
The U-S Supreme Court has ordered New Mexico not to fall short on its required water deliveries to Texas.
If New Mexico does fall behind, the federal government could take over managing the river.
State District Judge David Bonem yesterday granted requests from New Mexico and from irrigation districts along the river to dismiss the challenges.
Critics say the plan to spend 70 (m) million dollars to purchase land and water rights along the river would violate New Mexico law, the state constitution and the Pecos River Compact.
An appeal is expected. Read More...
KLTV 7 Tyler-Longview-Jacksonville, TX: NM judge approves land, water buyout plan on Pecos River
Feds pour $200K into water project - The Call
Be it big or small amount from Feds, it is putting tax money to work..
Feds pour $200K into water project
MICHAEL HOLTZMAN , Staff Writer
NORTH SMITHFIELD -- Outgoing Town Administrator Linda B. Thibault said she plans to announce at next week’s Town Council meeting a $200,000 federal bonanza to help with building a mile-long water-line connector into Woonsocket.
"It’s been months in the works. They told me ‘you’re going to get it,’" Thibault said of a phone call last week from George Zainyeh, district director for U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-R.I.
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"This is a big sum of money. We can really get this thing rolling," Interim Finance Director Peter Barilla said. "That’s money right in the town’s pocket."
Thibault called the funding "really good news for the town."
It means that, together with $700,000 remaining from other water projects in town, the $900,000 total will provide necessary funds to complete the 4,450-foot water line from Great Road (Route 146A) to Mendon Road and Rhodes Avenue into Woonsocket.
The lowest of four bids by Rhode Island contractors, opened in mid-November, was $915,460 from Boyle & Fogarty Construction of Smithfield.
The other three bids included: C.B. Utility Co., Bristol, $952,320; Parkside Utility Construction Corp., Cranston, $1,035,851; and John Roccio Corp., Smithfield, $1,099,835.Read More...
The Call
Feds pour $200K into water project
MICHAEL HOLTZMAN , Staff Writer
NORTH SMITHFIELD -- Outgoing Town Administrator Linda B. Thibault said she plans to announce at next week’s Town Council meeting a $200,000 federal bonanza to help with building a mile-long water-line connector into Woonsocket.
"It’s been months in the works. They told me ‘you’re going to get it,’" Thibault said of a phone call last week from George Zainyeh, district director for U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-R.I.
Advertisement
"This is a big sum of money. We can really get this thing rolling," Interim Finance Director Peter Barilla said. "That’s money right in the town’s pocket."
Thibault called the funding "really good news for the town."
It means that, together with $700,000 remaining from other water projects in town, the $900,000 total will provide necessary funds to complete the 4,450-foot water line from Great Road (Route 146A) to Mendon Road and Rhodes Avenue into Woonsocket.
The lowest of four bids by Rhode Island contractors, opened in mid-November, was $915,460 from Boyle & Fogarty Construction of Smithfield.
The other three bids included: C.B. Utility Co., Bristol, $952,320; Parkside Utility Construction Corp., Cranston, $1,035,851; and John Roccio Corp., Smithfield, $1,099,835.Read More...
The Call
Friday, December 03, 2004
City water projects in jeopardy
This certainly is not a good news for San Diego City..
Memo warns of money shortage; delays could lead to fines, lawsuits
By Matthew T. Hall
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 2, 2004
San Diego's dire financial situation is no longer so abstract: The city has run out of money to pay for new water and wastewater projects, and it may have to scrap plans to fix fire and lifeguard stations next year.
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City Manager Lamont Ewell sent a memo to the mayor and City Council 15 minutes before City Hall closed last night, telling them that the city cannot begin an unspecified number of water and wastewater projects, including some that are needed to comply with orders from environmental regulators.
Ewell and Mayor Dick Murphy downplayed any immediate effects, but a prolonged stoppage could subject the city to fines from environmental agencies and lawsuits related to unclean drinking water and sewage spills.
Curtailing new projects will put the city out of compliance with an order from the state Department of Health Services at the end of this month when the city fails to begin the required replacing of a water main in Otay Mesa.
It's unclear what effect that will have, Ewell and Murphy said.
"I can't predict what the federal or state government might or might not do, but you'd think state government would understand the problems of limited financial resources," Murphy said last night.
The city went public with its fiscal crisis in January when it admitted errors and omissions had been made in 2002 financial disclosures.
Now, city finances are the subject of federal investigations, there are allegations of fraud and two annual audits are overdue. Two Wall Street credit-rating agencies also have downgraded the city's rating and a third has suspended it, crippling San Diego's ability to borrow money.
"This is a tangible effect of the problems the city's had with its financial statements," Murphy said. "That's a fair characterization. On the other hand, it's just not going to have any impact on the public in terms of water and sewer service." Read More...
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro -- City water projects in jeopardy
Memo warns of money shortage; delays could lead to fines, lawsuits
By Matthew T. Hall
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 2, 2004
San Diego's dire financial situation is no longer so abstract: The city has run out of money to pay for new water and wastewater projects, and it may have to scrap plans to fix fire and lifeguard stations next year.
Advertisement
City Manager Lamont Ewell sent a memo to the mayor and City Council 15 minutes before City Hall closed last night, telling them that the city cannot begin an unspecified number of water and wastewater projects, including some that are needed to comply with orders from environmental regulators.
Ewell and Mayor Dick Murphy downplayed any immediate effects, but a prolonged stoppage could subject the city to fines from environmental agencies and lawsuits related to unclean drinking water and sewage spills.
Curtailing new projects will put the city out of compliance with an order from the state Department of Health Services at the end of this month when the city fails to begin the required replacing of a water main in Otay Mesa.
It's unclear what effect that will have, Ewell and Murphy said.
"I can't predict what the federal or state government might or might not do, but you'd think state government would understand the problems of limited financial resources," Murphy said last night.
The city went public with its fiscal crisis in January when it admitted errors and omissions had been made in 2002 financial disclosures.
Now, city finances are the subject of federal investigations, there are allegations of fraud and two annual audits are overdue. Two Wall Street credit-rating agencies also have downgraded the city's rating and a third has suspended it, crippling San Diego's ability to borrow money.
"This is a tangible effect of the problems the city's had with its financial statements," Murphy said. "That's a fair characterization. On the other hand, it's just not going to have any impact on the public in terms of water and sewer service." Read More...
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro -- City water projects in jeopardy
EPA/OPPT: Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil
EPA is putting Tax $$ to work on Lead....
Lead in the News
December 2004
* In support of its goal to eradicate lead poisoning by 2010, EPA has announced the availability of $750,000 to reduce lead poisoning in high risk areas. This new competitive grant program will provide funds for projects to: 1) address areas with high incidences of elevated blood-lead levels; 2) identify and address areas with high potential for heretofore undocumented elevated bloodlead levels; 3) develop tools to address unique and challenging issues in lead poisoning prevention; and/or 4) identify tools that are replicable and scalable for other areas.
A wide range of applicants may apply for these grants, including state and local governments, federally-recognized Indian Tribes and tribal consortia, territories, institutions of higher learning, and nonprofit organizations. Applicants must represent areas with high incidences of elevated blood lead levels, or areas which do not have adequate blood lead monitoring data but which are likely to have high incidences of elevated blood lead levels. The December 1, 2004, Federal Register Notice describes eligibility, activities, application procedures and requirements, and evaluation criteria. The deadline for proposals is January 31, 2005.
Note: All environmental or health related measurements or data generation must adequately address the requirements of 40 CFR 31.45 related to quality assurance/quality control. To begin the process of developing the quality assurance documentation, you may choose to use this helpful template. Information on EPA Quality Assurance requirements may be downloaded from the EPA Quality System web site.
EPA/OPPT: Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil
Lead in the News
December 2004
* In support of its goal to eradicate lead poisoning by 2010, EPA has announced the availability of $750,000 to reduce lead poisoning in high risk areas. This new competitive grant program will provide funds for projects to: 1) address areas with high incidences of elevated blood-lead levels; 2) identify and address areas with high potential for heretofore undocumented elevated bloodlead levels; 3) develop tools to address unique and challenging issues in lead poisoning prevention; and/or 4) identify tools that are replicable and scalable for other areas.
A wide range of applicants may apply for these grants, including state and local governments, federally-recognized Indian Tribes and tribal consortia, territories, institutions of higher learning, and nonprofit organizations. Applicants must represent areas with high incidences of elevated blood lead levels, or areas which do not have adequate blood lead monitoring data but which are likely to have high incidences of elevated blood lead levels. The December 1, 2004, Federal Register Notice describes eligibility, activities, application procedures and requirements, and evaluation criteria. The deadline for proposals is January 31, 2005.
Note: All environmental or health related measurements or data generation must adequately address the requirements of 40 CFR 31.45 related to quality assurance/quality control. To begin the process of developing the quality assurance documentation, you may choose to use this helpful template. Information on EPA Quality Assurance requirements may be downloaded from the EPA Quality System web site.
EPA/OPPT: Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil
Bottled Water Company Targets Restaurant
Drinking Bottled Water is good thing, But there are otherway to save money for drinking of filtered water..I would write later...
Bottled water company targets restaurant market
ADVANCE, NC � This week, bottled water maker Le Bleu Corporation launched an exclusively co-branded line of water with international restaurateur Phil Romano, according to a company news release.
"I wanted to be able to offer fine establishments the ultra pure, light & refreshing taste of Le Bleu Bottled Water in an upscale package that is a great accompaniment to fine food," Jerry Smith, president and CEO of Le Bleu, said in the release.
"Partnering with Phil Romano was a natural, considering his extensive restaurant expertise," Smith added. Read More...
News
Bottled water company targets restaurant market
ADVANCE, NC � This week, bottled water maker Le Bleu Corporation launched an exclusively co-branded line of water with international restaurateur Phil Romano, according to a company news release.
"I wanted to be able to offer fine establishments the ultra pure, light & refreshing taste of Le Bleu Bottled Water in an upscale package that is a great accompaniment to fine food," Jerry Smith, president and CEO of Le Bleu, said in the release.
"Partnering with Phil Romano was a natural, considering his extensive restaurant expertise," Smith added. Read More...
News
Thursday, December 02, 2004
The Seattle Times: Seattle schools approve policy on water quality
Positive action like these must be fast not till later..
Seattle schools approve policy on water quality
By Sanjay Bhatt
Seattle Times staff reporter
After months of deliberations, the Seattle School Board approved a new policy to ensure all schools have some of the cleanest school drinking water in the country — at a total cost of more than $12 million over the next three years.
The policy requires Superintendent Raj Manhas to report by March 10 on how he will execute it, establishes a citizen-oversight committee and ensures that future district levies will ask taxpayers for money to pay for water-quality projects.
Yesterday's action came almost a year after the board, confronted by Wedgwood Elementary School parents with orange water from the school, unanimously decided to test the district's drinking water.
Test results showed about one-quarter of fountains districtwide had lead levels of more than 20 parts per billion (ppb). That's the limit the federal government recommends, but doesn't require, for schools. More than a dozen district schools also had such high levels of iron in their drinking water that the district plans to replace all or a portion of their water pipes.
In the past year, officials from public-health agencies cautioned parents against overreacting to the lead levels and stressed it was unlikely the tainted water had hurt any child. Read More...
The Seattle Times: Seattle schools approve policy on water quality
Seattle schools approve policy on water quality
By Sanjay Bhatt
Seattle Times staff reporter
After months of deliberations, the Seattle School Board approved a new policy to ensure all schools have some of the cleanest school drinking water in the country — at a total cost of more than $12 million over the next three years.
The policy requires Superintendent Raj Manhas to report by March 10 on how he will execute it, establishes a citizen-oversight committee and ensures that future district levies will ask taxpayers for money to pay for water-quality projects.
Yesterday's action came almost a year after the board, confronted by Wedgwood Elementary School parents with orange water from the school, unanimously decided to test the district's drinking water.
Test results showed about one-quarter of fountains districtwide had lead levels of more than 20 parts per billion (ppb). That's the limit the federal government recommends, but doesn't require, for schools. More than a dozen district schools also had such high levels of iron in their drinking water that the district plans to replace all or a portion of their water pipes.
In the past year, officials from public-health agencies cautioned parents against overreacting to the lead levels and stressed it was unlikely the tainted water had hurt any child. Read More...
The Seattle Times: Seattle schools approve policy on water quality
Grass Valley Natural Spring Water is Contaminated - The Union - News
You see once the ground is contaminated. It is naturally that Spring water will contaminated as well..
Cleanup mired in legal battle
Grass Valley, miners fight over contamination
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Becky Trout, beckyt@theunion.com
December 2, 2004
Grass Valley and the Newmont Mining Corporation remain locked in a legal struggle, neither willing to claim ownership or financial responsibility for the hundreds of thousands of gallons of contaminated water that flow into the city's wastewater treatment plant each day.
The mine discharge was discovered in 2000 as the wastewater treatment plant was undergoing expansion, Public Works Director Rudi Golnik said. The seepage was always considered a natural spring until its orange discoloration spurred workers to investigate its source.
They discovered the water stemmed from the vast underground network of tunnels leftover from the Northstar Mine, Golnik said. The city entered negotiations with Newmont, which has owned the mine since the 1930s.
After failing to agree how to stem the flow and split the costs, Grass Valley took the company to federal court. The case remains unresolved. Read More....The Union - News
Cleanup mired in legal battle
Grass Valley, miners fight over contamination
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Becky Trout, beckyt@theunion.com
December 2, 2004
Grass Valley and the Newmont Mining Corporation remain locked in a legal struggle, neither willing to claim ownership or financial responsibility for the hundreds of thousands of gallons of contaminated water that flow into the city's wastewater treatment plant each day.
The mine discharge was discovered in 2000 as the wastewater treatment plant was undergoing expansion, Public Works Director Rudi Golnik said. The seepage was always considered a natural spring until its orange discoloration spurred workers to investigate its source.
They discovered the water stemmed from the vast underground network of tunnels leftover from the Northstar Mine, Golnik said. The city entered negotiations with Newmont, which has owned the mine since the 1930s.
After failing to agree how to stem the flow and split the costs, Grass Valley took the company to federal court. The case remains unresolved. Read More....The Union - News
OregonLive.com: NewsFlash - Oregon researchers develop arsenic 'trap'
You see about 10% of US ground water has arsenic...This is a good news too..
Oregon researchers develop arsenic 'trap'
11/30/2004, 12:53 p.m. PT
The Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — University of Oregon researchers have developed an arsenic "trap" that has the potential to clean up contaminated water or treat poisoning victims.
Arsenic is a chemical element and a naturally occurring poison that contaminates water supplies around the globe.
Darren Johnson, a chemistry professor, and graduate student Jake Vickaryous have created a molecule made of sulphur and carbon that hooks on to arsenic.
Three sulphur-based molecules join with two arsenic atoms to form a kind of pyramid-shaped molecule that's more stable than the sulphur molecule alone. Once locked into the structure Johnson describes as a "molecular claw," the arsenic does not combine with any other molecules.
If the molecule proves stable enough to avoid linking up with any other molecules, it could effectively remove arsenic from human tissue or offer a way to make arsenic-tainted wells safe for drinking water.
"One thing this could potentially do is provide some new environmental remediation and sensing tools," Johnson said.
The federal government currently requires that public water systems have no more than 50 parts per billion of lead and will reduce that to 10 parts per billion in 2006.
About 10 percent of U.S. groundwater has arsenic concentrations above 10 parts per billion, while 20 percent of the wells in the Willamette Valley exceed that level. Read More...
OregonLive.com: NewsFlash - Oregon researchers develop arsenic 'trap'
Oregon researchers develop arsenic 'trap'
11/30/2004, 12:53 p.m. PT
The Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — University of Oregon researchers have developed an arsenic "trap" that has the potential to clean up contaminated water or treat poisoning victims.
Arsenic is a chemical element and a naturally occurring poison that contaminates water supplies around the globe.
Darren Johnson, a chemistry professor, and graduate student Jake Vickaryous have created a molecule made of sulphur and carbon that hooks on to arsenic.
Three sulphur-based molecules join with two arsenic atoms to form a kind of pyramid-shaped molecule that's more stable than the sulphur molecule alone. Once locked into the structure Johnson describes as a "molecular claw," the arsenic does not combine with any other molecules.
If the molecule proves stable enough to avoid linking up with any other molecules, it could effectively remove arsenic from human tissue or offer a way to make arsenic-tainted wells safe for drinking water.
"One thing this could potentially do is provide some new environmental remediation and sensing tools," Johnson said.
The federal government currently requires that public water systems have no more than 50 parts per billion of lead and will reduce that to 10 parts per billion in 2006.
About 10 percent of U.S. groundwater has arsenic concentrations above 10 parts per billion, while 20 percent of the wells in the Willamette Valley exceed that level. Read More...
OregonLive.com: NewsFlash - Oregon researchers develop arsenic 'trap'
KESQ NewsChannel 3 Palm Springs, CA: Bush signs largest designation of Nevada wilderness ever
This is a good news for Nevada residents..
Bush signs largest designation of Nevada wilderness ever
RENO, Nev. President Bush has signed into law a measure conservationists say is the single largest designation of federally protected wilderness in Nevada history -- a total of about 12-hundred square miles north and east of Las Vegas.
The new law is called the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004. It is billed as a compromise between environmentalists who want permanent protection of intact wild lands and developers who want more water for Clark County.
The measure creates 14 new wilderness areas protecting wildlife habitat, rugged mountain peaks, limestone cliffs, fragile caves and archaeological resources across a total of 768-thousand acres. That's an area about half the size of the state of Delaware.
It directs the Bureau of Land Management to auction up to 90-thousand acres of federal land in the rural county north of Las Vegas.Read More....
KESQ NewsChannel 3 Palm Springs, CA: Bush signs largest designation of Nevada wilderness ever
Bush signs largest designation of Nevada wilderness ever
RENO, Nev. President Bush has signed into law a measure conservationists say is the single largest designation of federally protected wilderness in Nevada history -- a total of about 12-hundred square miles north and east of Las Vegas.
The new law is called the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004. It is billed as a compromise between environmentalists who want permanent protection of intact wild lands and developers who want more water for Clark County.
The measure creates 14 new wilderness areas protecting wildlife habitat, rugged mountain peaks, limestone cliffs, fragile caves and archaeological resources across a total of 768-thousand acres. That's an area about half the size of the state of Delaware.
It directs the Bureau of Land Management to auction up to 90-thousand acres of federal land in the rural county north of Las Vegas.Read More....
KESQ NewsChannel 3 Palm Springs, CA: Bush signs largest designation of Nevada wilderness ever
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Tests on milk, lettuce find perchlorate is widespread -- sacbee.com -- Business
Fed is investingating into these issue...
Tests on milk, lettuce find perchlorate is widespread
By Mike Lee -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Get weekday updates of Sacramento Bee headlines and breaking news. Sign up here.
Federal investigators have found traces of a rocket fuel component in milk and lettuce from Salinas to Cedarville, N.J., according to new government data.
Perchlorate was detected in about 90 percent of 128 lettuce samples and in all but three of the agency's 104 milk samples, but not at levels that prompted alarm at the Food and Drug Administration.
UCDavis Health
"I think that suggests a much broader distribution (of perchlorate) than anybody thought, and the basis of that distribution I don't think is adequately known," said Robert Krieger, an extension toxicologist at the University of California, Riverside.
The FDA said it wasn't recommending diet changes based on its findings, which resulted from the most comprehensive search to date for perchlorate in food. Still, one consumer watchdog group said the data should spark cleanup efforts, and farm groups wondered what it all meant for their products.
Perchlorate is both a naturally occurring and man-made compound. Most of the perchlorate manufactured nationwide is used as the primary ingredient in rocket fuel.
In recent years, increasingly sophisticated measuring equipment has detected perchlorate in water supplies, such as the Colorado River, and in foods. Crops likely are tainted by perchlorate-laced irrigation water.Read More....
sacbee.com -- Business -- Tests on milk, lettuce find perchlorate is widespread
Tests on milk, lettuce find perchlorate is widespread
By Mike Lee -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Get weekday updates of Sacramento Bee headlines and breaking news. Sign up here.
Federal investigators have found traces of a rocket fuel component in milk and lettuce from Salinas to Cedarville, N.J., according to new government data.
Perchlorate was detected in about 90 percent of 128 lettuce samples and in all but three of the agency's 104 milk samples, but not at levels that prompted alarm at the Food and Drug Administration.
UCDavis Health
"I think that suggests a much broader distribution (of perchlorate) than anybody thought, and the basis of that distribution I don't think is adequately known," said Robert Krieger, an extension toxicologist at the University of California, Riverside.
The FDA said it wasn't recommending diet changes based on its findings, which resulted from the most comprehensive search to date for perchlorate in food. Still, one consumer watchdog group said the data should spark cleanup efforts, and farm groups wondered what it all meant for their products.
Perchlorate is both a naturally occurring and man-made compound. Most of the perchlorate manufactured nationwide is used as the primary ingredient in rocket fuel.
In recent years, increasingly sophisticated measuring equipment has detected perchlorate in water supplies, such as the Colorado River, and in foods. Crops likely are tainted by perchlorate-laced irrigation water.Read More....
sacbee.com -- Business -- Tests on milk, lettuce find perchlorate is widespread
Household chemicals contaminate U.S. drinking water, testing shows
You see the household products that we use are high chemical compound, So it certainly would containminate the ground water then...We need to encourage the use of organic..Natural household products.....
Household chemicals contaminate U.S. drinking water, testing shows
BY DAWN FALLIK
Knight Ridder Newspapers
PHILADELPHIA - (KRT) - Scientists are finding trace amounts of drugs, herbicides and fragrances - from birth-control hormones to weed killers - in the nation's drinking water.
Where once experts thought the water-filtration process would eliminate the chemicals, new studies have discovered otherwise. One water industry investigation into 18 drinking-water plants nationwide found the compounds in 14 of them.
"Initially it was a surprise," said Joseph Bella, executive director for the Passaic Valley Water Commission, whose plant was the basis of a New Jersey study. "We've completely changed the way we treat water. And if that doesn't work, we'll find other technologies."
The amounts being found are infinitesimal - in parts per billion or trillion. A part per billion can be thought of as one grain of salt in a swimming pool, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said.
But studies on fish living in streams show that male and female fish can develop the other sex's proteins and organs when there are endocrine disrupters - from some flame retardants, birth control pills or steroids - in the water in parts per billion. What is unclear is the effect this has on humans, if any.
"We need to expand the task there," said Christian Daughton, who heads the environmental chemistry branch at the EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory. "But the point is that no organism is exposed to one toxicant at a time. What's happening here involves multiple chemicals at a time, and naturally occurring toxic chemicals as well."
There were no studies being done on the health effects of chronic exposure to the compound cocktail, according to officials from the EPA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They say they need to figure out which chemicals are appearing, and where, before deciding what to focus on.
However, the American Water Works Research Association in Denver, which funded the nationwide drinking-water-plant survey, is conducting a two-year study on the health effects of the chemicals.Read More....
Household chemicals contaminate U.S. drinking water, testing shows
Household chemicals contaminate U.S. drinking water, testing shows
BY DAWN FALLIK
Knight Ridder Newspapers
PHILADELPHIA - (KRT) - Scientists are finding trace amounts of drugs, herbicides and fragrances - from birth-control hormones to weed killers - in the nation's drinking water.
Where once experts thought the water-filtration process would eliminate the chemicals, new studies have discovered otherwise. One water industry investigation into 18 drinking-water plants nationwide found the compounds in 14 of them.
"Initially it was a surprise," said Joseph Bella, executive director for the Passaic Valley Water Commission, whose plant was the basis of a New Jersey study. "We've completely changed the way we treat water. And if that doesn't work, we'll find other technologies."
The amounts being found are infinitesimal - in parts per billion or trillion. A part per billion can be thought of as one grain of salt in a swimming pool, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said.
But studies on fish living in streams show that male and female fish can develop the other sex's proteins and organs when there are endocrine disrupters - from some flame retardants, birth control pills or steroids - in the water in parts per billion. What is unclear is the effect this has on humans, if any.
"We need to expand the task there," said Christian Daughton, who heads the environmental chemistry branch at the EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory. "But the point is that no organism is exposed to one toxicant at a time. What's happening here involves multiple chemicals at a time, and naturally occurring toxic chemicals as well."
There were no studies being done on the health effects of chronic exposure to the compound cocktail, according to officials from the EPA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They say they need to figure out which chemicals are appearing, and where, before deciding what to focus on.
However, the American Water Works Research Association in Denver, which funded the nationwide drinking-water-plant survey, is conducting a two-year study on the health effects of the chemicals.Read More....
Household chemicals contaminate U.S. drinking water, testing shows
Newsday.com: City in violation of drinking water rules
These Kind of Violation must put right immediately.
City in violation of drinking water rules
November 30, 2004, 5:09 AM EST
NEW YORK (AP) _ State health officials said Monday that the city was in violation of federal drinking water rules for the past six years by supplying incomplete results from its annual lead tests.
From 2000 to 2002, the city's tap water had slightly more than the level of lead allowable, according to the complete test results. But the officials said no significant public health threat was posed by the water, The New York Times reported in Tuesday editions.
State officials issued no fines for the violation, but said they would require the city's Department of Environmental Protection to provide a plan by the year's end for replacing service lines and pipes where lead is leaking into drinking water.
"For precautionary reasons, we are requiring New York City to immediately begin taking a series of corrective actions to further ensure its drinking water is of good quality and safe for residents to consume," said Robert Kenny, state Health Department spokesman.
Newsday.com: City in violation of drinking water rules: "City in violation of drinking water rules
November 30, 2004, 5:09 AM EST
NEW YORK (AP) _ State health officials said Monday that the city was in violation of federal drinking water rules for the past six years by supplying incomplete results from its annual lead tests.
From 2000 to 2002, the city's tap water had slightly more than the level of lead allowable, according to the complete test results. But the officials said no significant public health threat was posed by the water, The New York Times reported in Tuesday editions.
State officials issued no fines for the violation, but said they would require the city's Department of Environmental Protection to provide a plan by the year's end for replacing service lines and pipes where lead is leaking into drinking water.
'For precautionary reasons, we are requiring New York City to immediately begin taking a series of corrective actions to further ensure its drinking water is of good quality and safe for residents to consume,' said Robert Kenny, state Health Department spokesman. "
City in violation of drinking water rules
November 30, 2004, 5:09 AM EST
NEW YORK (AP) _ State health officials said Monday that the city was in violation of federal drinking water rules for the past six years by supplying incomplete results from its annual lead tests.
From 2000 to 2002, the city's tap water had slightly more than the level of lead allowable, according to the complete test results. But the officials said no significant public health threat was posed by the water, The New York Times reported in Tuesday editions.
State officials issued no fines for the violation, but said they would require the city's Department of Environmental Protection to provide a plan by the year's end for replacing service lines and pipes where lead is leaking into drinking water.
"For precautionary reasons, we are requiring New York City to immediately begin taking a series of corrective actions to further ensure its drinking water is of good quality and safe for residents to consume," said Robert Kenny, state Health Department spokesman.
Newsday.com: City in violation of drinking water rules: "City in violation of drinking water rules
November 30, 2004, 5:09 AM EST
NEW YORK (AP) _ State health officials said Monday that the city was in violation of federal drinking water rules for the past six years by supplying incomplete results from its annual lead tests.
From 2000 to 2002, the city's tap water had slightly more than the level of lead allowable, according to the complete test results. But the officials said no significant public health threat was posed by the water, The New York Times reported in Tuesday editions.
State officials issued no fines for the violation, but said they would require the city's Department of Environmental Protection to provide a plan by the year's end for replacing service lines and pipes where lead is leaking into drinking water.
'For precautionary reasons, we are requiring New York City to immediately begin taking a series of corrective actions to further ensure its drinking water is of good quality and safe for residents to consume,' said Robert Kenny, state Health Department spokesman. "
Monday, November 29, 2004
North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County columnists
When the plant completed in 2008, it certainly would benefits the residents in the area.
Water treatment plant to be built in Twin Oaks Valley
Oreck By: KEN MA - Staff Writer
SAN MARCOS ---- In an effort to meet a growing demand for water, San Diego County Water Authority officials said Wednesday that they plan to build a $107 million plant in the Twin Oaks Valley area to treat water from the Colorado River and Northern California, where most of the county's water supply comes from.
The plant, which will be off Twin Oaks Valley Road about 2 1/2-miles north of San Marcos, is scheduled to be under construction by next summer and completed by the summer of 2008. It's needed, water authority officials said, because the 11 water-treatment plants in the county and one in Temecula, all of which treat the county's potable water supply, cannot handle the increasing demand for water.
"The completion of this regional water-treatment plant is an integral part of our long-range planning to increase water supply reliability," the chairman of the water authority's board of directors, Bernie Rhinerson, said in a statement.
Part of the reason for building the new treatment facility is that the Metropolitan Water District's Skinner Water Treatment Plant in Temecula, which treats half of San Diego County's imported potable water supply ---- about 520 million gallons a day ---- is running at or beyond its capacity, said John Liarakos, county water authority spokesman. Read More...
North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County columnists
Water treatment plant to be built in Twin Oaks Valley
Oreck By: KEN MA - Staff Writer
SAN MARCOS ---- In an effort to meet a growing demand for water, San Diego County Water Authority officials said Wednesday that they plan to build a $107 million plant in the Twin Oaks Valley area to treat water from the Colorado River and Northern California, where most of the county's water supply comes from.
The plant, which will be off Twin Oaks Valley Road about 2 1/2-miles north of San Marcos, is scheduled to be under construction by next summer and completed by the summer of 2008. It's needed, water authority officials said, because the 11 water-treatment plants in the county and one in Temecula, all of which treat the county's potable water supply, cannot handle the increasing demand for water.
"The completion of this regional water-treatment plant is an integral part of our long-range planning to increase water supply reliability," the chairman of the water authority's board of directors, Bernie Rhinerson, said in a statement.
Part of the reason for building the new treatment facility is that the Metropolitan Water District's Skinner Water Treatment Plant in Temecula, which treats half of San Diego County's imported potable water supply ---- about 520 million gallons a day ---- is running at or beyond its capacity, said John Liarakos, county water authority spokesman. Read More...
North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County columnists
Canadians mull latest Great Lakes water plan
Water issue between two countries is always an issue. But as a good neighbor, I am sure best things is to resolve it peacefully on the table.
Canadians mull latest Great Lakes water plan
Some query motive of Ohio's governor
By TOM HENRY
BLADE STAFF WRITER
One of Canada's parliamentary committees has begun taking testimony on the latest plan to curb Great Lakes diversions and bulk withdrawals, another sign that some influential Canadians are questioning the motives of a regional effort led by Gov. Bob Taft's administration since 2001.
The review is the first of its kind on the federal level of a proposal called Annex 2001, written to close legal loopholes in a 1985 charter among governors.
Canada's Parliament and the U.S. Congress were expected to have hearings on the annex after governors and premiers signed it, something which now is not expected to occur until at least the summer of 2005.
No hearings were expected on the federal level in either country before governors and premiers had reached an agreement among themselves, Dick Bartz, Ohio Department of Natural Resources water chief, said. Mr. Bartz is one of the architects of the draft version put out July 19 for 90 days of public comment.
"Given the comments that were received, though, I guess it's not surprising that somebody [in Canada's Parliament] would take it up and hold hearings," Mr. Bartz said.
Supporters hail Annex 2001 as a measure that could both encourage water conservation and halt any large-scale attempts to divert water to parched states such as California, Arizona, and Nevada, as well as potential exports to other parts of the world.
But after three years of near-silence, an opposition movement has arisen. A citizens' group called the Council of Canadians, for one, questions if U.S. governors had ulterior motives in proposing Annex 2001. The council, which claims to have a membership of 100,000, alleges numerous exemptions were included to accommodate growing communities on the American side of the border.Printer-friendly version
Canadians mull latest Great Lakes water plan
Some query motive of Ohio's governor
By TOM HENRY
BLADE STAFF WRITER
One of Canada's parliamentary committees has begun taking testimony on the latest plan to curb Great Lakes diversions and bulk withdrawals, another sign that some influential Canadians are questioning the motives of a regional effort led by Gov. Bob Taft's administration since 2001.
The review is the first of its kind on the federal level of a proposal called Annex 2001, written to close legal loopholes in a 1985 charter among governors.
Canada's Parliament and the U.S. Congress were expected to have hearings on the annex after governors and premiers signed it, something which now is not expected to occur until at least the summer of 2005.
No hearings were expected on the federal level in either country before governors and premiers had reached an agreement among themselves, Dick Bartz, Ohio Department of Natural Resources water chief, said. Mr. Bartz is one of the architects of the draft version put out July 19 for 90 days of public comment.
"Given the comments that were received, though, I guess it's not surprising that somebody [in Canada's Parliament] would take it up and hold hearings," Mr. Bartz said.
Supporters hail Annex 2001 as a measure that could both encourage water conservation and halt any large-scale attempts to divert water to parched states such as California, Arizona, and Nevada, as well as potential exports to other parts of the world.
But after three years of near-silence, an opposition movement has arisen. A citizens' group called the Council of Canadians, for one, questions if U.S. governors had ulterior motives in proposing Annex 2001. The council, which claims to have a membership of 100,000, alleges numerous exemptions were included to accommodate growing communities on the American side of the border.Printer-friendly version
KOBTV.com - City of Albuquerque drops protest to Santa Fe water diversion
Well this is good news. Issue like this must be handled peacefully.
City of Albuquerque drops protest to Santa Fe water diversion
Last Update: 11/28/2004 2:12:45 PM
By: Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The city of Albuquerque has dropped its protest against Santa Fe�s plans to build a water diversion project on the Rio Grande.
City officials filed the protest last year.
They said they wanted to make sure water Santa Fe would draw from the project didn�t include 1,600 acre-feet of river water Albuquerque leases to a gated Santa Fe luxury community.
Santa Fe�s diversion project permit will now specify that it doesn�t include any San Juan-Chama diversion water owned by the city of Albuquerque.
The withdrawal of the protest should clear the way for Santa Fe to move ahead with its project.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
KOBTV.com - City of Albuquerque drops protest to Santa Fe water diversion
City of Albuquerque drops protest to Santa Fe water diversion
Last Update: 11/28/2004 2:12:45 PM
By: Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The city of Albuquerque has dropped its protest against Santa Fe�s plans to build a water diversion project on the Rio Grande.
City officials filed the protest last year.
They said they wanted to make sure water Santa Fe would draw from the project didn�t include 1,600 acre-feet of river water Albuquerque leases to a gated Santa Fe luxury community.
Santa Fe�s diversion project permit will now specify that it doesn�t include any San Juan-Chama diversion water owned by the city of Albuquerque.
The withdrawal of the protest should clear the way for Santa Fe to move ahead with its project.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
KOBTV.com - City of Albuquerque drops protest to Santa Fe water diversion
PEMA: PEMA DIRECTOR UPDATES OIL SPILL SITUATION NEAR PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT
Although government said there is no threat to the drinking water. But the situation must be in control...
PEMA DIRECTOR UPDATES OIL SPILL SITUATION NEAR PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT
HARRISBURG: Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Director David M. Sanko today reported that 25,000-30,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from the oil tanker ATHOS I at anchor near the Philadelphia airport.
“Governor Rendell and New Jersey Governor Richard Codey continue to monitor the situation along with federal and state agencies here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the state of New Jersey,” Sanko said. “Personnel from several state agencies including PEMA, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Fish & Boat Commission have been on-site since early this morning. I will keep Governor Rendell updated throughout the day.”
According to Sanko, officials are still investigating the cause of the leak and there is no threat to drinking water. DEP has deployed booms in several creeks along the path of the spill.
“On behalf of Governor Rendell, appropriate protective action is being taken to keep residents of the Delaware Valley out of harm’s way,” Sanko added.
PEMA: PEMA DIRECTOR UPDATES OIL SPILL SITUATION NEAR PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT
PEMA DIRECTOR UPDATES OIL SPILL SITUATION NEAR PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT
HARRISBURG: Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Director David M. Sanko today reported that 25,000-30,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from the oil tanker ATHOS I at anchor near the Philadelphia airport.
“Governor Rendell and New Jersey Governor Richard Codey continue to monitor the situation along with federal and state agencies here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the state of New Jersey,” Sanko said. “Personnel from several state agencies including PEMA, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Fish & Boat Commission have been on-site since early this morning. I will keep Governor Rendell updated throughout the day.”
According to Sanko, officials are still investigating the cause of the leak and there is no threat to drinking water. DEP has deployed booms in several creeks along the path of the spill.
“On behalf of Governor Rendell, appropriate protective action is being taken to keep residents of the Delaware Valley out of harm’s way,” Sanko added.
PEMA: PEMA DIRECTOR UPDATES OIL SPILL SITUATION NEAR PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
LOS OSOS, Calif. (AP) - Saltwater seeping into the groundwater -- News briefs from California's Central Coast
Too much salt into the drinking water or food would cause the problem for our Kidney & blood circulations, also increase the risk of stroke...
LOS OSOS, Calif. (AP) - Saltwater seeping into the groundwater
LOS OSOS, Calif. (AP) - Saltwater seeping into the groundwater is threatening the town's drinking water supplies, posing a danger to future development, authorities said.
A study by Cleath and Associates, a hired geology firm, showed saltwater is creeping into groundwater at nearly 150 feet per year in some parts of Los Osos. Saltwater intrusion is common in coastal communities.
Company hydrologist Spencer Harris said saltwater seep is a result of pumping operations.
The Los Osos aquifer is 20,000 feet across, but to divide the numbers out would be misleading, Harris said, because the rate of movement depends on whether saltwater enters a well or passes it.
Los Osos' $200,000 state-funded study began in June and is expected to be finished in May. The goal of the study is to discover how much, how fast and where seawater is intruding in the Los Osos groundwater basin, as well as options to refill the lower aquifer.
"As far as a customer and their water at this point, no, it's not something they need to worry about immediately," Harris said. But he added that "it's a serious problem that needs to be addressed."
News briefs from California's Central Coast
LOS OSOS, Calif. (AP) - Saltwater seeping into the groundwater
LOS OSOS, Calif. (AP) - Saltwater seeping into the groundwater is threatening the town's drinking water supplies, posing a danger to future development, authorities said.
A study by Cleath and Associates, a hired geology firm, showed saltwater is creeping into groundwater at nearly 150 feet per year in some parts of Los Osos. Saltwater intrusion is common in coastal communities.
Company hydrologist Spencer Harris said saltwater seep is a result of pumping operations.
The Los Osos aquifer is 20,000 feet across, but to divide the numbers out would be misleading, Harris said, because the rate of movement depends on whether saltwater enters a well or passes it.
Los Osos' $200,000 state-funded study began in June and is expected to be finished in May. The goal of the study is to discover how much, how fast and where seawater is intruding in the Los Osos groundwater basin, as well as options to refill the lower aquifer.
"As far as a customer and their water at this point, no, it's not something they need to worry about immediately," Harris said. But he added that "it's a serious problem that needs to be addressed."
News briefs from California's Central Coast
EPA issues water quality guidance for lead and copper
The Lead is no good for our body, but copper is needed in certain extend, however, too much of any metal's are no good for us...
EPA issues water quality guidance for lead and copper
WASHINGTON � In an effort to control safety standards in drinking water, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a guidance format to help clarify how the collection and management of lead and copper samples is conducted, according to an EPA news release.
"This guidance is the direct result of working with our national drinking water partners to provide clarity on critical elements in implementing our regulations that help safeguard the public's drinking water," Ben Grumbles, acting assistant administrator for water, said in the release. "Early next year, we will determine if the lead rule needs additional guidance or some targeted changes."
Read More...
News
EPA issues water quality guidance for lead and copper
WASHINGTON � In an effort to control safety standards in drinking water, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a guidance format to help clarify how the collection and management of lead and copper samples is conducted, according to an EPA news release.
"This guidance is the direct result of working with our national drinking water partners to provide clarity on critical elements in implementing our regulations that help safeguard the public's drinking water," Ben Grumbles, acting assistant administrator for water, said in the release. "Early next year, we will determine if the lead rule needs additional guidance or some targeted changes."
Read More...
News
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Sheep Creek Water Co. eyeing L.A. County for relief
This is the kind of help L.A. have to provide as a neighbor....
Sheep Creek Water Co. eyeing L.A. County for relief
Shareholders vote on constructing a 9.5-mile pipeline to relieve drought conditions in Phelan
By LEROY STANDISH/Staff Writer
PHELAN — Sheep Creek Water Co. shareholders voted on Saturday to construct a 9.5-mile-long pipeline to draw water from across the Los Angeles County line.
More than 300 shareholders in the company attended the emergency meeting to discuss the community's water crisis and vote on one of four possible solutions.
Lack of water has forced this small community to initiate a building moratorium since August and has reduced shareholders' draw of water from 4,000 cubic feet of water a share to just 1,000 cubic feet.
"Our main source of water is too dependent on Mother Nature," said David Nilsen, secretary of the water company. "So we need to find a secondary source that we can afford."
After nearly three hours of debate and discussion, shareholders decided it best to initiate phase one of a three-phase project to construct the pipeline to Los Angeles County. Read More....
Sheep Creek Water Co. eyeing L.A. County for relief
Sheep Creek Water Co. eyeing L.A. County for relief
Shareholders vote on constructing a 9.5-mile pipeline to relieve drought conditions in Phelan
By LEROY STANDISH/Staff Writer
PHELAN — Sheep Creek Water Co. shareholders voted on Saturday to construct a 9.5-mile-long pipeline to draw water from across the Los Angeles County line.
More than 300 shareholders in the company attended the emergency meeting to discuss the community's water crisis and vote on one of four possible solutions.
Lack of water has forced this small community to initiate a building moratorium since August and has reduced shareholders' draw of water from 4,000 cubic feet of water a share to just 1,000 cubic feet.
"Our main source of water is too dependent on Mother Nature," said David Nilsen, secretary of the water company. "So we need to find a secondary source that we can afford."
After nearly three hours of debate and discussion, shareholders decided it best to initiate phase one of a three-phase project to construct the pipeline to Los Angeles County. Read More....
Sheep Creek Water Co. eyeing L.A. County for relief
Water Quality Monitoring Target of Fed Funds -- The Times Herald
This is good news for people in St. Clair River - MI.
Water quality monitoring target of federal funds
By CHRIS SEBASTIAN
Times Herald
The federal government’s spending bill approved over the weekend will send more than a half-million dollars to the Blue Water Area for a long-awaited water quality monitoring system on the St. Clair River.
U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, on Monday announced that St. Clair and Macomb counties will split $650,000 to develop a system to monitor the river for chemical spills that originate on either side of the international border.
This is the first time the federal government has allotted money for a monitoring system. No such system now exists.
The money will require a 45% match from the two counties, bringing the total amount to about $1.2 million.
The counties are already working on deciding what type of system would best benefit the millions of people who receive their drinking water from the river and Lake St. Clair.
News - The Times Herald - www.thetimesherald.com
Water quality monitoring target of federal funds
By CHRIS SEBASTIAN
Times Herald
The federal government’s spending bill approved over the weekend will send more than a half-million dollars to the Blue Water Area for a long-awaited water quality monitoring system on the St. Clair River.
U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, on Monday announced that St. Clair and Macomb counties will split $650,000 to develop a system to monitor the river for chemical spills that originate on either side of the international border.
This is the first time the federal government has allotted money for a monitoring system. No such system now exists.
The money will require a 45% match from the two counties, bringing the total amount to about $1.2 million.
The counties are already working on deciding what type of system would best benefit the millions of people who receive their drinking water from the river and Lake St. Clair.
News - The Times Herald - www.thetimesherald.com
Congress OKs funds for area flood control - The Sacramento Bee
Congress is putting the tax money to the right place...
Congress OKs funds for area flood control
By David Whitney -- Bee Washington Bureau
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, November 21, 2004
WASHINGTON - Sacramento flood control was at the top of the congressional agenda Saturday as both houses approved a compromise 2005 spending bill that includes more than $54 million for energy and water projects for the Sacramento region.
The Senate passed the measure on a 65-30 vote late Saturday after a 344-51 House vote.
Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville, and Sacramento Democratic Rep. Robert Matsui applauded inclusion of the money in the year-end measure.
Matsui said the $24.7 million appropriated for area flood control projects would keep on schedule work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to add gates to the face of Folsom Dam, and eventually to add seven feet to its top to improve capacity.
"We're very happy with this level of spending, especially given the federal budget constraints," Matsui said. He said the money should be ample to meet the work schedule of the corps for 2005, though it was $3 million less than the House initially approved.
The measure includes $5 million for continued rush work to build a new bridge over the American River below the dam. A road over the dam, used by thousands of commuters, was closed last year because of national security concerns.
Authorization for the work came last year under a deal worked out by Matsui and Doolittle, a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. Read More
Congress OKs funds for area flood control - The Sacramento Bee
Congress OKs funds for area flood control
By David Whitney -- Bee Washington Bureau
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, November 21, 2004
WASHINGTON - Sacramento flood control was at the top of the congressional agenda Saturday as both houses approved a compromise 2005 spending bill that includes more than $54 million for energy and water projects for the Sacramento region.
The Senate passed the measure on a 65-30 vote late Saturday after a 344-51 House vote.
Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville, and Sacramento Democratic Rep. Robert Matsui applauded inclusion of the money in the year-end measure.
Matsui said the $24.7 million appropriated for area flood control projects would keep on schedule work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to add gates to the face of Folsom Dam, and eventually to add seven feet to its top to improve capacity.
"We're very happy with this level of spending, especially given the federal budget constraints," Matsui said. He said the money should be ample to meet the work schedule of the corps for 2005, though it was $3 million less than the House initially approved.
The measure includes $5 million for continued rush work to build a new bridge over the American River below the dam. A road over the dam, used by thousands of commuters, was closed last year because of national security concerns.
Authorization for the work came last year under a deal worked out by Matsui and Doolittle, a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. Read More
Congress OKs funds for area flood control - The Sacramento Bee
Monday, November 22, 2004
Marlboro - $24.3M and still toxic -- APP.COM -
This is alarming...
$24.3M and still toxic
Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/22/04
SPECIAL REPORT: This is the second part of a three-day series on the Superfund program, examining eight Superfund sites in Monmouth and Ocean counties and cleanup plans that are in most cases not getting the job done despite millions of dollars spent over more than two decades.
By JAMES A. QUIRK
and TODD B. BATES
STAFF WRITERS
MARLBORO -- More than 50 years ago, workers at the chemical refining facility now known as Imperial Oil began to discharge toxic waste oil and other contaminants into the environs at the 15-acre site, creating an ecological horror that poisoned soil and water miles away from the plant.
Today, after 20 years of cleanup work and roughly $24.3 million earmarked or spent, a large amount of that contamination still remains -- directly und Imperial Oil's biggest customer: the U.S. Department of Defense, which has given the company millions of dollars in contracts over the past decade for its oil-blending work.
Since few devices are in place to contain the toxic pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies the groundwater contamination at Imperial Oil as not under human control. A 3-foot layer of viscous "free product" -- waste oil -- still floats like a huge lens atop the water table beneath the site.
"They've got to get that under control," said Jessie Arlt, 72, a 44-year Marlboro resident who lives a mile away from Imperial Oil. "There is more and more building going on, and you don't know how that contamination is going to affect people."
The Imperial Oil site is one of four Superfund waste sites in Monmouth and Ocean counties where ground water polluted with toxic chemicals is not under control, even though it's been more than 20 years since the waste was found at the sites. Making matters worse, the EPA's Superfund program has a backlog of sites awaiting cleanup because of a shortfall in federal funding. Read More.....
APP.COM - $24.3M and still toxic
$24.3M and still toxic
Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/22/04
SPECIAL REPORT: This is the second part of a three-day series on the Superfund program, examining eight Superfund sites in Monmouth and Ocean counties and cleanup plans that are in most cases not getting the job done despite millions of dollars spent over more than two decades.
By JAMES A. QUIRK
and TODD B. BATES
STAFF WRITERS
MARLBORO -- More than 50 years ago, workers at the chemical refining facility now known as Imperial Oil began to discharge toxic waste oil and other contaminants into the environs at the 15-acre site, creating an ecological horror that poisoned soil and water miles away from the plant.
Today, after 20 years of cleanup work and roughly $24.3 million earmarked or spent, a large amount of that contamination still remains -- directly und Imperial Oil's biggest customer: the U.S. Department of Defense, which has given the company millions of dollars in contracts over the past decade for its oil-blending work.
Since few devices are in place to contain the toxic pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies the groundwater contamination at Imperial Oil as not under human control. A 3-foot layer of viscous "free product" -- waste oil -- still floats like a huge lens atop the water table beneath the site.
"They've got to get that under control," said Jessie Arlt, 72, a 44-year Marlboro resident who lives a mile away from Imperial Oil. "There is more and more building going on, and you don't know how that contamination is going to affect people."
The Imperial Oil site is one of four Superfund waste sites in Monmouth and Ocean counties where ground water polluted with toxic chemicals is not under control, even though it's been more than 20 years since the waste was found at the sites. Making matters worse, the EPA's Superfund program has a backlog of sites awaiting cleanup because of a shortfall in federal funding. Read More.....
APP.COM - $24.3M and still toxic
Source of water contamination eludes agencies - Monterey County Herald | 11/20/2004 |
MTBE is a gasoline additive used since 1990...is found contaminating drinking water supplies across US...
Source of water contamination eludes agencies
By VIRGINIA HENNESSEY
Herald Staff Writer
Contamination of two Salinas water wells has become the center of a perplexing mystery baffling two Central Coast water agencies.
For more than two years, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Water Service Co. have been searching for the source of MTBE contamination in two of the company's water wells at Pajaro and Bridge streets in Salinas.
Typically, sources of the carcinogenic gasoline additive are tracked down quickly once the contamination is identified, said John Goni, water resource control engineer for the regional board. But in this case, both Goni and officials at California Water are stumped.
About 50 potential leak sites have been tested in a one-mile radius around the wells. While several MTBE leaks were detected, Goni said, none was significant enough to account for the contamination at the company's wells.
None of the contaminated water was or is being delivered to customers without being treated, he stressed. But somewhere out there, a gasoline storage tank is leaking a significant amount of the suspected cancer-causing agent, and authorities have been unable to find it.
MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is a gasoline additive used since 1990 to meet requirements of the federal Clean Air Act. It was outlawed last year after it was found to be contaminating drinking water supplies across the country.
On Friday, the Associated Press reported that hundreds of MTBE-tainted wells had been found in Maryland. In California, serious contamination cases have been reported from Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe to Cambria and Santa Monica.
In addition to fouling the taste of water, the chemical has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory rats at high doses, though the health effects of low levels in humans are unknown.
California Water detected low levels of MTBE in the two wells in early 2002. By June 2003, the levels had jumped from an acceptable but worrisome level of 3.9 parts per billion to 39.9 ppb in one well and 120 ppb in the other. The maximum allowable concentration is 12 ppb in drinking water. Read More....
Monterey County Herald | 11/20/2004 | Source of water contamination eludes agencies
Source of water contamination eludes agencies
By VIRGINIA HENNESSEY
Herald Staff Writer
Contamination of two Salinas water wells has become the center of a perplexing mystery baffling two Central Coast water agencies.
For more than two years, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Water Service Co. have been searching for the source of MTBE contamination in two of the company's water wells at Pajaro and Bridge streets in Salinas.
Typically, sources of the carcinogenic gasoline additive are tracked down quickly once the contamination is identified, said John Goni, water resource control engineer for the regional board. But in this case, both Goni and officials at California Water are stumped.
About 50 potential leak sites have been tested in a one-mile radius around the wells. While several MTBE leaks were detected, Goni said, none was significant enough to account for the contamination at the company's wells.
None of the contaminated water was or is being delivered to customers without being treated, he stressed. But somewhere out there, a gasoline storage tank is leaking a significant amount of the suspected cancer-causing agent, and authorities have been unable to find it.
MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is a gasoline additive used since 1990 to meet requirements of the federal Clean Air Act. It was outlawed last year after it was found to be contaminating drinking water supplies across the country.
On Friday, the Associated Press reported that hundreds of MTBE-tainted wells had been found in Maryland. In California, serious contamination cases have been reported from Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe to Cambria and Santa Monica.
In addition to fouling the taste of water, the chemical has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory rats at high doses, though the health effects of low levels in humans are unknown.
California Water detected low levels of MTBE in the two wells in early 2002. By June 2003, the levels had jumped from an acceptable but worrisome level of 3.9 parts per billion to 39.9 ppb in one well and 120 ppb in the other. The maximum allowable concentration is 12 ppb in drinking water. Read More....
Monterey County Herald | 11/20/2004 | Source of water contamination eludes agencies
Sydney, other Australian cities could run dry by 2006 - USATODAY.com -
You see The Water issue is concerning almost every countries on earth, these is really a major concern for Australia......
Sydney, other Australian cities could run dry by 2006
By Janaki Kremmer, The Christian Science Monitor
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — In the town of Goulburn, three hours south of Sydney, nightly baths are a thing of the past. Dishes are allowed to pile up. Hoses no longer douse dirty cars and thirsty plants.
The 22,000 people in town haven't suddenly grown slovenly. A change in habits is being forced by a dry spell stretching back to the 1970s that is squeezing much of Australia.
To conserve, dishwashing is done in batches, plants are watered with runoff from showers, and cars are cleaned with gray water from washing machines.
Barring monsoon-like rains, such adjustments will need to happen on a massive scale if Australia's biggest cities — including Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Adelaide — hope to continue having drinking water in just two years' time, experts say. (Related: Australia weather and climate)
"Too long we have been living like we might live in Europe and not in accordance with dry climate conditions," says Leigh Martin of the Total Environment Center in Sydney. "Most people who balk at reusing sewage water should be educated about recycling."
Australia is not only the driest inhabited continent on earth, but also the greatest consumer of water per capita, experts say.
Australians use more than 260,000 gallons of fresh water per person per year, or 24,000 gigaliters — that's enough to fill Sydney harbor, 48 times over. About 70% goes to agricultural irrigation, 9% to other rural uses, 9% to industry, and 12% to domestic use.
Read More....
USATODAY.com - Sydney, other Australian cities could run dry by 2006
Sydney, other Australian cities could run dry by 2006
By Janaki Kremmer, The Christian Science Monitor
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — In the town of Goulburn, three hours south of Sydney, nightly baths are a thing of the past. Dishes are allowed to pile up. Hoses no longer douse dirty cars and thirsty plants.
The 22,000 people in town haven't suddenly grown slovenly. A change in habits is being forced by a dry spell stretching back to the 1970s that is squeezing much of Australia.
To conserve, dishwashing is done in batches, plants are watered with runoff from showers, and cars are cleaned with gray water from washing machines.
Barring monsoon-like rains, such adjustments will need to happen on a massive scale if Australia's biggest cities — including Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Adelaide — hope to continue having drinking water in just two years' time, experts say. (Related: Australia weather and climate)
"Too long we have been living like we might live in Europe and not in accordance with dry climate conditions," says Leigh Martin of the Total Environment Center in Sydney. "Most people who balk at reusing sewage water should be educated about recycling."
Australia is not only the driest inhabited continent on earth, but also the greatest consumer of water per capita, experts say.
Australians use more than 260,000 gallons of fresh water per person per year, or 24,000 gigaliters — that's enough to fill Sydney harbor, 48 times over. About 70% goes to agricultural irrigation, 9% to other rural uses, 9% to industry, and 12% to domestic use.
Read More....
USATODAY.com - Sydney, other Australian cities could run dry by 2006
Friday, November 19, 2004
Feds sue water facility over years of sewage violations - wjla-TV News
Fed is doing their jobs on the enforcement...
Feds sue water facility over years of sewage violations
LAUREL, MD � The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is being sued by the federal government for failing to control its sewer overflows, according to a Nov. 19 Associated Press (AP) news report on WJLA-TV.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is claming that WSSC is allowing raw sewage to flow into area waterways causing a substantial risk to human health, the report said.
The news station reported that the WSSC provides drinking water and sewage service to about 1.6 million people in Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
State records indicate nearly 450 such incidents occurred over a 42-month period ending last July. The overflows allow millions of gallons of raw sewage to drain into the Anacostia and Patuxent rivers, ultimately increasing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, the story said.
News
Feds sue water facility over years of sewage violations
LAUREL, MD � The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is being sued by the federal government for failing to control its sewer overflows, according to a Nov. 19 Associated Press (AP) news report on WJLA-TV.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is claming that WSSC is allowing raw sewage to flow into area waterways causing a substantial risk to human health, the report said.
The news station reported that the WSSC provides drinking water and sewage service to about 1.6 million people in Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
State records indicate nearly 450 such incidents occurred over a 42-month period ending last July. The overflows allow millions of gallons of raw sewage to drain into the Anacostia and Patuxent rivers, ultimately increasing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, the story said.
News
Melting Glaciers Threaten World Water Supply - Yahoo! News -
This is due to the Green house effects. We need to do more to ensure that our heirs & our environment is protected.........
Melting Glaciers Threaten World Water Supply
Wed Nov 17,11:20 PM ET By Ed Cropley
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Mountain glaciers, which act as the world's water towers, are shrinking at ever faster rates, threatening the livelihoods of millions of people and the future of countless species, a scientist said Thursday.
Around 75 percent of the world's fresh water is stored in glacial ice, much of it in mountain areas, allowing for heavy winter rain and snow-falls to be released gradually into river networks throughout summer or dry months.
"For some species and some people there are going to be big problems because mountain areas feed not just rural people but big cities, especially in Latin America," said Martin Price of the UK-based Center for Mountain Studies.
In dry countries, mountain glaciers can account for as much as 95 percent of water in river networks, while even in lowland areas of temperate countries such as Germany, around 40 percent of water comes from mountain ice-fields, Price said.
"It's a huge issue in the long run because once the glaciers go, you're down to whatever happens to fall out of the sky and come downstream," Price told Reuters on the sidelines of the IUCN World Conservation Congress in the Thai capital.
Due to factors such as global warming and air pollution, glaciers, like the polar ice caps, are getting smaller.
Studies show that Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, may lose its ice-cap by 2020, while the Glacier National Park in the northern United States could well be looking for a new name by 2030.
As well as threatening consistent, year-round water flows, climate change in mountains is threatening the vast variety of species.
Animals and plants in mountain areas, which officially cover 25 percent of the earth's surface, are under threat from the gradually changing climate, as well as loss of habitat on lower reaches which is pushing species to ever higher altitudes.
Eventually, they will run out of places to go.
"What can you do about it? You just have to try and adapt as things go along. You have to be as flexible as possible, but a lot of species are going to go extinct. In mountain areas many already have," Price said.
Yahoo! News - Melting Glaciers Threaten World Water Supply
Melting Glaciers Threaten World Water Supply
Wed Nov 17,11:20 PM ET By Ed Cropley
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Mountain glaciers, which act as the world's water towers, are shrinking at ever faster rates, threatening the livelihoods of millions of people and the future of countless species, a scientist said Thursday.
Around 75 percent of the world's fresh water is stored in glacial ice, much of it in mountain areas, allowing for heavy winter rain and snow-falls to be released gradually into river networks throughout summer or dry months.
"For some species and some people there are going to be big problems because mountain areas feed not just rural people but big cities, especially in Latin America," said Martin Price of the UK-based Center for Mountain Studies.
In dry countries, mountain glaciers can account for as much as 95 percent of water in river networks, while even in lowland areas of temperate countries such as Germany, around 40 percent of water comes from mountain ice-fields, Price said.
"It's a huge issue in the long run because once the glaciers go, you're down to whatever happens to fall out of the sky and come downstream," Price told Reuters on the sidelines of the IUCN World Conservation Congress in the Thai capital.
Due to factors such as global warming and air pollution, glaciers, like the polar ice caps, are getting smaller.
Studies show that Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, may lose its ice-cap by 2020, while the Glacier National Park in the northern United States could well be looking for a new name by 2030.
As well as threatening consistent, year-round water flows, climate change in mountains is threatening the vast variety of species.
Animals and plants in mountain areas, which officially cover 25 percent of the earth's surface, are under threat from the gradually changing climate, as well as loss of habitat on lower reaches which is pushing species to ever higher altitudes.
Eventually, they will run out of places to go.
"What can you do about it? You just have to try and adapt as things go along. You have to be as flexible as possible, but a lot of species are going to go extinct. In mountain areas many already have," Price said.
Yahoo! News - Melting Glaciers Threaten World Water Supply
Congress OKs Nevada Land Deal, Enabling Water Project -Salt Lake Tribune - Nation/World
This is a positive move...
Congress OKs Nevada land deal, enabling water project
Boon for Las Vegas: A huge area will be labeled wilderness in return for allowing development of formerly public land
Los Angeles Times
Congress gave final approval Wednesday to wide-ranging lands legislation that sells off federal holdings in one of Nevada's least populated counties, creates more than a dozen new wilderness areas in the state and eases the way for a controversial water project.
Returning this week after an election recess, the House passed a Senate-amended version of a public lands bill that rewards an array of Nevada interests, from water utilities to wilderness buffs to developers.
The legislation grants rent-free rights of way across federal land for a massive proposed pipeline system that would carry groundwater from rural Nevada to the Las Vegas area.
It authorizes the sale of 90,000 acres of public land - the equivalent of three San Franciscos - for private development in Lincoln County, a huge, lonely swath of southeastern Nevada that is almost entirely owned by the federal government.
It establishes 768,000 acres of new wilderness in Lincoln County, among the largest blocs of wilderness to be designated by Congress in the past decade.
And it eliminates a federal right of way that interferes with a big southern Nevada development proposed by a friend of one of the bill's sponsors, Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, the soon-to-be Senate minority leader.
''This bill is the epitome of compromise,'' said Nevada Republican Rep. Jim Gibbons. ''We succeed in raising the private property tax base a modest amount while protecting an unprecedented amount of land. I am especially pleased that it will specifically support economic development, increased recreation and new tourism opportunities in one of Nevada's most rural counties. Read More.....
''Salt Lake Tribune - Nation/World
Congress OKs Nevada land deal, enabling water project
Boon for Las Vegas: A huge area will be labeled wilderness in return for allowing development of formerly public land
Los Angeles Times
Congress gave final approval Wednesday to wide-ranging lands legislation that sells off federal holdings in one of Nevada's least populated counties, creates more than a dozen new wilderness areas in the state and eases the way for a controversial water project.
Returning this week after an election recess, the House passed a Senate-amended version of a public lands bill that rewards an array of Nevada interests, from water utilities to wilderness buffs to developers.
The legislation grants rent-free rights of way across federal land for a massive proposed pipeline system that would carry groundwater from rural Nevada to the Las Vegas area.
It authorizes the sale of 90,000 acres of public land - the equivalent of three San Franciscos - for private development in Lincoln County, a huge, lonely swath of southeastern Nevada that is almost entirely owned by the federal government.
It establishes 768,000 acres of new wilderness in Lincoln County, among the largest blocs of wilderness to be designated by Congress in the past decade.
And it eliminates a federal right of way that interferes with a big southern Nevada development proposed by a friend of one of the bill's sponsors, Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, the soon-to-be Senate minority leader.
''This bill is the epitome of compromise,'' said Nevada Republican Rep. Jim Gibbons. ''We succeed in raising the private property tax base a modest amount while protecting an unprecedented amount of land. I am especially pleased that it will specifically support economic development, increased recreation and new tourism opportunities in one of Nevada's most rural counties. Read More.....
''Salt Lake Tribune - Nation/World
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Waters at Center Stage in King/Drew Drama
Water...Water...Water Issues..This Time is in Los Angeles...
Waters at Center Stage in King/Drew Drama
* The congresswoman brings her organizing skills and trademark passion to the battle over whether the trauma unit will be closed.
By Jia-Rui Chong, Solomon Moore and Steve Hymon, Times Staff Writers
A day after she helped marshal more than 1,000 people to protest the proposed closure of Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center's trauma unit, Rep. Maxine Waters on Tuesday sat at the center aisle, second row, of the county Board of Supervisors meeting room, planning her next move.
She and other foes of the closure plan were there to voice their concerns to the supervisors. But it was Waters getting most of the attention. Every few minutes, a protester, a union leader, a policy analyst or an elected official would stop by for a quick huddle. Read More...
Waters at Center Stage in King/Drew Drama
Waters at Center Stage in King/Drew Drama
* The congresswoman brings her organizing skills and trademark passion to the battle over whether the trauma unit will be closed.
By Jia-Rui Chong, Solomon Moore and Steve Hymon, Times Staff Writers
A day after she helped marshal more than 1,000 people to protest the proposed closure of Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center's trauma unit, Rep. Maxine Waters on Tuesday sat at the center aisle, second row, of the county Board of Supervisors meeting room, planning her next move.
She and other foes of the closure plan were there to voice their concerns to the supervisors. But it was Waters getting most of the attention. Every few minutes, a protester, a union leader, a policy analyst or an elected official would stop by for a quick huddle. Read More...
Waters at Center Stage in King/Drew Drama
Reservation ready for Mni Wiconi water hookup -- AP Wire | 11/15/2004
This hookup would benefits 55,000 people in South Darkota..
Reservation ready for Mni Wiconi water hookup
Associated Press
PINE RIDGE, S.D. - Planners are hoping to connect residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to Missouri River water sometime next year.
The core line of the Mni Wiconi water project is complete nearly to Kadoka, where it will connect next year to a pipeline to Wanblee on the northeast side of Pine Ridge, said Duane Brewer, director of the Oglala Sioux Rural Water Supply System.
But much of the project's completion hinges on Congress, which has yet to pass a joint water and energy bill for the 2005 fiscal year that began Oct. 1.
Mike Watson, head engineer for the Oglalas, said he's optimistic the completion of the Mid-Dakota project will help free up money for Mni Wiconi. He hopes Congress will act this month during its "lame duck" session.
"That should free up rural water budget across the country a little bit," Watson said. "Projects like Mni Wiconi that are well advanced should receive a part of that."
The Mni Wiconi project is designed to deliver water to about 55,000 people in nine West River counties, Pine Ridge and on the Lower Brule and Rosebud Indian reservations. Read More...
AP Wire | 11/15/2004 | Reservation ready for Mni Wiconi water hookup
Reservation ready for Mni Wiconi water hookup
Associated Press
PINE RIDGE, S.D. - Planners are hoping to connect residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to Missouri River water sometime next year.
The core line of the Mni Wiconi water project is complete nearly to Kadoka, where it will connect next year to a pipeline to Wanblee on the northeast side of Pine Ridge, said Duane Brewer, director of the Oglala Sioux Rural Water Supply System.
But much of the project's completion hinges on Congress, which has yet to pass a joint water and energy bill for the 2005 fiscal year that began Oct. 1.
Mike Watson, head engineer for the Oglalas, said he's optimistic the completion of the Mid-Dakota project will help free up money for Mni Wiconi. He hopes Congress will act this month during its "lame duck" session.
"That should free up rural water budget across the country a little bit," Watson said. "Projects like Mni Wiconi that are well advanced should receive a part of that."
The Mni Wiconi project is designed to deliver water to about 55,000 people in nine West River counties, Pine Ridge and on the Lower Brule and Rosebud Indian reservations. Read More...
AP Wire | 11/15/2004 | Reservation ready for Mni Wiconi water hookup
Cooling the water wars - DenverPost.com - LOCAL NEWS
Shortage of Water is a major concern not only in Asia. If Colorado is facing these situation, that could be worst for California..
Cooling the water wars
Study urges compromise, state action
By Joey Bunch and Kim McGuire
Denver Post Staff Writers
Colorado cities will struggle to get the water they need as the population grows but may be able to lessen the harm to farms and mountain streams with compromise and stronger state involvement, according to a major study presented Tuesday to the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
The Statewide Water Supply Initiative, a $2.8 million study funded by the legislature in 2003, said the number of lost farms and costly battles for water could be minimized with cooperation and good information.
"We don't want to spawn the next generation of trans-basin fights," said Colorado Trout Unlimited executive director David Nickum, who participated in the study.
When competing water interests in the state's various river basins disagree, he said, "we should encourage dialogue to find win-win situations." Read More...
DenverPost.com - LOCAL NEWS
Cooling the water wars
Study urges compromise, state action
By Joey Bunch and Kim McGuire
Denver Post Staff Writers
Colorado cities will struggle to get the water they need as the population grows but may be able to lessen the harm to farms and mountain streams with compromise and stronger state involvement, according to a major study presented Tuesday to the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
The Statewide Water Supply Initiative, a $2.8 million study funded by the legislature in 2003, said the number of lost farms and costly battles for water could be minimized with cooperation and good information.
"We don't want to spawn the next generation of trans-basin fights," said Colorado Trout Unlimited executive director David Nickum, who participated in the study.
When competing water interests in the state's various river basins disagree, he said, "we should encourage dialogue to find win-win situations." Read More...
DenverPost.com - LOCAL NEWS
Site cleanup plan to advance to state
Site cleanup plan to advance to state: "Site cleanup plan to advance to state
11-17-04
By Sue Schultz, Staff Writer
News & Record
HIGH POINT -- The seven-year effort to clean up contamination near the Deep River will finally progress when city leaders and a business group submit initial cleanup plans to the state in December.
The river will flow directly into the Randleman Lake -- which will soon be a source of drinking water for the Triad. Tuesday night, city leaders met with Greensboro attorney Steve Earp about the plan to clean up the 163-acre site contaminated by chemicals from the former Seaboard Chemical Corp. and the city's old landfill. If approved, the cleanup would begin in 2006 -- when the Randleman Lake is scheduled to open.
'The goal is to have our system ready to go by the time the reservoir is ready to go,' Earp said. 'That will ensure the water heading to the lake will be treated.'" Read More....
Clean up site is going to use as the drinking water source, it is necessary to look into the quality of the Water Standard....
11-17-04
By Sue Schultz, Staff Writer
News & Record
HIGH POINT -- The seven-year effort to clean up contamination near the Deep River will finally progress when city leaders and a business group submit initial cleanup plans to the state in December.
The river will flow directly into the Randleman Lake -- which will soon be a source of drinking water for the Triad. Tuesday night, city leaders met with Greensboro attorney Steve Earp about the plan to clean up the 163-acre site contaminated by chemicals from the former Seaboard Chemical Corp. and the city's old landfill. If approved, the cleanup would begin in 2006 -- when the Randleman Lake is scheduled to open.
'The goal is to have our system ready to go by the time the reservoir is ready to go,' Earp said. 'That will ensure the water heading to the lake will be treated.'" Read More....
Clean up site is going to use as the drinking water source, it is necessary to look into the quality of the Water Standard....
Environmentalists push bill to expand well monitoring
Well is a important source for water, as the ground water is getting polluted, it is neccesary to enforce the standard..
Environmentalists push bill to expand well monitoring
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
By TERRENCE DOPP
The Express-Times
TRENTON -- Lawmakers are examining a plan to mandate all homeowners relying on private wells to have them tested for contamination every five years.
The bill would expand the scope of New Jersey's Private Well Testing Act -- a 2002 law that mandates all wells be tested during real estate sales. Since that law took effect, 8 percent of wells tested statewide have been found to be contaminated, according to state officials.
The state Department of Environmental Protection estimates the law would affect an estimated 250,000 wells, as well as approximately 7,600 new ones installed annually.
"The success of the private well testing has shown that it should be expanded. This is a natural next step," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.
Contaminated drinking water is not a new concern in the Garden State, where there are roughly 11,000 contaminated sites and 118 Superfund sites. Geology, industry and increasing population have contributed to the problem, according to officials. Read More..
Environmentalists push bill to expand well monitoring
Environmentalists push bill to expand well monitoring
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
By TERRENCE DOPP
The Express-Times
TRENTON -- Lawmakers are examining a plan to mandate all homeowners relying on private wells to have them tested for contamination every five years.
The bill would expand the scope of New Jersey's Private Well Testing Act -- a 2002 law that mandates all wells be tested during real estate sales. Since that law took effect, 8 percent of wells tested statewide have been found to be contaminated, according to state officials.
The state Department of Environmental Protection estimates the law would affect an estimated 250,000 wells, as well as approximately 7,600 new ones installed annually.
"The success of the private well testing has shown that it should be expanded. This is a natural next step," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.
Contaminated drinking water is not a new concern in the Garden State, where there are roughly 11,000 contaminated sites and 118 Superfund sites. Geology, industry and increasing population have contributed to the problem, according to officials. Read More..
Environmentalists push bill to expand well monitoring
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Chemicals Linger In Environment -- WCCO: Study
What happen if these Drugs have some side effects?? That may be too late...
Study: Chemicals Linger In Environment
Nov 14, 2004 1:53 pm US/Central
Minneapolis (AP) The chemicals go down the drain, but in the environment they remain.
Researchers have found that a complex brew of everyday compounds -- from products as ubiquitous as shampoo, bug spray and even that morning cup of coffee -- lingers in Minnesota waters even after they're showered off or dumped down the sink.
Those persistent chemicals include caffeine, synthetic musk used in personal-care products, a flame retardant, a herbicide, insect repellent and several medications, according to the most extensive study ever conducted of the state's waters.
Little is known about the risk of these compounds, especially at the low levels detected. But 13 of them are known to disrupt the hormones and sexual development of some fish or other animals, according to the study by three government agencies.
"Because they are a constant source, everyday aquatic organisms are bathed in these compounds, and I don't think anybody knows how that affects them," said Kathy Lee, a hydrologist for the United States Geological Survey and chief author of the study.
Scientists from the USGS, the Minnesota Department of Health and the state Pollution Control Agency found 74 chemicals at 65 sites across the state from late 2000 to 2002. The samples came from rivers and streams near municipal water supplies and sewage treatment plants, treated drinking water and water below landfills and livestock lagoons. The study did not attempt to identify the chemicals' sources.
The study, which cost $564,000, was presented at a conference here last month.
Many chemicals were found just downstream of sewage treatment plants at East Grand Forks, Rochester, Duluth and St. Paul.
At the main Twin Cities metro area plant in St. Paul, about 200 million gallons of wastewater are treated and released into the Mississippi River daily.
The treatment plants remove metals and several pollutants, but not many of the hormones, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals flushed from toilets or rinsed down drains.
"We're not designed to remove these chemicals," said Rebecca Flood, environmental manager for the plant.
Detecting those compounds at such low levels -- often in the parts per billion -- is cutting-edge research, Flood said.
Traces of some chemicals also were found in the intakes of municipal water-treatment plants at Moorhead, East Grand Forks, St. Cloud, Mankato, St. Paul and Minneapolis. But water after treatment at those plants showed either no contaminants or barely detectable levels, said Doug Mandy, manager of the drinking water protection section for the Health Department.
"From a health standpoint, we're fairly certain that this is not a problem at the levels that we found," Mandy said. "But our concern is that these numbers will continue to grow over time because people will continue to use these items or products and they will continue to enter the environment."
Drugs with sexual side effects eventually could become a problem for drinking water quality downstream, and antibiotics in the water may result in strains of bacteria that become resistant to antibiotic treatment, said Leroy Folmar, a retired research physiologist for the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Read More...
WCCO: Study: Chemicals Linger In Environment
Study: Chemicals Linger In Environment
Nov 14, 2004 1:53 pm US/Central
Minneapolis (AP) The chemicals go down the drain, but in the environment they remain.
Researchers have found that a complex brew of everyday compounds -- from products as ubiquitous as shampoo, bug spray and even that morning cup of coffee -- lingers in Minnesota waters even after they're showered off or dumped down the sink.
Those persistent chemicals include caffeine, synthetic musk used in personal-care products, a flame retardant, a herbicide, insect repellent and several medications, according to the most extensive study ever conducted of the state's waters.
Little is known about the risk of these compounds, especially at the low levels detected. But 13 of them are known to disrupt the hormones and sexual development of some fish or other animals, according to the study by three government agencies.
"Because they are a constant source, everyday aquatic organisms are bathed in these compounds, and I don't think anybody knows how that affects them," said Kathy Lee, a hydrologist for the United States Geological Survey and chief author of the study.
Scientists from the USGS, the Minnesota Department of Health and the state Pollution Control Agency found 74 chemicals at 65 sites across the state from late 2000 to 2002. The samples came from rivers and streams near municipal water supplies and sewage treatment plants, treated drinking water and water below landfills and livestock lagoons. The study did not attempt to identify the chemicals' sources.
The study, which cost $564,000, was presented at a conference here last month.
Many chemicals were found just downstream of sewage treatment plants at East Grand Forks, Rochester, Duluth and St. Paul.
At the main Twin Cities metro area plant in St. Paul, about 200 million gallons of wastewater are treated and released into the Mississippi River daily.
The treatment plants remove metals and several pollutants, but not many of the hormones, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals flushed from toilets or rinsed down drains.
"We're not designed to remove these chemicals," said Rebecca Flood, environmental manager for the plant.
Detecting those compounds at such low levels -- often in the parts per billion -- is cutting-edge research, Flood said.
Traces of some chemicals also were found in the intakes of municipal water-treatment plants at Moorhead, East Grand Forks, St. Cloud, Mankato, St. Paul and Minneapolis. But water after treatment at those plants showed either no contaminants or barely detectable levels, said Doug Mandy, manager of the drinking water protection section for the Health Department.
"From a health standpoint, we're fairly certain that this is not a problem at the levels that we found," Mandy said. "But our concern is that these numbers will continue to grow over time because people will continue to use these items or products and they will continue to enter the environment."
Drugs with sexual side effects eventually could become a problem for drinking water quality downstream, and antibiotics in the water may result in strains of bacteria that become resistant to antibiotic treatment, said Leroy Folmar, a retired research physiologist for the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Read More...
WCCO: Study: Chemicals Linger In Environment
- Algae Found In Neighborhood Drinking Water - NBC 4 - 4 Your Health
San Fernando Resident please read...
Algae Found In Neighborhood Drinking Water
DWP Making Adjustments To Minimize Taste, Odor In Water Supply
Think your drinking water has an unpleasant taste and odor?
If you live in the San Fernando Valley, West Los Angeles or Central Los Angeles, you're not imagining it.
The problem results from a bloom of blue-green algae called Anaebena in one of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's reservoirs north of Los Angeles. The algae produces a non-toxic, odorous compound known as geosmin.
While unpleasant, the taste and odor issues are naturally occurring and pose no health risks, according to the DWP.
To help improve the taste and odor, customers may want to refrigerate their drinking water until the problem diminishes.
James G. Yannotta, manager of operations for the DWP, said the algal bloom developed in the water stored in Bouquet Reservoir, located in the hills west of Palmdale. From there, water flows south through the Los Angeles Aqueduct to the Los Angeles Aqueduct Filtration Plant for purification prior to distribution.
The water level in the reservoir was being lowered to make needed repairs when the algal bloom occurred, necessitating the need to release the affected water into the aqueduct system, he said.
The DWP is making several operational adjustments to minimize the taste and odor in the water supply.
"We anticipate that the problems should start to subside by this weekend, and within the next few weeks the taste and odor should be back to normal," Yannotta said.
NBC 4 - 4 Your Health - Algae Found In Neighborhood Drinking Water
Algae Found In Neighborhood Drinking Water
DWP Making Adjustments To Minimize Taste, Odor In Water Supply
Think your drinking water has an unpleasant taste and odor?
If you live in the San Fernando Valley, West Los Angeles or Central Los Angeles, you're not imagining it.
The problem results from a bloom of blue-green algae called Anaebena in one of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's reservoirs north of Los Angeles. The algae produces a non-toxic, odorous compound known as geosmin.
While unpleasant, the taste and odor issues are naturally occurring and pose no health risks, according to the DWP.
To help improve the taste and odor, customers may want to refrigerate their drinking water until the problem diminishes.
James G. Yannotta, manager of operations for the DWP, said the algal bloom developed in the water stored in Bouquet Reservoir, located in the hills west of Palmdale. From there, water flows south through the Los Angeles Aqueduct to the Los Angeles Aqueduct Filtration Plant for purification prior to distribution.
The water level in the reservoir was being lowered to make needed repairs when the algal bloom occurred, necessitating the need to release the affected water into the aqueduct system, he said.
The DWP is making several operational adjustments to minimize the taste and odor in the water supply.
"We anticipate that the problems should start to subside by this weekend, and within the next few weeks the taste and odor should be back to normal," Yannotta said.
NBC 4 - 4 Your Health - Algae Found In Neighborhood Drinking Water
Modesto Runs Out of Water in 2018? - Modbee.com |
This is a big concern for Modesto People.
Modesto runs out of water in 2018?
The purpose of planning for the future is to identify needs, city official explains -- By Michael G. Mooney Bee Staff Writer
"Those planning to build their dream in or near Modesto, be it humble home or shopping mall, might want to draw a red circle on the calendar around the year 2018.
Why?
Because a recent study indicates that's the last year any new development could be accommodated in the city, assuming Modesto leaders don't find a way to expand the city's water supply.
But don't start tearing up those blueprints just yet. No one inside city government or the development community, for that matter, believes the city is about to go dry.
'The whole purpose of planning is to identify what the city's needs will be,' said Craig Scott, a city Public Works employee specializing in water issues. 'We have an idea of what we're going to do.'" Read More....
Modbee.com | The Modesto Bee:
Modesto runs out of water in 2018?
The purpose of planning for the future is to identify needs, city official explains -- By Michael G. Mooney Bee Staff Writer
"Those planning to build their dream in or near Modesto, be it humble home or shopping mall, might want to draw a red circle on the calendar around the year 2018.
Why?
Because a recent study indicates that's the last year any new development could be accommodated in the city, assuming Modesto leaders don't find a way to expand the city's water supply.
But don't start tearing up those blueprints just yet. No one inside city government or the development community, for that matter, believes the city is about to go dry.
'The whole purpose of planning is to identify what the city's needs will be,' said Craig Scott, a city Public Works employee specializing in water issues. 'We have an idea of what we're going to do.'" Read More....
Modbee.com | The Modesto Bee:
Chlorine cylinder leaks at Fort Madison water treatment plant
Chlorine cylinder leaks at Fort Madison water treatment plant
FORT MADISON, Iowa A hazmat crew is responding to a chlorine leak at a water treatment plant in the southeast Iowa city of Fort Madison.
A one ton chlorine cylinder at the plant, which can produce as much as six million gallons of potable water each day, had a slow leak but didn't pose much of a threat.
That's according to City Manager Bill Kelly, who says the chlorine gas was contained inside the plant.
He didn't know how soon the cylinder would be fixed.
Fire Chief Mike Walker says no one was injured during the leak and crews were doing everything "by the books."
The plant is located near the Mississippi River.
Chlorine cylinder leaks at Fort Madison water treatment plant: "Chlorine cylinder leaks at Fort Madison water treatment plant"
FORT MADISON, Iowa A hazmat crew is responding to a chlorine leak at a water treatment plant in the southeast Iowa city of Fort Madison.
A one ton chlorine cylinder at the plant, which can produce as much as six million gallons of potable water each day, had a slow leak but didn't pose much of a threat.
That's according to City Manager Bill Kelly, who says the chlorine gas was contained inside the plant.
He didn't know how soon the cylinder would be fixed.
Fire Chief Mike Walker says no one was injured during the leak and crews were doing everything "by the books."
The plant is located near the Mississippi River.
Chlorine cylinder leaks at Fort Madison water treatment plant: "Chlorine cylinder leaks at Fort Madison water treatment plant"
Indonesia Pollution in Buyat Bay - The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial
Indonesia need to Gear up & do more to control & reduce the Pollutions not only in Water In the Air as well, there is too much Ignorance attitude about the environments...
Indonesia's natural resources are among the most bounteous in the world. They are also among the most abused. Desperate for foreign investment and plagued by corruption and weak regulation, Indonesian governments over the years have virtually invited multinational corporations - and, for that matter, their own citizens - to clear-cut the country's incomparable rain forests, foul the air and pollute the water. Now more than 80 percent of the country's 19,700-square-mile reef system, the world's largest, is at risk.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a former general, became Indonesia's first directly elected president last month partly on the promise of a cleaner, more open government, free of entanglements with special interests. He now has an opportunity to begin redeeming that pledge. Before him and his ministers lies a hotly disputed government report that says the sediment in Buyat Bay, the equatorial bay where an American corporation, Newmont Mining, has been depositing mine waste for several years, is polluted with high levels of arsenic and mercury.
The report further asserts that the pollutants have worked their way up the food chain and that fish in the bay are now laced with enough arsenic to make them unfit for consumption. The report, which Jane Perlez of The New York Times described last week, is the most comprehensive of several studies on Buyat Bay and is sure to figure in a $543 million lawsuit that local villagers have filed against the company. The villagers have complained of rashes, lumps, breathing difficulties and dizziness.
In response, Newmont says it received official clearance to flush wastes into the bay under a system known as "submarine tailing disposal." The company also insists that the underlying data does not support the disturbing conclusions that have appeared in the press, and that other studies have shown no contamination of the fish or the water.
There is one way to resolve this. Mr. Yudhoyono must swiftly release the full report. The report was compiled by a dozen or so experts, including Indonesian and American scientists, and it deserves to see the light of day. The president's next obligation, assuming that he finds no unexpected and disabling flaws in the study, is to stick by it and to seek appropriate remedies from the company.
That is easier said than done. Newmont is capable of mounting a stout defense. And like large multinationals elsewhere, its tentacles reach deep into Indonesia, which, like most third-world societies, is eager for foreign capital. As Rachmat Witoelar, the environment minister, noted plaintively, "I don't want to be part of throwing investors out of Indonesia." But he also added, and rightly so, that "you have to give protection to the victims."
The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: Pollution in Buyat Bay
Indonesia's natural resources are among the most bounteous in the world. They are also among the most abused. Desperate for foreign investment and plagued by corruption and weak regulation, Indonesian governments over the years have virtually invited multinational corporations - and, for that matter, their own citizens - to clear-cut the country's incomparable rain forests, foul the air and pollute the water. Now more than 80 percent of the country's 19,700-square-mile reef system, the world's largest, is at risk.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a former general, became Indonesia's first directly elected president last month partly on the promise of a cleaner, more open government, free of entanglements with special interests. He now has an opportunity to begin redeeming that pledge. Before him and his ministers lies a hotly disputed government report that says the sediment in Buyat Bay, the equatorial bay where an American corporation, Newmont Mining, has been depositing mine waste for several years, is polluted with high levels of arsenic and mercury.
The report further asserts that the pollutants have worked their way up the food chain and that fish in the bay are now laced with enough arsenic to make them unfit for consumption. The report, which Jane Perlez of The New York Times described last week, is the most comprehensive of several studies on Buyat Bay and is sure to figure in a $543 million lawsuit that local villagers have filed against the company. The villagers have complained of rashes, lumps, breathing difficulties and dizziness.
In response, Newmont says it received official clearance to flush wastes into the bay under a system known as "submarine tailing disposal." The company also insists that the underlying data does not support the disturbing conclusions that have appeared in the press, and that other studies have shown no contamination of the fish or the water.
There is one way to resolve this. Mr. Yudhoyono must swiftly release the full report. The report was compiled by a dozen or so experts, including Indonesian and American scientists, and it deserves to see the light of day. The president's next obligation, assuming that he finds no unexpected and disabling flaws in the study, is to stick by it and to seek appropriate remedies from the company.
That is easier said than done. Newmont is capable of mounting a stout defense. And like large multinationals elsewhere, its tentacles reach deep into Indonesia, which, like most third-world societies, is eager for foreign capital. As Rachmat Witoelar, the environment minister, noted plaintively, "I don't want to be part of throwing investors out of Indonesia." But he also added, and rightly so, that "you have to give protection to the victims."
The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: Pollution in Buyat Bay
Water On Knee -- Yahoo! Health
Water on the knee? All Miavita Fitness Tips
This is interesting! I would research into these!
Here's a tip for anyone whose exercise routine is hindered by sore knees. A water aerobics class is a perfect way to exercise while minimizing stress on your joints. The water provides a fair amount of resistance, yet at the same time it provides a vital protective cushion for sore joints.
Yahoo! Health: "Water on the knee? All Miavita Fitness Tips
Here's a tip for anyone whose exercise routine is hindered by sore knees. A water aerobics class is a perfect way to exercise while minimizing stress on your joints. The water provides a fair amount of resistance, yet at the same time it provides a vital protective cushion for sore joints."
This is interesting! I would research into these!
Here's a tip for anyone whose exercise routine is hindered by sore knees. A water aerobics class is a perfect way to exercise while minimizing stress on your joints. The water provides a fair amount of resistance, yet at the same time it provides a vital protective cushion for sore joints.
Yahoo! Health: "Water on the knee? All Miavita Fitness Tips
Here's a tip for anyone whose exercise routine is hindered by sore knees. A water aerobics class is a perfect way to exercise while minimizing stress on your joints. The water provides a fair amount of resistance, yet at the same time it provides a vital protective cushion for sore joints."
Monday, November 15, 2004
WASA Gradually Replacing Lead Pipes in D.C. - ABC 7 News
The Replacement of Lead Pipe is positive action...
WASA Gradually Replacing Lead Pipes in D.C.
UPDATED - Friday November 12, 2004 2:44pm
Washington (AP) - The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority is gradually making progress as it works to replace thousands of lead service lines in the city.
The agency says 2,800 public pipes are targeted for replacement this fiscal year. Nearly 1,800 pipes were replaced last year.
Over the summer, WASA agreed to spend more than $300 million to replace 23,000 lead pipes by 2010. Those pipes have been leaching lead into the city's drinking water, despite ongoing efforts to reduce the problem by coating them with a chemical.
WASA says it has placed a priority on replacing lead pipes that connect to homes where pregnant women, elderly residents and multiple families live.
So far, WASA says only a small number of people have asked to have the portion of the pipe replaced that runs from the main waterlines to their homes.
ABC 7 News - WASA Gradually Replacing Lead Pipes in D.C.
WASA Gradually Replacing Lead Pipes in D.C.
UPDATED - Friday November 12, 2004 2:44pm
Washington (AP) - The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority is gradually making progress as it works to replace thousands of lead service lines in the city.
The agency says 2,800 public pipes are targeted for replacement this fiscal year. Nearly 1,800 pipes were replaced last year.
Over the summer, WASA agreed to spend more than $300 million to replace 23,000 lead pipes by 2010. Those pipes have been leaching lead into the city's drinking water, despite ongoing efforts to reduce the problem by coating them with a chemical.
WASA says it has placed a priority on replacing lead pipes that connect to homes where pregnant women, elderly residents and multiple families live.
So far, WASA says only a small number of people have asked to have the portion of the pipe replaced that runs from the main waterlines to their homes.
ABC 7 News - WASA Gradually Replacing Lead Pipes in D.C.
WCCO: Study: Chemicals Linger In Environment
How our water get polluted is by our own doing....
Study: Chemicals Linger In Environment
Nov 14, 2004 1:53 pm US/Central
Minneapolis (AP) The chemicals go down the drain, but in the environment they remain.
Researchers have found that a complex brew of everyday compounds -- from products as ubiquitous as shampoo, bug spray and even that morning cup of coffee -- lingers in Minnesota waters even after they're showered off or dumped down the sink.
Those persistent chemicals include caffeine, synthetic musk used in personal-care products, a flame retardant, a herbicide, insect repellent and several medications, according to the most extensive study ever conducted of the state's waters.
Little is known about the risk of these compounds, especially at the low levels detected. But 13 of them are known to disrupt the hormones and sexual development of some fish or other animals, according to the study by three government agencies.
WCCO: Study: Chemicals Linger In Environment
Study: Chemicals Linger In Environment
Nov 14, 2004 1:53 pm US/Central
Minneapolis (AP) The chemicals go down the drain, but in the environment they remain.
Researchers have found that a complex brew of everyday compounds -- from products as ubiquitous as shampoo, bug spray and even that morning cup of coffee -- lingers in Minnesota waters even after they're showered off or dumped down the sink.
Those persistent chemicals include caffeine, synthetic musk used in personal-care products, a flame retardant, a herbicide, insect repellent and several medications, according to the most extensive study ever conducted of the state's waters.
Little is known about the risk of these compounds, especially at the low levels detected. But 13 of them are known to disrupt the hormones and sexual development of some fish or other animals, according to the study by three government agencies.
WCCO: Study: Chemicals Linger In Environment
Bacteria Levels Drop In D.C. Water
This is a good news for Washinton D.C. resident...
Bacteria Levels Drop in D.C. Water
Updated: Friday, Nov. 12, 2004 - 2:17 PM
WASHINGTON - Tests no longer indicate high bacteria levels in D.C.'s drinking water.
In September, the D.C. Health Department urged some residents to consult with a doctor before drinking the water following routine tests indicating an increase in coliforms. The common bacteria don't usually pose a risk but can indicate the potential for other problems.
Since then, the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority says high levels of coliforms have diminished. In October, positive readings of the bacteria were found in four percent of tested water samples down from more than seven percent in September.
The Environmental Protection Agency says water could have unsafe levels of bacteria when more than five percent of tests are positive.
Public health officials believe the elevated bacteria levels occurred because of a chemical used to coat the city's lead service lines.
WTOPNEWS.com
Bacteria Levels Drop in D.C. Water
Updated: Friday, Nov. 12, 2004 - 2:17 PM
WASHINGTON - Tests no longer indicate high bacteria levels in D.C.'s drinking water.
In September, the D.C. Health Department urged some residents to consult with a doctor before drinking the water following routine tests indicating an increase in coliforms. The common bacteria don't usually pose a risk but can indicate the potential for other problems.
Since then, the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority says high levels of coliforms have diminished. In October, positive readings of the bacteria were found in four percent of tested water samples down from more than seven percent in September.
The Environmental Protection Agency says water could have unsafe levels of bacteria when more than five percent of tests are positive.
Public health officials believe the elevated bacteria levels occurred because of a chemical used to coat the city's lead service lines.
WTOPNEWS.com
Feds Award Grants for Nanotech Projects
Nanotech is the new frontiers in technology, it is natural as thinkgs moving from micro to nano...
Feds award grants for nanotech projects
WASHINGTON � The US EPA recently awarded grants to 12 universities to investigate the potential health and environmental impacts of nanomaterials, and nanotechnology designed to protect the environment, including applications in the water treatment industry, according to a news release.
Currently, there is limited scientific information on the effects of nanomaterials on human health and the environment, the EPA said.
Nanotechnology, the release reported, allows scientists to work at the molecular level, atom by atom, to create materials and structures with fundamentally new functions and characteristics.
Read more...
News
Feds award grants for nanotech projects
WASHINGTON � The US EPA recently awarded grants to 12 universities to investigate the potential health and environmental impacts of nanomaterials, and nanotechnology designed to protect the environment, including applications in the water treatment industry, according to a news release.
Currently, there is limited scientific information on the effects of nanomaterials on human health and the environment, the EPA said.
Nanotechnology, the release reported, allows scientists to work at the molecular level, atom by atom, to create materials and structures with fundamentally new functions and characteristics.
Read more...
News
EPA Strengthens Water Infrastructure Protection
This is good things that EPA is doing, EPA need to do more of these National wide...
EPA strengthens water infrastructure protection
CINCINNATI � The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a permanent National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) based in Cincinnati to increase federal drinking water security, according to a news release.
The NHSRC was initially authorized under a temporary charter to perform research and provide technical assistance for first responders and decision makers in a relatively short time frame, the EPA reported.
The EPA has been temporarily focusing on drinking water protection with the support of the Department of Homeland Security, and the agency reported in the release that these goals have become permanent through the NHSRC.
News
EPA strengthens water infrastructure protection
CINCINNATI � The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a permanent National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) based in Cincinnati to increase federal drinking water security, according to a news release.
The NHSRC was initially authorized under a temporary charter to perform research and provide technical assistance for first responders and decision makers in a relatively short time frame, the EPA reported.
The EPA has been temporarily focusing on drinking water protection with the support of the Department of Homeland Security, and the agency reported in the release that these goals have become permanent through the NHSRC.
News
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