Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

and this is where mad cows disease came from

N-Water report focuses on sanitation, drinking water	<<>
Friday, April 23, 2010
WASHINGTON — According to the latest UN-Water Global Annual Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) report, aid commitments for sanitation and water fell from 8 percent of total development in 1997 to 5 percent in 2008, U.S. Politics Today reported. Released yesterday by UN-Water and the World Health Organization (WHO), the report stated that many countries are still not allocating sufficient resources to water and sanitation despite evidence that achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) would lower health care costs, increase school attendance and boost productivity, the article stated. Improved access to sanitation and drinking water can increase a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by an estimated 2 to 7 percent, according to the story. “Neglecting sanitation and drinking water is a strike against progress. Without it, communities and countries will lose the battle against poverty and ill-health,” said Dr. Maria Neira, WHO director of Public Health and Environment. The complete findings from the report will be presented today at the first annual High Level Meeting of Sanitation and Water for All, hosted by UNICEF in Washington, D.C., the report stated. To read the entire article, click here. For related information, click here.
[More In Brief...]

water tect bad news for water

Proposed phosphorous restrictions could be costly to Wis. municipalities	<<>
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
MILWAUKEE, WIS. — According to Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage Distict (MMSD) Executive Director Kevin Shafer, proposed restrictions on the amount of phosphorous discharged by wastewater treatment plants could cost the state billions, the Journal Sentinel reported. State municipalities could spend up to $4.3 billion to build new filtration systems needed to comply with the new restrictions, the article stated. Shafer said the municipal sewage plants account for only 20 percent or less of the phosphorous entering most of the state’s major water basin, according to the story. MMSD estimates that property taxes would have to be increased by 28 percent or more to pay for the wastewater system upgrades, the story reported. “We should not spend billions of dollars to solve 20 percent of the phosphorus problem in the least cost-effective manner,” said Paul Kent, a Madison attorney and spokesman for the Municipal Environmental Group. MMSD will present its concerns to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at a public hearing today. To read the entire article, click here. For related information, click here.

all my article for the most part are by water tech news a very good place to get the up to date water news

Possible contamination from dairy plant worries New Zealanders

Possible contamination from dairy plant worries New Zealanders	<<>
Monday, April 12, 2010
DUNSANDEL, NEW ZEALAND — Residents of Dunsandel, a small country town on New Zealand’s South Island, are concerned that runoff from dairy farms has contaminated their drinking water, according to tvnz.co.nz. The town’s well water tested positive for fecal bacteria and locals fear that the new Synlait dairy plant, which employs 200 people, is the source of the contamination, the article stated. “I think we all know in our hearts that it’s dairy cows, because they’re the ones that put large amounts of poo on the paddock. The dairy farmers are allowed to spray effluent on as well,” said Peter Hills, a local resident. The Synlait plant exports 45,000 tons of dairy products per year and is planning to expand soon, according to the story. Mayor Kelvin Cow supports the expansion and claims that it’s impossible to determine if the dairy plant is the sole source of the contamination, the report stated. To read the entire article, click here. For related information, click here.

here is one then they all will come

WAUKESHA, WISC. — The city of Waukesha, Wisc. is seeking approval to use Lake Michigan for drinking water, the River Falls Journal reported.

The city, which lies outside Lake Michigan’s natural basin, is the first under the 2008 Great Lakes water protection agreement to attempt to use the lake for drinking water, according to the story.

Waukesha must get approval from all eight Great Lakes’ states before it can tap into the lake, the article stated.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will conduct an environmental impact study before approving the city’s request, according to the report.

To read the entire article, click here.

For related information, click here.

another tax

Wash. state House approves bill to raise taxes on bottled water	<<>
Monday, April 12, 2010
OLYMPIA, WASH. — The Washington state House of Representatives approved a bill that will increase taxes on bottled water and a number of other products, the Seattle Times reported. The revenue from the tax hike, which will also affect the sale of beer, soda and candy, will be used to help close a $2.8 billion budget shortfall, according to the story. The new taxes on bottled water, beer, soda and candy are expected to bring in more than $150 million combined, the article stated. The bill also creates a business-and-occupation surcharge, which will raise $242 million in revenue for the state, according to the report. To read the entire article, click here. For related information, click here.

how long before they this will be gone

San Francisco turns to wells to supply drinking water	<<>
Monday, April 12, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO — According to a plan proposed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), five wells in the western part of San Francisco could provide 10 percent of the city’s water supply, augmenting the current Hetch Hetchy snowmelt system, The San Francisco Examiner reported. The plan calls for three wells to be built and connected by underground pipes to one of the city’s reservoirs, according to the story. After being treated with chlorine and ammonia, the 4 million gallons of water per day would supply drinking water for half of San Francisco’s residents, the article stated. Two other wells, which currently irrigate Golden State Park, would also be used to provide drinking water, according to the report. “Groundwater used to be part of the prodigal supply, but it occurred to someone it wouldn’t be enough to sustain us, so we were provided with water rights to the Hetch Hetchy system,” SFPUC spokeswoman Suzanne Gautier said. “But San Francisco does not have any locally produced drinking water. It helps to provide a local supply, especially in the event of an emergency.” To read the entire article, click here.

here it comes your water softner next

Mich. township bans use of sodium chloride in water softeners	<<>
Monday, April 12, 2010
HAMBURG TOWNSHIP, MICH. — The city board of Hamburg Township, Mich. approved an ordinance that requires residents who use water softeners to switch from using sodium chloride to more expensive potassium chloride, according to an article on whmi.com. According to Supervisor Pat Hohl, the township must take action to reduce sodium chloride levels, which are more than twice the state’s acceptable limits, the article stated. Hamburg Township is among 40 Michigan Municipalities that are considering a ban on the use of salt in water softeners, according to the story. The ordinance will take effect in May. Any resident not in compliance will be fined $75 per quarter, the report stated. To read the entire article, click here. For related information, click here.

is this right i would build and be running be fore the dam is down ?

Officials dedicate new water facilities in Port Angeles, Wash.	<<>
Monday, April 05, 2010
PORT ANGELES, WASH. — In a ceremony on Friday, officials gathered to dedicate the completion of the Port Angeles Water Treatment Plant and the Elwha Water Facilities, according to an article on konp.com. The new facilities will provide drinking water to the city of Port Angeles after the Elwha River dams are removed next year, a process which is expected to create large amounts of sediment and render the city’s wells inoperable, the report stated. Congressman Norm Dicks said the water treatment plant was one of the most important construction projects in the area and applauded the number of jobs it created, according to the story. To read the entire article, click here. For related information, click here.

water tech news

Conference to focus on green water infrastructure	<<>
Monday, April 05, 2010
PETALUMA, CALIF. — Green water infrastructure will be the focus of discussion at the North Bay Watershed Association bi-annual conference on April 9, the North Bay Business Journal reported. Watershed management, desalination, rain harvesting and wastewater recycling will be among the subjects addressed during three panel discussions at the daylong conference, according to the story. Frances Spivy-Weber, vice chairman of the State Water Resources Control Board, and Jared Huffman, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife, will deliver keynote speeches, the article stated. “Federal and state agencies are looking at alternatives to infrastructure,” said Harry Seraydarian, executive director of the North Bay Watershed Association. To read the entire article, click here. For related information, click here.

this is what happens when you start going green as well

PORTLAND, MAINE — As water usage drops, many utility companies are raising rates to compensate for down revenues, The Associated Press reported.

Due to manufacturer cutbacks, decreased tourism and declines in the real estate market, water companies have seen their sales fall dramatically, according to the story.

For example, water sales fell 11 percent at the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport & Wells Water District in southern Maine last year, the article stated.

According to a study by the Water Research Foundation, home foreclosures and business contractions have reduced water demand, the story reported.

“This is happening most everywhere. It’s a regional thing, it’s a national thing,” said Norm Labbe, superintendent of the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport & Wells Water District. “Many, many (water utilities) around the country are seeing decreases in revenues. Because if industry goes down, revenues go down.”

To read the entire article, click here.

For related information, click here.