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May 29, 2008
Iowa Water Quality Projects to Receive Grants
Iowa state environmental officials have announced that seven water quality projects in the state are expecting to receive $5.4 million in grants to improve water quality in lakes and streams.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Richard Leopold said," Much progress has been made to improve the state's water quality, but there's still more work to do."
"The grants will help communities build upon what has already been accomplished," he added.
The grants are from a partnership of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Department of Agriculture, the USDA and the local Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
The water quality improvement projects are planned for Tama, Fayette, Poweshiek, Clinton, Shelby, Appanoose and Audubon counties, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by Business Week.
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May 28, 2008
EPA Settles with Water Treatment Plants in Two California Counties
The Environmental Protection Agency has settled with with water treatment plants in the counties of Riverside and San Diego, CA, for a total $8,000 for failing to resubmit Risk Management Plans, a violation of the Clean Air Act and relating to the handling of chlorine.
"Facilities must provide timely and accurate risk management plan information to the EPA," said Keith Takata, Director of the Pacific Southwest region's Superfund program. "The plans provide important emergency preparedness and response information and help to ensure that industries are doing their part in preventing chemical
accidents."
Expedited settlement agreements, which offer violators reduced penalties if they are able to quickly bring their facilities into compliance with federal regulations were used in this settlement.
The facilities sited are, in Riverside County, the Chuckawalla Valley State Prison Water Treatment Plant, and the Desert Water Agency Water Reclamation Facility, and in San Diego County, the Miramar Water Treatment Plant, and the Otay Water Treatment Plant, as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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May 27, 2008
Babies Should Not Drink Water
According to physicians at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, babies under six months of age should never be given water due to the risk of water intoxication.
"Even when they're very tiny, they have an intact thirst reflex or a drive to drink," Dr. Jennifer Anders, a pediatric emergency physician at the center said. "When they have that thirst and they want to drink, the fluid they need to drink more of is their breast milk or formula."
Babies' kidneys aren't yet mature, so giving them too much water causes their bodies to release sodium along with excess water, Anders said. Losing sodium can affect brain activity, so early symptoms of water intoxication can include irritability, drowsiness and other mental changes.
"It's a sneaky kind of a condition," Anders said. "Early symptoms are subtle, so seizures may be the first symptom a parent notices. But if a child gets prompt medical attention, the seizures will probably not have lasting consequences", she added.
Water as a beverage should be completely off limits to babies six months old and younger, Anders and her colleagues say. Parents should also avoid using over-diluted formula, or pediatric drinks containing electrolytes.
While it may be appropriate to give an older infant water to help with constipation or on a very hot day, and always check with a pediatrician first, and give only an ounce or two at a time, as reported by Reuters.
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May 22, 2008
EPA Fines Two Massachusetts Companies for Storm Water Violations
Two Massachusetts residential development companies were issues fines totaling $35,109 for violations by the EPA stemming from storm water releases without the proper permits at construction sites in Kingston and Millbury.
The High Pines Corporation site at Indian Pond Estates in Kingston and the Platinum Building & Design, Inc. development on Cronin Brook Road in Millbury were the two firms who agreed to pay the fines.
"EPA is serious about enforcing storm water regulations," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "Controlling storm water runoff from construction sites helps protect our vital wetlands and waterways."
The EPA regulations require a permit for construction sites that disturb more than one acre of land. The storm water permit seeks to protect waters from harmful pollutants that typically run off such sites and discharge into nearby waters. The permit requires that operators of a construction site develop a detailed management plan for minimizing the effects of storm water runoff, as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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May 21, 2008
EPA Orders Nogales, AZ to Correct Drinking Water Violations
The EPA has ordered the border town of Nogales, AZ (pictured), to submit their plan for the monitoring of disinfection byproducts as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Failure of City of Nogales to comply with the order would result in fines of $32,000 per day fine.
"Public water systems must comply with the disinfection byproducts rule to ensure the public is provided safe, clean drinking water," said Alexis Strauss, Water Division director for the EPA's Pacific Southwest region. "Providing people with safe drinking water is essential and the City of Nogales must take steps to comply with all federal regulations."
The City of Nogales provides drinking water for approximately 20,000 customers. Under the terms of the order, the city is required to submit its monitoring plans within thirty days, as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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May 20, 2008
In Israel, Al Gore Ties the Water Shortage to Global Climate Change
In Tel Aviv,Israel today, celebrating its 60th anniversary, former U.S. vice president and now environmentalist Al Gore (pictured) commented that the growing Middle East water shortage is a part of the larger global climate crises.
"In this region of the world, the water crisis is one of the most important manifestations of the global climate change crisis," said Gore.
"Humankind must now find a way to reach a higher level of consciousness that allows us to see our planet whole," he added.
Gore did praise Israel for its forestation programs as well as its desert irrigation, but also cautioned that water levels are dropping in the regions lakes and rivers.
The level of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, has receded about 3 feet each year for the past 25 years. The Jordan River, is only a few feet deep in some places, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by the International Herald Tribune.
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May 19, 2008
U.S. Water Experts to Meet in Atlanta for Water Conservation
Georgia is hosting its first ever water conservation summit on May 21-22 at the Georgia International Convention Center (pictured) in Atlanta.
"Can Water Conservation Really Work for a Water System's Bottom Line?" will attract conservation, utility, and financial experts from across the United States to discuss long-term ways to promote water conservation.
The conference is being organized by Georgia's Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Association on Water Professionals, Georgia Water Wise Council, the Alliance for Water Efficiency, and the San Antonio Water System. San Antonio Water System's participation is being funded by Harvard University's Ash Institute.
The Home Depot is a principal sponsor of the event, as reported by Forbes Business Wire.
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May 15, 2008
Will Climate Change Affect the Global Water Supply?
Jonathan Overpeck, director of the University of Arizona's Institute for the Study of Planet Earth said yesterday, in comments made to the House Science and Technology Committee, that "We don't know how climate change will affect water resources."
"Temperature certainly has a major effect on water supply," Overpeck, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist said. "As temperatures goes up, there is an increase in the amount of moisture that the atmosphere can hold, so there will be more demand. It will get the water from soil, forests, agriculture, from plants, it will get them from reservoirs, from any open source of water," as reported by United Press International.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 14, 2008
Tampa's Controversial Plan to Allow Non-Profit Firm to Solve Water Problems
Each day, the city of Tampa, FL dumps 55 million gallons of treated sewer water into Tampa Bay (pictured), not making the EPA very happy.
Besides reducing pollutants in Tampa Bay, the water could be used for non-drinking purposes, like watering lawns, and ease the growing demand for potable water.
Under continued pressure from the EPA, and with ten years of searching for a solution, a non-profit firm, Water Partners Inc., has proposed to put this reclaimed water to use, and sell it to potential customers such as Tampa Bay Electric, Mosaic Fertilizer, Hillsborough and Polk counties, Lakeland and Bartow.
While this appears on the surface to be a sound solution for the sewer discharge problem, the state government is uneasy to put the proposed project in the hands of a private company.
Meanwhile, Tampa has not made any decision on how much of its water it wants to sell or to whom. Bills on water reuse were introduced this year in the Legislature. While most of those amounted to nothing, one led to an agreement by the state Department of Environmental Protection to make recommendations about reclaimed water before next year's legislative session, as reported by the St. Petersburg Times, and published by the Orlando Sentinel.
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May 13, 2008
Plumbing Manufacturers Launch Website to Promote Water Efficiency
the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI) recently launched a new website, SafePlumbing.org to educate lawmakers, journalists, trade professionals and homeowners about plumbing issues as they relate to water efficiency, clean water, as well as health and safety.
"We called it the safest place for information about plumbing on the Internet, because we want SafePlumbing.org to be a trusted resource for truthful information about clean drinking water, water conservation and efficiency, and home safety," said Barbara C. Higgens, Executive Director of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI).
"We expect people will be surprised to learn that plumbing manufacturers - our PMI members - have actually been instigating legislation to advance the cause of greater efficiency in the use of water," she said. "We do it because we know our products can deliver what customers want and still save water."
"PMI seeks to position itself as the go-to resource on plumbing issues for legislators and environmentalists, as well as our traditional trade and consumer constituencies," Higgens explains. "SafePlumbing.org will serve as a dynamic part of that effort and very much in keeping with our stated mission 'to promote the water efficiency, health, safety and quality of plumbing products,'" as reported by PR News Wire, and published by the Houston Chronicle.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 12, 2008
London to Get Desalination Plant at the Thames Estuary
The new Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has approved a plan, by Thames Water, to bring desalination to the Thames estuary (pictured) and provide drinking water to the city in times of drought.
Mr. Johnson said, "We cannot risk London running out of water at times of drought, but this cannot be at any cost."
"Thames Water has satisfied me that the desalination plant will minimize its impact on the environment by using renewable energy, and by being used only when absolutely necessary."
The Thames Water chief executive, David Owens, said the news was a victory for common sense, as London's growing population would need more water.
"The desalination plant is a vital part of our response to this situation, and we are committed to getting it built as quickly as possible, so it is available to provide more safe, clean drinking water to Londoners by 2010."
"Desalination is a more energy-intensive process than conventional water treatment processes, which is why we have committed to only running the plant when it is essential, and to providing 100 per cent of the power needed to run it from renewable energy," he said, as reported by the Telegraph.
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May 07, 2008
World's Largest Freshwater Lake Affected by Global Warming
The world's largest fresh water lake, Lake Baikal in frigid Siberia, it has been discovered by American and Russian scientists that the temperature of the water is rising as a direct result of global warming.
"Warming of this isolated but enormous lake is a clear signal that climate change has affected even the most remote corners of our planet," said Stephanie Hampton, an ecologist and deputy director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) in Santa Barbara,CA.
"The conclusions shown here for this enormous body of freshwater result from careful and repeated sampling over six decades," said Henry Gholz, program director for NCEAS at the National Science Foundation (NSF), which funded the research.
Lake Baikal holds 20 percent of the world's freshwater, and it is large enough to hold all the water in the United States' Great Lakes. It is the world's deepest lake and also its oldest. At 25 million years old, it predates the emergence of humans. It contains 2500 plant and animal species, with many found nowhere else in the world, as reported by the the National Science Foundation.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 06, 2008
Company to Pay for Damages to the Colorado River in Rocky Mountain National Park
The Justice Department and the National Park Service jointly announced yesterday, that the Water Supply and Storage Company, operator of the operator of the Grand River Ditch, has consented to pay for damages in the amount of $9 million for the May 30, 2003 breaching the Grand River Ditch, and thus damaging natural resources within the Rocky Mountain National Park.
The mountainside beneath the breach was largely obliterated by the rush of water out of the ditch. The erosive power of water, rock, mud and vegetation caused significant damage to an old growth spruce/fir forest, Lulu Creek, the upper Colorado River, and filled the Lulu City wetlands with sediment.
"This settlement will allow the restoration of critical habitat within Rocky Mountain National Park and protection of the essential headwaters of the Colorado River," said Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "This important settlement demonstrates our commitment to protecting national park system resources."
"This settlement will benefit one of Colorado's crown jewels, Rocky Mountain National Park, for generations to come," said Troy Eid, U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.
"We are happy with this settlement. Our goal, all along, has been to restore park resources that were damaged by the breach. Now we can start," said Vaughn Baker Park Superintendent for Rocky Mountain National Park, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 05, 2008
Californians Told to Conserve Water
California state officials have issued an urgent call to conserve water pointing out that the Sierra Nevada snowpack has fallen to one-third normal levels and is a primary source of the state's water supply.
"We need to recognize that we're in a water shortage and begin to act accordingly," state Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman said.
"We're in a pretty painful water supply picture," said Jeffrey Kightlinger, the general manager for the Metropolitan Water District in Southern California. "We don't want to institute rationing, but if this continues you will see us take a look at that next year."
In the Coachella Valley, which includes the resort communities around Palm Springs, the water district has proposed a tiered water pricing system. "The idea is to charge customers who use more than their fair share of water", said Mark Beuhler, assistant general manager of the Coachella Valley Water District. "We saw the writing on the wall," Beuhler said. "It is probably the most single effective thing we can do to achieve conservation."
"Some of the things that could happen are not using fountains, requiring use of a shut-off nozzle in the hose at your house, or restrictions on when people can water their lawns,' said district spokesman Jeff Becerra of the East Bay Municipal Utility District, serving Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
"As long as our customers continue to use the same good habits they showed last year, we should be able to get through this year without any cutbacks," said Tony Winnicker, spokesman for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, referring to the voluntary conservation
last summer, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by the Sacramento Bee.
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May 01, 2008
NASA Satellite to Map Global Water Cycle
NASA recently announced that the Soil Moisture Active-Passive mission (SMAP) is scheduled to launch December 2012.
SMAP will use a six meter deployable mesh antenna (picture by NASA) which will gather global soil moisture and freeze/thaw data so critical for accuracy of weather forecasts and predictions of global carbon cycle and climate change.
"Soil moisture is the lynch pin of the water, energy and carbon cycles over land. It is the variable that links these three cycles through its control on evaporation and plant transpiration. Global monitoring of this variable will allow a new perspective on how these three cycles work and vary together in the Earth system," said MIT Professor Dara Entekhabi, director of the Parsons Laboratory for Environmental Science and Engineering in MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
"Additionally because soil moisture is a state variable that controls both water and energy fluxes at the land surface, we anticipate that assimilation of the global observations will improve the skill in numerical weather prediction, especially for events that are influenced by these fluxes at the base of the atmosphere," he said.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., is the lead NASA center for the project, with participation from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD, as reported by Science Daily.
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