This week's NEWS

Research—and lots of it—on Lead, Uranium and Arsenic. If cement is good, then concrete must be okay? Fluoride shortage hits Texas city. Everything you wanted to know about chemical risk assessment... but you were afraid to ask?

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State Updates

• Missouri schedules December 4 stakeholder meeting on proposed rule to allow use of concrete to plug abandoned wells
  Commentary: The justification for Missouri to do anything to protect their ground water is clear: Over 300,000 abandoned wells and 56% of private wells contaminated with coliform bacteria! But many readers might be surprised at the simplicity of the proposal and the fact that concrete with small diameter aggregate hasn't previously been allowed for this purpose.

Water Treatment

• Shawnee, OK, goes "back to the future" with decision to switch to chloramination to control TTHMs (Shawnee Sun, November 21)
• Chlorine leak now under control at an Illinois water plant (Aurora Beacon News, November 27)

Security

• West Virginia treatment plant break-in has warnings issued, but testing shows the water is safe (Charleston Gazette, November 27)

Arsenic

• After losing bid for three-year compliance extension, New Mexico town plans to treat two wells... by December? (Valencia County News Bulletin, November 24)
• Research: Arsenic in Drinking-Water and Risk for Cancer in Denmark (Environmental Health Perspectives, November 23)
  Commentary: You may have to read the conclusions of this study twice to be sure you read it correctly. "Conclusions: The results indicate that exposure to low doses of arsenic might be associated with a reduced risk for skin cancer."  Maybe Danes are doing something right, since no association was found with any other adverse outcome. Two notable factors are the relatively low arsenic levels encountered and the ex post facto estimation of exposure back to 1970.
• Report: The Association of Arsenic With Redox Conditions, Depth, and Ground-Water Age in the Glacial Aquifer System of the Northern United States (USGS Report 2007-5036)
• Research: Activation of Inflammation/NF-κB Signaling in Infants Born to Arsenic-Exposed Mothers (PLoS Genetics, November)
• Montana school water is too high in arsenic (Bozeman Daily Chronicle, November 27)
• New Hampshire campground looking for solutions to its arsenic problems (North Andover Eagle Tribune, November 27)

Fluoridation

• Fort Worth, TX, is temporarily out of fluoride for 1 million people in 13 cities and county areas (Houston Chronicle, November 21)
• Fluoridation arguments are rehashed in Canadian news; public health and medical experts still in strong support (Globe and Mail, November 23)
• Pennsylvania legislation mandating water fluoridation advances (The Patriot News, November 27)
• Colorado town leaders will decide whether or not to have an April fluoridation measure on the ballot (Boulder Daily Camera, November 27)

TCE

• Congressional panel questions failure of ATSDR to assess health conditions in large TCE-impacted ground water basins in Southern California (L.A. Times, November 26)

Radiological

• Report: Occurrence of Uranium and 222Radon in Glacial and Bedrock Aquifers in the Northern United States, 1993–2003 (USGS Report 2007-5037)

Lead

• Research: Blood Lead Concentrations Less than 10 Micrograms per Deciliter and Child Intelligence at 6 Years of Age (Environmental Health Perspectives, November 20) (NOTE: This report is not specifically related to lead in drinking water.)

Perchlorate

• Rialto, CA, may change its mind and seek Superfund status for ground water contamination (San Bernardino County Sun, November 22), and the city declares an emergency because of limits on production due to perchlorate (Los Angeles Times, November 24); talks begin over perchlorate removal (Riverside Press Enterprise, November 27)

NEWS CONTINUES BELOW

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Nitrate

• Study: Septic tanks may be impacting private wells (Rapid City Journal, November 21)
• Greenpeace report links high nitrates in drinking water in Philippines, Thailand to fertilizer use (AFP, November 23)

Bottled Water

• Bottled water has its defenders; who gets to make the decisions? (Modesto Bee, November 19)
• The beat goes on: Is it about "consumers' choice" or "human rights?" (Oakland Tribune, November 25)

MTBE

• Maryland school with MTBE in well water wants hookup to public water (Baltimore Sun, November 25)

Private Wells

• South Carolina well owners have bad water, but don't want to pay the bill to hook up to public system (Charlotte Observer, November 25)

Source Water Protection

• Hydrologic and Erosion Responses of Burned Watersheds (USGS)

Desalination

• OpEd: Marin, CA, desalination opponent dreams up "might be" negative scenarios for proposed plant (Marin Independent Journal, November 19)
• Namibia's water utility partners with big mining company to build two desalination plants (allAfrica.com, November 26)
• Dinosaur bones may cost Victoria, AU, desalination plant time and money (Herald Sun, November 27)

Water Reuse

• Georgia scientist says gray water use should be "blacked out" as drought drags on (Macon Telegraph, November 25)
• "Concrete-lined" Los Angeles River filled with recycled water is "for the birds" (Los Angeles Times, November 25)
• Orange County, CA, water reuse plant—said to be the largest in the world—is about to open (New York Times, November 27)

Publications

• New publication available: Risk Assessment for Chemicals in Drinking Water
  Commentary: While this new book may have a "Golden State" bias, it covers the universe on this important topic and includes perspectives of "risk managers" as well.

International

• 2008 is the International Year of Sanitation
• Bangladesh cyclone victims' quest for clean water (BBC News, November 22); NGO focuses on decontaminating pond sources of drinking water (Relief Web, November 23)
• China will make the pollution of drinking water sources a very costly proposition (China Daily, November 23)
• WHO's Lexicon of health and environment terminology

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