May 07, 2008

World's Largest Freshwater Lake Affected by Global Warming

The world's largest fresh water lake, Lake Baikal in frigid Siberia, it has been discovered by American and Russian scientists that the temperature of the water is rising as a direct result of global warming.

"Warming of this isolated but enormous lake is a clear signal that climate change has affected even the most remote corners of our planet," said Stephanie Hampton, an ecologist and deputy director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) in Santa Barbara,CA.

"The conclusions shown here for this enormous body of freshwater result from careful and repeated sampling over six decades," said Henry Gholz, program director for NCEAS at the National Science Foundation (NSF), which funded the research.

Lake Baikal holds 20 percent of the world's freshwater, and it is large enough to hold all the water in the United States' Great Lakes. It is the world's deepest lake and also its oldest. At 25 million years old, it predates the emergence of humans. It contains 2500 plant and animal species, with many found nowhere else in the world, as reported by the the National Science Foundation.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on May 7, 2008 at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 06, 2008

Company to Pay for Damages to the Colorado River in Rocky Mountain National Park

The Justice Department and the National Park Service jointly announced yesterday, that the Water Supply and Storage Company, operator of the operator of the Grand River Ditch, has consented to pay for damages in the amount of $9 million for the May 30, 2003 breaching the Grand River Ditch, and thus damaging natural resources within the Rocky Mountain National Park.

The mountainside beneath the breach was largely obliterated by the rush of water out of the ditch. The erosive power of water, rock, mud and vegetation caused significant damage to an old growth spruce/fir forest, Lulu Creek, the upper Colorado River, and filled the Lulu City wetlands with sediment.

"This settlement will allow the restoration of critical habitat within Rocky Mountain National Park and protection of the essential headwaters of the Colorado River," said Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "This important settlement demonstrates our commitment to protecting national park system resources."

"This settlement will benefit one of Colorado's crown jewels, Rocky Mountain National Park, for generations to come," said Troy Eid, U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.

"We are happy with this settlement. Our goal, all along, has been to restore park resources that were damaged by the breach. Now we can start," said Vaughn Baker Park Superintendent for Rocky Mountain National Park, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on May 6, 2008 at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 05, 2008

Californians Told to Conserve Water

California state officials have issued an urgent call to conserve water pointing out that the Sierra Nevada snowpack has fallen to one-third normal levels and is a primary source of the state's water supply.

"We need to recognize that we're in a water shortage and begin to act accordingly," state Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman said.

"We're in a pretty painful water supply picture," said Jeffrey Kightlinger, the general manager for the Metropolitan Water District in Southern California. "We don't want to institute rationing, but if this continues you will see us take a look at that next year."

In the Coachella Valley, which includes the resort communities around Palm Springs, the water district has proposed a tiered water pricing system. "The idea is to charge customers who use more than their fair share of water", said Mark Beuhler, assistant general manager of the Coachella Valley Water District. "We saw the writing on the wall," Beuhler said. "It is probably the most single effective thing we can do to achieve conservation."

"Some of the things that could happen are not using fountains, requiring use of a shut-off nozzle in the hose at your house, or restrictions on when people can water their lawns,' said district spokesman Jeff Becerra of the East Bay Municipal Utility District, serving Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

"As long as our customers continue to use the same good habits they showed last year, we should be able to get through this year without any cutbacks," said Tony Winnicker, spokesman for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, referring to the voluntary conservation
last summer, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by the Sacramento Bee.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on May 5, 2008 at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 01, 2008

NASA Satellite to Map Global Water Cycle

NASA recently announced that the Soil Moisture Active-Passive mission (SMAP) is scheduled to launch December 2012.

SMAP will use a six meter deployable mesh antenna (picture by NASA) which will gather global soil moisture and freeze/thaw data so critical for accuracy of weather forecasts and predictions of global carbon cycle and climate change.

"Soil moisture is the lynch pin of the water, energy and carbon cycles over land. It is the variable that links these three cycles through its control on evaporation and plant transpiration. Global monitoring of this variable will allow a new perspective on how these three cycles work and vary together in the Earth system," said MIT Professor Dara Entekhabi, director of the Parsons Laboratory for Environmental Science and Engineering in MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

"Additionally because soil moisture is a state variable that controls both water and energy fluxes at the land surface, we anticipate that assimilation of the global observations will improve the skill in numerical weather prediction, especially for events that are influenced by these fluxes at the base of the atmosphere," he said.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., is the lead NASA center for the project, with participation from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD, as reported by Science Daily.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on May 1, 2008 at 07:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 30, 2008

Largest Fine For Ocean Pollution in the Northwest History

The National Navigation Company (NNC) pleaded guilty yesterday, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, to 15 felony charges involving concealing deliberate vessel pollution, the Justice Department announced.

The company, based in Cairo, Egypt, admitted to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and making false statements to federal officials.

The case involved the dumping of waste oil, including sludge, from six vessels, and although the charges were consolidated in Oregon, Seattle and New Orleans also were harmed.

The court sentenced NNC to pay a total monetary penalty of $7.25 million. This was the largest fine ever for a case involving the falsification of ship logs to conceal deliberate pollution from ships in the Pacific Northwest.

"The National Navigation Company is paying a steep fine for breaking environmental laws and will be required to implement a fleet-wide environmental compliance plan to ensure their future compliance," said Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "Today's multi-district prosecution is part of the Justice Department's ongoing initiative to detect and deter those who illegally discharge pollution from ships into the ocean and lie about it," as reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 30, 2008 at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 29, 2008

Australia Pledges $12.1 billion For Water Conservation

In Canberra, Australia today it was announced that the Australian government will spend US12.1 billion, including $2.9 billion to purchase river water from farmers to revitalize Australia's river systems so devastated by drought.

"We know there have been over-allocation problems and therefore we're happy to talk to the government about buying back water as long as it's from willing sellers," said Ben Fargher, CEO of the National Farmers' Federation.

Brian Sharp, a mayor in a Murray River farming district, said, "The cost of food will certainly rise; the nation's exports will drop."

"Climate change means most Australian cities and towns have less water and we can no longer rely on local rainfall to supply all our drinking water," Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong said in a statement.

The largest portion of the investment will be used to reduce water waste and increase water use efficiency in Australian cities and farms.

Australia is the driest continent in the world after Antarctica and all major cities are running low on drinking water, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by the International Herald Tribune.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 29, 2008 at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 28, 2008

In Milwaukee An Effort to Limit Water Runoff Pollution

A new regional citizen's group, at the annual Clean Rivers, Clean Lakes conference, held in Milwaukee, WI today announced advocating investment of $480 million to reduce the contaminants flowing off the landscape whenever it rains or snow melts.

This effort is to reduce nonpoint pollutants, which include soil, road salt, pet and livestock waste, oil and grease from vehicles, garbage, fertilizers and pesticides, and other substances washed off the landscape by rain and melting snow.

The plan, to be published later this year by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, states that water quality in the Milwaukee, Menomonee, Kinnickinnic and Root rivers, Oak Creek and the Milwaukee harbor cannot meet federal standards for recreation without first reducing nonpoint pollution sources.

"We need to bring new resources to bear to improve water quality," Cheryl Nenn of Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers said. "We expect to increase funding available to correct storm water problems." "In addition to seeking additional federal and state funding, some new dollars likely will come from national and local foundations," she said.

"Implementing the commission"s water quality plan likely will take 15 to 20 years or longer," said Mike Hahn, the commission's chief environmental engineer.

"And I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it will cost a huge amount of money," Hahn said, referencing the $482.6 million to finance recommended nonpoint control activities, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 28, 2008 at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 24, 2008

NRC Says there is Water Desalination in U.S. Future

In a report released today, the National Research Council (NRC) said that, with improving technologies, desalted seawater might just be a viable source for future potable water requirements.

"Uncertainties about desalination's (pictured) environmental impacts are currently a significant barrier to its wider use, and research on these effects - and ways to lessen them - should be the top priority," said Amy K. Zander, chair of the committee that wrote the report and a professor at Clarkson University.

"Finding ways to lower costs should also be an objective. A coordinated research effort dedicated to these goals could make desalination a more practical option for some communities facing water shortages," Zander said in a statement.

This report was sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as reported by the Associated Press.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 24, 2008 at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 23, 2008

Southampton, MA Judged to Have the Best Tasting Water

At the ninth annual Great American Water Taste Test, held in Washington, D.C., Southampton, MA was judged to have the best tasting water in the nation, after sampling entries from 39 states, during the Earth Day event, at the annual meeting of the National Rural Water Association.

"I can't believe that we won it against so many entries, that a little town in Western Massachusetts could beat out the whole country, but we did," said Joseph F. Slattery, Southampton's water superintendent who personally drew the water sample used in the competition off one of the town's wellheads near College Highway this past Saturday.

Southampton"s entry came out of the Barnes Aquifer. "It's natural water. It meets such a high standard with the state that we don't even have to treat it," Slattery said.

Yesterday's competition consisted of blind tests for smell and clarity by three judges.

"The judges said the top three were just so close in quality. They said they were separated by just decimal points," said Michael R. Harris, a spokesman for the National Rural Water Association, as reported by The Republican.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 23, 2008 at 01:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 22, 2008

South African Children Die From Drinking Unsafe Water

Approximately 80 young children in the South African Eastern Cape district of Ukhahlamba have died from diarrhea and other complications stemming from drinking tainted water, and no action was taken by local health authorities.

Though there most obviously is evidence of a lethal epidemic in the Ukhahlamba District Municipality (UKDM), which included the towns of Barkly East, Maclear, Sterkspruit and Elliot, municipal authorities had not yet issued a public warning .

Apparently last October there was a health report that water purification had broken down, and urgent action was called for but nothing was done. The report was even tabled last week at a closed
door council meeting.

The UKDM's municipal manager, Zolile Williams pointed his finger at the Cloete Joubert Hospital in Barkly East for the deaths saying that they had delayed in determining the cause of death in a timely manner for an investigation.

A senior hospital manager, who asked not be named, said they had informed the municipality but nothing was done until the first 15 deaths were reported, as reported by the Pretoria News.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 22, 2008 at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 21, 2008

Jordon to Spend $990 Million to Assure Amman Water

Jordon's Water Minister Raed Abu Soud announced yesterday that a project to make certain the capital city of Amman (pictured) would have potable water in the future.

"The capital will get water from the aquifer for the coming 100 years," he said, adding the project was expected to be completed within three-and-a-half years.

Abu Soud said a Turkish firm, GAMA Energy, has been contracted to extract 100 million cubic meters of water each year from the 300,000 year old Disi aquifer, which lies 325 kilometers south of Amman.

Jordon, where 92% of the land is desert, depends mainly on rainfall for its fresh water, yet has experienced in the past two years a decline in rainfall amounting to virtually half the required amount.

Global warming issues like this make it very important for Jordon to take on a water project of this size at this time, as reported by Agence France-Presse and published by Dow Jones & Company.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 21, 2008 at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 17, 2008

More Water Pollution in China: Now it is Lake Taihu

An area of algae, 100 yards wide has been found in China's third largest lake, Lake Taihu (pictured), which supplies fresh water to 30 million people.

The country's Ministry of Environmental Protection, making this report today, noting that this algae pollution is similar to the one in Lake Tahiu in May, which made tap water undrinkable for 1 million people for about 10 days in bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

"Even under very strictly controlled conditions, this phenomenon will last three to five years, or even longer," said Jin Xiangcan, director of the Research Institute of Water Environmental Science at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences. He added the quality of water in the lake is level five, the worst quality, meaning the water is useful only for agriculture.

The governor of Jiangsu said in Beijing last month that the lake's pollution would be eliminated in 10 years, according to the Xinhua News Agency, and environmental protection would be a top priority while achieving industrial growth in the future, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by the International Herald Tribune.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 17, 2008 at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 16, 2008

The Clean Water Act Must be Restored

A bill to restore the Clean Water Act, which was gutted by a Supreme Court decision in 2005, and is most important to protect our nation's rivers, streams, and wetlands, is getting a hearing today by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, just days after a Senate committee heard testimony about the proposal.

In 2005, the Supreme Court struck down federal jurisdiction over small, isolated wetlands that aren't clearly connected to navigable water, thus leaving unprotected 59% of our streams and ponds.

"This is the most important clean water legislation in the last 35 years," said Joan Mulhern, Senior Legislative Counsel with Earthjustice. "Congress has made the right move to propose the Clean Water Restoration Act. More than 110 million Americans get their drinking water from the same streams and headwaters that could lose their federal Clean Water Act protection. Every day, the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA are making decisions that remove federal protection for these waters. Without this bill, polluting streams, filling wetlands, and burying waters will be common practice," as reported by The Daily Green.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 16, 2008 at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 15, 2008

Conserve with Rainwater Tanks, but Don't Drink From Them

With the water shortages that Australia has been going through, the use of rainwater tanks has been encouraged. A study by a joint research study by Melbourne Monash University and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) shows that lead along with other heavy metals contamination is commonly found in the rainwater tanks.

"It can be environmental or atmospheric, so you could potentially have lead associated with the dust that blows around an urban area," said Dr. Grace Mitchell, a senior research fellow at Monash University.

"Up until relatively recently we used a lot of lead in our petrol, so they're the sorts of environmental sources."

"There can be also lead flashing on roofs that haven't been properly coated, so it actually could leach lead."

"There may be lead solder associated with some of the pipes, and then you may find other environmental sources of lead - there can be some industrial processes that may be emitting lead."

"I'd encourage them to go for the other uses first that use more water, so they're going to get more savings and also it doesn't have kind of potential concerns from a health point of view," said Dr. Mitchell, as reported by ABC News, Australia.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 15, 2008 at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 14, 2008

Fast Melting Mountains Portend Water Shortages to Come

At a meeting of geoscientists in Vienna today, it was concluded that glaciers and mountain snows were melting much earlier this year than usual, and the result will be that when the water is really most needed, in the dry summer when there is little rainfall, water will be in short supply.

"This is just a time bomb," said hydrologist Wouter Buytaert at the meeting. "In some areas where the glaciers are small they could be gone in 30 or 50 years time and a very reliable source of water, especially for the summer months, may be gone."

The areas most at risk from a lack of water for drinking and agriculture include parts of the Middle East, southern Africa, the United States, South America and the Mediterranean.

Daniel Viviroli, from the University of Berne, thinks nearly 40 percent of mountainous regions could be at risk, as they provide water to populations which cannot get it elsewhere. He says the earth's sub-tropic zones, which are home to 70 percent of the world's population, are the most vulnerable.

"Glaciers are getting smaller and smaller," said said U.S. Geological Survey researcher Bruce Molnia, adding that this was leading to more frequent flooding.
"And what I am talking about here is adaptable to almost every one of the Himalayan countries that's dependent on glacier-melted water," he said.

As we have written here many times in the past, global warming is having a great affect on the world's potable water supply, as reported by Reuters Africa.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 14, 2008 at 01:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 10, 2008

Barcelona, Facing Drought, to bring in Water Via Ship

Barcelona, Spain, with their drought leading to a water emergency, has made arrangement to import water by ship from Marseilles, in southern France; Tarragona, a Catalan industrial port; and desalination plants in southern Spain.

With Spain having only one-third of average year rainfall, the drought is now in its 18th month. The City's reservoirs are now only 20 percent full.

The Catalan Water Agency has chartered 10 tankers to transport water to Barcelona for at least six months, or at least until rainfall returns to normal, at a cost of $35 million a month.

"Unfortunately, costs are sky-rocketing due to the urgency of the situation and the lack of scruples of shipping companies," says Pedro Arrojo of the University of Zaragoza, who is an expert in the economics of water management.

Barcelona has taken steps to reduce water usage this summer by stopping all city fountains, turning off beach showers, plugging leaks in the water system, banning garden watering, and the filling of swimming pools, as reported by The Financial Times Limited.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 10, 2008 at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 09, 2008

Oil & Gas Industry Workers to Address Global Water Crises

Industry's Humanitarian Support Alliance NGO (IHSAN), which was formed by Oil & Gas Industry employees, is to address the United Nations' estimates that approximately 1.1 billion and 2.6 billion people currently live without water and proper sanitation. Also that a lack of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation/hygiene is the world's greatest cause of illness which kills 10,000 people a day.

The employees have felt that, with their collective expertise, skills, equipment, and profits, they should be doing more for disadvantaged communities. IHSAN's membership consists of over 200 volunteers, in 25 countries.

On March 22, 2008, World Water Day, IHSAN announced funding for four new projects, including construction of water pumps, eco-sanitation toilets, rainwater harvesting systems, open dams, and water education programs throughout Sierra Leone, Kenya, India, and Ghana, as reported by Business Wire 2008, and published by Investors.com.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 9, 2008 at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 08, 2008

No Surprise, EPA says U.S. Water Pipes are Crumbling

As should come as no surprise, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that over the next 20 years water utilities will have to invest $277 billion to repair or improve the infrastructure that delivers water to the nation's cities.

The American Water Works Association, an industry group, has said that the only way to pay for such a monumental project will be for the cost of water to increase.

"Our generation hasn't experienced anything like this. We weren't around when the infrastructure was being built," said Greg Kail, spokesman for the water industry group. "We didn't pay for the pipes to be put in the ground, but we sure benefited from the improvements to public health that came from it."

Utilities currently spend about $10.4 billion annually on large-scale repairs and improvements on drinking water infrastructure, a figure that has been relatively flat during the past two decades, the EPA said.

"The amount of water being lost is inconsequential, given that reservoirs are so full," said New York City Environmental Commissioner Emily Lloyd. But she said "it is important to fix the leaks now because there is no way to tell how the system might deteriorate in the next 30 years," as reported by the Associated Press and published by ABC News.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 8, 2008 at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 07, 2008

USGS to take National Water Supply Census

It has been 30 years since the last survey of the U.S. water resources, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is set to conduct a census now.

A USGS official said that the study is needed because growing communities are putting more stress on the nation's river systems and underground water sources, farmers are pumping more ground water to irrigate crops, and outdoor enthusiasts are demanding that more water be set aside for the environment.

The 10-year, $95 million study will divide the country into 21 major river basins, said Robert Hirsch, USGS associate director for water. It will look at stream flows, ground water levels and recharge, water pollution, population trends and water use, he said.

"Usually, states are not keen about having a neighboring state look over their water resources," Hirsch said. "Frankly, there's a lot of distrust among the (states), and having a neutral federal agency, the USGS, could help bring up the level of trust," as reported by the Gannett News Service, and published by the Tennessean.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 7, 2008 at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

April 03, 2008

Vermont Lawmakers Seek to Protect Ground Water

Lawmakers in Vermont are gathering information as they prepare legislation to protect the ground water in the state.

"It's going to surpass energy as a national security issue for the United States," said Maude Barlow, an Ottawa-based environmentalist, referring to potable water.

"There are alternative forms of energy, but we haven't yet found an alternative to water," Barlow told a joint hearing of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee and the House Committee on Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources.

The State Senate has passed, and the State House panel is about to take up legislation which declares the groundwater under Vermont a "public trust." This will protect the state's aquifers from abuse by limiting their use by individuals, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by Forbes.

Posted by Stephen Betheil on Apr 3, 2008 at 03:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)