This week's NEWS

You name it - if it's water quality, it's on the program at the WQTC in Denver. EPA acts on its six-year-old proposal for a ground water "disinfection" rule. Hexavalent chromium study continues in Glendale, CA. New study indicates low impacts of DBPs on one pregnancy outcome. California has its City of Ten Thousand Buddhas; Florida has its City of Ten Thousand Wells!

Quick Links Navigation:

Federal Updates

• USEPA's long-time-in-coming Ground Water Rule has arrived, most guidance to follow
  Commentary: If anyone has been holding their breath since this rule was originally proposed (2000), they can now exhale and relax. Many had questioned the wisdom (and democracy!) of EPA taking a rule to final after a long festering proposal which has undergone a lot of re-thinking in the intervening years. However, since the rule is not draconian, there will probably not be howls of protest. It is noteworthy that in addressing the microbiological quality of groundwater sources, EPA has moved into the arena of regulating the distribution system in ways that are not done for surface water sources. Does that make sense? Why are cross-connections, integrity of storage facilities, and sanitary surveys important only to ground water systems?
• USEPA is requesting candidates (contaminants, that is) for the next CCL by December 15 (Federal Register, October 16)

State Updates

• USEPA proposes to accept Utah's primacy changes to the arsenic and filter backwash recycling rules (Federal Register, October 12)

Chromium

• Glendale, CA, Hexavalent chromium expert panel recommends full-scale study of treatment processes (Los Angeles Daily News, October 12)

Microbiological

• USEPA will hold an October 26-27 peer-review panel workshop on a draft report entitled Approaches to estimating the waterborne disease outbreak burden in the United States:  Uses and limitations of the waterborne disease outbreak surveillance system (Federal Register, October 16)

Aesthetics

• Tucson, AZ, continues to seek consumers' input on alternatives through taste testing (Tucson Citizen, October 12)

Health Advisories

• Blue-green algae leads to more health advisories in Canada: Don't drink UNTREATED lake water (CBC Canada, October 16); detailed health effects information is available from WHO

Water Treatment

• California regional water agency upgrades second of three water treatment plants to ozone and chloramines (Milpitas Post, October 13)
• Virginia city looks at major change to river intake for water treatment plant to address Cryptosporidium regulatory requirements (Roanoke Times, October 13)
• Faulty meter interrupts chlorine and fluoride feed at Madison, WI, well; mayor orders investigation into why well was used without treatment for 38 days (Wisconsin State Journal, October 12)

Emergency Response

• Software tool available to help protect nation's drinking water sources in event of emergency incidents (EurekAlert, October 10)

Perchlorate

• Massachusetts town's private well owners still waiting for perchlorate tests to be done (Acton Beacon, October 12)
• California regional water board considers possible "outside" perchlorate cleanup czar (San Bernardino County Sun, October 13)

Arsenic

• New USEPA report: Arsenic removal from drinking water by adsorptive media EPA demonstration project at Valley Vista, AZ (PDF file, 61 pages); information on EPA's ongoing arsenic treatment technology research

Source Water Protection

• Groundwater extractions can impact water quality in New Hampshire (Barre Montpelier Times Argus, October 16)
• USEPA's October Watershed News
• New Jersey upgrades surface water quality protection regulations

PFOA

• DuPont study for Mississippi PFOA-destruction plant shows normal baseline levels in environment (Biloxi Sun Herald, October 14)
• University scientists say DuPont is not cooperating with health study of employees (Sunday Gazette Mail, October 15)
• Next phase of NIH study in Ohio will look at effectiveness of bottled water and filtration devices in reducing C8 exposure (Marietta Times, October 17)

NEWS CONTINUES BELOW

Malcolm Pirnie Water Resources and Water Rate-Setting Services Malcolm Pirnie offers clients assistance in developing strategies to protect, enhance, and secure water resources. Malcolm Pirnie's staff has extensive practical experience in the development of groundwater storage and conjunctive use programs, water management and incentive programs, and water rates. Our staff also has a wide range of experience as facilitators in helping utilities to develop strategic and water resources plans through consensus-based decision-making processes. For questions regarding any of these services, please feel free to contact Nina Jazmadarian, or Ed Means in our Orange County office at (949) 450-7921, or visit www.mcguireinc.com/waterresources.

Radiological

• Illinois community completes project; all now have acceptable radium levels (Chicago Daily Herald, October 12); Batavia's project included new wells, radium-removal treatment using hydrous manganese oxide, iron-removal treatment, new storage, and cross-river pumping and transmission.

Disinfection Byproducts

• Estimated Effects of Disinfection By-products on Preterm Birth in a Population Served by a Single Water Utility (Environmental Health Perspectives, October 4)
  Commentary: A significant aspect of this study is the excellent exposure data for DBPs based on weekly water quality samples.
• Quick response by Connecticut town council to very slight elevation in HAA level: Storage tank will be cleaned (Waterbury Republican American, October 16)

Fluoridation

• Health experts ask Texas city council to reverse its "hasty" decision that stopped drinking water fluoridation (Del Rio Live, October 12)
• South Carolina city has fluoridation temporarily interrupted due to tank problem (Charleston Post and Courier, October 17)
• Self-described "old geezer" dentist persists in trying to get Bethlehem, NY, water fluoridated (Albany Times Union, October 17)

Private Wells

• Study of Florida city's private wells shows most have poor water quality (Charlotte Sun Herald, October 16)
  Commentary: North Port, FL, is a city of about 23,000 people and their drinking water comes from more than 10,000 private wells. The groundwater is highly mineralized, so many don't use the well water. 
• Pennsylvania volunteer program studies private well water quality (Scranton Times Tribune, October 16)
• Heavy metal test results from private well near a Maryland coal ash site prompts expanded testing (Annapolis Capitol, October 14)

MTBE/Gasoline

• Massachusetts family offered $70,000 by state agency to partly offset legal costs of MTBE contamination (Bristol Press, October 13)
• Alabama LUST leaks 8,400 gallons of gasoline; city well not threatened (Associated Press, October 13)

Desalination

• Proposed Central California pilot desalination plant near coastal refuge held up by Coastal Commission (Monterey Herald, October 13)

Bottled Water

• Vancouver, BC, city council considers ban on bottled water at city hall (Globe and Mail, October 13)
• Why bottled water? And....which brand? (Marion Chronicle Tribune, October 15)

Conferences

• AWWA's WQTC is November 5-9 in Denver

Water Research

• Australian Cooperative Research Centre's September Health Stream
• Numerous articles on microbiological and chemical water quality issues (IWA Journal of Water and Health, Table of Contents, Vol. 4 & 5)
• Tracing sources of nitrates in groundwater in China (Environmental Science and Technology, October 12)
• NRWI schedules course on membrane bioreactors

Awards

• Drinking water quality is significant aspect of AMWA's recognition of 16 large water systems for excellence

Water Reuse

• Retirement village in Pennsylvania will use reclaimed water for lawn irrigation (Philadelphia Inquirer, October 16)
• Australian town allows single-family homes to use recycled water inside for toilet flushing (Cranbourne News, October 13)
• The October Water Reuse News

International

• Canadian First Nation membrane and UV treatment plant celebrates its grand opening; BWA can be lifted (Canadian Newswire, October 11)
• Beijing officials will shut down all private wells to prevent illness (CCTV, October 11)
• Minnesota troops help Iraqis open water treatment plant (Minneapolis Star Tribune, October 11)
• European Union criticizes Greece for contaminated drinking water in 18 areas (United Press International, October 16)

Relevant Links

To post a job on Job Reservoir, please visit the following address:
http://www.jobreservoir.com/postajob.html

For feedback or a news story suggestion, please visit the following address:
http://www.safedrinkingwater.com/contact/feedback.htm

To recommend safedrinkingwater.com NEWS to a colleague, please visit the following address:
http://www.safedrinkingwater.com/contact/sharenewsletter.htm

For e-mail delivery problems, please send an e-mail to info@safedrinkingwater.com.

To view the staff for safedrinkingwater.com NEWS, please visit the following address:
http://www.safedrinkingwater.com/about/staff.htm

To subscribe to safedrinkingwater.com NEWS, please visit the following address:
http://www.safedrinkingwater.com/subscribe/subscribe.htm