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Sewer to spigot: Recycled water A growing number of cities and counties grappling with water shortages are turning to a solution that may be tough for some homeowners to stomach: purifying wastewater so that residents can drink it. In an effort to replenish its groundwater supply, Los Angeles is slated to announce Thursday a plan that will recycle 4.9 billion gallons of treated wastewater to drinking standards by 2019. In San Diego, the city council voted in favor of a pilot project that would pump recycled sewage water into a drinking-water reservoir, despite a veto from the mayor over the system's cost. Miami-Dade County, Fla., is planning a system that would pump 23 million gallons a day of purified wastewater into the ground; the water will eventually travel to a supply well and be reclaimed for drinking use. Some communities, such as the Tampa Bay area of Florida, desalinate seawater, which is generally more expensive than recycling. Wall Street Journal_ 5/15/08
Earthquake damage poses flood risk to China's dams Water Resources Minister Chen Lei said there was evidence of damage to almost 400 dams in the region of Sichuan province. He said there were also "prominent problems in safety and flood prevention" in reservoirs and hydropower stations in the affected areas. The extent of the danger at hydropower stations remains unclear because management systems are "not smooth", he added. Urgent attention is being paid in particular to medium-sized dams close to the town of Wenchuan, after an official warned that problems at the nearby Tulong reservoir. The Zipingku dam is upstream from the Dujiangyan irrigation system, which has supplied water to Sichuan's fertile eastern plains for more than 2,000 years. While the 156m-high (511ft) dam has been declared structurally safe, about 2,000 troops have been sent there to help with emergency repairs. BBC News_ 5/15/08 Around the U.S. Northern California's East Bay region begins water rationing Water rationing went into effect Tuesday for residents of northern California's East Bay region after water managers unanimously passed a drought management program aimed at preserving the system's deteriorating water supply. Tuesday's action by the East Bay Municipal Utility District set out reduction goals, prohibited water uses and declared a water-shortage emergency across the district's system, which serves 1.3 million residents between Oakland and Danville and Crockett and Castro Valley. The area is roughly the eastern section of San Francisco Bay. But questions swirl about the plan's enforcement, how the targets are calculated and how it will affect water rates - both for those who already conserve, and for those who use large amounts of water. Under the plan, those who don't comply face citations and the possibility of reduced water flow or disconnected service. In July, the board will vote on special drought pricing. San Francisco Chronicle_ 5/14/08 Alabama, Florida, Georgia water sharing Florida skewers Georgia on easing water restrictions Georgia's decision in February to ease outdoor-watering restrictions in metropolitan Atlanta undercuts its claims the federal government should continue limiting downstream flows out of that state, a Florida official says. "The proposal is unjustified in light of Georgia's unfathomable refusal to implement and sustain meaningful water-conservation measures," said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole in a letter released May 8. Sole's letter to the U.S. Corps of Engineers instead suggests Georgia should address worries about reservoir levels near Atlanta "by aggressively implementing all authorized measures available to reduce demands on the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers." Dated May 6, the letter is the latest salvo fired in the decades-old feud between Florida, Georgia and Alabama over water from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system, exacerbated by what has been two years of regional drought conditions. Tampa Tribune_ 5/9/08 Bottled Water Democrats want chemical in plastic investigated Congress on Wednesday waded into an escalating scientific dispute over a controversial ingredient in plastic products that some think may harm the development of children's brains and interfere with human reproduction. Members of a Senate consumer affairs subcommittee faulted federal agencies for reacting too slowly to concerns that children are exposed to bisphenol A, or BPA, through leaching from such items as water bottles, baby bottles and the linings of food and baby formula cans. Senate Democrats demanded more independent research into the possible hazards of the estrogen-like compound and better labeling of products that include it. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) pushed for legislation he has introduced to prohibit BPA in all products designed for and intended to be used by children age 7 and younger. The compound is used in the manufacture of polycarbonate, a rigid plastic, and epoxy resins. Los Angeles Times_ 5/15/08 Nestle scales back plans for California water bottling plant Nestle SA said Monday it is significantly scaling back plans in Northern California to build what would have been the country's largest water bottling plant. The announcement by Nestle Waters North America comes after years of opposition by environmentalists and a group of residents in the rural town of McCloud. With soaring fuel and transportation costs, building a 1 million square foot facility at the base of Mount Shasta no longer makes economic sense, said David Palais, Nestle's Northern California natural resource manager. The company also has built a plant in Denver and expanded other facilities in the West. Palais told The Associated Press that those expansions make a large plant in California less necessary. Critics of the plant welcomed Nestle's announcement but called on McCloud's five-member services district to negotiate a better contract. AP/Business Week_ 5/12/08 Business News Global Water wants to pipe into southwestern U.S. markets Phoenix-based Global Water Resources plans to go public with its shares and wants to flood the southwestern U.S. with its method of making water more sustainable. Global Water contends that once you can manage water in the Valley of the Sun, you can do it anywhere. It currently operates 16 utilities in Phoenix where resources must be stretched to quench the booming desert's water needs. The company said it has the potential capacity to serve two million service connections in the future and is planning to expand into other residential hot spots like Idaho and Nevada. Under the water utility's TWM approach, water is controlled throughout the entire cycle to maximize its economic value. Global Water aims to increase acceptance for broader uses of recycled water that would be distributed through a separate pipe system and would build integrated water and wastewater facilities. "Our objective is to become the largest investor-owned operator of integrated water utilities in areas of the arid western U.S. where water scarcity management is necessary for long-term economic sustainability and growth," the company said, adding that TWM has proven effective and could sustain communities in areas where growth is expected to outpace the existing potable water supply. Forbes_ 5/14/08 Bottled Water News Seattle's mayor urges residents to stop buying bottled water Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels urged Seattleites today to stop buying bottled water as a way to be more environmentally conscious. The mayor explained that Seattle's tap water, "some of the finest-tasting, purest-source water in the world," is an excellent alternative. Nickels said the city charges one third of a cent for a gallon of water, compared to an average of 79 cents for a pint of bottled water. Nickels said the city's two water sources, the Cedar and Tolt rivers, produce "gold standard" water, and tap water is better than bottled water because it contains fluoride. In March, Nickels directed the city to stop buying bottled water, estimating it could save taxpayers as much as $57,000 a year. Seattle Times_ 5/7/08 Desalination Australia to spend A$2.3 billion over five years to finance water replacement as climate changes ''The effects of climate change mean most of Australia's cities and towns have less water, and we can no longer on rainfall to supply all our drinking water,'' Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong said, in a statement accompanying the Federal Budget. The National Urban Water and Desalination Plan will get $1 billion, offering cities of more than 50,000 people access to funds to develop new water supplies. Private companies, utilities and local and state governments will be able to apply for grants and tax offsets to support desalinations, recycling and stormwater harvesting. Projects in Adelaide and Geelong will get funding totaling $50 million for two recycling projects. All up, some $12.9 billion will be spent over the long-term on the government's Water for the Future plans. Access to those funds, including the $1 billion announced today, are conditional on state and territory governments meeting agreed water reforms. The Age_ 5/13/08 London's new mayor drops challenge to desalination plant London's mayor has withdrawn a legal challenge to a desalination plant in a deal with Thames Water that aims to keep traffic moving in the city. The planned £200m facility in Beckton, north-east London, will make supplies from the Thames estuary drinkable. The plant would be used mainly during droughts. Previous mayor Ken Livingstone launched the challenge against the plant on environmental grounds despite the government giving it the go-ahead. Mayor Boris Johnson said the deal would cut the impact of roadworks on traffic. Mr Johnson said the company had also agreed to new environmental measures. These include helping to capture and reuse the waste energy generated by the proposed Barking Power Station to help provide heating and hot water for up to 90,000 homes and save up to 90,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. BBC News_ 5/12/08 French desalination giant Degremont to bid for Melbourne, Australia's seawater treatment plant In an interview with the Herald Sun, Degremont chief executive Thierry Mallet has sought to allay fears about the A$3 billion plant, scheduled to be operating by 2011, and even suggests it may be a plus for the area. Degremont joins two other companies in the race to build and run the plant. Mr Mallet said that the plant could be built with minimal impact on the environment. Degremont has built more than 250 desalination plants over more than 20 years. The Government is expected to award the contract next year. Herald-Sun_ 5/12/08 Federal Legislation U.S. Senators Levin and Voinovich introduce legislation to limit phosphates in dishwashing detergent Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio) today introduced legislation to limit the use of phosphates in automatic dish detergents, which would help to reduce phosphates that wreak havoc on aquatic plants and fish in the Great Lakes and other waters. The Levin-Voinovich bill would limit the use of phosphates in residential dish detergent by requiring the EPA, beginning in 2010, to ban the sale of residential dish washing detergent that has more than 0.5% phosphorous nationally. A 2003 Minnesota study, updated in 2007, estimated that dishwashing detergent accounts for nearly 19 percent of the total amount of phosphorus entering municipal wastewater systems each year. Advances in detergent formulation in recent decades have allowed many companies to produce phosphate-free automatic dish detergents that work as effectively as those containing phosphates. Excess amounts of phosphorus in water-bodies accelerate a process known as eutrophication, or the rapid growth of algae, which can become so dense that they block submerged aquatic vegetation’s access to light, which restricts their ability to photosynthesize and survive. News Eelease_ 5/15/08 Great Lakes Michigan Senate approves bill managing lake water withdrawals The Michigan Senate has approved a bill managing large-scale withdrawals from the state's lakes and inland waterways. The legislation is contained in a package of bills that would give Michigan's approval to a regional compact to prevent Great Lakes water from being sent to dry regions. Lawmakers favor the compact but disagree over state-specific water rules. The Senate bill now heads to the House. It's looking increasingly likely a compromise will have to be hammered out in a conference committee. AP/Chicago Tribune_ 5/15/08 International News Drought-stricken Barcelona, Spain forced to ship in drinking water until desalination plant online Spain's worst drought in decades forced the proud city of Barcelona to start shipping in drinking water today, an unprecedented step that business leaders bemoan as a public relations nightmare for one of Europe's top tourist destinations. A Panamanian-flagged tanker loaded with water docked in Spain's second-largest city, launching a mission by an emergency, six-vessel flotilla scheduled to operate for at least three months. Barcelona has been among the regions hardest hit by Spain's worst springtime drought since record-keeping began 60 years ago. The ships will provide the 5.5 million people of greater Barcelona with 6 percent of their usual monthly water consumption. The ship solution and a planned $277 million pipeline to bring in water from the Ebro River to the west are designed to help the region hang on until a desalination plant is completed in May of next year. That facility, which would be one of the biggest of its kind in Europe, is supposed to resolve many of Catalonia's water woes. AP/Baltimore sun_ 5/13/08 Power outages slated for Ethiopia capital because of low water levels The Ethiopian capital faces a lengthy power outage until next month because of reduced water levels in the country's hydro-electric plants, a state-owned generator said Monday. Addis Ababa, a city of 5 million, will have no power for up to three days a week, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation said in a statement. AFP/NASDAQ_ 5/12/08 Executive ministers are discussing whether consumers will receive a separate water bill next spring, BBC News understands. This would go against an independent review which last year recommended that water charges should be included in a single bill together with the rates. BBC News_ 5/12/08 Mars Water Mars probe set for risky descent Scientists are preparing for "seven minutes of terror" as a Nasa spacecraft makes a nail-biting descent to the surface of Mars. The Phoenix lander will begin its plunge through the Martian atmosphere on 25 May (GMT) as it attempts to land in the planet's polar north. The craft needs to perform a series of challenging manoeuvres along the way. It then begins a three-month mission to investigate Mars' geological history and potential habitability. Water is crucial to the mission's objectives. Not only is it a pre-requisite for biology, but it has shaped the planet's geology and climate over billions of years. Phoenix will touch down on the northern plains, which hold vast stores of water-ice just below ground. The lander will use a 2.4m robotic arm to dig through the protective topsoil layer to this water-ice below; a scoop on the arm will lift samples of both soil and ice to the lander's deck for detailed scientific analysis. However, much of the water-ice is thought to be frozen as hard as paving stones. BBC News_ 5/14/08 MTBE California Water Service Co. wins $49.7 million as part of national MTBE settlement A San Jose-based water company will receive $49.7 million as part of a national deal to settle a lawsuit with oil companies over water contamination from the gasoline additive MTBE. California Water Service Co. is one of 156 plaintiffs in the case, which was filed in 2003 and 2004 against a dozen major refiners. The $422 million settlement agreement will be filed with the federal court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. A total of 27 drinking water wells owned by the company, known as Cal-Water, were contaminated by MTBE in northern and southern California starting more than a decade ago. MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, was added to gasoline in low levels starting in the late 1970s. In the early 1990s, however, Congress required states with high smog levels to add larger amounts of such oxygenates to gasoline. San Jose Mercury News_ 5/10/08 Oil companies settle MTBE groundwater suit About a dozen oil companies agreed to pay $423 million and clean-up costs to settle litigation over decades of groundwater contamination from the gasoline additive and possible carcinogen MTBE, lawyers said on Wednesday. The settlement affects public water utilities and public agencies in 17 states, attorneys for water agencies said. Refiner Valero Energy Corp confirmed the agreement but added that the court must affirm it. "The one big holdout was ExxonMobil Corp," said Robert Gordon, of Weitz and Luxenberg, one of the three lead lawyers for the plaintiffs. Exxon did not immediately comment. MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, in 1979 replaced lead in gasoline to make car engines run smoother. Then Congress in 1990 required refiners to use oxygenates like MTBE to clean up tailpipe emissions. MTBE helps air quality, but it hurts water quality. The additive has leaked into water supplies in many states, sparking the lawsuits. Reuters_ 5/7/08 Myanmar Cyclone Nargis Myanmar junta warns against hoarding cyclone aid Myanmar's junta warned Thursday it will punish anyone found hoarding or trading foreign aid meant for cyclone survivors, but relief groups said they had seen no evidence of people selling or stockpiling donated goods. Myanmar's military, which has ruled for 46 years, has itself come under suspicion of diverting relief supplies. Its warning against hoarding alluded to the allegations, saying the regime is rushing all donated supplies to those in need. Tons of food, water, blankets, mosquito nets, medicine and tents have been flown in to Myanmar from international donors, but delivery to the 1.5 million to 2 million affected by the May 3 storm has been slowed by bottlenecks, poor infrastructure and bureaucratic tangles. New York-based Human Rights Watch said countries delivering aid to Myanmar should insist on monitoring the shipments to ensure all aid reaches the neediest and to prevent the military from diverting any supplies. The group also said it had confirmed an Associated Press report this week that the junta took control of high-protein biscuits supplied by the international community and then distributed low-quality, locally produced substitutes to civilians. AP_ 5/15/08 Regional Water Issues President Bush signs Platte River recovery measure Legislation that supplies the federal share of money for the Platte River recovery program in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska was signed into law Thursday. The bill President Bush signed provides $157 million to help carry out a three-state agreement with the federal government. U.S. Droughts Could Florida's drought be over by year's end? Don't crank up the lawn sprinklers yet, but state water officials say they see signs that Florida's latest drought — which has been going on since 2006 — may finally be easing up. Florida's wet season typically begins in late May or early June and continues for about five months through Nov. 1, producing two-thirds of South Florida's annual rainfall. "The outlook is much more optimistic (for the rainy season) than it was this time last year," said Ben Nelson, state meteorologist for the Division of Emergency Management. "If we have a typical wet season, we should be out of the drought by the end of the year." For the past 22 months, Florida's skies have been mostly dry. So during 2006 and 2007, when the Tampa Bay region should have received 53 inches of rain a year, only 43 inches fell in 2006 and 41 inches in 2007. Meanwhile South Florida's counties saw the driest consecutive years in the region since recordkeeping began in 1932. Statewide, the "rainfall deficit" is the largest since the mid 1950s, according to the state Department of Emergency Management. St. Petersburg Times_ 5/12/08 Water Rates Water bills in two Maryland counties to increase 8% on July 1 Residents of Prince George's and Montgomery counties will see their rates for water use jump by 8 percent starting July 1, raising the average customer's quarterly bill by $11.25. Meeting jointly, the councils of the two counties agreed to the increase yesterday as they approved a $913.7 million budget for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, which provides water and sewer service to 1.8 million customers in the counties. The budget will fund the utility's operations as well as the replacement of 27 miles of water lines and 51 miles of sewer pipes. The commissioners agreed in February to an 8 percent increase after the members who represent the counties clashed over a proposal by the utility to raise rates by 9.5 percent. Utility managers also wanted to impose a monthly $20 fee devoted to replacing the system's 10,800 miles of underground water and sewer pipes. The managers said there is a desperate need to take action to prevent breaks. With the 9.5 percent increase and the fee, water bills would have risen 50 percent starting in July. Commissioners rejected the fee in February. There were 2,129 breaks last year, a record. The utility froze rates from fiscal 1999 through 2004, a time of restructuring during which officials said that maintenance was put on hold. Washington Post_ 5/9/08 Headlines from May 3-May 16, 2008 Around the U.S. New Jersey weighs water tax for open space preservation Hawaii first state to require solar water heaters in new homes AP/MSNBC_ 5/6/08 Duke Energy nuclear plant causes Carolina water concerns Charlotte Observer_ 5/4/08 Belle Glade, Florida boil-water order drags into third week Palm Beach Post_ 5/3/08 Idaho water board buys fish farm to aid water supplies Ag Weekly_ 5/3/08 GAO: Farmers owe feds more than $450 million for California water project AP/San Jose Mercury-News_ 1/17/08 (logon required) download full GAO report Alabama, Florida, Georgia water sharing Georgia's water czar lifts some restrictions, but not for Atlanta Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 5/7/08 Florida takes issue with plan to keep more water in Georgia Atlanta Journal Constitution_4/30/08 Bottled Water U.S. Conference of Mayors begins its discussion of bottled water WaterWebster staff report May 1, 2008 Learn how your organization can republish this report at no cost Bottled water market in Europe is still sparkling Fox Business_4/23/08 Canadian school board bans sale of bottled water at its schools The Star_4/24/08 Bottling companies face opposition as worries grow over water supplies Baltimore Sun_4/24/08 Business News PepsiCo buys UK vitamin water brand V Water Reuters_4/30/08 India's TCS signs 60 million pounds deal with Scottish Water Economic times_ 4/28/08 Call For Papers ECSM'08 - European Conference on Sludge Management Liège, Belgium September 4-5, 2008 Colorado River Record snowpack soon will be heading downriver Aspen Daily News_ 4/28/08 Colorado River to drop to 500-year low as world warms Bloomberg_ 4/17/08 Bureau of Reclamation plan manages Colorado River in drought: 'everyone shares the pain' Salt Lake Tribune_ 11/2/07 download the final environmental impact study Construction Cost to funnel water around the California delta has soared AP/San Jose Mercury-News_ 4/25/08 Desalination San Leandro, California desalination company Energy Recovery Inc. plans IPO East Bay Business Times_ 5/2/08 Desalination: Part of the answer to California water problems KGOABC7_ 5/2/08 In California's Monterey Bay area, Water Standard Co. proposes off-shore desalination KSBW_ 4/30/08 More research still needed, but desalination can boost U.S. water supplies: National Research Council News Release_ 4/24/08 download pdf of the full report Desalination: A national perspective Environment Study backing more water exports to Southern California is nullified; Report failed to account for effects on endangered fish Los Angeles Times_4/17/08 AWWA urges science-based approach to water analysis Fox News_4/16/08 Plastic bottle chemical may be harmful: U.S. agency Reuters_ 4/15/08 Warming felt more in Western U.S. Los Angeles Times_ 3/28/08 (logon required) download full .pdf report Hotter and Drier EPA chief shelves agency findings on greenhouse gases Los Angeles Times_ 3/28/08 (logon required) UN: Glaciers melting at record speed Business Week_ 3/17/08 More details from the United Nations Environment Programme Federal Legislation Federal EPA likely to pass on regulating perchlorate Sacramento Bee_ 5/6/08 Great Lakes water issues U.S. Senators Carl Levin and George Voinovich introduce Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2008 News Release_ 5/8/08 Meeting on Great Lakes water levels: Don't tamper with nature Kalamazoo Gazette/MILive_ 5/4/08 International China turns to algae-gobbling carp, hoping to clear country's fetid lakes AP/canoe_ 5/4/08 In rural Pakistan, naturally-occurring fluoride contaminates water supply Daily Times_ 5/4/08 Newly discovered water, oil and gas surveyed in Afghanistan Science Daily_5/1/08 Safe Water? Lessons from Kazakhstan Science Daily_ 4/30/08 Myanmar Cyclone Aid groups say Myanmar supplies stolen by military New York Times_ 5/15/08 (logon required) Austrian Red Cross to send water specialists to Myanmar AFP/NASDAQ 5/13/08 Rain lashes Myanmar cyclone survivors Reuters_ 5/13/08 Myanmar junta still blocking cyclone aid International Herald Tribune_ 5/11/08 UNICEF plane with 3 million water purification tablets lands in Burma Irish Times_ 5/11/08 U.N. resuming aid to Myanmar after dispute with junta New York Times_ 5/9/08
UNICEF: Safe water is the difference between life and death in post-cyclone Myanmar Relief Web Press Release_5/9/08 Myanmar cyclone death toll soars past 22,000: state radio AP_ 5/6/08 Cyclone sends Myanmar back in time: Power cuts, water scarce AP/Yahoo_ 5/5/08 Regional Water Issues Colorado legislators approve $60.6 million Republican River pipeline loan Journal-Advocate_ 5/6/08 Research and Technology NASA satellite to map Earth's water cycle Science Daily_4/30/08 Wastewater Draining the basin that's Mexico City Los Angeles Times_ 4/28/08 (logon required) And Finally... Mets game delayed by water main break Newsday_ 5/1/08
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