Archive for the 'tap water' Category

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.”

Klamath Basin’s water worries extend to wells

Published on 08/29/2010 in drought, groundwater and tap water. 0 Comments

“During the last big drought crisis in the Klamath Basin, in 2001, Carleton Farms filed for bankruptcy. Nine summers later, amid drought crisis No. 2, heavy pumping of wells that Jim Carleton and his neighbors installed since 2001 is saving his bacon, or, more precisely, his alfalfa, potatoes, wheat, cattle and 12 employees who work his 2,000 acres.

“As a Merrill councilman who oversees public works, Carleton also experienced the downside of this year’s unprecedented well use. In June, after Merrill’s wells ran dry, the town trucked in water for days and spent upward of $25,000 lowering its wellhead.

“Since 2001, the government has paid some basin farmers to irrigate with well water when the weather turns dry. Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s drought declaration in May allowed 89 one-year emergency wells this summer on top of 177 permanent wells sunk on the Oregon side of the basin during the past nine years.

“But this year’s pumping, roughly double previous highs, shows the limits of that strategy for resolving Oregon’s most politically fraught water war.

“The extra draw has lowered well water levels 30 feet in spots. ”

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? ”

Habrá Operativo Para Detectar Robo De Agua Potable En El DF

Published on 08/20/2010 in privatization, spanish, tap water and water wars. 0 Comments

Foto encontrado en: www.oem.com.mx

“El director del Sistema de Aguas de la Ciudad de México, Ramón Aguirre, precisó que si los ingresos anuales son de 4 mil 600 millones de pesos por concepto de agua potable, las autoridades del Distrito Federal pierden cerca de 460 millones de pesos con las tomas clandestinas.

Por ello, dijo, en lo que resta de este año se invitará a los capitalinos a regularizar sus tomas de agua, pero ya en 2011, se hará de forma “coercitiva”, pues el objetivo es que todo mundo pague lo que consume.

En entrevista, el funcionario señaló que tendrá un costo elevado para los capitalinos a quienes se detecten tomas clandestinas de agua potable, ya que se hará un estimado y se les cobrará cinco años el agua que pudieron haber consumido.

Para echar a andar este operativo especial, dijo, el Gobierno del DF contratará empresas que se dedican a la detección de tomas clandestinas, las cuales se localizan en toda la Ciudad de México.

Sin embargo, acotó que las tomas clandestinas se concentran en las colonias populares y los lotes grandes, donde se amplían las viviendas y se construyen nuevas casas, las cuales hacen sus propias tomas de agua.

También se registran en las zonas industriales, ya que en ellas el costo de agua es mayor y con las tomas clandestinas se trata de evadir el cobro, así como en algunas zonas residenciales, donde no dan de alta las nuevas tomas.”

Leer mas: El Sol De Mexico

lily victoria

Bottling Our Cities’ Tap Water: Share of Bottled Water from Municipal Supplies Up 50 Percent

Published on 08/14/2010 in bottled water and tap water. 0 Comments

Photo Retrieved from: usatoday.com

“Over the past decade, an increasing share of the bottled water sold in the United States is coming from municipal water supplies. Categorized as “purified” by the bottled water industry, bottling companies purchase municipal tap water, put it through a filtration process, bottle it and then sell it back to consumers for hundreds to thousands of times the cost. Between 2000 and 2009, the share of water bottled with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sold in retail stores sourced by tap water supplies increased by almost 50 percent. During that time, tap water went from making up a third of retail PET bottled water sold in retail stores (32.7 percent) to making up almost half (47.8 percent) of it.

“The trend of water bottlers increasingly turning to tap water sources for bottling threatens our public water resources and is a bad deal for consumers who pay hundreds to thousands of times more for a product they can get from the tap. Furthermore, water bottlers are increasingly using aging water treatment systems that are funded by taxpayer dollars — another raw deal for citizens.”

Drop by drop, residents save tons of water

Published on 08/08/2010 in solutions and outreach and tap water. 0 Comments

“Gary and Linda Rogers are turning blue into green.

“The Cooper City couple saved $117 by reducing their water usage by 27,000 gallons in just three months.

“They weren’t the only ones.

“When the city’s utilities department issued a three-month water conservation challenge, 12 teams of Cooper City homeowners signed on. The competition pitted two local homeowners’ associations — the Homes at Forest Lake and Reflections at Rock Creek — to see who could save the most water.

“”Water conservation is not a new concept. We just wanted to make it more visible and try to engage folks a little more,” said Mike Bailey, director of utilities.

“Although prizes were given — the Reflections homeowners came home with irrigation systems — the real winner was Cooper City.

“Together, the 12 teams saved 176,000 gallons of the city’s water. That’s enough to fill more than one million water bottles.”

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.”

Three waterborne diseases cost U.S. $539 mln a year

Published on 07/15/2010 in contaminated water, tap water and water born diseases. 0 Comments

“ Three diseases spread by drinking or inhaling contaminated water cost the U.S. healthcare system as much as $539 million a year in hospital expenses, researchers reported on Wednesday. ”

“The three diseases — Legionnaires’ disease, cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis — are caused by three very different microbes but what they have in common is they are spread by water, researchers told the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta.”

“”These cost data highlight that water-related diseases pose not only a physical burden to the thousands of people sickened by them each year, but also a substantial burden in health care costs, including direct government payments through Medicare and Medicaid,” Michael Beach of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who worked on the study, said in a statement.”

cecilemioni

NYC to Track Real Time Water Use With Wireless Meters

Retrieved from: Treehugger.com

“California is leading the way with wireless water meters, but other locations aren’t far behind. The latest to join in modernizing water metering is New York City. Starting this week, residents of the Bronx are going to see every detail of their water consumption habits in real time, thanks to a new $252 million city-wide upgrade of water meters and a new water use and bill tracking system. While it sounds like a lot for installation, smart metering for water use can save a whole lot more over time in both money and the precious resource.

“The New York Times reports that 834,000 customers have a wireless meter already installed and will be able to start using the system immediately. Meters are still being installed, and the effort should be completed by 2012. By consumers having the ability to see how much they’re spending on water and where they’re using it, they can make immediate changes to their behavior and hopefully conserve more water. Not only that, but the wireless meters also make it easier for the city to collect water bills.”

Online dialogue to address EPA’s new drinking water contaminant strategy

Published on 07/12/2010 in contaminated water, solutions and outreach and tap water. 0 Comments

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host an online dialogue on July 28-29 to address the agency’s new strategy for regulating drinking water contaminants by group, according to the American Water Works Association. ”

“The new strategy is meant to streamline decision-making and expand protection under existing law and promote cost-effective new technologies to meet the needs of rural, urban and other water-stressed communities.”

“EPA has invited everyone interested in safe drinking water to join the discussion on approaches the agency should consider when developing a framework to group contaminants.”

“Information from this exchange will help develop the agenda for an upcoming Drinking Water Strategy stakeholder meeting and the framework for addressing contaminants as groups.”

cecilemioni

Weighing Safety Of Weed Killer In Drinking Water, EPA Relies Heavily On Industry-Backed Studies

Published on 07/08/2010 in policy and tap water. 0 Comments Tags: atrazine, EPA and pesticide regulation, pesticides and water pollution.

Retrieved from: Huffington Post

“Companies with a financial interest in a weed-killer sometimes found in drinking water paid for thousands of studies federal regulators are using to assess the herbicide’s health risks, records of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show. Many of these industry-funded studies, which largely support atrazine’s safety, have never been published or subjected to an independent scientific peer review.

“Meanwhile, some independent studies documenting potentially harmful effects on animals and humans are not included in the body of research the EPA deems relevant to its safety review, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund has found. These studies include many that have been published in respected scientific journals.

“Even so, the EPA says that it would be “very difficult for someone to put a thumb on the scale” to slant the outcome.

“EPA records obtained by The Huffington Post Investigative Fund show that at least half of the 6,611 studies the agency is reviewing to help make its decision were conducted by scientists and organizations with a financial stake in atrazine, including Syngenta or its affiliated companies and research contractors.”

L.A. residents can water lawns three days a week under plan backed by council [Updated]

Published on 07/07/2010 in policy and tap water. 0 Comments Tags: LA lawn watering, LA water regulations, LA water supply.

Retrieved from: LA Times

“The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday recommended a new water-conservation plan that would allow residents to water lawns and gardens three days a week, instead of the two days now permitted.

“The council rejected a scheme that would have continued the two-day-a-week limit as well as assigned specific watering days for residents of even-numbered and odd-numbered addresses.

“The recommendation comes after a panel of experts concluded that the two-day-a-week irrigation rules created dramatic fluctuations in water pressure, contributing to a series of pipe breaks that damaged homes and businesses. One break created a sinkhole that swallowed part of a firetruck.”

CDC must do more to respond to the D.C. lead cover-up

Published on 07/03/2010 in contaminated water, tap water and water born diseases. 0 Comments Tags: blood lead in washington DC children, lead in water, washington DC water contamination.

Retrieved from: citizen.org

“First and foremost, as a result of lead-contaminated water, many D.C. children will never achieve their full potential. In 2009 we published a peer-reviewed scientific paper that showed that when water lead levels were elevated, several hundred and perhaps thousands of D.C. children were poisoned by lead because they drank contaminated tap water. Children exposed to even low levels of lead suffer permanent, irreversible harm. The neurological effects of lead poisoning can be partly abated by enriching the child’s environment, but the low-income neighborhoods in which water and blood lead levels were highest are the same ones with schools facing significant challenges.

“Second, what happened in the District was far more serious than this piece suggested. As soon as the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority started to note the elevated water lead levels, it began to hide problems and play down potential health effects. If it hadn’t been for the work of reporters from The Post, D.C. residents might never have learned the full extent of dangers from the water supply. Once the story broke, the messages delivered to D.C. residents contained misinformation and tended to play down the risks of elevated lead in the water supply. Dr. Frieden’s commentary continued in this vein by presenting a skewed version of events in which the CDC is portrayed as a victim of D.C.’s poor data collection rather than the author of an inaccurate and misleading report.

“Finally, Dr. Frieden’s commentary ignored the harm caused by the 2004 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. That report stated “that although lead in tap water contributed to a small increase” in blood lead levels in the District, no children were identified with blood lead levels greater than 10 micrograms per deciliter, “even in homes with the highest water lead levels.” Even though two addenda of the report have been published, the original erroneous conclusions stand. Decisions have been and continue to be made based on the report’s conclusions.”

WSSC customers in Md. told to limit water use after failing main is discovered

Published on 07/01/2010 in tap water. 0 Comments

Retrieved from: media.silive.com/latest_news/photo

“Maryland residents who get their water from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission are under restrictions to limit water use for at least the next four days, through the Fourth of July weekend.
This Story

“The WSSC is advising customers to stop all outside water use and to limit flushing toilets and use of washing machines and dishwashers.

“The agency issued the restrictions after an inspection found a failing 96-inch water main near the corner of Tuckerman Lane and Gainsborough Road in Potomac. Repairs are underway to ensure that fire departments in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties have adequate pressure to fight fires.”

Restore the Clean Water Act

Published on 06/26/2010 in policy and tap water. 0 Comments Tags: clean water act, drinking water, Green News, James Oberstar, League Of Conservation Voters.

Retrieved from: Treehugger.com

“The Clean Water Act was first implemented nearly 40 years ago. It is arguably one of the most successful environmental laws ever passed and a generation of Americans has enjoyed safer, fishable, and swimmable waters because of it. However, in the past decade, misguided court decisions and Bush Administration directives have broken the Clean Water Act, opening the door for corporate polluters to contaminate previously protected waters — putting the drinking supply of over 117 million Americans at risk.

“On April 21st, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN), along with Reps. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) and John Dingell (D-MI), introduced America’s Commitment to Clean Water Act (H.R. 5088), or ACCWA, to address the disrepair of the Clean Water Act and restore its original intent. ACCWA would reinstate protections to the estimated 59% of streams and 20 million acres of wetlands at risk. Last June, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved similar legislation, known as the Clean Water Restoration Act (S. 787).

“We applaud Chairman Oberstar, and leaders in the Senate, for their continued leadership as clean water is one of the most crucial public health, safety and environmental issues we face.”

How to Read Your Water Quality Report

Published on 06/21/2010 in tap water. 0 Comments Tags: drinking water quality, tap water quality report, water quality, water quality report.

“From coast to coast, the news has been awash with reports of consumers kicking the bottled water habit and taking back the tap. People are catching on to the industry‚ marketing con job. They now know that bottled water is an overpriced rip-off that‚ no more pure or healthful than tap water. Furthermore, its production and transportation gobbles energy and spews pollution and climate-changing gases into our atmosphere.

“If youre among the growing mass of people making the move to tap water, perhaps you have questions about the quality of your city or town‚ water supply. Although most municipal water beats the stuff in the bottle, learning more about it makes sense.

“We all have the right to know what‚ in our drinking water. Congress codified this principle in 1996 with amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. The changes greatly improve public access to information about drinking water quality.

“The Safe Drinking Water Act, passed in 1976, authorized EPA to set drinking water standards for all public water systems. Water utilities monitor and treat drinking water to abide by these federal standards. The 1996 amendments added a requirement for utilities to notify the public about any detected regulated contaminant and any water quality violation.

“The centerpiece of these right-to-know provisions is the annual water quality report. Although these reports are intended to help consumers make informed choices about their drinking water, they can be confusing and full of jargon. This guide is intended to help you understand what your water quality report is and how to interpret what it tells you.”