Climate Change Inevitable -- Is Our Duty To Reverse It!!

Gerald Meehl. "Even if we stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations, the climate will continue to warm, and there will be proportionately even more sea level rise. The longer we wait, the more climate change we are committed to in the future."

This is a alarming statement!! You see what is the use for us to cry over these?? For what is happening & about to happen is not just would be gone away by talking about it. Kyoto Accord!! is suppose to get all into actions. But these are far from getting countries to put act together.

In my opinion, reducing the Carbon dioxide is the key issue!! So looking at the actions to stop:

Coal Fire Power Plant

Fossil Fuel Power Plant

Hydroelectric Power Plant..etc.

The world must take seriously in:

Stop Cutting Trees

Planting Trees & Reforrestations Today.

So that we would have more Oxygen & clean water for our future generation.

Climate Change Inevitable

[Climate Change Inevitable]
Even if all greenhouse gases had been stabilized in the year 2000, we would still be committed to a warmer Earth and greater sea level rise in the present century, according to a new study by a team of climate modelers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The findings are published in this week's issue of the journal Science.
The modeling study quantifies the relative rates of sea level rise and global temperature increase that we are already committed to in the 21st century. Even if no more greenhouse gases were added to the atmosphere, globally averaged surface air temperatures would rise about a half degree Celsius (one degree Fahrenheit) and global sea levels would rise another 11 centimeters (4 inches) from thermal expansion alone by 2100.

"Many people don’t realize we are committed right now to a significant amount of global warming and sea level rise because of the greenhouse gases we have already put into the atmosphere," says lead author Gerald Meehl. "Even if we stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations, the climate will continue to warm, and there will be proportionately even more sea level rise. The longer we wait, the more climate change we are committed to in the future."

The half-degree temperature rise is similar to that observed at the end of the 20th century, but the projected sea level rise is more than twice the 3-inch (5-centimeter) rise that occurred during the latter half of the previous century. These numbers do not take into account fresh water from melting ice sheets and glaciers, which could at least double the sea level rise caused by thermal expansion alone.

The North Atlantic thermohaline circulation, which currently warms Europe by transporting heat from the tropics, weakens in the models. Even so, Europe heats up with the rest of the planet because of the overwhelming effect of greenhouse gases.

Though temperature rise shows signs of leveling off 100 years after stabilization in the study, ocean waters continue to warm and expand, causing global sea level to rise unabated.

The paper concludes with a cogent statement by Meehl: "With the ongoing increase in concentrations of GHGs [greenhouse gases], every day we commit to more climate change in the future. When and how we stabilize concentrations will dictate, on the time scale of a century or so, how much more warming we will experience. But we are already committed to ongoing large sea level rise, even if concentrations of GHGs could be stabilized."

The inevitability of the climate changes described in the study is the result of thermal inertia, mainly from the oceans, and the long lifetime of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Thermal inertia refers to the process by which water heats and cools more slowly than air because it is denser than air.

The new study is the first to quantify future committed climate change using "coupled" global three-dimensional climate models. Coupled models link major components of Earth's climate in ways that allow them to interact with each other. Meehl and his NCAR colleagues ran the same scenario a number of times and averaged the results to create ensemble simulations from each of two global climate models. Then they compared the results from each model.

The scientists also compared possible climate scenarios in the two models during the 21st century in which greenhouse gases continue to build in the atmosphere at low, moderate, or high rates. The worst-case scenario projects an average temperature rise of 3.5°C (6.3°F) and sea level rise from thermal expansion of 30 centimeters (12 inches) by 2100. All scenarios analyzed in the study will be assessed by international teams of scientists for the next report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, due out in 2007.

The NCAR team used the Parallel Climate Model (PCM), developed by NCAR and the Department of Energy, and the new Community Climate System Model (Version 3). The CCSM3 was developed at NCAR with input from university and federal climate scientists around the country and principal funding from the National Science Foundation (NCAR’s primary sponsor) and the Department of Energy. The CCSM3 shows slightly higher temperature rise and sea level rise from thermal expansion and greater weakening of the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic. Otherwise, the results from the two models are similar. The models were run on supercomputers at NCAR and several DOE labs and on the Earth Simulator in Japan.

How to prepare a planet for global warming

The situations of These Green House effects is alarming.

It is necessary to do something to stop these to prevent our heirs from the suffering.

In my opinions,

we need to stop the Lodging of Trees.

Plant more Trees.

Stop using fossil fuel for energy generations

Encourage people to eat fruits & vegetables instead of Animal meats. Such as Breef.

Restore of rivers & natural terrains

Build homes & buildings with energy saving technology.

..etc.

How to prepare a planet for global warming
Convinced the phenomenon is inevitable, some scientists now focus on coping with it.

By Peter N. Spotts | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

Scientists have long warned that some level of global warming is a done deal - due in large part to heat-trapping greenhouse gases humans already have pumped skyward.

Now, however, researchers are fleshing out how much future warming and sea-level rise the world has triggered. The implicit message: "We can't stop this, so how do we live with it?" says Thomas Wigley, a climate researcher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo.

One group, led by Gerald Meehl at NCAR, used two state-of-the-art climate models to explore what could happen if the world had held atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases steady since 2000.

The results: Even if the world had slammed on the brakes five years ago, global average temperatures would rise by about 1 degree Fahrenheit by the end of the 21st century. Sea levels would rise by another 4 inches over 20th-century increases, just from expansion of the warming water. Rising sea-levels would continue well beyond 2100, even without adding water from melting glaciers and ice sheets. The rise highlights the oceans' enormous capacity to absorb heat and its slow reaction to changes in atmospheric conditions.

The team ran each model several times with a range of "what if" concentrations, as well as observed concentrations, for comparison.

Temperatures eventually level out, Dr. Meehl says in reviewing his team's results. "But sea-level increases keep on going. The relentless nature of sea-level rise is pretty daunting."

Dr. Wigley took a slightly different approach with a simpler model. He ran simulations that capped emissions, as well as concentrations, at 2000 levels. And he ran his calculations out to the year 2400. If concentrations are held constant, warming could exceed 1.8 degrees F. by 2400. If annual emissions are held at 2000 levels, warming could range from nearly 4 degrees to roughly 11 degrees F. The outcome depends on how sensitive the climate truly is to changes in greenhouse gases.

Wigley also calculates rates of sea-level rise. These range from 4 inches per century when limiting greenhouse- gas concentrations, to nearly 10 inches if annual emissions are held at 2000 levels. In this case, melting glaciers and ice sheets are taken into account.

The two researchers add that far from holding steady, concentrations of greenhouse gases continue to rise. Thus, at best, the results point to the least change people can expect, they say.

Both studies were published in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

The idea that some level of global climate change from human activities is inevitable is not new. But the word has been slow to make its way into the broader debate.

"Many people don't realize we are committed right now to a significant amount of global warming and sea-level rise. The longer we wait, the more climate change we are committed to in the future," Meehl says.

These studies are part of a wider effort to build the basis for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's next set of reports, slated for release in 2007.

While the concept of climate-change commitment isn't new, these fresh results "tell us what's possible and what's realistic" and that for the immediate future, "prevention is not on the table," says Roger Pielke Jr., director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

To Pielke and others, this means adaptation should be given a much higher priority that it's received to date. "There's a cultural bias in favor of prevention," he says. But any sound policy includes preparation as well, he adds. "We have the scientific and technological knowledge we need to improve adaptation" and apply that knowledge globally.

How to prepare a planet for global warming | csmonitor.com

Fla. lawmaker's toilet paper tax likely to tank

The suggestions sound good intension. However, I felt that these fall short of addressing the issues of ground water pollutions.

Perhaps the best way is examing the cause of these pollutions or contaminations, then apply penalty to those who committed to the offence.

Also impose a 1.5% Levy for water pollutions control fund.



Fla. lawmaker's toilet paper tax likely to tank
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

March 12, 2005

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Legislature is flush with good ideas.

Sen. Al Lawson's latest involves a way to pay for wastewater treatment and help small towns and counties upgrade their sewer systems.

The Democrat from Tallahassee is proposing a 2-cent-per-roll tax on toilet paper.

"We've got 17 million people in this state and all of them can contribute to protecting our underground water supply," he said.

In a Republican-dominated Legislature that doesn't like new taxes, the idea could end up in the tank pretty quickly.

Senate President Tom Lee said he didn't think it would get too far, but didn't rule it out. "We'll be getting to the bottom of it real soon," he said.

Lawson's been enduring plenty of jokes - bathroom humor, you might say - but he says it's a serious issue. Even if the proposal passes the Legislature, it would need approval from Gov. Jeb Bush. The president's brother said if toilet paper is taxed, people might use less of it.

"That's not necessarily a good thing," he said.

Newsday.com: Fla. lawmaker's toilet paper tax likely to tank

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Himalayan glaciers 'melting fast'

This report further confirmed about the conscern of Global Warm & the "Green House Effects".

There should be more immediate action to:

1. Plant more Trees worldwide

2. Reduce & EliminateThe Use of Fossil Fuels

3. Use More Solar, Wind or Fuel Cells Energy for offices, Homes & Industries

4. Cut down the number of Automobil

5. Encourage More Vege & fruits consumption.

6. Cut down on Meat & Poultry farmming.

7. Stop Cutting Trees worldwide.



Himalayan glaciers 'melting fast'
Melting glaciers in the Himalayas could lead to water shortages for hundreds of millions of people, the conservation group WWF has warned.

In a report, the WWF says India, China and Nepal could experience floods followed by droughts in coming decades.

The Himalayas contain the largest store of water outside the polar ice caps, and feed seven great Asian rivers.

The group says immediate action against climate change could slow the rate of melting, which is increasing annually.

"The rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers will first increase the volume of water in rivers, causing widespread flooding," said Jennifer Morgan, director of the WWF's Global Climate Change Programme.

"But in a few decades this situation will change and the water level in rivers will decline, meaning massive eco and environmental problems for people in western China, Nepal and northern India."

'Catastrophe'

The glaciers, which regulate the water supply to the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Thanlwin, Yangtze and Yellow rivers, are believed to be retreating at a rate of about 10-15m (33-49ft) each year.

The world faces an economic and development catastrophe if the rate of global warming isn't reduced
Jennifer Morgan, WWF
Hundreds of millions of people throughout China and the Indian subcontinent - most of whom live far from the Himalayas - rely on water supplied from these rivers.

Many live on flood plains highly vulnerable to raised water levels.

And vast numbers of farmers rely on regular irrigation to grow their crops successfully.

The WWF said the potential for disaster in the region should serve to focus the minds of ministers of 20 leading industrialised nations gathering in London for two meetings on climate change.

"Ministers should realise now that the world faces an economic and development catastrophe if the rate of global warming isn't reduced," Ms Morgan said.

Temperatures rising

She added that a study commissioned for the WWF indicated that the temperature of the earth could rise by two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in a little over 20 years.

Allowing global temperatures to rise that far would be "truly dangerous", Ms Morgan said.

Nepal, China and India are already showing signs of climate change, the WWF report says.

Nepal's annual average temperature has risen by 0.06 degrees Celsius, and three snow-fed rivers have shown signs of reduced flows.

Water level in China's Qinghai Plateau wetlands have affected lakes, rivers and swamps, while India's Gangotri glacier is receding by 23 metres each year.
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Himalayan glaciers 'melting fast'

You can't Beat Soap and Water

The age old technique of washing hand certainly have it few thousand years of history backing.

But looking at today soap, there have many variance & additives in it. One must beware of the type of soap that they buy for their purpose..

My opinions is buying the natural soap is better than the fancy one.



You can't Beat Soap and Water
By John von Radowitz, PA Science Correspondent

For ridding hands of viruses, nothing beats old fashioned soap and water, scientists have discovered.

The biggest study yet comparing handwashing products found modern disinfectant cleansers were not good at tackling resistant viruses.

Soap and water worked better, because the infectious agents were simply removed from the skin and flushed down the drain.

Among the viruses susceptible to soap were those which caused the common cold, hepatitis A, acute gastroenteritis and polio.

The researchers, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, recommended that ordinary soap should be used in hospitals as well as waterless hand rubs and wipes.

They wrote in the American Journal of Infection Control: “Although viruses are a less common cause of health care associated infections than are bacteria, in situations in which infection with viruses is likely.. the use of soap and water washes should be considered.”

Antimicrobial agents were most efficient for reducing bacteria on the hands. But alcohol-based products – widely used in hospitals because of their convenience – performed relatively poorly.

Alcohol rubs became significantly less effective after hands were contaminated and washed a number of times over. And waterless wipes only removed half the bacteria from the hands.

The study was the first to test the ability of 14 different hand hygiene agents to tackle both bacteria and viruses.

It was also the first to investigate the effect of cleaning hands for just 10 seconds – the average time spent by doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.

Dr Emily Sickbert-Bennet, who co-led the research, said: “Previous studies have had people clean their hands for 30 seconds or so, but that’s not what health-care workers usually do in practice, and we wanted to test the products under realistic conditions.”

A total of 62 adults took part in the study, in which five tests were performed on each of the 14 agents.

Volunteers first cleaned their hands and were then contaminated with the harmless bacterium Serratia marcescens and the virus MS2 bacteriophage.

MS2 is also harmless to humans, but similar in design to other viruses which can cause illness, such as hepatitis A.

The researchers said the results suggested it would be wrong for hospitals and other institutions to rely solely on alcohol-based cleaning products.

“Given the trend of a reduced efficacy of alcohol-based handrubs with multiple episodes, it is prudent to recommend traditional hand hygiene with an antiseptic agent or a non-antimicrobial soap periodically throughout the day,” they wrote.

Poor hand hygiene is known to contribute to hospital acquired infections such as MRSA, which cause an estimated 5,000 deaths in Britain each year.

The Government’s “cleanyourhands” campaign introduced through the National Patient Safety Agency aims to improve hygiene standards in the NHS.

A key element of the campaign is the placing of handrubs at the foot of beds and other places where staff have patient contact.

International research suggests that improved hand hygiene could reduce hospital infection rates by between 10% and 50%.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “We agree with this useful study stating that both hand washing and hand disinfection are important in preventing patients from becoming infected.

“As the study suggests, the use of alcohol-based handrubs helps to improve hand hygiene compliance at locations where sinks are not available. Hand rubs can be positioned allowing staff to decontaminate their hands at regular intervals before each episode of patient contact.”


Scotsman.com News - Latest News - You can't Beat Soap and Water

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Ice Mountain bottler negotiating to purchase water from Evart -- Spring Water!!

"spring" water, which means it must prove the groundwater is connected to a spring that flows to the surface, according to federal labeling rules. There also are internal standards for taste and quality.

The above statement gives you the knowledge of what is Mountain Spring Water!!


Some few years back. Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water were sued by the Government for mis-used the "Spring Water" on their bottled water. They have later sold to Nestle.

Nestle is aimming to become the biggest Drinking Water supplier in the world. When I was at a conference last month, I am told that by 2010, Drinking Water business would become a Multi-Trilions dollars business even bigger then the Oil business today.

Anyway for your Great Health, you need to unserstand the Water that you drink!!

Ice Mountain bottler negotiating to purchase water from Evart
March 7, 2005, 8:15 PM EST

EVART, Mich. (AP) _ Nestle Waters North America Inc. is in talks with local officials to begin purchasing city water that would be trucked 40 miles to its Ice Mountain water-bottling plant in southern Mecosta County.

To make the offer more enticing, Nestle Waters said it's willing to build 14 acres of baseball and softball diamonds and a football practice field by next year. The Greenwich, Conn.-based company also would relocate at least 300 campsites at the Osceola County Fairgrounds to provide a natural buffer around Evart's water wells.

"I'm tickled. It's like Christmas," said Howard Hyde, superintendent of Evart Public Schools.

Nestle Waters wants a second source of water, partly because the wells that feed the bottling plant near Stanwood are restricted to a monthly pumping average of 250 gallons per minute, the result of a lawsuit filed by a grass-roots environmental group.

Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation's suit said high-capacity wells feeding the bottling plant were diminishing nearby wetlands and a stream. A judge ordered the wells turned off but the company won a reprieve from a higher court, and the case remains under appeal.

Evart, population 1,700, is in Osceola County about 85 miles north of Grand Rapids. Its economy is anchored by auto-parts suppliers and a dairy that ships milk to Meijer stores, which together account for about 1,000 jobs.

Unlike in Mecosta County, there is little opposition in Osceola County to selling Evart's water for distribution elsewhere. Community leaders hope there will be a big payoff down the road: a new Ice Mountain bottling plant bringing scores of new jobs.

"That's really the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," City Manager Roger Elkins told The Grand Rapids Press for a story published Sunday.

Indeed, Nestle Waters spokeswoman Deb Muchmore said it could be the "start of a long-term relationship."

"We've been extremely well received in Evart," she said. "The Ice Mountain brand continues to grow. Additional water capacity is needed."

The company sells bottled "spring" water, which means it must prove the groundwater is connected to a spring that flows to the surface, according to federal labeling rules. There also are internal standards for taste and quality.

Three of Evart's seven wells are drawing spring water, Muchmore said. One such well would be dedicated for use by Ice Mountain.

The water would be piped to a nearby transfer station, then transported by truck to the Ice Mountain bottling plant.

Newsday.com: Ice Mountain bottler negotiating to purchase water from Evart

86 % Americans Want Fed Investment In Water Issues

86% American Want Federal Goverment Investment In Water Issues.

It is important for the American to move in the united front, so that the water issues are all address accordingly. Be it the waste water treatments or The Drinking Water issues

Think about the Great Health for our people. The Water Issues and standard must be address & standard cannot be lower!!

Poll: Americans want Fed investment in water issues

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Eighty-six percent of Americans believe that clean, safe water is a national issue that demands federal investment, according to a new poll conducted jointly by Republican and Democratic polling firms, the Environment News Service (ENS) reported today.

The poll, undertaken jointly by the Luntz Research Companies and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, surveyed 900 adults, the news agency reported.

More than three-quarters of Americans polled, 77 percent, would rather the federal government invest in water infrastructure than increase spending on entitlement programs (12 percent), ENS reported.

According to the news report, the poll found that 91 percent of respondents agreed that ''if, as a country, we are willing to invest over $30 billion dollars a year on highways and more than $8 billion a year on our airways, we certainly should be willing to make the necessary investments in our nation's rivers, lakes and oceans."

"This is not simply an environmental issue. It is an issue that is very personal to voters because of the importance of clean and safe water to their daily lives," pollster Dr. Frank Luntz said in the article. "This is one of those areas where Americans demand that Washington take responsibility."

The Bush administration has proposed to cut clean water funding from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) budget for fiscal year 2006 from $8.1 billion to $7.6 billion, ENS reported. To achieve those numbers, the budget proposes a cut of $360 million (from $1.09 billion to $730 million) to the agency's Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program.

News

Plastic bottles pile up as mountains of waste

Do you know that the Plastic Bottles is a Petro-Chemical Product??

It would take 1,000 years to dissolve??

& the gasses release into the air would cause Air pollutions.

& the remain would contaminating the Ground.

Think about the Great Health of our future Generation..
We need to put the action together.

Plastic bottles pile up as mountains of waste
Americans' thirst for portable water is behind drop in recycling rate
By Miguel Llanos Reporter MSNBC
Updated: 1:30 p.m. ET March 2, 2005

The biggest growth in bottled beverages isn't beer or soft drinks or juices. It's tasteless, colorless and sugarless water. And while that can mean fewer cavities and slimmer waistlines, it irritates Patricia Franklin to no end.

The director of a nonprofit group that promotes recycling, she spends her workday thinking about the bottles, cans and other container waste that most Americans take for granted.

The boom in plastic water bottles has her especially frazzled because while the recycling rate is extremely low, the demand from recyclers is actually quite high.

Franklin, who runs the Container Recycling Institute, doesn't blame individuals as much as what she feels is a recycling system that hasn't kept up with consumption patterns — especially when it comes to water.

Bottled water is the single largest growth area among all beverages, that includes alcohol, juices and soft drinks. Per capita consumption has more than doubled over the last decade, from 10.5 gallons in 1993 to 22.6 in 2003, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation.

The growth has been even more impressive in terms of water bottles sold: from 3.3 billion in 1997 to 15 billion in 2002.

But most bottled water is consumed away from home, usually at a park, in an office or even while driving — areas where there's usually no recycling.

"The opportunities for recycling outside the home are minimal," Franklin says, "and therein lies the problem."

Bottles by the numbers
Only about 12 percent of "custom" plastic bottles, a category dominated by water, were recycled in 2003, according to industry consultant R.W. Beck, Inc. That's 40 million bottles a day that went into the trash or became litter. In contrast, the recycling rate for plastic soft drink bottles is around 30 percent.

The low water bottle recycling rate also impacts the overall recycling rate of all plastic, or PET, products. That's fallen from 53 percent in 1994 to 19 percent in 2003.

Plastics should be recycled so that less petroleum — a finite commodity — is consumed, Franklin says.

"The environmental impacts are in the drilling of the oil," she adds, noting that burning fossil fuel also releases gases that many scientists tie to global warming.

A second reason for recycling, Franklin says, is the litter factor. While plastic water bottles are not a significant percentage of overall waste, the empties are certainly all around us visually.

Thirdly, she says, is the fact that the domestic plastics recycling industry faces a shortage because so much is being exported to China for recycling there. That shortage has also led to fears that some companies will go bankrupt.

"There is a means to reclaim these bottles and use them to make new bottles and other products at home," Franklin says, "but they (recyclers) simply can't get enough of the containers to do it."

Strategies
The Container Recycling Institute thinks a nationwide bottle deposit law would create the incentive to recycle, especially when it comes to plastic bottles, and ease the burden on taxpayers, who pay for cleaning up litter.

"A national bottle bill, or producer responsibility bill, could turn it around and shift the costs from government and taxpayers to producers and consumers," Franklin says.

States with deposit laws already recycle four out of five bottles, Franklin notes, thanks in part to an army of recyclers — from Boy Scout Troops to office cleaning crews — that turns one person's trash into their income.

Eleven states have bottle bills but they are a patchwork with no two alike, she adds, and only three states, California, Hawaii and Maine, include plastic water bottles in their laws.

A national law, she says, should cover new containers that didn't exist 20 years ago, e.g. plastic water bottles, and enforce a dime-per-bottle deposit "as it is in Michigan, where deposit containers are recovered at a rate of 95 percent."

But while deposit legislation has had varying degrees of bipartisan support in Congress over the years, it has never become law.

Franklin blames opposition from the beverage industry, saying its campaign contributions have given it "incredible political clout in Congress and actually in every state legislature in the country."

Beverage industry opposition
That opposition certainly exists, but the beverage industry says it just doesn't make sense to force a deposit law on consumers.

"This cost burden placed on businesses is also passed along to consumers — levying a 'hidden tax' on both," the American Beverage Association said in an issue statement on the topic.

Curbside recycling at homes and businesses, as well as educating consumers, are the best methods for dealing with container waste, the group adds.

Tom Kinnaman, an economics professor at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn., believes that while recycling is expensive the debate needs to reflect what he calls the "happiness" value of seeing litter cleaned up.

Factor that in and a deposit law can make sense, says Kinnaman, whose research includes household recycling trends.

"It turns out recycling also provides utility," he says. "It benefits society because it provides happiness for people in excess of what it costs to provide the happiness."

High tech, low tech
A Colorado company called Biota says it might have a way around the deposit controversy: a biodegradable bottle. All of Biota's water bottles are made out of the biodegradable plastic, which comes from corn starch in a process developed by the seed company Cargill and Dow Chemical.

Biota says that while traditional plastic bottles can take 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill, its bottles can biodegrade within 80 days in a commercial composting operation.

Won't the bottles dissolve on store shelves? Biota says they'll only degrade if they've been emptied and placed in composting conditions — high heat and humidity as well as microorganisms to eat away.

Biota is just getting off the ground, selling to a few health food stores in California, Colorado and Nevada. But it plans to expand, and even sell via the Internet.

Franklin sees hope in the biodegradable plastic, but adds that a big, unanswered question is whether mixing those bottles with PET bottles might contaminate the latter in the recycling process, making them useless.

"The concern is if we are going to be able to transition to that type of plastic what will be some of the impacts on companies that are trying to recycle PET bottles out there," she says.

And what about a low-tech approach of just educating the public to assume more responsibility, taking those plastic bottles home to a recycling bin instead of leaving them in a trash bin at a park?
MSNBC - Plastic bottles pile up as mountains of waste

New York appeals court says new farm manure rules not protecting water

All Things have the Positive Views & Negative View. The following statement from the court is the right facts.

The farms, it added, can generate each year millions of tons of manure, which carries potentially harmful pollutants including pesticides, bacteria, viruses, trace elements of arsenic and compounds such as methane and ammonia.

When properly applied, manure can be spread on fields and serve as fertilizer. But improperly applied, the court said, it can pollute.

These not mentioned about the treatment to the manure & the waste water after treatment issues.. certainly these is manure issue must treat with care, otherwise the ground water on earth would be further polluted. thus for our Drink water.

For the Great Health of our people Drink Water Safety is the Number priority.

FARM SCENE: New York appeals court says new farm manure rules not protecting water
By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press Writer
February 28, 2005, 9:51 PM EST

NEW YORK -- A federal appeals court on Monday agreed with environmentalists that new federal clean-water rules were not protecting the nation's waters from the manure pollution of large farms.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said it agreed with environmentalists who claimed in lawsuits that the rules failed to provide meaningful review of plans developed by the farms to limit the pollution.

The appeals court said the rules imposed in February 2003 by the Environmental Protection Agency were arbitrary and capricious and did "nothing to ensure" that each large farm was complying with requirements to control the pollution.

Its ruling requires the EPA to make changes so it can ensure compliance by the farms with the Clean Water Act, which includes "the ambitious goal" that water pollution be eliminated. It also said the agency must provide a process that "adequately involves the public" as it creates a new system.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, an international grass-roots organization connecting and empowering 129 local water protection programs, said he was grateful that the court had rebuked "the government and the barons of corporate agriculture."

"These regulations were the product of a conspiracy between a lawless industry and compliant public officials in cahoots to steal the public trust," Kennedy said in a release.

A telephone message for comment left with the EPA in Washington, D.C., was not immediately returned Monday.

The appeals court noted the average large farm raises 10,000 sheep, 55,000 turkeys or 125,000 chickens and the largest can raise millions of animals.

The farms, it added, can generate each year millions of tons of manure, which carries potentially harmful pollutants including pesticides, bacteria, viruses, trace elements of arsenic and compounds such as methane and ammonia.

When properly applied, manure can be spread on fields and serve as fertilizer. But improperly applied, the court said, it can pollute.

The appeals court rejected some claims by the environmentalists, including that the EPA failed to consider the best technologies to control pollution or that certain costs of pollution control can be demanded of farms because costs can be passed to consumers. It said the EPA had adequately explained that "farmers are at the bottom of a long food marketing chain, subject to imperfect market conditions."

It also noted that the EPA had done extensive data collection, visiting more than 116 large farms in more than 20 states, attending conferences, meeting with trade associations and accepting about 11,000 public comments on its new rules.

The EPA rules require large confinements _ defined as having at least 1,000 beef cattle and 2,500 swine _ to obtain water pollution permits every five years. Some medium ones _ with 300 beef cattle and 3,000 swine under 55 pounds _ may be required to get one. Different head count thresholds are set for livestock operations including sheep, chicken and turkeys.

Any farm required to have a permit also must have a plan spelling out how it will manage manure. Farmers are required to file annual reports summarizing their operations.

Forty-five states manage the program themselves while activities in Alaska, Idaho, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New Mexico and in the District of Columbia are managed by the EPA.

Newsday.com: FARM SCENE: New York appeals court says new farm manure rules not protecting water

Drinking Water Supplier Wins Bronze Medal

While congratulating Metropolitan's - SouthLand Water Supplier for the achievment..

However, there is still far more room to improve & achieve 1st if possible.

The Drinking Water Standard cannot be lower or Maintence, it have to be upkeep forever.


Southland's Major Drinking Water Supplier Wins Bronze Medal at International Water Tasting Competition

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2005--The drinking water that's coming soon to all Southern Californians received the third-place bronze medal Saturday at the International Water Tasting competition.

Metropolitan's prize-winning water was drawn at its Henry J. Mills Treatment Plant at Riverside, the first of MWD's five treatment plants that has been retrofitted with the ozonation method of water disinfection that produces better-tasting water.

"We're delighted to be recognized again for the outstanding quality of our water," said Metropolitan board Chairman Wes Bannister, "and also to have our first ozone treatment process receive this kind of validation."

Not that the water that 18 million Southland residents currently receive from Metropolitan's other plants is less-delectable. Samples taken at other locations in recent years have won first- and second-place medals at the annual tasting competition held in the historic spa town of Berkeley Springs, W. Va.

However, the characteristics of other local and imported waters, and the effects of local and household water pipes, may affect the taste and scent of homeowners' tapwater.

Metropolitan's water imported from Northern California and the Colorado River comprises about half the drinking water used in a 5,200-square-mile area covering portions of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Metropolitan's 26 member public water agencies use the imported water to supplement, or in place of, local water supplies -- mostly ground (well) water.

"The ozone disinfection process that we are using at the Mills plant will be on-line at our Jensen plant in Granada Hills this summer, and at our plants in La Verne, Yorba Linda and Murietta by December 2009," said Metropolitan interim CEO Gilbert Ivey. "Metropolitan's board has made a $750 million commitment to ozone retrofits at all of our plants in order to maintain the high quality of our drinking water."

A safe, colorless gas with a pleasant, fresh scent, ozone is a form of oxygen. It is bubbled through drinking water to destroy potentially harmful organisms and also to reduce unpleasant tastes and odors. Ozone, which has been used for disinfecting drinking water since the 1800s, is also noteworthy because it causes fewer potentially harmful byproducts than chlorine.

The water-tasting competition at Berkeley Springs is held annually on the weekend closest to the birthday of George Washington, who was one of Berkeley Springs' early real estate speculators and surveyors. The hot sulphur springs that Washington and his friends hoped would become a tourist attraction are still flowing.

Twenty-nine cities from the United States and several other countries sent entries to the contest, where water samples are judged in the same manner as wine tasting. Metropolitan's water competed against entries from Maryland, Ohio, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Wisconsin and New York and other states, as well as entries from Canada and New Zealand.

Carbonated and sparkling bottled waters, and water bottle packaging and design also have their own categories in the event.

In the Municipal Water category, Metropolitan took third place, tying with Rice Lake, Wis. Water from Town of Gibsons, BC, Canada, was judged best in the world; Daytona Beach, Fla., won best in the United States, and Putaruru, New Zealand, placed second.

Metropolitan's entry was selected by its Flavor Profile Panel, a group of employees at MWD's Water Quality Laboratory who are trained in wine-and-beverage-tasting methods. The FPP meets several times weekly -- sometimes daily -- to test water samples from throughout Metropolitan's aqueduct, treatment plants and pipelines.

Their objective is water lacking in noticeable tastes or scents -- the same characteristics that impressed the judges at Berkeley Springs.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving 18 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other water-management programs.
Gmail - Google Alert - Water

Dirty water, sanitation kill thousands daily-experts

During my travel to those countries like Bangadesh.. Sri lanka, Africa, Indonesia, China.. rural area.. my observation is that the drinking water problem seem to be more serious than what when I am escorted around.

So 4,000 Children died per day due to un-save drinking water is believed to be under stated!!

It need the authorities in respective countries to work hand in hand with WHO to enforce the safety water standard.

As well as the public awareness & education program.

Safe & Clean Drinking Water for Great Health for All.



Dirty water, sanitation kill thousands daily-experts
25 Feb 2005 00:01:00 GMT Source: Reuters
By Karin Strohecker

LONDON (Reuters) - Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation kill 4,000 children every day, global health experts said on Friday.

They described the deaths as a "silent humanitarian crisis" and called for immediate action.

"There should be an outcry, from the health community above all, for immediate, concerted efforts to confront the reality that sanitation coverage rates in the developing world barely keep pace with population growth," said Dr Jamie Bartram, of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Four out of 10 people around the globe do not have access to a simple pit latrine and one-fifth have no source of safe drinking water.

"Far more people endure the largely preventable effects of poor sanitation and water supply than are affected by war, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction," Bartram said in an article in The Lancet medical journal.

The report was published as part of a review of the Millennium Development Goals, a number of pledges set out in 1990 to improve living conditions in developing nations by 2015.

But the researchers said realising the goals of eradicating extreme poverty, creating primary school education and reducing child mortality would be difficult without solving the water problem.

Half of all hospital beds in the world are filled with people suffering from water-related diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and trachoma, an eye disorder, according to the report.

Tackling the problem means addressing it from all sides.

Bartram pointed to the fragile balance between development and safety when creating reservoirs and irrigation schemes. Crop watering systems can improve nutrition but they also provide a fertile breeding ground for diseases.

"Improving irrigation to avoid standing or slow-moving water and improving disposal of household wastewater can reduce mosquito breeding and transmission of malaria," he said.

Reuters AlertNet - Dirty water, sanitation kill thousands daily-experts

Calcium in the Trash, Not the Glass -- Beware of R.O. Filter System

This report subject is relevant here.

It made me think about the R.O. Filter System for the Home Drinking Water.

I used to have the R.O. System installed in my home, then later I found that the R.O. system actually filter off 6-8 Gallon of water to get one gallon of drinking water.

Also, the R.O. Filter system filtered off most of the trace minerals. including calcium.

So, my advise is that if possible don't use the R.O. filter for your Drinking Water system.

Otherwise you need to select the right supplements to replenish it for your Great Health.


Calcium in the Trash, Not the Glass
Thursday February 24, 12:00 pm ET
- Study Finds Fortified Drinks Don't Deliver What's Promised -

BERKELEY, Calif., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Everything from soy to orange juice is fortified with calcium these days. But a new study recently published in Nutrition Today* finds that up to 75% of calcium added to popular beverages, like soy drinks and orange juice, gets left at the bottom of the carton. Researchers concluded that existing nutritional labels of these fortified drinks are likely to mislead consumers promising more calcium than they actually deliver.

"This study is really important for people who rely on these beverages to get their calcium every day," states Dr. Celia Brown, MD/Family Practitioner, Woodland Hills, CA. "These findings suggest that in doing so they may be throwing away more calcium than they actually drink."

The three-person medical panel at Creighton University who conducted the study found that -- despite vigorous shaking - -the calcium added to fortified soy and rice beverages settled to the bottom of the container. They concluded that regular hand shaking -- per label instructions -- was not enough to adequately suspend the bone-building nutrient so that it could be consumed. A hardware store paint shaker would be needed for that the researchers found.

Conducted by Creighton's Osteoporosis Research Center, the study compared 14 calcium-fortified beverages (soy, rice, orange juice, etc.) to unfortified, fat-free milk. Of all beverages studied, the research concludes that milk is the most reliable source of calcium.

"This study sheds light on an issue of great public concern as many Americans -- especially kids -- aren't developing adequate bone mass," says Brown.

Over the last 20 to 30 years, there's been a shift away from milk as the standard drink at meals. Government studies show an alarming 86% of teen girls and 64% of teen boys aren't getting enough calcium daily - lacking the equivalent of four glasses of milk per day.**

Research Highlights

- The quality of calcium-fortification in soy/rice beverages and orange
juice is uneven, and may confuse consumers as to the actual calcium
content and benefits.

- Milk scored higher than eight of the 10 orange juice brands and all
four of the soy and rice beverages.

- The study found that milk was the most reliable calcium source and
delivers what the label promises.***


About Dr. Celia Brown, M.D.

Dr. Celia Brown is a graduate of Cornell University, and UCLA Medical School. She is Board Certified in Family Medicine. She currently practices in Woodland Hills, California where she does general Family Medicine. Dr. Brown teaches on the UCLA clinical faculty. She is author of a book of general medical tips for the public, entitled, Doctor's Little Book of Answers.

For more information or a copy of the study contact:
Molly Ireland at 310-226-8600 or 310-455-1160
or e-mail at: molly.ireland@rlpublicrelations.com


* Heaney, RP et al. Not all calcium fortified beverages are equal.
Nutrition Today. 2005; 40(1): pp-pp.

** www.nichd.nih.gov/new/releases/calcium_crisis.cfm?from=milk

*** Scores compare calcium suspension in liquids.

Calcium in the Trash, Not the Glass

Water For All News

I am putting these Newsletter for All To share.

You can see & feel yourself the important of the concern the Water issues.

Do care to download PDF documents for additional info.


News from Water for All

Stockton gets a failing grade
At the City Council meeting on Dec. 7, the Concerned Citizens Coalition
of Stockton released to the public the first Annual Service Contract
Compliance Review covering the first phase of OMI-Thames 20-year, $600
million water privatization contract in Stockton, California.

The Review details changes to the contract that benefit OMI-Thames: water
rates for Stockton residents have risen two years in a row due to the
contract; customer service requirements have been unfulfilled; a number
of staffing positions are filled with temporary or interim employees;
unaccounted for water has risen from around 3.5% under municipal
operation to nearly 7.5% under private operation; maintenance tasks are
backlogged and finally, OMI made an unauthorized dump of chlorinated
water into an irrigation canal that resulted in a $125,000 fine from
the State Water Resources Control Board. Perhaps this is why the champion
of this privatization, former mayor of Stockton Gary Podesto, failed in
his bid to win a state Senate seat.

The Concerned Citizens' lawsuit challenging the privatization deal is
still pending before the state appeals court. California Attorney
General Bill Lockyer recently filed an amicus brief in support of the
Citizens claims that the City of Stockton violated the California
Environmental Quality Act by not conducting the environmental review
required by state law. For more information see www.cccos.org


Water report from the World Social Forum
The issue of water, defending and protecting this vital natural
resource for humankind and the planet, was a key topic at the World
Social Forum (WSF) in Porto Alegre, Brazil in late January. More than
32 workshops were organized including large open sessions at the
beginning and end of the WSF where a draft global water action platform
was debated.

Public Citizen,along with many other organizations in the
inter-American water activist network (Red VIDA -Vigilancia
Interamericana para el Derecho y Desarrollo del Agua) and from Europe
organized workshops focusing on the role of the World Bank in promoting
water privatization, a speak-out on formulating a UN Treaty on water, a
special workshop to build solidarity for the struggle in El Alto,
Bolivia, a strategy session to plan for the World Water Forum in Mexico
City and much more.

There were many opportunities for networking and
learning about water struggles around the world. The Red VIDA held its
first Hemispheric Assembly prior to the WSF and developed a collective
workplan with three broad planks:

(1) challenging privatization through campaigns focused on the
transnationals, especially Suez, the international financial institutions,
and their national and localaccomplices;

(2) defending our public water systems and developing new
models of democratic water governance and management with social
responsibility and citizen oversight; and

(3) expanding our membership and building alliances with networks and
organizations across the globe. Learning about the strength and diversity
of social movements around the world made it a truly inspiring experience.


Small town residents fight Nestle Water bottling plant
Residents of McCloud, California, a small community near Mount Shasta,
have taken legal action to stop Nestle Waters North America from
building a bottled water plant in their township.

The group filed a lawsuit in March asking a Siskiyou County judge to set
aside an agreement that would allow Nestle to purchase up to 1,600
acre feet of water per year from springs that feed Squaw Valley Creek
and the McCloud River.

The group brought to the judge's attention that Nestle and the
Service District failed to file an environmental impact review before
agreeing on the contract, an extremely important report given the
potentially serious impacts the deal could have on the area's water
supply. The judge's decision on the case is expected in March or April.
The Nestle deal has spurred residents to action.

A new group, the McCloud Watershed Council, a project of the Mount
Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center (MSBEC), hopes to harness the
community's growing concern about the environmental impact of the
bottling plant and the lack of community input in the Nestle deal.
Donations earmarked for McCloud Watershed Council can be mailed to
MSBEC at PO Box 1143, 211 East Alma
St, Mount Shasta, CA 96067.

Don't Believe the Hype
On Feb. 9, Public Citizen released a new report on the largest water
company in the world, Veolia Environnement. The report focuses on the
French-owned multinational company, which operates in 84 countries and
had a 2004 net income of $2.58 billion.

Its U.S. arm is now called Veolia Water North America, formerly known
as USFilter, which operates and manages water and/or wastewater
facilities and systems in 38 states. "Despite repeated public failures in the
United States, these water companies continue to push their unwanted
vision on us," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Water for
All Campaign.

"Veolia leads this industry, and it's time that the public learned more about
how this corporation operates, particularly its shoddy
environmental record. As Veolia attempts to expand its control of the world's
water resources on every continent, in nations rich and poor, citizens,
communities and countries need to understand Veolia's purpose,
practices and track record." To read the report, please go to
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Vivendi-USFilter.pdf.

Also, in its Fall/Winter 2004 magazine, Veolia published a critical
piece about Public Citizen titled "PPPs vs. PC," where it defended its
practices and attempted to discredit the Water for All Campaign. (To
read the article, please go to
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Veolia_PPPvsPC.pdf.) In response,
Public Citizen issued a statement (To read the response, please go to
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Veolia%20vs%20Veracity.pdf.)

Read This!
There's a new book out titled Reclaiming Public Water (co-published by
Transnational Institute and Corporate Europe Observatory), available
online:http://www.tni.org/books/publicwater.htm.
Written by public water utility managers, trade unionists and civil society activists
from more than 20 countries, Reclaiming Public Water gives examples from
around the world of how urban public water delivery can be improved
through democratic reforms, such as citizens' participation. It also
draws on the experiences of anti-privatization coalitions and their
visions on making public water work.

For more information, see
www.waterjustice.org.

"Reality Tour" in Bolivia
Global Exchange, an international human rights organization, is
sponsoring a reality tour in Bolivia this month, part of a program that
was created to help people understand first-hand contemporary
political, economic, environmental, and cultural issues around the world.

The Bolivian people have been protesting privatization since they succeeded
in keeping their public water rights in 2000. But President Carlos
Mesa has been working to open up the country for international investment,
so grassroots organizations are uniting to protest the sale of their
country to multinational corporations.

Global Exchange's tour will explore Bolivia's fight to stop privatization, along
with other issues igniting the people's zeal including the drug war, with increasing
conflict over the coca trade, and workers' rights. While it's too late
to sign up for the February tour, Global Exchange is already planning
for a similar tour June 18-27, 2005.

For more information, please go to
http://www.globalexchange.org/tours/616.html or
call (800) 497-1994 ext.226.

TAKE ACTION
Plan an event in your community to celebrate World Water Day.
For ideas, visit our webpage from last year's events:
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/us/articles.cfm?ID=11100.
Or, call the Water for All Campaign at (202) 454-5178.


Juliette Beck
California Campaign Director
Water for All
Public Citizen
510-663-0888 ext. 101
SBC Yahoo! Mail - tanch89@pacbell.net

Rocket-Fuel Chemical Found in Breast Milk

I am highlighting the major concern of both baby & mother who are going to do breast feeding.

36 women in 18 states sampled milk is with Perchlorate!!

Perchlorate would cause the Baby to have brain damage & also Thyroid-imparing effects..

The findings concern health experts because infants and fetuses are the most vulnerable to the thyroid-impairing effects of the chemical.

Breast milk from 36 women in 18 states, including California, was sampled, and all contained traces of perchlorate.

Perchlorate blocks the nutrient iodide and inhibits thyroid hormones, which are necessary for brain development and cellular growth of a fetus or infant. A baby with impaired thyroid development may have neurological defects that result in lower IQ or learning disabilities.

The researchers recommended that pregnant and nursing women block the effects of perchlorate by taking iodine supplements as a precaution.


Besides taking iodine, I strongly feel that, the authority shall be responsible to uphold the standard than lower the standard to 6 part per Billions in the drinking water. Wrting a report for infants is not going to help for the short term.

It must be quickly move in to 100% check on the drinking water source in all water district to gether the sample & ensure that it meet the minimum safety requirement.
So that to assure the residents on the Safety & Great Health.



Rocket-Fuel Chemical Found in Breast Milk

February 23, 2005

Scientists on Tuesday reported that perchlorate, a toxic component of rocket fuel, was contaminating virtually all samples of women's breast milk and its levels were found to be, on average, five times greater than in cow's milk.

The contaminant, which originates mostly at defense industry plants, previously had been detected in various food and water supplies around the country. But the study by Texas Tech University's Institute of Environmental and Human Health was the first to investigate breast milk.

The findings concern health experts because infants and fetuses are the most vulnerable to the thyroid-impairing effects of the chemical.

Breast milk from 36 women in 18 states, including California, was sampled, and all contained traces of perchlorate.

Perchlorate blocks the nutrient iodide and inhibits thyroid hormones, which are necessary for brain development and cellular growth of a fetus or infant. A baby with impaired thyroid development may have neurological defects that result in lower IQ or learning disabilities.

The researchers recommended that pregnant and nursing women block the effects of perchlorate by taking iodine supplements as a precaution.

At the levels they found in breast milk, the scientists reported that 1-month-old infants would take in enough perchlorate to exceed a safe level, called a reference dose, that was established last month by a panel of the National Academy of Sciences.

"It is obvious that the NAS safe dose … will be exceeded for the majority of infants," the report published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology says. Some infants would ingest so much that they would exceed levels that altered the brain structure of animals in laboratory tests.

The findings come as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing an enforceable limit on the amount of perchlorate in drinking water based on the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences panel. Currently there is no national standard.

"This is not just another study," said Renee Sharp, a senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group, which advocated a strict national standard. "It ends the questions about whether women are passing along perchlorate to their kids through breast milk, and the sky-high levels the scientists found put more than half the kids over the safe levels the NAS now recommends."

Environmentalists have urged the EPA to set its standard based on the body weight and perchlorate intake of an infant rather than an adult. Toxicologists said that would probably mean a standard of a few parts per billion. Pentagon officials have said that would shut down many water systems across the country and cost the military and its contractors billions of dollars in cleanup costs. They have instead lobbied for a standard of about 200 parts per billion based on thyroid studies of adults.

The new findings "will practically force EPA officials to write a drinking water standard that protects infants — not just healthy adults," Sharp said.

California has set its own public health goal of 6 parts per billion but it is not an enforceable limit.

The Texas Tech researchers, led by Andrea Kirk, reported that the perchlorate in breast milk was not linked to the water the mothers drank. Instead, the main source was probably food, which apparently was tainted by irrigation water.

The finding that perchlorate is pervasive in breast milk and reaches high levels is somewhat of a surprise to toxicologists, because, unlike many other industrial chemicals, it does not build up in tissues over time.

Instead, it appears that the amount passed on to the infant in breast milk is determined by what the mother has just eaten.

Perchlorate levels are particularly high in the lower Colorado River, which supplies irrigation water to almost 2 million acres of cropland. The river, government officials believe, has been tainted by leaks from a Kerr-McGee plant near Lake Mead.

The highest perchlorate levels, one reaching 92 parts per billion, were found in the breast milk of two women from New Jersey. The average was 10.5 parts per billion, compared to 2 parts per billion in cow's milk. Forty-six of 47 samples of dairy milk purchased in 11 states, including California, contained perchlorate.

Sujatha Jahagirdar, clean-water advocate at Environment California, an advocacy group, said it was "absolutely appalling" that a component of rocket fuel was found in mother's milk.

Los Angeles Times: Rocket-Fuel Chemical Found in Breast Milk

Cattle die from drinking contaminated lake water

New Zeland have been known for their diary farm products in the world.

Now, with the contaminations of their water, it is going to affects their earning for the Nations.

Algae is the earlier plants in the world, in the "I-Medicine Sutra" Algae & sea weeds have the applications of detoxin of our body.

The toxin of these blue green algae certainly from the contaminated water. So if the cattle can die off these contamination, so do human being!!


Cattle die from drinking contaminated lake water
22 February 2005

Nine cattle have died after drinking algae-contaminated water from Lake Rotongaro, in Raglan, Environment Waikato said today.

The seven cattle and two calves, which were found last Thursday, had access to the lakeshore and had been drinking the water.

Environment Waikato staff found high levels of the blue-green algae Microcystis and the algal toxin microcystin.

They discovered algae levels in the lake were 40 times higher than stock water standards, and toxin levels were 760 times higher.

Environment Waikato water scientist Bill Vant said algae occurred naturally in rivers, lakes and streams, and flourished in hot conditions.

Most algae was harmless, but high levels of blue-green algae were toxic to both people and animals, he said in a statement.

Mr Vant said parents should ensure that they and their children were not exposed to the toxins as they risked skin infections and serious intestinal illness.

STUFF : RURAL - STORY : New Zealand's leading news and information website

Lead in Environment Causing Violent Crime - Study

Well, with the study report Zero into the cause of violents is Lead.

Then the steps we need to do is:

1. Consummer's Awareness Program.

2. Water Authorities Must Not Lower The Standard of the acceptable contaminations

3. Drinking Water Filter need To filtered the Contaminations Before Drinking

4. Reduce The Usage of Gasoline

5. Hydrogen, Solar or Other Clean Energy Source Shall Be Promote To minimism Lead emission


Yahoo! News - Lead in Environment Causing Violent Crime - Study: "Lead in Environment Causing Violent Crime - Study

Fri Feb 18, 2:08 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lead left in paint, water, soil and elsewhere may not only be affecting children's intelligence but may cause a significant proportion of violent crime, a U.S. researcher argued Friday.

He said the U.S. government needs to do more to lower lead levels in the environment and parents need to think more about where their children may be getting exposed to lead.

'When environmental lead finds its way into the developing brain, it disturbs neural mechanisms responsible for regulation of impulse. That can lead to antisocial and criminal behavior,' said Dr. Herbert Needleman, a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Needleman's team, using a technique called X-ray fluorescence, found very low levels of lead in the bones of children.

Needleman cited several studies that associate crime with high levels of lead either in the bodies of those accused or in the environments they came from, including one that showed the average bone lead levels of 190 juvenile delinquents were higher than those of adolescents not charged with crimes.

His study suggested that between 18 percent and 38 percent of delinquent crimes in the Pittsburgh area could be attributed to lead toxicity in the adolescents.

Another one tested 300 delinquents and found those with higher lead levels reported more aggressive feelings or behavior disorders.

'The brain, particularly the frontal lobes, are important in the regulation of behavior,' Needleman told a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (news - web sites).

'Exposure to lead, at doses below those which bring children to medical attention, is associated with increased aggression, disturbed attention and delinquency. A meaningful strategy to reduce crime is to eliminate lead from the environment of children.'

Taking lead out of most gasoline has contributed to a sharp reduction in the level of lead in the blood of Americans over the past 30 years.

But lead is still found in paint, some types of fuel for older vehicles, older water pipes and in the soil."

Western storms help raise Lake Mead water level

As you can see from the news below, even the 2.5 months of storm, the Water in Lake Mead still fall short the normal & it is only at 58% capacity.

Southern California have been buying water from Colorado river as well as Lake mead for the demand.

It is essential to ensure that the Water conservations shall continue, so that the people in Southern California shall not be facing the suffering of Water Rationing.

Western storms help raise Lake Mead water level

LAS VEGAS (AP) — This winter's wet storms helped raise Lake Mead water levels almost 7.5 feet in January, and the water could rise another 2.5 feet by the end of February, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says.

But with Friday's water level at 1,140 feet above sea level, the Colorado River reservoir behind Hoover Dam remains well below normal, at about 58% capacity.

"The water's up, but it's not high yet," Bob Walsh, Bureau of Reclamation spokesman, said Friday. "We're still in a drought. That's key."

Water officials expect the lake will drop 12.5 feet by the end of the year as the region's drought continues into its sixth year and as water is pumped out to Las Vegas and other areas that use the lake's water. It would still be more than half full.

Flooding last month set records on rivers and washes feeding Lake Mead from southern Nevada, southern Utah and northwestern Arizona.

That contributed to the largest monthly rise in the lake level since 1983, and the third-largest monthly rise since the Glen Canyon Dam opened upstream in 1966, forming Lake Powell in Utah.

With precipitation above average in the mountains of the Colorado Basin, water levels at Lake Powell were expected to be higher this summer than last summer, said Barry Wirth, spokesman for the bureau's regional office in Salt Lake City.

However, water levels aren't expected to rise on Lake Powell until snow begins melting in April, Wirth said Friday.

Lake Powell is about 35% full, and should rise about 45 feet to become more than half full this year, Wirth said.

Lake Mead benefitted from storms reducing water demand from farms and cities that draw from the Colorado River, and from gushing river tributaries above and below Hoover Dam.

"It all adds up to some extra storage in Lake Mead as a result of the storm systems in the last two and a half months or so," Walsh said.

Friday's water level at Lake Mead was 14 feet above the record lowest level in recent years, set at 1,126 feet last Sept. 30.

Las Vegas draws about 90% of its drinking water from Lake Mead, with intakes at 1,000 feet above sea level.

Despite the rise, the largest man-made reservoir in North America still finished last month down about 3 feet from the year before.

USATODAY.com - Western storms help raise Lake Mead water level

Environmentalists allege dirty water seeping into drinking supply -- Stop Drinking Recycle Water Worldwide

In the earlier report about Singapore Newater Project. Singapore have use some facts & figures of USA using recyled waste Water for drinking. These includes the Orange County of Southern California & some eastern counties as well.

Now the following report talking about Tallahassee in Florida. Therefore, Sierra Cub concern is believe to be most influencial.

In the Case of recycling of waste water to become drinking water be it following UN study or national or Local government standard.

My observations is that it is still not a safe answer to the health of the consumers, knowing that whenever the standard cannot be met, then the authority would lower the standard. That is in return bad the consumer health.

Therefore, the best is to stop drinking recycling water. The recycled water should be use only for toilets..& those usage other than drinking fot the Great Health of our people.


Environmentalists allege dirty water seeping into drinking supply

DAVID ROYSE
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The state Department of Environmental Protection allows dirty water that's injected into the ground to seep into drinking supplies, an environmental group said Thursday in a federal lawsuit. The agency responded that wells "are closely monitored to protect natural resources."

The dispute concerns the South District Wastewater Treatment Facility in Miami-Dade County, where 112 million gallons of treated wastewater per day is pumped more than 2,500 feet below the ground, according to the suit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee.

The Sierra Club contends in the suit that since 1994, trillions of gallons of the treated sewage has migrated from the injection zone into the Floridan Aquifer, where drinking water is drawn from. The suit cites warnings from the federal Environmental Protection Agency going back to 1994, warning that the county could be in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.

The Sierra Club is suing the state agency because it is charged with regulating injection wells, which dispose of treated sewage by pumped it into the ground. The agency should have ordered some sort of fix upon discovering that contaminants could be moving into the aquifer, but hasn't, according to the suit.

The department responded to the lawsuit in a statement that defended its regulation of the process.

"Underground injection wells in Florida meet rigorous standards and are closely monitored to protect natural resources," the statement said.

The department implied improvements in the process were needed when it signed a consent decree last year with Miami-Dade County that requires more treatment of the water before it's injected.

"An enforceable, legal order secured by the department is improving operations at the South District Facility, requiring Miami-Dade to improve its wastewater treatment to meet drinking water standards and conduct long-term water quality monitoring," the statement said. "Additionally, an extensive groundwater study will ensure potential future supplies of drinking water remain protected."

But Sierra Club lawyer Kristin Henry said that wastewater shouldn't be injected underground at all in Florida because of the nature of the geology.

"The injection zone does not have the geological structure to prevent that sewage from migrating into drinking water," Henry said.

Sierra Club officials acknowledged there isn't any proof that anyone is being harmed by contaminated drinking water, but they said there hasn't been adequate testing on the issue.

"Sewage in drinking water is a bad idea, period," Henry said.
Environmentalists allege dirty water seeping into drinking supply

Water restrictions set to stay

Water Saving is a good practice for everyone on earth.

As a Kid in the 60's, I have won several Water Saving drawing Competitions.

In Singapore, using of Water Hose for washing the car may result to heavy fine by the authority.

When I travel in Australia & Canada, USA.. I found that many family like to have their own swimming pool. Perhaps it is better to convert these pools to water collection pool then swimming. My observations found most of the time, these peoplehardly use the pool. & water have been wasted.

In a report I read last year, Australia would have short of 50% of Water especially drinking Water.

Therefore, effort must be done now to ensured that enough water need to overcome these shortage.


Water restrictions set to stay
Milanda Rout 16feb05

VICTORIANS will soon face permanent water restrictions despite the recent heavy rains.

Permanent bans are expected to replace stage two restrictions on March 1. These include:

A BAN on hosing down driveways, paths and other paved areas.

PRIVATE gardens to be watered with manual watering systems between 8pm and 10am and automatic watering systems between 10pm and 10am only.

HOSES must be fitted with trigger nozzles to wash cars and water gardens.

Water Minister John Thwaites yesterday praised Victorians for conserving water, with consumption down almost 20 per cent on the 1990s average.

But he said we still needed to keep saving water despite heavy rain.

"Although we've had recent rain the challenge now is to make water saving a life-long habit, " Mr Thwaites said.

Many smaller dams are at almost 100 per cent capacity, including Maroondah, Sugarloaf and Greenvale.

But Premier Steve Bracks said the state's main catchment, the Thomson Reservoir, was only half full.

Melbourne's dams are 59.5 per cent full.

Victorians have saved almost $6 million in the two years since government water-saving rebates were introduced.

More than 91,000 Victorians have taken up the Water Smart incentives since January 2003, saving 649 million litres of water -- the equivalent of 649 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The program provides rebates for people who buy water-saving devices with a discount on their water bill.

Mr Thwaites praised Victorians who took up the rebates.

The most popular water-saving product was a high-pressure cleaning device, with more than 33,000 Victorians investing in one for a $30 rebate each.

Another 13,000 residents bought water-efficient washing machines and 5000 opted for dishwashers.

The Government announced yesterday a further $22.5 million would be spent on improving safety at Eildon Dam.

Mr Thwaites said investigations had revealed the 50-year-old dam's spillway had serious structural flaws and required a significant upgrade to ensure it could withstand an extreme flood.
Herald Sun: Water restrictions set to stay [ 16feb05 ]

Senate Poised To Give Power Plants Free Ride

Yes, I can recalled that during my time in Wales, the water within the 50miles radius are not drinkable.

Therefore action must be taken as the united front to ask the Senate Committee To stop giving Power Plant Free Ride.


Senate Poised To Give Power Plants Free Ride
Waterkeeper 2/11/2005

A critical issue needs your immediate attention. Next Wednesday, the 16th of February, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will be voting on Senate Bill 131, Bush's latest incarnation of his failed "Clear Skies" legislation. For mercury contamination of all our waterways, this is a decisive moment and we need your help.

Whereas the current Clean Air Act currently requires mercury reductions at each and every power plant based on the emissions reductions achievable through affordable and proven technologies, S. 131 will amend the CAA to allow a mercury trading scheme that will enable industry to freely transfer mercury pollution credits among facilities. In other words, utility units will be able to purchase the right to pollute your air and water with toxic levels of mercury and avoid reducing these poisonous emissions. Under S. 131, some power plants will not have to reduce their mercury emissions at all; indeed, many of the older, dirtier power plants can even increase their mercury emissions, resulting in mercury hotspots across the country. Passage of this bill will mean that the coal-fired utility industry will be free to continue contaminating our air and waterways with dangerous mercury emissions for years to come.

In recent Committee hearings, Senator Barbara Boxer described S. 131 as “an industry wish list that not only fails to adequately address power plant pollution, but which would result in at least 21 million tons of additional pollution placing public health and the environment at risk.” This bill is also a dream come true for the Environmental Protection Agency - it would let them off the hook from passing a proposed mercury rule next month that would be clearly illegal under the strict, current CAA mandates and make it almost impossible for environmental organizations such as Waterkeeper and concerned citizens such as yourself to force coal-fired power plants to reduce their mercury emissions to acceptable levels.

We must act now; if this bill makes it out of Committee it will likely be passed by both the Senate and the House. Please take a moment to take action by clicking on the Act Now button on this page. By doing so, you will be able to send a message to every Senator on the Committee and make your voice heard before this important vote is cast on Wednesday.
Waterkeeper Alliance

Phoenix Water Woes Run Deepad - How Could One Blame On Luck??

Phoenix officials say a convergence of bad luck and unforeseeable circumstances is to blame for last month's water quality alert, which forced 1.5 million residents to boil water and some businesses to close.


These certainly is an excuse. Water is the basic Life line of each individual. How could that be depending on the Luck & due to Convergence of Bad Luck.

In the 80's till mid of 90's people in position's very frequently sit on the information & hold on to the informations. But now 2005, the tactics of sitting on informations is no longer works.

With the internet, informations should be available on the real time, on time & everytime, it these cannot be accomplished, then there must be something wrong with the people in command.

Think about safe water, Think about clean Water, for the People, Protect your people. then even Bad luck come , it have less impact after all.


Phoenix water woes run deep
Chaos, violations plague agency

Ginger D. Richardson, Dennis Wagner and Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 13, 2005 12:00 AM

Phoenix officials say a convergence of bad luck and unforeseeable circumstances is to blame for last month's water quality alert, which forced 1.5 million residents to boil water and some businesses to close.

But an Arizona Republic investigation - including interviews with key city officials and a review of thousands of memos, lab reports, maintenance records and e-mails - shows that the chaos surrounding the water scare was indicative of deeper, more pervasive problems that have plagued the city's Water Services Department for more than a decade.

The documents portray an agency that chronically violated state and federal water laws.

They also indicate that Water Services leaders failed to communicate with top city officials because of a belief that outsiders cannot understand the technical operations. At the same time, they cultivated an attitude that working with regulatory agencies was not a top priority. Consider:


• The department's troubling history with state and federal regulators dates to at least 1988 and includes a lawsuit, more than $1.6 million in penalties and hundreds of violations in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, which sets water quality standards.


• Top water officials' response to state and federal regulators was, at best, inconsistent. They repeatedly downplayed violations by claiming the non-compliance did not endanger public health.


• Water officials gave incorrect and false information to top city managers about problems with regulatory agencies and within the water treatment system. At one point, the director was suspended for five days for the way he handled an audit.

"They've shown an almost terminal sense of denial, a refusal to look at themselves in the mirror and say, 'We have a problem here,' " said Erik Olson, a researcher with the Natural Resource Defense Council, an environmental group that gave the city a poor grade for water quality and a failure for openness in a 2003 report.

The Republic's review shows that these systemic problems were represented in the January water contamination scare that spun quickly out of control. The situation left panicked residents jamming City Hall phone lines in search of information, resulted in a run on bottled water at grocery stores and forced top city officials to launch an internal investigation into what went wrong.

The situation evolved over three days at the end of last month, when water with a high sediment content, known as turbidity, made its way from Phoenix's Val Vista Water Treatment Plants in Mesa into the city water supply because officials could not effectively treat it.

The failure clearly stemmed from a litany of events, including heavy storm runoff from the Verde River and the lack of a backup water supply because three of the city's four other treatment facilities were closed. Two plants had been shut for routine maintenance and a third was knocked out by floodwaters.

But other evidence raises questions about how the city handled the problem:


• Workers ran out of a key treatment chemical, lime, that other cities were using to deal with turbid water.


• Phoenix's ultimate solution was to dump the "untreatable" water into a canal that flows into plants operated by Tempe and Chandler, which apparently managed to clean the water.


• Officials did not follow protocols that require workers to notify the City Manager's Office by phone of potential threats to the water supply.


• The information from Water Services to top city officials and to the public was muddled, contradictory and in some cases, wrong. At one point, residents were told to boil water until noon Wednesday, but the alert wasn't lifted until 4 p.m.

Even now, an explanation of the crisis from the city water officials raises serious questions.

Essentially, they say the plant was fouled by a buildup of microscopic dirt in the water that apparently had never before been blamed for a treatment system failure.

City Manager Frank Fairbanks stripped longtime Water Services Director Mike Gritzuk of his title two days after the debacle, saying serious changes were needed in the department.

Gritzuk, who lead the department for 16 years, did not respond to repeated interview requests for this article.

His direct supervisor, Deputy City Manager Andrea Tevlin, criticized his management style, saying he cultivated an environment of "stonewalling and denial" in the department when things went wrong.

"I think it was a culture that came from the top down."

Top city officials said the Water Department seemed to think of itself as isolated from the city because it operated using its own revenue and was so technical in nature. That mindset, Fairbanks said, contributed to communication breakdowns, a problem he said had been addressed repeatedly over the years.

Fairbanks acknowledged that the department has had problems, but he defended its daily performance.

"It isn't that the whole department is broken," he said. "There are many, many things it does right. Someone can paint the whole department as a disaster, but that isn't the case."

Tevlin also said she thinks the manager's office acted appropriately.

"I take responsibility for the things that I need to," she said Thursday. "I am not a perfect manager, but I feel that I managed this department to the best of my ability."

Tevlin has supervised Water Services for roughly three years.

But the city's feud with water regulators goes back at least 17 years.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the city failed from 1988-95 to get permits, test equipment and adequately check treated water for contaminants.

From 1993 to 2000, the city did not monitor for coliform, which would indicate the presence of fecal material in water.

In 1996, the EPA issued violation notices for excess nitrate levels, inadequate testing and a failure to monitor. That same year, workers at a city treatment plant mistakenly mixed toxic chemicals in a vat, then damaged the facility trying to neutralize the mixture. Efforts to conceal the blunder by bleeding the chemicals slowly into city water lines also failed before public exposure and federal regulators forced the city to haul 60,000 gallons to a California hazardous-waste plant.

In 1997, after being unable to force compliance for nearly a decade, the EPA and state Department of Environmental Quality sued Phoenix in a U.S. District Court complaint that contained hundreds of suspected violations covering the entire water system.

City officials have consistently said the citations involved technicalities and paperwork oversights rather than actual public safety threats.

Marvin Young, a regulator with the Environmental Protection Agency in San Francisco for 18 years, disagrees.

"That's not the way we saw it," he said. "If you don't do the monitoring, you don't know if the water's unsafe."

Young said the government files suit only when there are serious problems and chronic non-compliance.

As a result of the lawsuit, Phoenix paid $350,000 in penalties and agreed to finance clean-water programs for a total cost of $1.6 million. That's the highest penalty Young said he has ever seen levied against a municipal water agency.

In 2002, more problems surfaced when two state audits of a Water Services laboratory found analysts were manipulating computer data to make it appear as if water samples had passed safety standards.

The audit also found that city equipment used to measure contaminants in water was in need of repair and the analysts falsified data to make it look as if it were operating properly.

The two technicians resigned under threat of termination in fall 2003, after the city hired an outside firm to do another audit and verify the state's findings.

The state audit resulted in a $41,750 fine and a city agreement to change training procedures, hire two new chemists and take other steps to tighten lab procedures.

It also forced city officials to take a hard look at Gritzuk.

In a July 2003 reprimand, Fairbanks wrote that Gritzuk tried to deny that there was a problem with the lab and was not forthcoming with information.

The letter in Gritzuk's personnel file reads, "Management has determined that you are ultimately responsible for this continued unacceptable performance. Despite your having received repeated instructions to the contrary, you have given the appearance of ignoring management's directives by not establishing a culture of environmental excellence . . . in your department."

He was suspended for five days without pay, an action that Fairbanks considers appropriately harsh.

Fairbanks called the action a "warning shot" in the "progressive discipline" policy the city uses for its employees.

He and Tevlin said they thought the message had gotten through, ending problems with the department and Gritzuk's communication style.

"These issues had been addressed repeatedly," Fairbanks said. "We had strong assertions that this would not happen again, and my sense was that (we) thought that progress had been made."

They were wrong.

Tevlin heard about the boil advisory not from Gritzuk, as required by city protocol, but from an early morning phone call from Gordon, who heard it on the morning television news.

"I was shocked," Tevlin said of the communication breakdown. "I really thought we had solved this."

During the water scare, three advisories were issued.

The first was issued late Monday afternoon, Jan. 24, roughly 29 hours after the water first tested high for turbidity. Federal law requires notification within 24 hours.

Next came a late-night plea for conservation, and then finally, the boil-water alert around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, as water managers anticipated a batch of murky water entering the system.

Turbidity itself is not a health threat, but it can create an environment where bacteria can grow.

The boil-water alert also was a surprise to county overseers, even though they are required to be notified by law, and city officials had worked with them days earlier when issuing the murky water advisory.

"The county should have been involved in (the decision)," Fairbanks said.

Bob Hollander, the city's administrator for compliance and regulatory affairs, said he tried to reach two county officials after midnight Monday but couldn't raise anyone.

John Kolman, manager of Maricopa County's drinking water and solid waste program, said the city should have used an on-call number that would guarantee a response from a county employee. Instead, Kolman said he awoke early Tuesday to learn of the boil-water advisory from broadcast news and to find a message from Hollander that arrived on his cellphone in the middle of the night.

Those who advised Gritzuk to issue the alert - Hollander, Water Production Superintendent Keith Greenberg and Assistant Water Services Director Wayne Janis - stand by the decision.

Greenberg said that failure to tell consumers to boil the water would have been "criminal" because of what was learned 12 years ago when 400,000 people were sickened by contaminated water in Milwaukee. The event was blamed on failure to remove turbidity, which allowed an intestinal parasite known as cryptosporidium to bloom. The episode prompted a tightening of national drinking-water standards. Read More....
Phoenix water woes run deep