Eastern Oregon is likely to get one-quarter of the money it wanted from the state this year in emergency aid for clean drinking water. 

In an Aug. 11 email, Morrow County Commissioner Jim Doherty asked state Rep. Greg Smith, a Republican who represents the area, to submit a letter requesting for $4 million to the Legislature’s Emergency Board, which meets next week to grant funding for projects statewide.

Doherty said the money is needed to test thousands of wells in Morrow and Umatilla Counties for nitrates and to provide special filters to households with unsafe drinking water. 

The county has tested 500 wells this year, and nearly half have come back with unsafe levels of nitrates.

Morrow County has largely confronted the drinking water pollution issue, but Umatilla County groundwater is also contaminated with harmful nitrates and testing is beginning to get underway.

Doherty said Morrow County has spent nearly $500,000 on the problem already. 

“That is primarily in outreach materials, staff, time, water deliveries and filter installation. In all of the aforementioned, we have barely begun,” Doherty’s email to Smith read.

There are an estimated 4,500 domestic wells in Morrow and Umatilla counties supplying water to 12,000 people in Morrow and Umatilla counties. It is not yet known how many might be contaminated.

Requests for emergency money must go through state agencies, and the money must be approved by the governor’s office before the Emergency Board considers it. Doherty suggested Smith submit the request through the Oregon Health Authority or the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. 

But on Aug. 25, the health authority and Gov. Kate Brown requested the board allocate $882,000 to help Morrow County through June 2023, when the current budget cycle ends. 

The agency came up with that figure without final input from Doherty or others helping with testing and outreach. The letter asking for $4 million never reached the health authority, the Department of Environmental Quality or the governor’s office, agency officials said. Smith said he talked with the governor’s regional solutions representative for East Oregon, Courtney Crowell, and was told that the governor would only be considering a request for $882,000. Because of this, Smith said, he did not send the request elsewhere. 

An ongoing emergency

Doherty said the $882,000 now being considered will not be sufficient to ensure that all of the wells in the counties are tested and that every resident in need will have filters for safe drinking water this year. 

Doherty, the Morrow County Public Health Department and Oregon Rural Action, a nonprofit focused on social justice and the environment, have conducted the bulk of the water testing. He said the health authority should have been doing that and paying for it for years. OHA is not responsible by law for water safety in private wells, but it has been responsible for coming up with a plan to help with contaminated well water in Morrow and Umatilla Counties. In 2021, it submitted a plan to do so to the federal Environmental Protection Agency after several organizations petitioned the agency to do something about the area’s water pollution. EPA is still considering whether or not to intervene in the region.

OHA, along with the Environmental Quality Department and the Oregon Department of Agriculture, has known for at least 30 years that the area’s groundwater is contaminated by nitrates, a byproduct of fertilizers, animal manure and food-processing wastewater. Water with nitrates above 10 parts per million is unsafe to drink over long periods, according to the EPA, and is particularly harmful to infants and pregnant women. 

Out of frustration over inaction, Doherty started going door to door this spring, testing people’s tap water.

Since April, he, the county health department and Oregon Rural Action have tested water at 500 households, and 200 have come back with nitrate levels higher than the EPA’s safe drinking limit. An additional 48 have tested above the state’s preferred safe drinking level limit of 7 parts per million. 

Many of the wells provide water for low-income people and people of color. 

People with water testing high in nitrates require special reverse-osmosis filters that can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars each. In June, Morrow County declared a public health emergency over the nitrates, hoping it would usher in state funding. Instead, more than a month later, no outside money had come in. The state’s Emergency Management Office provided temporary water deliveries and two temporary staffers to help with distribution and outreach. 

Kristin Anderson Ostrom, executive director of  Oregon Rural Action, said people without safe drinking water are wondering when permanent solutions will come. 

“They’ve received emergency water since June,” she said. “People are asking us, ‘How long is this water going to last?’”

Between testing, outreach, water deliveries and filters, the county has spent nearly half-a-million dollars since April, Doherty said.

“This is money they’d have spent already if they had done what they were supposed to,” he said of health authority officials.

In Umatilla County, the health department has tested private wells of 61 households during the last two months, according to Joseph Fiumara, director of the department. Thirteen have tested high in nitrates, ranging from about 11 parts per million to nearly 40. Fiumara said the county is making a map with the data to identify pollution in certain areas. On Sept. 12, county officials will begin a door-to-door campaign with Oregon Rural Action to get water tested. “We intend to hold several of these events over the next year, and anticipate collecting 20 to 30 samples at each one,” Fiumara said.

State agencies have not funded this testing. 

Anderson Ostrom said she is unsure how much money is needed to ensure that all residents have safe drinking water. “Is this enough money? We don’t know,” she said of the $882,000. “We don’t know the extent of the number of (contaminated) wells, the number of people impacted, the extent of the harm. There’s no money in there for health assessments,” she said. 

What will get funded

The health authority said the $882,000 is supposed to last through June 30, 2023:

• $75,000 to community groups and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation for outreach, education and technical assistance.
• $200,000 in vouchers for people who want their water tested by certified labs.
• $250,000 for reverse osmosis filters to be installed on home water taps, with priority on homes that have nitrate levels exceeding 20 parts per million.
• $234,000 for Umatilla and Morrow counties to each hire an outreach and testing staffer.
• $122,000 for OHA to hire a domestic well safety program coordinator. 

Doherty said it won’t be enough to test the thousands of wells across Morrow and Umatilla counties, and could leave many without safe drinking water until more money comes through.  “Morrow County will be lucky to see $200,000,” Doherty said of the money for testing and filters, noting that Umatilla County has a larger number of domestic wells.

He still hopes more aid will come. In late July, state Sen. Jeff Merkley asked the federal government for $1.7 million for Morrow County for  testing, research and data collection, but it could be months until the money is available. The money would also come with limitations. It cannot be used for filters because federal agencies are not allowed to use congressional money on supports for private wells. 

Doherty said he recently talked with Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, about getting more help to secure emergency funding. Owens suggested that they submit a request to the Emergency Board when it meets again, in December. 

Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: [email protected]. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and Twitter.

STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: [email protected]

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Originally Appeared Here

According to academics in a review study that underscores the need for greater research in the region, as the frequency of wildfires has grown, so have contaminants in the streams from burnt watersheds.

According to Stephen LeDuc of the United States Forest Service, the impacts of fire burning not just wood and grasslands but also buildings, automobiles, and other man-made materials have received far less attention.

The Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Agency. Only a little research on pollutants mobilized by these sorts of fires has been conducted.

LeDuc is a coauthor of the new work, which was published today in Water Resources Research, the American Geophysical Union’s publication for original research on the transport and management of Earth’s water.

Pollutants from burning structures linger in waterways post-wildfire

(Photo : Michael Held/Unsplash)

The article examines the changes in water following wildfires as described in 184 scholarly studies published since 1980.

Among the tendencies they discovered were that stream velocity, silt, and water temperature generally rise for a few years after a wildfire, as per ScienceDaily.

Nutrients are frequently enhanced, as are hazardous metals and certain organic compounds, which can reach concentrations 10 to 100 times greater than pre-fire levels.

Some post-fire water pollutants, such as arsenic, can exceed legal limits even in treated drinking water.

The analysis cites claims of elevated levels of the carcinogen benzene in tap water after the burning of buildings and cars in the town of Paradise, California.

Researchers also discovered increased quantities of metals in the ash from these fires, which may have an impact on drainage.

The assessment discovered that little research has been done on the types of pollutants produced by urban flames. This puts water managers and planners at a disadvantage when dealing with the aftermath of a fire.

We see this as a significant gap in scientific understanding of fire consequences, according to LeDuc.

According to Dennis Hallema, a hydrologist at Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas who was not involved in the study, the major reason for the information gap is the difficulty of establishing an urban water quality monitoring program on short notice, such as after a fire.

There is a lot of curiosity, but good water quality monitoring initiatives result from projects that are authorized on time.

The study also looked at how wildfires affect the surrounding ecology.

Because of climate change, fire frequency is rising in locations like the western United States, and areas burnt by fire have the potential to become longer-term stressors to water quality if the preceding vegetation recovers slowly or fails entirely, according to LeDuc.

However, burnt areas might be targeted for restoration activities such as erosion control or plants,” according to the report.

One restoration effort mentioned in the paper was by the Pueblo of Santa Clara following the Las Conchas Fire in 2011.

Read more: Trees in California Mountain Range Are Dying Due to High Pressure and Wildfire

Municipal Water Supplies are Under Threat from Wildfires

Wildfire conflagrations have risen in quantity, magnitude, and ferocity in many places of the world in recent decades, from the Amazon to Siberia, Australia, and the western United States, as per EOS.

The aftereffects of these fires offer glimpses into a future in which wildfires have extraordinary negative effects on ecosystems and the creatures that rely on them, including humans-not the least of which is the potential for significant harm to city water supplies.

The Rim Fire, the third-largest wildfire in California history at the time, burnt a wide tract of Stanislaus National Forest near Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in 2013, prompting worries about the safety of drinking water supplied by the reservoir to San Francisco.

The 2018 Camp Fire not only destroyed vegetation but also destroyed structures and the water distribution infrastructure for the town of Paradise in north central California, scattering scorched electronics, furniture, and vehicles among the rubble.

Rainstorms after a wildfire washed debris and dissolved toxicants from the charred materials into neighboring bodies of water, contaminating downstream reaches. Residents who rely on these sources have complained of smoke-tainted smells in their tap water.

In certain circumstances, water companies were forced to stop utilizing water supplies supplied from too close to the wildfire and provide consumers with alternative sources of water.

Wildfires are predicted to become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change, posing significant dangers to water providers and users.

Water exported from badly burnt watersheds may have significantly changed chemistry and may include high amounts of pollutants and other unwanted compounds that are difficult to extract.

Excess nutrients, for example, can drive algal blooms and suspended soil erosion particles can block water filters.

The impacts of wildfires on surface water quality are widely recognized. Sediments, algae-promoting nutrients, and heavy metals pollute the rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs that feed public drinking water utilities.

However, few studies have looked at water treatability (the ease with which water may be cleansed) or drinking water quality in water treated after wildfires.

Related article: Wildfire Smoke Particles Can Affect the Climate Longer Than Previously Expected

© 2022 NatureWorldNews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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Originally Appeared Here

As Tuesday’s Regional Water Forum before the Monterey County Board of Supervisors nears and in the third year of the current California drought, the challenge of sustainable, permanent water for Monterey County remains daunting. Recent developments offer an opportunity to ground-truth various perspectives and provide new incentive to bring everyone to the table.

For the short-term, I am pleased to have helped get specific drought items in the state budget for Monterey County water agencies:

• $6.8 million in valve replacement projects for the Nacimiento and San Antonio Dams, which will allow for accessing water at lower levels in those reservoirs in the driest of times.
• $4.8 million for an additional well for Pure Water Monterey, which will allow for more water to be injected and pulled out from that project.

Since then, the federal budget allocated $20 million more for Pure Water Monterey. In addition, a competitive state grant program to support water systems that need upgrades for items such as dam safety, more water recycling, sustainable groundwater management and other drought and water resilience efforts was funded with billions of dollars at the end of legislative session. It could provide additional funds to local water systems through competitive grant processes.

As good of news as these allocations are – long-term water security for Monterey County is more complicated and will cost much more:

• The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which governs various basins in Monterey County, particularly in the Salinas Valley, will require sustainable groundwater basins by 2040, and in some cases require additional water efficiency and/or supply projects. The current drought and the need for dam repairs already threatens water supply from South County reservoirs to the Salinas Valley.
• Sea water intrusion continues to challenge the coastal end of the Salinas River watershed.
• Water infrastructure, particularly the Nacimiento and San Antonio Dams and Reservoirs require major upgrades, which stretch the ability of ratepayers to support financially.
• Building new affordable housing and preserving tourism and farming depends on reliable water.
• The State Water Board recently indicated they do not think the water developed thus far gives them enough confidence to remove the 1995 order that limits the amount of water that can be taken from the Carmel River – the historic water source for the Monterey Peninsula.
• Smaller communities such as San Lucas face challenges in guaranteeing good clean drinking water to their residents.
• The Cal Am application for a desal plant before the California Coastal Commission has a steep challenge ahead.
• The city of Marina has been left out and disadvantaged by the Cal Am desal project.
• Disagreements over the desal project have caused some desal advocates to slow down a genuine improvement in water supply that can be provided by the Monterey One recycling project.
• The fate of the Public Water vote of a few years ago is caught in a long legal process but is the backdrop for many of these discussions.

These challenges present policy decisions that have flummoxed area officials for decades but can’t wait any longer. This drought might go on a few years – and with the strong changes in our climate, this is a picture of droughts to come. Local residents and businesses hang in the
balance, especially the construction of much-needed affordable housing projects.

A framework for a solution probably lies with the following:

• The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act process in the Salinas Valley must result in long-term sustainability.
• The Monterey One recycling project should build out as much as is feasible and proponents of other projects should step aside and let this happen.
• A smaller desal project should be considered – if the plant is in public ownership and Marina’s concerns are addressed. It would be hard to start a new project all over if Cal Am’s project fails at the Coastal Commission, so this should be considered in the short term.
• I am willing to approach the State Water Board and ask that they meet with local officials and have a subsequent workshop to provide a road map to lifting the state order – as well as bringing their efforts to the communities needing clean, safe drinking water.
• If local stakeholders can unite around these goals, it makes a stronger case for federal, state, and local officials to seek grant funding with ratepayer partnerships to make this happen.

The legal process between Cal Am and public water advocates will still take a few years to resolve and no short-term action appears able to resolve that conflict. The State Water Board has indicated current efforts will not lead to a lifting of the state order on the Carmel River.
Opposition to the Cal Am desal plant may well lead to that proposal dying if it is pursued in the current form.

That means that working together toward a larger framework is the only way out. It also means that not everyone might get 100% of what they want, but each stakeholder can get much of what they need. It’s time to lay down arms and link together to work toward a solution. There’s too much at stake to hold out for perfection – and various stakeholders have been locked in conflict for too long. I am ready to work together with everyone toward long-term solutions, I ask others to be ready as well. The clock is ticking.

John Laird is the California state senator for District 17, which encompasses the Central Coast, including the coastal Monterey Bay area. He will be one of the speakers at Tuesday’s Regional Water Forum, which starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting. 

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Originally Appeared Here

Press Releases

09/17/2022

Governor Lamont Applauds $53 Million in Federal Funding to Connecticut for Water Infrastructure Improvements

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today is applauding the announcement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the State of Connecticut is being awarded more than $53 million in funding from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for water infrastructure improvements.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated more than $50 billion to the EPA toward repairing the nation’s essential water infrastructure, which helps communities access clean, safe and reliable drinking water, increase resilience, collect and treat wastewater to protect public health, clean up pollution, and safeguard vital waterways. The grant marks the first significant distribution of water infrastructure funds thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The state plans to use the funding for lead line replacement projects in New London and Waterbury, as well as PFAS treatment projects in New Fairfield and Danbury. A host of other projects are slated for funding in the state through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will significantly increase the ability of towns and cities to meet their infrastructure needs.

“Clean drinking water is a right, not a privilege,” Governor Lamont said. “Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the work of our amazing Congressional delegation, we’re not only making commutes faster and safer, we’re also improving the health and wellness of our children and families. Whether our residents live in one of Connecticut’s smallest towns or its biggest cities, they’ll have the opportunity to benefit from this once-in-a-generation investment.”

“We are so fortunate to have additional funds for our Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to address many of the important infrastructure issues of our aging water systems,” Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, said. “However, the additional investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address lead and emerging contaminants is historic. Lead service line replacement along with PFAS treatment are two priorities for the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The mission of every public health initiative in Connecticut is seen through a health equity lens, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will address these important issues in some of our most vulnerable communities.”

The EPA’s State Revolving Funds (SRFs) are part of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits from certain federal programs flow to underserved communities. Furthermore, nearly half the funding available through the SRFs thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law must be grants or principal forgiveness loans that remove barriers to investing in essential water infrastructure in underserved communities across rural America and in urban centers.

In fiscal year 2022, the six New England states have received a total of $484,744,421 with nearly half of this funding available as grants or principal forgiveness loans that remove barriers to investing in essential water infrastructure in underserved communities across rural America and in urban centers. The fiscal year 2022 allocation is the first of five years of $43 billion in dedicated EPA SRF funding that states will receive through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. For more than 30 years, the SRFs have been the foundation of water infrastructure investments, providing low-cost financing for local projects across America. However, many vulnerable communities facing water challenges have not received their fair share of federal water infrastructure funding. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, states have a unique opportunity to correct this disparity.

Funding announced today represents fiscal year 2022 awards for states that have submitted and obtained EPA’s approval of their plans for use of the funding. Capitalization grants will continue to be awarded, on a rolling state-by-state basis, as more states receive approval throughout fiscal year 2022. States will also receive awards over the course of the next four years. As grants are awarded, the state SRF programs can begin to distribute the funds as grants and loans to communities across their state.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said, “All communities need access to clean, reliable, safe water. Thanks to President Biden’s leadership and the resources from the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are repairing aging water infrastructure, replacing lead service lines, cleaning up contaminants, and making our communities more resilient in the face of floods and climate impacts.”

White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu said, “President Biden has been clear – we cannot leave any community behind as we rebuild America’s infrastructure with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Because of his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, nearly half of the additional SRF funding will now be grants or forgivable loans, making accessing these critical water resources easier for small, rural and disadvantaged communities.”

EPA Regional Administrator David W. Cash said, “The historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is funding critical water infrastructure projects across New England, especially in places that have been historically underserved. No one should be worried when they turn on their tap and ensuring clean drinking water and safe wastewater services to communities across the region is essential. We are proud to work with states, Tribes, and communities in making these unprecedented investments.”

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said, “Much of Connecticut’s water and sewer treatment infrastructure is very old and desperately in need of improvements to ensure safe drinking water and clean rivers and streams. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, dozens of communities across the state will receive millions of dollars to upgrade their water infrastructure. This unprecedentedly large federal investment will allow towns and cities from New Haven to Hartford to Litchfield and beyond to replace lead water pipes with safer alternatives, begin PFAS treatment projects, and make other critical upgrades to their sewage treatment facilities. I am pleased and proud to see these funds delivered to Connecticut and will keep fighting for federal support and funding for these important projects.”

Congressman John Larson said, “Every person in our country deserves access to clean, reliable water, and that is one reason why we worked to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in Washington. From replacing lead pipes to protecting our community from flooding, I’m proud this funding is coming right back to Connecticut to ensure our neighbors can live happy, healthy lives.”

Congressman Joe Courtney said, “We passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act through Congress last winter, and we’ve already seen the new law completing and kick-starting all sorts of great projects that are going to prepare our towns for economic success and improved quality of life. Increased infrastructure investments are providing us with upgraded public transportation, much-needed repairs to some of our most iconic bridges and railways, and all sorts of other local priorities that are getting marked off the to-do list. The IIJA is delivering these increased investments for the next four years, and they’re also going to help bolster our towns’ essential water infrastructure. Projects like replacing old water lines, flood mitigation, treating for PFAS, and investing in wastewater systems are costly, but they’re essential to everyday life and to our region’s economy, and they’re critically important for protecting our environment. Now, the IIJA is providing our state with a historic amount of funding to complete these types of water infrastructure projects in towns across our region. This is a big win for our towns and for our natural heritage in eastern Connecticut, and it’s going to lead to even more jobs.”

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro said, “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has been groundbreaking, especially for cities like New Haven and West Haven. Investments in water infrastructure will help us address municipal water pollution across the state. It will help ensure all of Connecticut’s families have access to clean, safe, and reliable drinking water and that the state has proper water infrastructure in place to prevent flooding, protect public health, and secure our waterways.”

Congressman Jim Himes said, “Every American deserves access to clean and safe drinking water. This is the type of essential infrastructure improvement that was intended when we passed the legislation earlier this year, and I am thrilled this federal funding being used to benefit Connecticut’s residents.”

Congresswoman Jahana Hayes said, “Access to water is essential to the health and safety of everyone. Thanks to the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, critical lead replacement and PFAS treatment projects will finally happen in the Fifth District, ensuring clean water for our communities. These upgrades will remove harmful chemicals that threaten the health of children and families and are known to cause lifelong illnesses. I am steadfast in my commitment to fortifying our water infrastructure and will continue to advocate for clean water solutions.”

Twitter: @GovNedLamont
Facebook: Office of Governor Ned Lamont

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Originally Appeared Here

A resident says his water has been running a ‘dirty green colour’ since the start of this month.

David Greenhalgh says he is not being given any answers by water company United Utilities as to what is causing the discolouration.

United Utilities accept that the water is discoloured but declined to say what was causing it.

David, aged 30, said he believes he is not the only one with discoloured water, in the area.

Running a bath earlier this week, David said the water was still coming out ‘green’.

Read more: Generous Boltonians have welcomed more than 100 Ukrainians fleeing war into their homes

David said: “It started on September 1, and we got in contact with United Utilities, and they said they would send somebody out and all they did was take samples.

“Last week, they sent someone round to do more samples.

“United Utilities then left us a voicemail and stated that we can still continue drinking it which on the United Utilities website it states that if your water turns green do not drink it.

Contaminated water running through taps

“I ran the bath  and it was just green water, and their quote is it can take 20 working days which means Monday to Friday to get the samples, now 20 working days from the 1st is up to September 29.

“And they did a second sample a week later and that’s going to take another 10 working days meaning it will be October 13.

“They haven’t dropped any water off for us or given us any advice, they have literally just said they will be in contact.

A spokesperson for United Utilities said: “We cannot discuss the details of individual cases, but if we had identified any indication of contamination or risk to health then we would inform customers straight away.”

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Originally Appeared Here

SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday $63 million in federal funding to assist with water infrastructure improvements around the state, which includes clean drinking water.

More than $50 billion has been allocated to the EPA by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding helps with providing clean, safe and reliable drinking water to communities across the country.

“This Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will support unprecedented investments in wastewater treatment and drinking water infrastructure across Utah’s communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker in a news release. “These projects will create jobs and modernize and extend the water systems that keep our rivers clean and our water safe to drink in every corner of the state.”

Federal funding to help with drinking water

The grant is the first important distribution of water infrastructure money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“We are grateful to the leadership of Senator Romney and all who worked to make this critical funding a reality,” said Utah Department of Environmental Quality Director Kim Shelley in a news release. “Much of Utah’s drinking and wastewater infrastructure has reached or exceeded its useful life. We are also faced with drought and rapid growth. And communities are struggling to keep up with the high cost of major infrastructure projects. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will allow these communities to not only address short-term needs but also plan for a water resilient future.” 

Read more

Follow @MarkJonesKSL

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Originally Appeared Here

Welcome to FERN’s Friday Feed (#FFF), where we share the stories from this week that made us stop and think.

A California town’s creative effort to end its century-long water crisis

FERN and KQED’s California Report (audio)

In California, clean, safe and affordable drinking water is considered a human right under state law, but nearly a million residents don’t have access to it,” writes Teresa Cotsirilos. “To some extent, the state’s historic, climate-change-fueled drought is to blame … But the drought has also exacerbated long-standing water access issues that in many Central Valley communities can be traced … to decades of neglect and racist policies. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Allensworth. Founded in 1908, it was the first community in California to be financed, built and governed by African Americans. Ten years later, it had been all but decimated by white farmers and corporate interests, and water was one of their weapons of choice. Now, more than a century later,” local leaders’ creative approach to securing sustainable, clean drinking water could become a blueprint for other communities in California.

Finding the political will to confront America’s food emergencies

Science History Institute

In 1969, after years of intense activism by anti-hunger activists, President Richard Nixon organized “an unprecedented White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health.” The result was a major expansion of federal food stamp and school meal programs, as well the Head Start childcare program. But policymakers stopped short of addressing some of the systemic issues that led to the food insecurity and obesity crises the nation confronts today. Later this month, President Biden will host another White House conference on nutrition and hunger. What lessons are there from that earlier conference that might help this one succeed?

What happened when an obesity researcher went off-script

Knowable Magazine

“In the 1990s, Katherine Flegal and her CDC colleagues published some of the first reports of a national increase in the proportion of people categorized as overweight based on body mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight and height,” writes Alice Callahan. “The upward trend in BMI alarmed public health officials and eventually came to be called the ‘obesity epidemic.’ But when Flegal, along with other senior government scientists, published estimates on how BMI related to mortality — reporting that being overweight was associated with a lower death rate than having a “normal” BMI — she became the subject of intense criticism and attacks.”

The father of environmental justice meets the moment

The New York Times

“[M]ore than four decades after Robert Bullard took an unplanned career turn into environmentalism and civil rights, the movement he helped found is clocking one of its biggest wins yet,” writes Cara Buckley. “Some $60 billion of the $370 billion in climate spending passed by Congress last month has been earmarked for environmental justice, which calls for equal environmental protections for all, the cause to which Dr. Bullard has devoted his life.”

A taste of home for workers at this California winery

Modern Farmer

“Somerston Estate is one of many farms and wineries focused on improving working conditions and quality of life for its skilled workers,” writes Shelby Vittek. “It starts off by paying them a living wage, which is rare but crucial. The vineyard also “devotes a plot of land for them on which to garden, where they can grow and harvest fruits and vegetables with which to feed their families. Beyond being a source of food, [Craig] Becker says the garden also presents an opportunity for migrant workers to connect with the lives they left behind in their home country.”

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Originally Appeared Here

A boil water notice was in effect for part of Elm Street in McHenry after a water main break Friday morning needed emergency repairs, officials said.

The break took place near Starbucks, 4305 W. Elm St., prompting the city to repair it, an advisory from the city states. The notice is in effect for addresses within 4305 and 4509 W. Elm St.

Repairs on the main break were completed, but a sample of the water needs to be tested before the notice can be lifted under Illinois Environmental Protection Agency rules, city of McHenry Director of Community Development Ross Polerecky said Friday.

Officials are hoping sampling results come back on Saturday, Polerecky said. When it does, the notice will be lifted and those in the area will be notified immediately.

When under a boil water notice, it’s recommended to boil tap water for three to five minutes.

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Originally Appeared Here

September 16, 2022

Shaheen was a lead negotiator of the water provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure law and helped steer record-level funding to address PFAS contamination. 

Senator Hassan negotiated key parts of the bipartisan infrastructure law, including to strengthen coastal resiliency and help NH communities remove PFAS from drinking water. 

Later today, Shaheen will join EPA Administrator for Region 1 Dr. David Cash at a PFAS treatment facility at Pease to discuss the funding as well as efforts to designate the most prevalent chemicals as hazardous under the law. 

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01), applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of over $72 million in capitalization grants from the bipartisan infrastructure law awarded to New Hampshire. This funding was issued through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) and Clean Water SRF Programs and will be used towards water infrastructure updates and improvements.  

The grants mark the first significant distribution of water infrastructure funds following the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Shaheen and Hassan helped negotiate. The law allocates more than $50 billion toward repairing the nation’s essential water infrastructure, in turn helping communities access clean, safe and reliable drinking water, prevent flooding, collect and treat wastewater to protect public health, and safeguard vital waterways. Shaheen specifically led negotiations around water infrastructure provisions with Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT).  Senator Hassan also secured a provision in the legislation to better ensure that New Hampshire towns would be eligible for an advanced technology grant program that could be used to remove PFAS from drinking water. 

Planned projects in New Hampshire that the law will fund include lead line replacement projects in Hanover and Claremont, as well as PFAS treatment projects in Londonderry and Jaffrey. A host of other projects are slated for funding in the state through this new increase in funding, which will significantly increase the ability of towns and cities to meet their infrastructure needs.  

“Granite State families deserve reliable access to safe drinking water and clean rivers, lakes and streams,” said Senator Shaheen, who was the Democratic lead negotiator of water provisions on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “That’s precisely why I fought to deliver the largest single investment in water ever made by the federal government – from updating crumbling water infrastructure to addressing harmful PFAS contamination. It’s thrilling to see what started a year ago as negotiations on how to make these investments turn into tangible results in our communities, and in this case, a historic $72 million for New Hampshire to improve water infrastructure. This funding, and the continued resources we’re seeing come back to New Hampshire from the bipartisan infrastructure bill, will have a meaningful impact for generations of Granite Staters to come.” 

“The historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding is now reaching our states and will soon be invested in important water infrastructure projects across New England,” said EPA Regional Administrator David Cash. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law represents a once-in-a-lifetime investment in water infrastructure ensuring clean, safe water in communities across the region.” 

 “Safe drinking water is essential to Granite Staters’ health and our economy, which is why my colleagues and I made unprecedented investments in our water systems when we negotiated the bipartisan infrastructure law,” said Senator Hassan. “It is exciting to see federal funding through our law come to New Hampshire, where communities will put it to use to address PFAS contamination, replace lead lines, modernize drinking water and wastewater systems, and more. Granite Staters have raised concerns for years about water safety, and this funding will go a long way towards providing clean and reliable drinking water for all.” 

“As I travel throughout the district I consistently hear from our communities about the challenges that aging water infrastructure poses to providing clean reliable drinking water and effective waste water treatment,” said Representative Kuster. “This funding represents a significant investment in the wellbeing of our cities and towns and will contribute to our economic competitiveness. This is critical, particularly for underinvested communities that need support to provide reliable water that its farmers, residents, and local businesses depend on.” 

 “Modern water infrastructure is critical to the health and strength of our communities. This funding from the EPA will upgrade our drinking water and wastewater systems, meeting the needs of our families and businesses,” said Representative Pappas. “Today’s announcement represents an important advancement for our water infrastructure, and I’ll continue working to ensure New Hampshire communities will reap the benefits.” 

Senator Shaheen has spearheaded efforts in Congress to uncover the potential health effects related to PFAS contamination, respond to the chemical exposure and remediate polluted sites. Senator Shaheen has successfully included continued authorization and funding for the PFAS health impact study that she created in the 2018 defense legislation, which includes a pilot study at Pease. In addition to her leadership on the bipartisan infrastructure law and through her work on the Senate Armed Services Committee, as a senior member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Shaheen helped secure investments in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure for New Hampshire in fiscal year (FY) 2022 government funding legislation that was signed into law. Congress provided $1.638 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRFs) and $1.126 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund through the fiscal year 2022 government funding bill, including more than $18.6 million to the state to make additional water infrastructure updates. Shaheen built on this progress in Senate Democrats’ FY23 government funding proposal that was announced in July.

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During a summer of soaring heat, shrinking supplies and mandatory drought restrictions, Los Angeles residents conserved water at an impressive pace in August, with that month’s usage dropping below a record low set during the previous drought.

But it’s becoming clear that this alone is not going to be enough. The crisis on the Colorado River, a key source of water for Southern California, is expected to bring painful cuts to supplies in the coming months. And hopes of a wet winter are looking more unlikely with another year of dry La Niña in the forecast.

Now, the pressure is on to not only increase savings, but also double-down on efforts to reduce reliance on imported supplies and to invest in long-term water solutions.

“We have to stop thinking of this as responding to this drought and acknowledge that these droughts are becoming more frequent and severe,” said Heather Cooley, director of research at the Pacific Institute. “Action that we take now — and continue to take even after this drought ends — will be important for the future.”

The city’s nearly 4 million residents used about 10% less water in August than the same month the prior year, despite this past August being hotter by an average of 3 to 5 degrees, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported this week. It was the third consecutive month of such records, following a 9% reduction in June and 11% reduction in July.

The figures show a strong response to the new rules, which include two-day-a-week outdoor watering restrictions for residents served by the DWP. Although conservation continues to play an important and immediate role in the region’s response, Cooley and others said that improved water recycling and infrastructure — as well as enhanced responses from business, industry and government — will be needed to reduce reliance on water from Northern California and the Colorado River.

“Those numbers are an improvement, but they indicate that more can be done,” Cooley said. “We’re not done yet, and I think that’s good news, because we are facing a hotter, drier future due to climate change.”

There are many signs of progress statewide. DWP data from the previous severe drought show a significant reduction in supply volumes during August — typically one of the hottest months of the year, with the highest water usage. The agency supplied customers with 43,108 acre-feet in August of this year, compared with 46,427 acre-feet in August 2015, when cities and towns were under mandatory orders to cut water use by 25%. An acre-foot of water equals about 326,000 gallons, more than enough to supply two to three households for a year.

Mayor Eric Garcetti praised Angelenos for cutting back this summer.

“When we acknowledged that there was an urgent need to reduce water use, for the third straight month Angelenos did more than just heed our call — they embraced it,” he said. “Increasingly, I think Angelenos are making conservation a way of life, not just something you have to pick up because it’s a crisis moment, but kind of an acknowledgement of the new abnormal.”

Garcetti said applications for turf-replacement programs have soared under the new watering rules, including a roughly fivefold increase between June and September compared with the same period last year. He said those investments will pay dividends in the long run and may not even be reflected in the latest conservation data, as many projects are underway.

But he also acknowledged the worsening crisis requires an “all of the above” response.

“We have to of course conserve first — you can do that in the short and near term,” he said. “But it’s continuing to double-down on our capture and clean. And in the longer term, the toughest one and the most expensive, but the ultimate insurance, is going to be recycling.”

Recycled water makes up 2% of the city’s drinking water. Officials are working to increase that number to as much as 35% by converting the city’s oldest wastewater treatment plant into an advanced water purification facility, among other projects. The goal is to recycle all available treated wastewater from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant into potable water by 2035, effectively creating another independent water supply for Los Angeles that will reduce the city’s reliance on imported water.

“I certainly hope my successor will ensure we bring that number to 35%,” said Garcetti, referencing the upcoming mayoral election in Los Angeles. “Anybody running for mayor would be silly not to ensure that this actually happens.”

Also underway is a remediation project in and around the San Fernando Groundwater Basin, an important source of groundwater for Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale that for years sat unused due to pollution.

“We have a lot of water, even on these very dry years, that we’re wasting that we could remediate and capture in the San Fernando Valley,” he said. “So as long as we keep cleaning that aquifer, I think that’s going to be a great place for storage long term as well.”

Angelenos aren’t alone in their efforts. Collectively, the 26 agencies that receive supplies from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the region’s massive water wholesaler, have continued to keep usage at or below allocations since the MWD ordered cuts earlier this year, according to data provided by the agency.

MWD executive officer and assistant general manager Deven Upadhyay said the response was “really, really good news,” but also acknowledged that the current drought conditions are historic.

“The conservation we’re seeing right now and the performance we’re seeing — would that allow us to survive through another year of drought? I think absolutely, it likely would allow us,” he said. “But that’s not our goal. Our goal is not to have people forced into taking these emergency actions. We want people to continue to be efficient, but to get to a point where there’s some more normal conditions.”

Like Garcetti, Upadhyay said water recycling projects will be the key to achieving that goal, including an initiative known as Pure Water Southern California, which will eventually produce up to 150 million gallons daily and significantly supplement supplies. When completed, he said, it will be the largest water purification program in the nation.

Also significant are smaller initiatives including bans on watering “nonfunctional” grass — such as grass found in decorative medians — as well as major investments in water conveyance, which will help the MWD move supplies more freely within its distribution system, he said.

While state reservoirs may see some some storage boosts next year due to a combination of management decisions and rainfall, Upadhyay said, “the same cannot be said for the Colorado River,” which is a much larger, slower-moving system that is continuing to decline.

The MWD is one of many California water districts experiencing increased pressure to slash usage of Colorado River water. The board is discussing expanding the reductions it already has in place for State Water Project-dependent areas to its entire service area in order to get there, he said. No official plans have been announced.

Now, all eyes are on the fall as the forecast calls for a rare third consecutive year of La Niña, a tropical climate pattern associated with dry conditions in the Southwest. There is a strong possibility that the pattern will linger through the winter, forecasters said.

However, officials noted that the water year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, is not over. It’s still uncertain whether any significant atmospheric rivers or storms will manifest this winter, as they did last year despite La Niña.

“There is much to be seen still as the water year develops and supply conditions develop,” said Sabrina Tsui, manager of resource development and watershed management at the DWP. “The efforts by the residents of Los Angeles are really remarkable to date. We will have to see how the conditions develop in the coming months, and see what else is necessary and what supplies the Metropolitan Water District may have available to its member agencies for next year.”

While urban areas such as Los Angeles demand a significant amount of California’s water, they are far from the thirstiest sector in the state. That title goes to agriculture, which accounts for about 80% of water that is diverted and pumped for human use. Though many farms and irrigation districts have seen their supplies tightened and fields fallowed, officials said more savings could be eked out.

Cooley, of the Pacific Institute, noted that other sectors, including businesses, government and institutions such as hospitals, schools and prisons, can also step up their efforts by improving their processes and changing out their landscapes, among other actions. Even water utilities could do more by scanning for and reducing leaks.

Individual conservation efforts do add up, she said, including transitioning to drought-tolerant landscaping and installing higher-efficiency appliances. A recent study from the Pacific Institute found that a host of existing technologies and standard practices could help reduce total urban use in the state by as much as 48%.

Cooley also said that efficiency does not have to mean deprivation.

“With efficiency, we can do the things we want to do with less water,” she said. “We’re still able to wash our clothes. We’re still able to take showers, to flush our toilets and even have beautiful, vibrant landscapes. We’re just making different choices.”

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