Local Water in the News

Nitrate contamination in CA threatening drinking water

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LOS ANGELES, CA, March 14, 2012 (Water Tech) — More than 250,000 residents in the southern San Joaquin and Salinas valleys could be in danger of drinking water that has been contaminated by nitrates from local farming regions, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The contamination has spread throughout the years and researchers say it will only continue to get worse, noted the article.

Scientists from UC Davis examined the groundwater in the region and determined that even if farming operations were halted, nitrates would continue to spread for years, stated the article.

Perchlorate contamination leaves CA residents without water for over a day

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WEST COVINA, CA, March 13, 2012 (Water Tech)  — Residents in the Baldwin Park and La Puente areas of Calif. were left without water for over a day after a groundwater treatment facility was contaminated with perchlorate, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

President Bob Nicholson notified residents that the water is now clean and safe to drink, but they are unsure how long the high level of the chemical was in the city’s water, stated the article.

Perchlorate is a rocket fuel additive and cannot be reduced by boiling, freezing or filtering, noted the article.

Multi-Pure Commentary:
Multi-Pure’s MP750 Plus RO has been certified by NSF International, under Standard 58, to reduce Perchlorate.

Study shows atrazine not likely to contaminate groundwater in agricultural areas

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RESTON, VA, March 9, 2012 (Water Tech)  — A new model predicts that atrazine, plus its breakdown product deethylatrazine, has less than a 10 percent chance of exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard for public drinking water supplies in shallow groundwater in about 95 percent of the nation’s agricultural areas, according to a press release.

Atrazine is a commonly used herbicide for weed control in corn and sorghum production, noted the release.

“With the intensive, widespread use of the herbicide atrazine in agricultural production, some communities will need to carefully monitor the risk to groundwater and human health from this contaminant and its residues,” said USGS director Marcia McNutt. “The advantage of this new research is that it reveals the spatial variability of risk for atrazine contamination in groundwater across the United States, allowing communities to make wise decisions on allocating scarce financial resources for water quality testing.”

Dye trace test conducted in Mo. to determine link to TCE in groundwater

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OZARK, MO, March 5, 2012 (Water Tech)  — A dye trace test is currently being performed in the Smallin Cave northeast of Ozark, Mo. to try and find a link to why trichloroethane (TCE) was found in the groundwater last year, according to the News-Leader.

Doug Ferguson, on-scene coordinator for the EPA, said that it is difficult to get a reading in this particular area because the underground water flows in different directions, noted the release.

“It’s a bit of a stretch, but the dye could possibly come out in Smallin Cave,” Ferguson said. “Chances are the dye will go the other way (east) but it’s important for us to know where the dye doesn’t go as much as where it does go.”

Multi-Pure Commentary:
Multi-Pure Drinking Water Systems have been certified by NSF International, under Standard 53 to reduceTrichloroethane (TCE), a VOC.

TN town will need to spend over $200 million on wastewater operation

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FRANKLIN, TN, March 1, 2012 (Water Tech) — The city of Franklin, Tenn. is looking to make wastewater improvements for the area, but that could become costly as an estimated $206 million is needed for funding, according to the Tennessean.

Around $20 million of that will need to be spent improving the Harpeth River water plant and more money to build a new Goose Creek plant, noted the article.

“It’s a long term water resources plan for the city and allows the city to sustainably meet regulatory requirements and growth requirements,” said Zack Daniel, client services manager at CDM Smith.

Drinking water not treated in at least 60 WI communities

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MADISON, WI, February 28, 2012 (Water Tech) — Drinking water officials have found that at least 60 communities in Wisconsin don’t treat drinking water for contamination, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Officials with the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) say recent rules requiring treatment have been rescinded and that they strongly encourage the use of chlorine and ultraviolet light to treat drinking water, stated the article.

“We are recommending that all communities disinfect their water,” said Jill Jonas, director of the DNR’s Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater. “We can’t mandate it. But we are recommending it.”

Fla. county struggles with levels of chemical byproducts in water

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BREVARD COUNTY, FL, February 21, 2012 (Water Tech) — The city of Mims, Fla. has been dealing with high levels of a chemical byproduct in their tap water since August 2010 and so far nothing has been done to reduce the chemicals, according to Florida Today.  www.floridatoday.com
The city’s water treatment plant serves more than 7,000 people and local resident Sandra Bronga said she gave up trying to get government agencies attention on the matter and decided to get her own filtering system, stated the article.

“We put in around $1,200 (for the filtering system), since they weren’t going to do anything about it, and all we keep getting is notices that the limits are too high,” said Bronga, who’s lived on Dairy Road in Mims for more than 20 years.

Trihalomethanes (THMs) have reportedly been found in the city’s drinking water over the Environmental Protection Agency’s health standards, noted the article.

Multi-Pure Commentary:
Multi-Pure Drinking Water Systems have been certified by NSF International, under Standard 53 to reduce Trihalomethanes (THMs), a VOC

Posted in THM

Radium more likely to be found in aquifers on East Coast and in Central U.S.

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RESTON, VA, February 16, 2012 (Water Tech) — Groundwater in aquifers on the East Coast and in the Central U.S. has the highest risk of contamination from radium, a naturally occurring radioactive element and known carcinogen, according to a press release.  www.usgs.gov

According to a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), radium was detected in concentrations that equaled or exceeded Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards in more than one in five wells tested in the Mid-Continent and Ozark Plateau Cambro-Ordovician aquifer systems, underlying parts of Ark., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Mich., Minn., Mo. and Wis.; and the North Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system, underlying parts of Del., Md., N.J., N.Y., N.C. and Va., stated the release.

“Radium is a troubling contaminant in groundwater because it cannot be readily detected by taste or smell, nor are the analytical methods for measurement easily applied by non-experts,” said USGS director Marcia McNutt. “This new-found correlation between radium contamination and low oxygen or low pH allows very simple tests to determine which groundwater sources are at risk from radium, and why.”

Multi-Pure Commentary:
Multi-Pure’s MP750 Plus RO has been certified by NSF International, under Standard 58, to reduce Radium 226/228.

Project underway to protect drinking water for Las Vegas

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA, February 16, 2012 (Water Tech)  — Republic Services of Southern Nevada has begun large-scale construction work under oversight by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at Sunrise Landfill, a 440-acre closed municipal solid waste landfill, located three miles outside of Las Vegas city limits in Clark County, according to a press release.  www.epa.gov

The $25 million construction project, expected to last through 2012, was awarded to Las Vegas Paving Company and will employ 40 local construction workers, noted the release.
The project stems from a 2008 Consent Decree requiring Republic, the landfill operator, to install extensive stormwater controls, an armored cover and landfill gas monitoring system; complete and monitor a groundwater monitoring system; and develop a long-term operation and maintenance strategy.

“EPA is requiring this work to protect a vital drinking water source for communities from Las Vegas to Phoenix,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “This will prevent the release of over 17 million pounds of contaminants each year.”

Report shows high concentrations of arsenic at park in S.D.

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SAN DIEGO, CA, February 14, 2012 (Water Tech) — According to a new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report, high concentrations of naturally occurring arsenic are present in interconnected water bodies within Wind Cave National Park, S.D., according to a press release.  www.usgs.gov

The USGS study, in cooperation with the National Park Service, revealed that arsenic concentrations in Wind Cave groundwater exceeds 10 micrograms per liter, the maximum contaminant level for drinking water supplies set by the Environmental Protection Agency, stated the release.

“The fact that the source of the contamination is from the rock layers through which the groundwaters naturally flow means that it is not possible to remediate the arsenic in the water,” explained USGS Director Marcia McNutt. “This study points out the fact that part of what makes the park a geologic wonder also creates challenges for the water supply.”

Multi-Pure Commentary:
Multi-Pure’s MP880 Series has been certified by NSF International, under Standard 53, to reduce Arsenic V.