Archive for the 'contaminated water' Category

Unsolved Coal Ash Problem

Published on 09/06/2010 in contaminated water, policy and rivers. 0 Comments

Photo retrieved from: www.delawareonline.com

“Last Monday, the E.P.A. held the first in a series of regional hearings on two quite different proposals governing how coal-fired power plants dispose of waste.

One proposal, favored by public-interest groups and by agency scientists, would replace a patchwork of uneven — and in many cases weak — state regulations with new national standards. It would formally designate coal ash as a hazardous waste under federal law, require industry to phase out porous sludge ponds, replace them with sturdy, leak-proof facilities, and take other protective steps.

The competing proposal would establish federal guidelines for disposal but leave enforcement to the states. It would also preserve coal ash’s status as a nonhazardous substance. Though the proposal barely improves on the status quo, the Office of Management and Budget — after heavy lobbying by the coal industry — agreed to give it equal billing in the public hearings.

The tougher proposal is obviously better. Coal ash, the byproduct of coal combustion, is a huge problem. Its toxins — which can include arsenic, lead and other heavy metals — can poison local water supplies. America’s power plants produce 130 million tons of the stuff every year, enough to fill a train of boxcars stretching from the District of Columbia to Australia.”

Can China Save the Beleaguered Yangtze River?

Published on 09/05/2010 in contaminated water, dams, policy, rivers and world water supply. 0 Comments Tags: China water supply, Yangtze River.

Photo retrieved from: AlterNet.org

“Overfishing, pollution, and habitat fragmentation from dams — including the massive Three Gorges Dam — have brought the Yangtze to its current state. With more dams planned and Chinese officials intoxicated with unbridled economic growth, the future looks just as grim for the Yangtze’s vanishing species. Much of the river basin “will soon be a mere semblance of its natural state, offering few prospects for persistence of what remains of the river’s unique biodiversity,” says David Dudgeon, an aquatic ecologist at the University of Hong Kong.

“All is not yet lost, however. Seasonal fishing bans have given some species a breather. “We can save the remaining ecology of the Yangtze,” argues Xie Songguang, an ecologist at the Institute of Hydrobiology in Wuhan. The potential savior that he and others are counting on is a 10-year fishing moratorium. Such a ban may seem drastic, but it would have a tiny effect on fish markets, as the Yangtze supplies less than 1 percent of China’s freshwater fish production, including aquaculture. A ban is feasible — if the political willpower can be summoned to implement it. With the Yangtze’s ecological health in obvious decline and the economic toll of a ban manageable, the prospects for a moratorium are looking better and better, experts say.”

Feds Warn Residents Near Wyoming Gas Drilling Sites Not to Drink Their Water

Published on 09/03/2010 in contaminated water, groundwater and tap water. 0 Comments

Photo retrieved from: www.alternet.org

“The federal government is warning residents in a small Wyoming town with extensive natural gas development not to drink their water, and to use fans and ventilation when showering or washing clothes in order to avoid the risk of an explosion.

The announcement accompanied results from a second round of testing and analysis in the town of Pavillion by Superfund investigators for the Environmental Protection Agency. Researchers found benzene, metals, naphthalene, phenols and methane in wells and in groundwater. They also confirmed the presence of other compounds that they had tentatively identified last summer and that may be linked to drilling activities.

“Last week it became clear to us that the information that we had gathered” “was going to potentially result in a hazard — result in a recommendation to some of you that you not continue to drink your water,” Martin Hestmark, deputy assistant regional administrator for ecosystems protection and remediation with the EPA in Denver, told a crowd of about 100 gathered at a community center in Pavillion Tuesday night. “We understand the gravity of that.”

‘Fracking’ yields fuel, fear in Northeast

Published on 09/02/2010 in contaminated water, groundwater and tap water. 0 Comments

$story.fracking.water.cnn$ “Bill Ely walked into his chicken coop with an empty five-gallon water jug.

“The jug, punched with several finger-sized holes near the top to keep it from overflowing, was capped with a white plastic pipe. Using a garden hose fed from his water well, he filled the jug.

“Leaning over the contraption, he flicked his yellow lighter above the pipe, and a blue flame appeared.

“”I knew it [the water] went bad because we could light it,” Ely said.

“Dimock residents are at the forefront of one of the biggest energy developments this century.

“Their township sits above the Marcellus Shale, one of the largest natural gas deposits in the nation found underneath parts of Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Ohio. The natural gas reserve is attracting a flurry of gas companies wanting to drill.

“Accessing the natural gas involves the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.”"

Rodeados De Agua Y Viven Con Sed

Published on 09/02/2010 in contaminated water, drought, spanish, tap water, water technology and water wars. 0 Comments

Foto encontrado en: www.oem.com.mx Ante la necesidad, los colonos han tenido que tomar el agua de la cisterna de la planta, de donde la obtienen sucia y con impurezas.

“Villahermosa, Tabasco.- Suman más de una semana sin agua potable los habitantes de la Colonia Gaviotas Norte, que han tenido que tomar el vital líquido de una cisterna, pues su planta potabilizadora se encuentra inundada debido a las filtraciones del Río Grijalva.

Tal y como se lo hicieron saber al gobernador del estado, Andrés Granier Melo, durante su visita a la localidad, los colonos han padecido la falta de agua potable, misma que les es suministrada por medio de pipas que no alcanzan para abastecerlos a todos.

El problema surgió cuando los motores de la planta Gaviotas II, se quemaron y por ende esta dejo de funcionar, y aunque una decena de personas trabaja, con ayuda de maquinaria, para resguardarla colocando costales a su alrededor y retirando parte del equipo inservible, la filtración continúa llegando, manteniéndola anegada y sin posibilidades de reparación.

Por ello, desde hace 5 días, el Sistema de Agua y Saneamiento mantiene vigilancia del lugar además de que ha otorgado pipas que llegan durante el día para abastecer de agua a los desesperados vecinos que tienen que llenar botes y hasta garrafones con tal de llevar la mayor cantidad a sus hogares, cargándolos ellos mismos o usando triciclos.

No obstante ese apoyo no ha sido suficiente, pues son muchos quienes necesitan del líquido para bañarse y sobre todo para beber, ante esa situación han tenido que tomar el agua de la cisterna de la planta, de dónde la obtienen sucia y con impurezas, pero ante la necesidad se ven obligados a usarla.”

Leer mas: El Sol De Tulancingo

lily victoria

Watsonville Misses State Deadline For Fluoride Answer But Committee Recommends Going Ahead With Contract To Pay For Fluoridation

Published on 09/02/2010 in contaminated water, policy, tap water and water technology. 0 Comments

Photo retrieved from: www.oralanswers.com

“The city is under pressure from the state to sign off on the contract, which will provide $1.6 million to build a fluoridation system.

Cities with populations of 10,000 or more are required to fluoridate if an outside entity is willing to pay. The California Dental Association Foundation offered the city money to construct the system and operate it for two years. In January, the City Council in a 4-3 vote rejected a contract that had been two years in the making and appointed the committee to negotiate with the foundation to resolve outstanding issues, such as liability protections.

As negotiations dragged on, state officials became impatient, and on Aug. 19 issued the city a citation and warned of $200 a day fines.

“They are very serious. They want us to move forward with fluoridation,” Palacios said.

Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Bilicich served on the ad hoc committee with Councilman Manuel Bersamin and Councilwoman Kimberly Petersen, and opposed the contract.

Bersamin and Petersen, who voted for the contract, could not be reached to comment.

Bilicich said she didn’t think the contract gave Watsonville enough protection against liability if any lawsuits were filed.

Though Bilicich said the committee was close to a final decision before the citation and wasn’t influenced by it, she said the city’s in a tough spot. The issue of whether to fluoridate has been contentious.

“If we agree with the contract, someone in the community is going to file a lawsuit,” Bilich said. “If we don’t agree, the state is going to fine us.”

Water Supplied In Gaza Unfit For Drinking

Published on 08/31/2010 in contaminated water, groundwater, tap water, wastewater and water born diseases. 0 Comments

Photo retrieved from: www.map-uk.org

“They estimate it will take at least 20 years to rehabilitate Gazas underground water system, and any delay in dealing with the problem will lead to additional deterioration in the situation and thus might extend the rehabilitation process for hundreds of years. Since it began its siege on the Gaza Strip, in June 2007, Israel has forbidden the entry of equipment and materials needed to rehabilitate the water and wastewater-treatment systems there. The prohibition has remained despite the recent easing of the siege.

BTselem said the water crisis in the Gaza Strip arose following over-pumping of the underground water of the Coast Aquifer. It is estimated that the amount of water annually pumped from the aquifer is roughly twice the amount of water that replenishes it. As a result of the over-pumping, which has been going on for several decades, salt water has penetrated the aquifer. In addition, the poor maintenance of the wastewater-treatment facilities in Gaza, which increased following the siege, and the damage done to the wastewater-treatment facility in Gaza City during Operation Cast Lead, led to further pollution of the underground water by wastewater, and to greater salinity. Another factor for the pollution is the waste-disposal sites in Gaza, which are not properly handled. Following Operation Cast Lead, these sites received enormous amounts of waste more than 600,000 tons including asbestos, medial waste, oils, and fuels.

The daily per capita water consumption in the Gaza Strip is 91 liters, slightly higher than in the West Bank, where the figure is 73 liters, yet lower than the minimum of 100 liters recommended by the World Health Organization. By comparison, daily per capita consumption in Israel is 242 liters in urban areas and 211 liters in rural areas.”

Cholera death toll rises to 352

Published on 08/26/2010 in contaminated water, floods, groundwater, wastewater and water born diseases. 0 Comments

Photo Retrieved from: telegraph.co.uk

“CHOLERA death toll in Nigeria has climbed to 352, according to an update from the Federal Ministry of Health.

“The death toll, as confirmed on Wednesday in Abuja by the Director of Public Health, Dr Mike Anibueze, emanated from Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, FCT, Cross River, Kaduna, and Rivers.

““As of today, a total of 352 deaths out of 6,497 suspected cases of cholera have been recorded in 11 states,’’ he said.

“According to him, most of the outbreaks occurred in the North-West and North-East zones but epidemiological evidence indicated that the entire country was at risk.

““The disease is endemic in most parts of Nigeria but often occurs in epidemic proportion at the onset of the dry season.

““This is because people scramble for drinking water from doubtful sources and during rainy season when contaminants are washed into surface and underground water sources,’’ Anibueze said.”

Study of coal ash sites finds extensive water contamination

Published on 08/26/2010 in contaminated water. 0 Comments

Photo Retrieved from: southernenvironment.org

“A study released on Thursday finds that 39 sites in 21 states where coal-fired power plants dump their coal ash are contaminating water with toxic metals such as arsenic and other pollutants, and that the problem is more extensive than previously estimated.

“The analysis of state pollution data by the Environmental Integrity Project, the Sierra Club and Earthjustice comes as the Environmental Protection Agency is considering whether to impose federally enforceable regulations for the first time. An alternative option would leave regulation of coal ash disposal up to the states, as it is now.

“The EPA will hold the first of seven nationwide hearings about the proposed regulation Monday in Arlington, Va. A public comment period ends Nov. 19.

“The electric power industry is lobbying to keep regulation up to individual states. Environmental groups say the states have failed to protect the public and that the EPA should set a national standard and enforce it.”

Why Your Faucet May Have Dangerously High Levels of Lead

Published on 08/26/2010 in contaminated water, products and tap water. 1 Comment

Photo retrieved from: www.alternet.org

“Hundreds of recent health studies prove exceedingly low levels of lead exposure are dangerous – even at levels that were previously believed “safe.” Small amounts of lead leaching from our plumbing can cause kidney disease, hypertension, reduced brain function, hearing loss, nervous system disorders, bone marrow damage, and even death. Lead in the bloodstream robs us of our future because it is even more toxic to children. There is simply no reason that lead should still be allowed in our drinking water plumbing.

In response to the dangers of lead, our government has taken steps to reduce our exposure. In the 1970s, the use of lead in paint and gasoline was phased out. In 1986, a federal law was enacted to reduce lead in our drinking water plumbing. However, faucets sold today can still contain up to a quarter pound of lead and still be labeled as “lead-free” under the 1986 federal law. Here is how it works.

This 1986 federal law, and a subsequent amendment in 1996, established requirements for “lead free” drinking water plumbing. However, under the heading of “things aren’t always what they seem to be,” this federal law actually allows up to 4 percent lead content in faucets and up to 8 percent lead in drinking water pipes. The typical household faucet weighs about six and a half pounds. That means a typical household faucet can contain up to a quarter pound of lead and still be labeled “lead free” under the federal safe drinking water law. We’ve long known that lead contained in a faucet or other household plumbing will leach into the drinking water as that water passes through the plumbing. So how safe can a faucet be that contains a quarter pound of lead? ”

9 Surprising Diseases You Can Catch In The Nation’s Oceans

Published on 08/21/2010 in contaminated water and water born diseases. 0 Comments

Photo retrieved from: www.huffingtonpost.com

“Ocean water contaminated with sewage, storm run-off and oil carries bacteria, parasites, and viruses, which can cause a variety of diseases. From Staph infections to earaches, hepatitis to skin rashes and respiratory issues, America’s waters are an environmental hot bed for infection. For the last five years, there have been 18,000 beach closings across the United States. 2009 brought 18,682 days of closures and notices as a result of water contamination and pollution at beaches throughout the United States.

As summer ends, we here at HuffPost Green decided to explore the range of possible illnesses that can be contracted at our nation’s beaches due to environmental contamination. While oiled beaches are making the most headlines this summer, there are numerous other contamination that can be found at the beach. Recreational water illnesses can be caught by swallowing contaminated water, inhaling infected mist, and swimming in polluted waters.”

In Pakistan, Water Everywhere–and Not a Drop to Drink

Published on 08/09/2010 in contaminated water, floods and rivers. 0 Comments

Photo Retrieved from: blogs.state.gov

“”I was offered a glass of the brown river water yesterday,” says Lisa Beyl, a Catholic Relief Services program manager in flood-stricken northern Pakistan. “It literally looks like mud. It is the dirtiest water I have ever seen in my life. I can’t believe that people are drinking it, but they are, out of necessity.”

“As rains continue to pour down on the flooded country, hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis have been left homeless. Worse, they have no access to drinkable water.

“”We have to drink water from the river but it is so dirty. But we have no other options because the floodwaters damaged our water source and washed away our pipes,” says a man in the northern town of Besham whose home and land were swept away. “My family is getting sick. Today, I took my 15-month-old son to the hospital because he has diarrhea and a high fever. If the water problem is not solved, I do not know what I will do.”"

Shocking Negligence: Gas Companies Drilling in Pennsylvania Have Committed Nearly 1,500 Environmental Violations in Just Two Years

Published on 08/07/2010 in contaminated water and groundwater. 0 Comments Tags: hydraulic fracturing, marcellus shale drilling, water and fracking.

Photo retrieved from: AlterNet

“Since 2008, Pennsylvanians whose property sits atop the gas-rich Marcellus Shale formation have suffered through enough environmental problems to clutter an encyclopedia: A is for arsenic, found in soil at concentrations of 2,600 times what’s recommended. M is for methane — enough to blow up a concrete well. X is for the toxin xylene. Et cetera. Sometimes troubles like these occur naturally. But recently, they have become the M.O. of an increasingly reckless natural gas industry — one that’s been exempt from nearly a dozen important environmental laws since 2005.

“A report published Monday by Pennsylvania Land Trust vividly illustrates the breadth of the gas industry’s complicity in drilling accidents across the state. According to the findings, 43 gas companies operating in Pennsylvania were responsible for nearly 1,500 environmental violations between Jan. 1, 2008 and July 25, 2010. A few of these companies had more violations than actual wells drilled.”

The Kalamazoo River ‘Mess’ is a Lot More Than That

Published on 08/06/2010 in contaminated water and rivers. 0 Comments Tags: Kalamazoo river, michigan, oil, pollution, rivers.

Retrieved from: swobadaimages.com

If the BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico is causing us to reconsider deep-sea drilling, then last week’s oil disaster in Michigan should give us pause about constructing new oil pipelines. And taken together, the spills spotlight what’s wrong with our nation’s energy direction.

Patrick D. Daniel, chief executive of Enbridge Inc., apologized last week for “the mess we made.” He was referring to the pipeline rupture that dumped about a million gallons of crude oil into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River. Though we’re sure that Daniel genuinely regrets that it was his company’s turn to advertise the obvious dangers of continuing our nation’s dependence on oil, this time, sorry’s not good enough.

The immediate consequences of this particular “mess” are bad enough. Thirty miles of the Kalamazoo River were fouled. Birds, fish and other wildlife were killed or oiled. People had to be evacuated from their homes because of high levels of benzene in the air. When the heavy crude passed through the city of Battle Creek, the Kellogg Co. even had to stop making Corn Flakes.

The Kalamazoo empties directly into Lake Michigan. If oil had reached that lake, it would have been, in the words of Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, “a tragedy of historic proportions.” Although the Kalamazoo has come a long way from the days when it was the site for paper mills that dumped chemical waste directly into the river, a stretch of the river is still a Superfund site, and scientists warn that the spilled oil could release pollutants buried in the river’s sediment, unleashing even more toxins.

Trash Threatens To Block Three Gorges Gates In China

Published on 08/03/2010 in contaminated water, dams and floods. 1 Comment Tags: three gorges dam and trash blockage, trash in three gorges dam.

Photo Retrieved from: Huffington Post

“BEIJING — Intense flooding has swept thick layers of garbage down the Yangtze River that are threatening to block the gates of the Three Gorges Dam, state media reported Monday.

“The large amount of waste in the dam area could jam the miter gate of the Three Gorges Dam,” dam official Chen Lei told the official China Daily in an interview, referring to the dam’s huge shipping locks.

“Chen said heavy downpours have pushed unusually large amounts of garbage downstream, including tree branches, plastic bottles and other domestic waste. Nearly 3,000 tons (6 million pounds) of garbage are collected from the dam daily, but there is not enough manpower and equipment to clear it all, he said.

“A layer of garbage about 60 centimeters deep (nearly 2 feet) covering an area of more than 50,000 square meters (about a half million square feet) began to form in front of the dam when the rainy season began in early July, the China Daily reported, citing the Hubei Daily newspaper. In some areas, the trash is so thick that people can walk on it, it said.”

Environmentalists say pollution makes baptism at sacred spot in Jordan River unsafe

Published on 08/01/2010 in contaminated water and rivers. 0 Comments

“Environmentalists claim that the hallowed spot along the Jordan River where Christians believe John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ has become too filthy for human use.

“”Untreated sewage continues to flow both directly and indirectly into the river,” said Gidon Bromberg of Friends of the Earth Middle East, a group calling for baptism to be banned at a site where thousands of Christian pilgrims immerse themselves each year in the green-brown water.

“Israeli authorities vigorously dispute the claims of unhealthful levels of pollution at the sacred bend in the Jordan. They rushed this week to reassure pilgrims about the site, which is a major draw for the more than 2 million Christians who visit Israel each year.”

Enbridge Inc. Continues Cleanup of Kalamazoo River

Published on 07/30/2010 in contaminated water and rivers. 0 Comments

Photo Retrieved from: mlive.com

“Since the 6B pipeline on the Lakehead System burst on July 26, Enbridge Inc.shut down the pipeline and closed the isolation valves, stopping the source of the oil but estimates some 19,500 barrels of crude may have been released from the site, which is near the company’s Marshall, Mich., pump station, to Talmadge Creek.

“Talmadge Creek feeds into the Kalamazoo River.

“Line 6B is a 30-inch, 190,000 barrels per day (bpd) line transporting light synthetics, heavy and medium crude oil from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario. It is part of the Partnership’s Lakehead System. According to Enbridge, the 1,900-mile system is the U.S. portion of the world’s longest petroleum pipeline and has operated for more than 60 years. It transports crude oil from Western Canada to the United States, spanning from the international border near Neche, N.D., to the international border near Marysville, Mich., with an extension across the Niagara River into the Buffalo, N.Y., area.

“The Calhoun County Public Health Department issued a water advisory for residents with private wells living within 200 feet from the edge of the river bank between Talmadge Creek (site of oil spill) west along the Kalamazoo River to the Kalamazoo County line.

“Clearly identified Calhoun County Health Department and Michigan Department of Community Health officials and volunteers will personally visit affected homes to deliver water advisory notices.

“Residents are advised to discontinue use of their residential water well for drinking and cooking. All other household uses are acceptable at this time.”

3,000 chemical barrels washed into Chinese river

Published on 07/29/2010 in contaminated water and rivers. 0 Comments

“Water supplies were cut for a time to part of the north-eastern Chinese city of Jilin, after a flood washed thousands of barrels of a dangerous chemical from a factory into the area’s main river, state media said today.

“A “small quantity” of two pollutants produced by the plant were found in the Songhua river, and a reporter smelt a strange odour as he watched dozens of the metal containers float through downtown Jilin, the official Xinhua agency said.

“It was not clear how well the barrels were sealed. But the environmental protection ministry said yesterday that tests showed nothing abnormal about the water quality. It would monitor the river closely, it said.

“The latest spill was triggered when flood waters rushed through a chemical plant yesterday morning, carrying off barrels, including some of trimethyl chloro silicane, a colourless, flammable liquid with a pungent smell, Xinhua said.

“Around 3,000 barrels contained 170kg (375lb) of chemicals, and another 4,000 were empty, Xinhua said, citing a government official speaking at a news conference in Jilin. That suggested as much as 500 tonnes could potentially contaminate the river.”

Special Report: Delaware Drinking Water at Risk

Published on 07/29/2010 in contaminated water, groundwater and tap water. 0 Comments Tags: delaware drinking water quality, Potomac Aquifer.

The petrochemical complex northwest of Delaware City includes more than half a dozen heavily polluted industrial sites. In May 2008, the state banned any new public or private wells for drinking water over roughly eight square miles. Although environmental officials admit that pollution at the petrochemical complex is vast, they insist it isn’t hurting anyone. (The News Journal/ROBERT CRAIG) Photo retrieved from: Delaware Online

“Tainted groundwater is spreading across thousands of acres in northern Delaware and has reached the Potomac Aquifer, which supplies drinking water to people across much of Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey.

“In some areas of the upper Potomac near Delaware City and New Castle, concentrations of benzene, vinyl chloride and chlorinated benzenes are so high that exposure poses an immediate health threat. Elevated levels of these industrial byproducts significantly increase the risks of cancer. Sustained exposure could kill.

“Northern Delaware is home to some of the worst chemical dumping grounds in America, a legacy of broken promises and corporate misdeeds. Regulators working for Delaware and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have long claimed that the deep clay layers above the aquifer protected it from the foul waters discharged by chemical and petroleum manufacturers.

“Those assurances have proved false.

“The protective layer over the aquifer, scientists now say, is full of holes.

“To prevent a public health disaster, the state has banned public use of groundwater under or near the Delaware City petrochemical complex.

“Toxic pollutants, though, are now moving near the edge of that containment zone, outside the properties of Metachem, Occidental Chemical, Formosa Plastics and the Delaware City Refinery, and toward schools and houses.”

US Senate bill to force fracking fluid disclosure

Published on 07/29/2010 in contaminated water and policy. 0 Comments Tags: fracking bill, fracking disclosure, fracking fluid, hydraulic fracturing and water.

Photo retrieved from: MSNBC

“WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate energy bill is supposed to promote vehicles fueled by natural gas, but industry is crying foul over provisions they say undercut a drilling technique essential to boosting domestic gas output.

“The bill proposed by Senate Democrats would force companies using the hydraulic fracturing technique to tap shale gas to disclose by 2012 the chemicals used when drilling each well.

“Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, injects a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into rock formations at high pressure to force out oil and natural gas.

“Environmentalists assail drillers for keeping secret the chemicals they use in fracking, saying the mixture is toxic and may be poisoning groundwater in the drilling process.

“They argue the practice should not be exempt from the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.”