I have been told by my late mom that water must be boiled before drinking it. I just follows without fail. as she said it would kill the bacteria in drinking Water.
Then in 1984. I begin to research into the "I-Medicine Sutra", it explained that the Water in natural form is considered as "Yin", then after boied the "CHI" is become "Yang". Consumming of cold water would upset the "CHI" balance in the body, therefore, if a person after drinking cold water then may have a lots of Gas discharge then, that is exactly the result of the "Cold & Hot Chi" conflict.
So it is a good practise to boil water before one drink, even at the present time.
Water main break leads to boil water advisory
Updated: 1/14/2005 8:12 AM By: Capital News 9 web staff
A water main break this week in Troy has led to a boil water advisory for several public water supplies.
The break occurred early Wednesday morning in the area of First and Polk streets. As a result, the Troy Public Water supply lost pressure, which increases the chance that untreated water and harmful bacteria could enter the system.
The water main has been repaired, and water samples are being collected to monitor the quality of the water.
Capital News 9 Story : Water main break leads to boil water advisory - 1/13/2005 9:11:22 PM
Friday, January 14, 2005
Thursday, January 13, 2005
U.S. Diet Guide Puts Emphasis on Weight Loss - On Drinking Milk
During My Childhood, I used to drink nilk powder presented by the foreign services. Then later in UK I begin to pick up the habit of drinking milk. When I return to Asia. Then I stop drinking Milk again.
You see the issue of drinking milk, it is necessary to look at the contents of milk fat.
There are mixe report about should one drink Low Fat or should one just drinking the Low Fat. My experience & research found that drinking of whole milk would cause people to put on weight. Therefore, I strongly recommend that one should pick the drink of Low Fat Milk.
I still miss those fresh farm milk in Wales!!
U.S. Diet Guide Puts Emphasis on Weight Loss
By MARIAN BURROS
WASHINGTON Jan. 12 - The federal government issued new dietary guidelines for Americans on Wednesday, and for the first time since the recommendations were introduced in 1980, they emphasize weight loss as well as healthy eating and cardiovascular health.
The guidelines, which follow several years of reports that Americans are fatter than ever, recommend eating many more fruits and vegetables, more low-fat milk, more whole grains and increasing exercise to as much as an hour and a half a day. But some critics question whether they will make any difference in an increasingly fat America.
In announcing the guidelines Wednesday, Ann M. Veneman, the agriculture secretary, and Tommy Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, sounded more like diet gurus than cabinet members. Ms. Veneman said that Americans spent $42 billion a year on diet and health books, indicating the nation's desire to slim down. Mr. Thompson characterized the guidelines as the government's version of a diet book.
"Tonight eat only half the dessert," Mr. Thompson said. "And then go out and walk around the block. And if you are going to watch television get down and do 10 push-ups and 5 sit-ups."
The food industry has already begun to offer more products with whole grains, fewer calories and smaller sizes.
Even critics of government nutrition policies applauded many of the changes, including recommendations that Americans eat less added sugars and less trans fats. But some said they were disappointed that no limits were set for the amount of those substances people should eat.
For example, the guidelines recommend that consumers limit trans fat, partly hydrogenated vegetable oils that have been found to be worse for the body than even saturated fat. But while the advisory committee report that was the basis for guidelines capped intake of trans fat at 1 percent of total calories, that limit was not included in the recommendations.
That was a clear victory for food manufacturers who rely on hydrogenated oils for a variety of processed foods, and who lobbied against the numeric limit. While many companies are eliminating trans fats from their products, the Agriculture Department has estimated that they are in 40 percent of processed foods.
The guidelines were a matter of intense lobbying by industry and advocacy groups over the past year.
The advisory committee, which recommended more dairy products, cited a report, partly financed by the dairy industry, that found that low-fat dairy products helped people lose weight.
After lobbying by the sugar industry, the Department of Health and Human Services helped persuade the World Health Organization in 2003 to eliminate a recommendation that sugar account for no more than 10 percent of calories.
But the final recommendation on sugar in the guidelines is actually a bit stronger than the one in the advisory committee report, which said only to choose carbohydrates wisely. The new guidelines say people should consume foods and beverages with little added sugars.
Dr. Richard Adamson, the vice president of scientific and technical affairs for the American Beverage Association, a trade group, said in an interview Wednesday that there was no proof that people gained weight because they consumed added sugar or lost weight when they cut back. Dr. Adamson said he objected to the guidelines' assertion that studies indicated that beverages with sugar and other caloric sweeteners made people gain weight.
But Dr. Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders and a prominent food industry critic, said that over all, he was pleased. "These guidelines are a clear step ahead of where previous ones were," Dr. Brownell said. "The issues on weight control are more specific than in the past, specifically with exercise and the suggestions on limiting added sugars and caloric sweeteners and things like soft drinks."
Still, he said, specific guidelines for sugars and trans fats would have been better.
Among the changes in the guidelines is a call for whole grains to make up half the grains in people's diets, at least three ounces every day. The daily servings of fruits and vegetables rose to nine, from five. The guidelines recommend three cups of low-fat or fat-free dairy products a day, up from two cups.
Saturated fat and cholesterol recommendations remain the same: 10 percent of calories from saturated fat and less than 300 milligrams a day of cholesterol. But while the government previously recommended that fat account for no more than 30 percent of total calories, the current recommendation is a range of from 20 percent to 35 percent.
Maximum levels of sodium have been reduced from 2,400 milligrams a day to 2,300, which is about one teaspoon a day.
Previously, the government recommended a half hour of exercise a day. The new guidelines say that is a minimum and that 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous exercise is needed to keep from gaining weight. Sixty to 90 minutes are needed to lose weight. Activities could include walking, bicycling and hiking.
The biggest question is what impact these guidelines will have. They will be used to recreate or replace the food pyramid, the government's graphic depiction of a proper diet. The new version is expected in a month or two.
But whether consumers will use, or even be aware of, the guidelines remains to be seen.
"I don't think many people read them or understand them," Dr. Brownell said, "because the government puts very little muscle into marketing them. If you ask 10 people on the street do they know about this or previous guidelines no one will know anything, but if you ask them what candy melts in your mouth not in your hand, 9 out of 10 will know."
Federal school lunch programs, and other federal food programs, must abide by the guidelines. But Ellen Haas, a former Agriculture Department official, said about 30 percent of the government subsidized lunches at school did not follow government guidelines and were high in fat, salt and sugar.
At the moment the two agencies responsible for the guidelines, the Agriculture Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, have earmarked no money for promotion. Nor have they begun developing partnerships with private industry to disseminate the information in the guidelines. Read More...
The New York Times > Health > U.S. Diet Guide Puts Emphasis on Weight Loss
You see the issue of drinking milk, it is necessary to look at the contents of milk fat.
There are mixe report about should one drink Low Fat or should one just drinking the Low Fat. My experience & research found that drinking of whole milk would cause people to put on weight. Therefore, I strongly recommend that one should pick the drink of Low Fat Milk.
I still miss those fresh farm milk in Wales!!
U.S. Diet Guide Puts Emphasis on Weight Loss
By MARIAN BURROS
WASHINGTON Jan. 12 - The federal government issued new dietary guidelines for Americans on Wednesday, and for the first time since the recommendations were introduced in 1980, they emphasize weight loss as well as healthy eating and cardiovascular health.
The guidelines, which follow several years of reports that Americans are fatter than ever, recommend eating many more fruits and vegetables, more low-fat milk, more whole grains and increasing exercise to as much as an hour and a half a day. But some critics question whether they will make any difference in an increasingly fat America.
In announcing the guidelines Wednesday, Ann M. Veneman, the agriculture secretary, and Tommy Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, sounded more like diet gurus than cabinet members. Ms. Veneman said that Americans spent $42 billion a year on diet and health books, indicating the nation's desire to slim down. Mr. Thompson characterized the guidelines as the government's version of a diet book.
"Tonight eat only half the dessert," Mr. Thompson said. "And then go out and walk around the block. And if you are going to watch television get down and do 10 push-ups and 5 sit-ups."
The food industry has already begun to offer more products with whole grains, fewer calories and smaller sizes.
Even critics of government nutrition policies applauded many of the changes, including recommendations that Americans eat less added sugars and less trans fats. But some said they were disappointed that no limits were set for the amount of those substances people should eat.
For example, the guidelines recommend that consumers limit trans fat, partly hydrogenated vegetable oils that have been found to be worse for the body than even saturated fat. But while the advisory committee report that was the basis for guidelines capped intake of trans fat at 1 percent of total calories, that limit was not included in the recommendations.
That was a clear victory for food manufacturers who rely on hydrogenated oils for a variety of processed foods, and who lobbied against the numeric limit. While many companies are eliminating trans fats from their products, the Agriculture Department has estimated that they are in 40 percent of processed foods.
The guidelines were a matter of intense lobbying by industry and advocacy groups over the past year.
The advisory committee, which recommended more dairy products, cited a report, partly financed by the dairy industry, that found that low-fat dairy products helped people lose weight.
After lobbying by the sugar industry, the Department of Health and Human Services helped persuade the World Health Organization in 2003 to eliminate a recommendation that sugar account for no more than 10 percent of calories.
But the final recommendation on sugar in the guidelines is actually a bit stronger than the one in the advisory committee report, which said only to choose carbohydrates wisely. The new guidelines say people should consume foods and beverages with little added sugars.
Dr. Richard Adamson, the vice president of scientific and technical affairs for the American Beverage Association, a trade group, said in an interview Wednesday that there was no proof that people gained weight because they consumed added sugar or lost weight when they cut back. Dr. Adamson said he objected to the guidelines' assertion that studies indicated that beverages with sugar and other caloric sweeteners made people gain weight.
But Dr. Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders and a prominent food industry critic, said that over all, he was pleased. "These guidelines are a clear step ahead of where previous ones were," Dr. Brownell said. "The issues on weight control are more specific than in the past, specifically with exercise and the suggestions on limiting added sugars and caloric sweeteners and things like soft drinks."
Still, he said, specific guidelines for sugars and trans fats would have been better.
Among the changes in the guidelines is a call for whole grains to make up half the grains in people's diets, at least three ounces every day. The daily servings of fruits and vegetables rose to nine, from five. The guidelines recommend three cups of low-fat or fat-free dairy products a day, up from two cups.
Saturated fat and cholesterol recommendations remain the same: 10 percent of calories from saturated fat and less than 300 milligrams a day of cholesterol. But while the government previously recommended that fat account for no more than 30 percent of total calories, the current recommendation is a range of from 20 percent to 35 percent.
Maximum levels of sodium have been reduced from 2,400 milligrams a day to 2,300, which is about one teaspoon a day.
Previously, the government recommended a half hour of exercise a day. The new guidelines say that is a minimum and that 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous exercise is needed to keep from gaining weight. Sixty to 90 minutes are needed to lose weight. Activities could include walking, bicycling and hiking.
The biggest question is what impact these guidelines will have. They will be used to recreate or replace the food pyramid, the government's graphic depiction of a proper diet. The new version is expected in a month or two.
But whether consumers will use, or even be aware of, the guidelines remains to be seen.
"I don't think many people read them or understand them," Dr. Brownell said, "because the government puts very little muscle into marketing them. If you ask 10 people on the street do they know about this or previous guidelines no one will know anything, but if you ask them what candy melts in your mouth not in your hand, 9 out of 10 will know."
Federal school lunch programs, and other federal food programs, must abide by the guidelines. But Ellen Haas, a former Agriculture Department official, said about 30 percent of the government subsidized lunches at school did not follow government guidelines and were high in fat, salt and sugar.
At the moment the two agencies responsible for the guidelines, the Agriculture Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, have earmarked no money for promotion. Nor have they begun developing partnerships with private industry to disseminate the information in the guidelines. Read More...
The New York Times > Health > U.S. Diet Guide Puts Emphasis on Weight Loss
Do the new Dietary Guidelines need supplements?
This is a good report from USDA, with their calls for balance of Food Diet & plus exercise.
But in the busy life today, how many people really have the time & discipline to getting things in balance??
As the age old recommendations;
Eat More High Fiber Food
More Green Vege
Beans
Whole Grans Rice & wheat
Less Meat Especially Red Meat
Less Salt
Less Sugar
Less Fats
Don't eat deep fried food
Balance of 5 color Fruits & Vege
Eat Simple taste for the great health of yours.
Do the new Dietary Guidelines need supplements?
13/01/2005 - The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans were unveiled yesterday. Jess Halliday reports on the role supplements have to play and the guidelines’ wider implications.
Among 41 individual recommendations, the key messages of the new guidelines focused on calorie control and exercise. Consumers are encouraged to choose foods carefully in order to get the most nutrition out of calories consumed.
Foods from every food group should have a part to play in a healthy, balanced diet – in particular fiber-rich foods, vegetables and whole grains.
While recognizing the sound basis of the guidelines, the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) expressed concern that nutritional supplements do not feature prominently enough.
They draw attention to the needs of certain sectors of the community, such as older adults who may need more vitamins B12 or D in their diets. The guidelines do allow for the use of supplements to fill a “nutrient gap” in some cases, but warn that “nutrient needs should be primarily met through consuming foods.”
“When it comes to supplements, these guidelines are more ideal than real. Studies confirm that most Americans don't get adequate nutrition through the foods they eat,” said David Seckman, NNFA's executive director and CEO.
In September 2004 the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) submitted comments on the draft guidelines urging recognition of the importance of dietary supplements in the final version.
“Not all of our comments are addressed,” CRN president Annette Dickinson told NutraIngredients-USA.com, “but we are pleased to note that the final guidelines do highlight some nutrients that are lacking in people’s diets”.
“They don’t recognize the need for everyone to take a multivitamin, but the bottom line is that if you need an assortment of nutrients one way to get them is through a multivitamin,” she added.
The US is currently in the grip of an obesity epidemic, with almost two thirds of Americans overweight or obese. While the guidelines do seek to aggressively tackle the epidemic, this is not their sole or primary function.
The science-based advice on how a good diet can promote health and reduce the risk of disease is applicable to all people over the age of two years, no matter what their weight.
“Promoting good dietary habits is key to reducing the growing problems of obesity and physical activity, and to gaining the health benefits that come from a nutritionally balanced diet,” said Tommy Thompson, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Adults should engage in 30 minutes minimum intensity exercise almost every day of the week in order to stave off the risk of chronic disease, increasing to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise to prevent gradual unhealthy body-weight gain and 60-90 minutes to sustain weight loss.
Dietary guidelines, now in their sixth edition, are drawn up every five years by the HSS and Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“The process we used to develop these recommendations was more rigorous and more transparent than ever before,” said agriculture secretary Ann Veneman.
The three-stage process included a science-based report, comments solicited from agencies and the public and the translation of the guidelines into easy to understand messages for the public and educators.
More than an external public education exercise, the guidelines form the basis of federal food and nutrition education programs. They will underlie the revised Food Guidance System, currently called the Food Guide Pyramid, which is due to be released in the spring.
They also arm health education experts with the latest science-based recommendations.
Cathy Nonas, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and registered dietician, told NutraIngredients-USA.com that she was particularly pleased with the advice on fruit and vegetable consumption, that is two cups of fruit and two-and-a-half cups of vegetables each day for a reference 2000-calorie intake increased or reduced depending on the required calorie level.
“Balanced diets and small portions are the most important,” she said. “If you keep to the concept of half your plate in vegetables everything else falls into place.”
As for the impact the guidelines will have on America’s health, she said: “It’s a good message to tell people. It will make people think.”
“It will be interesting to see what well-known food companies and fast food outlets do to follow these guidelines,” she added.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association issued a statement pledging work with the HHS and USDA to promote the dietary guidelines.
“As the companies that make the foods that consumers know, trust and buy everyday, GMA members are developing and introducing new products that will make it easier to meet the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines,” it said.
“We share the government’s concern about the quantity of saturated and trans fats in the average American diet. Over the past two years, GMA member companies have reduced or eliminated trans fat in countless products.”
In fact, the guidelines do not specify maximum recommended daily trans fat consumption, simply advising “keep trans fat consumption as low as possible”.
Thompson explained that the advice has been left general because the FDA is currently reviewing the recommendation on trans fats. Read More....
Do the new Dietary Guidelines need supplements?
But in the busy life today, how many people really have the time & discipline to getting things in balance??
As the age old recommendations;
Eat More High Fiber Food
More Green Vege
Beans
Whole Grans Rice & wheat
Less Meat Especially Red Meat
Less Salt
Less Sugar
Less Fats
Don't eat deep fried food
Balance of 5 color Fruits & Vege
Eat Simple taste for the great health of yours.
Do the new Dietary Guidelines need supplements?
13/01/2005 - The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans were unveiled yesterday. Jess Halliday reports on the role supplements have to play and the guidelines’ wider implications.
Among 41 individual recommendations, the key messages of the new guidelines focused on calorie control and exercise. Consumers are encouraged to choose foods carefully in order to get the most nutrition out of calories consumed.
Foods from every food group should have a part to play in a healthy, balanced diet – in particular fiber-rich foods, vegetables and whole grains.
While recognizing the sound basis of the guidelines, the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA) expressed concern that nutritional supplements do not feature prominently enough.
They draw attention to the needs of certain sectors of the community, such as older adults who may need more vitamins B12 or D in their diets. The guidelines do allow for the use of supplements to fill a “nutrient gap” in some cases, but warn that “nutrient needs should be primarily met through consuming foods.”
“When it comes to supplements, these guidelines are more ideal than real. Studies confirm that most Americans don't get adequate nutrition through the foods they eat,” said David Seckman, NNFA's executive director and CEO.
In September 2004 the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) submitted comments on the draft guidelines urging recognition of the importance of dietary supplements in the final version.
“Not all of our comments are addressed,” CRN president Annette Dickinson told NutraIngredients-USA.com, “but we are pleased to note that the final guidelines do highlight some nutrients that are lacking in people’s diets”.
“They don’t recognize the need for everyone to take a multivitamin, but the bottom line is that if you need an assortment of nutrients one way to get them is through a multivitamin,” she added.
The US is currently in the grip of an obesity epidemic, with almost two thirds of Americans overweight or obese. While the guidelines do seek to aggressively tackle the epidemic, this is not their sole or primary function.
The science-based advice on how a good diet can promote health and reduce the risk of disease is applicable to all people over the age of two years, no matter what their weight.
“Promoting good dietary habits is key to reducing the growing problems of obesity and physical activity, and to gaining the health benefits that come from a nutritionally balanced diet,” said Tommy Thompson, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Adults should engage in 30 minutes minimum intensity exercise almost every day of the week in order to stave off the risk of chronic disease, increasing to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise to prevent gradual unhealthy body-weight gain and 60-90 minutes to sustain weight loss.
Dietary guidelines, now in their sixth edition, are drawn up every five years by the HSS and Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“The process we used to develop these recommendations was more rigorous and more transparent than ever before,” said agriculture secretary Ann Veneman.
The three-stage process included a science-based report, comments solicited from agencies and the public and the translation of the guidelines into easy to understand messages for the public and educators.
More than an external public education exercise, the guidelines form the basis of federal food and nutrition education programs. They will underlie the revised Food Guidance System, currently called the Food Guide Pyramid, which is due to be released in the spring.
They also arm health education experts with the latest science-based recommendations.
Cathy Nonas, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and registered dietician, told NutraIngredients-USA.com that she was particularly pleased with the advice on fruit and vegetable consumption, that is two cups of fruit and two-and-a-half cups of vegetables each day for a reference 2000-calorie intake increased or reduced depending on the required calorie level.
“Balanced diets and small portions are the most important,” she said. “If you keep to the concept of half your plate in vegetables everything else falls into place.”
As for the impact the guidelines will have on America’s health, she said: “It’s a good message to tell people. It will make people think.”
“It will be interesting to see what well-known food companies and fast food outlets do to follow these guidelines,” she added.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association issued a statement pledging work with the HHS and USDA to promote the dietary guidelines.
“As the companies that make the foods that consumers know, trust and buy everyday, GMA members are developing and introducing new products that will make it easier to meet the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines,” it said.
“We share the government’s concern about the quantity of saturated and trans fats in the average American diet. Over the past two years, GMA member companies have reduced or eliminated trans fat in countless products.”
In fact, the guidelines do not specify maximum recommended daily trans fat consumption, simply advising “keep trans fat consumption as low as possible”.
Thompson explained that the advice has been left general because the FDA is currently reviewing the recommendation on trans fats. Read More....
Do the new Dietary Guidelines need supplements?
Technology Can Protect Water Supply
That is for sure with the present Computing power & Communications Technology. It is certain that technology could used to analyze the contaminations as well as the huma inplanted poison & toxins with realtime & interactive report.
Technology Can Protect Water Supply
1/11/2005 Oak Ridge, TN --
A technology to instantly determine a poisoned water supply system has been developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Researcher Eli Greenbaum said the AquaSentinel system can detect toxins in a municipal water supply by analyzing the condition of the algae it contains.
"Depending upon whether the water is healthy or it has been exposed to poison, the fluorescence signature changes," said Greenbaum of ORNL's Chemical Sciences Division. "It is that change in signature that we use as the detection method for detecting the presence of chemical warfare agents."
Greenbaum noted AquaSentinel can monitor a water supply 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"The way AquaSentinel works is that based on the fluorescence from the algae that are already in the water, and the fact that the algae already live in the neighborhood of the environment that we are trying to protect, we never run out of biosensors," Greenbaum said.
Source: OakRidge National Laboratory (ORNL)
ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy
Water Online News for wastewater professionals
Technology Can Protect Water Supply
1/11/2005 Oak Ridge, TN --
A technology to instantly determine a poisoned water supply system has been developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Researcher Eli Greenbaum said the AquaSentinel system can detect toxins in a municipal water supply by analyzing the condition of the algae it contains.
"Depending upon whether the water is healthy or it has been exposed to poison, the fluorescence signature changes," said Greenbaum of ORNL's Chemical Sciences Division. "It is that change in signature that we use as the detection method for detecting the presence of chemical warfare agents."
Greenbaum noted AquaSentinel can monitor a water supply 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"The way AquaSentinel works is that based on the fluorescence from the algae that are already in the water, and the fact that the algae already live in the neighborhood of the environment that we are trying to protect, we never run out of biosensors," Greenbaum said.
Source: OakRidge National Laboratory (ORNL)
ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy
Water Online News for wastewater professionals
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Water systems' security lapses
Just few days ago, I did share my views about protection of installations like water system & reserviors'... My experience in the past is a good mirror.
You see during the early 70's, the technology is not there to assist the protection on these strategic installations. But today with the Digital & Internet technology, we can use these to be more effective & efficient in enforcing the security to our water system. It is the duty & responsility of the authority concern to enforce it & constance monitor in a close loop that cannot take chance of it.
Water systems' security lapses
Monday, January 10, 2005 Posted: 9:24 PM EST (0224 GMT)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Water utilities have installed computer-based remote controls "with little attention paid to security," leaving valves, pumps and chemical mixers for water supplies vulnerable to cyber-attack, according to an Environmental Protection Agency report.
In a report Monday, the EPA's inspector general cited costs, lack of ability to check employees' backgrounds and poor communication between technical engineers and management for the shortcomings.
Benjamin Grumbles, EPA's water chief, said Monday he agrees with the report's assessment that there are "a broad range of challenges" facing water utilities, particularly with wireless communications systems, but that his office now has a plan for making improvements.
"We are actively working to provide additional tools to communities to enhance cyber security, providing funding for information that would be placed on a secure web site by the fall, to help utilities be more aware of potential threats to their computer systems," Grumbles said.
His office also is getting help, he said, from the Homeland Security Department on ways of dealing with cyber threats and from an advisory council on how to help utilities measure their improvement.
The computer-based controls were "developed with little attention paid to security, making the security of these systems often weak," the report says. As a result, many of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition networks used by water agencies to collect data from sensors and control equipment such as pumps and valves "may be susceptible to attacks and misuse."
The danger is illustrated by an attack on an Australian waste management system in 2000, the report says. An engineer who had worked for the contractor that supplied the remote control equipment for the system used radio telemetry to gain unauthorized access and dump raw sewage into public waterways and the grounds of a hotel.
EPA Inspector General Nikki L. Tinsley urged EPA to find out what is keeping specific water utility operators from making the systems secure, and to develop federal security measures that could be used to correct the problems.
The review by Tinsley's office was suspended after a meeting with Grumbles' office, which agreed to incorporate her concerns into its work.
Tinsley notes that EPA spent $250,000 (euro190,800) in 2002 to pay for research into how to improve security for computerized and automated systems and that Homeland Security began focusing on protections for the networks only last May.
In September, Grumbles told a House Energy subcommittee that the Bush administration had "worked diligently" to improve security of water facilities including 54,000 community drinking water systems and 16,000 public wastewater treatment plants. Read More....
Water systems' security lapses - Jan 10, 2005
You see during the early 70's, the technology is not there to assist the protection on these strategic installations. But today with the Digital & Internet technology, we can use these to be more effective & efficient in enforcing the security to our water system. It is the duty & responsility of the authority concern to enforce it & constance monitor in a close loop that cannot take chance of it.
Water systems' security lapses
Monday, January 10, 2005 Posted: 9:24 PM EST (0224 GMT)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Water utilities have installed computer-based remote controls "with little attention paid to security," leaving valves, pumps and chemical mixers for water supplies vulnerable to cyber-attack, according to an Environmental Protection Agency report.
In a report Monday, the EPA's inspector general cited costs, lack of ability to check employees' backgrounds and poor communication between technical engineers and management for the shortcomings.
Benjamin Grumbles, EPA's water chief, said Monday he agrees with the report's assessment that there are "a broad range of challenges" facing water utilities, particularly with wireless communications systems, but that his office now has a plan for making improvements.
"We are actively working to provide additional tools to communities to enhance cyber security, providing funding for information that would be placed on a secure web site by the fall, to help utilities be more aware of potential threats to their computer systems," Grumbles said.
His office also is getting help, he said, from the Homeland Security Department on ways of dealing with cyber threats and from an advisory council on how to help utilities measure their improvement.
The computer-based controls were "developed with little attention paid to security, making the security of these systems often weak," the report says. As a result, many of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition networks used by water agencies to collect data from sensors and control equipment such as pumps and valves "may be susceptible to attacks and misuse."
The danger is illustrated by an attack on an Australian waste management system in 2000, the report says. An engineer who had worked for the contractor that supplied the remote control equipment for the system used radio telemetry to gain unauthorized access and dump raw sewage into public waterways and the grounds of a hotel.
EPA Inspector General Nikki L. Tinsley urged EPA to find out what is keeping specific water utility operators from making the systems secure, and to develop federal security measures that could be used to correct the problems.
The review by Tinsley's office was suspended after a meeting with Grumbles' office, which agreed to incorporate her concerns into its work.
Tinsley notes that EPA spent $250,000 (euro190,800) in 2002 to pay for research into how to improve security for computerized and automated systems and that Homeland Security began focusing on protections for the networks only last May.
In September, Grumbles told a House Energy subcommittee that the Bush administration had "worked diligently" to improve security of water facilities including 54,000 community drinking water systems and 16,000 public wastewater treatment plants. Read More....
Water systems' security lapses - Jan 10, 2005
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
U.S. Tried to Suppress Pollutant Study, Group Says
This is totally un-called for. Individual who are on the job shall understand that there is a cause & effects in everything that one do.
As a human, one should be aware that beside the individual health is main concern, but one also must have the virtue & love to the others. In the case of Perchlorate, which is harmful to our people, one also need to have the sense of responsibilities to ensure that drinking water must be safe to the people who contribute to the existence. & the Geat Health of their friends & foes on this earth.
U.S. Tried to Suppress Pollutant Study, Group Says
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new report from the National Academy of Sciences raises by 20 times the amount of rocket fuel pollution in drinking water considered "safe," but environmentalists on Monday accused the government of influencing the report's findings.
The environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council challenged the report even before it was issued, saying the authors had been influenced by the Pentagon and defense contractors and it had evidence to prove it.
The pollutant from rocket fuel, a chemical called perchlorate, can affect thyroid function. There are no federal limits on how much is safe but independent groups have said the chemical could affect developing babies.
The Academy's National Research Council, which advises the government on scientific and environmental matters, was asked by the Department of Defense, NASA and other agencies to review evidence that perchlorate in drinking water or food crops was harmful and if so, how much was safe.
Its report says people could drink up to up to 0.0007 milligrams per kilogram of body weight without harming even the most sensitive populations -- about 20 times more than the 'reference dose' proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection.
"The most recent EPA risk assessment, published in 2002, proposes a daily reference dose of 0.00003 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, which the agency said would correspond to a drinking-water concentration of 1 part per billion based on certain assumptions about body weight and daily water consumption," the Academy noted.
It also said that although there is clear evidence the chemical can dampen thyroid function, leading to a serious condition called hypothyroidism, there was not enough evidence to show it could lead to thyroid cancer, as the EPA has suggested.
"Scientists at the EPA, in state agencies, and in academia have all concluded that very low levels of perchlorate threaten the health of babies," said NRDC scientist Jennifer Sass. "Scientists should not be strong-armed by unqualified, partisan bureaucrats and corporate polluters to skew the evidence."
The NRDC said federal agencies had tried to influence the report's conclusions and published documents that it said showed just how extensive the government's attempts were.
"The Defense Department's job is to protect Americans, not threaten our health, but these documents show that it is conspiring with its contractors and the White House to twist the science and avoid cleaning up a chemical that threatens our children's health," said NRDC lawyer Erik Olson.
"We've never seen such a brazen campaign to pressure the National Academy of Sciences to downplay the hazards of a chemical, but it fits the pattern of this administration manipulating science at the expense of public health," the NRDC said.
White House and EPA officials were not available for comment. Read More....
Science News Article | Reuters.com
As a human, one should be aware that beside the individual health is main concern, but one also must have the virtue & love to the others. In the case of Perchlorate, which is harmful to our people, one also need to have the sense of responsibilities to ensure that drinking water must be safe to the people who contribute to the existence. & the Geat Health of their friends & foes on this earth.
U.S. Tried to Suppress Pollutant Study, Group Says
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new report from the National Academy of Sciences raises by 20 times the amount of rocket fuel pollution in drinking water considered "safe," but environmentalists on Monday accused the government of influencing the report's findings.
The environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council challenged the report even before it was issued, saying the authors had been influenced by the Pentagon and defense contractors and it had evidence to prove it.
The pollutant from rocket fuel, a chemical called perchlorate, can affect thyroid function. There are no federal limits on how much is safe but independent groups have said the chemical could affect developing babies.
The Academy's National Research Council, which advises the government on scientific and environmental matters, was asked by the Department of Defense, NASA and other agencies to review evidence that perchlorate in drinking water or food crops was harmful and if so, how much was safe.
Its report says people could drink up to up to 0.0007 milligrams per kilogram of body weight without harming even the most sensitive populations -- about 20 times more than the 'reference dose' proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection.
"The most recent EPA risk assessment, published in 2002, proposes a daily reference dose of 0.00003 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, which the agency said would correspond to a drinking-water concentration of 1 part per billion based on certain assumptions about body weight and daily water consumption," the Academy noted.
It also said that although there is clear evidence the chemical can dampen thyroid function, leading to a serious condition called hypothyroidism, there was not enough evidence to show it could lead to thyroid cancer, as the EPA has suggested.
"Scientists at the EPA, in state agencies, and in academia have all concluded that very low levels of perchlorate threaten the health of babies," said NRDC scientist Jennifer Sass. "Scientists should not be strong-armed by unqualified, partisan bureaucrats and corporate polluters to skew the evidence."
The NRDC said federal agencies had tried to influence the report's conclusions and published documents that it said showed just how extensive the government's attempts were.
"The Defense Department's job is to protect Americans, not threaten our health, but these documents show that it is conspiring with its contractors and the White House to twist the science and avoid cleaning up a chemical that threatens our children's health," said NRDC lawyer Erik Olson.
"We've never seen such a brazen campaign to pressure the National Academy of Sciences to downplay the hazards of a chemical, but it fits the pattern of this administration manipulating science at the expense of public health," the NRDC said.
White House and EPA officials were not available for comment. Read More....
Science News Article | Reuters.com
Monday, January 10, 2005
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Report faults DOE's efforts to decommission Hanford wells
When I was little, the family have been using water well as the main source of water supply. Not till 1959, then the family start to have the water piped into our new home then.
I first visit my Late parent's home town in China in 1988. Then my grandma still drinking the Water from the Family well. I was told that our family well have been suppling water to the people within the village on the island for nearly thousand year.
Then in 1992, I returned to the island again, I was told that the well have been sealed by the county government because of contamination. Really it is sad to knew these. I would like to see that the well contaminations need to be checked constantly & once it have to enforce the decommission, it need to be carried out without fail!! for the Great Health of our human kind.
Report faults DOE's efforts to decommission Hanford wells
By SHANNON DININNY ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
YAKIMA, Wash. -- The U.S. Department of Energy has been too slow to decommission abandoned and unused wells at south-central Washington's Hanford nuclear site, a new federal audit concludes.
Thousands of wells have been drilled at Hanford to monitor the release of contaminants to groundwater during decades of plutonium production for the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal. Many of the wells have been abandoned and could pose a threat to the environment as a potential travel source for contaminants to groundwater and the nearby Columbia River.
State law requires unused and abandoned wells to be decommissioned. But the Energy Department has not decommissioned those wells at Hanford in a timely manner, leaving the agency open to potential enforcement actions by the state, the Energy Department's Office of Inspector General concluded in an audit released Thursday.
The audit recommends that the Energy Department conduct a complete inventory, verify the status of all wells at Hanford, and perform a comprehensive risk assessment of them. The agency should then develop a plan to decommission wells and allocate money to implement that plan.
The Energy Department agreed to take those steps in a Dec. 9 letter by Paul Golan, acting assistant secretary for environmental management, in response to a draft of the audit.
Of the approximately 7,000 wells at Hanford, the report estimates that as many as 3,500 are unused and must be decommissioned as soon as possible.
The Energy Department estimated the total number of wells to be decommissioned at the site as 2,150, based on a 2002 plan for accelerated cleanup at Hanford. Auditors, however, increased that number based on more recent data from 2003 and 2004, the report said.
The agency had planned to decommission 520 wells by the end of 2006, but about 33 percent of the 133 wells identified for decommissioning in 2004 were not completed, according to the report.
Energy Department officials also said a lack of money had limited their ability to speed the process. The audit did not dispute that assertion, but concluded that the lack of a risk-based schedule for the work likely contributed to reduced funding.
The Energy Department has estimated that 80 square miles of Hanford's groundwater have been contaminated at levels exceeding state and federal drinking water standards. An estimated 442 billion gallons of radioactive and hazardous waste have been released into the ground at the site.
Last year, the Inspector General reported that the Energy Department had failed to make significant progress to remediate Hanford's contaminated groundwater and that pump-and-treat systems installed for that purpose had been largely ineffective.
Those systems call for workers to pump contaminated water out of the ground, run it through filters to remove radioactive contaminants and re-inject the water into the ground. Read More.....
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Report faults DOE's efforts to decommission Hanford wells
I first visit my Late parent's home town in China in 1988. Then my grandma still drinking the Water from the Family well. I was told that our family well have been suppling water to the people within the village on the island for nearly thousand year.
Then in 1992, I returned to the island again, I was told that the well have been sealed by the county government because of contamination. Really it is sad to knew these. I would like to see that the well contaminations need to be checked constantly & once it have to enforce the decommission, it need to be carried out without fail!! for the Great Health of our human kind.
Report faults DOE's efforts to decommission Hanford wells
By SHANNON DININNY ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
YAKIMA, Wash. -- The U.S. Department of Energy has been too slow to decommission abandoned and unused wells at south-central Washington's Hanford nuclear site, a new federal audit concludes.
Thousands of wells have been drilled at Hanford to monitor the release of contaminants to groundwater during decades of plutonium production for the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal. Many of the wells have been abandoned and could pose a threat to the environment as a potential travel source for contaminants to groundwater and the nearby Columbia River.
State law requires unused and abandoned wells to be decommissioned. But the Energy Department has not decommissioned those wells at Hanford in a timely manner, leaving the agency open to potential enforcement actions by the state, the Energy Department's Office of Inspector General concluded in an audit released Thursday.
The audit recommends that the Energy Department conduct a complete inventory, verify the status of all wells at Hanford, and perform a comprehensive risk assessment of them. The agency should then develop a plan to decommission wells and allocate money to implement that plan.
The Energy Department agreed to take those steps in a Dec. 9 letter by Paul Golan, acting assistant secretary for environmental management, in response to a draft of the audit.
Of the approximately 7,000 wells at Hanford, the report estimates that as many as 3,500 are unused and must be decommissioned as soon as possible.
The Energy Department estimated the total number of wells to be decommissioned at the site as 2,150, based on a 2002 plan for accelerated cleanup at Hanford. Auditors, however, increased that number based on more recent data from 2003 and 2004, the report said.
The agency had planned to decommission 520 wells by the end of 2006, but about 33 percent of the 133 wells identified for decommissioning in 2004 were not completed, according to the report.
Energy Department officials also said a lack of money had limited their ability to speed the process. The audit did not dispute that assertion, but concluded that the lack of a risk-based schedule for the work likely contributed to reduced funding.
The Energy Department has estimated that 80 square miles of Hanford's groundwater have been contaminated at levels exceeding state and federal drinking water standards. An estimated 442 billion gallons of radioactive and hazardous waste have been released into the ground at the site.
Last year, the Inspector General reported that the Energy Department had failed to make significant progress to remediate Hanford's contaminated groundwater and that pump-and-treat systems installed for that purpose had been largely ineffective.
Those systems call for workers to pump contaminated water out of the ground, run it through filters to remove radioactive contaminants and re-inject the water into the ground. Read More.....
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Report faults DOE's efforts to decommission Hanford wells
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Chesapeake Bay cleanup gets boost as six states and D.C. agree to set limits on nutrients from treatment plants 01/03/2005
The Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Calcium are 3 ingredients of the Fertilizer's. With the increase of popullations & thus the needs to increase the farm produce, more farmer's have increase the use of the man make chemical base fertilizers.
Certainly these residual would goes to the ground which contaminated our ground water. If the contaminations is not in check, all our drinking water quality would be in trouble. So do our health.
Hence , for our great health for our childrens' future, we must act now than later for our great heakth.
Chesapeake Bay cleanup gets boost
PHILADELPHIA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached agreement with six states and the District of Columbia on a permitting approach that will set permit limits on nutrients being discharged from more than 350 municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities throughout the 64,000-square-mile Chesapeake Bay watershed.
These permit limits would result in the reduction of about 17.5 million pounds of nitrogen and about one million pounds of phosphorus entering the Chesapeake Bay each year, which will directly help improve water quality.
“This is a pivotal step in the cleanup and protection of the Chesapeake Bay. EPA and the states have committed to making the Bay a healthy environment where plants, fish and other aquatic life can thrive and coexist with development,” said Donald S. Welsh, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.
The discharge of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) from wastewater treatment is one of the most serious problems affecting the Chesapeake Bay. Excessive nutrients in the Bay cause algae blooms in the water, which leads to oxygen depletion and other adverse impacts on water quality. Excessive algae growth can also block sunlight that is critical to support plant and aquatic life.
States and EPA issue permits to all wastewater treatment facilities which regulate the amount of pollutants that can been discharged into waterways after treatment. The permitting approach announced today describes a consistent basin-wide approach to issue permits that include measurable and enforceable limits for nitrogen and phosphorus.
For years, permits have required nutrient removal to achieve localized water quality standards. However, the lack of science-based and achievable water quality standards for the Chesapeake Bay has made it difficult for the states and EPA to regulate nutrient reductions needed to protect the Bay.
EPA has been working with states for several years to develop a basin-wide strategy for these nutrient permit limits. This new strategy covers the entire 64,000-square-mile watershed, and describes how states and EPA plan to develop permit limits based on the living resource needs of the Bay. States participating in the strategy include Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Read More....
Newswire Article: Chesapeake Bay cleanup gets boost as six states and D.C. agree to set limits on nutrients from treatment plants 01/03/2005
Certainly these residual would goes to the ground which contaminated our ground water. If the contaminations is not in check, all our drinking water quality would be in trouble. So do our health.
Hence , for our great health for our childrens' future, we must act now than later for our great heakth.
Chesapeake Bay cleanup gets boost
PHILADELPHIA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached agreement with six states and the District of Columbia on a permitting approach that will set permit limits on nutrients being discharged from more than 350 municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities throughout the 64,000-square-mile Chesapeake Bay watershed.
These permit limits would result in the reduction of about 17.5 million pounds of nitrogen and about one million pounds of phosphorus entering the Chesapeake Bay each year, which will directly help improve water quality.
“This is a pivotal step in the cleanup and protection of the Chesapeake Bay. EPA and the states have committed to making the Bay a healthy environment where plants, fish and other aquatic life can thrive and coexist with development,” said Donald S. Welsh, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.
The discharge of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) from wastewater treatment is one of the most serious problems affecting the Chesapeake Bay. Excessive nutrients in the Bay cause algae blooms in the water, which leads to oxygen depletion and other adverse impacts on water quality. Excessive algae growth can also block sunlight that is critical to support plant and aquatic life.
States and EPA issue permits to all wastewater treatment facilities which regulate the amount of pollutants that can been discharged into waterways after treatment. The permitting approach announced today describes a consistent basin-wide approach to issue permits that include measurable and enforceable limits for nitrogen and phosphorus.
For years, permits have required nutrient removal to achieve localized water quality standards. However, the lack of science-based and achievable water quality standards for the Chesapeake Bay has made it difficult for the states and EPA to regulate nutrient reductions needed to protect the Bay.
EPA has been working with states for several years to develop a basin-wide strategy for these nutrient permit limits. This new strategy covers the entire 64,000-square-mile watershed, and describes how states and EPA plan to develop permit limits based on the living resource needs of the Bay. States participating in the strategy include Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Read More....
Newswire Article: Chesapeake Bay cleanup gets boost as six states and D.C. agree to set limits on nutrients from treatment plants 01/03/2005
Friday, January 07, 2005
Indy Water issues boil alert; schools delay start
When I read about the Chinese history of the Water & boiling of Water back to 6,000years ago. Then there is hardly the size of populations & Industries pollutions today.
But then the Emperor & Guru have been teaching people to boil water before one drink. My late mom have been boiling water for us to drink since baby, till today, I am still doing it.
And I found that the Water before boiling is consider as "Yin" & the Water After Boiled is having the "Yang-Chi".
My advise is that for your great health do drink 8 glass of filtered water & drink warm water only.
Indy Water issues boil alert; schools delay start
Equipment failure leads utility to take precautionary step; tests to show if water quality is affected.
By Kevin O'Neal kevin.oneal@indystar.com
January 7, 2005
Equipment failure at an Indianapolis Water treatment station led the utility on Thursday afternoon to advise all customers to boil their drinking water.
That move created complications for residents, restaurants, hospitals and schools and had some people stocking up on bottled water.
The precautionary advisory, which the utility said was not a binding order and not related to flooding, was scheduled to last until about 4 p.m. today.
All Marion County school districts that are on the Indianapolis Water system planned to delay the start of classes by two hours today, and local superintendents scheduled a telephone conference for this morning to decide whether to cancel school, officials said.
The utility late Thursday was trying to find out when it would receive test results that would show whether the water quality had been affected, said spokeswoman Carolyn Mosby-Williams. That information could help schools decide whether to cancel classes.
Indianapolis Public Schools spokeswoman Mary Louise Bewley said the two-hour delay is intended to give schools time to obtain those water test results, expected about 8 a.m. Classes likely will be canceled if the water fails the tests.
In that case, Mosby-Williams said, the boil advisory also would likely be extended.
Mosby-Williams said she knew of no complaints of anyone becoming ill from the water. The water is safe for other uses, such as washing and bathing, she said.
Customers should boil drinking water for three minutes.
Indianapolis Water serves about 1.1 million people and processes an average of 138 million gallons a day. Its service area covers nearly all of Marion County, as well as parts of Morgan, Hendricks, Boone, Hamilton and Hancock counties.
Some school systems in that area, such as Speedway, are not on the Indianapolis Water system.
Mosby-Williams said tests should show whether customers were at risk from increased levels of coliform bacteria, which can cause nausea, cramps and diarrhea. The utility tests about 400 samples daily; additional samples were taken after the equipment failure.
The problem developed around 11 a.m. Thursday at the utility's White River treatment plant on the Near Northside, one of eight treatment facilities in the utility's service area in and around Marion County. A system that supplies the chemicals used to treat the water shut down, forcing the entire plant to shut down, Mosby-Williams said.
The White River plant is the largest of four plants in the utility's system, supplying about 55 percent of the water. When it shut down, there was a loss of water pressure, prompting some complaints from customers.
"We've closed up all the drinking fountains, and we've informed all of our staff and visitors," said Wishard Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Michelle O'Keefe.
"We're using only bottled water in the cafeteria. We will do all of these things until we're notified by the water company." Read More...
Indy Water issues boil alert; schools delay start
But then the Emperor & Guru have been teaching people to boil water before one drink. My late mom have been boiling water for us to drink since baby, till today, I am still doing it.
And I found that the Water before boiling is consider as "Yin" & the Water After Boiled is having the "Yang-Chi".
My advise is that for your great health do drink 8 glass of filtered water & drink warm water only.
Indy Water issues boil alert; schools delay start
Equipment failure leads utility to take precautionary step; tests to show if water quality is affected.
By Kevin O'Neal kevin.oneal@indystar.com
January 7, 2005
Equipment failure at an Indianapolis Water treatment station led the utility on Thursday afternoon to advise all customers to boil their drinking water.
That move created complications for residents, restaurants, hospitals and schools and had some people stocking up on bottled water.
The precautionary advisory, which the utility said was not a binding order and not related to flooding, was scheduled to last until about 4 p.m. today.
All Marion County school districts that are on the Indianapolis Water system planned to delay the start of classes by two hours today, and local superintendents scheduled a telephone conference for this morning to decide whether to cancel school, officials said.
The utility late Thursday was trying to find out when it would receive test results that would show whether the water quality had been affected, said spokeswoman Carolyn Mosby-Williams. That information could help schools decide whether to cancel classes.
Indianapolis Public Schools spokeswoman Mary Louise Bewley said the two-hour delay is intended to give schools time to obtain those water test results, expected about 8 a.m. Classes likely will be canceled if the water fails the tests.
In that case, Mosby-Williams said, the boil advisory also would likely be extended.
Mosby-Williams said she knew of no complaints of anyone becoming ill from the water. The water is safe for other uses, such as washing and bathing, she said.
Customers should boil drinking water for three minutes.
Indianapolis Water serves about 1.1 million people and processes an average of 138 million gallons a day. Its service area covers nearly all of Marion County, as well as parts of Morgan, Hendricks, Boone, Hamilton and Hancock counties.
Some school systems in that area, such as Speedway, are not on the Indianapolis Water system.
Mosby-Williams said tests should show whether customers were at risk from increased levels of coliform bacteria, which can cause nausea, cramps and diarrhea. The utility tests about 400 samples daily; additional samples were taken after the equipment failure.
The problem developed around 11 a.m. Thursday at the utility's White River treatment plant on the Near Northside, one of eight treatment facilities in the utility's service area in and around Marion County. A system that supplies the chemicals used to treat the water shut down, forcing the entire plant to shut down, Mosby-Williams said.
The White River plant is the largest of four plants in the utility's system, supplying about 55 percent of the water. When it shut down, there was a loss of water pressure, prompting some complaints from customers.
"We've closed up all the drinking fountains, and we've informed all of our staff and visitors," said Wishard Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Michelle O'Keefe.
"We're using only bottled water in the cafeteria. We will do all of these things until we're notified by the water company." Read More...
Indy Water issues boil alert; schools delay start
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Threat puts Florida water utilities on alert - News
During early 70's I was having my military services in Asia. There were terrorists attack on installations like Gas plants, oil refineries, Water reservoirs...Then we have to perform the duty to safe guard
these strategic installations.
While we shall increase our vigilants on these strategic installations, especially water supplies. We shall also educated all the people in this country to be responsible, not to create false alarm. In a united front to safe guard these public assets.
Threat puts Florida water utilities on alert
KISSIMMEE, FL � An anonymous phone call led workers to rush to make sure Osceola County's water supply was safe to drink, WFTV new channel reported yesterday.
Now, 13 water plants are on a heightened security alert after someone called a resident and said Kissimmee's water supply was contaminated and threatened there would be fatalities, the report said.
Police and water officials have been monitoring Osceola County's water plants since Tuesday night. The water supply is safe, but authorities aren't taking the call lightly, WFTV said.
Kissimmee police told the news station that they will be stepping up patrols at all of the water plants. If in fact this call was a hoax, police say that person will be facing criminal charges. Read More....
News
these strategic installations.
While we shall increase our vigilants on these strategic installations, especially water supplies. We shall also educated all the people in this country to be responsible, not to create false alarm. In a united front to safe guard these public assets.
Threat puts Florida water utilities on alert
KISSIMMEE, FL � An anonymous phone call led workers to rush to make sure Osceola County's water supply was safe to drink, WFTV new channel reported yesterday.
Now, 13 water plants are on a heightened security alert after someone called a resident and said Kissimmee's water supply was contaminated and threatened there would be fatalities, the report said.
Police and water officials have been monitoring Osceola County's water plants since Tuesday night. The water supply is safe, but authorities aren't taking the call lightly, WFTV said.
Kissimmee police told the news station that they will be stepping up patrols at all of the water plants. If in fact this call was a hoax, police say that person will be facing criminal charges. Read More....
News
World Health Organization States Safe Drinking Water Immediate Priority
Back In my childhood days, both my late parent alway tell me that
education is the most top priority in Live. As the Guru Confusus said, learning or educating till old age.
Therefore the Safe Drinking Water Educations not only something that happen then educate them, it should be on going education for all age on the awareness as well as the positive actions need to be carried out.
World Health Organization States Safe Drinking Water Immediate Priority
1/6/2005 The immediate priority for the health of the displaced populations in the aftermath of the Southeast Asia earthquake and tsunami remains access to adequate supplies of safe drinking water. Additionally, pressing needs are sanitation and hygiene, shelter and access to basic medical supplies. With between three and five million people estimated to be possibly without access to such basic needs, disease outbreaks could lead to a significant increase in casualties. Already, a number of countries are reporting an increase in isolated cases of diarrhoeal diseases.
WHO continues to focus both on the health needs of the survivors and the reconstruction and rehabilitation of health systems. Guiding the public health relief effort in coordination with national and local authorities, communities, other UN organizations, NGOs and donors, WHO is concentrating on five key areas:
1. Disease surveillance: teams of experts have been deployed through the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), reviewing the epidemiological situation on a daily basis. Identifying potential disease outbreaks as rapidly as possibly is key, in order to effectively respond.
2. Increasing access to essential health care: assessing the damage to the infrastructure and the needs of the populations, WHO is working closely with ministries of health of the affected countries to rebuild infrastructure as quickly as possible.
3. Technical public health guidance: to ensure essential public health needs are met, WHO is offering technical expertise on issues ranging from disposal of dead bodies, responses to disease outbreaks, maintaining water quality, dealing with excreta, sewage and chemical threats, managing chronic diseases, implementing vaccination programmes and addressing the mental health issues populations may face following this catastrophe.
4. Strengthening supply systems: ensuring supply of medicines, equipment, transport, vaccines and other vital assets.
5. Coordination of international health response: to ensure the right aid reaches the right people at the right time, WHO is guiding the international public health relief effort, to ensure the most efficient outcomes.
WHO Director-General Dr LEE, Jong-wook, is continuing his mission to the affected region today, visiting Aceh, Indonesia, to assess the extent of the devastation and more effectively plan WHO's response to the local populations.
Source: WHO
Water Online News for wastewater professionals
education is the most top priority in Live. As the Guru Confusus said, learning or educating till old age.
Therefore the Safe Drinking Water Educations not only something that happen then educate them, it should be on going education for all age on the awareness as well as the positive actions need to be carried out.
World Health Organization States Safe Drinking Water Immediate Priority
1/6/2005 The immediate priority for the health of the displaced populations in the aftermath of the Southeast Asia earthquake and tsunami remains access to adequate supplies of safe drinking water. Additionally, pressing needs are sanitation and hygiene, shelter and access to basic medical supplies. With between three and five million people estimated to be possibly without access to such basic needs, disease outbreaks could lead to a significant increase in casualties. Already, a number of countries are reporting an increase in isolated cases of diarrhoeal diseases.
WHO continues to focus both on the health needs of the survivors and the reconstruction and rehabilitation of health systems. Guiding the public health relief effort in coordination with national and local authorities, communities, other UN organizations, NGOs and donors, WHO is concentrating on five key areas:
1. Disease surveillance: teams of experts have been deployed through the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), reviewing the epidemiological situation on a daily basis. Identifying potential disease outbreaks as rapidly as possibly is key, in order to effectively respond.
2. Increasing access to essential health care: assessing the damage to the infrastructure and the needs of the populations, WHO is working closely with ministries of health of the affected countries to rebuild infrastructure as quickly as possible.
3. Technical public health guidance: to ensure essential public health needs are met, WHO is offering technical expertise on issues ranging from disposal of dead bodies, responses to disease outbreaks, maintaining water quality, dealing with excreta, sewage and chemical threats, managing chronic diseases, implementing vaccination programmes and addressing the mental health issues populations may face following this catastrophe.
4. Strengthening supply systems: ensuring supply of medicines, equipment, transport, vaccines and other vital assets.
5. Coordination of international health response: to ensure the right aid reaches the right people at the right time, WHO is guiding the international public health relief effort, to ensure the most efficient outcomes.
WHO Director-General Dr LEE, Jong-wook, is continuing his mission to the affected region today, visiting Aceh, Indonesia, to assess the extent of the devastation and more effectively plan WHO's response to the local populations.
Source: WHO
Water Online News for wastewater professionals
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Energy Drinks Build Their Buzz
I can recall my first time drinking Red Bull. However, I am not really
into the habit of drinking Energy Drink's.
Perhaps that is due to my late mom influence. She is a strong believer of natural drink's. Therefore she rather serve drinks like Chicken Soup or Mutton Soup, or old & wild Ginsen when there is a need to replenish energy. As she said her dad told her that any man made drink's are no good for health.
My research & experience is actually on the need of drinking of filter water for your great health in the everyday life.
Energy Drinks Build Their Buzz
With the beverage industry's giants still on the sidelines, startups are doing whatever it takes to grab market share
How do you convince teens to buy your highly caffeinated, $2-a-can soft drink, when hundreds of other brands are jockeying for shelf space? Skip normal TV ads, for starters. In a field continually littered with new entries, each trying to out-extreme the other, small energy-drink companies are pursuing increasingly audacious marketing tactics.
Bridge jumping, a rocket launch, and even skydiving without parachutes have become the norm in this guerrilla-marketing street fight -- all in the attempt to garner attention and enough of a following to dominate a niche within a niche. A game of one-upmanship has broken out, which extends even to the brand names (Go Fast! recently lost its exclamatory supremacy to newcomer Crunk!!!).
Without a dominating presence by either Coca-Cola (KO ) or Pepsi (PEP ), makers of so-called energy drinks -- lightly carbonated beverages often loaded with caffeine and herbal extracts -- are all hoping they can become the next major brand. So far, only one leader has emerged: Austria-based Red Bull, a private company with roughly 60% market share and at least $150 million in annual revenue, according to Information Resources, a Chicago-based retail research firm.
MOVING TARGET. Inspired by the success of Red Bull, which began as a startup itself 18 years ago, more than 1,000 smaller players have entered the market, according to BevNET, a Boston-based beverage-industry trade Web site that reviews new products.
All the newcomers are trying to steal the spotlight, staging publicity stunts that are as jaw-dropping as they are risky, financially and otherwise. For many, clever marketing remains as much -- more, in some cases -- of a focus as the nuts and bolts of actually manufacturing and distributing the product.
The target market for energy drinks is mostly male teenagers and twentysomethings, a notoriously fickle bunch. So unlike the cola market, where Coke and Pepsi push their offerings to all soda-drinkers, most of the smaller power-drink players have decided that their best hope of gaining traction is by appealing to very specialized market segments.
"Right now there's an ability to get a toehold more quickly if you can build loyalty with a niche of the market," says Kelly O'Keefe, CEO of beverage marketer Emergence, based in Edmonton, Atlanta. "The margins are high enough that you can make money on a small run of the product."
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. Drinks have been aimed at consumers interested in extreme sports (Red Bull, Go Fast!), video games (Bawls Guarana, which sponsors gaming tournaments and encourages players to pull all-nighters), hip-hop (Crunk!!!, Pimp Juice, and DefCon 3), and even marijuana, courtesy of Merrilville (Ind.)-based brand Bong Water.
But even the tiniest of subniches have seen several competitors rise up, forcing companies to prove that their particular brands are "authentic" and "not corporate," says Go Fast! founder Troy Widgery, a former professional skydiver. That means one-upping the competition. Go Fast! sponsors an annual jumping event at a bridge in Colorado, so Red Bull struck back last June, backing a jumper who parachuted off France's Millau Bridge, the tallest in the world.
Not to be outdone, Go Fast! is now funding the development of a winged jumpsuit that will allow the wearer to glide out of a plane without a parachute. The company also funded construction of the first unmanned civilian rocket designed to be launched into space, which took off in May, 2004.
MR. RELEVANT. In the so-called Wing Suit Mission, project leader Jeb Corliss plans to land on his stomach, skidding to a halt after hitting the ground with a forward speed of over 80 miles per hour. "The guys at Pepsi haven't even been near a plane with the door off," says Widgery of Go Fast!, who adds, "same with Red Bull."
Within the hip-hop niche, rappers Nelly (Pimp Juice) and Fat Joe (Stinger) and megamogul Russell Simmons (DefCon 3) have built brands around their own, larger-than-life personalities. Jon Crecy, vice-president for sales and marketing at Crunk!!!, says each celebrity brand is out to prove it's "hipper" and "edgier" than the others. And of course, he claims his Crunk!!! label, promoted by rap star Lil Jon, reigns supreme.
"Let's face it, you can't get more relevant to a consumer than Lil Jon," Crecy says. "His music is rowdier, and he's got more energy." Thus far, Lil Jon appears to have at least mastered the art of cross promotion -- the bombastic performer named his latest album Crunk Juice and carries a bejeweled grail filled with the concoction to award shows and other public events (see "Lil Jon Crunks Up the Volume").
"That makes my drink and my brand bigger than any of those other drink brands," Lil Jon says. "I'm more of an integral part in the brand." Crunk!!! is primarily owned by liquor importer Sidney Frank, who started Grey Goose (until he sold the brand to Bacardi), and holds the U.S. licenses for Jagermeister and Corazon tequila.
GETTING THE DRINKS OUT. But edgy marketing means little in the beverage industry without solid distribution. "None of these companies will be able to go [nationwide] overnight," says John Craven, editor-in-chief of BevNet.com. A company that wants to sell its product in all 50 states needs between 250 and 300 distributors, he says.
Building those relationships remains a challenge for small companies: Go Fast! currently has about 25 distributors, and Crunk!!!, which started less than a year ago, has only six, mostly in the South and New York.
While Coke's KMX and Pepsi's SoBe Adrenaline Rush lag behind Red Bull, with market shares in the low single digits, that could change very quickly. "If you were to look 10 years back at bottled water, you wouldn't see [Coke-owned] Dasani and [Pepsi-owned] Aquafina" on the Top 10 list, says Emergence's Kelly O'Keefe. "There's still a lot of shaking out to be done." Read More...
Energy Drinks Build Their Buzz
into the habit of drinking Energy Drink's.
Perhaps that is due to my late mom influence. She is a strong believer of natural drink's. Therefore she rather serve drinks like Chicken Soup or Mutton Soup, or old & wild Ginsen when there is a need to replenish energy. As she said her dad told her that any man made drink's are no good for health.
My research & experience is actually on the need of drinking of filter water for your great health in the everyday life.
Energy Drinks Build Their Buzz
With the beverage industry's giants still on the sidelines, startups are doing whatever it takes to grab market share
How do you convince teens to buy your highly caffeinated, $2-a-can soft drink, when hundreds of other brands are jockeying for shelf space? Skip normal TV ads, for starters. In a field continually littered with new entries, each trying to out-extreme the other, small energy-drink companies are pursuing increasingly audacious marketing tactics.
Bridge jumping, a rocket launch, and even skydiving without parachutes have become the norm in this guerrilla-marketing street fight -- all in the attempt to garner attention and enough of a following to dominate a niche within a niche. A game of one-upmanship has broken out, which extends even to the brand names (Go Fast! recently lost its exclamatory supremacy to newcomer Crunk!!!).
Without a dominating presence by either Coca-Cola (KO ) or Pepsi (PEP ), makers of so-called energy drinks -- lightly carbonated beverages often loaded with caffeine and herbal extracts -- are all hoping they can become the next major brand. So far, only one leader has emerged: Austria-based Red Bull, a private company with roughly 60% market share and at least $150 million in annual revenue, according to Information Resources, a Chicago-based retail research firm.
MOVING TARGET. Inspired by the success of Red Bull, which began as a startup itself 18 years ago, more than 1,000 smaller players have entered the market, according to BevNET, a Boston-based beverage-industry trade Web site that reviews new products.
All the newcomers are trying to steal the spotlight, staging publicity stunts that are as jaw-dropping as they are risky, financially and otherwise. For many, clever marketing remains as much -- more, in some cases -- of a focus as the nuts and bolts of actually manufacturing and distributing the product.
The target market for energy drinks is mostly male teenagers and twentysomethings, a notoriously fickle bunch. So unlike the cola market, where Coke and Pepsi push their offerings to all soda-drinkers, most of the smaller power-drink players have decided that their best hope of gaining traction is by appealing to very specialized market segments.
"Right now there's an ability to get a toehold more quickly if you can build loyalty with a niche of the market," says Kelly O'Keefe, CEO of beverage marketer Emergence, based in Edmonton, Atlanta. "The margins are high enough that you can make money on a small run of the product."
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. Drinks have been aimed at consumers interested in extreme sports (Red Bull, Go Fast!), video games (Bawls Guarana, which sponsors gaming tournaments and encourages players to pull all-nighters), hip-hop (Crunk!!!, Pimp Juice, and DefCon 3), and even marijuana, courtesy of Merrilville (Ind.)-based brand Bong Water.
But even the tiniest of subniches have seen several competitors rise up, forcing companies to prove that their particular brands are "authentic" and "not corporate," says Go Fast! founder Troy Widgery, a former professional skydiver. That means one-upping the competition. Go Fast! sponsors an annual jumping event at a bridge in Colorado, so Red Bull struck back last June, backing a jumper who parachuted off France's Millau Bridge, the tallest in the world.
Not to be outdone, Go Fast! is now funding the development of a winged jumpsuit that will allow the wearer to glide out of a plane without a parachute. The company also funded construction of the first unmanned civilian rocket designed to be launched into space, which took off in May, 2004.
MR. RELEVANT. In the so-called Wing Suit Mission, project leader Jeb Corliss plans to land on his stomach, skidding to a halt after hitting the ground with a forward speed of over 80 miles per hour. "The guys at Pepsi haven't even been near a plane with the door off," says Widgery of Go Fast!, who adds, "same with Red Bull."
Within the hip-hop niche, rappers Nelly (Pimp Juice) and Fat Joe (Stinger) and megamogul Russell Simmons (DefCon 3) have built brands around their own, larger-than-life personalities. Jon Crecy, vice-president for sales and marketing at Crunk!!!, says each celebrity brand is out to prove it's "hipper" and "edgier" than the others. And of course, he claims his Crunk!!! label, promoted by rap star Lil Jon, reigns supreme.
"Let's face it, you can't get more relevant to a consumer than Lil Jon," Crecy says. "His music is rowdier, and he's got more energy." Thus far, Lil Jon appears to have at least mastered the art of cross promotion -- the bombastic performer named his latest album Crunk Juice and carries a bejeweled grail filled with the concoction to award shows and other public events (see "Lil Jon Crunks Up the Volume").
"That makes my drink and my brand bigger than any of those other drink brands," Lil Jon says. "I'm more of an integral part in the brand." Crunk!!! is primarily owned by liquor importer Sidney Frank, who started Grey Goose (until he sold the brand to Bacardi), and holds the U.S. licenses for Jagermeister and Corazon tequila.
GETTING THE DRINKS OUT. But edgy marketing means little in the beverage industry without solid distribution. "None of these companies will be able to go [nationwide] overnight," says John Craven, editor-in-chief of BevNet.com. A company that wants to sell its product in all 50 states needs between 250 and 300 distributors, he says.
Building those relationships remains a challenge for small companies: Go Fast! currently has about 25 distributors, and Crunk!!!, which started less than a year ago, has only six, mostly in the South and New York.
While Coke's KMX and Pepsi's SoBe Adrenaline Rush lag behind Red Bull, with market shares in the low single digits, that could change very quickly. "If you were to look 10 years back at bottled water, you wouldn't see [Coke-owned] Dasani and [Pepsi-owned] Aquafina" on the Top 10 list, says Emergence's Kelly O'Keefe. "There's still a lot of shaking out to be done." Read More...
Energy Drinks Build Their Buzz
Green benefits from canning plant wastewater
This initiative seem to be good alternative.
However, I do know that there still certain contaminations may take place during the canning of food, such as the Zinc, Leads, & chemical preservatives. Therefore, my recommendations is that there must be some kind of water filtrations process 1st before it is bottled for the crop irriggation.
So that when the crop is consumed by people would be safe from heavy metals & chemical contaminations.
Green benefits from canning plant wastewater
05/01/2005 - Irrigation with wastewater from the canning industry is not harmful to the quality of agricultural soil and may even, in some cases, improve it, according to a new PhD thesis from the Public University of Navarre in Spain.
The vegetable canning industries, by the very nature of its processes, produce a considerable volume of low-contaminant effluents. A research project began in 1996 to determine the viability of agricultural irrigation as an alternative to the dumping of this wastewater.
To this end, three trials were carried out, two in Villafranca and one in Valtierra, locations in the Ebro river basin region of Navarre with vegetable canning plants located on three agricultural soils representatives of the zone.
Iñigo Abdón Virto Quecedo’s research project involved the characterisation of the soils at the three trial sites in order to subsequently evaluate the effect of irrigation with waste waters from industrial canneries, as a function of the doses received and the type of handling/ kind of irrigation undertaken for the crop.
The viability of these kinds of systems depends fundamentally on the nature of the soil under use, the irrigation system and the type of crop planted. These are the factors that have to be considered when installing irrigation systems using wastewater.
Thus, in soils on which there is permanent meadowland, such as alfalfa orray grass meadows and where sprinkler irrigation has taken place, a “positive evolution” of the soil was observed, given that “this water is not contaminant but provides a significant injection of organic material and other types of elements that can be positive for the development of the soil”.
Nevertheless, on these types of soils any kind of irrigated meadow crop enhances the soil, independently of the type of water used for the irrigation. Read More....
Green benefits from canning plant wastewater
However, I do know that there still certain contaminations may take place during the canning of food, such as the Zinc, Leads, & chemical preservatives. Therefore, my recommendations is that there must be some kind of water filtrations process 1st before it is bottled for the crop irriggation.
So that when the crop is consumed by people would be safe from heavy metals & chemical contaminations.
Green benefits from canning plant wastewater
05/01/2005 - Irrigation with wastewater from the canning industry is not harmful to the quality of agricultural soil and may even, in some cases, improve it, according to a new PhD thesis from the Public University of Navarre in Spain.
The vegetable canning industries, by the very nature of its processes, produce a considerable volume of low-contaminant effluents. A research project began in 1996 to determine the viability of agricultural irrigation as an alternative to the dumping of this wastewater.
To this end, three trials were carried out, two in Villafranca and one in Valtierra, locations in the Ebro river basin region of Navarre with vegetable canning plants located on three agricultural soils representatives of the zone.
Iñigo Abdón Virto Quecedo’s research project involved the characterisation of the soils at the three trial sites in order to subsequently evaluate the effect of irrigation with waste waters from industrial canneries, as a function of the doses received and the type of handling/ kind of irrigation undertaken for the crop.
The viability of these kinds of systems depends fundamentally on the nature of the soil under use, the irrigation system and the type of crop planted. These are the factors that have to be considered when installing irrigation systems using wastewater.
Thus, in soils on which there is permanent meadowland, such as alfalfa orray grass meadows and where sprinkler irrigation has taken place, a “positive evolution” of the soil was observed, given that “this water is not contaminant but provides a significant injection of organic material and other types of elements that can be positive for the development of the soil”.
Nevertheless, on these types of soils any kind of irrigated meadow crop enhances the soil, independently of the type of water used for the irrigation. Read More....
Green benefits from canning plant wastewater
Water system repairs are costly
The Nitrate is one of the fertilizer's that need by plants & Vegetables, NPK with the correct mix would help to produce nice flow, seeds, melon..fruits..vegetables....etc.
However, over the year, too many application on the farm would certainly contaminate the ground water. Off course for the after effect then to put things right would not only cost more money but also the time & afforts.
Therefore, prevention is still is better than cure.
Water system repairs are costly
BY ART HOVEY / Lincoln Journal Star
Seward has already built a $4.3 million water treatment plant, and Fairbury is finishing work on an $850,000 filtration plant.
York is drilling test wells east of town as the first step in a $7.2 million upgrade in its drinking water system. City officials there hope that effort � and seven consecutive years of across-the-board increases in water bills � will push back the date for a treatment plant.
A plant could drive total costs in York close to $15 million.
Rising nitrate levels, new federal standards for other contaminants, drought and aging infrastructure are among drinking-water problems pressuring cities across Nebraska to pay for expensive solutions.
"Nebraska, like other states in the nation, its water systems are getting old," said Jack Daniel, who presides over drinking water issues for the state Department of Health and Human Services.
In fact, the Nebraska State Revolving Fund, which helps finance water needs, lists 209 pending projects and $320 million in pending costs for new wells, water mains and other necessities in fiscal 2005.
That's up from 184 projects and $302 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
Some of the most ample groundwater resources in the nation allowed many of the state's more than 500 municipalities to drill relatively shallow wells in the direction of their growth through the last century, Daniel said.
But more recently, mayors and city councils are discovering the down side to shallow wells. That includes dropping water levels, vulnerability to contamination and no pipes connecting wells that would allow treatment or blending to cut water contamination levels.
"When our towns have to do corrective action," he said, "it costs them more than towns in other parts of this nation."
A typical small town might have three wells. "So then, if you have to treat, the first thing you can see that you have to do is replumb the town to bring the water together. So that's a very significant extra expense for Nebraska."
In York, Public Works Director Orville Davidson manages a system that has 13 wells within city limits, one outside city limits and no central connection. Two wells are shut down because of nitrate problems.
"We have problems with pumping capacity in the summer months in a drought season," Davidson said.
But it is not strictly a quantity issue, said City Administrator Jack Vavra. "Our issue is that we have some periods of time when some of our wells don't meet standards and we have to shut them down. Then we can get into volume issues."
Efforts toward long-term water security have already begun with the drilling of test holes for new wells in an area that extends about five miles to the east and 400 feet down to bedrock.
A water main at least 16 inches in diameter would bring new water to town and allow older wells to be retired. If things go according to plan, the need for a treatment plant could be pushed back at least as far as 2011.
But none of it comes cheap. Seven consecutive years of increases in York water rates � from eight to 12 percent each year through 2009 � will raise the monthly water bill for a family of four from $19.19 to $36.
Back in Seward, water rates will rise 14.5 percent by 2006 as city officials get contaminants in check, including nitrates that could no longer be held under the federal standard.
And dozens of other cities across the state are facing similar challenges. Read More...
Printable Version
However, over the year, too many application on the farm would certainly contaminate the ground water. Off course for the after effect then to put things right would not only cost more money but also the time & afforts.
Therefore, prevention is still is better than cure.
Water system repairs are costly
BY ART HOVEY / Lincoln Journal Star
Seward has already built a $4.3 million water treatment plant, and Fairbury is finishing work on an $850,000 filtration plant.
York is drilling test wells east of town as the first step in a $7.2 million upgrade in its drinking water system. City officials there hope that effort � and seven consecutive years of across-the-board increases in water bills � will push back the date for a treatment plant.
A plant could drive total costs in York close to $15 million.
Rising nitrate levels, new federal standards for other contaminants, drought and aging infrastructure are among drinking-water problems pressuring cities across Nebraska to pay for expensive solutions.
"Nebraska, like other states in the nation, its water systems are getting old," said Jack Daniel, who presides over drinking water issues for the state Department of Health and Human Services.
In fact, the Nebraska State Revolving Fund, which helps finance water needs, lists 209 pending projects and $320 million in pending costs for new wells, water mains and other necessities in fiscal 2005.
That's up from 184 projects and $302 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
Some of the most ample groundwater resources in the nation allowed many of the state's more than 500 municipalities to drill relatively shallow wells in the direction of their growth through the last century, Daniel said.
But more recently, mayors and city councils are discovering the down side to shallow wells. That includes dropping water levels, vulnerability to contamination and no pipes connecting wells that would allow treatment or blending to cut water contamination levels.
"When our towns have to do corrective action," he said, "it costs them more than towns in other parts of this nation."
A typical small town might have three wells. "So then, if you have to treat, the first thing you can see that you have to do is replumb the town to bring the water together. So that's a very significant extra expense for Nebraska."
In York, Public Works Director Orville Davidson manages a system that has 13 wells within city limits, one outside city limits and no central connection. Two wells are shut down because of nitrate problems.
"We have problems with pumping capacity in the summer months in a drought season," Davidson said.
But it is not strictly a quantity issue, said City Administrator Jack Vavra. "Our issue is that we have some periods of time when some of our wells don't meet standards and we have to shut them down. Then we can get into volume issues."
Efforts toward long-term water security have already begun with the drilling of test holes for new wells in an area that extends about five miles to the east and 400 feet down to bedrock.
A water main at least 16 inches in diameter would bring new water to town and allow older wells to be retired. If things go according to plan, the need for a treatment plant could be pushed back at least as far as 2011.
But none of it comes cheap. Seven consecutive years of increases in York water rates � from eight to 12 percent each year through 2009 � will raise the monthly water bill for a family of four from $19.19 to $36.
Back in Seward, water rates will rise 14.5 percent by 2006 as city officials get contaminants in check, including nitrates that could no longer be held under the federal standard.
And dozens of other cities across the state are facing similar challenges. Read More...
Printable Version
Water shortages halt development in Utah
I can recall my Childhood days that experience the water Rationing . The family have to take turns to ferry water from the village supply point to home.
These experience I still can remember till today. The city or district planning authority must plan ahead in anticipating the demand , before a new development is carried out, not having a "Fire Fighting" attitube.
Water shortages halt development in Utah
LAYTON, UT � Amid Utah's long drought, three rapidly growing Davis County communities have halted development until a secure water supply can be guaranteed, according to an Associated Press (AP) report in yesterday's .
The water provided now in Syracuse, West Point and Layton recharges local reservoirs through an agreement with water conservancy districts that treat the water and sell it back to the county at a reduced cost, the AP said.
County officials are looking to boost water before the population spikes in the area. The new requirement has been made to safeguard some areas to water shortages and distribute evenly, the article noted.
Clinton and South Weber city leaders are looking at adopting similar water requirements. Read More...
Water shortages halt development in Utah
These experience I still can remember till today. The city or district planning authority must plan ahead in anticipating the demand , before a new development is carried out, not having a "Fire Fighting" attitube.
Water shortages halt development in Utah
LAYTON, UT � Amid Utah's long drought, three rapidly growing Davis County communities have halted development until a secure water supply can be guaranteed, according to an Associated Press (AP) report in yesterday's .
The water provided now in Syracuse, West Point and Layton recharges local reservoirs through an agreement with water conservancy districts that treat the water and sell it back to the county at a reduced cost, the AP said.
County officials are looking to boost water before the population spikes in the area. The new requirement has been made to safeguard some areas to water shortages and distribute evenly, the article noted.
Clinton and South Weber city leaders are looking at adopting similar water requirements. Read More...
Water shortages halt development in Utah
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Study: Diuretics a net plus for elderly
Some few years back, when I was told that my blood pressure is on the high side. The my doctor advise me that I should take less salt & drink more water.
These is exactly my Mom have advised the family & discipline the family during the childhood period. It is exactly work after I drink at least 8 glass of water & do meditations my blood presure have came down to safe level.
So, please drinks minimum 8 glass of water a day for your great health.
Study: Diuretics a net plus for elderly
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Diuretics, pills used by millions of elderly people to lower high blood pressure, clearly reduce the long-term risk of death from heart attacks and strokes, according to a study that could ease fears that the medication's risks outweigh its benefits.
Diuretics, which work by removing fluid from the body, have been used for decades. But doctors have realized in the past few years that the drugs raise the risk of developing diabetes, which itself can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
As a result, some doctors were afraid that diuretics' risks would cancel out their benefits.
The first long-term study to examine the question found that while diuretics do raise the risk of diabetes, the rate of death from heart attacks or strokes was still nearly 15% lower in patients getting a diuretic compared to those who were given dummy pills.
"This is the most conclusive information we're likely to have, at least for some time," said Dr. Jeffrey Cutler, senior scientific adviser at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a sponsor of the study. "I think this will further reassure physicians."
National guidelines list diuretics as a first-line treatment for high blood pressure. Nevertheless, some doctors have avoided prescribing diuretics since research linked them to diabetes.
The new study, published in the January issue of the American Journal of Cardiology, was partly funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of Plainsboro, N.J. It was led by Dr. John Kostis, director of the Cardiovascular Institute at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J.
The researchers looked at chlorthalidone, a member of the most common class of diuretics.
Kostis and colleagues at University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston followed 4,732 patients with high blood pressure for an average of more than 14 years. At the end of that period, 19% of patients given diuretics were dead from cardiovascular causes, compared with 22% of those who got dummy pills.
When the study began, about 17% of patients in each group had diabetes. During the four years that followed, an additional 13% of patients on diuretics and 9% of patients on dummy pills developed diabetes.
Among patients who developed diabetes, there was a 32% lower risk of cardiovascular death in the diuretics group. REad More....
USATODAY.com - Study: Diuretics a net plus for elderly
These is exactly my Mom have advised the family & discipline the family during the childhood period. It is exactly work after I drink at least 8 glass of water & do meditations my blood presure have came down to safe level.
So, please drinks minimum 8 glass of water a day for your great health.
Study: Diuretics a net plus for elderly
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Diuretics, pills used by millions of elderly people to lower high blood pressure, clearly reduce the long-term risk of death from heart attacks and strokes, according to a study that could ease fears that the medication's risks outweigh its benefits.
Diuretics, which work by removing fluid from the body, have been used for decades. But doctors have realized in the past few years that the drugs raise the risk of developing diabetes, which itself can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
As a result, some doctors were afraid that diuretics' risks would cancel out their benefits.
The first long-term study to examine the question found that while diuretics do raise the risk of diabetes, the rate of death from heart attacks or strokes was still nearly 15% lower in patients getting a diuretic compared to those who were given dummy pills.
"This is the most conclusive information we're likely to have, at least for some time," said Dr. Jeffrey Cutler, senior scientific adviser at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a sponsor of the study. "I think this will further reassure physicians."
National guidelines list diuretics as a first-line treatment for high blood pressure. Nevertheless, some doctors have avoided prescribing diuretics since research linked them to diabetes.
The new study, published in the January issue of the American Journal of Cardiology, was partly funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of Plainsboro, N.J. It was led by Dr. John Kostis, director of the Cardiovascular Institute at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J.
The researchers looked at chlorthalidone, a member of the most common class of diuretics.
Kostis and colleagues at University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston followed 4,732 patients with high blood pressure for an average of more than 14 years. At the end of that period, 19% of patients given diuretics were dead from cardiovascular causes, compared with 22% of those who got dummy pills.
When the study began, about 17% of patients in each group had diabetes. During the four years that followed, an additional 13% of patients on diuretics and 9% of patients on dummy pills developed diabetes.
Among patients who developed diabetes, there was a 32% lower risk of cardiovascular death in the diuretics group. REad More....
USATODAY.com - Study: Diuretics a net plus for elderly
Monday, January 03, 2005
Oyster Idea In Md. Hits Rough Reas
Back in perhaps few hundred thousands years ago, our earth plate were in one. Then the sea water is just into one sea. The sea water pollutions were not as alarming until the Industralization era.
After the 2nd world war, the earth populations are going through explosion. Couple with the explosion of Manufacturing & Industries sectors, wastes are dump into the sea & polluted air release to the air. Hence, our water are pollluted & contaminated.
I believe, using enzymes to clean up the sea water contaminations is a better solutions than using Oyster. As fisher men & businessmen may be ignorance, & capitalize on these polluted oysters in the market place.
Then, beside the Oyster, other fish's will be contaminated as well. My view is that we shall look up for the best sollution to clean-up already contaminated sea water for the great health of the world.
Oyster idea in Md. hits rough seas
By Traci Watson, USA TODAY
The Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary, is looking for a savior. And Maryland's governor hopes he's found it in a strange mollusk from the other side of the world.
Robert Ehrlich is considering a plan to dump thousands of Asian oysters into the bay, believing that the foreign species could revive the nearly extinct oyster industry — and rejuvenate the Chesapeake by filtering harmful chemicals out of the water.
Problem is, nobody else seems to like the idea. Foreign-born animals that have made it into the USA often go wild, shoving aside native species and breeding out of control. The noisy bird called the European starling, for example, has displaced native songbirds after being turned loose in the USA by misguided bird lovers. And a South American rodent called the nutria, released to start a fur industry, is destroying southern wetlands.
"A number of non-native species that have been introduced with good intentions have brought ecological disaster," says Michael Fritz of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay office. Maryland's idea for importing Asian oysters "raises concerns," he said.
But the high-stakes issues facing the Chesapeake Bay, and the desperate need for solutions, underscore just how far states might go to solve seemingly hopeless environmental problems.
The bay is among the nation's richest estuaries, the waterways where freshwater and saltwater mix. Once it boasted billions of native oysters that supported a thriving fishing industry, helped keep the bay clean and fed a nation hungry for oyster stew.
Since 1900, overfishing, pollution and diseases have devastated the bay's oysters and the lucrative oyster harvest. Maryland officials see the Asian Suminoe oyster as a potential solution, partly because of its resiliency — the Suminoe lives along the coasts of China and other Asian nations and may be resistant to diseases that kill its U.S. cousin.
"The Asian oyster brings real hope that we can return the bay to the crown jewel it once was," Ehrlich said in announcing the proposal. But the EPA, environmentalists and university scientists have raised a stink about Maryland's proposal. They say too little is known about the Asian oyster. They fear the newcomer would supplant the native oysters.
Bringing in the Asian oyster before studies are complete would be "ill-advised" and "imprudent," says a recent report written by a panel of scientists for the National Research Council, the premier U.S. scientific institution. Maryland is acting with "an abundance of optimism and a relative dearth of information," says a statement by the environmental agencies of New Jersey and Delaware.
Other invasive species in the USA include the zebra mussel, which probably piggybacked into the country on ships and now clogs pipes in much of America, and the snakehead fish. Snakeheads, often dumped into rivers by people who bought them as food or pets, are gobbling native fish in several states.
Despite the warnings, Ehrlich sent the EPA a letter this fall, asking the agency not to study the issue for too long, according to The Sun in Baltimore.
Criticism of the state has been so fierce that Maryland officials recently formed a panel of scientists to help it decide whether enough is known about the Asian oyster to introduce it to the bay. The state's decision is expected in March.
Maryland's point man on the oyster says the state has spent millions of dollars on research to answer questions.
"I believe that a number of questions that have been raised can be answered one-quarter by March," says Pete Jensen of the state's Department of Natural Resources. The goal is "being able to come to a conclusion that is supported by science."
If Maryland decides to go ahead, no one could stop it. U.S. law bans the spread of only a few exotic species. The Asian oyster is not among them. So one state could change the fortunes of many others that still have thriving beds of native oysters.
"The benefits to the Chesapeake Bay of more oysters might not be what Texas wants," says oyster scientist Roger Newell of the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science. "It's a very tricky question."
What if the state decides not to seed the bay with Asian oysters? That raises the possibility of a dreaded "rogue introduction" — oysters dumped in the bay by impatient fishermen or shellfish farmers who decide to take matters into their own hands.
"I know damn well it's going to happen," says Larry Simns, head of the Maryland Watermen's Association, which represents fishermen. "It's only a matter of time."
Assuming the Asian oyster can survive in U.S. waters, so little is known about it that it could be a total bust.
No one knows how fast it grows, for example, or whether it harbors diseases that could affect diners. Research to fill in the blanks won't be done by March.
The controversy hasn't deterred those who see the Asian oyster as a possible answer to their prayers. Large populations of Asian oysters would filter out chemicals that pollute the bay's water, the state's Jensen says. That would be good news for blue crabs, striped bass and other bay species. Read More....
USATODAY.com - Oyster idea in Md. hits rough seas
After the 2nd world war, the earth populations are going through explosion. Couple with the explosion of Manufacturing & Industries sectors, wastes are dump into the sea & polluted air release to the air. Hence, our water are pollluted & contaminated.
I believe, using enzymes to clean up the sea water contaminations is a better solutions than using Oyster. As fisher men & businessmen may be ignorance, & capitalize on these polluted oysters in the market place.
Then, beside the Oyster, other fish's will be contaminated as well. My view is that we shall look up for the best sollution to clean-up already contaminated sea water for the great health of the world.
Oyster idea in Md. hits rough seas
By Traci Watson, USA TODAY
The Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary, is looking for a savior. And Maryland's governor hopes he's found it in a strange mollusk from the other side of the world.
Robert Ehrlich is considering a plan to dump thousands of Asian oysters into the bay, believing that the foreign species could revive the nearly extinct oyster industry — and rejuvenate the Chesapeake by filtering harmful chemicals out of the water.
Problem is, nobody else seems to like the idea. Foreign-born animals that have made it into the USA often go wild, shoving aside native species and breeding out of control. The noisy bird called the European starling, for example, has displaced native songbirds after being turned loose in the USA by misguided bird lovers. And a South American rodent called the nutria, released to start a fur industry, is destroying southern wetlands.
"A number of non-native species that have been introduced with good intentions have brought ecological disaster," says Michael Fritz of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay office. Maryland's idea for importing Asian oysters "raises concerns," he said.
But the high-stakes issues facing the Chesapeake Bay, and the desperate need for solutions, underscore just how far states might go to solve seemingly hopeless environmental problems.
The bay is among the nation's richest estuaries, the waterways where freshwater and saltwater mix. Once it boasted billions of native oysters that supported a thriving fishing industry, helped keep the bay clean and fed a nation hungry for oyster stew.
Since 1900, overfishing, pollution and diseases have devastated the bay's oysters and the lucrative oyster harvest. Maryland officials see the Asian Suminoe oyster as a potential solution, partly because of its resiliency — the Suminoe lives along the coasts of China and other Asian nations and may be resistant to diseases that kill its U.S. cousin.
"The Asian oyster brings real hope that we can return the bay to the crown jewel it once was," Ehrlich said in announcing the proposal. But the EPA, environmentalists and university scientists have raised a stink about Maryland's proposal. They say too little is known about the Asian oyster. They fear the newcomer would supplant the native oysters.
Bringing in the Asian oyster before studies are complete would be "ill-advised" and "imprudent," says a recent report written by a panel of scientists for the National Research Council, the premier U.S. scientific institution. Maryland is acting with "an abundance of optimism and a relative dearth of information," says a statement by the environmental agencies of New Jersey and Delaware.
Other invasive species in the USA include the zebra mussel, which probably piggybacked into the country on ships and now clogs pipes in much of America, and the snakehead fish. Snakeheads, often dumped into rivers by people who bought them as food or pets, are gobbling native fish in several states.
Despite the warnings, Ehrlich sent the EPA a letter this fall, asking the agency not to study the issue for too long, according to The Sun in Baltimore.
Criticism of the state has been so fierce that Maryland officials recently formed a panel of scientists to help it decide whether enough is known about the Asian oyster to introduce it to the bay. The state's decision is expected in March.
Maryland's point man on the oyster says the state has spent millions of dollars on research to answer questions.
"I believe that a number of questions that have been raised can be answered one-quarter by March," says Pete Jensen of the state's Department of Natural Resources. The goal is "being able to come to a conclusion that is supported by science."
If Maryland decides to go ahead, no one could stop it. U.S. law bans the spread of only a few exotic species. The Asian oyster is not among them. So one state could change the fortunes of many others that still have thriving beds of native oysters.
"The benefits to the Chesapeake Bay of more oysters might not be what Texas wants," says oyster scientist Roger Newell of the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science. "It's a very tricky question."
What if the state decides not to seed the bay with Asian oysters? That raises the possibility of a dreaded "rogue introduction" — oysters dumped in the bay by impatient fishermen or shellfish farmers who decide to take matters into their own hands.
"I know damn well it's going to happen," says Larry Simns, head of the Maryland Watermen's Association, which represents fishermen. "It's only a matter of time."
Assuming the Asian oyster can survive in U.S. waters, so little is known about it that it could be a total bust.
No one knows how fast it grows, for example, or whether it harbors diseases that could affect diners. Research to fill in the blanks won't be done by March.
The controversy hasn't deterred those who see the Asian oyster as a possible answer to their prayers. Large populations of Asian oysters would filter out chemicals that pollute the bay's water, the state's Jensen says. That would be good news for blue crabs, striped bass and other bay species. Read More....
USATODAY.com - Oyster idea in Md. hits rough seas
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Water agencies are studying plan to tap seawater
In the places whereby, the shortage of Water supply from the mountain & rivers, perhaps the best methode is either producing Water from the Air or for those with area fronting sea, desalination is the best alternative.
However, there should be consideration on have the treatment plant for those Waste Water & Water after treated that returning to the sea, so that not to cause further contamination & killing to the life in the sea.
Water agencies are studying plan to tap seawater
By Jose Luis Jiménez UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 29, 2004
Water officials in San Diego and Orange counties have determined there are no insurmountable obstacles that would prevent construction of a desalination facility near the San Onofre nuclear plant.
Encouraged by the conclusions of an early study conducted by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Municipal Water District of Orange County, officials are turning toward getting other stakeholders to support the project.
They include Camp Pendleton, which owns the site; Southern California Edison, which operates the San Onofre plant; and state regulators, who will issue the permits.
The desalination plant could supply southern Orange County, San Diego County and Camp Pendleton with up to 100 million gallons of potable water daily.
Should all parties agree to a more detailed study, it would be at least a decade before water could be produced.
There are significant obstacles to overcome, however.
They range from persuading Camp Pendleton to permit the plant to be sited on the base to the public's perception about the quality of the water and the nearby nuclear power plant.
Additionally, environmentalists are wary of plans to develop desalination projects next to power plants.
Some answers might be forthcoming in about 60 days when a decision will be made on moving forward with a detailed feasibility study.
Water districts are drawn to the San Onofre site because of the decommissioning of the Unit One nuclear reactor, which went online in 1968 and was shuttered in 1992.
The pipes used to draw in seawater to cool the reactor could be used, lowering the cost of building a desalination plant by tens of million of dollars.
Officials at Edison and Camp Pendleton are neutral on the project, but they have expressed some concerns.
For Edison, the project cannot impede the ongoing decommissioning and the power plant's current operations.
Once the Unit One reactor is removed, the site will be used to store nuclear waste until a dump opens at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, said Ray Golden, an Edison spokesman.
Edison, however, is expected to remove the cooling pipes as part of the decommissioning, but the utility is trying to convince state regulators it would be environmentally sound to leave the pipes in place.
The state is conducting an environmental impact report on that matter.
Units two and three, which generate enough power for 2.2 million homes, have permits good through 2022 and an option for a 20-year extension, Golden said.
For Camp Pendleton, the issue is one of compatibility. Any plan that does not further Pendleton's primary mission – to train Marines – is greeted with skepticism, said Edmund Rogers, a civilian who represents the base on the water authority's board of directors.
San Diego Baykeeper, though not yet taking a stand, has reservations about putting a desalination project next to a coastal power plant.
Placing a desalination facility next to a power plant is likely to extend the operating life of the electricity producer, increasing the danger to the environment, said Bruce Reznik, Baykeeper's executive director. Read More....
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro -- Water agencies are studying plan to tap seawater
However, there should be consideration on have the treatment plant for those Waste Water & Water after treated that returning to the sea, so that not to cause further contamination & killing to the life in the sea.
Water agencies are studying plan to tap seawater
By Jose Luis Jiménez UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 29, 2004
Water officials in San Diego and Orange counties have determined there are no insurmountable obstacles that would prevent construction of a desalination facility near the San Onofre nuclear plant.
Encouraged by the conclusions of an early study conducted by the San Diego County Water Authority and the Municipal Water District of Orange County, officials are turning toward getting other stakeholders to support the project.
They include Camp Pendleton, which owns the site; Southern California Edison, which operates the San Onofre plant; and state regulators, who will issue the permits.
The desalination plant could supply southern Orange County, San Diego County and Camp Pendleton with up to 100 million gallons of potable water daily.
Should all parties agree to a more detailed study, it would be at least a decade before water could be produced.
There are significant obstacles to overcome, however.
They range from persuading Camp Pendleton to permit the plant to be sited on the base to the public's perception about the quality of the water and the nearby nuclear power plant.
Additionally, environmentalists are wary of plans to develop desalination projects next to power plants.
Some answers might be forthcoming in about 60 days when a decision will be made on moving forward with a detailed feasibility study.
Water districts are drawn to the San Onofre site because of the decommissioning of the Unit One nuclear reactor, which went online in 1968 and was shuttered in 1992.
The pipes used to draw in seawater to cool the reactor could be used, lowering the cost of building a desalination plant by tens of million of dollars.
Officials at Edison and Camp Pendleton are neutral on the project, but they have expressed some concerns.
For Edison, the project cannot impede the ongoing decommissioning and the power plant's current operations.
Once the Unit One reactor is removed, the site will be used to store nuclear waste until a dump opens at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, said Ray Golden, an Edison spokesman.
Edison, however, is expected to remove the cooling pipes as part of the decommissioning, but the utility is trying to convince state regulators it would be environmentally sound to leave the pipes in place.
The state is conducting an environmental impact report on that matter.
Units two and three, which generate enough power for 2.2 million homes, have permits good through 2022 and an option for a 20-year extension, Golden said.
For Camp Pendleton, the issue is one of compatibility. Any plan that does not further Pendleton's primary mission – to train Marines – is greeted with skepticism, said Edmund Rogers, a civilian who represents the base on the water authority's board of directors.
San Diego Baykeeper, though not yet taking a stand, has reservations about putting a desalination project next to a coastal power plant.
Placing a desalination facility next to a power plant is likely to extend the operating life of the electricity producer, increasing the danger to the environment, said Bruce Reznik, Baykeeper's executive director. Read More....
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro -- Water agencies are studying plan to tap seawater
EPA 625/R-00/008 Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Special Issues Fact Sheet 3
After going throught the experience of using Bottled, R.O. & Softener system.
As weell as research into the needs of our body. I found that the best thing to decide wheather you need which system best for your home or office is highly dependent on the city & Water district you are in. It is best to check with your Water District to find out the technical datas of your water in the area.
On the drinking water issue, our body require the soluble minerals which can be found in the water supply by the district. It don't make sense to take it out those needed minerals & buying the pills..etc.
Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Special Issues Fact Sheet 3 Water Softeners
Description
Home water softeners, which periodically generate a backwash that is high in sodium, magnesium, and calcium concentrations, can affect wastewater treatment processes and the composition and structure of the infiltration field biomat and the underlying soil. However, attempts to predict whether impacts will occur and to estimate their severity are difficult and often inconclusive.
Water softeners remove "hardness" (dissolved calcium and magnesium) through ion exchange processes. Incoming hard water passes through a tank of containing high-capacity ion exchange resin beads supersaturated with sodium. The calcium and magnesium ions in the water attach to the resin beads, replacing the sodium, which is released into the water. The softened water is then distributed for use throughout the house.
Over time, the ion exchange resin beads become saturated with calcium and magnesium ions. When this occurs, the tank must be recharged by flushing with a salt brine solution. Sodium ions reclaim their position on the resin beads, and the calcium and magnesium ions are released into the backwash water. The backwash water then exits the tank and is discharged to the wastewater treatment system. The number of times the tank is recharged and the amount of wastewater generated depends on a number of factors, including the hardness of the water, the amount of water used, the size of the water softener, and the capacity of the resins to remove calcium and magnesium.
The wastewater generated during the recharge phase of the water softening process mixes with other household wastewaters, enters the septic tank, and eventually moves to the soil adsorption field. Studies conducted by soil scientists at the University of Wisconsin and the National Sanitation Foundation conclude that the wastewater effluent generated from properly operating and maintained water softeners will not harm onsite systems that are designed, operated, and maintained appropriately. Specifically, the studies conclude the following:
* High concentrations of calcium and manganese in the softener backwash water have no deleterious effect on the biological functions occurring in the septic tank and may, in some cases, be helpful.
* The additional volume of wastewater generated (typically about 50 gallons per recharge cycle) is added slowly to the wastewater stream and does not cause any hydraulic overload problems.
* • Soil structure in the soil absorption field is positively affected by the calcium and mangnesium ions in water softener effluent (Corey et al., 1977).
Regarding the last conclusion, some people have the misconception that the salt brine that enters the ion exchange tank also exits the tank as wastewater. In fact, the influent with its high concentration of sodium ions is very different than the effluent, which has a high concentration of calcium and magnesium ions. Consequently, the potential for chemical clogging of clayey soil by sodium ions is reduced. The calcium and magnesium input may even help improve soil percolation.
Risk management issues
The human health impacts of ingesting softened water are increasingly discussed in addition to the traditional benefits of reduced use of surfactants and plumbing repair requirements. The choice of the homeowner to soften or not to soften will factor into all arguments. Also, the preceding descriptions are predicated on whole-house-supply softening. Today point-of-use devices designed for use with specific features in the house make the traditional advantages and disadvantages less clear. Read More...
EPA 625/R-00/008 Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Special Issues Fact Sheet 3
As weell as research into the needs of our body. I found that the best thing to decide wheather you need which system best for your home or office is highly dependent on the city & Water district you are in. It is best to check with your Water District to find out the technical datas of your water in the area.
On the drinking water issue, our body require the soluble minerals which can be found in the water supply by the district. It don't make sense to take it out those needed minerals & buying the pills..etc.
Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Special Issues Fact Sheet 3 Water Softeners
Description
Home water softeners, which periodically generate a backwash that is high in sodium, magnesium, and calcium concentrations, can affect wastewater treatment processes and the composition and structure of the infiltration field biomat and the underlying soil. However, attempts to predict whether impacts will occur and to estimate their severity are difficult and often inconclusive.
Water softeners remove "hardness" (dissolved calcium and magnesium) through ion exchange processes. Incoming hard water passes through a tank of containing high-capacity ion exchange resin beads supersaturated with sodium. The calcium and magnesium ions in the water attach to the resin beads, replacing the sodium, which is released into the water. The softened water is then distributed for use throughout the house.
Over time, the ion exchange resin beads become saturated with calcium and magnesium ions. When this occurs, the tank must be recharged by flushing with a salt brine solution. Sodium ions reclaim their position on the resin beads, and the calcium and magnesium ions are released into the backwash water. The backwash water then exits the tank and is discharged to the wastewater treatment system. The number of times the tank is recharged and the amount of wastewater generated depends on a number of factors, including the hardness of the water, the amount of water used, the size of the water softener, and the capacity of the resins to remove calcium and magnesium.
The wastewater generated during the recharge phase of the water softening process mixes with other household wastewaters, enters the septic tank, and eventually moves to the soil adsorption field. Studies conducted by soil scientists at the University of Wisconsin and the National Sanitation Foundation conclude that the wastewater effluent generated from properly operating and maintained water softeners will not harm onsite systems that are designed, operated, and maintained appropriately. Specifically, the studies conclude the following:
* High concentrations of calcium and manganese in the softener backwash water have no deleterious effect on the biological functions occurring in the septic tank and may, in some cases, be helpful.
* The additional volume of wastewater generated (typically about 50 gallons per recharge cycle) is added slowly to the wastewater stream and does not cause any hydraulic overload problems.
* • Soil structure in the soil absorption field is positively affected by the calcium and mangnesium ions in water softener effluent (Corey et al., 1977).
Regarding the last conclusion, some people have the misconception that the salt brine that enters the ion exchange tank also exits the tank as wastewater. In fact, the influent with its high concentration of sodium ions is very different than the effluent, which has a high concentration of calcium and magnesium ions. Consequently, the potential for chemical clogging of clayey soil by sodium ions is reduced. The calcium and magnesium input may even help improve soil percolation.
Risk management issues
The human health impacts of ingesting softened water are increasingly discussed in addition to the traditional benefits of reduced use of surfactants and plumbing repair requirements. The choice of the homeowner to soften or not to soften will factor into all arguments. Also, the preceding descriptions are predicated on whole-house-supply softening. Today point-of-use devices designed for use with specific features in the house make the traditional advantages and disadvantages less clear. Read More...
EPA 625/R-00/008 Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Special Issues Fact Sheet 3
Friday, December 31, 2004
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