Water News for March 2025

Pure Water Gazette Introductory Note. The water news for March would be voluminous if we included all of the press releases from the new administration’s EPA celebrating its many regulatory rollbacks. We decided to limit our reporting to EPA administrator Lee Zeldin’s boast that he has brought about “The greatest and most consequential day in U.S. History” by tossing aside years of scientific accomplishments in order to “power the great American comeback.”  It’s hard to imagine what the great day we’re going back to looks like. Is it the smog that we want back, or the rivers that caught fire because they were laden with chemicals?

Those who were around in 1980 may be reminded of a very similar situation where a president appointed an agency head who was opposed to the mission of the agency.  James G. Watt as Secretary of the Interior did not work out well.  Watt, a religious zealot, believed that the end of the world was just around the corner and there was, therefore, no reason to protect the environment. Who cares about the forests or water quality if God is going to burn the place down anyway?  (For some reason, accumulating wealth in a soon-to-end world did not fall under this logic.)  Watt’s reign of terror lasted only a couple of years.  President Reagan sent him packing after an outrageous racial slur brought public opinion crashing down on him. (No one, by the way, accused the president of being “woke.” Decency was decency before it was mandated by DEI.)

Here is the new EPA administrator congratulating himself:

“The Greatest and Most Consequential Day in U.S. History”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency will undertake 31 historic actions in the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history, to advance President Trump’s Day One executive orders and Power the Great American Comeback. Combined, these announcements represent the most momentous day in the history of the EPA. While accomplishing EPA’s core mission of protecting the environment, the agency is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to unleash American energy, lower cost of living for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, restore the rule of law, and give power back to states to make their own decisions. EPA Statement.

“Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.  Water Online.

New EPA Director Plans to Strip Agency of Chemists, Toxicologists, Biologists and Other Experts

The New York Times reported that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin submitted a plan to the White House to dismantle the agency’s Office of Research and Development. The proposal called for eliminating 50% to 75% of the office’s 1,500 or so chemists, toxicologists, biologists, and other experts who conduct essential research to inform federal policies.

The background: The research office plays a critical role in the agency’s mission to safeguard public health and the environment. It works alongside EPA offices that oversee air and water quality, chemical safety, toxic chemicals, and children’s health and is responsible for answering key questions that others within the agency rely on to develop policies. The office’s research has informed policymaking on algal blooms, soot, formaldehyde, and PFAS, among many other health threats.

The implications: Laying off most of the office’s staff, many of whom are career scientists, would leave the EPA without the independent and rigorous science needed to develop effective regulations. Without the office, the EPA might develop policies ungrounded in research or simply rely upon science funded by the very industries it regulates. Eos.

NYC Water Supply Threatened by Road Salt

The suburban reservoirs that supply 10% of New York City’s vaunted drinking water are getting saltier due to decades of road salt being spread near the system — and they will eventually have to be abandoned if nothing is done to reverse the trend, city officials warn.

The plug wouldn’t have to be pulled until early next century, according to a new study. But the soaring saltiness could eventually affect the famous taste of the Big Apple’s water, which is sometimes called the champagne of tap water, and poses a challenge to managers of a system that serves more than 9 million people.  MSN.

The Consequences of Retreating Glaciers

Retreating glaciers threaten the food and water supply of 2 billion people around the world, the UN has warned, as current “unprecedented” rates of melting will have unpredictable consequences.

Two-thirds of all irrigated agriculture in the world is likely to be affected in some way by receding glaciers and dwindling snowfall in mountain regions, driven by the climate crisis, according to a Unesco report. The Guardian.

Bottled Water

As droughts become more prevalent, corporate control over our drinking water is threatening the health of water sources and the access people have to them. A report explores how foreign multinational companies are extracting billions of liters of water from natural aquifers to sell back to the same communities from which it came – for huge profits.  The Guardian.

EPA to revisit “Waters of the United States”

The “Waters of the United States” rule has undergone many changes, revisions, and reinterpretations since it was first introduced during the Obama administration.  The controversial part of the rule involves the regulation of temporary streams that eventually empty their pollution into the nation’s lakes and rivers. Case in point: A rural family pipes its raw sewage into a ditch downwind of the home. Eventually, rain washes the sewage from the ditch to a small stream that feeds into a larger stream. Under the Waters of the United States rule, the rural home is responsible for disposing of the sewage so that it does not contaminate the nation’s water.  The question is, does the government have the right to tell the homeowner what he can dump into the ditch on his own property? Water Online

Colorado River

The fate of the Colorado River has become a hard question with the Trump budget cuts.  Water Online 

Is Texas Going Dry?

A recent assessment shows that Texas is “on the brink of running out of water” and points out that much of the problem results from aging infrastructure.  The amount of water lost in Texas water systems every day is “enough to meet the total annual municipal needs of Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, Laredo and Lubbock combined,” according to the Texas Tribune.  Water Online  

Coca Cola Leads the World in Plastics Pollution of Water

By 2030, Coca-Cola products will account for an estimated 602m kilograms of plastic waste entering the world’s oceans and waterways each year, according to a stark new analysis published by the non-profit Oceana.

That is enough plastic to fill the stomachs of 18m whales.

The report arrives amid mounting concerns over the human health risks posed by the spread of microplastics, which scientists increasingly link to cancer, infertility and heart disease.

“Coca-Cola is by far the largest manufacturer and seller of beverages in the world,” said Matt Littlejohn, who leads Oceana’s campaigns targeting corporate polluters.  Full article from The Guardian 

Will Acid Rain Make a Comeback?

The US could be plunged back into an era of toxic acid rain, an environmental problem thought to have been solved decades ago, due to the Donald Trump administration’s rollback of pollution protections, the scientist who discovered the existence of acid rain in North America has warned. A blitzkrieg launched by Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on clean air and water regulations could revert the US to a time when cities were routinely shrouded in smog and even help usher back acid rain, according to Gene Likens, whose experiments helped identify acidic rainwater in the 1960s.

While drastic improvements in America’s air quality have seemingly consigned acid rain to a problem belonging to a bygone era, Likens said if rules curbing toxic emissions from power plants, cars and trucks are aggressively scaled back, the specter of acid rain could again haunt the US.  Full article.

Recycling of LA Wastewater Will Take Longer than Expected–A Lot Longer

L.A.’s big plans to recycle almost all of its wastewater for drinking is likely to take a lot longer than originally proposed.

Back in 2019, former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a goal to recycle almost all of L.A.’s wastewater by 2035. But the long-awaited plan on how to actually do that pushes the timeline back more than 20 years — to 2056, though some wastewater would be recycled for drinking by 2040.

“In today’s environment where literally our sources of water are drying up before our eyes, we need to move much more quickly,” said Bruce Reznik, director of the nonprofit L.A. Waterkeeper.   Full story.

Citizens of Galicia Sue Local and National Authorities Over Water Pollution from Pig Farming

It marks the first time a court in Europe will hear a case on the human rights impacts of intensive livestock operations on water sources. Plaintiffs assert that private wells and even municipal supplies in the region are being ruined by excessive and poorly regulated pig farms. Euro News 

Time Marches On

Keeping Your Well Safe

Bacteria, viruses, and parasites can contaminate private wells. These problematic contaminants pose immediate health risks and cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted.

When harmful microorganisms enter the water supply, people can experience a host of acute symptoms—diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps—to more life-threatening illnesses like kidney failure or liver damage. Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised people are particularly vulnerable.

Microbes enter water supplies through runoff, leaking or poorly maintained septic systems, flooding, and improperly constructed or maintained wells. To prevent contamination, well owners should regularly inspect and maintain their wells and septic systems and divert runoff from them.

Wells should be tested for E. coli and coliform bacteria annually, after heavy rainfall and floods, and if anyone in the household becomes ill. UV systems help protect water from microbial contamination by providing continuous treatment without chemicals.

Advice from Viqua.

Water News for February 2025

As Usual, War Is Catastrophic to Water Infrastructure

Oxfam’s initial assessment of the damage to infrastructure after the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect in late January found:

More than 80% of water and sanitation infrastructure across the Gaza Strip has been partially or entirely destroyed by Israeli attacks, including all six major wastewater treatment plants.

85% of the sewage pumping stations (73 out of 84) and networks have been destroyed. Some have been repaired but urgently require fuel to operate.

85% of small desalination plants (85 out of 103) have been partially damaged or completely destroyed.

67% of the 368 municipal wells have been destroyed. Most of the private small wells cannot function due to lack of fuel or generators.

The Guardian  

Zips Car Wash Chain Goes Under

Huge national car wash chain Zips Car Wash LLC and nine affiliates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Zips cited increased competition as one of its main problems.

We at Pure Water Products sincerely hope that it wasn’t our garden hose filter with softening cartridge that brought Zips down because we always advise that the most environmentally friendly place to wash your car is not in your driveway but in a professional car wash establishment. Your neighborhood professional car wash business uses less water and disposes of chemicals much better than home car wash setups. See The Environmental Consequences of Having a Clean Car.

Water Preferences of Cut Flowers

Research indicates that most cut flowers prefer warm water over cold water and that water depth in the vase should be about half the length of the flowers’ stems.

Political Stunt Wastes Billions of Gallons of Water

Under orders from President Trump, billions of gallons of irrigation water were laid to waste in California’s thirsty agricultural hub this month, a move that left water experts shocked and local officials scrambling.

The water, stored in two reservoirs operated by the army corps of engineers, is a vital source for many farms and ranches in the state’s sprawling and productive San Joaquin Valley during the driest times of the year. It will be especially important in the coming months as the region braces for another brutally hot summer with sparse supplies.

The reservoirs California reservoirs in question are also among the few the US president can control directly.

Staged to give weight to Trump’s widely debunked claims that flows could have helped Los Angeles during last month’s devastating firestorm and to show that he holds some power over California’s water, he ordered the army corps to flood the channels. Less than an hour of notice was reportedly given to water authorities down-river who rushed to prepare for the unexpected release, which threatened to inundate nearby communities. Read the full report in The Guardian.

U.S. Water and Sewer Bill Has Increased 24% In Five Years

The costs of upgrading and maintaining infrastructure of water and sewer systems in the US are on the rise.   Over the past five years, sewer costs have consistently accounted for the largest portion of household utility bills, representing approximately 59% of households’ monthly utility bills. Since 2019, sewer expenses have exceeded the costs of water provision by an average of US$19.33 per month. Water Online.
Cleanup of LA Fire Debris Is Controversial

The Palisades and Eaton fires generated a staggering amount of debris, estimated to be 4.5 million tonnes. In comparison, the devastating Maui fires of 2023 generated about 400,000 tonnes, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Those fires took three months of clean-up by the EPA, which is in charge of removing hazardous waste. But now the agency is hoping to finish their job in LA in just a month – by 25 February – after President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding the EPA “expedite the bulk removal of contaminated and general debris”.

The decision to sort through the hazardous waste along the coast has prompted protests and as the clean-up of fire debris moves at unprecedented speeds, many are asking if and when the ocean water will be safe for swimming and surfing.

Troubled waters: New U.S. policies put Canada’s water security at risk

Canadian officials are voicing concerns about water quality of the Great Lakes and other shared water resources because of lowered US water quality standards under the new administration in Washington.

According to Gail Krantzberg, professor emeritus in McMaster’s W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology, who has studied the remediation and protection of the Great Lakes for years:

“Donald Trump’s approach to regulation poses a serious threat to our waters. He believes less regulation is better. He believes in reducing regulations on industries like mining, oil exploration, and manufacturing, which often leads to higher discharge of pollutants being released into the environment. In our case, this could directly affect the Great Lakes and other water bodies in Canada. Under the Biden administration, there was a move to ban a class of substances known as PFAS. These are long-lasting synthetic chemicals that build up in our bodies and in aquatic life, leading to serious health issues like cancer, kidney and liver damage and reproductive impairment. Trump is rolling that back, allowing PFAS to remain in products, and therefore in our waters.” Brighter World. 

Several States, Led by California, Are Moving to Lock In Federal PFAS Rules

Concerns are growing about the fate of a Biden-era rule to limit toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water, with some states moving to introduce laws that would lock in place PFAS protections that could survive any potential rollback by the Trump Administration. Full story from New Lede.

Unseen Connections: How Non-Revenue-Water Is Linked To The Hidden Hazard Of Sinkholes

Non-revenue water (NRW) and sinkholes might seem unrelated at first glance. Still, a fascinating and crucial link between the two underscores the importance of managing our water resources efficiently. This article explores how NRW can contribute to the formation of sinkholes and why addressing NRW is vital for preventing these potentially dangerous occurrences.

What is Non-revenue water?

Non-revenue water refers to water that has been produced and is lost before it reaches the customer. These losses can be due to leaks, theft, or inaccurate metering. NRW poses significant challenges for water utilities worldwide, leading to wasted resources, increased operational costs, and the need for unnecessary water extraction from natural sources.

Understanding Sinkholes

Sinkholes are depressions or holes in the ground caused by the collapse of a surface layer. While they can occur naturally due to the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum, human activities can also trigger their formation. These activities include excessive groundwater pumping and the alteration of water drainage patterns.

The Link Between Non-revenue Water and Sinkholes

The connection between NRW and sinkholes lies in the water loss caused by leaks in the distribution system. Water leaking from pipes can erode the soil and rock beneath the surface, especially in areas with soluble rocks. Over time, this erosion can create underground voids. If these voids grow large enough, the land surface above them can collapse, forming a sinkhole.

This process is exacerbated in urban areas with heavily paved ground and limited natural water infiltration. Continuous water leakage from aging infrastructure or poorly maintained pipes contributes to underground erosion, increasing the risk of sinkholes.

A sinkhole claims a piece of paved road in the Cascade Mountains.

Preventing Sinkholes by Addressing Non-revenue Water

Mitigating the risk of sinkholes related to NRW requires a multifaceted approach. Water utilities must invest in modernizing their infrastructure to reduce leaks and improve water efficiency. This can include adopting innovative water management systems that use sensors and real-time data analytics to detect and address leaks promptly.

Furthermore, comprehensive water audits and regular maintenance schedules can help identify at-risk areas and prevent significant water losses. By reducing NRW, we can conserve valuable water resources, save costs, and mitigate the risk of sinkholes, protecting communities and infrastructure.

Conclusion

The link between non-revenue water and sinkholes is a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of our water systems and the ground beneath our feet. Addressing NRW is not just about water conservation and financial savings; it’s also about preventing the potential hazards of sinkholes. We can safeguard our communities and ensure a sustainable water future through smart investments in water infrastructure and technology.

Source: Water Online.

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 Drinking-Water Systems Still Haven’t Defeated This Nasty Parasite

Introductory Note: In 1993, cryptosporidium caused America’s largest waterborne illness outbreak, when more than 400K Milwaukee, Wisconsin, residents were infected. The CDC estimates the parasite sickens 800K people every year. Fewer than 2% of cases are ever reported.

By Lou Dzierzak edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier

The parasite Cryptosporidium was responsible for the largest outbreak of waterborne disease in the U.S., and it still plagues some American drinking water systems today.

Epidemiology

Thirty years ago a tiny parasite in the water supply in Milwaukee, Wis., touched off the largest waterborne disease outbreak in U.S. history. Although that city’s water is now renowned for its high quality, public health departments across the country are still battling the same diarrhea-inducing organism. What makes it so tough?
Reports of gastrointestinal illnesses throughout the Milwaukee area began pouring into the city’s health department in April 1993. A local infectious disease physician eventually identified a case of cryptosporidiosis, an infection with the parasitic protist Cryptosporidium. When health officials began testing stool samples for this organism, they found many more cases. The parasite, they realized, was lurking in the pipes: for the past two weeks the Milwaukee Water Works had been receiving dozens of telephone complaints about local tap water appearing cloudy.

At a hastily called late-night meeting on April 7 of that year, Milwaukee’s mayor John Norquist asked the late Jeff B. Davis, an epidemiologist at the Wisconsin Division of Public Health, “Would you drink the water?” Davis’s answer, “No, I wouldn’t,” shocked the mayor. Within an hour, Norquist arranged a press conference and declared Milwaukee’s drinking water unsafe for consumption unless it was boiled. Television news anchors scrambled to report the mayor’s “boil order” for water, and newspaper editors reworked their front pages.

Over the next eight days Milwaukee cleaned and disinfected its water treatment plants, state and federal officials declared the supply safe for consumption, and the boil order was rescinded. But by that time more than 400,000 local residents—approximately half of the 800,000 people served by Milwaukee’s water-distribution system—had reported cryptosporidiosis symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, fever, chills and body aches. Pharmacy shelves ran out of over-the-counter gastrointestinal medicines. More than 4,000 people were admitted to local hospitals. By the time the crisis subsided, at least 100 people had died from exposure to the parasite.
Cryptosporidium remains a serious health problem today. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 444 outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis in the U.S. between 2009 and 2017, and the number has increased by an average of 13 percent each year. A 2019 CDC report estimates that 823,000 people get the illness each year and that fewer than two percent of cases are reported to the CDC.

These outbreaks occur across the country and beyond. In late September 2023 the Baltimore Department of Public Works announced that Cryptosporidium had been detected in samples from a large drinking-water reservoir. The city issued a boil-water order for people with health conditions that could make them more vulnerable. Recent outbreaks have also been reported in North Carolina and Oregon. The U.K. and New Zealand have also battled severe outbreaks in the last few months.

What makes cryptosporidiosis such a nasty and stubborn health problem?

First reported in humans in 1976, this extremely contagious disease spreads when people drink water contaminated with Cryptosporidium. In the water supply the parasite remains in a life stage called an oocyst, which is four to five micrometers in diameter and shielded by a protective outer shell. This helps the organism resist pathogen-killing processes traditionally used by water treatment facilities.

Once the oocysts are ingested, the shells crack—releasing Cryptosporidium into the host’s intestines, where as few as 10 of the parasites can cause an infection. These parasites reproduce at an incredible speed: Just three to four days after infection, a person can shed as many as one billion oocysts in diarrhea in a single day. And this shedding continues for an average of 18 days.
“Cryptosporidium has a long incubation period,” says CDC epidemiologist Michele Hlavsa. “From the point when you’re exposed to the pathogen to the point where you develop symptoms, the time frame could be a week or more. Then these people have to be sick enough to see a doctor and get tested.”

Cryptosporidiosis can cause one to two weeks of nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, dehydration and fever, but the most commonly reported symptom is watery diarrhea. Although such claims might sound hyperbolic, Hlavsa says infected people have reported up to 40 episodes of watery stools per day.

But diarrhea is a symptom of many illnesses, and most laboratories do not routinely test stool samples for Cryptosporidium. Because Cryptosporidium is hard to detect and infected people can be contagious for several weeks, epidemiologists assume that many cases may be unreported and that outbreaks may be more widespread than they appear to be. Some experts estimate that only one percent of confirmed Cryptosporidium infections are officially documented.
Scientists do know how to prevent Cryptosporidium outbreaks: kill or filter out the parasites in public drinking water before it gets to the tap. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (IESWTR) requires large water systems to remove 99 percent of Cryptosporidium from drinking water. In 1998 the EPA estimated that implementing this rule would “reduce the likelihood of the occurrence of outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis.”

Yet removing these parasites from public drinking water is an extremely challenging process. The hard-shelled oocytes are resistant to the chlorine disinfectants used by many municipal water treatment plants.

Fortunately, there are other options.

Advanced technologies such as ozonation have proved effective in removing oocysts. In this process a device called an ozone generator runs a stream of oxygen through a high-voltage electric field, which breaks down some of the oxygen molecules, whose atoms combine with other oxygen molecules to produce ozone. The resulting oxygen-ozone mixture is pumped into holding tanks, where the highly corrosive ozone destroys the cell walls of any microorganisms in the water—rendering parasites such as Cryptosporidium inert—before breaking down naturally. The water then moves through several more filtration and treatment processes before reaching household taps.
Another option is exposing water to ultraviolet (UV) light, which inactivates Cryptosporidium oocysts and renders the parasite noninfectious. “UV is an interesting concept—basically irradiating the water as it passes through a UV reactor—but the process doesn’t necessarily destroy the organism. The process just renders it so that the parasite can’t reproduce,” says Dan Welk, water plants manager at the Milwaukee Water Works.

After Milwaukee’s Cryptosporidium outbreak, the city invested more than $500 million in upgrading its water treatment plant facilities; it has since garnered industry awards for the quality of its drinking water. Milwaukee’s treatment process starts with ozonation and moves through a series of steps designed to remove Cryptosporidium. And the city is open to doing more. “We’re always looking to see if there are other treatment techniques that we could potentially add to the plant to address an emerging concern,” Welk says.

Not every U.S. city tests its drinking water for Cryptosporidium, however, and it continues to strike every year. According to the EPA’s Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA) released in September 2023, the U.S. needs to invest $625 billion over the next 20 years to upgrade its drinking-water infrastructure.

In the meantime public health experts are working to improve diagnostic testing and reporting tools, which help them track outbreaks. But the CDC says accurate Cryptosporidium reporting is still several years away—meaning there is still the threat of another widespread outbreak such as the one that occurred in Milwaukee. “Cryptosporidium isn’t just spreading locally. It’s spreading over multiple jurisdictions—and we might not be picking up these outbreaks,” Hlavsa says. “An infection could start in one spot and move quickly to five different states.”

Source: Scientific American.  (slightly abridged)

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Pure Water Gazette Note:

Residential Protections Against Cryptosporidium in Water

Unfortunately, Crypto cysts are hard-shelled creatures and regular tap water chlorination is not effective against them.  Fortunately, though, they are giants in the micro world so they’re pretty easy to strain out with a filter. Conventional wisdom says use a one-micron absolute filter or tighter, although looser filters have been shown to work well. For example, the MatriKX PB1 carbon block, a half-micron filter that is a standard filter for our undersink filters and Model 77 countertop units, is recommended for crypto removal.  For drinking water, any reverse osmosis unit can be depended upon eliminate cryptosporidium. For whole house treatment, very tight filters work, and ultraviolet is a 99.99% sure thing against crypto.

Other treatments to consider are steam distillers, ceramic filters, and ozone generators, though tight filters, reverse osmosis, and UV are the most practical inmost cases.

Water News.  January 2025

Rising sea levels driven by the climate crisis will overwhelm many of the world’s biggest oil ports

Scientists said the threat was ironic as fossil fuel burning causes global heating. They said reducing emissions by moving to renewable energy would halt global heating and deliver more reliable energy. Thirteen of the ports with the highest supertanker traffic will be seriously damaged by just 1 metre of sea level rise, the analysis found. The researchers said two low-lying ports in Saudi Arabia – Ras Tanura and Yanbu – were particularly vulnerable. Both are operated by Aramco, the Saudi state oil firm, and 98% of the country’s oil exports leave via these ports. The oil ports of Houston and Galveston in the US, the world’s biggest oil producer, are also on the list, as are ports in the United Arab Emirates, China, Singapore and the Netherlands. The Guardian.

Fluorinated drugs, a type of PFAS, are widely contaminating US drinking water

New research suggests that fluorinated pharmaceuticals — a category that includes well-known medications such as Prozac and Flonase — are showing up in the water supply of millions of people. These drugs and their breakdown products are technically classified as being per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” which as a chemical class is the subject of worldwide health concern. The New Lede

LA Firefighting Effort Harmed by Outrageous Misinformation about Water

A billionaire couple was accused of withholding water that could help stop Los Angeles’ massive wildfires. Democratic leadership was blamed for fire hydrants running dry and for an empty reservoir. Firefighters were criticized for allegedly using “women’s handbags” to fight the fires.

Those are just a few of the false or misleading claims that have emerged amid general criticism about California’s water management sparked by the fierce Los Angeles fires. Much of the misinformation is being spread “because it offers an opportunity to take potshots at California Democratic leadership while simultaneously distracting attention from the real contributing factors, especially the role of climate change,” said Peter Gleick, senior fellow at the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit he co-founded that focuses on global water sustainability.

Water Scarcity is Widespread in the US

About 27 million people live in parts of the U.S. where water availability is limited, according to a first-of-its-kind federal assessment reported in Politico. 

The analysis from the U.S. Geological Survey compared water supply and demand from 2010 to 2020. It found “severe” limitations on the amount of available water in groundwater and surface waters in California, the arid Southwest, and much of the Great Planes and Texas. Other regions facing slightly less severe water constraints include Florida and eastern Washington state and Oregon.

The report is the most comprehensive federal study to date on whether the U.S. has enough water to power the economy, researchers said.

Water and AI

We think of AI as being an energy glutton. We fail to consider that it takes a big hit on water resources as well. In 2022 alone, tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Meta consumed over 2 billion cubic meters of water for server cooling and electricity use, more than double Denmark’s annual consumption. Water: The Unsung Hero of the AI Boom. 

Natural Global Water Cycle Is Shifting

In a recently published paper, NASA scientists use nearly 20 years of observations to show that the global water cycle is shifting in unprecedented ways. The majority of those shifts are driven by activities such as agriculture and could have impacts on ecosystems and water management, especially in certain regions. Technology Networks. 

PFAS and Wastewater Sludge

US regulators added to growing concerns about the long-standing practice of using sewage sludge to fertilize farmland, releasing a report warning that chemicals contaminating the sludge pose heightened human health risks for cancer and other illnesses.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said two types of hazardous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) widely found in sewage sludge, a byproduct of wastewater treatment, can contaminate the milk, eggs and meat that come from farm animals raised on agricultural land where the sludge has been applied. Those “exposure pathways” are among multiple ways in which people can be at risk, the EPA said.   New Lede.

The President’s Magic Water Valve

Newly sworn President Donald Trump once again spoke of a mysterious water valve at some unspecified location that will solve California’s water issues if California officials will simply turn it on. According to ABC News, “Trump claimed Los Angeles limits residents to just 38 gallons of water a day, and referred to some mythical “valve” that could bring limitless water to L.A., but that officials instead diverted to the ocean.”

“They have a valve, think of a sink but multiply it by many thousands of times the size of it, it’s massive. And you turn it back toward Los Angeles. Why aren’t they doing it? They either have a death wish, they’re stupid or there’s something else going on that we don’t understand,” Trump said.

The president has spoken of this valve several times, but he never gives a source for his information or a specific location for the valve. A kind interpretation of his insistence on the big valve is that he is in fact speaking theoretically about some far-fetched scheme he read on a social media post that involves redirecting water from Northern California to the LA area. People who understand how the laws of nature work have tried to explain that California isn’t like a tall building with Northern California being up and LA being down.

Peter Gleick, hydro-climatologist and co-founder of the Pacific Institute: “[Trump’s order on California water policy] is what you get when you mix bluster, ignorance, and disinformation. There are no ‘enormous amounts of water’ that can be redirected legally, economically, or environmentally to different users in California ….”

The President later reported that he had the military enter the state and turn on the water. The presumption is that soldiers at his command simply turned on the big valve giving the state water to fight its wildfires.

“The United States Military just entered the Great State of California and, under Emergency Powers, TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest, and beyond,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument, over the PEOPLE, are OVER. Enjoy the water, California!!!” he added.

But the California Department of Water Resources responded that the military never entered the Golden State and that the state continues to have plenty of water resources. (Fox News.)

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Source: Max Planck Institute

Direct Source:  Water Online.

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L.A. Officials Warn of Compromised Drinking Water in Fire-Ravaged Areas

by Hiroko Tabuchi

“Do not drink” orders have been issued in some areas where damaged pipes that lost pressure might pull in toxic smoke and harmful chemicals that could linger in the system for years.

As fires across Los Angeles County start to wind down, health officials are warning about risks related to water systems in the area.

Municipal water pipes damaged by fire can lose pressure, causing them to suck in smoke and harmful chemicals. Those chemicals can make their way through the water system and linger for years. Plastic piping, commonly used to carry water in quake-prone states like California, can also release chemicals into drinking water if the piping is heated, melted or burned.

One concern is benzene, which is abundant in wildfire smoke. If inhaled or ingested, benzene can lead to nausea and vomiting in the short term and may cause cancer over time.

After the wildfire that destroyed Paradise in 2018, testing found benzene concentrations in drinking water had spiked to more than 80 times levels that California health officials say are dangerous for short-term exposure.

Naphthalene and methylene chloride, present in plastic, adhesives and other household materials, can also contaminate drinking water and disperse easily into the air.

Local utilities are not taking any chances: “Do not drink” notices are in place for parts of Los Angeles County, including fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

Utilities now face the daunting task of testing the safety of drinking water, as residents seek to return home.

In the meantime, officials’ directions are clear for those under “Do not drink” notices: Use only bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth and making ice or preparing food, including baby formula; limit the use of hot water, because chemicals can easily vaporize; do not try to treat the water yourself; and keep a close eye on updates.

NY Times.

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