After decades of contaminated water and noxious odors at the popular King’s Beach, officials in both Lynn and Swampscott are working together to trace the sources of the pollution and clean it up. 

The project, which will take years to complete and likely cost tens of millions of dollars, aims to identify all of the sources of pollution and develop a cleanup plan. 

The beach, which stretches from Lynn to neighboring Swampscott, is routinely closed to swimming, which has long frustrated residents. 

“During the heat, last week, unfortunately people weren’t able to use the beach,” said Danna Gobel, who walks on the beach daily. 

Gobel said despite the red flag warnings against swimming, she often sees people in the water. 

“My first concern is the families on the beach,” she said. “I’m not sure everyone interprets the flags correctly.”

Others pointed out that the foul odors around the beach are often unbearable. 

“It’s very putrid, and you could smell it the entire area here,” said resident Lorena Martinez. 

The water quality at King’s Beach, the only public beach in Lynn, is regularly ranked the second worst in the state.

In 2021, the water quality averaged 68%, a slight drop from the previous year, according to the nonprofit Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Only Tenean Beach in Dorchester had worse water quality, at 63%.

Officials said the contamination is the result of both sewage and storm runoff. 

“They’re trying to identify where exactly some of these sources are,” said Chris Mancini, executive director of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, which is involved with the cleanup efforts. “The Lynn Water and Sewer Commission has an engineering team working on identifying the sources of contamination on that side. But it’s an ongoing process, it’s a big project.”

Both Lynn and Swampscott have secured $2.5 million apiece in federal funds to put toward the project, but the total cost is widely expected to soar into the tens of millions of dollars. 

Mayor Jared Nicholson of Lynn, who said the cleanup is a “top priority,” for his administration, said he expects officials to select a multi-year cleanup plan sometime later this year. 

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Originally Appeared Here

Potential toxic water near Three Rivers could force residents to shut down their taps and stock up on bottled water. 

Residents who rely on getting water directly from the Kaweah River are urged to use caution, county officials said.  Potential toxic algae in the river has been found on more than one occasion this summer. 

Tulare County Public Health officials recommend that community members not use tap water for drinking, cooking, showering, or brushing teeth until more information is available. 

A timeline was unknown as of Monday.

Babies, young children at higher risk

Health officials are also asking residents to be extra cautious when bathing infants and young children due to the high risk of accidental ingestion. This also includes consuming water from appliances connected directly to water supply lines, such as refrigerators, ice dispensers and dishwashers. 

The warning comes on the heels of last week’s reports that a potentially harmful algae bloom (HAB) was spotted across recreational sites along the Kaweah River by the Tulare County Public Health Environmental Health Services Division and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. 

Algae is a vital component of the aquatic ecosystem by being a food source to wildlife and oxygen producers, according to the California Water Quality Monitoring Council. However, due to rapid algae growth, blooms develop and produce harmful toxins and taste and odor compounds.  

Harmful algae blooms: What to watch for

The California Water Resources Control Board says bodies of water affected by HAB contamination can often have a distinct green pigment or appear red. A unique odor often described as gasoline, septic, or fishy can accompany water discoloration.  

People exposed to HABs can begin experiencing symptoms within 48 hours that include: 

• sore throat or congestion;
• coughing, wheezing, or difficulty breathing;
• red, or itchy skin, or a rash;
• skin blisters or hives;
• earache or irritated eyes;
• diarrhea or vomiting;
• agitation;
• headache; and/or,
• abdominal pain.

Local and state water experts say there is no easy fix if your primary water source comes directly from the Kaweah River and that boiling or adding chemicals in the water does not eliminate the toxins.  

This water warning has not impacted surrounding water companies, wrote Carrie Monteiro, Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency public information officer.

Water testing services explicitly relating to HABs for private domestic water wells are offered by the Tulare County Public Health and Self-Help Enterprises. Residents with questions can contact the Water Quality Program at 559 802-1285 or email them at [email protected].    

If you are exposed to water that might be contaminated by a HAB, immediately wash with soap and water. Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for advice if you are having health problems you think are related to an HAB, and contact your medical provider.

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Originally Appeared Here

Engineers at the University of Illinois Chicago have been awarded just over $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Alliance for Water Innovation to build a system that selectively removes and destroys poly- and perfluorinated substances, commonly called PFAS and referred to as “forever chemicals,” from industrial and municipal wastewaters. PFAS are man-made chemicals found in many common materials, and the grant will support the team’s work for three years. 

Due to widespread use in industrial settings, fertilizers and commercial products that end up in landfills, PFAS seep into groundwater and drinking water supplies. Unfortunately, these ubiquitous “forever chemicals” do not break down in the body and are linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals. Evidence shows that at low levels the compounds can lead to high cholesterol and cancer and have effects on the reproductive and immune system and thyroid. 

The UIC team, led by Brian Chaplin, professor of chemical engineering, will develop a prototype of their system and, at the end of the three-year funding, deploy it for scale-up and pilot testing in California’s Orange County Water District. In the county, frequent droughts mean that the utility is investing in new technology to increase the county’s problematic drinking water supply through water recycling and aquifer recharge. 

Chaplin’s system works through a treatment process called reactive electrochemical membrane filtration. As the water passes through the REM system, adsorbents and catalysts on the membrane trap and destroy PFAS, respectively. 

With the funding, the UIC team will develop, screen, characterize and optimize efficient electrocatalysts so that the system is successful at removing and, notably, destroying PFAS at high levels with low energy consumption. They will also analyze other systems for comparison and best practices in deploying the technology at a large scale in practical, real-world applications. 

“While REM filtration is one of the only ways to destroy PFAS, these systems so far work best in a limited number of controlled conditions. Our challenge is to make these systems work in the environment,” Chaplin said. “When we complete this work, this new technology will be ready to be piloted in the industrial and municipal wastewater sectors, which will help us and other practitioners evaluate its impact on facilitating desalination and recycling of nontraditional water streams.” 

Chaplin hopes the development of new catalyst materials will operationalize the system for successful destructive removal of PFAS in under two minutes of contact time and with a conversion rate of less than 10 kilowatt-hours per cubic meter, which is an order of magnitude lower than other destructive technologies. 

“PFAS contamination is a widespread problem in our industrial society, and unless we can find successful ways to destroy these forever chemicals, the potential adverse health effects will continue to grow as the substances accumulate in the environment,” Chaplin said. 

Working with Chaplin on the project are Sangil Kim, associate professor of chemical engineering; Ahmed Abokifa, assistant professor of civil, materials and environmental engineering; and scientists from Argonne National Laboratory, Purdue University, and other industrial collaborators, who also received funding for the project. 

 

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Originally Appeared Here

Published 20 minutes ago

Submitted by Qualcomm Inc.

MÉRIDA, Mexico, August 1, 2022 /CSRwire/ – Qualcomm Incorporated, through its Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ initiative; the City Council of Tekax; the Secretariat of Sustainable Development of Yucatan, the Social Intelligence Unit; Grupo LAN, Kanan Kab Protección del Mundo A.C., and Colectividad Razontura today announced the expansion of the Smart Water project to reach communities in Tekax.

In this next phase, the Smart Water project will serve nearly 1,000 households who access water from the aquifer. The project uses a 4G wireless network, smart sensors powered by Qualcomm® wireless technology and the Dime H2O mobile application.

Through the Smart Water app, real-time and accurate data is shared with community members to increase awareness and understanding of water quality and care in the local community. The Internet of Things (IoT) sensor-based system sends alerts to water authorities when water quality parameters are out of the normal range, enabling corrective actions.

Since 2019, the Smart Water project has been leveraging Qualcomm-enabled technology to provide accurate and real-time data to local water authorities and community members in the City of Merida, the largest city in the Yucatán state.

In Merida and Tekax, the only source of drinking water is an aquifer system that is highly vulnerable to contamination from human activities. Having access to clean water is important, especially when a community’s sources of water are susceptible to pollution.

One of the key educational components of the project is to host Ferias del Agua (Water Fairs) where community members increase awareness about water preservation and water contamination prevention, gain water quality information, and develop skills to understand the data. These fairs and outreach events, implemented in collaboration with local community organizations, include interactive activities and encourage the use of the Dime H2O app.

“The Smart Water project contributes to the sustainable water management of our aquifers by engaging communities in keeping the aquifer free from contamination and pollution. We are very proud of our collaboration with Qualcomm through its Wireless Reach Initiative, and the SIU and working together toward improving the water quality of the city of Tekax” says Diego Avila, mayor of Tekax.

Phase I results of the Smart Water project include operational efficiencies, as well as more effective management and improved public knowledge of water quality:

• 80% less time spent by government personnel collecting measurements.
• 88% of Water Quality Index measurements were within Mexican water quality standards due to the improved water quality monitoring process in the water authority.
• Nearly 100% of household representatives reported an increase in confidence in water quality knowledge after participating in the water education campaign activities.

“The Smart Water project uses our company’s IoT innovations to pioneer an efficient and effective path to improve drinking water quality and, by extension, public health,” says Hector Marin, Senior Director, Government Affairs, QUALCOMM International, Inc.

About Qualcomm  

Qualcomm is the world’s leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind the development, launch and expansion of 5G. When we connected the phone to the internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our foundational technologies enable the mobile ecosystem and are found in every 3G, 4G and 5G smartphone. We bring the benefits of mobile to new industries including automotive, internet of things and computing, and we are leading the way to a world where everything and everyone can communicate and interact seamlessly. 

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, together with its subsidiaries, covering all of our engineering, research and development functions, and all of our products and services businesses, as well as including our QCT semiconductor business.  

About Qualcomm Wireless Reach Initiative  

Wireless Reach invests in sustainable projects that demonstrate innovative uses of wireless technology to strengthen economic and social development globally. Our projects foster entrepreneurship, aid in public safety, enhance the delivery of health care, enrich teaching and learning, and improve environmental sustainability. Since 2006, Wireless Reach has benefitted more than 20 million people. 

Qualcomm and Wireless Reach are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. 

Qualcomm products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

About The SIU

The Social Intelligence Unit (SIU) is a think tank devoted to measuring the social impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). SIU dedicates its efforts to promote initiatives that, through the use of digital technologies, improve people’s lives. Our analysist focus on the impact of broadband adoption, mobile apps, internet access, telecommunications infrastructure development, and gender gap in ICT access.

For more information about our studies, articles and analysis, visit SIU’s website, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

About Kanan Kab

Kanan Kab Protección del Mundo,  A.C. is a non-profit organization  that contributes to the formation of a deep environmental awareness, promotes the conservation and sustainable use of the forest ecosystems of the City of Merida and the State of Yucatan, supporting the elaboration and implementation of conservation and reforestation strategies,  and working together with the community, civil organizations, academic institutions, the private sector and municipal, state and federal government agencies.

About Colectividad Razonatura

Colectividad Razonatura A.C. has emerged as a non-profit organization, supporting and promoting sustainable development and natural resources conservation around Mexico. Razonatura was conceived by professionals specialized in a variety of research and expertise areas to promote development alternatives and the rational use of natural resources, as well as the promotion of the social equality in harmony with the environment.

About Grupo LAN

Grupo LAN has a 22 years-experience providing technology infrastructure and software turnkey solutions, developing customized solutions to optimize our clients’ operation. In our portfolio there are software and mobile applications developed for world class companies with important positive impacts in their operations.

Qualcomm Inc.

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Originally Appeared Here

Junghyo Yoon, a postdoctoral associate at MIT, drinks purified seawater to demonstrate his team’s process (Credit: MIT/YouTube)

A team of researchers have been busy creating a portable unit that transforms saltwater into fresh drinking water.

The briefcase-sized gadget was invented by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) earlier this year.

While most desalination units are large, heavy and expensive, this solution is portable and works at the press of a button.

There are no filters or high-pressure pumps required to treat the water, as it uses a process called Ion Concentration Polarization (ICP) that was conceived almost a decade ago.

Using electrically-charged membranes above and below the water, ICP repels the salt particles as they pass through.

The membranes repel positively or negatively charged particles — including salt molecules, bacteria, and viruses — as they flow past. The charged particles are funneled into a second stream of water that is eventually discharged.

The process removes both dissolved and suspended solids, allowing clean water to pass through the channel. Since it only requires a low-pressure pump, ICP uses less energy than other techniques.

In April, the team posted a video showing how it works.

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The researchers found this process on its own couldn’t remove all the salt, so they paired it with a second technique called electrodialysis to catch any remaining salt ions.

The desalination unit uses a process called ICP to separate the salt from the water (Credit: MIT/YouTube)

To test the device, the MIT researchers said the took it to a beach and, on the first go, it was able to successfully turn seawater into drinking water.

‘It was successful even in its first run, which was quite exciting and surprising,’ said Jongyoon Han, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science and of biological engineering, and a member of the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE).

‘But I think the main reason we were successful is the accumulation of all these little advances that we made along the way.’

The implications for this technology are, of course, life-changing. It could be used in developing nations where access to drinking water is limited. Or it could be used to help refugees or military operations where water procurement can be difficult.

MORE : Indian politician drinks ‘holy water’ but ends up with a stomach infection

MORE : Take the plunge: WaterAid invites you to take part in 12 weeks of swimming for charity

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DELRAY BEACH — The city of Delray Beach hasn’t been able to completely stop the persistent drip of bad news flowing from its water issues, and Monday brought more of it. 

Christine Ferrigan, a former Utilities Department employee, has filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the city, including City Manager Terrence More and Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry.

Ferrigan’s suit comes only two months after she filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city, alleging she was terminated for bringing water treatment problems to the state’s attention when her managers were unresponsive to her concerns.

In Monday’s filing, Ferrigan claims she was fired from her position as industrial pre-treatment inspector for Delray Beach after she alerted the Florida Department of Health and Palm Beach County Office of Inspector General that partially treated sewage water was contaminating residents’ drinking water and making them sick.

“First of all, it was wrong what they did to me. It’s against the law,” Ferrigan said. “Second, no one should be silenced for speaking out, or attacked or terminated, especially when it’s on something so important as water quality issues, public health and safety.”

Previous lawsuit:Whistleblower files suit against Delray, saying she was fired after warning of water issues

Water issues:‘Long overdue,’ Delray Beach receives nearly $11 million to help fund new water treatment plant

More coverage:Water main break in Delray leaves dozens without water, creates sinkhole that swallows car

Delray Beach has paid more than $1 million, in addition to a $1 million fine, to address longstanding water-treatment problems. It also has replaced a city manager and a Utilities Department director, and is building a new water treatment plant.

“Christine Ferrigan was trying to prevent a Delray Beach version of the Flint water crisis,” Ezra Bronstein, an attorney representing Ferrigan, said in a prepared statement. “The city’s decision to silence her rather than fix the water problems put the public at risk and discourages other city employees from speaking up about public health concerns.”

In her whistleblower lawsuit, Ferrigan is asking for back pay, attorneys’ fees, and expenses and compensatory damages. She’s also seeking a promotion she was denied or a comparable position. And she wants her son — whom she says was fired from his city job in retaliation against her — reinstated with back pay and benefits.

“Whistleblowers are the most effective way to keep the government honest,” Ferrigan said. “They expose corruption and prevent things from happening.”

The city says Ferrigan’s job was eliminated as part of a municipal reorganization. 

In 2008, Ferrigan filed a similar lawsuit against the city of Boca Raton, where she had been a 23-year Utility Services employee.

In that case, Ferrigan claimed she was fired because she reported drinking water safety violations to state regulators after city officials ignored her concerns. The city’s lawyer said Ferrigan was fired for job performance reasons.

A settlement was eventually reached. Ferrigan received $322,500. Boca Raton admitted no wrongdoing.

Delray Beach has a long history of water problems

“City of Delray Beach drinking water meets all health advisory standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Health,” the city’s Water Utilities Department site says. “Our drinking water is tested daily. The results are submitted to the Florida Department of Health.” 

Ferrigan was hired by Delray Beach in 2017 as an industrial pre-treatment inspector. In November 2018, the city’s Utilities Department began fielding phone calls from residents who complained of smelly and discolored drinking water. Some said they or their pets were getting sick, Ferrigan says.

Ferrigan told Utilities Department managers the water she saw during her inspections looked like reclaimed water — partially treated wastewater intended for watering lawns, not drinking, suggesting possible backflow problems in the distribution system.

Ferrigan asked management for a list of backflow-prevention devices that had been installed by the city, but her request was ignored, her lawsuit alleges. Some 581 homes either had improperly installed backflow preventers or none at all.

In December 2018, Ferrigan says she was directed to begin cross-connection inspections, starting with a beachfront mansion on South Ocean Boulevard owned by Russell Weiner, the billionaire founder of Rockstar energy drink. She discovered a cross-connection contamination issue and reported it, she says.

Her managers disclosed the cross-connection problem to the Florida Department of Health, but not the fact that some residents had recently reported becoming sick, Ferrigan’s lawsuit contends. Ferrigan had been instructed by her superiors not to cooperate with the state Health Department or Palm Beach County Office of the Inspector General, she alleges.

She eventually was interviewed by both agencies. She also provided help to a national environmental nonprofit organization.

Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today.

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Originally Appeared Here

Claims circulating on social media that the recent outbreak of diarrhea in Toril and Matina districts in Davao City was caused by water contamination is partly false and needs context.

Several Facebook pages and users cautioned residents in those areas against drinking water directly from the tap operated by the Davao City Water District (DCWD) allegedly because of contamination.

A user posted:

“Please be reminded…

Matina to Toril, AMOEBIASIS OUTBREAK po, suka kalibang please mag amping ang tanan. Ayaw sa mog inom sa mga tap water. Kung mahimo pabukali daan ang tubig. Daghan cases sa atong lugar. Puno puno tanan ang hospitals. God bless us all

(There’s an outbreak of amoebiasis from Toril to Matina, with patients suffering from diarrhea and vomiting. Please take care. Don’t drink tap water. If you drink, boil the water. There are plenty of cases in our areas and hospitals are filled up.)”

A post on July 17 by 91.5 Brigada News FM-Davao brought up the viral online complaints and asked its followers whether their tap water had made them ill.

“TAP WATER DAOT? Wala-tuo karon ang mabasang reklamo sa tubig gikan sa gripo sa nagkadaiyang dapit sa Davao City nga matud pa makadaot og tiyan? (Tap water contaminated? Lots of complaints regarding tap water in different parts of Davao City that allegedly causes stomach ache?)”

The Brigada post, as of 27 July, has gathered 398 reactions, 158 comments and 348 shares.

During the same day, the City Government of Davao has confirmed the diarrhea cases only in Toril District, and not in Matina, and that it has been providing assistance to the patients.

For its part, the DCWD denied that there was contamination of its water supply in the aforesaid areas. 

The DCWD said the investigation of its water sources in Toril and Matina revealed that its chlorination facilities were working 100%, and the chlorine residual was within the normal limits of 0.8 parts per million which could eliminate bacteria that could cause waterborne diseases, including diarrhea.

On 28 July, the City Health Office (CHO) cleared DCWD’s water pipes of being contaminated before the metering devices, with cases of diarrhea attributed mostly to food-borne bacteria, and some due to broken water connections after the metering devices. https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2022/07/contaminated-street-food-caused-diarrhea-outbreak-in-davao-health-official/

The outbreak affected multiple barangays in Toril with a validated number of 217 cases and six deaths as of 28 July.

In a statement, the CHO cautioned the public against eating street foods that are not properly handled, as it echoed the findings of the DCWD that the water supply in those areas is not contaminated and is safe for drinking.

“Testing showed that water samples taken for microbial analysis before the metering devices are negative of bacteria, but water samples taken after the metering devices have statistically significant number of positive results,” Dr. Ashley Lopez, acting city health officer, said.

He noted that a number of diarrhea cases occurred in pipelines after the metering devices that were submerged in dirty or canal water.

As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes leads or suggestions from the public to potential fact-check stories. (Yas D. Ocampo / MindaNews)

(This fact-check piece was produced with the support of Internews’ Philippine Fact-Checker Incubator Project.)

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Originally Appeared Here

Something as simple as drinking tap water is exposing millions of Illinoisans to toxic chemicals that build up in human blood, cause cancer and other diseases and take years to leave the body.

Scientists call the chemicals per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. They are commonly known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down in the environment.

Despite plenty of warning signs, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency didn’t begin testing the state’s water utilities for PFAS until August 2020. Then state and local officials downplayed the results, burying notices filled with technical jargon on government websites.

Until now the scope of PFAS problems in Illinois remained unknown. More than 8 million people in the state — 6 out of every 10 Illinoisans — get their drinking water from a utility where at least one forever chemical has been detected, according to a Chicago Tribune investigation that included a computerized analysis of test results and a review of court documents, government records and scientific studies.

Tracy Lehr, who has lived at the Criswell Court mobile home park in Joliet for 21 years, said she drinks and cooks with bottled water because the park’s well is unreliable. Lehr said she wasn’t informed that 2021 testing of the well water found toxic PFAS chemicals at levels up to 1,800 times higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s latest health advisory. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

“It’s disgusting and overwhelming at the same time,” said Ellen Meeks Rendulich, co-director of a grassroots environmental group in Will County, where the state found PFAS in a dozen communities, including the Criswell Court mobile home park in Joliet.

Tracy Lehr remembered that state officials came twice last year to test a well on the property. Lehr, who has lived in Criswell Court for 21 years, said she and her neighbors were never warned their water is contaminated with PFAS at levels up to 1,800 times higher than the latest federal health advisory.

“I’ve never trusted the water here,” Lehr said as she pointed to shrink-wrapped packs of bottled water stacked throughout her trailer.

>>> Read the full story here

Sludge from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is dumped and spread on farms field in Will County on June 15, 2022. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Farmers on the edges of suburbia are encouraged to spread sludge on their fields by local officials, farm bureaus, university extension agents — even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

But despite assurances the practice is safe and legal, sewage sludge is contaminating thousands of acres of northeast Illinois farmland with toxic forever chemicals, a Chicago Tribune investigation has found.

During the past six years alone, federal records show, more than 615,000 tons of sludge from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago has been plowed into 29,000 acres near the nation’s third largest city.

Only the Greater Los Angeles area distributed more sludge to farmers during the period.

Meanwhile, researchers have concluded there is ample evidence that PFAS end up in crops and livestock.

>>> Read the full story here

Farmer Ray Dettmering checks on a sprayer outside his home in Peotone on July 22, 2022. Dettmering said he didn’t know about toxic forever chemicals prior to a conversation with the Tribune. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

During the past six years, federal records show, more than 615,000 tons of sludge from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago has been plowed into 29,000 acres near the nation’s third largest city. (All of that land combined is roughly the size of west suburban Aurora.)

Researchers and public health advocates are increasingly concerned because some PFAS build up in human blood, take years to leave the body and don’t break down in the environment. Others transform over time into more hazardous compounds, increasing the risk that grains, beans, hay and produce grown in sludge-amended soil could be tainted for years to come.

>>> Read the full story here

Water is pumped from the Harrison-Dever water intake crib in Lake Michigan through a tunnel that runs underneath the lake to the James W. Jardine Water Purification Plant. Worrisome concentrations of PFAS have been found in Chicago, which provides treated Lake Michigan water to more than 5 million people in the city and suburbs. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

The Tribune identified 1,654 potential sources of PFAS statewide through a national analysis of industry codes that designate the type of products manufactured or used at a particular factory. Only California, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Florida have more facilities on the list of suspected polluters.

>>> Read the full story here

The DuPont Washington Works plant along Ohio River in Parkersburg, West Virginia, is shown in this undated photo. (The Marietta Times/AP)

The chemicals have been added to nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, cosmetics, firefighting foams, food packaging and other products that resist grease, oil and water.

PFAS persist in the environment and accumulate in people, animals and aquatic life. These “forever chemicals” are in the blood of nearly every American, including newborn babies.

>>> Read the full story here

DuPont’s Washington Works plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia. (Maddie McGarvey/for the Washington Post)

If Wilbur Earl Tennant’s cows hadn’t died from a mysterious wasting disease during the 1990s, the world might have never learned about the secret history of toxic forever chemicals.

>>> Read the full story here

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Originally Appeared Here

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Dubuque County Conservation has been making steady progress in developing its canoeing and kayaking infrastructure, with the intended destination of a full, countywide water trail in the coming years.

The development of kayaking opportunities was identified as a top priority through public input gathered during the department’s long-term strategic planning process in 2020. In response, Dubuque County funded a recently completed project at Bowstring Wildlife Area to create better water access for paddlers and further the county’s water quality improvement goals.

The conservation department recently finished a streambank stabilization project in the wildlife area along Lytle Creek, a project that included seeding the banks with prairie grasses. Workers installed a crossing on the creek so conservation staff can maintain the prairie, but it also will serve as a kayak launch point.

“We have a graveled path down to the creek and are in the process of developing a parking lot so people can put in or pull out more easily,” said Brian Preston, Dubuque County Conservation executive director.

The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports the effort fits in with plans to establish a state-designated water trail in Dubuque County. Preston said parking and ease of access for paddlers are some of the things a water trail can provide.

“A water trail is similar to a hiking trail where you have a designated route for people to access and get in,” he said. “It’s really to make it safer. People are already using those streams. So we want to keep people from parking on roadways, getting them safe, apparent access points.”

County conservation staff applied for and received an Iowa Department of Natural Resources water trail development planning grant, through which the state pays for the creation of a plan for a county to establish a water trail. Preston said the planning effort will incorporate the North Fork of the Maquoketa River, Lytle Creek and the Little Maquoketa River.

The DNR selects one county each year for this planning grant, which state Water Trails Coordinator John Wenck said can cost $60,000 to just over $70,000.

Wenck said early efforts in the planning process include gathering stakeholder feedback, which has been done in Dubuque County.

“The plans are designed to create community around the river,” he said. “We end up communicating with all the land managers. We talk to them about issues they might be having. We bring in the paddlers. We talk with law enforcement and hear any concerns they have.”

Conservation staff also have been holding public paddles, where they allow participants without their own kayaks and canoes to rent county-owned ones for $10. This helps inform the public of local paddling opportunities while conservation staff gather feedback from attendees.

Preston said information gleaned from input his department receives eventually will help keep paddlers and the public safe and protected.

“We want to inform people on what is allowed on our water,” he said. “Most of it is through private property, so getting out of the stream and going through private property is not allowed, for instance. This will also allow us to put up signage, especially about hazards — like a log jam or something if it’s in the way.”

Korrin Schriver helped co-found the Dubuque Kayak and Paddlers group on Facebook with her husband, Sean Schriver. She said she was excited about the county’s efforts.

“This will help people who maybe don’t have consistent access to kayaks know these systems are here,” she said. “(Public paddles are) a great way to get people exposed to kayaking and canoeing. And the more new launches they put in, the easier it is going to be for people — especially those with mobility issues — to get started.”

Having a plan and designated state water trail can help secure future funding from the Iowa DNR.

“We have a pot of money every year that goes to funding projects like new accesses, ease of access improvement,” Wenck said. “The grants are scored in such a way that favors designated trails.”

Dubuque County will be the second area county to finish a water trail plan. Delaware County officials previously developed one for the Maquoketa River, which helped lead to the development of Manchester Whitewater Park.

“They had a little head dam they mitigated and created a whitewater park instead of it,” Wenck said. “There were a lot of funding sources for that, but we were one.”

Wenck said the amount of money given to the state’s water trails program by the state Legislature has fluctuated. The current fiscal year’s budgeted amount is $1.5 million.

Wenck said he is excited to help showcase Dubuque County’s unique water features.

“Dubuque County is unique in that these rivers or water bodies they’re developing as water trails are narrow, sinuous,” he said. “It’s going to be hard to rate many of those as beginner, but people come from out of state to these stretches.”

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Kokernag, July 26: Located near the famous spring, Kokernag and barely 20 kilometres away from the district headquarters of Anantnag, Anderwan, a small hamlet, has no potable water supply.

They have to walks miles down and up the hill to fetch from a nallah as they risk their lives while crossing through dense forest where wild animals have been seen roaming in broad day light

The picturesque village in Sagam area of Kokernag has around 150 households comprising of more than 400 inhabitants.

Ironically, the inhabitants have never seen a proper water supply to their homes even as the fresh water from the nearby, Kokernag, feeds thousands of people living several kilometres away from this place.

“It is unfortunate that we the inhabitants living in the vicinity of Kokernag have never seen water being provided up to our home and are forced to drink dirty water from a nallah which is unfit for consumption. Who would believe that the waters feeding Asia’s largest Trout Fish farm is just a couple of kilometres away from our village but we are being deprived of the same waters for decades now,” says a local Panch, Riyaz Ahmed.

The women folk of this area are forced to go downhill to fetch the water from a polluted source, be it winters or any other season.

“We have been fetching water in pitchers all our lives from three kilometres down this hillock while passing through dense corn fields. Water for drinking and cleaning purposes has to be fetched every day and all the women folk make two trips, one in the morning and one in the evening which suffices just for cooking and drinking,” says a local resident, Amina Bano.

 It takes more than three hours of our daily schedule to collect and bring water to our households, for some who live in the upper mountains it takes more,, she adds.

The fetching of water is not the only concern or trouble these inhabitants face on daily basis. Since the village lies on hilly terrain with dense forests, the wild animals roam the area almost every day, especially in winters.

“The task of fetching water becomes riskier during the winter months as the track downhill becomes slippery. Many women have suffered fractures after falling. Bears and Leopards roam our village even during the day in winter,” says Farida Bano, another local.

She said that in 2014, her daughter, who was in her teens then, was attacked by a bear while accompanying her for fetching water from the nallah.

“A bear while seeing us heading towards nallah, pounced on her and grievously injured her.”

 Farida adds that her daughter remains handicapped since that day as her head and leg suffered extensive damage in this attack.

“Had there been a water supply to our households, my daughter would not have met such a fate,” she says.

 The villagers have kept plastic bins on the roadside near their houses which are occasionally filled by the water tanker of Jal Shakti department.

“The water tankers from Jal Shakti department do come once in ten days and fill the water tanks and plastic bins we have kept outside on the road but with such a huge population how much these tanks will fulfil our needs,” adds Riyaz, the Panch of Andarwan village.

He alleges that the MLAs and even Ministers from their area duped them. “They would seek our votes on the promise of providing water supply to our homes but never did any of them live up to their promise.”

 “A couple of concrete water tanks were constructed in the vicinity which receives a few litres of water in the event of rainfall from a tiny underground water source. It mostly remains filled with dead rodents, cats and dogs hence leaving even that small amount of water unfit for consumption,” he adds

An official from the Jal Shati department did acknowledge that the village is suffering for want of potable water. “However the issue is going to get addressed as the department has already initiated the process of having a proper water supply mechanism for this area.”

“The area has been recently brought under the Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme. We have made a detailed project report which has been submitted while tenders have been awarded to a local contractor. Hopefully, within the year the work will be completed and the scheme executed,” said Junior Engineer, PHE sub division Kokernag, Muzaffar Gul.

 

 

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