This week's NEWS

CCL3 and TCRDS get attention. From where cometh the dirty water complaints? Aussie researchers ask and answer. DBPs in the news as systems switch to chloramines and research dis-connects one type of birth defect. Who are those guys? The ones serving drinking water throughout Great Britain, that is. Nakedness is not right next to cleanliness or holiness when it comes to finished water reservoirs. Bottlemania: Bottlers face rising tide of dissent on "environmental" issues... and keep selling more and more water.

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Federal Updates

• Teleconference meetings of USEPA committees on regulatory actions: 
  • July 18 - The TCRDS advisory committee will discuss a wide range of issues and options for a new rule (Federal Register, June 27)
  • August 13 - Science Advisory Board's Drinking Water Committee will review and finalize its report on the draft CCL 3 published 2/21/08, which includes 93 chemicals or chemical groups and 11 microbiological contaminants (Federal Register, July 1)

State Updates

• Nebraska's June Water Spout  (PDF file, 485 K)
• More states present their annual compliance reports:
  • Illinois (PDF file, 954 K)
  • North Dakota (PDF file, 10.4 K); the report (PDF file, 170 K)
  • Ohio (PDF file, 108 K)
  • Wisconsin (PDF file, 1.46 MB)

Microbiological

• E. coli found in Greenville, NC, water; boil water advisory issued and eateries closed (Goldsboro News-Argus, June 26); the area of the contamination appears to be identified (Greenville Daily Reflector, June 27)
• Water UK provides info on cryptosporidium
• Non-chlorinated Montana water district issues a water quality advisory after coliform found... again (Belgrade News, June 29)

Disinfection Byproducts

• Missouri city switches to chloramines to lower HAA level after slightly elevated average results in violation and public notice (Moberly Monitor, June 26)
• California district cited for TTHM violation (Modesto Bee, June 26)
  Commentary: It is correct that the state has ordered the water district to make appropriate changes in its disinfection process (which will likely be to switch to chloramines), but the news story got the part about beginning to use an existing filtration system wrong. The district's surface water treatment plant has been in full operation, except that PAC-feeding equipment has not been in use. The state has ordered that PAC be added until the disinfection changes are made.
• New research shows tap water DBPs are NOT associated with one birth defect: Hypospadias (ABC News, June 27)

Security/Vandalism

• Skinny-dippers caught in Oregon water reservoir (Oregonian, July 1); Portland Water Bureau's news release
  Commentary: To echo one of the local commenters on this story: What? No pictures? The analogy to the two naked bears recently seen frolicking on the watershed fails since the Portland reservoir holds finished water for the distribution system.  

Source Water Protection

• Delaware county council approves source water protection ordinance (Sussex Countian, June 27)
• Seven Massachusetts towns cooperate in aquifer protection plan; both quantity and quality are of concern (Boston Globe, June 29)

Legal Matters

• California water district sues businesses for contaminating ground water basin (Orange County Register, June 24)
• New York town gets EPA order to build a filtration plant by 2013 (Mid Hudson News, July 1)

Perchlorate

• Large part of $26 million spent by California city on perchlorate contamination of ground water was spent on lawyers (San Bernardino County Sun, June 29)

Aesthetics

• Oregon drinking-water supplier takes steps to address taste-and-odor problem (Oregonian, June 26); the Washington County Joint Water Commission's news release on taste and odor and its treatment process
• Australian research report on Particles in Water Distribution Systems looks at the "WHY?" of dirty water complaints (Cooperative Research Center, PDF file, 4.9 MB)

NEWS CONTINUES BELOW

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Fluoridation

• A number of Nebraska towns put fluoridation issue on ballot for November (Grand Island Independent, June 29); Aspen, CO, will continue fluoridation despite concern raised by water department about possible "environment" impacts (Aspen Daily News, July 1); Canadian town stops fluoridation while it evaluates treatment costs (Drayton Valley Western Review, June 30)
• UK city's fluoridation proposal compared to San Diego, CA, situation (Hampshire Daily Echo, June 27)

Quagga Mussels

• California and Nevada water agencies seek Congressional help in addressing mussel problem in the Southwest (Desert Sun, June 24); California desert water district takes preemptive action: No quaggas found yet, but canal will get big chlorine dose (Desert Sun, June 25)
• California water district's effort to get authority for inspecting boats for mussels is complicated by historic ownership battle (Riverside Press Enterprise, June 25)

Water Quality Reports

• The link in last week's NEWS to the Elsinore Valley MWD's 2007 water quality report was incorrect: Here is the correct link. Like many California agencies, the District uses its CCR to send water conservation messages in a drought year.

Bottled Water

• Book Review: Bottlemania-How water went on sale and why we bought it (San Francisco Chronicle, June 25)
• Massachusetts representative introduces a bill to ban BPA use in plastic bottles (Stoneham Sun, June 26); H.R. 6228 (PDF file, 32.1 K)
• Massachusetts town offers customers a deal: Trade in plastic bottles for one aluminum bottle (Springfield Republican, June 27)
• IBWA criticizes resolution passed by U.S. Conference of Mayors resolution in support of municipal water, and a related story: Bottled water debate hits a boiling point (Agence France Presse, June 29)
• What's colorless and tasteless and smells like... money? (Washington Post, June 29)
• Despite environmental concerns, use of bottled water by Canadians doubles in seven years (Calgary Herald, June 26)

TCE and PCE

• USEPA wants public input on its draft PCE toxicology review (Federal Register, June 26)
• California city gets past legal hassles; now it can focus on cleaning up threats to its drinking water sources (Stockton Record, June 25)
• Scottsdale, AZ, weighs its options on buying out private water utility following TCE incidents (Arizona Republic, June 27); pumping tainted well to waste may impact area's ground water supply (Scottsdale East Valley Tribune, June 29)
• Michigan funding for cleanup of ground water contamination is running low (Antrim County News, June 25)

Nitrate

• Thousands of private wells in southeast Minnesota have unsafe nitrate levels (Minneapolis Post Bulletin, June 27)

Private Wells

• North Carolina legislature changes funding allowed under program to help homeowners with tainted wells (Ashville Citizen-Times, June 28)
• Maine urges well water testing (Waterville Morning Sentinel, June 29)

International

• Understanding the drinking water industry in the UK: Information on the various water agencies serving the British Isles
• World Health Organization new global report: Safer water, better health
• The UK Drinking Water Inspectorate's Annual Report 2007
• Concerns raised about Olympics city Beijing's heavy import of water from neighboring water-short province (Reuters, June 26)

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