Bernd Müller/Pixabay” alt=”The number of violations under the Clean Water Act reported by the Environmental Protection Agency has dropped significantly because of an interstate compliance agreement, the agency said on Tuesday. Photo by Bernd Müller/Pixabay“/>

The number of violations under the Clean Water Act reported by the Environmental Protection Agency has dropped significantly because of an interstate compliance agreement, the agency said on Tuesday. Photo by Bernd Müller/Pixabay

Nov. 22 (UPI) — The number of violations under the Clean Water Act reported by the Environmental Protection Agency has dropped significantly because of an interstate compliance agreement, the agency said on Tuesday.

The EPA said it has seen a reduction in the number of noncompliance reports from 20.3% in 2018, to 9% at present day.

In 2018, the EPA reached an agreement with 47 states to cut noncompliance cases by 50% over the next five years. Tuesday’s statement means the EPA has reached its goal ahead of schedule.

The initiative applies to approximately 46,000 facilities across the United States, which are subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act. The goal of the program was to help ensure clean and safe drinking water for all communities.

“Five years ago, EPA set an ambitious goal for cutting the rate of significant noncompliance with Clean Water Act permits in half,” EPA Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield said in a statement.

“Today I’m pleased to announce that we have met and exceeded that target achieving a historically low rate of 9 percent. This notable achievement speaks to what EPA and the states can accomplish together to improve compliance and reduce Clean Water Act violations.”

Reaching the targeted threshold reduced the number of permitted facilities with SNC-level violations by roughly 4,000 fewer facilities. It also lowered the number of illegal discharges of water pollution by 23.7 million pounds through enforcement cases concluded over the past three years.

The EPA is also now increasing attention on the remaining non-compliant facilities.

The agency said improved data has led to greater public transparency, helping communities understand what pollutants are being discharged into local waterways and where violations are occurring.

Originally Appeared Here

Ten years ago, Durban’s non-revenue water (NRW) losses stood at 33%. For the past few years, annual losses have hovered around the 40% mark — but the latest figures presented to eThekwini’s municipal public accounts committee reveal that NRW losses have soared dramatically over the past three years. 

They have now reached a record level of 56.2%.

Read KZN sewage crisis Part One.

NRW percentages graph by countries. (Source: Water Research Commission, 2012)

NRW is classified by the World Bank as water that is lost through leaking taps and pipes, from not billing customers, or both.

NRW losses vary widely across the world, with countries like Singapore, Denmark and Japan losing less than 7% of potable water each year, while losses in developing countries such as Nigeria and Liberia sometimes reach 70% from leaks or theft.

Compared with South Africa’s other big cities, Durban appears to be leading the pack for all the wrong reasons.

An analysis of recent annual reports suggests that Cape Town’s lost or unpaid tap water losses are around 20%. Joburg’s NRW losses are 39%, while Nelson Mandela Bay’s losses are 44%. Mangaung (Bloemfontein) is at 46%.

Average municipal losses across the country are estimated to be around 41%.

Revenue loss

Quite apart from the fact that South Africa is ranked as the 30th most water-scarce country in the world, the latest rate of water revenue loss in Durban means that the city is only collecting revenue for less than 44% of the water supplied by Umgeni Water.

Based on the current Umgeni bulk water charge of R8.26 a kilolitre (kl), this means the city is paying R1.86-billion a year for water that is either stolen, leaking away or not charged for.

However, eThekwini charges its customers a much higher tariff than the Umgeni bulk water charge. For example, domestic customers currently pay nearly R27/kl for consumption up to 6/kl per month and a tariff of nearly R32/kl for higher consumption rates — suggesting that the R1.8-billion annual revenue loss estimate is very conservative and could be almost double or triple this amount.

‘Lack of funds’

The latest figures have come to light at a time when eThekwini is coming under increasing pressure to resolve the city’s sewage pollution crisis in local rivers and the sea — but officials have argued that Durban lacks the funds to repair damage to wastewater treatment infrastructure following the April/May floods (and pay for rehabilitation or maintenance work that predates the floods).

Alan Beesley, ActionSA’s caucus leader in eThekwini and a member of the city’s municipal public accounts committee, says an analysis of a report submitted to the committee earlier this month shows that the city buys roughly 1,099,251kl of water daily from Umgeni — but 617,641kl of this is classified as non-revenue water.

Back in 2010, Durban’s water revenue losses stood at around 33%. A decade later the losses have soared to 56%. (Graph: Ethekwini municipality)

A table showing a breakdown of daily water losses suggests that nearly 11% of the losses are due to unauthorised consumption (theft/non-payment) and 44% from leaks in water mains or service leaks.

According to a 2006 World Bank study, high levels of NRW seriously affect the financial viability of water utilities through lost revenues and increased operational costs.

“A high NRW level is normally a surrogate for a poorly run water utility that lacks the governance, autonomy, accountability and technical and managerial skills necessary to provide reliable service to their population,” it suggests.

Apart from leaking underground water pipes, large volumes of water are lost from service connection leaks outside homes and businesses. (Photo: Water Research Commission, 2012)

Beesley notes that the city has also chopped the Capex budget for eThekwini’s water and sanitation department over the past three years, from R1.5-billion in 2019/2020 to the current level of around R1.1-billion.

“No wonder there is a crisis,” he told Our Burning Planet.

Beesley further notes that the city is owed another R1.1-billion from government departments and the Ingonyama Trust, and a further R257-million from parastatals such as Transnet, Metrorail and Prasa for a variety of services provided.

Government debts allegedly owed to eThekwini in September 2022. (Source: Ethekwini Municipality Budget)

“The municipality cries poverty, but if they collected what was owed by government departments and parastatals, there would be more funds to effect repairs and improve service delivery,” said Beesley, whose party launched civil action in the Durban High Court last week to compel eThekwini to resolve the sewage crisis that has polluted local rivers and led to the closure of several popular tourist beaches.

“Ordinary citizens have their services cut for non-payment of municipal accounts. This does not seem to apply to government departments and parastatals,” he charged.

Though the eThekwini municipality has yet to respond formally to the ActionSA court action, the city has previously blamed its failure to resolve the sewage crisis largely on budget shortfalls following the devastating floods six months ago.

R441m shortfall

Though the city says it has reprioritised its budget, a recent presentation to the executive committee revealed that there is still a R441-million shortfall to tackle the estimated R706-million bill needed to repair sewage treatment and conveyance systems damaged during the floods.

Commenting on the latest 56.2% NRW losses in eThekwini, former Durban water and sanitation chief Neil Macleod said this percentage was likely to keep rising by roughly 2% a year if insufficient action was taken to curb leaks and improve revenue collection.

He drew the analogy of a shopkeeper having to watch 56% of his stock walking out of the back door without going past the cash register.

It also meant that eThekwini was only billing customers for 44% of the water it purchased from Umgeni Water. And, he noted, eThekwini was only likely to recover about 70% of the reduced potential revenue due to non-payment.

Visit Daily Maverick’s home page for more news, analysis and investigations

Macleod noted that sewage tariffs are raised as a percentage of water used in every home or business, meaning that revenue for sewage treatment was also reduced due to high NRW losses.

He said that the international benchmark target for NRW in developed countries is 10%, with a 25% target for developing countries.

Comprehensive statistics on NRW losses in South African cities and towns do not appear to have been published recently, though a 2019 report by a team of local water experts suggested that, on average, nearly 41% of municipal water does not generate revenue.

The report notes that figures vary across the country, but average physical losses of water in South African municipal systems were around 35%, against a global best practice of about 15%.

“As a result, municipalities are losing around R9.9-billion each year (2019).”

An older Water Research Commission report from 2012 estimated NRW for the country as a whole at 36.8%. DM/OBP

Originally Appeared Here

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona and large swathes of Spain’s northeast are going under water restrictions as a months-long drought that has devastated crops starts to put the pinch on human activities in the Mediterranean country.

The measures will affect 6.7 million people, 80% of the population in the Catalonia region, Patrícia Plaja, spokeswoman for the Catalan administration, said Tuesday. Plaja said, for now, it will not be necessary to limit of the use of water inside homes for washing, cooking or drinking, but her government urged citizens to “be aware the exceptional situation the country is facing.”

The measures taking effect Friday will include reductions on water for the irrigation of crops and industry. City dwellers won’t be permitted to use drinking water to wash the exterior of houses or cars or to fill swimming pools. Over 500 town halls, including Barcelona, must stop filling public fountains or cleaning streets with drinking water.

Below-average rainfall that experts have linked to global climate change has shrunken reservoirs anddamaged agriculture and the environment across Spain.

Barcelona now becomes the second major city in Spain to limit water use after Seville did so with similar measures in September following an extremely dry, hot summer.

While reservoirs in Spain’s south near Seville are now the driest, Catalonia’s water reservoirs are down to 34% of capacity, according to Spain’s ministry for the ecological transition.

In 2008, a prolonged drought forced Spanish authorities to bring in water to Barcelona via boat to guarantee domestic use. That led to the construction of a desalination plant near Barcelona that local authorities say is the largest in Europe with a capacity to produce 60 hm3 in a year. It is now running at 90% capacity, authorities said.

Plaja said even if rains eventually provide some relief, “the climate context (means) that Catalonia will suffer longer and more frequent droughts” like other areas of Spain and the wider region.

Story continues

Climate scientists have identified the Mediterranean as one of the world’s regions that will suffer the most from increasing temperatures due to climate change.

___

Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.

Originally Appeared Here

Megha Engineering on Tuesday said it will start supplying clean drinking water to Bihar’s three cities — Bodh Gaya, Gaya, and Rajgir — after commissioning of the first phase of Gangajal Aapurti Yojana this month. Around 7.5 lakh people, pilgrims and tourists in the three cities will get clean drinking water under the project, it added. Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) in a statement said that Gangajal Aapurti Yojana, under the Jal Jeevan Hariyali mission, will be inaugurated in Rajgir by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on November 27 and in Gaya and Bodh Gaya on November 28, 2022.

According to the statement, Gangajal Aapurti Yojana aims at storing floodwater received in the four monsoon months in huge reservoirs constructed. The stored water will be processed and made safe for human consumption before being supplied to the homes of people and tourists in the cities, it added.

Even though Ganga flows through this region, certain areas face severe drinking water problems.

Hyderabad-based MEIL, which is executing the project, said that the project will meet this demand by supplying the stored water to Rajgir, Gaya and Bodh Gaya in the first phase.

The company said the Ganga water will be lifted from Hathidah Ghat in Mokama, Patna, and supplied to the towns through a pipeline.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Originally Appeared Here

The Windhoek municipality is concerned about the high incidents of theft and vandalism of its infrastructure in informal settlements. 

Councillors said stolen water meters and vandalised toilets hinder development and bear a cost burden on the city’s budget.

The residents’ actions also led to the wastage of water and the closure of the toilets.

On Friday, New Era found a group of residents flocking to three water points where water meters were stolen at midnight in the Greenwell Matongo informal settlement. 

Those who were competing for free water at the taps informed New Era that those who steal the water meters sold them to the local scrap yard. The water was running heavily with nothing stopping it.

Community leader Nelago Kashi indicated that it was around 03h00 when she went outside to visit the toilet and stumbled upon a strong stream of water.

“I was shocked to see both water points having water running. I ran back to my shack and called the city’s emergency number. There was no answer until I got hold of the regional councillor at 07h00. The water was just running since then. He contacted fellow councillors at the city who then informed the officials,” she explained.

New Era arrived a few minutes before 09h00 and water was still flowing with residents competing to fill up their 20-litre containers.

Kashi told this publication that when the officials showed up, the only solution they had was to close the pipe but that caused the closure of the public toilets.

“Now that the pipes are closed, the toilets are also not working. The meter was connecting the pipe to the tap water and toilet. The tap is working but the toilet is not flushing. In the areas where the meters were stolen a long time ago, the toilets were closed and people had to go back to the riverbed,” she explained.

Another resident said some toilets were closed due to vandalism as thieves tried to steal toilet pots to sell.

“Now we only have a few toilets that are functioning and are far from one another. It is likely to be that our women are going back to the riverbed and will be attacked there at night by heartless people,” said another resident who prefer not to be named.

Another female resident is also agitated that those who are vandalising and stealing properties are not only hindering the development but also putting the residents in an unhygienic situation. “Imagine people using the toilet that is not flushing. If the toilet happens to be full, people will soil on the floor. It will be bad and will cause diseases such as Hepatitis E. This disease will be back after it was suppressed,” she concerningly shared. 

Councillor Fransina Kahungu, who was also present, explained that some residents do not understand the negative impact that comes with their decisions.

“I am disturbed by the fact that residents are not aware of the negative impact caused by the vandalism and theft of municipal infrastructure. The fact that residents are stealing water meters to sell elsewhere results in the wastage of water. The municipality pays water bills to NamWater. Instead of the municipality spending money to improve infrastructure and basic services, it will spend a lot of money to pay huge water bills to NamWater,” she said.

She added that people who are stealing water meters expect the municipality to replace them. 

“Instead of the municipality spending money on other infrastructure, they are now going to spend money to replace those stolen and vandalised materials.”

Windhoek mayor Sade Gawanas also expressed her disappointment towards residents, saying people are stopping development. 

“It cannot continue this way. Vandalising and stealing municipal infrastructure comes with a cost. That means that the municipality is going to use the money to replace those water meters which cost around N$5 000 to N$6 000 each. Where is the money going to come from?” she asked.

She cautioned the residents that the city will investigate the matter and those who are involved will be brought to book.

One of the residents said in Havana alone, 18 water meters were reportedly stolen. 

2022-11-22  Loide Jason


Originally Appeared Here

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, have attracted increasing awareness and concern from the public over the past several years. 

The chemicals are commonly used in everyday products such as nonstick pans and cookware, rain jackets, carpeting and firefighting foam. They are widely known as “forever chemicals,” meaning they do not break down easily in a natural setting.

When humans are exposed to PFAS, there is an increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer, low infant birth weight, decreased vaccine response in children and high cholesterol.

Frank Leibfarth, a chemistry professor at UNC, said drinking water is the most common way in which humans are exposed to PFAS. He added that the chemicals can contaminate the drinking water supply via wastewater runoff from industrial sites and homes where products containing PFAS are produced and used respectively. 

Karsten Baumann, a professor in UNC’s Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, said PFAS are particularly dangerous because they are “volatile,” meaning the chemicals can be released easily through air and water.

Baumann explained that products with PFAS are attractive to consumers because they make surfaces easier to clean and are resistant to stains.

“’Non-stick, non-stain, easy to clean’ — that means they have been treated with some kind of Teflon-type material and coating,” Baumann said.

He said Teflon material contains PFAS and the everyday use of these products further contaminates surrounding air and water.

The Orange Water and Sewer Authority regularly tests for more than 150 chemical compounds in its water supply and summarizes these findings in an annual report. OWASA spokesperson Blake Hodge said the water supply in Cane Creek and University Lake meets all current environmental regulations.

Hodge added that OWASA began testing its water supply for PFAS in 2018 and the substances have been detected in the water supply. 

Hodge said the Cane Creek reservoir has significantly higher levels of PFAS than University Lake. 

In 2018, OWASA tested water from Cane Creek Reservoir, Quarry Reservoir and the University Lake for PFAS. They detected two PFAS compounds in the University Lake and Quarry Reservoir. They detected 11 PFAS compounds in the Cake Creek Reservoir. 

Because of this finding, they now test the Cane Creek Reservoir water for 45 PFAS compounds on a quarterly basis. 

OWASA cites firefighting foam as one possible source for the contamination, according to its website. 

“We do have them in our reservoirs and as they go through our treatment process, you can see again on that dashboard, it takes you through the raw water, which that reservoir supplies, and through the treated drinking water,” Hodge said.

He added that PFAS levels are lower in treated drinking water than in raw drinking water.

Currently, there are no regulations at the federal or state level for PFAS mitigation. Instead, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set certain “health advisory levels,” which it most recently updated in June. These guidelines serve as an upper limit for the amount of PFAS to which humans should be exposed.

Leibfarth said he advocates for formal federal regulations on the “forever chemicals.” 

“I think a great first step would be federal regulations on the five PFAS that the EPA has released,” Leibfarth said.

He said the health advisory limits are based on toxicological data and are as evidence-based as possible.  In addition to regulations, there are steps people can take in order to reduce their exposure.

Leibfarth said carbon filters, such as those in refrigerator dispensers and Brita devices, can remove PFAS efficiently and are easily accessible to consumers. He added that he has tested such equipment in a lab and found that it efficiently removes PFAS from Orange County water.

In response to the detection of PFAS in drinking water, OWASA has pledged to continue participating in research, leverage federal funding for mitigation efforts and work towards PFAS reduction strategies.  

OWASA now conducts PFAS testing several times per year and publishes the results on its website.

@DTHCityState | [email protected] 

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Originally Appeared Here

Many of the speakers specifically asked for assistance from Governor Tate Reeves, whom they believe has not done enough to help Jackson citizens. Reeves said in a September tweet that quote “we have restored clean drinking water to Jackson,” but daily boil water notices to different parts of the city show the issue is not fully resolved.

Tariq Abdul-Tawwab spoke at the press conference, representing the Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition. He says the people of Jackson, specifically people of color, have been fighting for basic rights like clean water for decades.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to come to the people of the Unite States once again as if it’s 1957,” he said. “We’re forced to once again beg the world to look at Jackson, Mississippi and see what they’re doing to us.” 

Jackson residents and members of the Poor People’s Campaign were at the press conference holding signs urging people to fight for the Jackson community. Terun Moore with the People’s Advocacy Institute is a lifelong Jackson resident. He considers leaving citizens without clean water an “act of violence.”

“We’re tired of standing up here… making these press conferences, doing these rallies, and nothing happening.” he said. “You don’t ever know what the people know or need, [because] you ain’t ever around us.”

The group called upon lawmakers to take further action when the legislative session begins next year on January 3rd.

Originally Appeared Here

Alden Williams/Stuff

Chlorine is now required in most drinking water supplies as part of new safety regulations.

The Government’s newly established water regulator is “closely” watching Waimakariri and Christchurch as they continue to provide unchlorinated water.

Chlorine is now required in most drinking water supplies as part of new water safety regulations.

Exemptions are available and Christchurch, Waimakariri and Selwyn have all submitted applications.

The new water regulator, Taumata Arowai, has allowed both areas to continue to “manage the risks” of unchlorinated water while their exemption applications are assessed.

READ MORE:
* Waimakariri’s water unchlorinated for now
* Analysis: Brown and Mauger take the alternative Three Waters mantle from the regions
* Chlorination of Geraldine water to begin in mid-November
* Three Canterbury councils first in NZ to apply for chlorine exemptions under new drinking water laws
* Christchurch’s water could still be chlorinated even with an exemption

“We will be watching their activities closely,” Taumata Arowai said in a statement.

PETER MEECHAM/STUFF

Geoff Butcher and Geoff Mavromatis say new water regulations – and its chlorine requirements – are not needed for their long-running community water schemes. (First published June 2022)

The decision means the water in Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Woodend, Pegasus, Oxford, Cust and Waikuku Beach will remain unchlorinated in-the-meantime.

Water in parts of Christchurch that has been unchlorinated will stay that way too, though that only applies to about 20% of the city. Areas around Harewood, Burwood and Brooklands do not have chlorination.

The neighbouring Selwyn district has taken a difference approach while it awaits the outcome of its exemption application.

It will introduce temporary chlorination in some places.

The Selwyn District Council says 13 of its water supplies are under temporary chlorination, including Rakaia Huts and Springston, which are two supplies where the council has sought a chlorine exemption.

“Taumata Arowai applauds this approach, which provides confidence that Selwyn residents will continue to receive safe drinking water,” Taumata Arowai chief executive Bill Bayfield said.

Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri have are collectively seeking chlorine exemptions from 10 water supplies, Taumata Arowai said.

Bayfield said suppliers must plan and manage risks. They must also provide Taumata Arowai with “the assurance that they are providing safe drinking water”.

Taumata Arowai would not give “the seal of approval” to suppliers, instead they must provide assurance that are managing risks effectively, Bayfield said.

Taumata Arowai, which is a crown entity, has been established as part of the Government’s Three Waters reform programme.

Much of this reform work was born out of the 2016 Havelock North campylobacter outbreak incident, when the town’s drinking water supply was contaminated.

Nearly a third of the Havelock North population fell ill and four people died.

The outbreak was likely caused by sheep faeces entering a stream near the town’s bores.

Originally Appeared Here

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy speaking at a public meeting at Narsapuram in West Godavari district on Monday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

PHOTOS IN NICA IN KAKINADA

The Godavari river water would be purified at Vijjeswaram point and pumped through a drinking water pipeline system to provide safe drinking water to 18.50 lakh people covering 1,178 villages in the Godavari and Krishna regions of the State, said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy after laying the foundation stone for a ₹1,400-crore Godavari water grid project here on Monday.

People of 26 mandals will directly get access to safe drinking water through the water grid project, he said at a public meeting where he also laid the foundation for various other projects.

Many villages in the Krishna-Godavari basin were struggling to access safe drinking water to due to high salinity level in the groundwater source and contamination of surface water sources due to thriving aquaculture practices. “I have observed the water woes in the Godavari region and parts of Krishna district. The aquaculture has affected the surface water quality. The salinity level in the groundwater is also to be blamed for poor access to safe drinking water,” he said.

The areas to be served by the water grid project are Nidadavolu, Tanuku, Achanta, Palakollu, Narsapuram, Bhimavaram, Vundi, Unguturu, Eluru and Tadepalligudem Assembly segments in the Godavari region and Krithivennu, Bantumillii, Gudlavalleru and Pedana segments in the Krishna region.

Originally Appeared Here

(WJHL) — Wise County officials on Monday issued a boil water advisory following a major waterline break near the Lonesome Pine Airport.

Local animal shelter seeking donations for abused cat

The boil water advisory extends to customers in the Fairgrounds, Duncan Gap, Redwine, Hurricane and Strawberry Mountain areas, which includes the following areas:

• Fairgrounds Road
• Duncan Gap Road
• Hurricane Road
• Strawberry Mountain Road
• Gilliam School Road
• Redwine Road
• Turkey Branch
• Green Hollow Road
• Hiram Hollow Road
• Hickory Gap/Birchfield
• Surrounding areas

Customers in these areas may experience low pressure or no water. Affected customers should not drink tap water without first bringing it to a rolling boil and allowing it to cool.

For more information on boil water advisories, click here.

Originally Appeared Here