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March 31, 2008
Manila Water to Raise $150 Million for Future Expansion
Manila Water Company, a division of the Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corporation, has announced it is seeking to raise $150 million over the next two years to fund its expansion.
"We need to (secure) new (loan) facilities well in advance before the actual use or need arises given the conditions in the financial markets," Manila Water chief financial officer Sherisa Nuesa told reporters after the company's annual stockholders' meeting today.
"The company wants to take advantage of the currently low interest rates before they go up considering that inflation is likely to push interest rates upward," said Nuesa.
Manila Water, which is partly owned by Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation, will spend about 8 billion pesos in 2008 to build a new a water treatment plant, raising production to 100 million liters per day, as well as constructing three new regional sewage treatment plants, according to company president Antonino Aquino.
Manila Water is bidding for projects in Hong Kong, Vietnam, India and China, as reported by Thomson Financial, and published by Forbes.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 01:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 28, 2008
The Best Place to Buy a Used Car
As readers of this blog may know, I live in Oregon. My elderly mother, however lives in New Jersey, and needed a car.
After consulting Consumer Reports, I started looking online for a used, 1998 Honda Civic. I looked at about 50 cars, and settled one not far from my mother's home, and ran a Carfax report on it.
Used car salesmen that are honest, caring and go far beyond where they need to get a sale are rare, but I certainly found one, and want to share that with you, my readers. Al not only prepared the car, offered a fair price for it, but delivered it to my mother's home, and spent time with her to go over all the features of it, and took a test drive with her. He also is getting all that registration with the motor vehicle authority done for her. He made it easy for me to buy this vehicle long distance.
So, here is the information on how to reach what I consider the best place to purchase a used car in New Jersey is:
Sea Bay Auto Sales
894 Route 9 North
Little Egg Harbor Twp., NJ 08087
Tel. 877-736-8315
Contact: Al
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:13 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 27, 2008
Lack of Water Persists in Southern California
Recent measurements of the snow pack from the Sierra Nevada have indicated that the past stormy winter in California would not have much affect on the water supply this dry season.
"We had a very productive January and February, but there's been virtually no storm activity in March,: said Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys. "We've lost some of that advantage. But if we didn't have January and February, we'd have long faces."
The recent "warm weather is not good for the snow pack," said Bill Patzert, a climatologist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge. "You want to see it linger and melt slowly through the spring."
Both downtown Los Angeles and Burbank have reported below average rainfall this winter.
"You realize we do live in a desert," said Bonnie Bartling, a National Weather Service specialist. "Some years you get some and other years you get nothing."
Southern California imports its water, receiving half of its water supply from the northern mountain snow pack and half from the now drought stricken Colorado River.
"The weather in the Los Angels Basin is expected to remain dry in the coming days, with temperatures remaining in the low 70s and high 60s," Bartling said, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 12:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 26, 2008
Houston, TX Water Projects Get Funding
The Texas Water Development Board has awarded a total of $50 million to two Houston, TX area water authorities for water supply projects.
The Coastal Water Authority is to receive $28 million for a water conveyance system that will transfer up to 448,000 acre-feet per year of raw water from the Trinity River Basin to the San Jacinto River Basin in the Houston area.
Meanwhile, the Central Harris County Regional Water Authority is to get the remaining $22 million for the construction and installation of a series of surface water transmission lines, so as to participate in a re-pumping station to be built by the North Harris County Regional Water Authority, as well as for the construction of a secondary surface water transmission system to its member districts.
These projects should provide Houston's water requirements to 2060, as reported by the Houston Business Journal.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 25, 2008
Salmonella Outbreak in Alamosa, CO Cause Linked to Water
In Alamosa, CO, about 160 miles south of Denver, over 200 people have been sickened by salmonella poisoning linked to the municipal water supply.
The municipal system has begun to run chlorine through it to disinfect it.
According to Lisa Stigall, a spokeswoman with the state emergency response team, "The aquifer that's the town's water source appeared to be fine."
"There are many unknowns," Stigall said. "Many questions will be answered as they move through this process."
"The first salmonella victim began showing symptoms around March 8, and state health officials became aware of the outbreak a week later," said Ned Calonge, the health department's chief medical officer.
By March 19, Alamosa residents were told not to drink the water, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by MSNBC.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 24, 2008
Drought in Cyprus Leads to Water Rationing
In Nicosia, Cyprus today, emergency water rationing as well as a request to import water from Greece was ordered as a result of a severe water shortage as a result from drought over the last four years.
Reservoir reserves have plunged dangerously low and desalination plants cannot keep up with a growing demand for water. The island's reservoirs are now 10.3 percent full and there has been little rainfall since 2003.
"Cuts are essential to cover the needs of the population," said government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou. "This is an extremely grave situation."
Cyprus has two desalination plants running at full capacity, with a third is due to come on stream in June, as reported by Reuters.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 20, 2008
Oil May bring Wealth, but Water is Precious.
Macae, Brazil (pictured), the oil business has brought great wealth to this once small fishing village, but the lack of infrastructure to bring water to the now greatly expanded population is making is a precious commodity.
Nova Holanda, a nearby village where the workers live, has only one standpipe which is connected to the city's primary water supply, so makeshift systems are being used to get needed water.
"Son, in Nova Holanda you've got just two options. Either you pay people to take that water for you or you have a nice pump to do it yourself,",taxi driver and entrepreneur Edvar Santos, 58, said.
Nelio da Cunha, a 23-year-old migrant from Bahia, works for state-owned Petrobras in Macae as a machine operator on the nightshift, but during the daytime he pumps water to make extra money.
"Macae is an expensive city and not everybody has the money like those executives. This is the best solution we found to stay here. There's no rent and no water bill. I think we adapted well," he said.
According to environmentalist Katia Junqueira, "Water and royalties are the same issue. Like other oil cities, Macae had no policy to deal with migration and occupation of the urban area."
"The hoses are an innovative solution, the only one heard of in Brazil, but they also show how those people have been neglected for ages," she said.
City spokesman Romulo Campos said, "We cannot end those infrastructure flaws that have lasted decades. We are also concerned that oil production is not growing as much as in the previous years. Eventually, it will be finished, maybe in 30 years. What happens then, only God knows," as reported by Reuters and published by the Washington Post.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 19, 2008
Smart Money is Investing in Water
While in these tough economic times, investors are putting their money in assets like gold and oil, they are also are investing in water.
Investors are buying up assets that control water and improve supplies, especially in developing countries like China where urban populations are booming, leading to a further tightening of supply.
"Many of these cities have tripled in size in the last ten years so there's just an un-addressed need, there's an enormous opportunity for investment," said Kimberly Tara, chief executive of FourWinds Capital Management, a commodities investor.
The December report from Sustainable Asset Management, based in Zurich identified water shortages in regions including southern Spain, the Maghreb area of Northern Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Pakistan, southern India and northern China. In the Americas, the U.S. Midwest, Mexico and the Andes are among the worst-hit areas. Eastern Australia is also badly affected.
"Large equipment suppliers for obtaining water and treating waste will not operate in parts of the developing world", said Robert Miller-Bakewell, a Merrill Lynch analyst. "They're pretty selective about where they go," he said. "That means a lot of this need will not necessarily be addressed in the near-term."
"The technologies exist. You and I and the World Bank and everyone else can identify the need. The big problem all along is about who's going to pay for it all."
"Drought is our leading example of a problem to solve," said David Fischhoff, head of technology strategy and development at Monsanto, as reported by the International Herald Tribune.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 01:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 18, 2008
UNICEF Says Water Supply in Nigeria is Worst in Africa
According to Mohamed Yousif, head of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program of UNICEF, Nigeria's water supply and sanitation system are the worst in Africa.
Yousif made this assessment in Abuja at the WHO/UNICEF joint monitoring program (JMP) for water supply and sanitation. He went on to say that about 52 per cent of Nigerians have access to water supply and 45 per cent to sanitation.
"Nigeria is about the least in the region and it has no business being there, considering its resources and all the needed support," he said.
The WHO/UNICEF JMP for water and sanitation was set up as a pilot program to strengthen water supply and sanitation monitoring in Nigeria, Ghana and Mozambique through the establishment of sector monitoring units from 2006 to 2009, as reported by The Tide.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 17, 2008
Pawtucket, RI Rainfall Fills Water Supply
February rain filled the reservoir's which supply Pawtucket's water to over capacity, lifting the drought advisory put in affect last fall.
According to Allen Champagne, source water manager for the Pawtucket water system, at the Arnold Mill and Diamond Hill (pictured) reservoirs, the water is "going over the dam."
James L. DeCelles, the water board's chief engineer and general manager, said, "the board voted to lift the advisory at its meeting Tuesday night."
The Pawtucket Water Supply Board is the second largest water utility in Rhode Island , supplying water to about 100,000 people in Pawtucket, the Valley Falls section of Cumberland and Central Falls, as reported by the Providence Journal and published by redOrbit.com
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 13, 2008
Congo Water Treatment Plant is Rebuilt in Civil War Region
After being damaged during the past civil war, the water supply system in the town of Kinkala, Congo has been rehabilitated, and now can supply clean potable water to 10,000 residents of the Pool Region.
The facility was rebuilt through the efforts of the Congolese government and the International Committee of the Red Cross at a cost of $445,560.
"The water treatment facility will improve the living conditions of citizens and prevent diseases and epidemics related to the lack of clean drinking water," said Yoka Onika, general manager of the Societe Nationale de Distribution d'Eau.
According to a 2005 assessment by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) , only 22 percent of Pool residents had access to clean drinking water, as reported by UN Regional Information Networks, and published by allAfrica.com.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 12, 2008
New River Pollution Cuts Water Supply in Central China
A pollution spill on a branch of the Yangtze River has affected water supply for 200,000 people in central China's Hubei Province.
Serious pollution on the Hanjiang River has affected residents along its three tributaries, namely the Xinglong, Tianguan and Dongjing rivers, local environmental and water company sources said.
"The water became red with large amounts of bubbles," said Gao Qijin, head of Xingou Township Tap Water Company in Jianli County, which is along the Dongjing River. He said, the pollution was found on Sunday afternoon and the company immediately stopped drawing water from the Dongjing River as it did not meet the tap water standard."
"Qianjiang City had ordered tap water companies in five towns to stop drawing water from the polluted sections," said Zheng Jiarong, vice mayor of the city.
Environmental protection authorities are investigating the source of the contamination. Four inspection teams have been dispatched along the rivers to identify the polluters, as reported by China Economic Net.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 11, 2008
Water Bourne Illness for U.S. Forces in Iraq.
A Defense Department's inspector general's report soon to be released says that there have been water quality problems between March 2004 and February 2006 at three sites run by contractor KBR Inc., between January 2004 and December 2006 at two military-operated locations in Iraq.
The report also stated that soldiers experienced skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses after using discolored, smelly water for personal hygiene and laundry at these five U.S. military sites.
The KBR sites were Camp Ar Ramadi, Camp Q-West and Camp Victory. The military sites were Logistics Support Area Anaconda and Camp Ali.
Halliburton Co., at that time KBR's parent company, disputed the allegations even though they were made by its own employees and documented in company e-mails. KBR, responding to the inspector general's report, said its water treatment "has met or exceeded all applicable military and contract standards." The company took exception to many of the inspector general's assertions. "KBR's commitment to the safety of all of its employees remains unwavering."
The military has "taken the appropriate measures to correct the problem and ensure we provide the appropriate oversight of the system," said Navy Capt. James Graybeal of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. troops in the Middle East.
North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan, who has led Democratic inquiries into contracting abuses in Iraq, said, "I think it's outrageous that KBR tried to deny that there was a problem, especially when it turned out that there were dozens of U.S. troops reporting water-related illnesses, as reported by the Associated Press.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 01:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 10, 2008
Study Finds Trace Pharmaceuticals In Drinking Water
A five month study by the Associated Press reporters has found trace amounts of a myriad assortment of pharmaceuticals in the municipal water supplies of many U.S. cities.
The contamination is considered trace as it is measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, yet neither the municipal water suppliers, nor bottled water suppliers require any test for such materials, and no filter except the inefficient reverse osmosis can remove such trace amounts. Bottled water, much of which is derived from municipal supplies, also show similar contamination.
Apparently, though not previously considered, when people take prescription medicine and use the toilet, some not metabolized amount of the drugs remains, and the wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Some of that water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. Most treatments do not remove all drug residue.
Researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals though recent studies have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.
"We recognize it is a growing concern and we're taking it very seriously," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in drinking water has also been found in municipal supplied water Canada, and European cities, as reported by the Associated Press.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 06, 2008
Dubai to Host Water Technology Expo
The 10th Water Technologies, Energy and Environment Exhibition (Wetex) will open in Dubai March 11th, and will continue for three days.
Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Dubai Electricity and Water Authoritiy (Dewa) managing director and CEO, said the expo aims to outline the necessity of conserving the natural resources, the rationalization of their use, and preservation of the environment.
The exhibition is being produced by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai deputy ruler, minister of finance and Dewa president.
Agricultural equipment, desalination, and irrigation systems, water pumps, boilers, cables, transformers, connectors, energy rationalization products, pipes, valves, generators, energy and water transmission and distribution equipment all will be showcased at the event.
Japan, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Holland, Canada, Malaysia, Korea, Turkey and India in addition to KSA, Egypt, and Jordan are among the 25 countries taking part in Wetex.
"The exhibition constitutes an opportunity for decision makers at government departments in the country and in the region to see these products, and meet directly with the companies, manufacturers, and agents from all over the world," Al Tayer said, as reported by the TradeArabia News Service.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 05, 2008
Missouri City, TX Plans to Replace Ground Water with Surface Water
Missouri City,TX is investigating a plan to build a water treatment plant which would draw water from the Brazos River, and thus replace ground water as their drinking water source as mandated by the by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Fort Bend Subsidence District.
"The city had the foresight 10 years ago to reserve surface water options from the Gulf Coast Water Authority to assure an adequate water supply for our residents. Now, we are moving forward with the design of a plant for our long-terms needs," said Scott Elmer, director of public works.
When completed around 2030, the plant will be able to provide 32 million gallons of water per day, Elmer said.
"One of the challenges of treating surface water is to try to provide residents with a similar quality of water to what is currently being pulled out of the ground and distributed in their homes from the tap. The quality of the water from the surface water treatment plant will meet or exceed the current water quality residents receive," according to Scott Hibbs, an engineer with Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd, the firm working on the plant design, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 12:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 04, 2008
Water Supply for Raleigh, NC Gets Needed Boost
Raleigh has suffered with drought this year as has most of the south east, and has, as a result,implemented mandatory water conservation.
Now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to cut the flow of water from the Falls Lake (pictured), which has fallen to 8 feet below normal level.
Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker said that the reduction of 17 million gallons a day would, just through the end of March alone, retain as much as 500 million gallons of water in the lake. The reduction in water flow could be extended for as much as a year, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by the Independent Tribune.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 12:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 03, 2008
New York City Water Supply Tunnel Leaks to be Repaired
New York City has the world's largest unfiltered surface water supply.
Each day, 1.1 billion gallons of drinking water is consumed by the city which travels from 125 miles north of the city through a system of tunnels.
The Delaware Aqueduct water tunnel, which was built between 1937 and 1944, and at 85 miles is the world's largest continuous tunnel is presently leaking at the rate of 10 million to 36 million gallons through cracks in a 45-mile stretch.
"There's not a ticking clock on this, but it's important to fix because this is 50 percent of the water supply,' said Emily Lloyd, commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
Preliminary dives to access the repairs needed started February 19wth.
"It's a big piece of work," Lloyd said. "But it's the best way to understand as much as possible before going in," as reported by the Associated Press and published by the Washington Post.
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