This week's NEWS

Lead-free now has a new meaning in California. Hooray for New Orleans! Safe water is everywhere there... finally. Three-dollar water treatment device may be lifesaver for very poor countries. Prestigious award goes to desalination demo project. New CDC report on effects of low perchlorate levels prompts politicians' call for USEPA action. Canada's drinking water programs get so-so report card from environmental group. In what is becoming an election-year ritual, voters in several states will face choices on starting (or ending) fluoridation.

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Federal Updates

• The USEPA is looking for candidates to become the four new members of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (Federal Register, October 6); current membership
• EPA provides research and guidance on drinking water contaminant mixtures

State Updates

• If you are a PWS in Connecticut, everything you need to know about the state's implementation of the LT2ESWT and Stage 2 D/DBP Rules
• Emergency response and preparation for pandemic outbreaks are a common theme:
  • New Hampshire's Fall Supply Lines (PDF file, 454 K)
  • Maine's Fall 2006 Service Connection (PDF file, 578 K) and A Drinking Water Emergency Tabletop Simulation Exercise - October 26 (PDF file, 83 K)

New Orleans: One Year After Katrina

• Entire city, including lower 9th ward, finally has safe drinking water (New Orleans Times Picayune, October 10)

Water Security

• Two small Texas cities served by same private utility are issued water advisory after tampering detected (My FOX Dallas, October 9);  another utility in the area clarifies that its water users are not affected by the advisory (PDF file, 32.6 K)

Microbiological

• E. coli detected at a U.S. Air Force base in the UK (Cambridge Evening News, October 8)

Lead

• California governor tells why he signed bill to lower lead levels in water fixtures as AB 1953 changes "lead-free" definition in 2010
• Editorial: Careful study before Massachusetts National Guard resumes use of lead bullets at army base (Cape Cod Times, October 4)
• Tennessee water district finds elevated lead levels in second round of testing; treatment change prompted (WBIR, October 6)

Aesthetics

• Illinois' Otter Lake water had been leaving a bad taste in the mouths of consumers, but no longer (Springfield State Journal-Register, October 9)
  Commentary: Control of the algae problem apparently was attained through installation of solar-powered water circulators. The 750-acre-surface-area lake's popularity for its muskie fishing (with 28-pound, 45-inch trophies) and water skiing surely would have complicated the process.

Water Treatment

• Poughkeepsie, NY, notifies customers of switch to chloramines for disinfection (Hudson Valley News, October 8)

Perchlorate

• Report finds low levels of perchlorate are linked to thyroid deficiency in women (Los Angeles Times, October 5; free registration required); Urinary Perchlorate and Thyroid Hormone Levels in Adolescent and Adult Men and Women Living in the United States (Environmental Health Perspectives, October 5); the report prompts California Senators' letter to USEPA calling for immediate issuance of Health Advisory (Yuba Net, October 7)
  Commentary: Not directly related, but of general interest, is the recent approval by Governor Schwartzenegger of legislation establishing the California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program
• California water regulatory board rejects Olin Corp's clean-up plan (Gilroy Dispatch, October 7)
  Commentary: Olin's arguments that they are not the only source of perchlorate in the groundwater basin are not persuasive to the state oversight agency. Others want to see an analysis of the impact on irrigated agricultural produce.

Arsenic

• Nevada's capital city gets three-year extension to meet arsenic MCL (Nevada Appeal, October 4)
  Commentary: Maybe the extension will not be needed, since Carson City was able to meet the MCL during the recent summer high-demand period. Also, the city's estimate of the cost to comply has dropped from $10 million down to $2 million.
• Pennsylvania borough studies treatment options for elevated arsenic in one key well (Morning Call, October 10)
• Australian community looks at treatment options to meet arsenic guideline of 7 ppb (Warrnambool Standard, October 6)
• Arsenic is one of several concerns prompting proposed $5 million community system for central California coast area (Monterey County Herald, October 6)

Chromium

• AwwaRF, EPA and Glendale, CA, host "live streamed" expert panel meeting on Hexavalent Chromium, October 12 (PDF file, 102 K)

NEWS CONTINUES BELOW

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Fluoridation

• November election ballot will include a number of fluoridation-related measures:
  • University scientists unanimously endorse continuing California city fluoridation (Eureka Reporter, October 7)
  • Small Michigan city will vote on increasing fluoride - from about 0.5 ppm naturally occurring (WLNS, October 9)
  • Tiny Maine town's residents will decide on continuing 35-year practice of adding fluoride to drinking water (Morning Sentinel, October 10)
• And... may include a couple more:
  • Auditor certifies sufficient signatures for two Port Angeles, WA, anti-fluoridation initiatives, but judge will decide if they get on the ballot (Peninsula Daily News, October 5)
• Dental expert says Texas city council members were "seriously misinformed and may be misguided, too"  when they peremptorily halted drinking water fluoridation (Del Rio Live, October 10)
• One Florida county official hears from ONE citizen? Wants to re-open debate on 4-year-old decision to fluoridate (TC Palm, October 8)

PFOA

• Blood testing funded by DuPont settlement shows elevated PFOA levels in communities near DuPont plant (Sunday Mail Gazette, October 8); more data from C8 testing expected to be released next year (Marietta Times, October 10)

Desalination

• First of three planned workshops held to help California agencies evaluate desalination options (UC Santa Cruz Currents, October 9)
• Poseidon's Carlsbad, CA, desalination demonstration facility wins prestigious international award for applied research; meanwhile, the proposed 50-MGD full-scale plant takes another step forward with state coastal agency (San Diego Union Tribune, October 4)
• Santa Cruz, CA, seeks approval for a 72,000-gpd pilot desalination plant (Santa Cruz Sentinel, October 9)

Radiological

• NRC report says no health risk from tritium leaks, but makes 26 recommendations for change (NRC Press Release, October 4); the full report; while the report rekindles debate about New York's Indian Point nuclear plant (White Plains Journal News, October 6), plans move ahead to remove tritium and strontium-90 from water at the plant (Middletown Times Herald-Record, October 6) 
• "Independent" panel says 1959 meltdown at Southern California nuclear plant "was worse than 3- Mile Island;" government agencies don't agree (Associated Press, October 6)

Private Wells

• Most wells in three North Carolina counties exceed EPA recommended levels; indoor air levels measured and are high (News and Observer, October 4)
• Good news! Private well testing finds no toxins in New Jersey well water around a former rubber plant (Trenton Times, October 10)

Water Reuse

• Water recycling a top priority, says Australian Prime Minister (Sydney Morning Herald, October 6)

MTBE

• ExxonMobil reverses itself: Will continue to provide bottled water to Maryland residents (North County News, October 6); as Maryland cuts back on MTBE well testing, community group asks private well owners to volunteer their data (North County News, October 6)

International

• Inexpensive "Lifestraw" could help save lives in very poor countries (New York Times, October 10; free registration required)
• Environmental group gives Canada's drinking water regulatory program an updated report card (Sierra Legal Defence Fund media release, October 6); SLDF's full report (PDF file, 1.82 MB)
  • Six years after Walkerton, water quality still hit-and-miss in Canada (Canadian Press, October 6)
  • Bottled-water safety rules are inadequate (Globe and Mail, October 6)
  • A call for national water standards (CBC News, October 6)
    Commentary: While the report has a lot of criticism of government oversight, especially by the Federal government, its first conclusion is as follows: "There is little question that today the regulation of drinking water safety at the provincial and territorial level is better than in 2001."

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