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November 29, 2007
Sewer Water to Drinking Water For Orange County, CA
It has taken 4 years and $480 million, but on December 15th, the world's largest treatment system, the Groundwater Replenishment System, will start production in Fountain Valley, CA.
The Orange County Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District, have managed to overcome public squeamishness, concerns about high costs, and the technical challenges of producing pure drinking water from raw sewage.
When up to running at full capacity the plant should produce about 70 million gallons of drinking water per day for the district's 2.3 million customers in northern and central Orange County. when up to running at full capacity.
"The only other place in the world where they have a comparable plant is in Singapore," Denis Bilodeau, a member of the Water District's board of directors, said Wednesday. "It's maybe a third of the size. And they just built it. They built it emulating ours."
The water produced will be used to stock and replenish water in the County's deep aquifer, as reported by the Orange County Register.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:57 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 28, 2007
Venus, Once a Twin of Earth, Now Devoid of Water
4.5 million years ago, both Venus and Earth were formed with nearly the same radius, mass, density and chemical composition. So, what happened since then?
The European Space Agency's Venus Express, which has been orbiting the planet since April last year, has discovered that Venus is more Earth-like than once thought, as reported by Hakan Svedhem, a European Space Agency scientist and the lead author of the study published today in the journal Nature.
Svedhem believes that Venus may have been partially covered with water before it became doomed by global warming.
"Probably because Venus was closer to the sun, the atmosphere was a little bit warmer and you got more water very high up," he said.
Even today, Earth and Venus have roughly the same amount of CO2. But whereas most of Earth's store remains locked in the soil, rocks and oceans, on Venus the extreme heat pushed the gas into the air.
"You wound up with what we call a runaway greenhouse effect," Mr Svedhem said.
So much for those that still think global warming is an overblown concept. Simply look to our "twin" neighbor in the universe to see what greenhouse gases can do over time, as reported by Agence France-Presse, and published by The Sydney Morning Herald.
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November 26, 2007
Global Warming Hits the Bolivian Water Supply
La Paz, Bolivia, the world's highest capital, depends on the runoff from the glaciers in the Andes for fully one third their water, but due to global warming, the glaciers are rapidly melting.
Not only does this loss of water threaten drinking water but also crops and hydroelectric power. A poor nation such as Bolivia does not have the millions of dollars required to to build reservoirs, shore up leaky distribution networks and construct gas or oil-fired plants.
"We're the ones who've contributed the least to global warming and we're getting hit with the biggest bill,"laments Edson Ramirez, a Bolivian hydrologist who coordinates U.N., French and Japanese sponsored projects to quantify the damage exacted on fragile Andes ecosystems by richer nations that use more gas and create more pollution.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging that a new global treaty on climate change provide funding to help poor countries adapt to its damaging effects. Ban made the recommendation recently when U.N. scientists released a report saying the 40 leading industrial countries produced 46 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2004.
"All these ecosystems are changing very quickly. In fact, every year they change at a faster pace, which has all of us very alarmed," said Walter Vergara, the World Bank's lead climatologist for Latin America, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by CNN.
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November 21, 2007
Growth in Kittitas Cty,, WA Leads to Water Rights Fight
Washington State's antiquated method for assigning water rights has allowed for a loophole which permitted over 1,000 new homes, all using wells, to be build in Kittitas County since 2004.
The loophole, which exempts residential wells, has circumvented the first come first served rule, of the Yakama Nation, holds the oldest rights in the Yakima River basin, dating to its treaty of 1855. Actually this should mean that all of the water in the Yakima Valley has been taken. No new water rights have been issued since 1993.
In a letter to the Washington State Ecology Department last month, the Yakama Nation said abuse of the exempt-well loophole "points toward contentious, expensive and unnecessary litigation."
This entire matter is no doubt will end up in court.
The Ecology Department's water-resource director, Ken Slattery, warns homebuyers in the upper Kittitas valley to beware.
"The question is, can you tolerate a house you may not be able to occupy, or have to haul water in, every four or five summers?" Slattery said. "There is a palpable risk of these folks being shut off in the future," as reported by The Seattle Times.
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November 20, 2007
EPA Wins Suit to Restore Damaged Wyoming Wetlands
The Anadarko Petroleum Co. has agreed to physically restore 0.85 acres of impacted wetlands and create an additional 4.18 acres of wetlands, all near the Hams Fork River in Lincoln County,WY. They also had to pay a $157,500 civil penalty.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, found that during construction of two natural gas well pads and associated access roads and connecting pipelines, Westport Oil and Gas Co. and Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Onshore, LP, Anadarko's wholly-owned subsidiaries acting without a permit, placed material into the wetlands, adversely altering their functions and values. The Federal Clean Water Act prohibits such discharges unless authorized by a Corps permit.
Mike Risner, EPA Region 8 Legal Enforcement Director, said, "The environmental impacts cited here could have been avoided if the company had consulted with the Corps prior to commencing its activities."
"EPA is taking these actions to prevent the destruction or pollution of the wetlands, streams, and lakes of Wyoming and to provide deterrence against future violations of Federal laws designed to protect valuable water resources," as reported by the EPA,Region 8.
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November 19, 2007
Oklahoma Taking Steps to Protect Illinois River Watershed
Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson has asked a federal judge to prohibit any further land application of poultry waste in the Illinois River Watershed (IRW).
"We can show that fecal bacteria in poultry waste is reaching the surface water and groundwater," Edmondson said.
"The Oklahoma Water Resources Board documents 1,717 water wells in the Oklahoma portion of the watershed, and 98 percent of these wells are used for drinking water and other household purposes. Tests have found bacterial contamination, including E. coli, in many shallow wells, and bacterial levels of human health significance have been found in a number of springs."
"Heedless of the health and environmental consequences, the companies keep dumping this bacteria-laden waste on the ground and the rains carry it to the river," Edmondson said. "This bacteria gets in the water people drink and the water in which they play. The danger is imminent and the time to head it off is now," as reported by the Sequoyah County Times.
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November 15, 2007
Growth Means Rise in Water Costs for Miami, FL Consumers
The South Florida Water Management District today will permit Miami-Dade to pump up to 60 million more gallons a day by 2027 to allow for the expected growth of the area.
At the same time, next month millions of homeowners in 16 counties, including Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe, will be order to cut lawn sprinkling to once a week, in a an effort to conserve water.
All this new water for growth will come from $1.6 billion in county projects to recycle wastewater and tap deep underground sources.
"Any growth has to come out of those alternative supplies," said Chip Merriam, district deputy executive director -- not from the Biscayne Aquifer or the Everglades, the strained sources of Miami-Dade water.
The cost for all this will result in the inevitable doubling or tripling typical household water bills, as reported by the Miami Herald.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 12:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 14, 2007
Use of 2,000 Gallons of Water a Day During Drought
During the worst drought to hit greater Atlanta in years, one resident, Chris Carlos, owner of the 14,000 sq.ft. residence pictured, is using 2,000 gallons of water a day, 60 times the average household use.
"I think it's absurd. I really do," said resident Ken Scott.
"I understand everybody's anxiety, outrage," said Kathy Nguyen, of the Cobb County Water System. "It's impacting people on so many levels."
Though many of Chris Carlos' neighbors, who function under tight water restrictions now, believe he must be breaking some law, the water department said it has no proof he has broken any regulations and has no authority to stop him, as reported by the Drudge Report and published by ABC News.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 13, 2007
Tampa, FL is Losing a Lot of Water
The city of Tampa, FL has had a growing problem of losing a large percentage of the potable water it produces.
The latest figures bear this out as the figure now stands at 17 percent, more than 1 of every 6 gallons of the water it produced in the 12-month period ending in July. This is about double the industry standard of between 6 and 10 percent of production.
Thursday, the city council will consider approving a $53 million bond issue, with more than a third of the money to be spent on replacing old, leaky pipes.
"We're throwing dollars and resources at this," said Eli Franco, the water department's consumer affairs manager. "It's a priority for us."
"At any business, you don't run a 10-month calendar in a 12-month period," Councilman Charlie Miranda, who heads the council's public works committee, said, noting that the loss equaled two months of water production in Tampa, as reported by the Tampa Tribune and published by the Water Environment Federation.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 12, 2007
Candidates Spare Few Words About the Water Shortages
The candidates for U.S. President, seem to feel that there is danger in broaching the subject of the severe drought affecting many parts of the country.
The Associated Press asked the leading Democratic and Republican presidential candidates a series of written questions about water policy, including whether regions that have relatively plentiful supplies, such as the Great Lakes, should share with those running short.
Campaign officials for Republicans Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson and Democrat John Edwards declined comment or didn't answer.
Only Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, responded at length, saying she opposes diverting water from the Great Lakes, "one of our most precious natural resources."
"I would not overrule a state's lawful right to protect its water supplies," Clinton said in an e-mail. She also advocated techniques to stretch water supplies.
Republican John McCain, an Arizona senator, said the federal government should not require diversion of Great Lakes water, and the Southwest should focus on ways to conserve while building new storage projects.
Republican Mitt Romney would not comment specifically on the Great Lakes, but said a water sharing agreement reached this year among seven Western states dependent on the Colorado River set a good example for others.
Democrat Barack Obama said in an e-mail that the federal government "needs to be a fair dealer between competing water consumers" and should "create a national plan to help communities adopt water use policies that better conserve water."
Democrat Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun, called for a national water policy and observed that "Wisconsin is awash in water," which many in the lakes region interpreted as a threat to grab their treasure. He then said to reporters in Detroit, that he had never suggested piping Great Lakes water elsewhere and that he was calling for states to swap ideas, not their water.
It is clear that on this topic the choice of most candidates is to keep their mouths shut, as reported by John Flesher, for The Fresno Bee.
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November 08, 2007
Senate Agrees With House and Overrides Bush Veto of Water Bill
As anticipated, the U.S. Senate following the lead of the House of Representatives, in a 79-14 vote, handed President Bush an override of his veto of the Water Resources and Development Act.
With politicians for both parties voicing their concerns for our water resources, it was clear that all of Congress would put partisan feelings aside, and give Bush his first veto override, as reported by National Public Radio.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Texas Tech Find Wildflowers Which Thrive in Drought
Texas Tech University researchers have developed a variety of common wildflowers which thrive in and thus will save water in drought stricken areas in the Southwest.
Raider Amethyst is based on the common prairie verbena, which grows from the Mississippi River to Arizona and from southern Mexico to South Dakota, according to Texas Tech researchers.
"This project was to develop an improved wildflower release that would provide more compact, dependable colour in a water-conserving landscape," associate horticulture professor Cynthia McKenney said.
"Planting drought-resistant flowers such as Raider Amethyst in urban gardens will cut the use of potable water," she said.
Raider Amethyst is the second plant in the Raider Wildflower project, the university's collection and evaluation of Texas native wildflowers that could be used as drought-tolerant ornamentals. The first was the Melampodium leucanthum Raider White, commonly known as blackfoot daisy, as reported by CBC News.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 07, 2007
House Votes to Override Water Bill Veto
In a follow up to my previous blog yesterday, the House of Representatives voted Tuesday to override President George W. Bush's veto of a $23 billion water resources bill, by a vote of 361-54. It is expected the Senate will do the same, giving President Bush his first override of his veto.
"This overwhelming House vote reaffirms that the president's misplaced priorities are as polluted as the water this bill will clean up," U.S. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, D-(FL) said in a news release.
The bill funds $3.6 billion in wetlands and coastal restoration, flood control and dredging in Louisiana, nearly $2 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build new locks on the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers and $7 billion for hurricane mitigation in Mississippi and Louisiana, including securing 100-year levee protection in New Orleans, plus several projects in Florida, as reported by the South Florida Business Journal.
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November 06, 2007
Bush Gets Heat on Veto of Water Resources and Development Act
U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (FL), Republican House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Leader said this week,
"While I've been a strong supporter of many of President Bush's policies, I disagree with his veto of the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) and will work to override his veto."
"While I will join President Bush in upholding his vetoes of excessive appropriations measures, this bill authorizes badly needed water infrastructure projects across the nation."
Congress has not passed a water resource authorization legislation since 2000, it should be noted.
"One of the important responsibilities of government is to coordinate and assist with the development of our nation’s infrastructure. This legislation establishes federal priorities for the participation of state and local governments to maintain, improve and restore our nation’s water resources," concluded Rep. Mica, as reported by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 05, 2007
Protecting the Great Lakes from Water Thirsty States
At a meeting this evening in Auburn Hills, Mi, lawmakers and activists will get together with the goal of putting legislation in place which will keep water thirsty states, in the southwest, as an example, from being allowed to tap the Great Lakes.
"We have very little time left to pass a law that will protect us from thirsty states and countries and corporations that are trying to siphon off our water," event organizer Lynna Kaucheck of Clean Water Action said today.
"We need to definitely protect ourselves from that. And we need to make sure we have the support of our lawmakers from Oakland County. The citizenship of Oakland County is very, very concerned about this issue. We need to make sure that our voices are being heard in Lansing."
Sponsoring organizations, in addition to Clean Water Action, include the Clinton River Watershed Council, the East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Environment Michigan, the League of Women Voters, Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, the Michigan Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, the Michigan Environmental Council, Michigan Interfaith Power and Light, the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Raging Grannies and the Sierra Club, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 01, 2007
East Tennessee Wells Drying Up
The drought in East Tennessee is not getting any better and rural residents are finding their well water supply drying up. (Cherokee Lake, E.TN. pictured)
Brian Boyd, the senior service hydrologist at the National Weather Service office in Morristown, TN said,"Ground water depletion in the Lakeway Area should be as much of a concern as the loss of surface water. The deep water table is very complicated."
Pat Lane at Joe Samples Well Drilling in White Pine said, "So far, there have been a few reports of dry wells, but mostly the drought-related calls we have received have been because springs have gone dry and people need wells drilled."
What is needed is area wide rainfalls that soak into the ground and replenish the water table, as reported by the Citizen Tribune.
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