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EPA sued over fertilizer runoff standards
Environmental groups have sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hoping to force stricter regulation of water pollution in Florida and nationally. The federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Tallahassee claims the agency is violating the Clean Water Act by not setting standards for fertilizer runoff and other farm waste in Florida's waterways. Earthjustice attorney David Guest says he hopes a favorable ruling will force the EPA to set national standards. Guest is representing the plaintiffs. The groups say rain washes the runoff into rivers and lakes, contaminating waterways and nourishing algae blooms that poison the ecosystems. The EPA says it will review the lawsuit. Florida says the state is still studying ways to set such limits. AP_7/17/08
Scientists: $200M loss from Great Lakes invasives
Close the St. Lawrence Seaway?
Foreign species that slipped into the Great Lakes in ballast tanks of oceangoing cargo ships cost the regional economy at least $200 million a year, according to a University of Notre Dame study released Wednesday, July 16. A separate report issued by the National Research Council rejects calls to stem the species invasion by closing the St. Lawrence Seaway or declaring it off-limits to oceangoing freighters. Instead, the U.S. and Canada should work together to make sure that saltwater ships exchange their ballast water _ or rinse their tanks if empty _ while still at sea, the council's report said. Both reports come as environmentalists are prodding the U.S. Senate to approve a bill ordering ships to install systems for killing invasive fish, mussels and other critters that can disrupt the Great Lakes' ecosystem. The measure has cleared the House but supporters say its prospects will be dim unless the Senate acts before its August recess. Sport fishing has taken the biggest hit: $123.5 million in 2006, the year on which the data are based, the report said. Participation is 11 to 35 percent lower on the lakes than it would have been if fish populations hadn't fallen because of the invasive species. Other damaged sectors of the economy include wildlife viewing ($47.6 million loss); raw water use by municipalities, power plants and industry ($27 million); and commercial fishing ($2.1 million). FoxNews_7/17/08
EPA proposes first-ever rule to capture carbon and keep drinking water safe
Federal environmental officials have proposed a new rule to help curb greenhouse gas emissions and safeguard underground drinking water resources. The federal rule, if adopted, would establish the first national guidelines for safely storing carbon dioxide in underground injection wells. Injection wells are used to place fluids, like wastewater, into porous rock formations, such as limestone or sandstone, deep beneath the earth’s surface. They are located both onshore and offshore across the country, according to the EPA, and include depleted oil and gas fields and unmineable coal seams. Geologic sequestration, or the long-term underground storage of carbon dioxide captured from air polluters, such as coal-burning power plants, is part of a process known as “carbon capture and storage.” Typically, carbon dioxide emissions, produced by combustion of fossil fuels at industrial facilities, are captured as a gas and converted to a “supercritical” fluid. It is then moved by pipeline to an injection well, where it is stored. The EPA rulemaking would fall under the jurisdiction of the Underground Injection Control Program, part of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The law’s purpose is to protect underground drinking water aquifers from potential carbon dioxide leakage and contamination. Carbon dioxide is not toxic or radioactive, said Ben Grumbles, EPA assistant administrator, but large quantities of injected carbon stored in wells under high pressure could cause the gas to migrate into underground water sources, possibly contaminating them with harmful pollutants, such as aresenic and lead. The proposed rule would protect underground sources of drinking water by creating a sixth type of injection well, specifically for carbon storage. The new category would require the construction of wells, according to Enesta Jones, EPA spokeswoman, but it would be possible to convert some pre-existing wells for carbon storage purposes. In addition, the EPA would require evaluation, monitoring and testing of injection well sites and ground water. Medill Reports_7/16/08
White House rejects conclusion that global warming is a threat to public welfare
It launched a comment period that will delay action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at least until the next president takes office. The Environmental Protection Agency published a 588-page examination of the issues surrounding greenhouse gases but refused to adopt its staff's finding that such gases could cause disastrous flooding and drought and affect food and water supplies. Environmentalists angrily denounced the White House for what they said was political interference with government experts' proposed rules. An EPA official who worked on the rejected reports said Friday's announcement was unprecedented because agency staffers did not have a chance to respond to other agencies' criticism. Los Angeles Times_ 7/12/08 (logon required)
download the report .pdf
U.S. faces era of water scarcity
Researchers warn that the U.S. is entering a new era of water scarcity. A GAO report from 2003 projected that 36 states could face water shortages by 2013. Five years sooner than forecast, the report has proved disturbingly prophetic. Scientists and resource specialists say freshwater scarcity, even in unexpected places, threatens farm productivity, limits growth, increases business expenses, and drains local treasuries. "I truly believe we're moving into an era of water scarcity throughout the United States," said Peter Gleick, science advisor to Circle of Blue and president of the Pacific Institute, a think tank specializing in water issues based in Oakland, California. "That by itself is going to force us to adopt more efficient management techniques." CircleOfBlue/CSRwire_ 7/9/08
In a changing climate, cities worsen water quality
A new study of more than 1000 Maryland streams finds that as climate patterns change, urban sprawl can pollute water with more nitrate than previously thought. A new study published in Environmental Science & Technology finds that urban areas become a bigger source of nitrogen pollution to water when rainfall patterns are more variable. This concerns scientists who are struggling to clean up water, because global warming is expected to cause exactly the kind of weather extremes that could make the problem worse: dry spells followed by intense rain. In 2003, the Chesapeake Bay saw both high rainfall and record-setting hypoxia (low-oxygen conditions linked to excess nitrogen that create lifeless dead zones), says biogeochemist and study coauthor Sujay Kaushal of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). These conditions spurred researchers to ask whether local streams were flushing more nitrate into the Bay than before and whether booming land use by humans in the region played a role. The research is part of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, a long-term project funded by the National Science Foundation. The Chesapeake Bay is not alone, says Nancy Grimm, an ecologist studying urban and desert streams in central Arizona. Environmental Science & Technology/American Chemical Society_ 7/8/08
EPA document undermines enforcement of Clean Water Act
An official administration guidance document on wetlands policy is undermining enforcement of the Clean Water Act, said a March 4 memo written by the Environmental Protection Agency's chief enforcement officer. The memo by Granta Y. Nakayama, EPA's assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance, was obtained by the advocacy group Greenpeace and released yesterday by two House Democratic committee chairmen. It highlights the confusion that has afflicted federal wetlands protections since the 2006 Supreme Court decision known asRapanos v. United States. EPA's assistant administrator for water, Nakayama and his staff concluded that between July 2006 and December 2007, EPA's regional offices had decided not to pursue potential Clean Water Act violations in 304 cases "because of jurisdictional uncertainty." The administration's guidance instructs federal officials to focus on the "relevant reach" of a tributary, which translates into a single segment of a stream. In the memo, Nakayama argued that this definition "isolates the small tributary" and "ignores longstanding scientific ecosystem and watershed protection principles critical to meeting the goals" of the Clean Water Act. Washington Post_ 7/8/08
State regulators told the Eagle Water Co. to start water service to 74 homes at the Floating Feather Mobile Home Park in southwest Idaho by July 18. If the company declines, regulators said, residents at the park may request service from United Water of Idaho. AP/Argus Observer_ 7/6/08
A new Earth Systems Science Agency proposed
In an article published today in the journal Science, a group of former senior federal officials call for the establishment of an independent Earth Systems Science Agency (ESSA) to meet the unprecedented environmental and economic challenges facing the nation. They propose forming the new agency by merging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The authors say, "Population pressure, development impact, and resource extraction affect land and sea alike. Just as the science of the Earth is seamless, so should the government responsibility be merged for these separate Earth agencies." The authors express concern that federal environmental research, development, and monitoring programs are not presently structured to address such major environmental problems as global climate change, declines in freshwater availability and quality, and loss of biodiversity. Eurekalert.org_7/3/08
June, 2008
Making the Negev Desert bloom once seemed like a good idea, but it's killing the Dead Sea
Water has long been a deeply political issue in the Levant; wars are waged over it. Aquifers and other sources of water tend to straddle political boundaries. Levi Eshkol, Israel's prime minister during the Six Day War, was a water-company executive who spent long hours poring over maps of potential sources. According to "The Iron Wall," a history by Avi Shlaim, Eshkol believed that "without control over the sources of water the Zionist dream could not be realized." In 1964 Israel completed the National Water Carrier, designed to pipe drinking water from the Sea of Galilee, in Israel's north, to the Negev in the south. Syria and other Arab states then moved to divert the headwaters of the Jordan, igniting fierce clashes that included Syrian-sponsored Palestinian guerrilla attacks. The water wars were one of the key factors in the establishment of the PLO in 1964. Diverting water from the Galilee has contributed to another devastating environmental consequence: the drying of the Dead Sea. The Negev is the laboratory for new technologies Israelis hope may solve their water troubles. Experts, though, wonder how far technology can boost supply. Drip irrigation and desalination can only do so much. Making the desert bloom was a good idea "in its time," says David Brooks, a Canadian water expert and environmentalistbut now "the very idea of developing the Negev is wrong." The day to rethink Israel's romance with desert farming may be here. Newsweek_ 6/28/08
Plans uncertain for use of $1.75 billion "missing link" in Florida Everglades water supply
Officials say much of the farmland that the state plans to buy from the U.S. Sugar Corp. for $1.75 billion would become the Everglades' missing storage tank -- a massive patchwork of dammed reservoirs, pollution treatment marshes and diesel-burning pumps. It's hardly a picture postcard, but it's the only way engineers will be able to solve the biggest problem they have -- how to catch enough water, clean it and get it to the Everglades. Last year -- only months before Gov. Charlie Crist first floated the idea of a U.S. Sugar buyout -- conservation groups once again urged the South Florida Water Management District to consider making a natural ''flow-way'' of water through Big Sugar's land. No one can say exactly how the 187,000 acres will be used or how much any future plans may ultimately cost. Also unknown: how long the deal may delay the already backlogged restoration effort. Miami Herald_ 6/28/08
Singapore scientist discovers dragonflies may be water pollution detectors
Researcher Nanthinee Jeevanandam, at the National University of Singapore, said she hopes to use their genetic fingerprint to help national water agencies like Singapore's Public Utilities Board to determine the level of cleanliness in reservoir water. Different dragonfly species that live at the reservoirs have varied tolerance to pollutants such as lead and sulphate, the report said. Some require cleaner water or more oxygen. Studying the species would be a quick and chemical-free method of evaluating water quality, Jeevanandam said. Times of India_ 6/29/08
Water sector corruption threatens lives, environment
Corruption has made the cost of water more expensive in some developing countries than in cities like New York, London or Rome, threatening billions of lives, watchdog Transparency International said on Wednesday. The Berlin-based non-governmental organization found in its latest global corruption report that bribes, graft and other forms of wrongdoing are the main reasons for a "global water crisis" that is speeding the pace of environmental degradation. The report, released in Berlin and New York on Wednesday, said water sector corruption ranges from petty bribery in water delivery to the looting of irrigation and hydropower funding. Such corruption -- seen in rich countries as well as poor -- threatens to exacerbate a global food shortage. Reuters_6/25/08
Florida drinking water supplies to benefit from $1.75 billion Everglades deal
U.S. Sugar Corp.'s saie of thousands of acres of wetlands will reconnect scattered parts of the Everglades to capture new water supplies for a thirsty state. In one of the largest environmental land deals in U.S. history, Florida will get the ``missing link'' between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, Governor Charlie Crist said yesterday. The state will regain control of water reserves that are being channeled to the sea to allow for real estate and industrial development. The conservation effort will help replenish groundwater needed for drinking supplies and buffer the area against hurricanes. It also will cut the flow of agricultural chemicals entering the region known for its alligators and crocodiles. Since the 1600s, more than half of the original wetlands in the lower 48 United States have been destroyed, with recent losses concentrated in the southeast around Florida, according to the Common Sense Environmental Fund, a Washington-based nonprofit conservation group. The Everglades have shrunk to 50 percent of their size during the last century by dredging to prevent flooding and accommodate construction. Bloomberg_ 6/25/08
Higher than safe arsenic levels in Mount Rushmore water prompts new well
Even though it is still considered safe to consume, the drinking water at Mount Rushmore National Memorial violates a federal standard that was changed in 2006. The water has tested for a slightly higher arsenic content than permitted by the Environmental Protection Agency, which considerably lowered the allowable level for the element. Plans to drill another well at the mountain are currently under way, according to Duane Bubac, chief of cultural resources and facilities. Drilling could start as soon as this month, Bubac said. Rapid City Journal_ 6/22/08
European Union approves limits on chemicals in surface water
The European Union approved limits on chemical pollution of surface water, expanding an environmental-protection campaign with legislation the EU says will reduce the cost of producing drinking water. The European Parliament voted today to set concentration limits for 33 substances including pesticides and heavy metals in rivers, lakes and coastal waters. EU governments, which had already given their approval, will have until 2018 to meet the standards. Bloomberg_ 6/17/08
Indiana health officials offer free well water tests after floods
Flooding throughout South Central Indiana has called into question the safety of many well systems. Individuals on well systems are urged to get their well water tested before starting to use the water again. Health officials recommend using bottled water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, and bathing until well water has been tested. The Indiana State Department of Health will provide water sampling kits to local health departments. Individuals on well systems may obtain sampling kits from their local health departments. Collection and shipping of the kits for testing will be the responsibility of the individual and not the local health department. Indianapolis Star_ 6/10/08
EPA: Water transfers will not need permits
The movement of billions of gallons of water around the country for drinking, irrigation and other uses will not require permits under the Clean Water Act, even though the water could contain contaminants, the Bush administration announced Monday. The new rule will allow water to be diverted from one body to another without a discharge permit, which is typically required when pollutants are released directly into streams, rivers and other surface waters. Instead, Environmental Protection Agency officials said, the agency will focus on preventing contaminants from entering water sources in the first place. In addition, safe drinking water laws ensure water is clean before it flows into households, and other parts of the Clean Water Act — such as water quality standards — will still protect supplies. Benjamin H. Grumbles, the EPA's assistant administrator for water, said the decision reaffirmed the agency's 30-year view of the Clean Water Act. Environmental groups criticized the decision, saying it continues to allow pollution to flow into the nation's waterways. AP/Yahoo_ 6/9/08
Environmentalists threaten suits over EPA water transfer decision
An environmental group said Monday it will go to federal court after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it won't require Clean Water Act permits when water is transferred between water bodies. The EPA's statement follows suits linked to the South Florida Water Management District's sending farm runoff into Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. The environmental group Earthjustice said it will file motions, on behalf of the Florida Wildlife Federation, asking the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to have the new rule, as stated Monday by the EPA, declared illegal. Earthjustice said the EPA's statement "flies in the face of court decisions" and "makes it easier for polluters to pump filthy water into the public's clean water supplies." The EPA said Monday it was clarifying confusion that stemmed from a 2004 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Palm Beach Post_ 6/9/08
Canada mulling regulations on water-wasting toilets, shower heads and faucets
The federal government is mulling regulations on household appliances that send an increasingly scarce resource down the drain. Limits on the water flowing through plumbing fixtures like toilets, shower heads and dishwashers are being studied by Natural Resources Canada as part of Ottawa's energy savings plan, a department official said. They could eventually require manufacturers to sell low-flow fixtures that use less water than their conventional counterparts. Canadian Press_ 6/8/08
New U.S. government report foresees big water and other climate changes
The rise in concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from human activities is influencing climate patterns and vegetation across the United States and will significantly disrupt water supplies, agriculture, forestry and ecosystems for decades, a new federal report says. The changes are unfolding in ways that are likely to produce an uneven national map of harms and benefits, according to the report, released Tuesday and posted online at climatescience.gov. The authors of the report and some independent experts said the main value of its projections was the level of detail and the high confidence in some conclusions. That confidence comes in part from the report’s emphasis on the next 25 to 50 years, when shifts in emissions are unlikely to make much of a difference in climate trends. The report also reflects a recent, significant shift by the Bush administration on climate science. According to the report, Western states will face substantial challenges because of growing demand for water and big projected drops in supplies. From 2040 to 2060, anticipated water flows from rainfall in much of the West are likely to approach a 20 percent decrease in the average from 1901 to 1970, and are likely to be much lower in places like the fast-growing Southwest. In contrast, runoff in much of the Midwest and East is expected to increase that much or more. New York Times_ 5/28/08 (logon required)
Feds punish three companies for Scottsdale, Arizona chemical-tainted water supply
Motorola and two other companies will pay a half-million-dollar penalty for two recent incidents in which a groundwater contaminant was released into the drinking supply. In October and January, the chemical trichloroethylene was found in water in amounts exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum limits. The chemical releases occurred when processes at a water-treatment plant broke down. The three companies, identified as the source of decades-old TCE contamination under North Indian Bend Wash, built the plant 10 years ago as part of a federally mandated Superfund cleanup. The plant is now owned by Arizona American Water Co. It was designed and built by the North Indian Bend Wash Participating Cos., which is made up of Motorola Inc., Siemens Corp. and SmithKline Beecham Corp. The three formed the company and built the plant to handle the Superfund cleanup. Arizona Republic_ 5/20/08 (logon required)
Embalming fluids could have threatened New Zealand community's drinking water
The threat of embalming fluids contaminating the water supply has prompted New Plymouth District Council to cut plans for a super cemetery in half. The council paid $500,000 for 7 hectares of land near Egmont Village, 12km southeast of New Plymouth, for a $3 million cemetery development. But an investigation has found that, because the land is bordered on two sides by the Waiwhakaiho River, the primary source of the city's water supply, lower levels alongside the waterway could not be used as a cemetery, because of a high risk of contaminants such as embalming fluids entering the groundwater, and eventually the river. New Zealand Herald_ 5/20/08
Federal EPA likely to pass on regulating perchlorate
The Bush administration likely won't follow California in regulating a rocket fuel chemical that has contaminated drinking water supplies in at least 35 states, a federal official told a Senate committee Tuesday. Benjamin Grumbles, the Environmental Protection Agency's assistant water chief, said agency officials do not dispute studies showing that the chemical -- perchlorate -- increases developmental health risks for babies. But, Grumbles said, there's a "distinct possibility" EPA officials won't take action because they don't know whether regulation would meaningfully reduce those risks. The Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee. is considering three bills that would the give the EPA an 18-month deadline to set drinking water standards limiting the amounts of perchlorate and trichloroethylene (TCE), a toxic solvent that has been linked to brain damage, liver cancer, skin diseases and immune disorders. The Defense Department has deemed the chemicals "mission critical." But their decades-long use in munitions and rockets has led to widespread contamination of soil and water. In the absence of EPA action, California, Massachusetts and New Jersey have set their own enforceable standard, which is permissible under the federal Clean Water Act. Large doses of the chemical have been shown to interfere with the thyroid gland, which plays a major role in children's brain development. Perchlorate contamination is especially acute in California because of the large number of military operations and defense contractors. Sacramento Bee_ 5/6/08
April, 2008
U.S. House passes ballast water treatment standards
The battle to keep ocean freighters from dumping more foreign species into the Great Lakes made an historic advance Wednesday, when one branch of Congress passed the nation's first ballast water treatment standards. On a vote of 39-7, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a Coast Guard funding bill that contained language requiring some freighters to disinfect ballast water tanks beginning next year. By 2015, all ships operating in the Great Lakes must have treatment systems on-board that kill all living organisms in ballast tanks, including pathogens. The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate, which has been debating similar legislation. If approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Bush, the legislation would enact the world's most stringent ballast water treatment standards. Ballast water discharges from ocean freighters that enter the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence Seaway account for nearly half of the 185 foreign species in the lakes, according to government data. The invaders that transcontinental freighters imported to the lakes -- including zebra and quagga mussels and the round goby -- cause $5 billion in economic and ecological damage annually, according to a Cornell University study. The Muskegon Chronicle_4/24/08
Tap water from Southampton, Massachusetts, was named the best-tasting Tuesday among samples from the nation's small-town water departments. The National Rural Water Association organized the Great American Water Taste Test in Washington. The other finalists included North Kingstown, Rhode Island; Lewes, Delaware; Lorain, Ohio; and Avilla, Indiana. For Lorain, just being a finalist was a victory for a water system that draws from Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River, which caught fire about 40 years ago because of high levels of petroleum-based pollution. The contamination helped inspire the federal Clean Water Act. CNN_ 4/22/08
America's 10 most endangered rivers listed
American Rivers, a nonprofit organization has published its 2008 list of America's 10 Most Endangered Rivers. Topping the list is the Catawba-Wateree River which runs through North and South Carolina. Diminished by drought, impounded by 11 hydroelectric dams, and the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court water battle between the states, this river supplies drinking water to more than a million people along the way and supports the water needs of numerous coal and nuclear power plants. Duke Energy's renewal of its federal license to manage the Catawba is set to expire this year.
Each year since 1986, American Rivers has published a list of the 10 most endangered rivers in the country. To select the rivers to list, American Rivers solicits nominations from thousands of river groups, environmental organizations, outdoor clubs, local governments, and taxpayer watchdogs. The report highlights the rivers facing the most uncertain futures rather than those suffering from the worst chronic problems. The report presents alternatives to proposals that would damage rivers, identifies those who make the crucial decisions, and points out opportunities for the public to take action on behalf of each listed river.
America's Most Endangered Rivers in 2008 are:
#1: Catawba-Wateree River in North Carolina and South Carolina
#2: Rogue River in Oregon
#3: Poudre River in Colorado
#4: St. Lawrence River in New York and Canada
#5: Minnesota River in Minnesota
#6: St. Johns River in Florida
#7 Gila River in New Mexico and Arizona
#8 Allagash Wilderness Waterway in Maine
#9 Pearl River in Louisiana and Mississippi
#10 Niobrara River in Nebraska
Read the full report, click here. ENS_4/18/08
Study backing more water exports to Southern California is nullified
Report failed to account for effects on endangered fish
A federal judge Wednesday invalidated a plan that justified boosted water exports from Northern California, ruling that it failed to account for the effects on endangered salmon and steelhead. U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger of Fresno found that a 2004 study by the National Marine Fisheries Service didn't adequately address global warming, the loss of habitat and other factors that could hurt the fish. Wanger's ruling is the second setback in the last year for federal biologists and California's water managers. In August, the judge ordered a shift in operations that could cut water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta by 30%. The decision comes days after federal regulators canceled the 2008 salmon fishing season because of a sharp decline in the Sacramento River's fall-run chinook salmon, the backbone of the commercial industry. Los Angeles Times_4/17/08
AWWA urges science-based approach to water analysis
To responsibly address the issue of pharmaceutical compounds in drinking water, scientists must know at what concentration these substances impact human health, not simply whether they can be detected, a leading expert today told a U.S. Senate subcommittee. Testifying on behalf of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), Shane Snyder, Ph.D., research and development project manager for Southern Nevada Water Authority, stressed that advanced analytical methods allow scientists to detect substances that would have been impossible to find only a few years ago. The hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation, Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality, was scheduled following recent media reports about trace levels of pharmaceutical compounds in drinking water. Snyder has served as principal investigator for many research projects related to the trace-level detection, removal, and toxicology of pharmaceuticals in water supplies. "I can tell you with absolute certainty that, if we regulate contaminants based upon detection rather than health effects, we are embarking on a futile journey without end," Snyder said. Fox News_4/16/08
U.S. Supreme Court sets fall debate on standards of Clean Water Act
In accepting an appeal on the role of cost-benefit analysis in establishing standards under the Clean Water Act, the Supreme Court on Monday set the stage for what could be an important post-Election Day debate over environmental policy. While the Bush administration opposed Supreme Court review of appeals filed by industry groups, Solicitor General Paul D. Clement notified the court that if the justices did decide to hear the case, the administration would side with the industry challengers. In its brief, the administration told the justices that the federal appeals court that barred the Environmental Protection Agency from adopting the cost-benefit approach erred “by purporting to micromanage the agency’s decision making." The court’s new case, Entergy Corporation v. Environmental Protection Agency, No. 07-588, concerns a provision of the Clean Water Act that applies to the use by power plants and manufacturing facilities of “cooling water,” water drawn from rivers or lakes and used to absorb heat generated by the industrial process. Both the intake of the water and its outflow have environmental consequences for aquatic organisms. Section 316 of the act provides that the design of structures used for cooling water must “reflect the best technology available for minimizing adverse environmental impact." New York Times_ 4/15/08 (logon required)
Feds not addressing drugs in U.S. water
A White House task force that was supposed to devise a federal plan to research the issue of pharmaceuticals in drinking water has missed its deadline and failed to produce mandated reports and recommendations for coordination among numerous federal agencies, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. More than 70 pages of the task force's documents, including e-mails and weekly reports, were released under the Freedom of Information Act as a Senate subcommittee prepares to convene a hearing Tuesday prompted by an AP investigation about trace concentrations of drugs in America's drinking water. The lack of public disclosure and failure of federal agencies to act on the pharmaceutical issue is expected to be a focus at Tuesday's hearing before a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Among others, officials from the EPA and U.S. Geological Survey are scheduled to testify. The hearing could produce a showdown between committee members and EPA officials. AP_ 4/13/08
New date set to restart Arizona American water treatment facility after TCE contamination
A target date for the restart of Arizona American's facility in Scottsdale to treat groundwater contaminated with trichloroethylene, a suspected cancer-causing chemical, has come and gone. Arizona American Water Co. and Motorola Inc., the main business responsible for cleaning up the contamination, must work out agreements in order to bring the facility back on line. The goal was to restart the plant by late March. It remains shut down. The new target date is the end of April, said Paula Thornton-Greear, spokeswoman for Motorola and other businesses participating in the cleanup. The Participating Companies (Motorola, Siemens and GlaxoSmithKline) are obligated to clean up the contaminated groundwater at what is known as the North Indian Bend Wash Superfund Site. Trichloroethylene, or TCE, is an industrial solvent that was dumped decades ago, contaminating the wash's underground aquifer. In January, a malfunctioning blower at Arizona American's TCE treatment plant at in Scottsdale caused untreated water containing more than four times the federally mandated level of TCE to flow into Arizona American's water-distribution lines. That resulted in a three-day ban on using the water for drinking and for food preparation, affecting nearly 5,000 Arizona American residential and commercial customers in Paradise Valley and Scottsdale. Arizona Republic_ 4/13/08
Two parasites mean more testing for Alamosa's water
Alamosa's water wasn't just tainted with salmonella — state tests completed Wednesday also turned up traces of giardia and cryptosporidium in the Colorado city, two parasites that can cause diarrheal illnesses. Those organisms showed up in water samples pulled from taps before city and Colorado state officials flushed the water system with heavily chlorinated water. It will be at least Saturday before the city's water can be deemed safe to drink. The salmonella could have entered the system through a crack in a pipe somewhere in the 49 miles of the city's water distribution system, officials said. The parasites could have gotten in the same way — or they may be normally present in Alamosa's system but at such low levels they rarely cause disease. As of Tuesday afternoon, the city is reporting 389 total cases of salmonella infection, 107 of those confirmed with laboratory tests, and 16 people hospitalized. The Denver Post_4/10/08
Arizona firm fined $69K for tainted water delivery
State environmental officials Thursday slapped Arizona American Water Co. with $69,000 in fines for two recent mishaps in which elevated levels of a suspected cancer-causing chemical entered the drinking water supply of 12,000 people in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. Steve Owens, director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the agency that levied the fines, said in a statement issued by ADEQ that it’s the maximum penalty allowed under state law. “The company delivered contaminated drinking water to its customers, failed to maintain and operate its facilities to deliver safe drinking water, and failed to implement an adequate emergency plan,” Owens stated. “This is simply unacceptable.” Customers may have been exposed to trichloroethylene, or TCE, levels on Jan. 16 at quadruple the maximum allowable limit because of a mechanical breakdown at Arizona American’s Miller Road Treatment Facility in Scottsdale. The company had a previous TCE problem in October, but at the time officials said the tainted water was blended with TCE-free water, lowering concentrations to within federal limits. The fines also apply to the private water utility’s decision to purge the system of lingering TCE-tainted water by opening fire hydrants and letting the contaminated water flow into the street and stormwater sewer without a permit, according to ADEQ. Scottsdale Arizona News_4/3/08
Alamosa, Colorado finishes first stage of drinking water salmonella treatment; some residents may be allowed to take showers
High-level doses of chlorine meant to disinfect the city's salmonella-tainted water made it through the last of the system's pipes Friday night. Jacki Kelley, public information officer for the emergency operations center, said she anticipated that noticing for stage two, which will feature lower levels of chlorine and allow most adults to take brief showers, will start in some sections of the city today. The flush, which started Tuesday, is expected to clear the city's water system of the salmonella bacteria that's sickened 293 people in the last three weeks and resulted in 12 hospitalizations. Alicia Cronquist, a food borne and intestinal disease epidemiologist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said health officials believe the number of cases have peaked. Pueblo Chieftan_ 3/29/08
Warming felt more in Western U.S.
Note: There is an excellent graphic with this story
The American West is heating up faster than any other region of the United States, and more than the Earth as a whole, according to a new analysis of 50 scientific studies. For the last five years, from 2003 through 2007, the global climate averaged 1 degree Fahrenheit warmer than its 20th century average. During the same period, 11 Western states averaged 1.7 degrees warmer, the analysis reported. The 54-page study, was released Thursday by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization -- a coalition of local governments, businesses and nonprofits. It was based largely on calculations by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The consequences of Western temperature increases, the report said, are evident in a rash of heat waves. Montana, Idaho and Wyoming had their hottest Julys on record last summer, while Phoenix suffered 31 days above 110 degrees. "Temperature rises have been much larger and more noticeable in the Western states," said Kelly T. Redmond, regional climatologist at Nevada's Desert Research Institute. "The past 10 years have been particularly warm, unlike any similar 10-year period we have seen over the past 115 years." Martin Hoerling, a NOAA meteorologist, has predicted that the West could heat up as much as 5 degrees by mid-century. In Alaska, the annual mean air temperature has risen 4 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit over the last three decades. A bill to slash greenhouse gases nationwide, sponsored by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John W. Warner (R-Va.), is expected to reach the Senate floor by June. A recent tally by the newsletter Environment & Energy Daily counted 44 votes for the bill so far. As many as 10 Republican senators from Western states are leaning against the bill, according to the newsletter, which based its research on interviews with lawmakers, staff, industry and environmental groups. Los Angeles Times_ 3/28/08 (logon required)
download full .pdf report Hotter and Drier
EPA chief shelves agency findings on greenhouse gases
EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson has shelved his agency's findings that greenhouse gases are a danger to the public, and on Thursday told Congress that he will initiate a lengthy public comment period about whether such emissions are a risk before responding to a U.S. Supreme Court order. The move means there is virtually no chance the Bush administration will act to regulate greenhouse gases in response to the high court's decision in the time left in office. The decision by the Environmental Protection Agency infuriated Democratic lawmakers, and attorneys who won the landmark case before the high court last spring. The EPA administrator's position of prolonged evaluation mirrors that advocated by a coalition of industry groups and conservative think tanks, including the Heritage Foundation. The groups emphasized to the White House and lawmakers that the Supreme Court had set no deadline by which the EPA needed to act -- and that during an economic downturn, seeking comprehensive public comment and a "go-slow" approach would be far better. EPA staffers told The Los Angeles Times they had concluded that such greenhouse gases were a major threat to water supply, crops, wildlife and other aspects of public welfare, and their finding was forwarded to the White House for review in December. Los Angeles Times_ 3/28/08 (logon required)
Plan to force ships to treat ballast water
Fearful of a deadly fish disease and other invasive pests, Minnesota lawmakers and state pollution officials are trying to force ships to stop dumping untreated ballast water in Lake Superior. Although a bill in the Legislature has come under heavy opposition, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is moving forward with its plans to begin to regulate shipowners. The shipping industry has opposed a state-by-state approach to the problem, saying that national and international rulemaking is already making progress. Mary Jean Fenske, MPCA vessel discharge program coordinator, said that more than 5 billion gallons of water from other places was dumped into Duluth-Superior Harbor in 2005, making it the top location in the Great Lakes for ballast water discharge. Among other foreign species already established at Duluth from past discharges are zebra and quagga mussels, and two types of fish: round gobies and Eurasian ruffe. Fenske told the MPCA Citizens' Board Tuesday that invasive species compete with native species for food and habitat, disrupt ecosystems and cost cities and industries millions of dollars. To prevent future invasions, she said that Minnesota is moving toward establishing a permit system by late September that will eventually require shipowners to treat ballast water to kill or to remove foreign bacteria and other organisms before the water is dumped. StarTribune_3/26/08
Alamosa, Colorado starts flushing salmonella-tainted water system
This isolated, agricultural crossroads began to flush its water system this morning with concentrated chlorine in an effort to drive out the salmonella that is believed to have sickened more than 200 people. That may get rid of the contamination, but for now it has made Randy Wilhelms' hygienic dilemma worse. Dirty dishes have been piling up in his apartment. For the last week, he has dared take only the briefest of showers; he has sprouted an unkempt goatee because he hasn't shaved. But the added chlorine makes it risky for anyone to come in contact with tap water. Even boiled water will not be safe. "How do you not shower?" said Wilhelm, 40. "I can't wash my dishes. My house stinks." The inconveniences are immense in this town of 10,000 or so. Bottled water is scarce, with most residents relying on public distribution centers. Businesses have closed. Officials say it could be several weeks before the system is cleaned out. It is rare for municipal water sources to be contaminated by salmonella. One of the largest instances occurred in Riverside, California, in 1965, when 16,000 residents were sickened; three died. Los Angeles Times_ 3/25/08
Alamosa set to flush water system after salmonella outbreak
Water officials say they are set to begin treating the city's water system that has been linked to a salmonella outbreak. Alamosa City Water Department officials say they will begin a three-stage treatment process of the city's water system, beginning Tuesday at 9 a.m. The first stage involved adding a high concentration of chlorine to the water system, neighborhood by neighborhood. According to city officials, during this stage, residents should only use the water to flush the toilet. Residents won't be able to drink or cook with tap water, even if it's boiled. It was not immediately clear how long the first stage would take. As of Saturday, 163 cases of salmonella were believed to be linked to the town's water system. The affected individuals range in age from infancy to 89 years old. 9NEWS_ 3/23/08
Alamosa, Colorado water officials declare salmonella 'state of emergency'
Officials in Alamosa declared a "state of emergency" this morning over the city's contaminated public water. "We have an emergency when we can't deliver potable water through the normal distribution system," said Don Koskelin, the city's public works director. City, county and state officials are meeting this morning to decide whether they'll flush the water system out today, Koskelin said. The number of likely salmonella poisoning cases was upped to 139 this morning, and 7 people have been hospitalized, according to the state health department. "This may be the tip of the iceberg," Julie Geiser, Alamosa County's director of nursing and public health, said during a midday news conference Thursday. While there will be an effort to track down the source of the contamination, said state health department spokesman Mark Salley, "we may never know." Alamosa's water comes from five deep wells, said Ken Carlson, an environmental engineering professor at Colorado State University, and it is not disinfected. That is not unusual, he said. More than half of the drinking water in the United States is untreated groundwater. In theory, groundwater never comes into contact with potentially- contaminated surface waters and it does not need treatment, Carlson said. In the past 20 years, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found five cases of municipal water contaminated with salmonella, said Michael Beach, the associate director for healthy water at the CDC. One case was similar to Alamosa's with untreated groundwater somehow becoming contaminated, Beach said. Denver Post_ 3/21/08
No tap water in Alamosa, Colorado for up to three weeks
It could be three more weeks before residents of a southern Colorado town can drink water straight from the tap after dozens of cases of salmonella poisoning were linked to municipal water, putting seven people in the hospital. An analysis indicates the municipal water system in Alamosa is the source of the bacterial outbreak, as suspected, said Ned Calonge, chief medical officer for the state health department. The city and county of Alamosa have declared emergencies, which would allow them to use state funds as officials scramble to provide safe water and disinfect the system with chlorine. The earliest the city water system could be flushed is Tuesday, and disinfecting it and making sure it is safe could take many days, said James Martin, executive director of the state health department. Water agencies from Denver, Aurora and Fort Collins were helping. AP_ 3/21/08
Colorado salmonella outbreak may be tied to water
State health officials warned residents of a southern Colorado town Wednesday to stop drinking and cooking with tap water because they said it might be linked to a salmonella outbreak. The state health department said 33 cases of salmonella have been confirmed and 46 other reports were being investigated in Alamosa, a city of 8,500 about 160 miles south of Denver. Officials said that the tap water tested positive for bacteria believed to be salmonella, but that the results had not been confirmed. Water-borne salmonella outbreaks are fairly rare, said Mark Salley, a spokesman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Boiling water for 15 seconds will kill the bacteria, but health officials advised residents to use bottled water for brushing teeth, washing dishes, making ice, cooking, drinking and making baby formula. People can use tap water to bathe, as long as they are careful not to ingest it, Salley said. City officials plan to start flushing and disinfecting the water system in the next few days, a process that could take a week or more. While the flush is under way, no municipal water should be used, even if it is boiled, they said. AP_3/20/08
New screening processed developed to remove TCE from water
Scientists at Arizona State University (ASU) have found a new way to transform Trichloroethane (TCE), a common toxin proven to be a carcinogen in animal studies into a harmless substance. Dr. Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, working with Director Bruce Rittmann of the Biodesign Institue and another researcher, Jinwook Chung, used the membrane biofilm reactor, a treatment system Rittmann developed several years ago. In Rittmann's process, microorganisms grow as a biofilm on a membrane that is pumped through with hydrogen, Krajmalnik-Brown said. In a chemical reaction, the microorganisms reduce contaminants, such as TCE, into de-chlorinated structures that aren't harmful to humans. "One of the good things about this reaction is it encourages growth of those [detoxifying] microorganisms," said Krajmalnik-Brown. Because the microorganisms in the biofilm feed on TCE, the treatment process is highly effective. Krajmalnik-Brown said the way microorganisms grow in biofilm is a new area of study. More basic research is needed to understand how they work because the microorganisms in the biofilm have not been studied before, Krajmalnik-Brown said. TCE, used as a common degreasing agent in cleaning products, can cause liver damage when it is in a water supply. "TCE is one of the most common contaminants in the groundwater in the U.S.," Krajmalnik-Brown said. Web@Devil_3/20/08
UN: Glaciers melting at record speed
Glaciers across the globe are melting faster than at any point in the last century. Many could disappear within decades, and their decline could cause droughts and chaos for billions of people who depend on rivers fed by glaciers. This was the sobering message delivered Sunday by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), along with a plea to international leaders to act swiftly and drastically to address climate change, which the UNEP says is to blame for the glacial melt. Glacial melt is the "canary in the climate change coal mine," said UNEP executive director Achim Steiner in a statement. "It is absolutely essential that everyone sits up and take notice," he said. The announcement was based on a study that tracked glacial melt at nearly 30 glaciers across the globe. Some of the most dramatic losses were in Europe; Norway's Breidalblikkbrea glacier topped the list by shrinking 3.1 meters (10.2 feet) in 2006. Business Week_ 3/17/08
More details from the United Nations Environment Programme
Corps of Engineers to take on Wyoming TCE cleanup
The Army Corps of Engineers will apparently “do the right thing” when it comes to taking responsibility for treating one source of Cheyenne’s drinking water for trichloroethylene, or TCE, which is a result of Cold War-era nuclear missile maintenance east of Cheyenne. Paul Johnston, public affairs officer for the Omaha district of the Army Corps of Engineers, said the Corps is charged by the Department of Defense to administer the FUDS (formerly used defense sites) program. But right now, the city of Cheyenne is paying the $20,000 a year it takes to remove the TCE from the water before it arrives at residents’ taps. It also paid $600,000 for the aeration basin that removes the chemical when it was first found in 1998, Jane Francis, geological supervisor at the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, said. Johnston said there are two areas of contamination. One is obviously because of the work at the missile site. The Army Corps is taking full responsibility for that site, he said, and taking steps to clean it up. If it is found that water at the second site is also contaminated because of the missile maintenance, the Army Corps will take full responsibility and clean it up, he said. Francis predicts that the water will have to be treated for the next 100 to 300 years, and hopes that the Army Corps will pick up the tab for that long-term treatment. Wyoming Tribune-Eagle_ 3/16/08
Water in dams, reservoirs slows sea-level rise
Dams and reservoirs have stored so much water over the past several decades that they have masked surging sea levels, a new study in the journal Science, says. But dam building has slowed, meaning sea levels could rise more quickly than researchers predicted in a 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. The oceans are on average about 6.3 inches (16 centimeters) higher now than in 1930, when they started a noticeable upward climb. Melting glaciers and ice caps, along with ocean warming—water expands as it heats up—are the main culprits behind the increase. But the new study shows that reservoirs are also an important factor. Rather than adding to sea-level rise, however, they have counteracted it by storing more water on land. Since 1930 the storage of water has prevented a total of about 1.2 inches (3 centimeters) of sea-level rise. National Geographic News_3/13/08
AP water probe prompts U.S. Senate hearings
Two veteran U.S. senators said they plan to hold hearings in response to an Associated Press investigation into the presence of trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans. Also, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., has asked the EPA to establish a national task force to investigate the issue and make recommendations to Congress on any legislative actions needed. Sen. Barbara Boxer, who heads the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, chairman of the Transportation, Safety, Infrastructure Security and Water Quality Subcommittee, said Monday the oversight hearings would likely be held in April. Boxer, D-Calif., said she was "alarmed at the news" that pharmaceuticals are turning up in the nation's drinking water, while Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat who said he was "deeply concerned" by the AP findings, both represent states where pharmaceuticals had been detected in drinking water supplies, but not disclosed to the public. Associated Press_ 3/11/08
Metropolitan Water Agencies statement about the AP investigation.
International Bottled Water Assn. statement: Bottled water is regulated by the FDA and is safe.
AP investigation: No mandates to test, treat or limit drugs in water
Last of three-part series
Though U.S. waterways coast to coast are contaminated with residues of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, there's no national strategy to deal with them - no effective mandates to test, treat, limit or even advise the public. Benjamin H. Grumbles, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's assistant administrator for water, told the AP the agency recognizes that this contamination in water supplies is a growing concern and that government has some catching up to do: "Our position is there needs to be more searching, more analysis." He said the EPA has launched a four-pronged approach: to identify the extent of the problem, to "identify what we don't know and close the gap," to take steps using existing science and regulatory tools, and finally, to increase dialogue and awareness with water providers and state and local agencies. But none of those goals has any regulatory firepower. Some researchers, environmentalists, health professionals, water managers and bureaucrats say it's time for government to do more. "The onus has been on the scientific community to provide the research, but at this point the evidence is conclusive," says U.S. Geological Survey scientist Steven Goodbred, who has studied carp in drug-tainted waters. "Now it's up to the public and policy makers to decide what they want to do about it." Yet water regulators are barely budging. AP/Centre Daily Times_ 3/11/08
Drugs in water hurt fish and wildlife
2nd in a three-part series
A five-month Associated Press investigation has determined that trace amounts of many of the pharmaceuticals we take to stay healthy are seeping into drinking water supplies, and a growing body of research indicates that this could harm humans. But people aren't the only ones who consume that water. There is more and more evidence that some animals that live in or drink from streams and lakes are seriously affected. Pharmaceuticals in the water are being blamed for severe reproductive problems in many types of fish: The endangered razorback sucker and male fathead minnow have been found with lower sperm counts and damaged sperm; some walleyes and male carp have become what are called feminized fish, producing egg yolk proteins typically made only by females. Meanwhile, female fish have developed male genital organs. Also, there are skewed sex ratios in some aquatic populations, and sexually abnormal bass that produce cells for both sperm and eggs. There are problems with other wildlife as well: kidney failure in vultures, impaired reproduction in mussels, inhibited growth in algae. AP_ 3/10/08
Cities rarely release water test results
When water providers find pharmaceuticals in drinking water, they rarely tell the public. When researchers make the same discoveries, they usually don't identify the cities involved. There are plenty of reasons offered for the secrecy: concerns about national security, fears of panic, a feeling that the public will not understand — even confidentiality agreements. "That's a really sensitive subject," said Elaine Archibald, executive director of California Urban Water Agencies, an 11-member organization comprised of the largest water providers in California. She said many customers "don't know how to interpret the information. They hear something has been detected in source water and drinking water, and that's cause for alarm — just because it's there." AP/USA Today_ 3/10/08
About the AP drugs in drinking water study
At least one pharmaceutical was detected in tests of treated drinking water supplies for 24 major metropolitan areas, according to an Associated Press survey of 62 major water providers and data obtained from independent researchers. Only 28 tested drinking water. Three of those said results were negative; Dallas says tests were conducted but results are not yet available. Thirty-four locations said no testing was conducted. Test protocols varied widely. Some researchers looked only for one pharmaceutical or two; others looked for many. Some water systems said tests had been negative, but the AP found independent research showing otherwise. Both prescription and non-prescription drugs were detected. AP/USA Today_ 3/10/08
Associated Press investigation: Drugs in U.S. drinking water
1st in a three-part series
A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows. To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe. But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health. In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas — from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky. And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies — which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public — have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife. "We recognize it is a growing concern and we're taking it very seriously," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. AP_ 3/9/08
Riverkeeper files petition over Florida's Seminole County water plan
The St. Johns Riverkeeper made good on its promise Tuesday to file legal actions over Seminole County's plan to withdraw water from the St. Johns River. The organization is seeking to block the St. Johns River Water Management District from issuing a permit to withdraw up to 262 million gallons per day from St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers. "This is about the future of every river in Florida," says Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon, who is teaming up with the Public Trust Environmental Law Institute of Florida to file the verified petition. The petition also asks the district to stop giving municipalities assurances that they will receive permits, despite the district's study of the environmental impacts of withdrawals being more than a year away from being complete, says Michael Howle, the Riverkeeper's legal counsel. The Riverkeeper also filed a petition for an administrative hearing on Seminole County's permit to remove up to 5.5 million gallons per day, causing the permit to be pulled from the district's governing board's March 11 agenda. Armingeon said the district "reneged" on promises to not permit any significant withdrawals until the two-year study on the potential impact of the water removal was complete. Business Journal_3/5/08
Massive water release aims to restore Colo. River beaches, habitat
For the next three days more than 300,000 gallons of water per second are being released at the Glen Canyon Dam in an attempt to restore fish habitat and beaches along the Colorado River. The controlled flooding from Lake Powell, above the dam near the Arizona-Utah border, is four to five times its usual flow. Since 1963, as the dam was being built, sediment has not been distributed naturally, damaging the part of the Grand Canyon's ecosystem. "This river continues to evolve because of the forces of man and nature," U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne said before unleashing the torrent. "Today we're here to set the river free once again and learn more about these natural systems." USA Today_3/5/08
Wyoming Senate rejects coal-bed methane water bill
A bill that would have allowed greater state regulation of water discharged from coal-bed methane wells died in the Wyoming State Senate on Monday after what some senators said was a stiff lobbying effort by the energy industry to kill the bill. The Senate bill would have limited the quality of water discharged from CBM gas wells to the natural capacity of streambeds that carry the natural flow of water in the area. The legislation was the product of a state task force that included landowners, industry representatives and state officials. Gov. Dave Freudenthal, in his state of the state address last month, had urged lawmakers to pass the bill. An attempt to reach Bruce Hinchey, president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, for comment on the bill after business hours on Monday was unsuccessful. AP/Yahoo_ 2/26/08
Accidental releases of TCE in Arizona drinking water a first, EPA official says
Two accidental releases of excessive levels of TCE in water treated by the Arizona American Water Co. has never happened before at a federal Superfund site, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official testified this week at a congressional hearing. The pair of incidents, one in October, the other in January, is "a situation that we haven't encountered before," testified Susan Parker Bodine.Bodine is assistant administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Energy Response, the office responsible for the EPA's Superfund projects. Arizona American operates a treatment plant in Scottsdale at McDonald Drive and Miller Road that removes trichloroethylene, or TCE, a suspected cancer-causing chemical. The tainted water comes from a plume in the North Indian Bend Wash aquifer, which was contaminated decades ago by Motorola and other companies with TCE, an industrial solvent. In 1985, the EPA designated the area as a Superfund site to clean up the contamination. The plant remains closed while the EPA and state agencies investigate. Arizona American, a private water firm, is drawing water from uncontaminated wells. Arizona Republic _ 2/8/08
Scientists warn of looming water supply crisis
Climate change has already dramatically altered the water cycle and these changes signal a looming water supply crisis, according to a prominent group of hydrologists and climatologists writing Thursday in Science magazine. They argue that radical water cycle changes will be widespread and that past trends can no longer be relied upon when planning future water management. "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. More frequent droughts can also be expected in drying areas, he added. The article says that new models must be used to prepare for floods or droughts, determine the size of water reservoirs and decide how to allocate for residential, industrial and agricultural uses. This is a massive undertaking seeing as annual global investment in water infrastructure is more than 500 billion dollars a year and these are made under outdated assumptions that the water cycle will fluctuate within a relatively narrow historical band. Science/AFP_ 1/31/08
Western U.S. faces drought crisis, warming study says
The U.S. West will see devastating droughts as global warming reduces the amount of mountain snow and causes the snow that does fall to melt earlier in the year, a new study says. By storing moisture in the form of snow, mountains act as huge natural reservoirs, releasing water into rivers long into the summer dry season. "We're losing that reservoir," said research leader Tim Barnett, an oceanographer and climate researcher at the University of California, San Diego. "Spring runoff is getting earlier and earlier in the year, so you have to let water go over the dams into the ocean." Summers are also becoming hotter and longer. "That dries things out more and leads to fires," Barnett added. "Our results are not good news for those living in the western United States," the scientists write in their report, which appears in today's online edition of the journal Science. Science/National Geographic_ 1/31/08
UK food and drink giants pledge to reduce water use
Twenty-one of the UK's leading food and drink manufacturers today joined forces in a new initiative to cut down on water usage and improve efficiency across all areas of their businesses. If rolled out across the food and drink sector as a whole, the scheme could save some 140m litres of water a day - equivalent to 56 Olympic-size swimming pools - with a combined financial saving of around £60m per year on water bills. But consumer and environmental groups were expected to question how effective a voluntary agreement would be, amid concerns about whether consumers might be compromised by possible cutbacks on the use of water in health and safety areas. Chocolate giant Cadbury was prosecuted and fined £1m last year after unclean pipes were found to be at the heart of a national salmonella outbreak which gave 42 people food poisoning and put three of them in hospital. The so-called Federation House Commitment has been jointly developed by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) - the trade body representing Britain's leading food and drink companies - and resource efficiency experts Envirowise. The signatories represent the lion's share of the industry with a combined annual turnover of some £15bn a year. They are: Apetito, Birds Eye Iglo, Britvic, Cadbury Schweppes; Coca-Cola Enterprises, GlaxoSmithKline, Kellogg Marketing & Sales Co, Kraft Foods UK, Mars Snackfood, Müller Dairy (UK), Nestlé UK, PepsiCo UK, Premier Foods, Tate & Lyle, UIN Foods, Unilever UK, Uniq, United Biscuits, Warburtons, Weetabix, and Young's Seafood. Guardian Unlimited 1/28/08
Prince Edward Island to offer free testing for nitrates in water
The Prince Edward Island government will once again offer free testing for nitrates in groundwater. More than 1,000 samples were taken when clinics were first offered in November and December amid public concern over nitrate contamination in Island groundwater. Beginning Saturday in Kinkora, residents will be able to bring a water sample to seven weekly clinics. Free follow-up testing will also be available should the testing reveal high concentrations of nitrates. The clinics began after a recommendation by the Commission on Nitrates in Groundwater, which is developing a strategy to address the issue of nitrate concentrations in water. The Canadian Press_1/9/08
How Much Water Do You Really Use? More than 1,000 gallons a day? Calculate your water use.
A new website called H2O Conserve (www.h2oconserve.org) is coming online to show us that it's time to do something about our 1,000-plus gallon-a-day habit. For example, it takes 24 gallons of water to make a single pound of plastic, and over a hundred gallons to make a pound of cotton. Even the electricity we use is tied to water - with power plants consuming 40 percent of our country's fresh water resources. The website's H2O Calculator takes all this into account, and after you answer a few questions it reveals just how much water your lifestyle requires. Well, the average American guzzles an astonishing 1,189.3 gallons per day according to the calculator's measure. News Release_ 1/8/08
December, 2007
Feds mull water release to Grand Canyon
Federal officials are considering releasing a large amount of water from the Glen Canyon Dam into the Grand Canyon early next year in an effort to rebuild beaches and aid endangered fish. If approved by the Interior Department, water released from the dam just south of the Arizona-Utah border would scour sand from the river bottom and deposit it on beaches. Shrinking beaches have led to the loss of half the camping sites in the canyon in the past decade. The Glen Canyon Dam cut the natural flood cycles that had maintained the ecosystem for millions of years. Before it was dammed in 1963, flows ranged from heavy springtime flooding that cleansed the river's sand and gravel bars to slow late fall flows. If the project is approved, it would be the third time the dam was opened beyond power-generating capacity. Similar experiments were done in 1996 and 2004. Scientists plan to conduct $2 million in experiments on how the flood affects food sources, trout, water quality and sandbars. More broadly, it is a test of ways to better manage the ecosystem of the Grand Canyon to offset impacts from the dam, required under a 1992 law. Scientists contend that with periodic floods it might be possible to allow fish and plants that thrived in Canyon before the dam was built to recover.
Associated Press_12/21/07
Saltwater ships pose hazard to Great Lakes
When it comes to protecting the Great Lakes from exotic species imported by saltwater ships there's bad news, and there's worse news. The bad news is that an investigation of the ballast tanks of 41 ships entering the lakes found 93 different kinds of animals, 13 of which haven't been seen in the Great Lakes before. The worse news is that an examination of the fouling on the outside of a ship has found dozens more potential exotic invaders, many of them freshwater species from all around the world. The studies by David Lodge of the University of Notre Dame and John Drake of the University of Georgia are among the first to both quantify the numbers of potential invasives and figure out the species or at least the genus of the exotics to get a better handle on which ones might make it in the lakes. "Previous studies focused on ballast water and sediments (in the ballast tanks)," Lodge said. "We think there may be as great or an even greater risk from the (creatures) living on the outsides of the ships." Lodge said he and Drake were surprised to find that even after months in salt water, the fouling scraped from the ship still contained numerous freshwater organisms, including seven freshwater organisms that haven't yet been seen in the lakes . The fact that Drake and Lodge found hundreds of creatures is more fuel for the argument to keep saltwater ships out of the Great Lakes. HollandSentinel.com_12/20/07
Polluting Philly drinking water costs Merck $20 Million
Merck, the global pharmaceutical research company, has agreed to resolve violations of federal and state water pollution control regulations arising from spills of pollutants at its pharmaceutical plant outside of Philadelphia. The spills entered a waterway that supplies 40 percent of Philadelphia's drinking water. In one of the most comprehensive remediation settlement agreements for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Merck will pay $10 million to deploy systems that will prevent future discharges of pollutants from the facility, federal and state officials announced today. A consent decree filed in court requires Merck to pay $1,575,000 in penalties and civil damages for past violations and spend at least $10 million to implement increased monitoring, tracking, testing and assessment tools for its waste stream. In addition, Merck will spend about $9 million for environmental projects to improve water quality and/or protect Wissahickon Creek as a source of drinking water. "Perhaps more than anything else, this settlement says to every company that discharges dangerous chemicals as part of its operations that it is accountable to the environment and the community," said Pat Meehan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Environment News Service_12/14/07
Arctic summers ice-free 'by 2013'
Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the disappearance of Arctic sea ice. Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years. Professor Wieslaw Maslowski told an American Geophysical Union meeting that previous projections had underestimated the processes now driving ice loss. Professor Maslowski's group, which includes co-workers at Nasa and the Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), is well known for producing modelled dates that are in advance of other teams. These other teams have variously produced dates for an open summer ocean that, broadly speaking, go out from about 2040 to 2100. BBC News_ 12/12/07
Santa Clara Valley Water District, which helped county residents and businesses save more than 18 billion gallons of water a year, has received a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2007 Water Efficiency Leader Award. These water savings, made possible by the water district’s many water-use efficiency programs, amount to about 12 percent of the Santa Clara County’s annual water use and are enough to serve 110,480 families a year. The award is designed to recognize companies, utilities, government organizations, and individuals that display leadership, innovation and water saving. The other five national winners are Intel Corporation, Frito-Lay, Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center, and Allan Dietemann of Seattle Public Utilities. Press Release_12/5/07
BP unit pleads guilt in Alaska oil spill case
The Alaska subsidiary of BP PLC (BP) pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal environmental crime for failing to prevent a crude spill in the Prudhoe Bay oil field. BP Exploration Alaska Inc. admitted to one violation of the Clean Water Act for the 200,000-gallon spill in March 2006. Last month, the company agreed to pay $20 million in fines related to the spill, which was the largest ever in the vast, oil-rich arctic region known as the North Slope. The settlement was one of several struck in October between the oil and gas giant and federal investigators. CNN_11/29/07
National Wildlife Federation given $650,000 for water conservation project
National Wildlife Federation is receiving a gift of $650,000 in support of the organization's Texas water initiative from The Meadows Foundation of Dallas. The money, which will be received over two years, will fund the Texas Living Waters Project, an initiative that promotes environmentally and economically sound water resource management. National Wildlife Federation, the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund are working together on the project. The organizations will use the money to promote water conservation and the sustainable use of the state's groundwater. It will also be used to maintain water in river and coastal estuaries at levels that support wildlife habitats. Austin Business Journal_11/28/07
U.S. House panel questions failure to study TCP in Southern California water
A House committee is demanding to know why federal regulators failed to assess potential public health damage from extremely high levels of a toxic industrial solvent found in Southern California drinking water before the mid-1980s. Trichloroethylene, widely used in the defense industry, was discovered in aquifers under the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys, which supplied drinking water to nearly 2 million residents. Across the nation, the chemical is one of the most widespread water contaminants. A letter sent today to the chief of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry by the House Energy and Commerce Committee said the agency failed to conduct the recommended health evaluations in communities across the nation, an apparent lapse that went unnoticed for more than a decade. Trichloroethylene, or TCE, is classified as a carcinogen by California's Environmental Protection Agency and some international agencies. TCE has been enveloped in growing controversy over the last few years as evidence mounts that it causes cancer. It is the most widespread water contaminant in the nation, affecting hundreds of military bases, aerospace centers, government laboratories and general industrial sites. Los Angeles Times_ 11/26/07 (logon required)
Rialto, California declares a perchlorate water emergency
Rialto city officials have declared a state of emergency, citing concerns about a shrinking water supply in danger of further contamination by dangerous chemicals. The City Council voted on the declaration Tuesday in an attempt to secure state funding to halt the spread of industrial perchlorate in city groundwater. The growing, six-mile-long chemical plume in the north end of the San Bernardino County city contaminates 360 million gallons of groundwater each month. The declaration criticizes state and local regulatory agencies for failing to aggressively enforce cleanup efforts, and warns that Rialto would be "extremely vulnerable" in the event of a "catastrophic interruption" of its clean water supply. More than 40 companies are alleged to be involved in the contamination, including Goodrich Corp., Pyro Spectaculars and Black & Decker. The cleanup could cost as much as $300 million. Perchlorate, used in rocket fuel, batteries and fireworks, can interfere with thyroid function and produce birth defects. Los Angeles Times_ 11/24/07 (logon required)
Groups fight Michigan water-withdrawal bill; Plan could hurt fish, tourism, they say
A coalition of Michigan environmental and fishing groups sounded an alarm Tuesday that a state Senate bill could open the spigot to dangerous levels of water usage from streams, threatening fish and tourism. The bill's sponsor said the groups' analysis is exaggerated. At issue is how much water big users like agriculture, bottled-water companies and manufacturers could use under legislation that aims to limit water withdrawals from surface and underground sources. Michigan's preeminent trout stream, the Au Sable River, could face a flow reduction of as much as 22% in some stretches under the maximum water withdrawals in the bill, the Michigan Environmental Council, Trout Unlimited and Anglers of the Au Sable say. Detroit Free Press_11/14/07
Zebra mussels continue to spread in Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks, Osage River
Since being detected in 2006, zebra mussels have continued to proliferate and are now spreading to the lower Osage River and threatening to wreak havoc not only on the lake but the riverway, as well. The most recent find on the lower Osage River was the first for that stretch of waterway. Until now, the mussels appeared to have been confined to the upper Osage River on Lake of the Ozarks. Economic damage results when zebra mussel colonies clog utility and municipal water intakes, foul marine engines and encrust the submerged surfaces of boat hulls, docks and other structures. Among the biggest ecological concerns is the danger that zebra mussels pose for native mussels and crayfish, many of which are endangered or in decline. Lake Sun Leader_ 11/3/07
October, 2007
Above-normal precipitation after seven years of drought, well-timed rains and more efficient irrigation practices all may be factors in the relatively good news reflected on the latest groundwater level maps, said Mark Burbach, an assistant geoscientist in UNL's School of Natural Resources (SNR). One-year increases were particularly notable along the Platte River from Columbus to Fremont, Neb., south into Butler and Saunders counties and north into Dodge County. Increases also were recorded in central Nebraska along the Platte and Republican rivers. Tri-State Neighbor_ 10/25/07
view Nebraska groundwater maps
Along northern California's American River, plans for a dam wash out and a river stretch is restored
Down a steep canyon from an overlook near Auburn, the American River flows unfettered for the first time in four decades – 40 years in which the federal government attempted to create what became a storied public works white elephant. An Auburn dam will likely never rise here after years of controversy and dispute – and $400 million in construction and study. Now with the natural river run restored, recreation will return, just like the scrub brush is struggling to do on the stripped canyon walls. Mired in controversy over economics and safety, work on an Auburn dam stopped in 1977, leaving an idle construction site that had derailed the river several miles below the confluence, where two forks of the American meld before flowing on to Folsom Lake. Workers had long diverted water into a tunnel that short-circuited a bend in the river to keep the site dry. After work stopped, the state attorney general's office sued the federal government to restore the river, and after several years, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation finished the job and closed off the tunnel to restore the natural flow in September. Sacramento Bee_ 10/23/07
U.S. government may cover up the polluted New River to protect health of border workers
The U.S. government is considering covering a portion of one of the most polluted rivers in the nation that flows parallel to the downtown Calexico Port of Entry. The “toxicity” of California's New River has officials at the U.S. General Services Administration concerned as it plans to build a new port of entry on the banks of the binational river that is made up of mostly urban and industrial waste from Mexico. Proponents for cleaning the river have been getting good signs from the U. S. federal government recently. On Sept. 24, the U.S. Senate passed the renewal of the Water Resources Development Act, which could allocate $10 million to help clean the river. Additionally, a bill that would authorize grants for local governments in border regions was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 4. Imperial Valley Press_ 10/15/07 (logon required)
ITT Corporation and National Geographic partner to build awreness of global water issues
ITT Corporation today announced a multi-faceted partnership with National Geographic to raise awareness of global water issues. The cornerstone of the partnership is ITT's support of
the episodic television series, National Geographic's "Strange Days on Planet Earth." ITT is the primary sponsor of the 2008 series, which will investigate the scale of the current water crisis and explore potential solutions. It is scheduled to premiere in April on PBS stations nationwide. In conjunction with the program, ITT and National Geographic will produce a companion educator's toolkit designed to educate and engage students across the United States. News Release/PRNewswire_ 10/15/07
Let the Everglades water flow: Diversion canal in south Florida to be plugged
To recover a lost link in the Everglades, the Miccosukee Tribe persuaded water managers this week to help them restore 7,900 acres in western Broward County to their natural, soggy state. The South Florida Water Management District agreed to take the unusual step of plugging one of the canals that keeps South Florida dry -- to allow water to reclaim a swath of Miccosukee land south of Alligator Alley. The tribe said it was willing to sacrifice developable land beside Interstate 75 for a return of wet prairies with sawgrass and tree islands, transforming land left parched by decades of draining the River of Grass to make way for farms and subdivisions. The district agreed to pay $600,000 to plan and complete the work of installing pilings and filling in the canal. Water managers are building water-treatment areas and massive reservoirs to clean and redirect water that can be used to rehydrate the Everglades. South Florida Sun-Sentinel_ 10/13/07
Texas leads nation in number of water polluters
Texas led the nation in the number of facilities discharging pollution at levels exceeding federal clean water guidelines, according to a new report from an environmental watchdog group. The Austin-based Environment Texas said that in 2005, 318 facilities in the state reported 1,340 incidents in which they discharged more pollution than permitted under the federal Clean Water Act. The group also reported that more than 53 percent of Texas' industrial and municipal facilities discharged more pollution in 2005 than permitted under the law. Harris County was No. 1 among all U.S. counties for the most facilities that exceeded their Clean Water Act permits at least once, according to the report. The report was released Thursday to commemorate the 35th anniversary next week of the Clean Water Act. The other 10 U.S. states with the most violations during that period are Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, California, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida. More than 20,000 bodies of waters in the United States are too polluted to meet basic quality standards, according to the EPA. About 850 billion gallons of raw sewage is dumped into U.S. waterways each year, according to the report. Under the 1972 Clean Water Act, facilities are called upon to report any improper discharges. Government regulators can then assess penalties, although in Texas they typically do not, according to a recent state auditor's report. Star-Telegram_ 10/12/07
Indiana seeks to ease rules for lake polluter
State offers U.S. Steel a pass on some regulations
Indiana is moving to scrap, relax or omit limits o