This week's NEWS

Nineteen years after the ban on lead in solder, there's still some being sold in Pennsylvania. Water treatment: Nanotech, deep-bed filtration, medium-pressure UV, "physical" treatment... they're all there. Crypto garners attention in UK. Assessing contaminant warning systems... a new tool. FDA report stirs up the BPA controversy. What is ISDE monitoring showing?

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Federal Updates

• TCRDS Advisory Committee continues to strive for an agreement... in principle; conference call on September 3 (Federal Register, August 14)
• Delaware operator recognized for efforts in state's first arsenic treatment facility (USEPA Region 3 news release, August 13)
• Arizona oil company hit with USEPA fine for violating SDWA underground injection requirements (USEPA Region 9 news release, August 14)

State Updates

• Minnesota's Fall Waterline newsletter (PDF file, 977 K)
  Commentary: Early results of ISDE sampling in several large Minnesota utilities are presented and provide interesting insights. The newsletter also includes security tips and a report on the Redwing water treatment plant, which features iron and manganese in various states: Raw water, potassium permanganate, manganese sulfate, and greensand filters... to remove radium, iron, and manganese.
• Montana governor responds to EPA critique; staff added to understaffed public water supply oversight program
• Washington schedules public forums on proposed changes in regulation of very small water systems and provides a background white paper (PDF file, 49 K) on the issue (Note: These systems are not subject to the Federal SDWA)
• USEPA gives Puerto Rico tentative approval for numerous SDWA regulations (Federal Register, August 14)
• USEPA finds that North Dakota has not "abused its discretion" in granting variances and exemptions (Federal Register, August 15)

Water Treatment

• Large medium-pressure UV plant installed at German water treatment plant serving 475,000 people (European Water News, August 11)
• Australian university nanotechnology research shows promise for water treatment applications (UNISA, August 11)
• Michigan regional water treatment plant upgrade includes deep-bed filtration (Holland Sentinel, August 17)
• "Physical" water treatment advocates want certification but what is it?
  Commentary: Some manufacturers of POU devices for "descaling" are trying to overcome the bad image that certain magnetic, "wrap-a-wire-around-the-pipe" devices have acquired by getting a science-based third-party certification program.
• North Carolina water treatment plant will be expanded; half of current capacity provides "settled water" only for an industry (Richmond County Daily Journal, August 16)
• Water treatment chemical (potassium permanganate) is source of red water in Pennsylvania river (Pottstown Mercury, August 15)

Microbiological

• Delay in UV startup after water treatment plant restart results in positive cryptosporidium finding in Welsh treated water; BWA in effect (North Wales Daily Post, August 13); water declared safe after UV-treatment of water throughout system (North Wales Daily Post, August 15)
• UK health agency ends crypto-related "health alert" as incubation period ends; 22 cases of cryptosporidiosis confirmed from June incident (Daventry Press, August 28)
• Pennsylvania system notifies customers that 14 of 23 samples in July were positive for total coliform; follow-up samples all clear (York Daily Record, August 14)
• Several Massachusetts communities deal with boil water notices:
  • Pembroke BWA continues despite clean samples; another town's BWA is a week old (WCVB, August 19)
  • Town warned of E. coliform bacteria found in water supply (Republican, August 14) 
• Problem with reverse-911 system in Massachusetts town will be evaluated (Patriot Ledger, August 12); drink now, hear bad water news later? (Patriot Ledger, August 16)
  Commentary: The fallout from a glitch in the public notification process continues, but here's the other side: "Water safety experts defend the system, saying it is better to be accurate than fast. They fear that too many false alarms may make people unprepared when there is a public safety emergency. We do not want people to stop listening when a real issue needs to be addressed.”
• Bacterial Source Tracking: Identification of the sources of Escherichia coli in a watershed using carbon-utilization patterns and composite data sets (Abstract, Journal of Water and Health, June 2008)

Security

• New AwwaRF report available on a simulation tool to assess contaminant warning systems (News release, August 13; PDF file, 35 K)

Arsenic

• Change orders bump up the price of Nevada city's arsenic treatment plant (Lahontan Valley News, August 15)
  Commentary: Fernley's arsenic-removal plant is described on the city's website along with FAQs on the plant construction. Difficulty in getting a timely permit for open-air drying beds for treatment residuals resulted in a change to a "closed-loop" system.
• İzmir, Turkey's arsenic levels have dropped (Turkish Daily News, August 18)

Radium

• Wisconsin city will get radium-removal treatment on-line soon (Fond du Lac Reporter, August 18)

Disinfection Byproducts

• South Dakota city considers options to address fourth straight quarter of high TTHMs (Yankton Press and Dakotan, August 17)
  Commentary: The city is looking at lots of possibilities to resolve the elevated THM levels, including chlorine dioxide, drilling wells, and riverbank filtration. The latter would eliminate zebra mussel concerns, but what about those man-made sandbars in the river upstream put in to help out the endangered birds?
• Long travel times for treated water contribute to elevated THMs for small Ohio systems (Toledo Blade, August 17)
• Investigative media report spotlights areas in Arizona systems where TTHMs are higher (KNXV-TV, August 18)

Zebra Mussels

• Wichita, KS, finds invasives invading their drinking water intake (KWCH, August 8)

Lead

• Pennsylvania reports on effectiveness of its ban on sale of solder products containing excess lead (PDF file, 232 K)
  Commentary: The report shows that there is continued improvement in the record of compliance with the prohibition on sales of solder containing lead in Pennsylvania. However, it is a bit surprising that 19 years after the ban (inspired by the 1986 amendments to the SDWA) was enacted, there are still a small, but significant, number of retail outlets selling non-approved lead solder in their plumbing sections.
• Virginia moves to implement EPA's short-term LCR revisions
• Experience in Wales (UK) of the optimisation of ortho-phosphate dosing for controlling lead in drinking water (Abstract, Journal of Water and Health, June 2008)

Fluoridation

• New Jersey seacoast town has checkered history re: fluoridation (Atlantic City Press, August 16)
  Commentary: Fluoridation approved in referendum in 1990; stopped in 2000; people were informed in 2004; re-start urged in 2008!
• Australian community board says no to drinking water fluoridation despite residents' vote in favor (Southland Times, August 19)

Source Water Protection

• Delaware community honored for protecting drinking water (USEPA Region 3 news release, August 13)
• Maryland report urges restrictions on new wells in limestone formation (Frederick News-Post, August 18)

Nitrate

• Drinking water in Gaza Strip contaminated with high levels of nitrate (Science Daily, August 15)
• USGS fact sheet on the distribution of nitrate concentrations in ground water in Washington State
• Oklahoma issues warning about high nitrate in rural county system (Oklahoma City Oklahoman, August 16)

Water Fraud

• Thieves pose as water quality inspectors to get access to California homes (KNBC, August 16)

Bisphenol-A Plastic

• FDA says chemical found in plastic bottles is safe (Associated Press, August 16); FDA draft report (PDF file, 7.61 MB)

International

• Iraqis seek to ease clean water shortages (Associated Press, August 10)
• Pakistan city's water may be contaminated with human waste (Pakistan Daily Times, August 18)

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