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June 23, 2006
California moves to strengthen water pollution rules
In the Central Valley in California, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board attempted to strengthen rules regulating water pollution Thursday, by requiring farmers in the Valley to come together in coalition groups to report what they grew, what pesticides or fertilizers they used and their plans to test nearby canals and creeks that eventually dump into the Central Valley's rivers. A voluntary program in 2003 had failed.
Environmentalists have long criticized the waiver program, saying it's too lax on agribusiness. But this new ruling is at least a step in the right direction, said Laurel Firestone with the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment.
California is the first state in the country to attempt to regulate farmers as wastewater dischargers, but the federal government may soon be following suit.
The Environmental Protection Agency just proposed new rules that would require farmers to apply for a water discharge permit similar to other businesses and cities and present a plan to monitor runoff contamination.
This proposal came in response to a lawsuit brought by New York-based environmental group, Waterkeeper Alliance, that led a court to rule that existing rules weren't adequately protecting the nation's waters from the manure produced by large farms, as reported by the Assocated Press, and published by The Mercury News.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 19, 2006
Ethanol or water in the Midwest
Ethanol is being promoted as the savior of our high gasoline costs. We apparently are finding out there are some hidden costs in the production of ethanol that have not been considered.
In Champaign and Urbana,IL the city officials expressed concern when they heard that the proposed nearby ethanol plant, would draw 2 million gallons of water a day from the Mahomet Aquifer, which supplies the two cities.
"On a statewide scale, it's not a huge amount of water," said Allen H. Wehrmann, director of the Center for Groundwater Science at the Illinois State Water Survey.
"The demand for water by the two-dozen operating ethanol plants in Iowa has not damaged water sources or supplies," said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.
Ethanol supporters say there is more danger of running out of corn than there is of using too much water, and that limitation will limit the number of plants in a particular area.
Champaign and Urbana have lifted their objects to the project when the proponent agreed to study the potential impact on the Mahomet Aquifer before proceeding. The Champaign County Board voted last month to allow ethanol plants as a special use in heavy industry zones, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by The Boston Globe.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 15, 2006
Another toxic spill in China threatens water for millions
Sixty tons of coal tar carried by an overturned lorry spilt into the Dasha river in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi on Monday, contaminating the water supply for 50,000 people, and threatening a reservoir supplying millions more.
The spill reached Hebei's Fuping county on Tuesday, and is approaching the Wangkuai reservoir, one of two reservoirs supplying water to 10 million people in Baoding, a city in neighbouring Hebei province.
Water pollution has become a major national concern since a blast at a chemical plant in November released a toxic slick into the Songhua river, affecting drinking water supplies to millions in the northeast, as reported by the Xinhua news agency, and published Reuters UK.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 14, 2006
What to know if your well is flooded
Should floodwaters ever reach your well, and particularly if you notice a distinct change in your water quality, then you should immediately start boiling your water. After the water recedes, your well should be tested by your local health department before you stop boiling it.
If your well tests positive for bateria, it will have to be disinfected and unscented household laundry bleach can to do that.
All water filters, or other water treatement equipment should have their membranes and cartridges changed after the disinfecting of your well is completed. Then run your water taps for 15 minutes to clear any chorine smell, and get your water retested to be be sure it is once again potable, as reported by the Desoto Sun Herald.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 07, 2006
Water solutions for the Yakima Valley, WA considered
Well for those that think that global warming is a joke, just ask those in Washington State, that find they need Federal help due to water needs. The federal government plans to study the potential for storing water in a new reservoir to aid both fish and irrigators in the drought-prone Yakima River basin, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
The proposed reservoir would extend about 6 miles east on Lmuma Creek and about 2 miles north on Scorpion Coulee Creek. It would hold an estimated 175,000 acre-feet of water and cost about $380 million to build.
New Columbia River reservoirs are intended to provide additional water for communities up and down the river, as well as aid farmers in the declining Odessa aquifer near Moses Lake and improve conditions for fish and power by adding water for in-stream flows during dry periods, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by the Seattle-Post Intelligencer.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 02, 2006
No water for the rebel north Ivory Coast till the bills are paid
The rebel capital of Bouake in the war torn north area of the Ivory Coast,
is now entering the second month without drinking water, and the private owned utilities said today that no repairs to broken equipment will be made until the water bills are paid.
"It's clearly worrisome," said a UN official from Bouake. "We're talking about an estimated one million people who lack water."
CIE,the electric company, along with the country's water company SODECI, continued to supply rebel territory with free electricity and tap water after insurgents seized the arid northern half of the country in September 2002. The electricity company alone has lost 50 billion CFA, or US $98 million, since the outbreak of civil war.
Now, however, with the main hydraulic pump at a dam falling into disrepair a month ago, and no income, there is just no funds to make the repairs, and thus no water supplied, as reported by IRIN News and published by allAfrica.com
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack