Water Secrets Blog

June 23, 2009

A Day with a San Diego Water Inspector

San Diego has had strict water conservation restrictions in place since the start of the month, in response to what many are calling the worst drought in the city's history.

Reporter Katie Orr, who took the picture you see here, spent a day with Seneca Page (pictured) who is a Field Representative for the San Diego Water Department's conservation program. Five of these representatives are charged with the task of enforcing the conservation restrictions.

"So we're going to go out here to a couple of complaints in the Carmel Valley area and check on it and see what's going on. Hopefully educate the public about the water restrictions," Seneca Page said.

"Sometimes you do kind of feel like you're banging your head against the wall, chasing your tail, you know, you’re kind of in the dark. So sometimes it does," he says. "But you know, you kind of shake it off. Because for every one where you don't see anything, there are six that you do, he said."

Page explained that his job is to educate people about what they can and can't do when it comes to watering, and that alone will keep him busy for the rest of the summer, as reported by KPBS.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 03, 2009

West Virgina's Confusing Water Standards

West Virginia's Department of Environmental Protection (pictured) has issued the most confusing, and mind numbing edict concerning the mercury levels permitted in the state's residents drinking water.

They have stated that since West Virginians eat less fish then most other Americans, they are exposed to less mercury, and thus higher levels of mercury are permitted than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends.

An advisory tells residents statewide to limit fish consumption due to the high incident of mercury contamination in West Virginia waters. This is why fish consumption is down in the state.

Logic would follow that if you allow more mercury to be released, more fish will be contaminated.

What the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is not taking into consideration is that eating fish has many health benefits, so where is the logic in allowing more mercury?, as reported by the Center for Progressive Reform, and published by AlterNet.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 30, 2008

Golf Course Operators Have Water Concerns

Water shortages, especially in the Southwest and Southeast, are forcing golf course operators to find creative ways to conserve water.

There is a perception in many parts of the country that golf courses waste water. Courses in arid areas are under pressure to wean themselves away from public well water and aquifers, in favor of recycled water.

In a recent report by the National Golf Course Owners Association showed that only 12% of the nations courses used recyled water for irrigation.

Greg Lyman, director of environmental programs for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, says that "the golf industry can provide a win-win situation for local communities. We need to be efficient, effective users of water, and to do that we must continue to adopt technology that will allow us to become more adept at determining when and how much water to apply; provide marketable conditions; and protect our natural resources."

Chris Gray of Marvel Golf Club in Benton, KY, winner of Rain Bird's second annual intelligent Use of Water honor, developed a water-harvesting program that captures not only rain, but run-off from roads and the waste discharge from the 513 residences surrounding his course. Residential water is gathered from separate septic tanks, then treated through aeration and mixed with surface drainage water in a holding pond – enough so that the 175-acre golf course is entirely self-sufficient, as reported by Golf Week.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 12:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 16, 2008

Report on the Health of our Coastal Waters Released

The National Coastal Condition Report III, just released, indicates that the overall condition of the nation's coastal waters has improved slightly, based on a recently released environmental assessment.

The study is collaboration of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; coastal states; and the National Estuary Program.

The findings are assessed in five areas: water quality, sediment quality, benthic community condition (the health of the water’s bottom-dwelling invertebrate species), coastal habitat loss as indicated by changes in wetland area, and fish tissue contaminants.

The report found that coastal conditions have improved in the Northeast and the West, but there were slight decreases in conditions in the Southeast and Gulf of Mexico. The conditions in the Great Lakes and Puerto Rico remained constant.

With the findings rating our coastal water overall in fair condition, there has been incremental improvement since the 1990's, as reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:16 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 23, 2008

UN Ties Potable Water to Reducing World Poverty

A study recently released by the United Nations University finds that ensuring safe water and installing toilets in the world where needed, will do the most for reducing poverty and improving world health.

"Water problems, caused largely by an appalling absence of adequate toilets in many places, contribute tremendously to some of the world's most punishing problems, foremost among them the inter-related afflictions of poor health and chronic poverty," says Zafar Adeel, Director of the UN University's Canadian-based International Network on Water, Environment and Health(UNU-INWEH).

"It is astonishing that, despite all the attention these issues have received over decades, the world has not even properly mapped water and sanitation problems nor agreed on such terms as 'safe,' or 'adequate,' or 'accessible' or 'affordable,' all of which are in daily use by officials and policy-makers."

"We need greater investment in the development of models to aid decision-making, reduce uncertainty and augment costly monitoring programmes," says Dr. Corinne Wallace, a leading water-health researcher at UNU-INWEH. "Combining these efforts with a vulnerability map for water-associated diseases can form the basis for evidence-based policy development," she adds, as reported by United Nations University and published by Medical News Today.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 12:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 24, 2008

Average Water Costs in the U.S. Rise 7.3%

Reporting on the annual survey taken by the NUS Consulting Group, of Park Ridge,NJ, results have shown that the average price of water in the United States grew by 7.3 percent for the period ending July 1, 2008.

The survey, taken from 51 water systems located across the country, indicated that the highest price paid was in Boston,MA at $5.76 per one thousand gallons ("KGal") while consumers in Savannah,GA enjoyed the lowest water price at $1.09 per KGal.

Since 2003, this survey has shown water prices in the U.S. have increased by nearly 30 percent.

None of the reporting water systems indicated no increase in cost for this year, as reported by NUS Consulting, and published by The Earth Times.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 15, 2008

Industry in Vietnam is Dumping Untreated Waste in Rivers and Canals

According to the VietNam Environment Protection Agency(VEPA), 90 percent of enterprises across the country are discharging untreated waste directly into rivers and canals, which pollutes groundwater systems.

VEPA, which is part of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, says an excessive focus on economic growth and disregard for its environmental fallout is the main reasons for this problem.

Some 70 percent of industrial zones in the country do not even have water and solid waste management systems.

VEPA also said that the country's environmental police are understaffed and under trained to inspect, prosecute and prevent environmental crimes and violations, as reported by Vietnam News Service(VNS).

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 21, 2008

Released Federal Document Says Canada Risks Water Shortages

Under the Access to Information Act, an internal government 21 page report by Environment Canada, titled "A Federal Perspective on Water Quantity Issues," has been released.

The report, which was drafted last December, warns "We can no longer take our extensive water supplies for granted."

It suggests the federal government take a more hands-on approach in managing the country's water, which is now mostly done by the provinces.

The report says, "Canada lacks sound information at a national scale on the major uses and user[s] of water."

"National forecasting of water availability has never been done because traditionally our use of the resource was thought to be unlimited."

Environment Minister John Baird, in an email, commented, "This report is a one-stop shop document that can guide us toward ensuring that we get clean, safe water to Canadians, wherever they choose to live," as reported by The Canadian Press, and published by CBCnews.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 12, 2008

Water Technology is Expanding

United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation's mission is to protect water and related resources.

New technology is making water desalination much more cost effective. John Walp, commissioning manager of the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, NM, spoke of this development with local Chamber of Commerce Water Committee members yesterday.

Because of the National Research Council's review of desalination, which was completed in April, the Bureau of Reclamation has adopted a strategy for supporting high risk research on major innovations and developing a better understanding of environmental issues associated with ocean and inland desalination, Walp said.

"There are new ways of combining technologies to improve efficiency, reduce costs, remove new types of contaminants and meet increasing state and federal regulations," Walp said, as reported by the Las Cruses Sun-News.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 24, 2008

Nevada Drought Predicted Due to Climate Change

A study released yesterday by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Center for Integrative Environmental Research predicted that climate change will create devastating drought in Nevada and the Southwest, and will drop the levels of the already low Lake Mead (pictured) and Lake Powell, thus affecting the water supply.

By 2100, average temperatures in Nevada may increase by up to four degrees in the spring and fall and by up to six degrees in the summer and winter, and El Nino conditions are likely to increase in frequency and duration, the report states.

"These temperature changes will have major effects on evaporation and precipitation in the state. The decreased availability of water statewide is likely to affect development, tourism and power production," the study adds.

"Unless we take action to cut the pollution causing climate change we will further jeopardize Nevada's water supply," Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain Regional Director, Environmental Defense Fund, said.

"The threat to the water supply in Nevada and other Western states demonstrate that the most expensive thing we can do about climate change is ignore it," as reported by the Associated Press, and published by Business Week.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 21, 2008

Proper Watering for your Garden

Answers on how to properly water your garden, how much or how little water to use and proper care to both conserve water and maintain a healthy garden.

Soaker hoses or drip-irrigation systems are the most efficient way to water your garden, but if you must use a sprinkler, use one that delivers large drops, not a mist, to prevent rapid evaporation.

A garden should get about an inch of water per week, so a rain gauge is a good idea, or as Becky Szkotak, of Rutgers Cooperative Extension in Camden, N.J., suggests: "Get a small Tupperware container."

If you water by hand, do it deeply and less often, in the morning so as to prevent fungus which is common with night watering.

Use fertilizers sparingly. They bulk up your plants, then make them thirsty.

Look for drought-tolerant plants, such as salvias, purple coneflower and rudbeckia.

Use compost and mulch for healthy soil that retains moisture.

Keep weeding. Weeds are big drinkers.

Install a rain barrel, with dunks inside and mesh on top to discourage mosquitoes.

Choose porous materials like gravel for pathways, so water seeps into the ground instead of skimming off.

Fix hose leaks. A garden hose can put out more than six gallons of water a minute.

Experts say over-watering is a bigger problem than under-watering.

These same experts say that at this time of year, when up to 80 percent of household water consumption takes place outside, we waste as much as half of it, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, and published by The Times.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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

April 24, 2008

NRC Says there is Water Desalination in U.S. Future

In a report released today, the National Research Council (NRC) said that, with improving technologies, desalted seawater might just be a viable source for future potable water requirements.

"Uncertainties about desalination's (pictured) environmental impacts are currently a significant barrier to its wider use, and research on these effects - and ways to lessen them - should be the top priority," said Amy K. Zander, chair of the committee that wrote the report and a professor at Clarkson University.

"Finding ways to lower costs should also be an objective. A coordinated research effort dedicated to these goals could make desalination a more practical option for some communities facing water shortages," Zander said in a statement.

This report was sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as reported by the Associated Press.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 15, 2008

Conserve with Rainwater Tanks, but Don't Drink From Them

With the water shortages that Australia has been going through, the use of rainwater tanks has been encouraged. A study by a joint research study by Melbourne Monash University and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) shows that lead along with other heavy metals contamination is commonly found in the rainwater tanks.

"It can be environmental or atmospheric, so you could potentially have lead associated with the dust that blows around an urban area," said Dr. Grace Mitchell, a senior research fellow at Monash University.

"Up until relatively recently we used a lot of lead in our petrol, so they're the sorts of environmental sources."

"There can be also lead flashing on roofs that haven't been properly coated, so it actually could leach lead."

"There may be lead solder associated with some of the pipes, and then you may find other environmental sources of lead - there can be some industrial processes that may be emitting lead."

"I'd encourage them to go for the other uses first that use more water, so they're going to get more savings and also it doesn't have kind of potential concerns from a health point of view," said Dr. Mitchell, as reported by ABC News, Australia.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 04:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 14, 2008

Fast Melting Mountains Portend Water Shortages to Come

At a meeting of geoscientists in Vienna today, it was concluded that glaciers and mountain snows were melting much earlier this year than usual, and the result will be that when the water is really most needed, in the dry summer when there is little rainfall, water will be in short supply.

"This is just a time bomb," said hydrologist Wouter Buytaert at the meeting. "In some areas where the glaciers are small they could be gone in 30 or 50 years time and a very reliable source of water, especially for the summer months, may be gone."

The areas most at risk from a lack of water for drinking and agriculture include parts of the Middle East, southern Africa, the United States, South America and the Mediterranean.

Daniel Viviroli, from the University of Berne, thinks nearly 40 percent of mountainous regions could be at risk, as they provide water to populations which cannot get it elsewhere. He says the earth's sub-tropic zones, which are home to 70 percent of the world's population, are the most vulnerable.

"Glaciers are getting smaller and smaller," said said U.S. Geological Survey researcher Bruce Molnia, adding that this was leading to more frequent flooding.
"And what I am talking about here is adaptable to almost every one of the Himalayan countries that's dependent on glacier-melted water," he said.

As we have written here many times in the past, global warming is having a great affect on the world's potable water supply, as reported by Reuters Africa.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 01:34 PM | Comments (0) | 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 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 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

February 12, 2008

Global Warming Could Dry up Lake Mead Key Water Resource by 2021

According to marine physicist Tim Barnett and climate scientist David Pierce, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, there is a 50 percent chance Lake Mead, a key source of water for millions of people in the southwest, will go dry by 2021, if expected climate changes and future water usage is not curtailed.

This warning was issued in the report "When will Lake Mead go dry?," which has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal Water Resources Research, published by the American Geophysical Union (AGU),

"We were stunned at the magnitude of the problem and how fast it was coming at us," said Barnett. "Make no mistake, this water problem is not a scientific abstraction, but rather one that will impact each and every one of us that live in the Southwest."

"It's likely to mean real changes to how we live and do business in this region," Pierce added.

"When expected changes due to global warming are included as well, currently scheduled depletions are simply not sustainable," wrote Barnett and Pierce in the paper.

"Today, we are at or beyond the sustainable limit of the Colorado system. The alternative to reasoned solutions to this coming water crisis is a major societal and economic disruption in the desert southwest; something that will affect each of us living in the region" the report concluded, as reported by Science Daily.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 31, 2008

Scientists Predict Global Water Shortages

Writing in Science Magazine, a group of prominent hydrologists and climatologists has predicted greater water supply problems world-wide due to climate change.

"Our best current estimates are that water availability will increase substantially in northern Eurasia, Alaska, Canada and some tropical regions, and decrease substantially in southern Europe, the Middle East, southern Africa and southwestern North America," said lead author Christopher Milly, a research hydrologist with the US Geological Survey.

"Historically, looking back at past observations has been a good way to estimate future conditions," Milly said. "But climate change magnifies the possibility that the future will bring droughts or floods you never saw in your old measurements."

"Even with aggressive mitigation, continued warming is very likely given the residence time of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the thermal inertia of the Earth system," according to the authors.

Rising sea levels will "heighten risk of contamination of coastal freshwater supplies" while a "poleward expansion of the subtropic dry zone" is reducing water runoff levels, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:32 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 29, 2008

Ethiopian Dry Season brings Water Shortages

With the long dry season in Ethiopia getting underway, there is great concern as to if there is enough water to support both human and livestock consumption.

The Regional Water Bureau has also identified hotspot areas for undertaking water schemes rehabilitation activities

The Regional DPPB has asked UNICEF for funds for water tanker deliveries in the Warder, Liben, Gode, Afder, Fik and Korahe zones.

The Oromiya Pastoralist Commission in the Borena zone identified priority intervention requirements for livestock including animal feed, vaccination and treatment, rehabilitation of water points and water tanker deliveries, as reported by the United Nations Office for the Cooperation of Humanitarian Affairs.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 17, 2007

In Punjab, India Villages The Water is Toxic

In Mahal,Amritsar District, at the government elementary school, an unusually high number of children complain of rashes and boils, housewives talk about a sharp rise in the number of miscarriages, and old men insist their hands and fingers are turning numb.

A major two-year study by Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, to probe the effects of industrial waste and pesticides on human health in 25 Punjab villages has found varying degrees of DNA mutation in 65% of the blood samples taken and in some cases genetic damage.

The drinking water in these villages has turned toxic due to a high concentration of heavy metals such as mercury, copper, cadmium, chromium and lead. In Mahal, these chemicals have seeped into the village's groundwater from the polluted drain water causing these serious ailments.

The head investigator, Dr. J. S. Thakur, points out that the drinking water in these areas has turned highly toxic, as reported by The Times of India.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 31, 2007

Report Finds Cold Sea = Low Rainfall = Drought for Australia

Exceptionally cold sea temperatures has been found to be the contributing factor for the devastatingly low rainfall in Australia's south-east since early August, according to a new report by the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The WMO said surface waters across the north of Australia were up to 1.5 degrees celsius colder than normal causing lower-than-expected rainfall, while warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the western equatorial Indian Ocean near Madagascar have caused unusually heavy rain in eastern Africa, leaving dry conditions in many areas of Australia.

"It seems that this cool event in the eastern Indian Ocean damped out the good rains normally expected with La Nina," said Gary Meyers, a Hobart oceanographer and director of the Integrated Marine Observing System.

Dr Michael Coughlan, head of the National Climate Centre within the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), said last month, "a La Nina weather pattern bringing cool, wet weather, had so far been wasted, occurring over the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean. "There was little potential for the La Nina event to make its presence felt over inland Australia," as reported by the Australian Associated Press.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 01:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 29, 2007

Much More to be Done to get Water to the Poor in Africa

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, across Africa half of all rural households do not have access to clean drinking water and must rely on water sources that may be unhealthy. The situation is better in urban areas, where 80 per cent of the population is covered, but more than half of city and town dwellers do not have a tap in their house or yard.

Africa has abundant fresh water with large lakes, big rivers, vast wetlands and limited but widespread groundwater, yet only 4 per cent of the continent's available fresh water is currently being used.

"Inadequate financing is the single most important factor affecting the continent's fresh water delivery abilities," Peter Akari, chief water policy officer of the African Water Facility at the African Development Bank (ADB)said.

"There is not one single solution to ensuring everyone gains access to water," says the UK charity WaterAid. "So it is impossible to say in general terms whether it is a good idea for private, public or community organizations to be involved in the delivery and management of services. Each circumstance should be looked at individually and a suitable pro-poor, affordable and sustainable solution found to fit each community."

The way forward towards achieving wider access to clean water, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stated on 22 March, World Water Day, includes "strengthening institutional capacity and governance at all levels, promoting more technology transfer, mobilizing more financial resources and scaling up good practices and lessons learned," as reported by Africa Renewal, and published by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development(WBCSD).

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 01:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 26, 2007

Environment Colorado Reports Water Quality Declining State Wide

According to a new report from Environment Colorado, with state population increasing, coupled with increased oil and gas development, water quality will continue to decline in the state.

The report used data from the EPA and the Colorado Water Quality Control Division which showed that the percentage of Colorado streams deemed fishable or swimmable declined by 7 percent, while the number of stream segments classified as impaired rose 53 percent between 1998 and 2006.

Steve Gunderson, director of the state's water quality control division said, "The number one reason we see more impairments is we have more data. And standards are tighter. The most common pollutant statewide is selenium, affecting 25 percent of all impaired stream reaches. Second on the list is zinc, a common pollutant from abandoned mines that affects Summit County’s watersheds.

"There just aren’t enough cops on the beat,” said Stephanie Thomas, the primary author of the report. Thomas said, that, based on the data reported by the state and the EPA, she stands by the conclusion that Colorado's water is in worse shape than it was half a decade ago. "Water quality declined and we expect it to continue," as reported by Vail Daily.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 30, 2007

Lake Superior has Dropped One Foot this Past Year

Lake Superior, which accounts for about 40% of the water supply for Lakes Michigan and Huron, has dropped one foot this past year, and continues to fall.

Hydrologists think lack of rain and increased evaporation have caused the record loss which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimate is about 12.7 trillion gallons.

Though flows to the St. Marys River from lake can be controlled, "there is really very little human influence on the system that can make any substantial change," said Scott Thieme, chief of the Army Corps of Engineers' Great Lakes office for hydraulics and hydrology.

As it is, lakes Michigan and Huron are both 2 feet below average levels now, and thus, as Rob Caldwell of Environment Canada said, It's a balancing act. There is no one side that wins," as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 09:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 20, 2007

Suggestion Canada Sell Drinking Water to the U.S.

Canada, it has been suggested, should look to sell its abundant excess fresh water to the United States.

It seems that, with its sharing of the world's largest body of fresh water, the Great Lakes, with the U.S. plus the many rivers, streams and other lakes, Canada has one-fifth of all the fresh water in the world.

As the U.N. urges nations with surplus fresh water to share their water-wealth with less fortunate countries, Canada, which wastes as much water daily as other developed countries, should consider selling its excess to the U.S., as reported by the Toronto Star.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 09, 2007

Overpopulation, Overindulgence = Bleak Outlook for Drinking Water

It was not until 1830 that the earth's population reached 1 billion, yet by 1999 the world population crossed the 6 billion mark.

There is no question that this population expansion has cost the earth both environmentally and ecologically. Our forests are declining, our topsoil is eroding, our deserts are expanding, and our climate is undergoing radical change.

Scientists have warned us that the underground water supply of the Midwest is being siphoned off and depleted for a seemingly insatiable conglomerate of fruit, vegetable and livestock growers of the Southwest, via the mammoth irrigation projects extending all the way to Southern California.

There is only so much fresh drinking water on the continent, and if you thing gas is expensive, just hope you don't have to pay for a glass of water in the middle of a veritable desert of dust bowl conditions, as reported by John Blankenship, for The Herald-
Register.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 09:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 31, 2007

Water Meters Stolen in Dallas

Dallas police, who say they typically get 20 to 30 reports of water-meter thefts per year, said that at least 17 water meters have been reported stolen this month alone.

Apparently, the thieves open the meter boxes, using keys available at any hardware store, and sell them for the few dollar they can get for the scrap metal.

The Dallas Water Department replaces the $20 water meters at no charge to the victim of this petty crime. They certainly can appreciate the consumer who turns on his tap to find no water and then, finds out it is because his water meter has been stolen, as reported by NBC5 news.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 04:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 16, 2007

Global Warming Reducing River Flows In China

The Xinhua news reported Chinese scientists have found that water flowing in both the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, is far less today than 40 years ago due to the affect of global warming on the wetland which feed them.

Scientists of the Chinese Academy of Sciences studied changes at the wetlands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in western China using aerial photos and satellite images, which showed that the wetlands on the plateau have shrunk more than 10 percent over the past four decades.

"The wetlands play a key role in containing water and adjusting the water volume of the rivers," researcher Wang Xugen said. "The shrinking of the wetland on the plateau is closely connected with global warming."

"The increased rainfall didn't lead to more water flow in the rivers because the evaporation was so fast as a result of global warming," Li Shijie, a researcher with the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology said. The institute is connected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as reported by Xinhua news and published by China Daily.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 10, 2007

Now its Counterfeit Bottled Water in China

Well we here have recently been concerned with tainted foods from China, and now the Beijing Times newspaper has reported that that more than half of the water coolers in Beijing use counterfeit branded water.

According to the report, the water is either tap water or purified water from small suppliers put into the water jugs and sealed with bogus quality standard marks.

Beijing's tap water is generally not safe to drink because of the city's aging pipes, and visitors to the capital see signs in luxury hotels that tell guests that the water has been treated and is safe to drink, though most Chinese consider it unsafe and do not drink it themselves.

The government agency that monitors food safety said the report was under investigation while down playing it. "Problems found with some individual cases cannot be interpreted to mean that the entire water industry has problems," Wu Jianping of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine told a news conference, as reported by the Associated Press.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 03, 2007

Proposal for Canal from Red Sea to Dead Sea

Jordan's Ministry of Water and Irrigation announced in an online news report that is being considered by 11 companies for offers on a proposed canal to run from the Red Sea to the the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea has exhibited rapid depletion in recent decades, as water from the Jordan River has been diverted for agriculture and other uses.

According to the report, a two-year study would examine the environmental and social consequences of bringing seawater from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea through a 300-km canal through the desert.

Construction of the canal is estimated take 25 years and cost US$ 1 billion, and will include a seawater desalination plant that will provide water for drinking and agriculture for the region, as reported by the KHL Group and published by International Construction.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 01:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 01, 2007

Newsweek Reports on Water Issues as well

Newsweek, in its June 4, 2007 addition, reports on the growing water crises, which apparently indicates that this is a hot topic for this month.

Here the report finds three "flashpoints, regions where the future of water is most worrisome." China, with its growing pollution problems, India, with the dysfunctional water distribution system, both of which we have written about here in the past, and a new one for this blog, the West Bank, suffering from a water shortage. It seems the Palestinian camps see Israelis water their laws across the border, while they are terribly short of drinking water, as reported by http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032542/site/newsweek/.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 30, 2007

U.S. News & World Report Features Water Issues

The most current issue of U.S News & World Report, June 4, 2007, features as its cover story, "Why You Should Worry About Water."

The article goes on to report on "How this diminishing resource will determine the future of where and how we live." It seems to me to that the detailed analysis is taken straight from this blog and echo many of the facts we have been reporting on here for the past few years. This is not so say that we do not appreciate this publication which no doubt will reach a greater audience than our blog, with information on what we both find to be of importance to the world.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 08:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 19, 2007

NJ water supplies are getting more polluted

The news that 70 percent of the New Jersey's waterways do not meet federal water-quality standards is extremely disheartening, considering that three years ago, the percentage was actually lower.

Now it does not sound good. Arsenic in the Hackensack River. Mercury in the Oradell Reservoir. PCBs, cyanide and dioxin in the Passaic River. Pathogens and phosphorus in the Wanaque Reservoir. Totally dissolved solids (dirt, sewage or chemical contaminants) in the Hohokus Brook.

In North Jersey, 17 rivers, brooks, lakes and reservoirs do not meet the federal clean water standard. The pollution of the state's waters comes from sewer plants, farm and garden fertilizers, pesticides, motor oil, gasoline, road salt and other chemicals. It comes from storm water and wastewater runoff. It comes from pet and livestock waste. It comes from the loss of wetlands and open space and the endless increase in development and sprawl.

Environmentalists warn repeatedly that North Jersey's love of development is hurting our water supply. They warn that sprawl -- with its landscaping and parking lots and traffic congestion -- is increasing the contaminated runoff that ends up in our streams and brooks. But development continues unabated, as reported by The Record.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 23, 2007

Rusty Pipes said to be the Biggest Threat to U.S. Drinking Water

According to Timothy Ford, a microbiologist and water research scientist with Montana State University, rusting water infrastructure is the biggest threat to the public drinking water supply in the U.S. As Ford said, "If you clean up water and then put it into a dirty pipe, there's not much point."

Before water ends up in your glass, it often passes though pipes laid under city streets 50 or a much as 100 years ago. These pipes were made of iron, until plastic was introduced 30 years ago.

"Investigations conducted in the last five years suggest that a substantial proportion of waterborne disease outbreaks, both microbial and chemical, is attributable to problems within distribution systems," the National Research Council said in a study for the Environmental Protection Agency released in December.

"We estimate in the next 20 to 30 years water utilities will have to invest $250 to $350 billion just to replace the pipes that are in the ground today," said Jack Hossbuhr, executive director of the American Water Works Association, the industry's trade group.

"We committed 100 years ago to build a reliable, low-cost, high-quality municipal drinking water systems. But there are no guarantees that will continue," said Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, a research group in Oakland, California, as reported by Reuters.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 03, 2006

Growing New York City Using Less Water

Despite having grown to a population of 8.2 million, up from 7.9 million in 1951, the city is now using 28 percent less water than it did in 1979.

In New York, the frenzy of development and renovation in recent decades has speeded the replacement of less efficient toilets and appliances, and the city distributes conservation kits to retrofit faucets in homes and apartments. Newer toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush instead of 5; new showerheads reduce the flow of water; and many washing machines use fewer than 20 gallons per load instead of more than 40, which saves money both on water and on the cost of heating it. Many restrooms have sinks with automatic shutoffs.

The city has also paid attention to its own plumbing, using sonar and other equipment to more efficiently find and fix leaks in its millions of feet of water mains. And it has installed sprinkler caps on fire hydrants during the summer, letting overheated kids cool off without torrents of gushing water.

"We think some of the new immigrants don't know the water is safe to drink and spend money on bottled water," said Emily Lloyd, the city's environmental protection commissioner. "We're going to all this trouble to make the water clean," she said. "I hope they're drinking it," as reported by the New York Times.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:47 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

May 24, 2006

Polluted waters endanger beachgoers.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC) said today, that it will sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for missing the congressionally mandated October 2005 deadline to revise outdated health standards for beachwater quality, thus leaving vulnerable the more than 180 million Americans who go to the shore every year to waterborne disease.

"A day at the beach should not turn into a night in the bathroom, or worse, in the hospital," said Nancy Stoner, director of NRDC's Clean Water Project and supervisor of the group's annual report on vacation beach water quality, which will come out later this summer. "There have been significant advances over the last two decades that we should be using to protect beachgoers. It shouldn't take the EPA 10 years to set new standards."

An estimated 7 million Americans are sickened by contaminated water, including recreational and drinking water, every year. Also, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is an upward trend in the number of waterborne diseases associated with recreational waters, as published by the NRDC Press, and reported by the Reuters News Service.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 22, 2006

Rains relieve water scarcity in South Africa

Rains finally came to the catchment areas of the main water supply dams in the Nelson Mandela Bay bringing needed relief to the critical water shortages in the area.

"This morning 40 cubic metres of water per second was flowing towards the Kouga dam and should reach it by later today - the first time in more than two years that an inflow of this strength will be recorded - and will bring about an increase of about 1.4 percent day in the level of the dam," the municipality's spokesperson Lourens Schoeman said.

The municipality noted that while the rain was welcomed, penetrating follow-up rains were still needed to raise the average level of the supply dams to around 60 percent, which would free residents from the water restrictions, as reported by BuaNews, and published by GCIS.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 09, 2006

Report Manganese in Madison Drinking Water

More than two years after manganese was first found in the Madison,WI's water supply, the Madison Water Utility is still fighting to control it and trying to maintain customer confidence.

"The quality of the water coming out of the tap almost all the time is way better than the water you pay large sums of money for off the shelf at the grocery store," said Water Utility Board Commissioner John Standridge.

Efforts are under way from building new wells and pulling up old pipes to flushing mains differently and testing home tap water.

"Although manganese is part of the normal diet, everybody needs a little manganese, too much in the wrong person can be toxic," said Standridge.

Utility managers said that they've been on top of the situation and even on the cutting edge of a water industry issue that has only surfaced in the past few years, as reported by Channel 3000 News, Madison.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 09:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 14, 2006

Somalian deaths over drinking water

In Rabdore, Somalia, during what the villagers call the "War of the Well", two clans battling over the water hole, have killed over 250 men over the past two years. Now, armed warlords control the well, during the region's relentless three-year drought.

The drought has affected an estimated 11 million people across East Africa, with the governments of Kenya and Ethiopia having to mediated dozens of conflicts over water in their countries, even sending in police and the army to quell disputes around wells.

Zlatan Milisic, the World Food Program's country director for Somalia said, "The effects here are worse than anywhere else because there's no government, there's no stability. To me, this is the most unstable place in the world that is currently suffering a drought", as reported by the Washington Post.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 01:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 03, 2006

Predicted water crises looming for the Prairies of Alberta

A new report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, released in Ottawa, has predicted an unprecedented water crisis for Canada's Prairies in the coming years due to declining river flows and growing water usage.

All the major Prairie rivers are fed by melting snow and ice in the Rockies, but the glaciers and snow pack have been receding due to climate warming.

"If the trends described above continue, the combination of climate warming, increases in human populations and industry, and historic drought is likely to bring an unprecedented water crisis in the Western Prairie Provinces," says the report.

According to researher David Schindler, "We really need comprehensive watershed planning but when I see how fast development and the loss of water flows are proceeding, I really wonder if we're going to get there on time," as reported by the Canadian Press, and published by globeandmail.com.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 13, 2006

New report says less is more in getting water to the poor

In a new report, Spreading the Water Wealth: Making Water Infrastructure Work for the Poor, released today by the International Rivers Network in Berkeley, CA, the conlusion is reached that the water needs of the world’s poorest people can be met by redirecting investments in water infrastructure to cheap, decentralized and environmentally sustainable technologies.

"Small–scale projects such as local rainwater harvesting structures, drip irrigation and pump technologies, and water–saving farming techniques can reduce poverty more effectively and at lower cost than the mega–projects that focus on cities, industry, and modern agriculture", says Patrick McCully, Executive Director of International Rivers Network.

McCully argues that the needs of the poor must be put front and center in water infrastructure strategies, and rebuts the main arguments for the mega–project approach, as reported and published by the International Rivers Network.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 04:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 23, 2006

Plan to send Missouri River water to Canada creating worry.

North Dakota plans to divert water from the Missouri River into a system that would take it over the border to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, the world's 10th largest freshwater lake and home to a commercial fishery.

North Dakota say that it faces severe drought within 50 years and needs to tap water from the Missouri, which normally flows into the Mississippi River and then on to the Gulf of Mexico.

"Our concern would be that brings a risk of harm to Manitoba with the potential movement of harmful, invasive species," Dwight Williamson of Manitoba Water Stewardship told Reuters in a recent interview.

Merri Mooridian, of the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District in North Dakota said, "We feel this alternative, with the proper treatment, will not harm the water", as reported by Reuters.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 07:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 15, 2006

Drinking water's future tied to global warming

A major factor in what may become the biggest challenge to meeting tomorrow's water needs is global climate changes, as considered in Santa Clara County,California.

In that area, rising tidal elevations due to global warming along with the posibility of a major earthquake or heavy seasonal flooding which threaten a catastrophic failure of the delta levee system, which holds about half the annual water supply, in the Santa Clara region.

As the Earth's atmosphere continues to warm, snowfall in the Sierra decreases year after year. Early melts produce unseasonable runoff that becomes less and less available for suplying to other places in the state, like Santa Clara County. That throws into doubt the availability of additional delta water to meet the county's future needs, as written by, Larry Wilson chairman of the Santa Clara Valley Water District board of directors, and published by The Mercury News.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 13, 2006

Aussies suggest a water savings Valentines Day

In Queensland, Australia, where potable water is at a premium, the suggestion has been made on how to save some on Valentines Day.

The suggestion comes from Water Minister Henry Palaszczuk whose idea is to save water by not buying traditional roses, which need to be watered, but instead to give a gift of a water saving shower rose.

Palaszczuk went on to say that the savings in water and water energy costs would be significant. He said, "the new shower rose will pay for itself as well as buy a bunch of flowers, chocolates and possibly a romantic dinner for two on St Valentine's Day next year with the money saved," as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 31, 2006

San Francisco spends millions on bottled water

In truly an embarressment, the city of San Francisco, which owns a pristine reservoir in the Sierra Nevada with a reputation for producing some of the country's best-tasting tap water, has spent more than two million dollars of taxpayers' money in the past 4 1/2 years on bottled water.

The mayor's office in City Hall, the Department of Public Health , the Municipal Railway, and the San Francisco International Airport are all among the public spenders on bottled water, with tap water readily available.

It is really ironic that the Public Utilities Commission, which performed a blind taste test on the street during National Drinking Water Week last May to convince people that tap water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park is at least as good as the stuff at the store, even spent funds on bottled water.

Jake McGoldrick, a member of the Board of Supervisors who does not have city-funded bottled water delivered to his City Hall office said, "People have come to assume that even though we have the best water in the entire U.S., they still need bottled water. It's become the chic thing," as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 25, 2006

Tennessee experts discuss water quality

John McFadden, director of science and restoration programs at the nonprofit Harpeth River Watershed Association, says the major threat to water quality in Middle Tennessee is the region's rapid development and the sediment it puts into rivers and streams.

David Draughon, director of the division of water supply at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, says that water utilities in Tennessee adjust factors such as pH and alkalinity to reduce the corrosiveness of water to minimize lead and that over time the lead in pipes leeches out to leave a protective lead-free layer.

Steve Patch, director of the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, suggests that homes contaminanted by lead should get water filters bearing the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) seal.

As for bottled water, Fred Guengerich, who directs the Center in Molecular Toxicology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center said, "It's actually tested less than the tap water is," as reported by the Robertson County Times.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 01:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 30, 2005

Bowling Green, OH features good tasting water

Gary Silverman, director of Bowling Green State University's environmental health program gave a blind taste test to 600 residents of Bowling Green,OH to determine their preference for bottled water, distilled water, or municipal tap water.

At the end of the six year study, the conclusion reached was that a majority preferred the city water. The results were a direct reflection of a new treatment process instituted in 1999, after complaints by residents about the taste and oder of city water.

The city water always was up to the EPA standard, but did not taste or smell good. The odor was caused by the decomposing products that had dissolved in the Maumee River, but Bowling Green has most certainly fixed the problem, as reported by BG News.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 22, 2005

With much progress, Camp Pendleton tap water is still not safe.

In addition to all the environmental problems at Camp Pendleton, the tap water has dangerously high levels of lead and copper.

"If you look at Camp Pendleton in terms of risks to people, it is one of the more seriously contaminated military sites in the country," said Lenny Siegel, executive director of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight, a watchdog group based in San Francisco.

Officials from the EPA, California Department of Toxic Substances Control and San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board are working with Camp Pendleton officials to fix the problems.

"They're not dragging their feet," said Martin Hausladen, an EPA project manager who monitors Camp Pendleton, as reported by The Union-Tribune.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 07:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 03, 2005

Thirty percent of Ontario's First Nations have bad water.

In Toronto, the Ministry of Natural Resources released data showing 37 of the 123 Ontario native reserves surveyed by Health Canada have boil-water advisories.

New Democrat Leader Howard Hampton said, "The federal government has guidelines, and that's part of the problem. It means aboriginal people in Ontario are being forced to accept a lower standard of water quality."

The report shows the Keewaywin reserve in northern Ontario, not far from the Manitoba boundary line, is under orders not to consume its tap water, which Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay said was likely because of uranium contamination, as reported by Keith Leslie of the Canadian Press and published in the National Post.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 01, 2005

An earthquake would devastate California's water system

Lester Snow, director of the California Department of Water Resourses, said today that a major Northern California earthquake could severely damage the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levee system and jeopardize the water supply for two-thirds of Californians for more than a year.

Snow told a joint hearing of three state Senate committees that a 6.5-magnitude earthquake could collapse 30 levees, flood 16 delta islands and damage 200 miles of additional levees. Some 3,000 homes and 85,000 acres of farmland would be flooded.

Moreover, ruptured levees also would allow salt water to rush in to the river system, causing an immediate shutdown of the pumps that send water south to San Joaquin Valley farmers and Southern California water districts. Cities would have to use alternative water sources and resort to rationing, according to Snow.

State senators Michael Machado, D-Linden, and Tom Torlakson, D-Antio, stated that despite the warnings, there is not enough money for significant levee improvements abd that State tax bonds would be needed to make the necessary preventive repairs, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by the San Jose Mercury News.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 09:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 31, 2005

China's drinking water problems are critical

Yesterday, in Beijing, the first International Conference for China Urban Water Development Strategies closed.

The Vice-Minister of Construction, Qiu Baoxing said that the country is "facing a water crisis more severe and urgent than any other country in the world." He went on to say,"We must take precautionary measures before the urban water ecosystem collapses."

Qian Yi, professor of environmental engineering from Tsinghua University and Chinese Academy of Engineering, said China's water crisis consists of two problems: the shortage of water resources and the pollution of water, as reported by Guan Xiaofeng, for China Daily.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 25, 2005

Plumbing contractor agrees, tap water is best value

Dave Yates, a plumbing contractor, who apparently writes a column called "Yates on Plumbing", for Contractor Magazine, has most recently sounded off on bottled water.

His correct claim is that bottled water sells for the eqivalent of $12.00 a gallon, while tap water, which most bottled water starts out as, cost fractions of a penny per gallon.

All this, Yates goes on to say, while the public complains about $3.00 a gallon gasoline.

He also reminds us of the pollution created by the disposing of the plastic water bottles, which is estimated to take 1,000 years for to biodegrade.

Yates go on to say that many communities which are home to bottle water plants are having their own natural supplies of drinking water depleted by the industry, as reported by David Yates for Contractor Magazine.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 11, 2005

Rockford, IL debates spending for quality water

My suggestion is that money spent to improve water quality, is money well spent.

In Rockford,IL the town seems to be split on whether or not they should have increased water bills, simply to improve the water quality.

The water in the City tastes poorly, smells, and looks rusty due to high amount of iron and manganese, for which chlorine and fluoride is added to the water.

Also, water pressure in the City is not uniform throughout it.

Yet another reason for spending the $75 million it will take, is that the radium values in the present City water is higher than the EPA standard and must be reduced no later than 2009.

While the residents are spit on the issue, the City Aldermen have voiced their support of the improvement in the water system. Some have mentioned that it is a quality of life issue, which now reflect badly on all that is positive about Rockford, as reported by the Rockford Register Star.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 12:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 20, 2005

Email rumours spook residents using tap water

In Johannesburg, South Africa, a rumour started by a series of emails, caused a turmoil as they falsely claimed that the city's water was contaminated with typhoid.

Johannesburg Water had to put up with consistent queries, after the emails coincided with the deaths of four people of typhoid in Delmas, Mpumalanga.

Jameel Chand of Johannesburg Water as well as Yolisa Tyantsi of Rand Water said the rumours were nonsense.

Chand said it was a mean act to frighten people. "The e-mails were cleverly used to cover up the original sender, but our IT-department is tracing the person," as reported by News 24.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 08, 2005

Water Filtration and Smirnoff Vodka

I have always said there is no undrinkable water, only water that requires filtration.

Today, Michelin-starred top chef Martin Wishart tasted filtered water from the Lieth River in Scotland, using the same filtration used to produce world famous Smirnoff Vodka.

Mr.Wishart said he was pleasantly surprised by the results. "It is quite similar to a good bottled water."

Helen Brown, of the Water of Leith Conservation Trust, said: "The perception is that the Water of Leith is a dirty old river, but the water is actually of good quality."

She went on to say "It gives us the opportunity to say actually the Water of Leith is not a polluted environment, and that with a small filtration process, we can drink it," as reported in The Scotsman.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 30, 2005

Drinking Water Information From San Diego, CA

Paula Story, a freelance writer from the San Diego, CA area, has written a very informative article on drinking water, our need for it, be it filtered, tap, or bottled.

For most San Diegans, water right out of the tap is perfectly safe to drink and not much different from a lot of bottled water or the water you get from vending machines outside your local grocery, said city of San Diego water quality superintendent John Chaffin.

Chaffin said San Diego tap water, at about a penny a gallon, is much more economical than the quarter-a-gallon vending machines that simply filter tap water

The article goes on to say that most bottled water is basically the same as tap water: some of it has additional filtering; some of it comes direct from a city source.

As for water filters and changing the cartridges, Chaffin said, "We have people tell us 'there's all this stuff growing in my filter" "That's not a good thing. If you have it, you have to maintain it, just like changing the oil in your car," as reported in the Union-Tribune.

We agree, though our maintenance free water filters eliminate the need for changing cartridges and all of our filters that require cartridge changing have indicators to remove any guess work on when it is required.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 23, 2005

Bottled water is money down the drain

Though there have been major improvements in the nation's drinking water, bottled water sales, representing high cost and in many cases questionable quality, have tripled in the last decade.
This inspite the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), reports that more than 90 percent of water systems in the country exceed its water quality standards.

"It is definitely safe for you to turn on the tap," says Jack Hoffbuhr, executive director of the non-profit American Water Works Association, which represents 57,000 water industry workers from treatment plant operators to regulators.

While some traces of contaminants may remain, as long as they occur within the limits of EPA standards, they pose no significant health threats, according to the NRDC.

The bottom line, says Ian Barbour, general manager of Dow Liquid Separations, which manufactures water treatment products: "Safety shouldn't be the driving force behind choosing bottled water over tap water." And when it comes to cost and convenience, nothing beats the tap, as reported by Newsweek.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 16, 2005

New study shows public water chemicals may not threaten pregnancy

A new study conducted by the University of North Carolina School of Public Health in Chapel Hill, NC, has released information concluding that tap water presents very little if any threat to pregnant women. This conclusion contradicts other reseach that has suggested that certain chemical byproducts in tap water raise a woman's risk of miscarriage.

The chemicals in question are byproducts of the chlorination process used to kill disease-causing pathogens in the drinking-water supply. Some of these byproducts, including a group of chemicals called trihalomethanes, have been shown to cause cancer and reproductive problems in lab animals exposed to high doses.

A report on the study was published online by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation, an international, nonprofit research organization that partially financed the study. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also provided funding, as reported by Reuters Health.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 09:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 15, 2005

Northern Ireland with algae contamination in water pipes

About 14,000 residents of South Armagh have been left without drinking water do to water mains contaminated with aglae.

The Water Service has said the problem is caused by a high level of algae from Lough Ross, which supplies the area, which builds up in the warm weather.

The Water Service also has said the water is given full treatment at the water treatment works and, based on water samples taken and analyzed, is safe to drink.

Newry and Armagh MP Conor Murphy said: "The reality is that despite the fact that Water Service state that the water is safe, the water is undrinkable.

"It is a gross colour and has a strong obnoxious smell and no right thinking person would attempt to drink it," as reported by the Belfast Telegraph.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 09, 2005

Arsenic and Tumors Linked by Research

Research by the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (pictured) have shown that environmental arsenic in drinking water can stimulate the growth of cancerous tumors and cause them to spread faster.

The study is meaningful for residents of central Oklahoma, which has some of the highest arsenic levels in drinking water in the nation.

Michael Ihnat, an assistant professor of cell biology who headed the research team, said "What we can say pretty definitely is that if you have a pre-existing tumor, and you're drinking water with arsenic in it, it could very well increase the growth of that tumor".

Ihnat said there is little central Oklahoma residents can do to avoid arsenic-tainted water other than buying bottled water. "None of the standard filters filter arsenic to any great degree because it's an element, an ion," Ihnat said. "It's very hard to get out", as reported by the Associated Press, and published by New York Newsday.

While I respect Ihnat's research, he is not familiar with the NSF certified, carbon block arsenic water filters available on this site.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 09:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 08, 2005

In California, Latinos' Fear Public Water

Public water agencies and environmental resource advocacy groups have found that many Latinos dislike and fear tap water more than most people.

A Public Policy Institute of California environmental survey in 2002 of 2,029 Californians found that 55 percent of Latinos said they don't drink tap water. That's far more than the 39 percent figure for all adults.

A survey conducted by the San Diego County Water Authority in 2003 found that Latino families drink more bottled and less tap water specifically because they harbor unfounded fears of its quality and safety.

Such fears have resulted bottled and vending machine water companies targeting Latinos, as well as unscrupulous water filter vendors, charging outrageous prices, as reported in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 08:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 03, 2005

Where the water flows, so does contamination

Beautiful Sauk Prairie, WI, Grubers Grove Bay, to be more exact, is home to the Badger Army Ammunition Plant, which may or may not be responsible for drinking water contamination in the area.

It all depends upon which way the groundwater flows and the source of the contamination, and trying to find the answer has been going on for quite a while.

At the July 28 groundwater meeting, Laura Olah, executive director of Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger said it is inappropriate to discontinue testing of all wells because of the unknowns, and she also wants an enforceable timeline so the people will know how long the investigation will go on.

Meanwhile, until answers can be found, Doug Rubingh, engineer with Shaw Environmental & Infrastructures, Inc. said something must be done

"People don't want more studies," he said. "They want action," as reported by The Suak Prairie Eagle.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 29, 2005

Perchlorate contamination found in drinking wells

Percolate, an ingredient in rocket fuel has found its way, in small quantities, into wells in Simi Valley, CA.

The Southern California Water Co. initially discovered perchlorate in the two wells last August, but just released the information this Wednesday.

Quarterly tests have turned up perchlorate levels in the wells of 1 to 3.3 parts per billion - below the state's allowed limit of 6 parts per billion. The findings furthered speculation that the fuel spread from the nearby Santa Susana Rocketdyne Field Lab.

The Boeing Co., which owns the Rocketdyne field lab, of course has disputed such contentions

Officials from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board said they'll monitor water well test results but, because of the low levels of contamination, won't try to determine the pollution source.

The Southern California Water Co. blends imported water into Simi Valley's groundwater to ensure that it's safe to drink, as reported by the Associated Press, and published in The Mercury News.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 15, 2005

Cavendish, VT reports high iron and manganese levels in drinking water

Parents of Cavendish,VT school children have expressed concerns about the drinking water in the local elementary school, after reports that elevated levels of manganese could have health implications.

While bottled water was found to be too expensive, School Board Chairman Mike Cerevole said Town Manager Richard Svec, who is also the public health officer for Cavendish, provided the board with an update on filtration studies.

Cavendish is one of many towns in Vermont dealing with high iron and manganese levels in drinking and wash water.

Filtration has proved successful in many of these Vermont towns.

Manganese was placed on EPA's contaminant candidate list in 2000. EPA scientists studied the health risks of high concentrations of manganese in drinking water for three years, as reported in the Rutland Herald.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 11, 2005

Water is Water Except for the Taste

There is a reason to filter your municipal water. Consumer Confidence Reports, which have been mailed out the last few weeks, all say the same thing: the vast majority of Illinois' public water supplies, including those in Central Illinois, are safe for drinking straight out of the tap.

Where water comes from and how it is treated contribute directly to the different characteristics in smell, taste and appearance that vary from community to community.

"We ensure the public water supplies are safe," said David McMillan, a section manager in the public water supply division for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. "What we don't have is the jurisdiction to make people put out pleasant-tasting water.

Each source has its advantages and disadvantages, said Steve Gerdes, Normal's water director, as reported in The Pentagraph.

An inexpensive KDF based water filter will make all municipal water taste better than bottled water, and be safer too.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 06, 2005

Bottled Water in Pakistan Proves Worse Than Tap

Is has been found that much of the bottled water sold to unsuspecting consumers in Pakistan is of dangerous purity, taking advantage of a need for potable water.

The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has pointed out that more than 50 per cent of the bottled water brands sold in Pakistan are unsafe for human consumption due to poor chemical or microbiological quality.

UNESCO says "Bottled waters should not be considered a sustainable alternative to tap water. Clean water is a basic right. Protecting our rivers, streams and wetlands will help ensure that tap water remains a public service which delivers good quality drinking water for everyone at a fair price," as reported in the Daily Times.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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 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 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 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 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.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 08:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 20, 2005

System changes hog waste into clean water

Don Lloyd,of Ayden, NC, has developed a system that purports to purify the kind of putrid, waste-filled water currently dumped into so-called hog lagoons across North Carolina.

The pilot system developed by Lloyd at Little Creek Hog Farms cleans out three hog houses four times a day, churning out potable water within six hours that is recycled again to water the hogs. The solid waste strained from the water is mixed with high-carbon cotton plant remnants to make compost.

The $150,000 system developed with help from a state environmental grant is completely closed, with pipes running from flushing tanks through the houses and into purifying tanks.

Environmentalists with Sustainable North Carolina partnered with hog farmers on the project an unlikely coalition, and cheered the notion of an inexpensive way of eradicating the hog waste lagoons.

The system has met the program's environmental requirement, and may cost 40 percent less to operate than a hog lagoon, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by Business Week Online.

I always said, there is no bad water, just unfiltered water.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 16, 2005

Super-oxygenated Water is Disinfectant

Microcyn, a form of super-oxygenated water is claimed to be as effective a disinfectant as chlorine bleach, but is harmless to people, animals and plants. If accidentally ingested by a child, the likely impact is a bad case of clean teeth.

Developed by Oculus Innovative Sciences in Petaluma,CA ,they figured out how to use two simple materials -- water and salt -- to create a solution that wipes out single-celled organisms, and which appears to speed healing of burns, wounds and diabetic ulcers.

The solution looks, smells and tastes like water, but carries an ion imbalance that makes short work of bacteria, viruses and even hard-to-kill spores, as reported on wired.com

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 27, 2005

More desalting sea water will help California cope with growth

With another 20 million Californians expected by 2050, a state water official said changing sea water into tap water must play a more significant role to make sure there's enough drinking water for the burgeoning population.

"We're living on finite water resources. I don't know where we're going to get that. To me, desalination in all its forms is going to have to play a much larger role," Pete Silva, vice chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, told scientists this past Monday, as reported by the Associated Press from information in The Press-Enterprise.

Silva, speaking at the International Salinity Forum at the Riverside Convention Center, said the four desalting plants currently on the state's 1,110 miles of coastline are producing an insignificant amount of water.

More desalination plants are needed, but there's a significant challenge where to put the leftover salt, he said.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 07, 2005

Iland's Water Raises Fertility Rates

Block Island, RI, apparently is experiencing a baby boom and the culprit seems to be the municipal water system.

With three babies born in three days last month, and at least another 10 expected this year,the year-round population of the Island will grow by more than 10 percent this year, according to the Block Island News.

Scientists have isolated a naturally occurring compound, called diestroglycerin calcate, which alters the hormones that tell the ovaries of a woman when to release eggs, according to A. F. Uhles, a researcher with University of Health Sciences of Stockholm, Sweden, who co-authored the study along with a graduate team at the Massachusetts Institute of Reproduction and Nutrition.

Very rare, and otherwise harmless, the compound has been found in just four municipal systems: Red Lodge, Mont.; Nederland, Colo.; Portland, Maine; and Block Island.

Beth Weaver and Heather Champlin (pictured) are two Block Island women who both were pleasantly surprised by the fertility boost.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 05, 2005

Washington governor comments on expected drought

Washington State's Gov. Christine Gregoire, at the state capital in Olympia (pictured), has called on citizens to curtail their water use, asked the Legislature for $12 million and is preparing for a record fire season.

The governor also urged development of new water storage projects as a longer-term fix to the dry weather that keeps recurring in Washington.

Gregoire called on all citizens, including those on the greener, wetter side of the Cascades, to curtail their water use, as reported by U.S. Water News.

The governor asked lawmakers to create a $12 million drought response fund, to buy water, improve wells and finance various water-supply projects. It also includes $2 million for state agencies to expedite drought-related permits and assistance programs.

Precipitation is at or near record lows across Washington, and mountain snowpack averages are running 26 percent of normal. Many rivers are at or near record lows for this time of year.

Meteorologists blame a weak El Nino, which has brought unusually mild weather to the region.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 09:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 01, 2005

Late Snows To Relieve Summer Water Fears

The Sierra Nevada mountains are blanketed with a third more snow than normal thanks to late winter storms.

"What's encouraging is the northern Sierra, except for the very far north, is starting to get decent coverage after lagging (southern California) all season," said state Department of Water Resources Snow Survey Chief Frank Gehrke as he headed out today to take snow measurements south of Lake Tahoe. "It tapers off as you go north. I think it's probably too little, too late for the Northwest; Oregon and Washington."

California gets more than a third of its drinking and irrigation water from Sierra snow, while snow-fed hydroelectric plants produce about a quarter of the state's power, as reported by the Associated Press and published in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 04:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 30, 2005

Polluted wells in Muskegon, MI to get relief.

The state of Michigan will spend $1.3 million to extend municipal water to the Green Ridge subdivision in Laketon Township, where pollution from a nearby oil field has contaminated several residential drinking water wells.

The Green Ridge project was one of 47 environmental cleanup projects across Michigan that are intended to create new jobs and boost the state's sluggish economy. Gov. Jennifer Granholm today awarded nearly $38 million in special funding for the work.

Muskegon County will receive $2.4 million for pollution cleanup work. In addition to extending municipal water to the Green Ridge subdivision, the state will spend $500,000 to investigate groundwater contamination in the Broton Road area in Egelston Township and $600,000 to continue operating an existing groundwater treatment system at the Ott/Story/Cordova Superfund site in Dalton Township.

The Laketon Oil Field, which is suspected of fouling residential wells in the Green Ridge subdivision, has a history of oil and brine spills, according to state records.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 29, 2005

EPA: Well water should be tested annually

Unlike public water supplies, private wells are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. That means it is the responsibility of the homeowner to have their well water tested annually for contamination, the EPA says.

Wells can be contaminated by human activities, like improper waste disposal, road salting, fuel spills and the application of fertilizers and pesticides. Because well water contains rain and snow that filters into the ground, naturally occurring contaminants found in rocks and soils, like bacteria, radon, arsenic and uranium can also find their way into private water supplies.

Nationwide, about 15 percent of Americans, or about 44 million people, rely on private drinking water supplies, according to the EPA, as reported in the Daily News Tribune.

The EPA recommends testing private wells every year for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH level, and other contaminants if they are suspected.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 28, 2005

The Govenor Of Oregon Weighs In on Drought

With Oregon irrigation reservoirs at 50 percent of normal and snowpack even less, Gov. Ted Kulongoski announced measures he hopes will lessen the threat to farmers and fire-prone forests from one of the driest winters on record.

The dry spell "has serious implications for the state's economy as our summer months are critical to agriculture, fishing and recreation," Kulongoski said at a news conference in Salem, as reported by U.S. Water News.

The governor said he will consider whether to declare a statewide drought emergency next week after getting a recommendation from the state Drought Council, a technical panel.

The governor urged the public to take steps to conserve water, even such small ones as planting spring flowers that don't need a lot of water and washing cars less often.

Pictured, the State Capital of Oregon.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 22, 2005

Designer Tap Water for Parisians

No less than fashion designer Pierre Cardin has created a designer water decanter for the municipal water company, Eau de Paris.

BBC News reported that this marketing idea came about due to a recent poll which revealed that 51% of Parisians drink bottled water. According to Franck Madureira of Eau de Paris, "It's all about giving Paris water an image and explaining why it is good for you."

Eau de Paris, which distributed the carafes in front of the Hotel de Ville today to mark World Water Day, claims its mineral and sanitary quality is just as good as that of any bottled water.

No surprise to us at watersecrets.com

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 04:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 21, 2005

NASA Technology to Help with Potable Water Shortages

As reported by the Associated Press, and published by the San Jose Mercury News, NASA has been looking at how do you quench someone's thirst when there is plenty of water, but not a drop of it is drinkable, for a long time. It appears now, villagers in Iraq and tsunami victims in Asia will get a taste of their answer as early as this fall - before any astronaut in space does.

The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has been testing a device intended for the space station that would recycle astronauts' sweat, respiration and even urine into drinking water purer than any found in a tap.

"They just breathe and exercise, urinate into the urinal and our system handles the rest," said Robyn Carrasquillo, chief of the environmental control and life support division at Marshall.

Reno, Nev.-based investment firm Crestridge and the charity Concern for Kids are developing the systems for humanitarian purposes in nations lacking a reliable water supply, starting with Iraq and countries in southeast Asia.

Rocket scientists trying to sustain life in space and humanitarians trying to increase the quality of life in third world countries kept running into the same problem - a lack of clean but affordable drinking water.

Sounds like NASA have come up with a high tech solution.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 17, 2005

Peace in Angola But No Potable Water

According to a report by Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), part of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Luanda, the capital of Angola is a city built for half a million people is today home to more than four million, most of them sardined into ramshackle shantytowns perched precariously on top of rubbish heaps.

While there has been peace in Angola since April 2002, the fact remains that there is little formal employment and few other opportunities to earn a living in the countryside, so most Luanda residents have decided to stay put, despite the poor conditions.

Many of the capital's wealthy Angolans and expatriate businessmen and their families can afford generators and bottled water, but the vast majority of people struggle along with little access to basic services like water and sanitation, while health and education border on being luxuries.

The UN Children's Fund estimates that half Angola's 13 million people do not have access to clean, safe drinking water, and Luandans say although there are a host of other problems, the lack of water is their number one concern.

Clean drinkng water has become more expensive than motor oil.
A trend?

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 07:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 16, 2005

Back to Nature for Potable Water

Well it would take no other than Mother Earth News to publish "Harvest the Rain", an article they adapted from Evironmental Building News, which suggests that rainwater is the purest and cheapest source of potable water that exists.

"All water is rainwater," rainwater systems enthusiast and author Richard Heinichen is fond of saying. And indeed, he's right: All our water, whether sucked from an aquifer, river or well, or harvested from a rooftop, once was cloud-borne.

Captured before it hits the ground, rainwater is free of many pollutants that plague surface and underground water supplies and, according to the Texas Water Development Board, "almost always exceeds [the quality] of ground or surface water."

Well all of this is true, and certainly if we all are concerned about our water supply, collecting rainwater for drinking, or for all uses besides drinking is a logical environmentally smart way to conserve other water sources

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 24, 2005

National Water Infrastructure Security Probed in New Study

As published by the Water Quality and Health Council, a new report released by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) states that the nation's water supply and water quality infrastructure remains vulnerable to terrorism. In the wake of the Sept. 2001 terrorist attacks, Congress and other policymakers are considering a number of options in this area.

According to the report, a relatively small number of large drinking water and wastewater utilities (15 percent of all systems) are located in primarily urban areas and provide water services to more than 75 percent of the U.S. population.

Efforts to develop voluntary protocols have been ongoing since the terrorist attacks, but have failed to produce a solution, the CRS report found.

There is no doubt that our water systems do need some manner of protection from terrorist attack.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 14, 2005

Phoenix Water Problems Case of Passing the Buck

Well it turns out both The Arizona Republic and I got it wrong when I published "Phoenix's Water Crisis Ended" on January 26th. The bad water in Phoenix was blamed by the city's Water Services Department on bad weather.

It turns out, as now reported once again in The Arizona Republic, from its own investigation that shows that the chaos surrounding the water scare was indicative of deeper, more pervasive problems that have plagued the city's Water Services Department for more than a decade. The investigation uncovered documents indicating an agency that chronically violated state and federal water laws.

Moreover, the Department also hid problems with the water system and lied about them to the city's top officials and state and federal regulators since 1988.

This is truly a passing of the buck to weather problems when systemic mishandling of the water system has been to blame for years.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 10, 2005

Washington's Water Supply in Trouble

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington State is facing major shortage of water this summer due record warm temperatures resulting in closed less than snowy mountains, and in many communities, unusually low rain fall levels.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service reported this week that the state's snow pack remains dismal, with little hope of improving.
Warm temperatures and near-record low snowfall have combined to "rob Washington's snow pack of its liquid assets," said Scott Pattee, water supply specialist for the agency.

Pattee and others are cautious about predicting a drought year.

The legal definition of draught is when there is less than 75 percent of a normal water supply, including snow pack, stream flows and ground water, and when hardships result from the low water conditions.

The state Department of Ecology called together its Water Supply Availability Committee for a joint meeting with the governor's Water Emergency Committee early last week. Ecology spokesman Curt Hart said, "The conclusion we came to is, it's still too early to tell. We're still in the middle of winter."

Sounds like a serious global warming problem to me.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 12, 2005

Study: Bottled Water No Safer Than Tap Water

ABC News, reporting on a study commissioned by the Switzerland-based World Wildlife Fund International says, that bottled water may be no safer than tap water, because of the absence of standards regulating bottled water.

There are far more regulations covering tap water in the US and Europe as compared to the bottled water industry.

The report also notes that the $22-billion-a-year bottled water industry uses 1.5 million tons of plastic annually to package water. The manufacture and disposal of plastic causes toxic chemicals to be released into the environment.

Furthermore, the group worries about release of carbon dioxide, a major threat to the ozone, from the transportation of bottled water.

This certainly is no news to me, or any of the visitors to this site.

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 04:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 28, 2004

Greater Drinking Water Problems in China

A published report today from Suzhou, China, "300 mln people drinking unsafe water" says that some 300 million people, primarly in rural areas, are drinking unsafe water, despite the government of the Peoples Republic of China dedicating a lot of money to the problem.
Wang Shucheng, minister of Water Resources blamed the poor drinking water on polluted rivers and lakes in China. "To safeguard drinking water safety is the top priority of Chinese government's efforts to protect water resources, Wang said." All I can say is their problems with drinking water sound much worse than here in the U.S.
--------

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 23, 2004

Good News! State water ban lifted.

If you check out my December 16th blog, "A time for filtering water?", I wrote about the contaminents found in the drinking water in several Massachusetts communities. Well good news for one of them today. "State water ban lifted: No trace of perchlorate found" has said the drinking water in Tewksbury is clean. It gives me no greater joy than to publish this news, as a partial retraction of my previous blog.
--------

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 20, 2004

Very Scary

I found this on the web: "Environmental Health Issues Water Cancer & Chlorine". This article, contains statements by several doctors that all agree that there is a link between drinking chlorinated water, as supplied by most municipal systems in the U.S. and cancer and other maladies.

Now as you know, removing the chlorine from your drinking water is simple. Any of our maintenance free water filters can do that cheaply and easily. I am no alarmest, but this is a very troubling piece of research.
--------

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 13, 2004

A Piece of Good Water News for a Change

It seems that the government of Ontario, Canada, has taken step to beef up the laws protecting its water supply. "New rules to protect Ontario's water"says that these are "tough new rules on those who take water from the ground and is taking stronger measures to protect watershed-based sources." Nice to write here about a government that cares about their environment and puts it funds towards protecting it.
--------

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 10, 2004

Water, Water, Everywhere

Go to the site Nestle Water North America. The brands posted there, and the sources of the water quoted simply boggle the mind. Under U.S. Brands, Arrowhead, Calistoga, Deer Park, Great Bear, Ice Mountain, Ozar, Poland Spring, and Zephyrhills. Imported brands Aberfoyle, Acqua Panna, Perrier, S.Pellegrino, and Vittel. While all these brands date back a long time ago, The Nestle Company wants you the consumer to believe that the source for them has remained the same. As I have written here in the past, Poland Spring for one, and it follows for all, with their massive distribution, have multiple sourcing for their product which is never revealed. If they did reaveal it for all these brands there would sure be lots of embarrassment I am sure.
--------

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 08:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 04, 2004

Bottled Water According to Canada

The Food Directorate is part of a national food safety system that involves Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and provinces, territories and municipalities. They have compiled a listing of questions and answers concering bottled water sold in Canada. As no surprise to me, the matter of bacteria in bottle water was discussed. The answer, according to the article is "Bacteria are found in most bottled waters sold for drinking purposes." Nice to know that in Canada, they are honest with their consumers, and admit what we in the U.S. sometimes fail to.
--------

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 01, 2004

CNN and Water Filters

Well it seems CNN first says water filters add lead content to waters, but then in the same article states it is the brass fittings on some faucets. Some home water filters may make lead problem worse. Well it is nice to know that many of our filters reduce lead content in water, and as they are counter top in nature, they deliver drinking water immediately after they have filtered it. At least CNN said some water filters, not all. So, instead of touting toxic water filters, they should be touting toxic pumbing.
--------

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 29, 2004

Arsenic

Some people in my own community of Gold Beach, OR told me that arsenic is a real problem in this state, so I am addressing that problem with the only carbon block filter that is certified by NSF to eliminate arsenic, while it improves the taste and odor of the water. It is kind of expensive, but if arsenic is their problem, this sure is the best way to fix it.

I hope all of you who visit here and have some thoughts about this site, water filtration, or want to tell us of your success with one of our products, will use the Contact Us section of this web site to write us. --------

Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack