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June 30, 2005
EPA reports that says C8 likely carcinogenic to humans
In a draft report released Monday, the majority of the members on an EPA scientific advisory board concluded that C8, ammonium perfluorooctanoate, a byproduct of the manufacture of Dupont Teflon, is likely to be carcinogenic to humans, and that the EPA should conduct cancer risk assessments for a variety of tumors found in mice and rats after they were exposed to the chemical.
The residents with the highest concentrations of the chemical in their water are the customers of the Little Hocking Water Association, which serves most of western Washington County, Ohio.
Little Hocking Water Association General Manager Bob Griffin said, "the report is not definitive, just saying the EPA needs to take a harder look. It just reinforces our position that this chemical and any related chemicals do not belong in our water system."
A 2001 class-action suit filed in West Virginia alleged DuPont knowingly allowed C8, during the production of Teflon, to be discharged into local water supplies from its Washington Works plant. That case was settled earlier this year for $107 million.
In addition to the lawsuit, last July, the U.S. EPA determined DuPont failed, for more than 20 years, to report information as required concerning information the company had learned about C8.
Of course, DuPont officials declined to comment on the report, as reported in the Marietta Times.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 29, 2005
Harvard Flouride Findings Misrepresented?
The Environmental Working Group, of Washington, D.C. said Dr. Chester Douglass of Harvard reported no link between fluoride and bone cancer in boys, contradicting extensive research done by one of his doctoral students.
The group plans to file a complaint with federal medical authorities claiming a the Harvard doctor is fudging research findings.
Apparently, one Douglass's dental doctoral students, Dr. Elise Bassin, did an extensive study that found a link between fluoridated tap water and bone cancer in adolescent boys, the group said. Douglass was the lead adviser on her doctoral thesis and signed off on her research, the group claims.
Despite his student's findings, Douglass told federal health officials in his grant report that there is no correlation, according to the group. Douglass did not send the NIEHS the student's research but summarized it himself.
It appears Douglass violated federal research rules, according to the group's complaint, which they plan to file with the NIEHS, as reported by the Boston Herald.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 28, 2005
Concord, NH has smelly but safe drinking water
While the water is safe, I would advise residents to pick up a water filter to get the smell out, rather than using bottled water that may not be so good.
Algae has invaded Penacook Lake, which serves as Concord's drinking water supply. City officials say it can't hurt you, but they plan to treat the problem later this week.
While they wait, some residents who are turned off by the smell and taste are stocking up on bottled water.
Penacook Lake, which has supplied the city's water for more than a century, offers very good water quality, according to Jody Connor, state limnology director. The algae problem stems from the city's decision to pump water from the Contoocook River(pictured)into the lake.
The water passes through the city's treatment plant, where it is cleaned, filtered and disinfected. Flouride is also added before it goes to customers, but none of that kills taste and odor problems that come with algae.
Several Concord restaurants contacted yesterday said they already have installed activated carbon filters, which means customers weren't likely to notice a rancid smell in the tap, as reported by the Concord Monitor.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 27, 2005
Snowy River Alliance rejects Sydney water plan
In a follow up report to our blog on June 1st concerning the extreme water shortages in Sydney, Australia, the Snowy River Alliance has rejected the plan put forth by the water industry lobby group, the Australian Council for Infrastructure Development.
The head of the Snowy River Alliance, Jo Garland, has dismissed a proposal to pipe water from the Snowy Mountains to Sydney as a "grand plan" that makes no sense.
"It's a bit scary when people come up with these grand plans. I mean, we're getting water that's currently wasted in the system to try and revive the Snowy River," she said.
"It's the end of a 15-year campaign that the Snowy River doesn't die, so I don't think they'd be getting that little bit of water. It wouldn't be much on the scale of things to help Sydney," as reported by ABC News.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 23, 2005
Petrochemical producer feels the effects of water shortage
In Thailand, even industial production suffers from the tightening of water usage. PTT Plc, Thailand's largest oil and gas conglomerate announced yesterday, that their petrochemical facilities in Rayong and Chon Buri have been affected by the water shortage along the Eastern Seaboard.
On Wednesday, the Siam Cement Group, the country's largest industrial conglomerate, said it would cut its petrochemical operations at Map Ta Phut industrial estate by 40% due to water shortages.
Drought conditions have already taken a toll on agricultural production in the first half. But in recent weeks, businesses and industrial estate officials have cautioned that low reservoir levels across the eastern provinces could force a cutback in manufacturing activity as well, particularly for industries such as petrochemicals that are large water consumers.
The Royal Irrigation Department has said it would allow East Water to tap into emergency storage levels, now at 13.5 million cubic metres, to help alleviate shortages if there was no new rain, as reported by the Bangkok Post
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 20, 2005
Tucson projected growth requires new sources of water.
By 2050, Pima County, Arizona could be home to nearly 2 million people, roughly double today's population.
The area can pump only so much from the desert without killing more of our rivers and streams.
Tucson is growing so fast in such a dry region that they are headed toward drinking their our own sewage.
That is the central element of Tucson Water's plan for the next 50 years.
People just have to get used to the fact that our water resources are limited and that effluent is going to become a more important source as the population here grows," said Gail Cordy, senior hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Tucson. "We're going to have to use it."
An effluent plant able to process 41 million gallons a day would cost $278 million in today's dollars, so water is going to cost more, as reported by the Arizona Daily Star.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 16, 2005
Big family, bigger water bill
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The new reality it that with less potable water to go around, we all are going to start to pay more for it, like with any commodity. No surprise in that.
In Victoria, Australia, for customers of South East Water, the large-use charge will jump by 10.8 per cent from July 1, resulting in larger families paying the bulk of the increase.
Melbourne's three metropolitan water retailers all use the rising tariffs system. As water use increases, the cost per litre rises.
The Essential Services Commission released a three-year price plan for Victoria's 17 water retailers on Wednesday.
South East Water's acting chief executive Murray Goddard said the company's pricing policy aimed to better reflect the scarcity of water. "It's all about getting customers to change their water-use habits and conserve water," he said, as reported by the Herald Sun.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 15, 2005
Water Rationing Hits Hard at Opuwo
All these articles about the world wide water shortages, on a planet that is mostly water, reminds me of that old saying "so much water, but none to drink." What a human tradgedy!
Opuwo, Namibian school children cannot use the toilets at the school, and businesses must hire trucks to get water, as water rationing enters its third month.
Failure to pay NamWater around N$260 000 in unpaid debts has forced the Opuwo Council to make the drastic threat of repossessing houses unless residents pay up.
Opuwo Mayor Uaurikua Kakuva, who is also the principal of a primary school at the town, describes the situation as "really terrible".
Kakuva said "the poor quality of water also made it difficult to convince residents to pay for it, but that on the other hand the town could not expect to enter into discussions with NamWater to improve the supply, if it wasn't paying for its provision", as reported by
The Namibian.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 14, 2005
Indian police kill 5 farmers in water protest
Water protests world wide are going to get more heated as the world realizes we can not manufacture it. This is simply an example, unfortunately, of what is rapidly becoming commonplace.
Just south of Jaipur,India, capital of the desert state of Rajasthan, witnesses say the atmosphere is tense, as five men were shot dead during a protest over water supplies on Monday, the second time since October police have killed farmers demonstrating over water. Five also died in the first incident.
Rajasthan's 56 million people live mostly off farming, supplied by wells, and parts of the state are among India's driest and most drought-prone areas, as reported by Reuters, and published by The New Zealand Herald.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 13, 2005
Irish water pollution levels lowest for 15 years
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)in Ireland reports that that pollution in Irish waters is at its lowest level for almost 15 years.
The EPA also has warned however that households and agricultural discharges continue to pose a threat.
According to the report, which dealt with the period between 2001 to 2003, said that Irish water quality remained within a high standard overall, as reported by Ireland On-line.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 10, 2005
Rural Nevada counties draft plan to keep water from Las Vegas
Elected officials in six rural Nevada counties have drafted a plan to form a cooperative authority to keep the water beneath their feet from being pumped to urban southern Nevada.
The proposal made public yesterday for a Central Nevada Regional Water Authority comes in response to a Southern Nevada Water Authority plan to build a $2 billion pipeline to siphon groundwater from White Pine and Lincoln counties to thirsty Clark County.
"We have a lot of water, but we want to make sure we keep it and that it doesn't go to the cities," Mickey Yarbro, a Lander county commissioner, told the Las Vegas Sun. "This will protect our water that we are going to need down the road 30 or 40 years from now," as reported by The Associated Press and published by The Las Vegas Sun.
"Water goes where the water is needed,"Southern Nevada Water Authority spokesman Vince Alberta said. "The water is a resource for all the citizens of Nevada and it is not dictated by county lines."
This should be an interesting confrontation. Water rights are a big issue everywhere, and in Nevada, Clark County has 70 percent of the State's population.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 09, 2005
Indianapolis residents asked to conserve water
Indianapolis Water customers are being asked to conserve water as the utility deals with peak demand during an unseasonably warm weather pattern that has produced little precipitation.
“We’re asking people to plan their outdoor water usage and water lawns between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m.," said David Gadis, vice president and chief operating officer, Veolia Water Indianapolis (VWI), in a prepared statement. "This will allow us to fill our storage tanks between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. in preparation for early morning peak demand.”
"We would ask the public to use water wisely during this time and throughout the summer. Every drop counts and through wise water use, we will be able to better maintain system pressure and water supply,” Gadis said, as reported by the Indianapolis Star.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 08, 2005
Carting water raised as option for Goulburn water crisis
The New South Wales, Australia Government says carting water to Goulburn in the south of the state is an option if the drought does not break.
The Government yesterday announced it would fund a new $3 million pipeline, dollar for dollar from Mulwaree Ponds to Sooley Dam. The Energy and Utilities Minister, Frank Sartor, says the project will supplement a number of measures to provide water for Goulburn.
"The issue with a city like Goulburn is it's a significant city and therefore that's a much bigger challenge and we're looking at the logistics of how we would deal with that situation," Sartor went on to say.
But the Member for Burrinjuck, Katrina Hodgkinson, says there is no doubt a new pipeline to supplement Goulburn's water supply could have been put in place much sooner, as reported by ABC News.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 07, 2005
China says water pollution so severe that cities could lack safe supplies
China's booming economy is driving a rapid rise in water pollution so severe that densely crowded cities could be left without adequate supplies, a Cabinet minister said today.
"Limited water resources are threatened by pollution, and water safety in cities is facing severe challenges," said Qiu Baoxing, deputy minister of construction.
The unusually blunt warning came after a separate government report last week said Chinese cities are threatened by rising levels of acid rain from industrial pollution.
More than 100 of China's 660 cities face "extreme water shortages,"
Qiu said at a news conference.
China supports 21 percent of the world's population with just 7 percent of its water supplies, Qiu said.
Some 90 percent of China's cities and 75 percent of its lakes suffer from some degree of water pollution, Qiu said.
China will face growing shortages until 2030, when its population is projected to reach 1.6 billion people, Qiu said. "According to the UN definition, at that time we will belong to countries that lack water," he said, as reported by China Daily.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 06, 2005
What is in your water?
Every municipality is required to perform, report and maintain safe water quality by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In Maryland, the Department of Environment regularly tests all water treatment plants to ensure maximum contaminant levels are not being exceeded.
Two of the most serious contaminants are nitrates and radon. Nitrates are federally regulated; radon is not.
The Clean Water Act allows the EPA to consider the costs and benefits of control programs for radon. If a state chooses to work with households to reduce radon in their homes on a voluntary basis, then the municipality can set the maximum contaminant level to 4,000 pCi/L. If not, the EPA proposes a 300 pCi/L level.
Cori Cameron, Salisbury's water plant superintendent, receives a monitoring report with MDE's updated, new and proposed regulations each year. One of the biggest problems is controlling fluoride levels, she said.
Three water treatment plants -- at 15th, 44th and 136th streets -- are needed to supply the demand in Ocean City, said water superintendent Perry Linz. The water there is not fluoridated.
Berlin has a less complicated water treatment process compared to most, said Marvin Smith, water department superintendent.
"We're fortunate because we don't have to change the pH and all we have to do is chlorinate and aerate the water," Gary Newcomb,manager of Cambridge's Municipal Utilities Commission said, as reported by The Daily Times.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 02, 2005
Western Cape Town to run out of drinking water in seven years.
The Western Cape will face serious water shortages in seven years unless something is done about water supplies.
An anticipated 2% annual increase in urban demand will put more pressure on the water supply, including the Berg River Dam that is still under construction.
This was disclosed at a public meeting in the Bellville Civic Centre yesterday by the organisers of the two-year Western Cape Reconciliation Study, which is under way.
Isa Thompson, the chief engineer for National Water Resource Planning, warned that if nothing was done, "the current supply would be unable to meet projected urban and agricultural demands beyond 2012", as reported by allAfrica.com
Another report of a part of the world with drinking water shortages, an alarming worldwide trend.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 01, 2005
Tougher water restrictictions to preserve Sydney's dwindling water supply
New South Wales Utilities Minister Frank Sartor today outlined level-three water restrictions for residents in Sydney, the Illawarra and Blue Mountains. He also foreshadowed even more stringent measures should the Sydney dam levels drop further.
The Government introduced the controls after Sydney dams dropped below 40 per cent of capacity last week.
Mr Sartor said the measures were necessary to preserve water during one of Australia's worst droughts.
Engineers Australia said a short-term fix to Sydney's water crisis was needed, but it warned the level-three water restrictions were unsustainable in the long term, as reported by the Australian Associated Press.
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