JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A new class-action lawsuit seeks to force Mississippi’s capital city to fix its troubled water system, including removal or repair of pipes and equipment contaminated with lead.

The suit was filed Friday in federal district court, a day after the state health department told people in Jackson that they no longer had to boil water before drinking it or using it to brush their teeth.

“We are striving to secure clean, safe water for the Jackson community — a community that has been suffering with contaminated water for years,” one of the attorneys who filed the suit, Robert Gibbs, said in a statement Monday. “This is a righteous fight, and one we intend to win.”

Crews from Mississippi and other states started repairs in Jackson’s two water treatment plants after Gov. Tate Reeves declared an emergency nearly three weeks ago, and that work continues. The emergency work has not included removal of old cast-iron pipes with lead joints.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said a chlorine leak occurred Monday in a building at the main treatment plant. Workers were evacuated, and air scrubbers prevented the chlorine from leaving the building. The agency said water treatment was not interrupted, and customers can continue to use water from the tap.

Most of Jackson’s 150,000 residents lost running water for several days in late August and early September after heavy rainfall exacerbated problems in the city’s main treatment plant. At that time, the city had already been under a boil-water notice since late July because of cloudy water that could make people ill.

Jackson has had water system problems for years, and tests by the state health department in 2015 found higher-than-acceptable lead levels in some water samples.

The class-action lawsuit is against the city of the Jackson, the current mayor and his immediate predecessor, three former public works directors, an engineering firm and a business that had a city contract to replace water meters. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s office said Monday that the city has no comment on the suit.

Three lawsuits had already been filed over Jackson water quality in 2021 and 2022 by different attorneys on behalf of individual plaintiffs. The new lawsuit has four Jackson residents as plaintiffs and is the first class-action suit that seeks to represent most people exposed to the Jackson water system since 2009.

“This public health crisis, decades in the making, was wholly foreseeable by Defendants’ actions and has left Jackson residents in an untenable position — without access to clean, safe water in 2022 in a major United States city,” the new lawsuit says.

Jackson is the largest city in one of the poorest states in the U.S. The city has a shrinking tax base that resulted from white flight, which began about a decade after public schools were integrated in 1970. Jackson’s population is more than 80% Black, and about 25% of its residents live in poverty.

The new lawsuit notes that the city public works director in 2016 said old cast-iron water pipes in Jackson had lead joints every 20 feet (6.1 meters). Lead can enter drinking water if the water has a low pH level, which means the water is too acidic. The lawsuit says the Jackson water has been too acidic.

Since the finding of elevated lead levels in Jackson water in 2015, the city has continued to publish public notices about water quality not meeting minimum standards.

In 2016, the state Health Department found an inadequate application of water treatment chemicals because of a failing corrosion control system at the main water treatment plant. The Environmental Protection Agency required the city to correct this problem. In 2017, the city began installation of corrosion control treatment.

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• “We still can’t drink the water and we’re still under a boil notice. Some of our water is still coming out brown, but we’re showering in it. We’re boiling it to cook with, but should we even be using it?” –Cassandra Welchlin, executive director of the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, an Oxfam partner

Let’s begin by calling out the heroic efforts of the people of Jackson. When historic flooding caused the water system in the city to fail last month, the dozens of organizations and hundreds of people who had already established support networks in the city were ready to jump into action—and they did.

Oxfam, which has had a program in the state for years, was also there, to lend a hand to some stalwart, longtime partners, and some new ones, as well. A few of the most prominent efforts:

• Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable launched “Quarters Because We Care,” which pays money directly to laundromats, to launder clothes and pay attendants. (Even though tap water has been restored, it remains unpotable if not downright filthy.)
• New Way Mississippi, which provides workforce development and accommodations for formerly incarcerated individuals, is providing drinking water and meals to people in their community.
• Dependable Source is identifying and paying truck drivers to travel, pick up, and deliver water to organizations that are distributing it on the ground. (Dependable Source also trains women to become drivers.)
• Springboard to Opportunities is supplying bottled water and cash payments to residents of low-income housing complexes, especially seniors.

We could go on about the many vibrant groups lending a hand (ROC United, Immigrant Alliance, Operation Good, and many more), but let’s cut to the chase: why is it on private actors and nonprofit organizations to ensure that 150,000 people in the wealthiest country in the world have access to clean, safe water? And how did we get here?

This crisis didn’t come out of the blue—and it didn’t strike this city by accident. It’s the end result of years of neglect, systemic racism, an underfunded infrastructure, and climate change.

Why now? Why Jackson?

It was flooding that closed the water plant, but the system had been crumbling for years; in fact, in 2022 residents were being advised to boil their water before the flood, and in 2021, the city was under a boil water advisory for 225 days. (For a full history of Jackson’s water system woes, read some of the great articles in the Mississippi Free Press and Mississippi Today.)

Now, climate change is accelerating the pace of breakdown, as extreme and unpredicted weather events expose the fault lines in our decaying infrastructure, especially in places already on the margins.

When public infrastructure is so weak that it collapses at the slightest nudge, it reveals a lot about neglect and inadequate public investment. And Jackson, while a state capitol and a vibrant city in many ways, struggles with historic and deep-seated challenges.

Take a look at the numbers. Jackson has a population of 150,000. Compared to the US as a whole: 82% Black v 14% national; poverty 24% v 11.4% national, median property value $91,000 v $230,000 national; median household income $40,000 v $65,000 national.

It’s hard to imagine a crisis like this quietly unfolding for years in another state capitol. In places like Albany, NY (pop 97,000) and Sacramento, CA (pop 500,000), the uproar would be swift and loud. Chances are, it would be front-page news and the focus of inquiries and interventions from the get-go.

Has this happened in the US before?

Only in places that have fragile infrastructure, meager public resources, and a marginalized population—like Flint, Michigan, a majority Black city that is still struggling to provide clean water years after revelations about lead in the system.

When Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico in 2017, it knocked down power lines and disabled the water-system pumps; it took almost a year to restore power and water to some regions. Oxfam researched the impact of a broken water system on women.

“People can’t pay the water bills and their rent,” says Welchlin. “We know who will be affected by this most: the Black women who are the heads of these households.”

Water as a public good

Alarmingly, the governor of Mississippi, Tate Reeves, has been making noise about privatizing the water system in the state. This is a terrible idea. Places that have tried it have experienced problems with pricing, supplies, and more. Even in Jackson, part of the problem stems from meters installed by private subcontractors. (For facts and figures about the dangers of privatization, visit Food and Water Watch.)

Water is a fundamental need for individuals—and for households. It’s vital for drinking, cooking, laundry, personal hygiene, toilets, and more. In developed countries, people rarely appreciate what it means to have a water system inside the home—and what it would mean to lose it. The average person in the US uses 80–100 gallons of water each day, weighing in at 800 pounds. Imagine hauling around even a small fraction of that because you can’t trust what’s flowing out of the tap. And notice that when a water system fails, it’s the caregivers—mostly women—who bear the heaviest worry and weight of that burden.

Access to clean water is so essential to life and to quality of life that it should be defended as a right. One that our cities and towns and elected officials are obliged to deliver on—not a service whose prices and availability can be controlled by companies whose only real mission is making money.

And it should never be denied to people because they happen to live in places that bear the weight of decades of structural racism, exploitation, and neglect.

It’s estimated that it will take at least a billion dollars to assess and fix the damage to the system. These should be public dollars, invested in a public good. And they should be invested in renewable, sustainable solutions (read about Puerto Rico’s investment in solar-powered water supplies).

Again, Welchlin:

• “I don’t want to see it privatized. I want to see federal dollars and the state dollars go into fixing the system — actually fixing it. The right solution would provide better infrastructure that is also sustainable.”

Crises always spawn opportunists—people and companies who are eager to make a buck off someone else’s misfortune. Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen in Jackson.

As our communities and country grapple with the climate crisis, let’s put health, rights, dignity, and fairness—not profits—in the forefront. Oxfam is proud to support our local partners in the water emergency, but in the long run, we believe this work should be in the hands of public institutions, and that every community should be guaranteed a clean, potable, reliable water supply.

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New Yorkers are a prideful bunch; this isn’t new information. This holds doubly true when it comes to classic New York foods like bagels and pizza. Ask your average pizzeria what their secret is, and somewhere in the conversation the words “the water is just better here” will assuredly come up. So is this merely protecting a family tomato sauce recipe, or does the claim in fact hold water?

To get to the bottom of the New York water well, let’s understand how water interacts in bready foods like pizza dough. Of all the ingredients in a pizza, perhaps the water is the most overlooked. Water is essential to the final texture of the dough, the ability of the yeast to ferment and for the formation of gluten, the protein responsible for a delightfully chewy and crisp crust. Water is also the second-largest ingredient in pizza dough, so quality is of utmost importance.

Before you run to your tap to fill up a measuring cup in advance of pizza night, keep one thing in mind. The average municipal tap water carries with it more than just pure water. Fluoride, minerals, trace amounts of salt and other byproducts of water treatment are all present. While these trace additives may not change the taste nor be harmful, some minerals (namely, chlorine and iron) will affect the way yeast ferments within the dough as well as the gluten formation during the knead and rise. Therefore, more pure sources of water are scientifically better for breads like pizza dough and bagels.

So, where does New York City water rank in quality? Thirty large metropolitan area water reports were compared against the 2021 New York City Drinking Water Supply and Quality Report for differences. The New York water was extremely low in chlorine, hard metals and iron, and ranked as slightly basic (7.3 pH). In short, this water is ideal for yeast growth.

What does New York do differently than just about every other area in the nation? NYC draws its water from rainwater runoff from the Catskill mountains and treats it minimally, resulting in a neutral acidity. The soil and bedrock is also low in the undesirable minerals, meaning less in the water that is run off into the reservoirs. 

Since you can’t carry on enough water on a domestic flight to make a 10” pizza, those who live outside the Big Apple need to find a way to emulate New York-style water at home. There are some commercial machines that can make New York-style water, but they likely aren’t economical for the home chef. Instead, let’s use a little science to reverse-engineer the magic. The secret is a combination of mineral water, distilled water and baking soda. This trio will be slightly alkaline (thanks to the baking soda), have some good minerals from the mineral water, yet be fairly pure due to the spike of distilled water. 

This Brooklyn style pizza recipe is a perfect example of a dough that thrives with New York-style water. The long two-day rise is facilitated by the favorable qualities in the water, allowing for a near-perfect texture in the pizza.

Brooklyn-Style Pizza

Cook Time: 15 mins

Yield: 1 14-inch pizza

Ingredients:

For the dough

• 2 cups bread flour (about 10 ounces), plus some for dusting
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for topping
• 1/2 cup quality bottled mineral water
• 1/4 cup distilled water
• 1 pinch baking soda
• Plastic wrap

For the sauce/toppings

• ¾ cups tomato puree
• ½ teaspoon dried Parsley 
• ½ teaspoon dried basil 
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano 
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, freshly grated

Directions:

1. In your stand mixer or large bowl, combine both waters, baking soda, yeast, sugar and one cup of flour. Gently combine and let stand for 3 minutes.
2. Following the rest period, begin to mix (use the hook attachment on your stand mixer) on low. Gently pour in remaining flour, salt and oil. Let mix for 5 minutes on medium low speed (scraping the bowl as needed to keep the dough in the bowl).
3. Once mixed, form into ball and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in the fridge for 2 days, punching down after the first day.
4. Once risen, remove dough from fridge 2 hours before cooking. 
5. Prepare sauce by combining the tomato puree, dried herbs, salt and sugar. 
6. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and place a pizza stone in the middle of the oven. Place dough ball on floured surface and roll out into a 14” circle, forming a considerable lip around the edge. Transfer to the pizza stone, top with the sauce, then cheese. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is deeply golden. 

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WATCH: Japan donates mobile stations for water purification to Ukraine’s Mykolaiv
Credit: twitter @Flash_news_ua

The city of Yokohama, Japan has donated 33 mobile stations for water purification to Ukraine’s Mykolaiv, as reported on Monday, September 19.

Footage of Japan’s mobile stations for water purification in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv were shared on Twitter:

“Japanese mobile stations for water purification were handed over to Mykolaiv from Odesa, – the Odesa City Council reports.”

“33 such stations were transferred to Mykolaiv from the Japanese city of Yokohama in case of emergencies and in connection with the threat of water pollution. These installations are enough for the use of 100,000 people.”

33 such stations were transferred to Mykolaiv from the Japanese city of Yokohama in case of emergencies and in connection with the threat of water pollution. These installations are enough for the use of 100,000 people.

👉 Follow @Flash_news_ua

— FLASH (@Flash_news_ua) September 19, 2022

 

Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov handed over the Japanese mobile stations for water purification to Mykolaiv.

“After Mykolaiv was left without water supply as a result of shelling, we provided Mykolaiv residents with drinking and technical water.

“”Now we have brought to Mykolaiv mobile stations that will allow to purify any water and make it suitable for use.

These are the plants that were delivered to Odesa from the sister city of Yokohama as humanitarian aid,” the mayor of Odesa noted on social networks.

In addition, two teams of municipal workers arrived in Mykolaiv from Odesa to help eliminate the consequences of the destruction and carry out repair work that included the replacement of broken windows, doors, and roofs.

“This is critically important on the eve of the heating season to reduce heat losses.

We will help to restore Mykolaiv as long as necessary. Repairs, water supply, humanitarian aid – we have been and will remain with you until the Victory,” the Mayor of Odesa added.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.

To mark World Water Week 2022, the United States Agency for International Development (USAid) and its Philippine partners organized Water Forum 2022 to develop solutions for water security issues in the country.

(From left) Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz, II, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, Israeli Ambassador Ilan Fluss, USAid Acting Mission Director Rebekah Eubanks, PDRF President Butch Meily, PDRF Executive Director Veronica Gabaldon, USAid Safe Water Chief of Party Alma Porciuncula and USAid Environment Office Director Ryder Rogers.

Working with the Water Alliance led by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), USAid on August 31 brought together over 200 representatives from the public and private sectors to create a strategy to support the Philippine Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan (PWSSMP) implemented by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). The PWSSMP serves as the national roadmap to achieve universal access to safe, sufficient, affordable, and sustainable water supply, hygiene, and sanitation by 2030.

“The Philippine government estimates a total investment of more than P1 trillion from 2020 to 2030 to achieve the country’s water supply and sanitation targets,” noted NEDA Undersecretary for Investment Programming Joseph Capuno in remarks delivered on behalf of NEDA Director-General Arsenio Balisacan.

“While we face an enormous challenge, we should also see an opportunity for us to invest in new approaches, tools, and ideas from the partnerships with local governments, national governments, and the private sector to ensure all Filipinos have access to safe, sufficient, affordable, and sustainable water supply and sanitation,” he added.

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USAid Acting Mission Director Rebekah Eubanks recognized the vital role of partnerships and innovation to help ensure access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

“We look forward to continuing our support for government and private sector efforts to help the Philippines achieve a water secure future,” she said.

During the event, USAid also partnered with PDRF, Manila Water Company, and Maynilad Water Services, Inc. to launch the second round of the Philippine Water Challenge, a competition that encourages contestants to generate novel technologies and innovations to solve the country’s water security challenges.

Selected proposals will receive funding and networking support to help reduce water consumption, promote water reuse and recycling, and ensure water efficiency in times of water shortages. throughout the Philippines.

For over 60 years, USAid has partnered with local and provincial governments and the private sector to support water security goals. To stem the tide of water scarcity and strengthen water security around the world, including in the Philippines, USAid continues its commitment to bolster foreign assistance on sustainable water security and sanitation so that Filipinos have the water they need to be healthy, prosperous, stable, and resilient.

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ATTLEBORO — The Wading River water treatment plant, which was reopened in July to supply the city with the six to eight million gallons of water it needs during summer months, remains out of compliance on levels of PFAS6, according to a notice on the city’s website.

The maximum level for PFAS6 (polyfluoroalkyls) is 20 nanograms per liter (ng/L).

Water at the Wading River plant tested at 41.7 ng/L in July.

The water was not tested in August or September since it was already out of compliance for the third quarter of the year.

The notice said the levels of PFAS6 do not constitute an emergency, but the Wading River plant, located in Mansfield, had been had been shut down since September 2021 because it does not meet the new state-imposed limits on PFAS6.

“In the interim, a self-service bottle filling station has been installed at 1296 West St., in Attleboro to provide residents with drinking water with PFAS6 levels below the drinking water standard,” the notice said.

A free self-service bottle filling station with drinking water below the PFAS6 standard level has been installed at 1296 West St., at the Attleboro plant for residents concerned about drinking water from the Wading River plant.

The “fill site” is in the first building on the right after entering from West Street. Residents are asked to bring their own containers.

For most people, toxic effects only occur after a lifetime of drinking at least two liters a day.

“For older children and adults not in a sensitive subgroup, the 20 ng/L value is applicable to a lifetime of consuming the water,” the notice said. “For these groups, shorter duration exposures present less risk.”

But some groups should avoid drinking the water.

“Consumers in a sensitive subgroup which includes, pregnant or nursing women, infants and people diagnosed by their health care provider to have a compromised immune system, are advised not to consume, drink or cook with water when the level of PFAS6 is above 20 ng/L,” the notice reads.

In addition, bottled water should be used for infant formula, or formula that does not require adding water should be used.

The water department warned, however, that “bottled water should only be used if it has been tested.”

Some of the adverse effects could include problems with the liver, blood, immune system, thyroid and fetal development.

It could also elevate the risk of certain cancers.

“In most situations the water can be safely used for washing foods, brushing teeth, bathing and showering,” the notice said.

Corrective measures have been underway for some time.

“The City of Attleboro has been working with Tata & Howard, a firm with expertise in water treatment infrastructure, to install a permanent PFAS filtration solution,” Heroux said in a previous news story.

“The city is in the design phase for a PFAS filtration system that will be in compliance with the new state standard. It takes months to engineer and years to install a new filtration system needed to accommodate up to 2 (million gallons a day).”

Heroux said money from the America Rescue Plan Act will offset much of the cost of the new infrastructure.

George W. Rhodes can be reached at 508-236-0432.

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Lauren C. Moye, FISM News

 

On Thursday, the more than 150,000 residents of Mississippi’s capital city were released from a state-imposed boil water advisory placed in late July, but that advisory was only one of many problems for this aged water system.

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) stated on Sept. 15, “City of Jackson water is now safe to drink. After testing by MSDH, the city’s boil-water notice has been lifted. Before drinking tap water, run your faucets for a few minutes to make sure that clean water is being delivered.”

They originally placed the advisory on July 28 after testing revealed increased turbidity or cloudiness caused by increased sediment or other biological matter that “may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms.”

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba shared the news but reminded that the system wasn’t truly fixed. He said on Twitter, “This is progress as we continue to work towards a consistent and reliable system.”

While Jackson residents spent nearly two months without access to safe drinking water, the crisis grew after flooding on the Pearl River earlier this month further overwhelmed the fragile pumps at the O. B. Curtis water plant, the main treatment facility for the area. This led to another increase in turbidity and caused the plant to shut down so the treatment process could be reworked to compensate.

The result was a loss of pressure. Running water turned to a trickle or was nonexistent in parts of the city.

This crisis was only one symptom of a much larger problem: an aged water system that has frequently failed Jackson residents over the years. The EPA Office of Inspector General has launched an investigation that will look into both state and local offices to determine what has led up to this point.

This will follow up on a 2020 EPA investigative report into Jackson’s water system, which found water filters that had been broken for three years, “inoperable” equipment, insufficient staffing, and also had not been monitoring for lead and copper.

On the same day that MSDH lifted the advisory, they also tweeted an image of a repair crew installing two new pumps into O. B. Curtis.

Arrival of the crane means crews can now work to get raw water pumps two and four online. Great news – both pumps are now on site at the O.B. Curtis water plant in Jackson! pic.twitter.com/1P75Vz1tig

— MS Dept of Health (@msdh) September 15, 2022

While Democratic city mayors and Republican state governors have traditionally pointed fingers at each other for who was at fault for the mounting problems, Jackson residents are unfairly burdened with the consequences.

“For those I serve, who are almost all Black residents living in extreme poverty, water is the first domino toppling over all the others in their paycheck-to-paycheck lives. With no safe water, schools went virtual,” said Aisha Nyandoro in an article written for USA Today.

In 2019, 22.4% of Jackson residents were below the poverty line, meaning working jobs are essential. The closure of the schools and daycare facilities compounded the need for securing safe water because residents have less access to paid leave or remote work options, according to Nyandoro.

Additionally, the poorest residents don’t have the money for technology and internet access to facilitate a child’s virtual learning, meaning school closures result in missed school for these children.

$450 million of Mississippi’s 2021 American Rescue Plan funds have been designated for water infrastructure improvements, but the application period only recently opened.

It’s unclear how much of the $75 million EPA funds from 2021 designated for improving drinking water and wastewater systems went to Jackson.

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Alabama officials have opened the floodgates, sending a tidal wave of federal funding to address some of the state’s most dire water and sewer infrastructure needs.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management announced that it has approved sending $348 million in federal grants and loans to “repair and upgrade crumbling, malfunctioning and overwhelmed water and sewer systems in Alabama,” according to a news release from the department.

“These funds are going to communities with the most critical needs, such as in the Black Belt, that would not otherwise be able to afford the repairs and upgrades on their own,” ADEM Director Lance LeFleur said in the release. “These projects are going to have a significant, positive effect on the lives of millions of Alabamians.”

And that $348 million is just the first round of funding. ADEM says it expects to commit $473 million this year to water and sewer systems across the state.

All told, Alabama is expecting approximately $1 billion in federal funding to address water issues over the next five years from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, both signed into law by President Joe Biden last year.

During a visit to Lowndes County last month, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said Biden personally told them to fix the sewage crisis in Alabama’s Black Belt after reading news reports about residents dealing with sewage backing up into their yards and homes due to the unique conditions of the area. Many in the Black Belt live in areas that are too rural for large sewer lines to be cost-effective, but where the thick clay soil makes most septic tank systems ineffective.

Alabama is also contributing $111 million in grants and loans through the State Revolving Fund to water and sewer infrastructure projects. Combined, it’s the most significant investment in Alabama water infrastructure in several decades, but it won’t be nearly enough to fund all requests in the state.

ADEM, which is handling the applications and administering the funds, says it has already received $3.2 billion in funding requests from water utilities and municipalities across the state.

“We make no pretense that we can satisfy all the water and sewer infrastructure needs in the state of Alabama,” LeFleur said. “The billions of dollars in requests we have received total several times the amount of money we have available. Projects we are not able to fund this year will be considered for funding in future years.”

Of the $348 million in projects approved so far, $77 million will be directed to the Black Belt in the form of grants that do not require repayment or matching funds. The town of Hayneville in Lowndes County, often used as the prime example of the region’s sewage crisis, was awarded a $10 million grant for sewer projects and $2.9 million for drinking water projects.

But the funding isn’t just for Alabama’s poorest or least populated areas. ADEM has also approved funding for projects in Jefferson, Mobile, Madison, Tuscaloosa, Shelby, Baldwin, Houston, Lee, Morgan, Calhoun and Walker Counties, including many of the state’s largest metro areas.

So far, ADEM has approved projects in 48 of Alabama’s 67 counties.

Some water systems that have more resources — such as the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System, which will receive $41 million for sewer projects and $23 million for drinking water projects — the money is coming in the form of low- to no-interest loans and may require local matching funds.

The loans will be part of a revolving fund, so when the funds that are repaid, the money will then be used to fund other projects in the state.

Other notable funded projects include:

• Birmingham Water Works Board: $43.5 million to replace lead pipes in the drinking water system
• City of Florence: $15 million for drinking water system improvements
• City of Tuscaloosa: $12 million for drinking water projects and $10.8 for sewer projects
• City of Dothan: $12.5 million for water main replacement
• Selma Water Works Board: $20.8 million for lead pipe replacement and water treatment plant improvements
• Scottsboro Water, Sewer and Gas Board: $14 million for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant

ADEM has created a website, alabamawaterprojects.com, to track the applications and see brief descriptions of projects that have been approved.

AL.com will have more information on these projects as details become available.

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Following Eskom’s implementation of Stage 6 load-shedding, the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate advises residents of potential impacts that may arise, relating to the provision of services.

The City would like to appeal to its residents to reduce their water consumption where possible.

Water Services:

Most of the City’s water supply is gravity-fed from higher-lying dams.

The water treatment plants across the City are equipped with standby generators to ensure that clean drinking water can continue to be provided in the event of load-shedding.

Some higher-lying areas may experience low pressure or supply disruptions in the event of a power outage affecting the booster water pump stations which are required in some areas to convey water to the reservoirs supplying the higher-lying areas across the City.

Should residents in these areas – particularly in the northern and southern parts of the city – experience low pressure, this could likely be due to the impact of load-shedding.

However, if the problem persists for more than four hours, residents are advised to contact the City on the following channels:

Sanitation Services:

Permanent generators have been fitted at all wastewater treatment plants, and 85 larger priority water and sewer pump stations were fitted with permanent generators as a measure to increase the resilience of water and sanitation supply systems.

Our maintenance staff are on standby and will use mobile generators to power smaller pumps. All pump stations are fitted with telemetry to help us monitor the sump levels of the facilities.

We have limited availability of mobile generators, and some pump stations might overflow if load-shedding is implemented for longer than 2-hours at a time.

However, with severe load-shedding, i.e. large areas without power, it is not logistically possible to prevent overflows entirely. The operational teams do their utmost to contain and clean up such flows.

Also Read:

Eskom se … #P-word is trending on Twitter

Picture: Pexels

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ROTTERDAM — A nearly 17-acre plot of county-owned land that surrounds the Great Flats Aquifer has been designated an open space for the protection of drinking water — a move officials say will protect a vital water source for future generations.  

Lawmakers unanimously approved the designation Tuesday, which prevents the 16.8 acre parcel on south side of the Mohawk River in Rotterdam near water drinking wells for the town and city of Schenectady from being developed. The county acquired the property along Schermerhorn Road in 1996 through foreclosure, according to county tax records.

The move is key to preserving the estimated 1 trillion gallon aquifer that provides drinking water for most Schenectady County residents, and will help ensure the county’s economic prosperity moving forward, according to Anthony Jasenski, chair of the county Legislature.

“Not only does this abundant water supply provide drinking water for our residents, it’s also a resource our economic development team has used to attract new businesses and development to our community through smart growth efforts,” he said in a statement.

Several large businesses have moved into the county in recent years that rely heavily on water, including BelGioioso Cheese, which operates out of the Glenville Business and Technology Park.

The move follows a hotter than usual summer that has much of the region grappling with drought conditions. More than 70% of Schenectady County residents are experiencing moderate drought conditions, with rainfall levels nearly 2 inches below normal, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

But in other parts of the country, drought conditions, brought on by climate change, have been so severe that lakes have dried up entirely. Residents in states like Arizona and Nevada have been forced to curtail water usage over drought conditions impacting the Colorado River, while soaring temperatures and lack of rain in California have helped fuel wild fires

Preserving land around the aquifer drinking wells is the latest step the county has taken since 2004 to protect the aquifer. A vacant autobody shop in proximity to the drinking wells was previously torn down, and a $15 million cleanup of the Scotia Navy Depot site to prevent pollutants from entering the wells was also completed in recent years.

Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: [email protected] Follow him on Twitter: @ChadGArnold.  

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Categories: News, News, Rotterdam, Schenectady, Schenectady County

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