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March 31, 2005
Moss Point, MS Clearing up Brown Water
Clearer drinking water and better water distribution will be on tap for residents and businesses of Moss Point, MS by late 2007.
U.S. Sen. Trent Lott helped break ground on Moss Point's new water treatment system today. The project was undertaken in connection with the settlement of an enforcement action taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).
Sharronda Walker, assistant manager of the local Hampton Inn said "We get a lot of complaints about the water being brown."
This problem all stems from the fact that Rohm and Haas, a chemical company, was fined $38 million for pollution before closing its Moss Point plant in 2001. This according to the report in The Sun Herald.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 30, 2005
Polluted wells in Muskegon, MI to get relief.
The state of Michigan will spend $1.3 million to extend municipal water to the Green Ridge subdivision in Laketon Township, where pollution from a nearby oil field has contaminated several residential drinking water wells.
The Green Ridge project was one of 47 environmental cleanup projects across Michigan that are intended to create new jobs and boost the state's sluggish economy. Gov. Jennifer Granholm today awarded nearly $38 million in special funding for the work.
Muskegon County will receive $2.4 million for pollution cleanup work. In addition to extending municipal water to the Green Ridge subdivision, the state will spend $500,000 to investigate groundwater contamination in the Broton Road area in Egelston Township and $600,000 to continue operating an existing groundwater treatment system at the Ott/Story/Cordova Superfund site in Dalton Township.
The Laketon Oil Field, which is suspected of fouling residential wells in the Green Ridge subdivision, has a history of oil and brine spills, according to state records.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 29, 2005
EPA: Well water should be tested annually
Unlike public water supplies, private wells are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. That means it is the responsibility of the homeowner to have their well water tested annually for contamination, the EPA says.
Wells can be contaminated by human activities, like improper waste disposal, road salting, fuel spills and the application of fertilizers and pesticides. Because well water contains rain and snow that filters into the ground, naturally occurring contaminants found in rocks and soils, like bacteria, radon, arsenic and uranium can also find their way into private water supplies.
Nationwide, about 15 percent of Americans, or about 44 million people, rely on private drinking water supplies, according to the EPA, as reported in the Daily News Tribune.
The EPA recommends testing private wells every year for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH level, and other contaminants if they are suspected.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 28, 2005
The Govenor Of Oregon Weighs In on Drought
With Oregon irrigation reservoirs at 50 percent of normal and snowpack even less, Gov. Ted Kulongoski announced measures he hopes will lessen the threat to farmers and fire-prone forests from one of the driest winters on record.
The dry spell "has serious implications for the state's economy as our summer months are critical to agriculture, fishing and recreation," Kulongoski said at a news conference in Salem, as reported by U.S. Water News.
The governor said he will consider whether to declare a statewide drought emergency next week after getting a recommendation from the state Drought Council, a technical panel.
The governor urged the public to take steps to conserve water, even such small ones as planting spring flowers that don't need a lot of water and washing cars less often.
Pictured, the State Capital of Oregon.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 24, 2005
Leanardo DiCaprio Clean Water Spokesman
Leanardo Dicaprio helped environmentalists launch an international campaign this week to draw attention to the billion people worldwide who don't have access to clean water, the Associated Press reported, and the Arizona Republic published.
DiCaprio, who signed a petition urging President Bush and other government leaders to commit to a U.N. treaty declaring clean water a basic human right, also screened a short film, which he helped produce, highlighting the need to conserve the world's freshwater supply.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 07:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 23, 2005
360 million Chinese without Safe Drinking Water
Senior officials have expressed concerns that 360 million Chinese, pimarily in rural areas, as some cities that are facing shortages, or have no potable drinking water.
Zhai Haohui, vice minister of water resources, said in the China Daily that "priorities of government investment should be given to the construction of more projects capable of supplying clean drinking water for all people throughout China, particularly the millions of rural people plagued by unclean drinking water,"
"Hundreds of thousands of Chinese are afflicted with various diseases from drinking water that contains too much fluorine, arsenic, sodium sulfate or bitter salt," said Wang Shucheng, minister of water resources.
A plan approved in principle today by the State Council or cabinet pledged to provide safe drinking water to 20 million people in rural areas by the end of 2006, Xinhua news agency reported.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 22, 2005
Designer Tap Water for Parisians
No less than fashion designer Pierre Cardin has created a designer water decanter for the municipal water company, Eau de Paris.
BBC News reported that this marketing idea came about due to a recent poll which revealed that 51% of Parisians drink bottled water. According to Franck Madureira of Eau de Paris, "It's all about giving Paris water an image and explaining why it is good for you."
Eau de Paris, which distributed the carafes in front of the Hotel de Ville today to mark World Water Day, claims its mineral and sanitary quality is just as good as that of any bottled water.
No surprise to us at watersecrets.com
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 04:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 21, 2005
NASA Technology to Help with Potable Water Shortages
As reported by the Associated Press, and published by the San Jose Mercury News, NASA has been looking at how do you quench someone's thirst when there is plenty of water, but not a drop of it is drinkable, for a long time. It appears now, villagers in Iraq and tsunami victims in Asia will get a taste of their answer as early as this fall - before any astronaut in space does.
The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has been testing a device intended for the space station that would recycle astronauts' sweat, respiration and even urine into drinking water purer than any found in a tap.
"They just breathe and exercise, urinate into the urinal and our system handles the rest," said Robyn Carrasquillo, chief of the environmental control and life support division at Marshall.
Reno, Nev.-based investment firm Crestridge and the charity Concern for Kids are developing the systems for humanitarian purposes in nations lacking a reliable water supply, starting with Iraq and countries in southeast Asia.
Rocket scientists trying to sustain life in space and humanitarians trying to increase the quality of life in third world countries kept running into the same problem - a lack of clean but affordable drinking water.
Sounds like NASA have come up with a high tech solution.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 18, 2005
EPA Sites San Jose in Water Pollution Oversight
According to the San Jose Mercury News, the Environmental Protectection Agency (EPA) has sited the city of San Jose, CA with "serious deficiencies" in the way it regulates water pollution coming from factories and other industrial sources into San Francisco Bay.
The action requires San Jose's environmental services department to tighten oversight of 349 industrial facilities or face fines of up to $32,500 a day.
"San Jose's inadequate control over these facilities jeopardizes the sewer system and has led to increases in discharges of toxic pollutants to San Francisco Bay," said Alexis Strauss, regional director of the EPA's water division in San Francisco.
San Jose's wastewater plant (pictured), in Alviso, is among the most technically advanced in the United States. It removes organic matter and other materials that come from shower drains, sinks and toilets, before releasing millions of gallons of treated water into the bay every day that is far cleaner than discharges decades ago. But the plant cannot completely filter out toxic metals such as lead, copper, mercury, cadmium and other materials such as cyanide, so those must be reduced at the source.
San Jose leaders said they are working with EPA inspectors to correct the problems.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 17, 2005
Peace in Angola But No Potable Water
According to a report by Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), part of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Luanda, the capital of Angola is a city built for half a million people is today home to more than four million, most of them sardined into ramshackle shantytowns perched precariously on top of rubbish heaps.
While there has been peace in Angola since April 2002, the fact remains that there is little formal employment and few other opportunities to earn a living in the countryside, so most Luanda residents have decided to stay put, despite the poor conditions.
Many of the capital's wealthy Angolans and expatriate businessmen and their families can afford generators and bottled water, but the vast majority of people struggle along with little access to basic services like water and sanitation, while health and education border on being luxuries.
The UN Children's Fund estimates that half Angola's 13 million people do not have access to clean, safe drinking water, and Luandans say although there are a host of other problems, the lack of water is their number one concern.
Clean drinkng water has become more expensive than motor oil.
A trend?
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 07:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 16, 2005
Back to Nature for Potable Water
Well it would take no other than Mother Earth News to publish "Harvest the Rain", an article they adapted from Evironmental Building News, which suggests that rainwater is the purest and cheapest source of potable water that exists.
"All water is rainwater," rainwater systems enthusiast and author Richard Heinichen is fond of saying. And indeed, he's right: All our water, whether sucked from an aquifer, river or well, or harvested from a rooftop, once was cloud-borne.
Captured before it hits the ground, rainwater is free of many pollutants that plague surface and underground water supplies and, according to the Texas Water Development Board, "almost always exceeds [the quality] of ground or surface water."
Well all of this is true, and certainly if we all are concerned about our water supply, collecting rainwater for drinking, or for all uses besides drinking is a logical environmentally smart way to conserve other water sources
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 15, 2005
Seth Godin: Evian is Just Water Should be no Surprise
Seth Godin, an incredibly smart marketing guy, and best-selling author, has a brilliant blog illustrating examples of marketing deceptions inspired by his new book, "All Marketers Are Liars."
One example he gives, The Billion Dollar Water Story, will hit home to Water Secrets Blog readers.
He says that Evian, like the rest of the bottled water industry, uses
marketing expertise to convince us we should pay for what we can get
free from a tap.
I posted Evian Bottle Water From the Alps? on this topic on December 9th.
Glad to see Mr. Godin's brilliant mind on water!
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 09:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 14, 2005
Cheaper Water For LA Due to Winter's Storms
As reported by the Associated Press and published in the San Jose Mercury News, the devastating winter rain storms suffered by southern California has created an unprecedented increase in the City of Los Angeles drinking supply.
The Department of Water and Power is planning to slash water bills by 9 percent, or an average of $2.60 per user due to the abundance. "We've had below average precipitation for the last five years, so we haven't had a lot of good news to share with customers until now," said Jim McDaniel, the DWP's chief operating officer for the water system.
The storms, which have caused an estimated $500 million in damage, have brought more than 34 inches of rain to Southern California so far this season, about 4 inches off the record of 38.18 inches set in 1884.
The storms also brought heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada, where water content is running 175 percent above average.
On a personal note, I wish we had some of that rainfall in the northwest, where drought conditions may exist this summer.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 08:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 11, 2005
Ft. Wayne Says Its Tap Water Rivals Bottled Water
As published by The News-Sentinal, Fort Wayne City Utilities officials argue their water, which churns through the Filtration Plant to the tune of 28 million gallons on an average day, is as safe as the bottled varieties at a fraction of the price. And now they have confirmation.
The city recently learned it has won special recognition from the Partnership for Safe Water for exceeding water standards for five straight years. The partnership encourages U.S. water suppliers to voluntarily enhance water system performance for greater control of contaminants.
As a Phase III plant for five years under the partnership classification system, the Ft.Wayne plant holds the second-highest standard. The next goal is to achieve Phase IV status, something only two utilities nationwide have done.
The fact that most sources of bottle water marketed comes from sources no better than the St. Joseph River, where Ft. Wayne gets its water was mentioned. I have been talking about this in this blog many times.
The fact remains, filtered or unfiltered, the best water is from a municipal supplier's tap, better and much cheaper than any bottled water brand.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 09, 2005
Bad Water Scare Near London Town
As reported in the London Free Press, Stratford, UK health officials reassured this city yesterday its drinking water is safe, but stopped short of ending the advisory that had kept residents from using tap water.
Almost exactly 24 hours after Stratford's water supply was declared off-limits, after a Monday morning chemical leak at a car wash, the unsettling ban was replaced yesterday morning by a boil-water warning likely to stay in effect at least until tomorrow.
Apparently an industrial solvent, 2-Butoxyethanol leaked from a car wash on a road near downtown. A man at the car wash declined comment yesterday.
The chemical is an irritant and has no long-term health effects. It is not classified as a carcinogen.
The United Kingdom is not immune to these kinds of drinking water pollution problems.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 09:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 08, 2005
Host of Water Expo, Guangzhou Has Bad Water
As reported in the China Daily, Guangzhou, China is now hosting three events the Water, Wastewater and Water Treatment China 2005; Pump, Valve & Pipe China 2005; and Air & Waste Treatment China 2005 all at the same time.
They are sponsored by the China Foreign Trade Centre Group and managed by China Foreign Trade Guangzhou Exhibition Corp, and will run until Friday.
More than 200 enterprises, including some from a dozen countries and regions, are showing off their latest equipment and technological solutions, ranging from the ultra filter system, membrane technology, bio-technology and seawater desalination to reverse osmosis for water supply and water treatment.
Meanwhile, the municipal government of Guangzhou will move into a higher gear to improve water infrastructure and the quality of drinking water, officials said yesterday at a seminar on water treatment.
The official said Guangzhou will install four sewage disposal works with online monitoring systems this year, at a cost of 12.55 million yuan (US$1.51 million) with the goal monitoring the 120 enterprises they suspect of polluting area rivers.
Not the best of timing for such an announcement, but obviously one that was needed to be made.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 07:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 07, 2005
EPA Gets Tougher on Lead in Drinking Water
As announced by ABC News, from a report by the Associated Press, The Environmental Protection Agency has announced stricter monitoring and reporting of problems with lead in drinking water will now be required of utilities, states, schools and child care facilities.
EPA officials said they found few such problems nationally, but were moving to impose stricter requirements in 1991 lead and copper regulations, starting early next year, because of lead in drinking water found in 2002 in the Washington DC area.
Those problems gained widespread attention two years later, and residents complained that the city had done little to alert them.
Regarding lead in water, the EPA proposes that utilities better control corrosion in pipes and notify states at least 60 days before making changes in treatment. Utilities also would notify residents of any testing within a home or facility. Lead service lines that don't meet requirements would be re-examined after any major changes to drinking water treatment.
Also being updated is the agency's 1994 guidance on testing for lead in schools' drinking water.
Lead is a highly toxic metal used for years in many household products. Pregnant women and infants are the most vulnerable to lead, which can cause kidney and brain damage and, in some cases, death.
About time!
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 07:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 04, 2005
Rimini, MT Finally Gets New Water Source
As reported in The Billings Gazette, and published by the Associated Press, in Helena, MT, it was announced by officials that they believe they may finally have found a new source of drinking water for homes in the small community of Rimini, where decades of mining contaminated residents' water supplies.
Mike Bishop, project manager with the Environmental Protection Agency, said a test well recently drilled about a mile downstream from the community produced about 40 gallons of water per minute during a short test period. He has been seeking a water source that could provide a minimum of 35 gpm, which could eventually provide enough water for 50 households in the small community west of Helena.
The EPA is building the production system, including a small treatment plant to remove arsenic from the water and a storage tank. The system eventually would be turned over to the Rimini residents, with a newly formed water district overseeing the maintenance and operations.
The cost of doing that is anticipated to be $40-$60 per month and will be borne by Rimini residents hooked into the system. Those cost estimates are based upon having 25 homes on the system.
This community has been waiting a long time for solution to their pollution problems and now seems to have one in sight.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 03, 2005
Dallas Council Nearing Water Plan Vote
As published in The Dallas Morning News, the Dallas City Council is poised to vote next week in favor of staff recommendations on a 55-year water plan, a plan that includes exploring new reservoirs that would flood land in East Texas.
It appears that eight members favor remaining flexible and keeping options for new reservoirs open for Dallas Water Utilities, whose number of customers in the region is projected to double by 2060.
Seven council members appear to agree with environmentalists that existing reservoirs in Texas provide more than enough water for future needs.
Like other public meetings on the topic, this one was attended by East Texas residents whose farms and ranches could disappear under the proposed 72,000-acre Marvin Nichols reservoir.
The council must vote by next Wednesday so that its choices are submitted to a state-mandated regional water plan by mid-month. Water projects must be consistent with regional and state plans to obtain state permits and funding.
More and more municipalities are going to face similar hard decisions concerning their water supplies in the future as less water and population growth collide.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 01, 2005
SoCal water board member sentenced in bribery case
As published by the Los Angeles Times and reported by David Rosenzweig, in Los Angeles, a Southern California water district board member who pleaded guilty to accepting a $25,000 bribe in exchange for voting to award a contract for financial services was sentenced to two years in prison.
Tyrone Smith, 47, of Ladera Heights is one of about a dozen officials who had been convicted following a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe in to municipal corruption in Carson,CA.
The judge also ordered Smith to pay $25,000 in restitution to the water district and also to serve three years of probation after being released from prison.
Smith, a board member of the Carson-based West Basin Municipal Water District, in 2003 had pleaded guilty to one count of extortion and six counts of money laundering in connection to his vote to award a debt refinancing contract to M.R. Beal & Co. of New York.
Takes on a whole new meaning for dirty water.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack