This week's NEWS

EPA's Ground Water Rule guidance is out and, with flexibility afforded states, it is important. Fireworks for the holiday weekend? With or without perchlorate? Recycled water gets "purple" eye with another cross-connection incident. New reclaimed water projects are endorsed. Plastic pipe used inside buildings gets the sniff-and-taste test. Ever wonder what becomes of 130,000,000 pounds of those little lead weights used to balance tires?

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Federal Updates

• New USEPA Ground Water Rule guidance documents:
  • Source Water Monitoring Guidance Manual (PDF file, 434K)
  • Consecutive System Guide for the Ground Water Rule (PDF file, 140K)
  • Complying with the Ground Water Rule: Small Entity Compliance Guide (PDF file, 1.5MB)
• The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund 2006 Annual Report (PDF file, 2.4MB)
• The final Stage 2 DBPR Implementation Guidance (PDF file, 1MB) and Appendices (PDF file, 7.36MB)
• The final Long Term 2 ESWTR Implementation Guidance (PDF file, 1MB) and Appendices (PDF file, 5MB)

State Updates

• State of Alaska – and water utilities – are pleased that EPA has granted the state primacy for ten new regulations (PDF file, 124K)
  Commentary: "How do water utilities love having continued primary regulatory oversight by the states? Let me count the ways...!" Reasons that are NOT on that list include: (1) the states are softer on enforcement; (2) the states aren't as well qualified, so we can get away with stuff; or (3) "My cousin works for the state!" The old adage about "the best government is at the level closest to the people" also holds true in the regulatory world.
• West Virginia water treatment plant operator recognized for outstanding performance (USEPA Region 2 news release, August 23)

Aesthetics

• Virginia Tech research looks at impacts of newer plastic plumbing pipe on T&O (Chemical and Engineering News, August 24); pioneering tests not focused on health issues
  Commentary: This research should be helpful to utilities evaluating customer complaints. It appears that the taste and odors from new plastic pipe are not long-lasting.
• Massachusetts public workers dig up sections of pipe to find the source of discolored water (Boston Globe, August 27)

Cross-Connection Control

• Businesses in California city were hooked up to recycled water system for over two years  (San Diego Union Tribune, August 22); cross-connection at business complex has been fixed (San Diego Union Tribune, August 24)
  Commentary: For advocates of dual water systems, this incident represents the old "Bad News-Good News" scenario. The bad news is obvious: the cross-connection occurred despite the safeguards and precautions (purple pipe, tests, inspections, etc.) and recycled treated wastewater was put into people's drinking water. Because there have been no reports of illness, the good news may be that the quality of the recycled water afforded "enough" protection to avoid rampant waterborne disease. 

Water Reuse

• Queensland poll finds strong support for purified recycled water (Queensland Water Commission News release, August 21); if you've got a truck – and 30 minutes for training – you can now get reclaimed water in two North Carolina cities (NBC 17, August 24)
• Storm water reclaimed from Australian ASTR project is " good enough to bottle" ...and may be good enough for the mains (Science Alert, August 26)
• Editorial: It's time for Los Angeles to revisit 'toilet to tap' (Los Angeles Times, August 26)
  Commentary: This amazing article in the Opinion section of the Sunday LA Times promotes the concept of indirect potable reuse for two good reasons: (1) "...modern water-purification technology is considered totally reliable," and (2) "in these dry times, it makes perfect sense to stop throwing it away."   The best part is their point that "the 'yuck factor' is now completely imaginary."  Evidence continues to mount that sanity may be breaking out in the news media on water issues. What's next, an editorial demanding a 20% water-rate increase to fix aging infrastructure?

Chloramines

• Chloramine delay by Pennsylvania utility emboldens tiny number of Californians with complaints; they enlist Congresswoman's help to get USEPA involved (Palo Alto Weekly, August 22)

Lead

• Group says lead wheel weights from tires could contaminant the water supply (KPBS, August 23); USGS report in 2006 on use and fate of lead wheel weights; Massachusetts water district customers are "scared" by lead notice (Worcester Telegram and Gazette, August 25)
• Canadian utility commission warns of lead in tap water (Windsor Star, August 27)

Perchlorate

• Fireworks? NO! California city drops Labor Day fireworks because previous show put some perchlorate in reservoir; laser light show is the alternative (Marin Independent Journal, August 23)
• Fireworks? YES! Fireworks okay for firemen's muster in Massachusetts with monitoring (Boston Globe, August 26)
  Commentary: The spokesman for the fireworks company said "...that almost all of the perchlorate in fireworks dissipates when the product explodes... there's so much water there and so little perchlorate that it's not even an issue."   What doesn't he understand about parts-per-billion? More testing shows perchlorate levels at Vermont quarry are now low... but not all are convinced (Rutland Herald, August 25)
• Massachusetts school has a new perchlorate filtration system, and school is ready for first day! (Milford Daily News, August 28)

Legal Matters

• Whistleblower who lost job sues city employer in Nova Scotia (Halifax Chronicle Herald, August 22)
• Wisconsin Department of Justice files a complaint against a mobile home park owner for drinking water violations (Appleton Post-Crescent, August 26)

Fluoridation

• California's fifth-largest water district will start fluoridating its ground water in October (Valley Chronicle, August 25); Eastern Municipal Water District will synchronize with their purchased surface water being fluoridated by wholesaler

NEWS CONTINUES BELOW

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Desalination

• London mayor takes his opposition to desalination plant to court (London Guardian, August 22)
• California looks to desalination (Audio, NPR, August 25)
• Editorial says "It's time for great things" in Carlsbad desalination plan (San Diego Business Journal, August 26)

PCPPs

• Chemicals of Concern in Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent: State of science in Australia (Australia's Cooperative Research Center for Water Quality)
• Scientists drug-test whole cities (New York Times, August 21; free registration required)
  Commentary: 'It's a community urinalysis...'' but can you send the whole town to jail based on the results?

Annual Water Quality Reports

• The 2006 "Quality on Tap" report from Florida water district (PDF file, 197K)
  Commentary: The Immokalee Water and Sewer District utilizes some unconventional terminology to refer to its table on coliform bacteria results. They call 'em: Non-Secondary Contaminants... well, okay.

Microbiological

• Corpus Christi, TX, city manager under fire following bacteria notification snafu (KRISTV, August 22); water director suspended (Corpus Christi Caller Times, August 25); meanwhile, neighboring city officials say such a problem is not likely (Victoria Advocate, August 17)
• New cryptosporidium findings in Scotland water supply lead to promise of new water source (News and Star, August 22)

Newsletters

• Current edition of AwwaRF's Drinking Water Research newsletter is available... only to subscribers, but you can see the Table of Contents

VOCs - Research

• Occurrence and Potential Human-Health Relevance of Volatile Organic Compounds in Drinking Water from Domestic Wells in the United States (Abstract, Environmental Health Perspectives, August 20)

TCE

• National Academies Meeting on Contaminated Drinking Water at Camp Lejeune will be September 24-25 in Washington D.C.  

Source Water Protection

• Massachusetts city may tap the Merrimack River for drinking water (Eagle Tribune, August 22)

Private Wells

• 45 of 57 wells in small Maryland town positive for coliform; E. coli present in 17 (Baltimore Sun, August 22); soaking rains bring threat of well contamination (Greater Milwaukee Today, August 24); Florida DEP sees increased number of wells with arsenic; industrial source is suspected... and is sought (Tampa Tribune, August 24)
• New Hampshire residents urged to test wells for arsenic (Union Leader, August 26)

International

• Safe Drinking Water Is Essential is a new and informative website launched by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Global Health and Education Foundation
• World Water Week ended with call for governments to focus more on water needs (PDF file, 212K)
• The U.N.'s "environmentally sustainable housing" unit launches global alliance with public water operators
• Canadian doctors push for more action on safe drinking water (Vancouver Sun, August 22)
• China's Premier stresses drinking water safety (Xinhua, August 23)
• Ireland increases penalties for nitrate violations to come into conformance with EU (Irish Times, August 24)
• Blue-green algae bloom is causing big problems for residents of Sydney, Australia (Daily Telegraph, August 28)

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