Boyett Family Rayne Water Conditioning

Scientists identify endocrine disruptors in algae blooms

administrator — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:03:45 +0000

Scientists are reporting for the first time that previously unrecognized substances released by algae blooms have the potential to act as endocrine disruptors, which can interfere with the normal activity of reproductive hormones. The effect is not caused by microcystin toxins, long recognized as potentially harmful to humans and aquatic animals, but as yet [...]

Former sheriff sentenced for Clean Water Act violations

administrator — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:59:08 +0000

Sidney J. Hebert, former Iberia Parish Sheriff, and Environmental Compliance Solutions, LLC (ECS) were sentenced today for the negligent operation of a water treatment facility in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA), United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced. Hebert, 52, of New Iberia, La., was sentenced to three years probation and 120 [...]

CBS 5 Investigation Sparks Drinking Water Debate

administrator — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:56:49 +0000

PHOENIX — Homeowners across the Valley want answers after watching a CBS-5 investigation that exposed a potentially harmful chemical in drinking water.The chemical is called hexavalent chromium or chromium-6.Michelle Cavalier of Mesa said that hearing there may be something hazardous in her tap water is a little scary.”Water is the major beverage in our [...]

Chromium-6 Is Widespread in US Tap Water

administrator — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 20:05:24 +0000

Cancer-causing chemical found in 89 percent of cities sampled Laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group (EWG) have detected hexavalent chromium, the carcinogenic “Erin Brockovich chemical,” in tap water from 31 of 35 American cities. The highest levels were in Norman, Okla.; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Riverside, Calif. In all, water samples from 25 cities [...]

EPA Statement on Chromium-6 in Drinking Water

administrator — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 19:43:01 +0000

WASHINGTON – Today, EPA issued the following statement and background information in response to a study released on December 20, 2010 by the Environmental Working Group:

“EPA absolutely has a drinking water standard for total chromium, which includes chromium-6 (also known as Hexavalent Chromium), and we require water systems to test for it. This [...]

This is a copy of an article purported to be from a recent Johns Hopkins publication.

administrator — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:54:36 +0000

I am passing it along as it appears to make sense.

Johns Hopkins Update

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY (‘TRY’, BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY …

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

1. Every person [...]

Mistake at water treatment plant caused Britain’s worst mass poisoning

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:28:45 +0000

CAMELFORD, ENGLAND — A delivery driver has admitted to mistakenly dumping 20 tons of aluminum sulfate into the wrong tank at a water treatment facility in Camelford, England in 1991, the Daily Mailreported.

The driver, John Stephens, told an inquest yesterday that no one from the South West Water Authority was present when he was [...]

Los Angeles utility workers face fraud charges

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:27:35 +0000

LOS ANGELES—Two Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employees face criminal charges stemming from a six-year scheme that defrauded the utility of millions of dollars.

Deputy District Attorney Gary Nielsen told the Los Angeles Times Thursday that Anthony Carone and Akbar Farooni are charged with using DWP purchasing cards to buy $3 million [...]

State Supreme Court upholds constitutionality of Municipal Water Law

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:26:59 +0000

OLYMPIA — The Washington state Supreme Court today upheld the constitutionality of Washington’s Municipal Water Law (MWL), removing uncertainty over water right certificates issued as far back as the 1950s.

In a 9-0 decision in Lummi Indian Nation v. State, et al , the Supreme Court found that the MWL does not violate the [...]

E. coli contamination prompts boil water warning

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:26:11 +0000

WINSLOW TWP., N.J. – November 1, 2010 (WPVI) – Residents in a western New Jersey community have learned they can again drink water without boiling it.

Winslow Township warned residents on Friday that it found high levels of E. coli bacteria in the water supply.

That notice was lifted late Monday afternoon.

In a notice [...]

EPA Orders Restoration of Damaged Wetlands on Massachusetts Farm

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:15:38 +0000

Boston—October 28, 2010) EPA has ordered the owners of Meredith Farm to restore wetlands and streams on its 160-acre plot in Topsfield, Mass. The wetlands were excavated and filled between 2006 and 2007 while the farm’s drainage system was expanded – widening and deepening a stream channel, and creating a pond.

Christopher and Bonnie [...]

Cholera kills 1,555 in Nigeria, says U.N.

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:14:46 +0000

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) — A cholera outbreak in Nigeria has killed more than 1,500 people, the United Nations said Tuesday.

It is the worst cholera outbreak in Nigeria in recent years. The number of cases is three times higher than last year and seven times higher than in 2008, the United Nations Children’s Fund [...]

Study: Natural gas drilling mobilizes uranium in Marcellus Shale

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:13:59 +0000

(Media-Newswire.com) – BUFFALO, N.Y. — Scientific and political disputes over drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas have focused primarily on the environmental effects of pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to blast through rocks to release the natural gas.

But University at Buffalo researchers have now found that that process [...]

Nation’s first sustainable biogas facility goes online

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:10:47 +0000

SAN ANTONIO, Oct 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — San Antonio Water System and Ameresco, Inc. (AMRC 11.81, +0.13, +1.11%) and local officials joined together today to host the grand opening of their new biogas facility at the Dos Rios Water Recycling Center. The biogas project is the first sustainable project of its kind in the nation, capturing biogas [...]

Oil contaminates Long Beach water supplies

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:10:06 +0000

LONG BEACH, Calif.—Hotels and parts of the Port of Long Beach were still without water Thursday after a routine test of fire hydrants at the port uncovered black crude oil mixed with the water.

Crews believe they’ve isolated the pipeline where the contamination originated, but hotels and restaurants were still being advised to avoid [...]

Ohio aquifer site proposed to be added to Superfund National Priorities List

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:09:17 +0000

(CHICAGO – Oct. 19, 2010) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 announced today that a contaminated aquifer in Milford, Ohio, is one of nine hazardous waste sites proposed to be added to the Superfund section of the National Priorities List.

Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled [...]

Coffee husks proven effective at removing hexavalent chromium

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:08:29 +0000

Coffee husks clean up toxic chromium

The metal chromium is an essential nutrient for plant and animal metabolism, but it can accumulate to toxic and hazardous levels in the environment when discharged in industrial waste water; a point made infamous by the movie Erin Brockovich.

Chromium-contaminated wastewaters usually originate from dye and pigment manufacturing, [...]

Efforts intensified to remove tritium-contaminated groundwater

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:07:41 +0000

TRENTON — State environmental officials say the operator of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant has stepped up efforts to remove water contaminated by radioactive tritium from the ground underneath the plant.

State Environmental Commissioner Bob Martin said Monday that a larger well has been added to pump out the water and prevent any [...]

Duwamish Waterway cleanup options released for public review

administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:06:41 +0000

(October 18, 2010 – Seattle) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology today released a draft study of cleanup alternatives for the 5-mile-long Lower Duwamish Waterway cleanup site. The agencies are seeking public input on a wide range of cleanup options to reduce toxic pollutants in the waterway. The [...]

Bacteria on steroids: A new way to make water at tilapia farms safer?

administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:16:11 +0000

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico – It’s no secret that baseball stars, bodybuilders and cyclists have used steroids. Now it turns out that even bacteria get juiced. Researchers in Mexico have found that three common species of bacteria have voracious appetites for methyltestosterone (MT), a potentially harmful steroid that fish farmers use to change the sex of [...]

US EPA Policy News

administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:15:11 +0000

US EPA is issuing a Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy with the goal of increasing the sustainability of water and wastewater infrastructure in the US. Communities across the country are facing challenges in making costly upgrades and repairs to their aging water infrastructure, which include sewer systems and treatment facilities. Making this [...]

Japan Goes From Dynamic to Disheartened

administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:14:01 +0000

OSAKA, Japan – Like many members of Japan’s middle class, Masato Y. enjoyed a level of affluence two decades ago that was the envy of the world. Masato, a small-business owner, bought a $500,000 condominium, vacationed in Hawaii and drove a late-model Mercedes.

But his living standards slowly crumbled along with Japan’s overall [...]

New EPA standards to have major impact on sewage sludge management

administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:11:45 +0000

WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed standards under Section 129 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) that will have a major impact on the limited options local governments have for the management of sewage sludge, according to a press release.

In the U.S., nearly 20 percent of all the sewage sludge [...]

Dramatic rescue unfolds at water tower

administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:10:36 +0000

HOLLYWOOD —

In the darkness at the bottom of the water tower, Carlos Bustamante knew he was in trouble. His leg was broken in two places, his co-worker was unconscious, and no one knew that the two maintenance men had just plunged 45 feet straight down when their scaffolding gave way. But Bustamante, 43, [...]

New $653 million water treatment facility boosts city’s water supply by 20 percent

administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:06:21 +0000

AURORA, Colo. (AP) ― A $653 million water-treatment project that draws water downstream from Denver’s wastewater treatment is expected to boost Aurora’s water supply by 20 percent.

The Peter D. Binney Water Purification Facility will be able to provide up to 3.3 billion gallons of water annually.

The facility is part of the Prairie Waters [...]

Water utility breaks ground on $25 million project

administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:05:41 +0000

Water utility Indiana American Water, a subsidiary of American Water Company (NYSE: AWK | PowerRating), has broken ground for a new water treatment facility on Hidden Lake Drive in Warsaw, Indiana, the company declared on Friday.

Indiana American Water will invest approximately USD25m in the project to enhance water quality, improve system reliability and enable the [...]

Industrial plant CEO arrested for toxic spill

administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:04:44 +0000

(Oct. 11) — The chief executive officer of the industrial plant at the center of Hungary’s toxic sludge spill has been taken in for questioning by police.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced today that Zoltan Bakonyi, head of aluminum factory MAL Co., had been arrested and that Hungarian authorities had seized control of the [...]

Toxic compounds found in drinking water at south Florida schools

administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:02:25 +0000

GOLDEN GATE ESTATES — Two Golden Gate Estates schools have run afoul of federal drinking water standards.

Tests at Estates Elementary School in August and at Palmetto Elementary School going back to last fall show the schools’ water exceeding the maximum allowed level for two compounds that are byproducts of the disinfection process.

The compounds [...]

Exorbitant water bill shocks homeowner

administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:01:29 +0000

EAST POINT, Ga. — An East Point family was steaming because family members said they received a water bill 60 times higher than normal.

According to the city, the two-person house used 137,000 gallons of water in one month.

“I almost fell out on the floor. I just couldn’t believe it. I said it [...]

Water softener repairman arrested on fraud charge

administrator — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 23:20:19 +0000

HOLIDAY – On Sept. 11, Dale Hall showed up at an 81-year-old woman’s Aloha Gardens home and asked whether she had a water softener that needed a repair, according to Pasco deputies.

Because she recognized the man as someone who did work for her a couple of years back, she let him in and [...]

Industry leaders discuss economic pressures during roundtable session

administrator — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 23:19:08 +0000

Kansas City, Mo. – More than 30 participants, journalists and observers from around the world took part in Black & Veatch’s second annual roundtable series on 5 October during WEFTEC(R)10, the Water Environment Federation’s 83rd annual technical exhibition and conference in New Orleans, La. Fifteen global leaders in the water and wastewater industry met [...]

NASA: Earth’s water cycle pulse quickening

administrator — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 23:15:34 +0000

Freshwater is flowing into Earth’s ocean in greater amounts every year, thanks to more frequent and extreme storms related to global warming, according to a first-of-its-kind study by a team of NASA and university researchers.

The team, led by Tajdarul Syed of the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India, and formerly with the University [...]

State provides bottled water to homes with contaminated wells

administrator — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 23:13:06 +0000

PLYMOUTH — Some homeowners on Harwinton Avenue and Burr Road are receiving bottled water from the state as a temporary alternative to well water which has been found to be contaminated with arsenic and lead.

Gilbert Roberts, director of environmental health for the Torrington Area Health District, spoke to the Town Council about the [...]

Chromium contamination plagues city’s groundwater

administrator — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 23:11:35 +0000

GARFIELD — More than 160 residents — worried that they’ve been exposed for years to a cancer-causing chemical — grilled experts about the city’s groundwater contamination problem at a public meeting Wednesday.

“You’re living on a time bomb,” said Colleen Calderio, who lives in the worst-affected areas and whose basement has been deemed safe. [...]

Boil water advisory issued in Pennsylvania

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:29:42 +0000

Officials are warning all users of the Wellsboro Water System that you must boil your water before drinking it.

An alert was sent out Tuesday evening while officials were monitoring the conditions of the filtering system. Officials determined that, “the amount of sand in our slow sand water filters is less than the amount [...]

EPA issues Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:28:02 +0000

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy with the goal of increasing the sustainability of water and wastewater infrastructure in the United States. Communities across the country are facing challenges in making costly upgrades and repairs to their aging water infrastructure, which [...]

City filtration plant closes, boil water warning issued

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:27:17 +0000

TRENTON — A warning to boil water was issued today to residents of Trenton, Lawrence, Ewing, Hopewell and the Hamilton neighborhoods bordering the city due to a foul-up that left water unfiltered for at least 24 hours.

Mayor Tony Mack declared the emergency after aides said the water was dirty as a result of [...]

For Female Marines, Tea Comes With Bullets

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:26:20 +0000

MARJA, Afghanistan — They expected tea, not firefights.

But the three female Marines and their patrol were shot at late on a recent day, when a burst of Kalashnikov rifle fire came from a nearby compound. The group hit the ground, crawled into a ditch and aimed its guns across the fields of cotton and [...]

Showerhead manufacturer fined $50,000 for deceptive ads

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:24:16 +0000

Misleading consumers over shower water and energy savings

Methven pleads guilty to misleading consumers over shower water and energy savings

Methven Limited, a company that manufactures and supplies bathroom fittings, has pleaded guilty to nine breaches of the Fair Trading Act for misleading consumers about the potential savings gained when using the Satinjet shower [...]

New Jersey American Water issues statement regarding high turbidity levels

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:23:28 +0000

Our water system recently violated a drinking water requirement. Although, this was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we did to correct this situation.

This notice applies to New Jersey American Water customers in the following communities:

Bound Brook Borough, [...]

New legislation protects waterways from copper pollution

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:22:24 +0000

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ — With Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature on SB 346 today, Californians take an important step toward cleaner water while saving cities billions of dollars. The new law phases out copper from vehicle brake pads — the largest human-generated source of copper in California’s urban watershed run-off. Copper in the waterways [...]

Waterworks authority ordered to repair broken sewer main

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:21:31 +0000

(10/01/10) HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency yesterday issued a compliance order to the Guam Waterworks Authority to take immediate steps to repair a broken sewer force main located near the Southern Link Sewage Lift Station in Dededo, Guam.

GWA has two weeks to repair or replace the broken 36-inch diameter force main [...]

Soy-based product cleans up contaminated groundwater

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:20:27 +0000

LactOil soy microemulsion is a newly patented, renewable product formulated to cost-effectively clean up soil and groundwater contaminated by chlorinated solvents, metals, nitrates, and perchlorates.

The soy-based product contains five functional ingredients to stimulate bacteria already residing in the environment. This degrades and removes toxic pollutants from groundwater.

LactOil is biodegradable and exclusively derived [...]

Marathon Oil Company Agrees to Propose and Implement Remedy for Groundwater Contamination at Sidney, Neb.

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:18:38 +0000

(Kansas City, Kan., Sept. 29, 2010) – Marathon Oil Company, of Houston, Texas, has reached an agreement with EPA Region 7 to conduct a cleanup study and implement a remedy for groundwater contamination at its former West Sidney Gas Plant in Sidney, Neb.

Under an administrative order on consent, filed in Kansas City, Kan., [...]

Refining company provides water filters to homes with tainted well water

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:17:34 +0000

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Five homes are being provided with in-home water treatment systems designed to remove a chemical used in refining oil in North Pole.

The filtration system is being tested to remove sulfolane from private well water.

Flint Hills spokesman Jeff Cook said after about two months the system has shown it can [...]

EPA proposes perchlorate regulation

administrator — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:15:10 +0000

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency wants to regulate a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel that has contaminated drinking water supplies, reversing a decision made under the Bush administration.

A government official briefed by the EPA told The Associated Press on Thursday night that the agency has proposed that the chemical, perchlorate, be [...]

Toxic chemicals contaminate Colorado groundwater

administrator — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:59:08 +0000

Toxic chemicals in the groundwater near the site of a former Boulder dry-cleaner are more widespread than city officials have been made aware of, with the level of one contaminant recently measuring 460 times the limit set by the state health department.

The city of Boulder is beginning this week to test groundwater on [...]

Experts discuss lack of desalination plants in U.S.

administrator — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:58:09 +0000

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–NanoH2O, a global provider of reverse osmosis membranes for desalination, hosted five of the top U.S. experts in desalination at its manufacturing facility in El Segundo, California, for a timely discussion on the global water crisis, issues behind the lack of desalination plants in the U.S. and the role innovation, technology and [...]

New stormwater treatment system at Boeing Field to reduce PCBs

administrator — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:56:43 +0000

(September 29, 2010 – Seattle) Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed an agreement with The Boeing Company to construct a new stormwater treatment system at North Boeing Field in Seattle. The treatment system will greatly reduce the amount of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are an on-going source of pollution to the Duwamish [...]

Authorities crack down on water filter scam

administrator — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:55:50 +0000

AUTHORITIES have swooped on a business involved in a water filter scam.

Search warrants were executed last week after fresh complaints about a company advertising water filtration products using State Government logos.

Consumer Affairs Victoria spokeswoman Kim Healey said inspectors moved in after receiving a significant number of complaints, but would not reveal where [...]