October 6, 2009

EPA to brief Boxer on toxic school drinking water. A California senator called on the head of the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday to disclose how the agency plans to address the widespread problem of toxic drinking water in the nation’s schools. Associated Press
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/05/us/AP-US-Toxic-Water-Schools.html

Radiation levels are high in water at some Acreage homes.Radiation levels were higher than normal at the homes of as many as 10 Acreage families with brain tumors or brain cancer, according a New York City law firm affiliated with the nationally known environmental activist Erin Brockovich. Palm Beach Post, Florida.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/10/05/1005acreagewater.html

San Francisco Bay’s slide in mud worries scientists. Millions of tons of sand and clay that Gold Rush miners scoured from the Sierra Nevada have finally flushed out to sea after more than a century in San Francisco Bay, according to the San Francisco Estuary Institute. San Francisco Chronicle, California.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/05/MN781A0F6Q.DTL

Egypt oasis risks becoming mirage.From Siwa to Libya the Nubian aquifer is being drained at an increasing rate. And some believe without a more concerted effort by all parties, these green dots in the desert might suddenly and irrevocably disappear from the map. BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8289532.stm

October 5, 2009

Does sewer rule stink? Ninety percent of homes in Golden Valley are failing video inspections of their sewer pipes in the Twin Cities’ most aggressive effort to stop pollution from leaky old sewers. Many other communities have focused on diverting sump pump outflow and storm water from sanitary sewers. Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota.
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/63356477.html

Water canal sparks skepticism, lawsuits in California. Many landowners in California’s fertile delta region have refused to allow state engineers access to their properties to survey possible routes for a new canal they believe could disrupt the water supply. Associated Press
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/west/view/20091004water_canal_sparks_skepticism_lawsuits_in_california

Sacramento Nestle waters bottling plant draws fire.Sacramento banned bottled water from its City Council meetings last year, but over the summer it welcomed a Nestle Waters plant that would churn out millions of those bottles every week. Sacramento Bee, California.
http://www.sacbee.com/378/story/2230936.html

Farmers brace for water-monitoring requirement.Farmers with more than $1,000 in gross crop sales eventually will be required to finance all or part of the costs to monitor agricultural pollutants in nearby surface water, according to a recent letter from regional water monitors. San Diego North County Times, California.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/fallbrook/article_301f7c27-048d-5169-8bb6-ccfa70d8819e.html

Of algae and dead zones.Massive blooms of algae periodically appear in bodies of water ranging in size from small prairie potholes to the Gulf of Mexico, causing serious economic and ecological damage. Now, some members of Congress want to create a federal program to control their occurrence and size. Chemical & Engineering News
http://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cen/87/i40/html/8740gov2.html

Mie fish farm admits using hormone disrupter.A fishery cooperative in Owase, Mie Prefecture, halted virtually all shipments of its farmed fish after learning that a farm in the region used a banned hormone disrupter as a parasite repellent, the cooperative said Saturday. Kyodo News, Japan.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20091004a3.html

October 4, 2009

Arctic seas turn to acid, putting vital food chain at risk. Research carried out in the archipelago of Svalbard has shown in many regions around the north pole seawater is likely to reach corrosive levels within 10 years. London Guardian, United Kingdom.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/04/arctic-seas-turn-to-acid

With natural gas drilling boom, Pennsylvania faces an onslaught of wastewater. Workers at a steel mill and a power plant were the first to notice something strange about the Monongahela River last summer. ProPublica
http://www.propublica.org/feature/wastewater-from-gas-drilling-boom-may-threaten-monongahela-river

Arsenic draining into Wateree River. Streams of a poisonous, potentially cancer-causing substance recently were found draining to the Wateree River from SCE&G’s coal-fired power plant in lower Richland County. Columbia State, South Carolina.
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/970356.html

London’s new drinking fountains a challenge to bottled water industry. Activists say bottling water causes unnecessary use of plastics and fuel for transport and requires 2,000 times the energy required to produce tap water. London Guardian, United Kingdom.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/04/london-drinking-fountains-water-industry

A Cache of poisoned water?Abandoned mercury mines dug during the gold rush have left a legacy of pollution. Many anglers aren’t aware of the potential health risks from eating fish from area streams and rivers. Woodland Daily Democrat, California.
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/ci_13483506

Housing battle reveals post-Katrina tensions.In a New Orleans suburb, a battle over low-income housing has stoked anger at the federal government and long-simmering class and racial tensions. New York Times [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/us/04housing.html?ref=us

Christina’s future murky yet improving. In the Christina River Basin, a 565-square-mile area that includes the Brandywine, Red Clay, White Clay and Christina River watersheds, fish are loaded with PCBs, and in some areas, chemicals like dioxin, chlorinated pesticides and other pollutants. Wilmington News Journal, Delaware.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20091004/NEWS02/910040360

Agency alliance works to clean Tijuana river.The Tijuana River Valley, in the southwest corner of San Diego County, has been fouled by raw sewage, garbage and mud when rains cause the clogged waterway to flood. An alliance of more than 30 agencies is focused on fixing the polluted river. San Diego Union-Tribune, California.
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/oct/04/water-exec-leaving-legacy-teamwork/

October 3, 2009

The great drought in East Africa. Across East Africa an extraordinary drought is drying up rivers, and grasslands, scorching crops and threatening millions of people with starvation. London Independent, United Kingdom.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/the-great-drought-in-east-africa-1797003.html

Desert water keeper. In the desert southwest, water travels all the way from the Colorado River to farmers’ fields through a massive and ingenious system of irrigation canals. To make sure the right amount of water flows to each field at the desired time is the job of the “zanjero” or ditch-tender. Living On Earth
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=09-P13-00040&segmentID=5

October 2, 2009

$79M plan steps up Detroit River cleanup. Almost $79 million worth of work is needed to help the Detroit River move closer to getting off a list of toxic hotspots in the Great Lakes area, says a new five-year plan for cleaning up the strait. Windsor Star, Ontario.
http://www.windsorstar.com/technology/Detroit%20River%20plan%20steps%20cleanup/2056411/story.html

Water worries threaten U.S. push for natural gas.People living near gas drilling facilities in states including Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming have complained that their water has turned cloudy, foul-smelling, or even black as a result of chemicals used in a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5900FD20091001

City warns against eating fish from all its 22 lakes and ponds. Louisville Metro Parks is posting warnings not to eat fish caught in any of the 22 lakes and ponds it manages in Jefferson County because of new concerns about cancer-causing dioxins. Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091001/GREEN/910010356/City+warns+against+eating+fish+from+local+lakes+and+ponds

Study links water shortages in Southeast to population, not global warming. The drought that gripped the Southeast from 2005 to 2007 was not unprecedented and resulted from random weather events, not global warming, Columbia University researchers have concluded. New York Times [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/science/earth/02drought.html

October 1, 2009

Obama officials call for action on California drought. The Obama administration on Wednesday urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to call state lawmakers into a special session to deal with California’s water crisis. Associated Press
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/62911837.html

State issues rules on natural gas drilling near city’s water.After months of deliberations, state environmental regulators on Wednesday released long-awaited rules governing natural gas production in upstate New York, including provisions to oversee drilling operations near New York City’s water supplies. New York Times [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/nyregion/01drill.html

Landmark agreement to remove 4 Klamath River dams.In a development that could herald the largest dam removal in modern history, 29 parties signed a draft agreement Wednesday to remove four dams on the Klamath River on the California-Oregon border to restore salmon and steelhead runs that have been blocked for nearly a century. Greenwire
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/09/30/30greenwire-landmark-agreement-to-remove-4-klamath-river-d-72992.html

Excreted Tamiflu found in rivers.Tamiflu, the primary flu-fighting drug, is contaminating rivers downstream of sewage-treatment facilities, researchers confirm. They worry that birds, which are natural influenza carriers, are being exposed to Tamiflu and might develop and spread drug-resistant strains of seasonal and avian flu. Science News
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/47971/title/Excreted_Tamiflu_found_in_rivers

EPA cites West Palm Beach over sewage.The city’s sewage treatment plant has pumped untold millions of gallons of poorly treated wastewater onto wetlands adjacent to wells used to supplement the city’s drinking water supply. Palm Beach Post, Florida.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/09/30/a1b_sewage_1001.html

Even more E. coli tests at the Lake of the Ozarks were withheld.The state allowed tourists at the Lake of the Ozarks to swim in waters that officials knew were infested with harmful E. coli bacteria for two weeks at the beginning of the summer tourist season, Gov. Jay Nixon said Wednesday. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/E1C3CF619AF3ABD286257642000A9701?OpenDocument

Snake Valley water deal could kill Utahns, state’s top docs warn.Utah’s top medical organization warns that a proposed agreement to divide Snake Valley water with Nevada could expose the public to carcinogens, radiation and valley fever and jeopardize Utahns’ very lives. Salt Lake Tribune, Utah.
http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_13453299

Mau: Downstream disaster. The droughts here have grown progressively worse in western Kenya, and the impact of global warming has been amplified by the destruction of the Mau – Kenya’s largest water catchment. There is a real fear that human suffering could precipitate a civil conflict. BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8023875.stm

India’s drought is worst since 1972.India’s meteorological department declared the country’s four-month monsoon season had ended, leaving behind what it said was the country’s worst drought in decades. Wall Street Journal [Subscription Required]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125435762124654633.html

September 30, 2009

Laundry waste water harming Puget Sound, study says. Dirty water from residential washing machines is a significant source of phthalates, a class of toxic chemicals polluting Puget Sound, a new study finds. Tacoma News Tribune, Washington.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/898296.html

Life dries up in Kenya’s Mau forest. High in the hills of Kenya’s Mau forest, some 20,000 families are facing eviction from their farms – accused of contributing to an ecological disaster which has crippled the country. BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8057316.stm

Alternative energy projects stumble on a need for water. Many plans to meet the nation’s demand for power with renewable energy could consume billions of gallons of water every year. New York Times [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/business/energy-environment/30water.html

The Manila floods: Why wasn’t the city prepared? In Manila, millions of residents now live in a world of mud. Many are pointing fingers at politicians for failing to predict the scale of the disaster or lessen the damage. Manila, they say, was always bound to face such catastrophe, and more should have been done to help its millions of residents prepare. Time Magazine
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1926646,00.html

September 29, 2009

Fish and paint chips Part II: The politics of ocean trash. When it comes to reducing garbage in the world’s oceans, the political angle is just as important as the scientific, to judge by industry’s behavior. DC Bureau
http://www.dcbureau.org/20090925270/Natural-Resources-News-Service/fish-and-paint-chips-part-ii-the-politics-of-ocean-trash.html

Federal judge throws out most of C8 suit against DuPont.A federal judge on Monday dismissed most of a lawsuit filed against chemical giant DuPont Co. by Parkersburg residents over the pollution of their city’s water with the toxic chemical C8. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia.
http://wvgazette.com/News/200909280659

Federal judge dismisses Montville contaminated land case.In a ruling that could protect all New Jersey towns from responsibility for polluted private property within their borders, a federal judge in Newark has dismissed all liability claims against Montville Township in a complex, six-year court battle over a development built on a pesticide-contaminated orchard. Newark Star-Ledger, New Jersey.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/us_district_court_judge_dismis.html

Orders reveal attempt to suspend water standards.The West Virginia DEP gave Consol Energy permission on three occasions to release more chloride into Dunkard Creek than the law allowed. Not only that, they approved an order to suspend water quality standards for Dunkard Creek altogether. West Virginia Public Broadcasting, West Virginia.
http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=11445

Fox River cleanup is ahead of schedule, but the cost has grown.The Fox River is the largest source of PCBs on Lake Michigan. An estimated 620 pounds of PCBs flow from it into Green Bay every year. Estimates show the cost of the project has escalated to as much as $875 million. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/62485172.html

Adelaide latest victim of global water shortages. Australia’s fifth-largest city could be reliant on bottled water as early as next week as overuse and drought stretch the Murray River to its limit. Cities around the world face similar problems as the combination of growing population, increasing agricultural use and global warming stretches resources to the limit. London Guardian, United Kingdom.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/28/adelaide-water-drought

Water interests argue new state dam proposals.As California grapples with an aging water-delivery network, growing population, worsening water quality, a drought and the potentially far-reaching effects of global climate change, dams are again on the table. San Francisco Chronicle, California.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/28/MNRO19SUMN.DTL

September 28, 2009

New tests find unsafe levels of toxic PCBs in 2 local rivers. New tests reveal excessively high levels of PCBs, a group of chemicals suspected of causing cancer in humans and animals, throughout much of the Elizabeth and portions of the James. Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot, Virginia.
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/new-tests-find-unsafe-levels-toxic-pcbs-2-local-rivers-0

High levels of mercury found in 9 types of Santa Fe fish.Nine species of fish in the Santa Fe River have recommended eating restrictions due to high levels of mercury. The Southeast, and Florida in particular, have the highest levels of mercury in fish nationwide. High Springs Herald, Florida.
http://www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2009/09/27/news/news01.txt

Getting by on little water. Researchers are learning to confer drought tolerance to major food, feed, and fiber crops including rice, corn, and cotton. These scientific advances come as the combined effects of surging world population and climate change may be poised to deliver a potent one-two punch to global food supplies in the coming years. Chemical & Engineering News. Chemical & Engineering News
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/87/8739sci1.html

Turf scientists on a quest to engineer a superlawn.The goal: Grass that’s drought-proof, pest-resistant, oh, and a nice shade of green. It’s a tall order, but the need is great as water becomes increasingly scarce. Los Angeles Times, California. [Registration Required]
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-super-lawn28-2009sep28,0,6642324.story

September 27, 2009

Lawsuit weighs atrazine’s threat to water supplies. A Madison County class-action lawsuit filed in 2004 over the use of the popular herbicide atrazine is gaining steam, and one lawyer says it could reshape farming practices nationwide. Belleville News-Democrat, Illinois.
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/941479.html

Lake Ontario’s fish less toxic, but alerts unheeded. More than three decades after New Yorkers were first warned to limit their consumption of Lake Ontario fish, levels of toxic chemicals in the fish have plummeted, yet continue to threaten the health of those who ignore consumption advisories. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, New York.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090927/NEWS01/909270355/1002/NEWS

Concern over Great Lakes fish will remain even after current toxins fade.New York’s advisories on consumption of Lake Ontario fish are based on chemicals that, for the most part, were banned decades ago and are increasingly rare in the environment. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, New York.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090927/NEWS01/909270356/1002/NEWS

Breaking ground with a $1.6 billion plan to tame water.Philadelphia has announced a $1.6 billion plan to transform the city over the next 20 years by embracing its storm water – instead of hustling it down sewers and into rivers as fast as possible. Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania. [Registration Required]
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20090927_Breaking_ground_with_a__1_6_billion_plan_to_tame_water.html

For San Joaquin River, a historic reawakening. It all starts with a gentle surge of water to be released from Friant Dam into the San Joaquin River. A massive, unprecedented and unpredictable river restoration project will begin, reawakening miles of dried riverbed and salmon runs that have been extinct for six decades. Fresno Bee, California.
http://www.fresnobee.com/1136/story/1650136.html