This week's NEWS

NRC report urges more research on desalination. Ohio investigative report shows what is lurking in your nearby water storage tower. New York City water security project expected to generate valuable information for other utilities. BPA debate continues. Large Australian utility will initiate fluoridation while several U.S. systems will start, re-start, or continue. 

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State Updates

• New Jersey's 2009 Intended Use Plan (PDF file, 415 K)

Security

• USEPA announces $12 million grant to New York City to enhance water security (USEPA news release, April 24); mayor outlines some of the components (NYC Press Release, April 24)

Radionuclides

• Colorado survey shows 37 smaller water systems not in compliance with new uranium and radium requirements (Denver Post. April 27)

Water Storage Tank Problems

• Focus put on lack of interior inspections of Ohio "water towers;" bird carcasses get legislator's attention (Columbus Dispatch, April 29)
  Commentary: Conducting an internal inspection of any water storage facility is challenging, but when the element of doing it hundreds of feet above ground is added, it takes on additional significance. Ironically, some of the more disgusting images (decomposed bird or squirrel carcasses) can be prevented by regular inspection and repair of vent screens, but even that is no easy task on some taller towers. Will the need for this type of maintenance activity be considered during development of a "distribution system" rule? (You can see the graphic news report as a video or a slide show.)

Water Treatment

• Semi-emergency purchase of water by neighbor city from chloraminated Oklahoma City necessitates public notice (Oklahoman, April 23)
• Plan A with new treatment plant gets the nod over Plan B in Kentucky (Louisville Courier-Journal, April 26)

PPCPs

• Boston-area wholesaler's testing shows region's water is drug-free (Boston Globe, April 27)

Nitrate

• Minnesota town's nitrate-removal water treatment plant shut down temporarily for service; public notified to take precautions (Nobles County Review, April 26)

Arsenic

• Federal grant of $100,000 for treatment facility at Indiana school (Richmond Palladium-Item, April 28)
• Florida county has heritage of using arsenic insecticides in groves and to "de-tick" cows; private well owners can get arsenic tests (St. Petersburg Times, April 29)

NEWS CONTINUES BELOW

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Bisphenol A Plastic Bottles

• 116 studies by universities and government say YES; two studies by industry say NO; Congress wonders why, and a timeline of 117 years of BPA (Washington Post, April 27)
• Editorial: BPA is just "this month's" toxic chemical... and one of 80,000! (L. A. Times, April 27)

Bottled Water

• It's official in baseball's big leagues: No drinking water... in public! (Jersey City Star Ledger, April 23)

Fluoridation

• Major Australian water utility will begin fluoridating next year
  Commentary: Barwon Water serves over 270,000 people in the City of Geelong and other communities in Victoria via a complex system that includes ten treatment plants using a variety of filtration and disinfection processes. They have a most interesting annual water quality report... and it's only 65 pages long!
• Pennsylvania water agency pulls its request to stop fluoridation after state dental health group threatens to sue (Clearfield Progress News, April 24)
• Small Louisiana city initiates fluoridation with state help (DHH news release, April 25)
• Nebraska town gears up to re-start fluoridation next year under provisions of new mandate law (Grand Island Independent, April 26)
• Michigan city council approves continuing water fluoridation (Port Heron Times Herald, April 29)
• UK's Green Party opposes drinking water fluoridation... and other things (Bolton News, April 28)

Source Water Protection

• Fire on California city watershed brings challenges to water treatment processes... aesthetic and disinfection byproducts (Santa Barbara Independent, April 24)
• New York towns want USEPA to pay for alternate drinking water supply as soon as GE starts dredging in Hudson River (Albany Times Union, April 26); dredging of PCB-laden sediment worries residents (Albany Times Union, April 29)
• Exposure of soils in drought-impacted Australian reservoir may result in higher levels of chemicals (The Australian, April 25)

Lead

• Report of elevated lead at one Los Angeles school district site creates parental concern (Los Angeles Daily News, April 27); media investigation shows routine flushing program at Los Angeles schools has been spotty (KNBC, April 29)

PCE and TCE

• Arizona community gets $0.8 million from state for GAC facility to remove PCE from ground water (AZDEQ news release, April 25, PDF file, 42.9 K)
• Private wells are focus of TCE/PCE problems:
  • North Carolina county will pay to extend city water to impacted areas (Asheville Citizen-Times, April 27)
  • Illinois wants homeowners to test their wells after adjacent town well testing shows PCE (LaSalle News Tribune, April 28)
  • In Pennsylvania, it's "the pot calling the kettle black" – one industry sues another as cause of TCE and PCE contamination (Scranton Times Tribune, April 29)

Water Research

• Call for Papers: Deadline is May 15 – Sustainable and Safe Drinking Water in Developing and Developed Countries: Where Science Meets Policy, November 5-6, 2008

Aesthetics

• Small Massachusetts city's water picked as best tasting at rural water conference (NRWA news release, April 22)
  Commentary: Southampton will have to make sure it doesn't incur any water quality violations in the near future so the head of USEPA's water program isn't embarrassed by his decision... as a water-tasting judge!

MTBE

• Gas-station leaks create big MTBE problem on Long Island, NY, per new state report (New York Times, April 27)

Conferences

• "ACE is the place" for the happy water folks! AWWA's Annual Conference and Exposition; Atlanta June 8-12

Water System Recognition

• USEPA Region recognizes Birmingham, NC, water utility (Birmingham Business Journal, April 28)

Desalination

• NRC report recommends more funding, research into environmental impacts in Desalination: A National Perspective (National Academies Press); study shows salt removal could help U.S. with supply problems (Reuters, April 25)
• Study's lead author's view of Arizona's desalination prospects is different from state water official's (Arizona Daily Star, April 25)

Water Reuse

• Australian research group's report says public information/education is key to acceptance of recycled water (PDF file, 1.4 MB)
• City water official touts an "Orange County, CA-like" ground water recharge program for Tucson, AZ (Tucson Citizen, April 28)

International

• Leaked report blames deaths of 80 South African children on failure at water treatment plant (EDIE News, April 23)

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