This week's NEWS

Pipes are for delivering safe drinking water... or for smoking stuff... may the two stay forever separated. Source of fecal contamination in large Florida system with ten-day BWA is found... or is it? Anti-chloramine activists active in Vermont and Pennsylvania. How does Giardia  do what it likes to do? New perchlorate study produces contrary results. Parasite found again in Arizona well water.

Quick Links Navigation:

State Updates

• Massachusetts Fall 2007 In the Main newsletter (PDF file, 904K)
• New Mexico proposes to change the minimum required number of certified operators (PDF file, 52K)
• Tennessee is holding a November 27 hearing on proposed Ground Water Rule and other changes (PDF file, 986K)
  Commentary: Among the OTHER changes is the following very interesting requirement that will apply to systems with surface water or GWUDI sources: "In addition, the required minimum chlorine disinfectant within water system distribution systems is proposed to be amended to be raised to 0.5 mg/l from 0.2 mg/l and disinfectant leaving the water plant from 0.2 to 2.0 mg/l due to problems with slime-forming bacterial growth within the distribution systems, with an effective date of July 1, 2009."
• Washington's new Field Safety Manual tells DOH employees how to "safely" do a sanitary survey (PDF file, 380K)
• California has finalized a public health goal for PCBs at 0.09 ppb
• Oklahoma's annual DWSRF capacity development report for 2007 (PDF file, 291K)
• California's so-called "Safe Drinking Water" bond measure is about everything but... (California Progress Report, October 9)
  Commentary: Once again, California leads the nation... in shameless political shams. Whenever a politician wants to get a bond measure passed, they label it "the Safe Drinking Water something or other" hoping the voters only read the title. The bonds may be needed, but they are not focused on drinking water quality.

Promoting Book Sales?

• Op Ed: Pipe Dreams (New York Times, October 3)
  Commentary: The author of a recently published book, provocatively titled to create a rush to the bookstore, must have taken a hit off the "pipe" he is dreaming of before he wrote this specious piece. The weaknesses (call them "holes") in his whole premise that somehow the drinking water throughout the U.S. is a major threat to the health and well-being of Americans is illustrated by the conflict between his primary arguments. He suggests that all drinking water must be "pure" ...that is to say, nothing but two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. While this is laughable on its face, he goes on to suggest that this goal could be met through the installation of POU filters... as if there exists such a device that produces H20... period. As if... installing one POU filter per house (and what? Deliver raw water elsewhere on the premises?) would protect children playing in the yard on a hot summer day. Zero risk is a fallacy, and you would think that someone who is smart enough to write a hot-button book would understand that, if nothing else.

Chloramines

• Vermont Health Department and CDC experts listen to complaints from vocal locals; no change in state policy (Burlington Free Press, September 27)
• Pennsylvania residents with chloramine concerns meet with water, state, and federal officials (Carlisle Sentinel, October 4)
• Florida water agency makes routine, temporary switch to free chlorine (Naples Daily News, October 8)

Microbiological

• Naegleria fowleri found in Tucson, AZ, wells (Arizona Daily Star, October 5)  (Note: Information on the 2002 Peoria, AZ, incident referred to in the article is available from the 12/18/02 SDW.com NEWS); CDC's fact sheet on Naegleria
  Commentary: This organism has never been directly associated with a drinking water-related illness. There is no information to suggest that ingestion of this parasite causes any adverse health effects. All reports of health problems have been related to contaminated water being forced into the nose and the amoeba migrating to the brain and spinal column. 
• West Palm Beach, FL's Boil Water saga continues:  
  • No end in sight: West Palm Beach endures second week of boiling tap water (South Florida Sun Sentinel, October 5) 
  • Cross-connection with laundry private well is suspected as source of contamination (South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 6) 
  • Boil water advisory is lifted; laundry well samples are negative for E. coli (Palm Beach Post, October 8)
  • Water crisis adds fuel to possible effort to recall the mayor (South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 9)
• Probe of Pennsylvania utility is sought after third boil water advisory in three weeks (Philadelphia Inquirer, October 6); BWA incidents were all related to loss of pressure due to booster station failure
• Scientists sequence Giardia lamblia genome; may lead to new therapies (National Institute of Health, September 27); abstract: Genomic Minimalism in the Early Diverging Intestinal Parasite Giardia lamblia (Science, September 27)
  Commentary: The NIH article gives an excellent, concise description of how giardia does its "chicanery." For all of you non-microgeneticist readers, don't let the following first sentence of the abstract put you off, the sex part comes later: "The genome of the eukaryotic protist Giardia lamblia, an important human intestinal parasite, is compact in structure and content, contains few introns or mitochondrial relics, and has simplified machinery for DNA replication, transcription, RNA processing, and most metabolic pathways."  Got it!

Disinfection Byproducts

• Virginia city slips over the TTHM limit (Potomac News, October 3); low reservoir level/drought are blamed (ABC 7 News, October 8)
• The "state" wants the "state" to fix DBP problem at Florida state prison (Palm Beach Post, October 7)
• Florida utility notifies of high DBPs; conversion to chloramines studied (Naples Daily News, October 7)

Perchlorate

• Contrary to earlier studies, new study finds that low levels of perchlorate exposure are safe for pregnant women (American Thyroid Association News Release, October 7)
• Reactions to new California perchlorate standard (San Bernardino County Sun, October 7)
• California state regulators ready to issue cleanup order to Olin Corporation (Morgan Hill Times, October 9)

Compliance

• Illinois attorney general files suit against trailer park owner for numerous violations (Macomb Journal, October 3)
  Commentary: The system owner's reaction: "I know nothing about that... I thought I was in compliance with everything."  What we have here is a failure to communicate... as in "selective hearing!"
• USEPA orders two small Arizona water companies to monitor disinfection byproducts (USEPA Region 9 news release, October 2)

Water Treatment

• California district uses UV to lower DBPs and chlorine use (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, October 6)
• Ohio town's residents seeing red over pink tap water; faulty chemical feed equipment blamed (Columbus Dispatch, October 6)
• Emergency water treatment device: Can this bottle live up to its name? (Toronto Star, October 7)

Invasive Species

• Zebra mussels found in Minnesota drinking water lakes (National Public Radio, October 5)

Aesthetics

• Blue-green algae levels keep drinking water advisory in effect for Oregon community (KTVZ, October 8)
• Scotland resident still unhappy about discolored tap water despite utility's flushing effort (Aberdeen Evening Express, October 4)

NEWS CONTINUES BELOW

Malcolm Pirnie Water Utility Strategic Planning Services Malcolm Pirnie can help you understand the business, regulatory, societal, and utility trends that will position your utility for success. The water utility industry is more dynamic than ever before. Important trends in population growth, contaminant measurement, regulations, training needs, bottled water, infrastructure replacement, privatization, and other areas will define the utility of the future. Understanding these trends is an integral part of utility strategic planning. Malcolm Pirnie has consulted for numerous organizations to both understand these trends and position themselves for future success. For more information on these services, please contact Ed Means at emeans@pirnie.com or visit mcguireinc.com/strategicplanning.

Fluoridation

• Canadian city finds a new fluoride supplier (London Free Press, October 4)
• Juneau, AK, says no to fluoride (Juneau Empire, October 3)

Uranium

• Massachusetts condominium water system gets state loan to hook up to city water and cap their uranium-contaminated well (Boston Globe, October 7)

TCE

• Lawyer in class-action lawsuit by Quebec town residents over TCE contamination claims cancer cases are linked to water (Star Phoenix, October 3)
• TCE found in more Virginia wells near Superfund site (Loudoun Connection, October 4)

Source Water Protection

• Washington water district wants assurances that big county sewer construction won't affect their ground water (Seattle Times, October 6)
• USEPA's October Watershed News

Water System Recognition

• Texas water system is honored with the "no total coliform" award (Killeen Daily Herald, October 3)
• Suburban Missouri newspaper christens its own best tasting water... and it's not from the big city (St. Louis Suburban Journal, October 3)

Water Reuse

• Colorado metro agency will study use of reverse osmosis to treat wastewater for direct reuse (Denver Post, October 9)
• San Diego is set to take another look at water reuse (Voice of San Diego, October 9); the city's March 2006 reuse report

Arsenic

• New York water utility agrees to support expanded arsenic testing including private wells (White Plains Journal News, October 7)
• Indiana school works to find solution to high arsenic and provides bottled water in interim (Munster Times, October 8)
• New Jersey township finds very high arsenic in another private well near landfilled ballpark site (Easton Express Times, October 9)
• Study: Folic acid supplementation lowers blood arsenic (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2007)

Private Wells

• The New England Private Well Symposium 2007 will be December 3-4 in Newport, RI
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says lab finding of chemical in private wells was likely due to lab contamination (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, October 4)
• Canadian official urges private well owners to increase testing for nitrates and bacteria (Cambridge Times, October 5)
• Michigan county's Remedial Action Plan approved; community water system will serve area near landfill (Cadillac News, October 6)
• New England homeowners' wells will be tested as part of blasting study (Eagle Tribune, October 7)
• MTBE found in New York private wells (Mid-Hudson News, October 6)

Webcasts and Conferences

• AWWA webcast set for November 14: "Total Coliform Rule Revisited"

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