|
|
National/International News
— Great
Lakes
— Water Supply
- Aussie
scientists develop solar desal technology
(ABC Central Victoria, 12/7) "Researchers
at RMIT University have developed a plant that uses solar-thermal
technology to desalinate seawater
and does not generate any greenhouse emissions."
- (WQAD
Moline, 12/6)"Iowa
Experts say Iowa needs to come up with a way to monitor water
use, especially with the boom in ethanol, livestock and other
industries."
- Canal sparks water
war along Mexico-California border
(Associated Press, 12/5) "Government
lawyers are urging a federal appeals court
to allow a section of a canal separating
California and Mexico to be lined with
cement to stop millions of gallons of water
from seeping south of the border each year."
- Salt
intrusion threatens N.J. water source
(Asbury Park Press, 12/4) "Jersey
Shore communities have long overpumped ground
water during the summer, when people fill pools
and water lawns and an influx of seasonal visitors
adds to the overall usage."
- Reservoirs
could help farmers withstand drought
(Newshouse News Service, 12/1) "It's
an ancient and simple idea: to hoard water when Mother
Nature turns on the spigot and save it for when she
turns it off."
- Dry
run for Melbourne's water catchments
(Australian, 12/1) "Melbourne's
water storages have fallen to 41.6 per cent capacity
on the eve of the first day of summer. Water
storages dropped 0.6 per cent this week after no rain
fell in Melbourne's four main water catchments."
- Cape
Town water demand will outstrip supply
(IOL, 12/1) "Between
38 percent and 53 percent of Cape Town's water is 'lost' every
year somewhere between the supply dams and our taps."
- Australia:
Water poll may 'set back' progress
(Australian, 12/1) "A
$500 MILLION project to make better use of recycled water
in southeast Queensland has fallen behind schedule as the
region's 2.5 million residents prepare to vote in a landmark
referendum on whether to drink treated sewage."
- Partnership
to bring POU devices to Ethiopia
(P&G,
12/1) NEWS
RELEASE: "Procter & Gamble
Co. has teamed up with the American Chemistry Council's Chlorine
Chemistry Division, Save the Children US and Population Services
International to deliver the company's PUR water treatment
units to schools in Ethiopia."
— Water
Quality
- EPA
issues final UV disinfection manual
(AWWA,
12/7) "The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the final
guidance manual for using ultraviolet (UV) disinfection
technology for bringing public water supplies into compliance
with the Safe Drinking Water Act."
- Poll
on treated wastewater: Drink it or not?
(Water Tech Online,
12/7) "How
would the citizens of your community be willing to use treated wastewater? Would
they be willing to drink it, use it only for irrigation, or not use it
all?"
- How'd
you like your water?
(Washington
Post, 12/7) "The
Good Water Store and Cafe, which opened last month, is
billed as the first of its kind in Maryland. You get
your drinks here clear and clean — actually, clean,
cleaner and cleanest. Three grades of purity."
- Palladium
catalysts tackle NDMA in water
(Platinum Today, 12/5) "Researchers
have discovered that palladium catalysts can help to eliminate the presence of
N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in drinking
water."
- Scientists study
arsenic and hormones
(United Press International, 12/5) "U.S.
scientists are investigating how low doses of arsenic — such as found in some
city drinking water — affect human
physiology."
- Northern
Ireland drinking water 'worst in U.K.'
(U.TV Belfast, 12/6) "Northern
Ireland has the worst quality drinking water in the whole
of the United Kingdom, it has
been claimed. The British government used the latest statistics
on quality to press home the need for the introduction of
water charges next spring."
(CNN-IBN, 12/5) "A
CNN-IBN and Consumer Voice special investigation reveals that the water supplied
by municipalities in metro cities is unfit for human consumption.
However, there is little that the consumers can do because there is no law that
guarantees the right to clean drinking water."
— Water
Resources
(ENS,
12/6) "To
determine the health of America's lakes, ponds and reservoirs, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency has decided to study 909 water bodies whose
profiles are representative of all lakes in the United States."
- After
a fire, mercury rises in a lake's food chain
(New York Times, 12/5) "A
fire resulted in a fivefold increase in mercury in rainbow
trout, a new study finds. Because climate change could increase
the number of forest fires, that could have long-term significance
for mercury in fish."
- Brazil
protects vast expanse of northern Amazon
(Environment
News Service, 12/4) "In
an effort to conserve the last great stretch of untouched rainforest on Earth,
the governor of Brazil’s Pará state
has protected an Amazon expanse the size of Illinois inhabited by thousands of
wildlife species."
- Brazil
highlighted at international conference on water resources
(ANBA Sao Paulo, 12/1) "Brazil
stood out yesterday (23) at conference Integrated Management
of Water Resources in the International Scope. The president
of the World Water Council, Loic Fouchon, praised the operation
of the National Water Agency, on stating that it represents
an advance with regard to the questions raised at conference
Rio-92."
- EPA
clarifies pesticide rules
(Salem Capital Press, 12/1) "Taking
aim at a murky legal issue, the Environmental Protection
Agency has issued a final rule that clarifies when
pesticides can be applied without first obtaining a
Clean Water Act permit."
— Perchlorate
— MTBE
— Wastewater
- Antarctic
station strikes delicate balance on waste
(MSNBC, 12/4) "Since
we arrived here in Antarctica, I’ve been hearing a bit
of good-natured crap from some of the locals — and now
I can say we have also seen it! In our quest to find out what
really makes McMurdo Station run, photojournalist John Brecher
and I took a tour of the waste water treatment plant, a building
situated below the rest of the U.S. station (yes, the stuff
really does flow downhill here)."
(Chicago
Tribune, 12/3) "At
a baptismal site on the Jordan River just south of the Sea of Galilee,
pilgrims kneel in the water as a priest intones a blessing, a high
point of their visit to the Holy Land. A few hundred yards downstream
beyond an earthen dam, a pipe spews raw sewage into the riverbed,
next to a canal dumping saline water collected from springs."
- (Aqua
Engineers, 12/1) "Upgrades
to provide premium recycled water to the nearly 28,000-person
army base at the Schofield Barracks Wastewater Treatment
Plant are complete."
— Toxic
Waste/Pollution
- (Christian Science Monitor, 12/7)"Facing
a mandate to slash toxic mercury emissions from coal-fired power
plants, 23 states are thumbing their noses at a federal cleanup plan
and are instead developing their own far tougher plans to deal with
mercury."
(Delaware Online, 12/6) "A
manufactured chemical used in making nonstick and stain-resistant products may
disrupt important reproductive tissues in pregnant
and unborn female mice, according to researchers in North Carolina."
(Associated
Press, 12/6) "The
chief engineer and second engineer of a South Korean cargo vessel
have pleaded guilty to environmental crimes and obstruction of justice
for covering up illegal dumping of oil residue at sea, the U.S. Department
of Justice announced Tuesday."
-
(Pilot Online, 12/5) "A
six-year-old nonprofit organization is chipping away at
two of the most sobering problems of
the computer age. First, there's the massive amount of
potential hazardous waste produced by the 200,000 computer
systems that become obsolete in the U.S. every day. Second,
there's the ever-growing 'digital divide' —
the gap between people who can afford technology and those
who cannot."
- The
truth about toxics
(ENN, 12/4) "Black
mold. Pesticides. Mercury. Radon. The list of toxics in our
environment can seem endless and overwhelming."
(Washington Post,
11/30) "Under
pressure from Democratic senators, the Bush administration has modified
its proposal to ease public reporting requirements for companies
that handle or release toxic chemicals."
— Warming
- Climate
change is killing the oceans' microscopic 'lungs'
(London
Independent, 12/7) "Global
warming has begun to change the way microscopic
plant life in the oceans absorbs carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere — a trend that could lead to
a dramatic increase in the heating power of the
greenhouse effect."
- Global
warming blues
(Science Now, 12/6) "The
web of life in Earth's oceans may rest on a more delicate balance
than anyone had imagined. Researchers have discovered that even small
rises in water temperatures are stifling photosynthesis by tiny marine
organisms."
- Global
warming another fantasy
(Bangor
Daily News, 12/4) EDITORIAL: "Just
a few days ago, the hurricane season of 2006 mercifully
ended. We all witnessed the devastation it wreaked as storm
after storm ravaged coastal cities. Veritable typhoons
inflicted untold damage to our nation’s infrastructure."
- Alps
experiencing warmest time in 1,300 years
(MSNBC, 12/5) "Europe's
Alpine region is going through its warmest period in
1,300 years, the head of an extensive climate study
said Tuesday."
- U.N.:
Livestock gases worse than cars
(United Press International, 12/1) "Cattle-rearing
generates more global warming greenhouse gases, as measured in
carbon dioxide equivalent, than transportation, according
to a new report."
(Associated Press,
12/1) "The
Bush administration opposes European plans to require airlines
to curb greenhouse gases on grounds it would unfairly disadvantage
U.S. carriers."
(Fort
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, 12/1) "After
such a pleasant hurricane season, it might seem global warming
is highly overrated. Considering
this year saw about a third of last year's tropical activity
in the Atlantic, it's harder to buy the argument that global
warming is whipping up more intense storms, some atmospheric
scientists say."
— Everything
Else
|
| |
|
Water Conferences Worldwide
