Water news for May 2025

The new EPA cancels regulations on PFAS

The EPA rolled back regulations on four of the innumerable “forever chemicals” that had been recently added to the regulatory list.  Now thousands of PFAS chemicals remain unregulated. For a full discussion of the PFAS regulatory dilemma, see The Pure Water Gazette.

Wealthy tech companies are exhausting water supplies of the poorest and driest areas

The poorest and driest regions of South America are being pumped dry by giant international tech companies. The Guardian. 

Trump’s Budget Request Contains Deep Cuts for the Nation’s Water Systems

On May 2nd, a letter to Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins revealed that President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for FY2026 calls for a sweeping $4.2 billion in total funding reduction for the U.S. EPA. $2.46 billion of this will be taken from the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, or SRFs — slashing 89% of the FY2025 funding.

The Clean Water SRF (CWSRF) program provides funding for water infrastructure projects such as stormwater runoff mitigation, decentralized wastewater treatment systems, and water reuse.

Similarly, the Drinking Water SRF (DWSRF) program is dedicated to supporting and protecting water supply projects. The DWSRF is designed to help communities finance the maintenance of safe drinking water — significantly, replacing aging pipelines. After the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) issued in October 2024, the importance of distribution system investment has become even more paramount. Water Online

Phylate and heart disease

A study published April 29 in the journal eBiomedicin is the first to estimate heart disease deaths from exposure to di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), a class of phthalate chemicals that are used in raincoats, food packaging, shower curtains, PVC flooring and pipes, IV bags and other items. The chemicals make plastics softer and more pliable but are associated with multiple health problems, including hormone disruption, obesity, diabetes, infertility, cancer and heart problems. New Lede

Snow Crabs

Ten billion snow crabs, 90% of the Eastern Bering Sea population, have died off on the coast of Alaska largely due to warming ocean temperatures. Smithsonian

The nation’s biggest cities are sinking, according to data from a new study on “subsidence”

Known scientifically as land “subsidence,” the most common cause of the sinking is “massive ongoing groundwater extraction,” say the study authors, though other forces are at work in some places. The cities include not just those on the coasts, where sea level rise is a concern, but many in the interior. USA Today
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EPA Lifts 2016 Emergency Order on Drinking Water in Flint, Michigan

WASHINGTON – On Monday, May 19, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the City of Flint, Michigan has completed all requirements of EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) emergency order and it will now be lifted. Since EPA issued the emergency order in January 2016, the City of Flint and the State of Michigan have worked cooperatively with EPA to address and complete all requirements. Water sampling shows that Flint’s water system is now in compliance with lead standards, a major milestone accomplished through years of cooperative federalism dating back to 2016, culminating in the termination of this emergency order.

Adios Fluoride

States are beginning to discontinue the addition of Fluoride to drinking water. The trend is growing fast. In addition, the FDA in May announced that supplemental Fluoride treatment will be removed from the market.

Texas experiencing record heat and water scarcity

Texas is experiencing a scorching, early heatwave, with temperatures across the central and southern region of the state ranging from 100F to 111F – record-breaking for this time of year. These parts of the state have recently been hotter than Death Valley, California, the hottest place on Earth. The Guardian.

Older PFAS Concentration in Foods on the Decline according to a new study

While concentrations of older “forever” chemicals appear to have decreased in many foods over the last two decades, a new study found that drinking water, along with seafood, eggs, and brown rice, still contribute to PFAS exposure in adults. More attention is needed to newer, replacement PFAS.

Food has long been considered a major source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a large class of long-lasting chemicals used in industry, consumer products, and found in the environment that are hazardous to human health. A new study led by School of Public Health researchers reveals that PFAS exposure through food appears to have declined among adults over the last two decades—but drinking water remains an important source of these chemicals. In related PFAS news, The EPA has announced it will uphold the current enforceable limits for PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion in drinking water. However, the agency plans to rescind regulations for four other PFAS compounds. Water Online.

Ten Dirtiest Beaches in CA

The LA Times listed the state’s 10 dirtiest beaches.  LA Times for the full article.

Last week, environmental groups decried plans from the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind and “reconsider” drinking water limits for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, compounds linked to cancer and damage to the immune and endocrine systems, among other health effects.

The limits had been finalized by Joe Biden’s administration last April as part of an effort to limit people’s exposure to hazardous “forever chemicals.” Out of a total of more than 10,000 known PFAS, they targeted just six of the most concerning ones. The Trump administration’s EPA said it would retain the limits for two of the PFAS but give utilities more time to comply with them and scrap the others. One advocate called the EPA’s move a loss for public health and a “victory for chemical companies.”

But how protective were the Biden regulations to begin with? And how much of a difference will it make to pare them back?

On the one hand, experts agree that backtracking is not in the public’s interest. Virtually everyone has PFAS coursing through their veins, and specific kinds like PFOS and PFOA are known or likely to contribute to kidney and testicular cancers. The other compounds originally regulated by the Biden administration have been linked to elevated cholesterol, heart disease, and an increased risk of diabetes.

The chemicals have become so ubiquitous in people and the environment because of their use in everything from outdoor clothing to cooking utensils and food packaging. Runoff from firefighting foam, infused with the chemicals, has contributed to widespread drinking water contamination, along with manufacturers’ deliberate dumping of the chemicals into rivers — despite knowing about their health risks.

Once they’re created, PFAS don’t break down naturally; hence the moniker “forever chemicals.” Regulating them is an “important win,” experts have said, one that “allows the country to begin cleaning up the mess in its water.”

But the fight over drinking water limits for individual PFAS distracts from the larger context that there are thousands of types, and scientists suspect they all have similar health effects. Even last year, when the Biden administration first announced its national drinking water standards, scientists criticized it for addressing PFAS on a chemical-by-chemical basis. “The EPA is trying to regulate six forever chemicals. Just 10,000 to go,” as the title of an op-ed by one Harvard researcher put it.

Erik Olson, a senior strategist for the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, said the U.S. is “stuck in a Whac-a-Mole game” with PFAS, in which only the best researched compounds are regulated. Lesser-known compounds may be just as toxic — thanks to their similar chemical structures — but escape regulations just because they haven’t been studied, he added. “What we need to do is control PFAS as a class.”

Of the six forever chemicals targeted by the Biden administration’s original policy, PFOA and PFOS are the most prevalent and, consequently, they’ve been researched the most extensively. Those compounds got the strictest drinking water limits of 4 parts per trillion, the lowest level at which they can be detected, reflecting scientists’ understanding that there is no safe exposure level for them. Three additional compounds — PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX — were given a contamination limit of 10 parts per trillion. Water utilities were instructed to use a “hazard index” to monitor a sixth chemical, called PFBS, as well as mixtures of the chemicals.

The Trump EPA said it would keep the PFOA and PFOS drinking water limits but give utilities until 2031 to comply with them, instead of 2029. The rules for the other four compounds will be scrapped and reevaluated. The EPA said it intends to finalize its replacement regulations by next spring.

A statement from EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the extended timeline for PFOA and PFOS would provide “common-sense flexibility” to utilities, some of which sued the EPA over its regulations last year. The utilities said the EPA’s new rule was too strict and would cause unreasonable compliance costs.

A spokesperson for the EPA told Grist that the process by which the agency had “promulgated the preliminary regulatory determinations simultaneously with the proposed regulation” for PFNA, PFHxS, GenX, and PFBS under the Biden administration “was inappropriate and may not comply with the statutory requirements of [the] Safe Drinking Water Act.” With regard to the rescissions, they said that “while EPA cannot predetermine the outcome, it is possible” that the agency will issue more stringent requirements this spring.

Daniel Jones, an emeritus professor of molecular biology at Michigan State University, said the impacts of the Trump administration’s reversal will depend on geography. Communities primarily affected by PFOS and PFOA may not be greatly affected, since the standards for those chemicals remain in place — albeit with an extended timeline for compliance. To meet the standards, water utilities will likely have to install something like an activated carbon filtration system, he said, which is effective at removing “long-chain” PFAS like PFOA and PFOS, which have a larger chemical structure than compounds like GenX.

Putting these filtration systems into place will thankfully sweep up more PFAS than just PFOA and PFOS, Jones said.

States like North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia, however, face disproportionate contamination from GenX due to production facilities concentrated there. This contamination could continue unabated if the standard for the compound is eliminated. According to Olson, some of the technologies that remove PFOS and PFOA are not as effective at attracting GenX. “To really control the full suite of PFAS, we need to go to more advanced technologies like tight membranes, like reverse osmosis,” he said.

Some water utilities may opt for these more advanced — and expensive — technologies if they believe that they will eventually be required to test for and limit a much larger number of PFAS, Olson added.

Although Jones is disappointed that the EPA intends to drop regulations for the four PFAS, he said he is more concerned about a single clause in the EPA’s press release, about the EPA’s intent to establish a “federal exemption framework” for the PFOS and PFOA limits. The release contains no further information about what this would entail, but Jones worries it could allow water utilities to circumvent the federal government’s water quality requirements altogether. “It seems that an exemption framework is likely to open the door to say, ‘This is going to cost too much, you don’t have to do it,’” he said.

The EPA spokesperson said exemptions would not allow utilities to violate regulations: “Rather, they allow additional time to find a compliance solution.”

Jones also raised concerns about funding for further PFAS research, including investigations on how exposure to mixtures of the chemicals may impact human health. One of his federal grants for PFAS research was recently cut by the Trump administration, he said, and a colleague at Michigan State University studying PFAS on farms has also had his funding rescinded.

In addition to regulating PFAS by groups or as a class, Jones said the EPA should set pollution standards using what’s known as the “precautionary principle,” which doesn’t require definitive evidence about a chemical’s harms before it can be regulated. “In some countries, if you want to release a chemical into the environment you have to show it’s safe,” he said. “The U.S. usually takes the opposite approach and says, ‘You can use these chemicals … and if we find that there’s a problem, then we’ll come up and regulate [them].’”

Olson believes the EPA’s alterations to the PFAS rules are in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act’s “anti-backsliding provision,” which says any revision the EPA proposes to a drinking water standard must be at least as protective of public health as the previous one. The law also caps compliance timelines at five years, whereas postponing the PFOS and PFOA compliance deadline to 2031 would give water utilities seven years.

“Ultimately, we need to be phasing these chemicals out,” Olson added. “We have to turn off the spigot and stop using these things so that five generations from now, our great-great-great grandchildren won’t be dealing with them.”

This article originally appeared in Grist.

Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at Grist.org.

Pure Water Gazette Fair Use Statement

Article Source: Water Online.

Installing Your Reverse Osmosis Membrane, or Replacing Your Existing Membrane

 

Source: Water Online

Water News.  April 2025

Tensions over Kashmir and a warming planet have placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty on life support

Today, more than 300 million people rely on the Indus River Basin for their survival.

This has put increased pressure on the precious source of water that sits between India and Pakistan. The effects of global warming, and the continued fighting over the disputed region of Kashmir, has only added to those tensions. Excellent analysis in The Conversation

US/Mexico Water Treaty at a Standoff

Drought is preventing both the US and Mexico from fulfilling obligations of the 1944 Colorado River water treaty. 65% of Mexico is under drought conditions and the northern states are being hit hardest.

Shocking Amounts of Raw Sewage Are Being Released into England’s Waterways

In a new report released in April, the UK’s Environment Agency (EA) revealed a staggering figure: water companies released raw sewage into England’s waterways for 3.61 million hours in 2024. While some spilling is legal, scientists are raising alarms about the potential danger to the public.

“These figures are disgraceful and are a stark reminder of how years of underinvestment have led to water companies discharging unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes, and seas,” said Environment Secretary Steve Reed, per BBC News.

Due to the UK’s combined sewer system, both rainwater and wastewater are carried in the same pipes. Wastewater is usually treated at a sewage treatment works, but during heavy rainfall, the sewage works are at risk of being inundated. To prevent backups to the system, which could allow sewage into homes and streets, the excess flow goes straight into waterways.  Water Online.

Utah Bans Fluoridation of Water

Utah has become the first US state to ban the decades-old practice of adding fluoride to public water supplies, due in part to a mix of health concerns about the practice.  Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed the new law, prohibiting fluoridation starting May 7. The move comes amid growing scrutiny of the practice, which started in the 1940s as a strategy to help people prevent cavities and reduce tooth decay.

Though more than 70% of the US population receives fluoridated public water supplies and many medical professionals support the practice, opposition has been growing due to studies suggesting fluoride may have neurotoxic effects on fetuses and young children. New Lede

Florida is also considering banning the fluoridation of water supplies.

Corrosion Inhibitors Category Dominates the Water Treatment Chemicals Market.

The Global Water Treatment Chemicals Market was valued at USD 36,815 million in 2024 and continued strong growth is expected.

Based on the type, the global water treatment chemicals market is segmented into organic coagulant, inorganic coagulant, flocculant, corrosion inhibitors, scale inhibitors, biocide & disinfectants, chelating agents, anti-foaming agents, PH adjusters & stabilizers, and others. Corrosion inhibitors have seen tremendous growth and development over the past few years due to their usefulness in industrial water systems such as cooling towers, boilers, and pipelines. This is primarily because these inhibitors prevent failure of expensive equipment and infrastructure through rust and corrosion, which eventually leads to very high maintenance costs. In addition, stricter environmental regulations coupled with continuous emphasis on sustainability push industries to invest in efficient corrosion control solutions, driving demand in the market even further.  UnivDatos.

The World’s Most Beautiful Sewage Treatment Plant

A stunning new sewage treatment plant in Arklow in Ireland has been described as the most beautiful in the world. Full story with pictures in The Guardian.

Big Tech’s Plans To Suck Water from the Nation’s Driest Regions

Amazon, Microsoft and Google are operating datacentres that use vast amounts of water in some of the world’s driest areas and are building many more.

With Donald Trump pledging to support them, the three technology giants are planning hundreds of datacentres in the US and across the globe, with a potentially huge impact on populations already living with water scarcity.

“The question of water is going to become crucial,” said Lorena Jaume-Palasí, founder of the Ethical Tech Society. “Resilience from a resource perspective is going to be very difficult for those communities.”

Efforts by Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, to mitigate its water use have sparked opposition from inside the company with one of its own sustainability experts warning that its plans are “not ethical”.

In response to questions from SourceMaterial and the Guardian, spokespeople for Amazon and Google defended their developments, saying they always take water scarcity into account. Microsoft declined to provide a comment.

Full story in The Guardian.

2024 Was A Record-Setting Year

The devastating impacts of the climate crisis reached new heights in 2024, with scores of unprecedented heatwaves, floods and storms across the globe, according to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization. The WMO’s report on 2024, the hottest year on record, sets out a trail of destruction from extreme weather. The Guardian

The Mississippi Tops the List of America’s Most Endangered Rivers

The Mississippi River ranks as the nation’s most endangered river as federal plans to cut flood relief programs meet with a rise in severe weather, a new report warns.

American Rivers, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization, said the threats to the Mississippi River – which provides water for nearly 20 million people – come as communities along the lower river flooded from torrential rain in early April, and as Trump administration officials consider eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which helps state and local governments respond to disasters. New Lede.

Water News for March 2025

Pure Water Gazette Introductory Note. The water news for March would be voluminous if we included all of the press releases from the new administration’s EPA celebrating its many regulatory rollbacks. We decided to limit our reporting to EPA administrator Lee Zeldin’s boast that he has brought about “The greatest and most consequential day in U.S. History” by tossing aside years of scientific accomplishments in order to “power the great American comeback.”  It’s hard to imagine what the great day we’re going back to looks like. Is it the smog that we want back, or the rivers that caught fire because they were laden with chemicals?

Those who were around in 1980 may be reminded of a very similar situation where a president appointed an agency head who was opposed to the mission of the agency.  James G. Watt as Secretary of the Interior did not work out well.  Watt, a religious zealot, believed that the end of the world was just around the corner and there was, therefore, no reason to protect the environment. Who cares about the forests or water quality if God is going to burn the place down anyway?  (For some reason, accumulating wealth in a soon-to-end world did not fall under this logic.)  Watt’s reign of terror lasted only a couple of years.  President Reagan sent him packing after an outrageous racial slur brought public opinion crashing down on him. (No one, by the way, accused the president of being “woke.” Decency was decency before it was mandated by DEI.)

Here is the new EPA administrator congratulating himself:

“The Greatest and Most Consequential Day in U.S. History”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency will undertake 31 historic actions in the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history, to advance President Trump’s Day One executive orders and Power the Great American Comeback. Combined, these announcements represent the most momentous day in the history of the EPA. While accomplishing EPA’s core mission of protecting the environment, the agency is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to unleash American energy, lower cost of living for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, restore the rule of law, and give power back to states to make their own decisions. EPA Statement.

“Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.  Water Online.

New EPA Director Plans to Strip Agency of Chemists, Toxicologists, Biologists and Other Experts

The New York Times reported that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin submitted a plan to the White House to dismantle the agency’s Office of Research and Development. The proposal called for eliminating 50% to 75% of the office’s 1,500 or so chemists, toxicologists, biologists, and other experts who conduct essential research to inform federal policies.

The background: The research office plays a critical role in the agency’s mission to safeguard public health and the environment. It works alongside EPA offices that oversee air and water quality, chemical safety, toxic chemicals, and children’s health and is responsible for answering key questions that others within the agency rely on to develop policies. The office’s research has informed policymaking on algal blooms, soot, formaldehyde, and PFAS, among many other health threats.

The implications: Laying off most of the office’s staff, many of whom are career scientists, would leave the EPA without the independent and rigorous science needed to develop effective regulations. Without the office, the EPA might develop policies ungrounded in research or simply rely upon science funded by the very industries it regulates. Eos.

NYC Water Supply Threatened by Road Salt

The suburban reservoirs that supply 10% of New York City’s vaunted drinking water are getting saltier due to decades of road salt being spread near the system — and they will eventually have to be abandoned if nothing is done to reverse the trend, city officials warn.

The plug wouldn’t have to be pulled until early next century, according to a new study. But the soaring saltiness could eventually affect the famous taste of the Big Apple’s water, which is sometimes called the champagne of tap water, and poses a challenge to managers of a system that serves more than 9 million people.  MSN.

The Consequences of Retreating Glaciers

Retreating glaciers threaten the food and water supply of 2 billion people around the world, the UN has warned, as current “unprecedented” rates of melting will have unpredictable consequences.

Two-thirds of all irrigated agriculture in the world is likely to be affected in some way by receding glaciers and dwindling snowfall in mountain regions, driven by the climate crisis, according to a Unesco report. The Guardian.

Bottled Water

As droughts become more prevalent, corporate control over our drinking water is threatening the health of water sources and the access people have to them. A report explores how foreign multinational companies are extracting billions of liters of water from natural aquifers to sell back to the same communities from which it came – for huge profits.  The Guardian.

EPA to revisit “Waters of the United States”

The “Waters of the United States” rule has undergone many changes, revisions, and reinterpretations since it was first introduced during the Obama administration.  The controversial part of the rule involves the regulation of temporary streams that eventually empty their pollution into the nation’s lakes and rivers. Case in point: A rural family pipes its raw sewage into a ditch downwind of the home. Eventually, rain washes the sewage from the ditch to a small stream that feeds into a larger stream. Under the Waters of the United States rule, the rural home is responsible for disposing of the sewage so that it does not contaminate the nation’s water.  The question is, does the government have the right to tell the homeowner what he can dump into the ditch on his own property? Water Online

Colorado River

The fate of the Colorado River has become a hard question with the Trump budget cuts.  Water Online 

Is Texas Going Dry?

A recent assessment shows that Texas is “on the brink of running out of water” and points out that much of the problem results from aging infrastructure.  The amount of water lost in Texas water systems every day is “enough to meet the total annual municipal needs of Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, Laredo and Lubbock combined,” according to the Texas Tribune.  Water Online  

Coca Cola Leads the World in Plastics Pollution of Water

By 2030, Coca-Cola products will account for an estimated 602m kilograms of plastic waste entering the world’s oceans and waterways each year, according to a stark new analysis published by the non-profit Oceana.

That is enough plastic to fill the stomachs of 18m whales.

The report arrives amid mounting concerns over the human health risks posed by the spread of microplastics, which scientists increasingly link to cancer, infertility and heart disease.

“Coca-Cola is by far the largest manufacturer and seller of beverages in the world,” said Matt Littlejohn, who leads Oceana’s campaigns targeting corporate polluters.  Full article from The Guardian 

Will Acid Rain Make a Comeback?

The US could be plunged back into an era of toxic acid rain, an environmental problem thought to have been solved decades ago, due to the Donald Trump administration’s rollback of pollution protections, the scientist who discovered the existence of acid rain in North America has warned. A blitzkrieg launched by Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on clean air and water regulations could revert the US to a time when cities were routinely shrouded in smog and even help usher back acid rain, according to Gene Likens, whose experiments helped identify acidic rainwater in the 1960s.

While drastic improvements in America’s air quality have seemingly consigned acid rain to a problem belonging to a bygone era, Likens said if rules curbing toxic emissions from power plants, cars and trucks are aggressively scaled back, the specter of acid rain could again haunt the US.  Full article.

Recycling of LA Wastewater Will Take Longer than Expected–A Lot Longer

L.A.’s big plans to recycle almost all of its wastewater for drinking is likely to take a lot longer than originally proposed.

Back in 2019, former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a goal to recycle almost all of L.A.’s wastewater by 2035. But the long-awaited plan on how to actually do that pushes the timeline back more than 20 years — to 2056, though some wastewater would be recycled for drinking by 2040.

“In today’s environment where literally our sources of water are drying up before our eyes, we need to move much more quickly,” said Bruce Reznik, director of the nonprofit L.A. Waterkeeper.   Full story.

Citizens of Galicia Sue Local and National Authorities Over Water Pollution from Pig Farming

It marks the first time a court in Europe will hear a case on the human rights impacts of intensive livestock operations on water sources. Plaintiffs assert that private wells and even municipal supplies in the region are being ruined by excessive and poorly regulated pig farms. Euro News 

Time Marches On

Keeping Your Well Safe

Bacteria, viruses, and parasites can contaminate private wells. These problematic contaminants pose immediate health risks and cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted.

When harmful microorganisms enter the water supply, people can experience a host of acute symptoms—diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps—to more life-threatening illnesses like kidney failure or liver damage. Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised people are particularly vulnerable.

Microbes enter water supplies through runoff, leaking or poorly maintained septic systems, flooding, and improperly constructed or maintained wells. To prevent contamination, well owners should regularly inspect and maintain their wells and septic systems and divert runoff from them.

Wells should be tested for E. coli and coliform bacteria annually, after heavy rainfall and floods, and if anyone in the household becomes ill. UV systems help protect water from microbial contamination by providing continuous treatment without chemicals.

Advice from Viqua.

Water News for February 2025

As Usual, War Is Catastrophic to Water Infrastructure

Oxfam’s initial assessment of the damage to infrastructure after the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect in late January found:

More than 80% of water and sanitation infrastructure across the Gaza Strip has been partially or entirely destroyed by Israeli attacks, including all six major wastewater treatment plants.

85% of the sewage pumping stations (73 out of 84) and networks have been destroyed. Some have been repaired but urgently require fuel to operate.

85% of small desalination plants (85 out of 103) have been partially damaged or completely destroyed.

67% of the 368 municipal wells have been destroyed. Most of the private small wells cannot function due to lack of fuel or generators.

The Guardian  

Zips Car Wash Chain Goes Under

Huge national car wash chain Zips Car Wash LLC and nine affiliates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Zips cited increased competition as one of its main problems.

We at Pure Water Products sincerely hope that it wasn’t our garden hose filter with softening cartridge that brought Zips down because we always advise that the most environmentally friendly place to wash your car is not in your driveway but in a professional car wash establishment. Your neighborhood professional car wash business uses less water and disposes of chemicals much better than home car wash setups. See The Environmental Consequences of Having a Clean Car.

Water Preferences of Cut Flowers

Research indicates that most cut flowers prefer warm water over cold water and that water depth in the vase should be about half the length of the flowers’ stems.

Political Stunt Wastes Billions of Gallons of Water

Under orders from President Trump, billions of gallons of irrigation water were laid to waste in California’s thirsty agricultural hub this month, a move that left water experts shocked and local officials scrambling.

The water, stored in two reservoirs operated by the army corps of engineers, is a vital source for many farms and ranches in the state’s sprawling and productive San Joaquin Valley during the driest times of the year. It will be especially important in the coming months as the region braces for another brutally hot summer with sparse supplies.

The reservoirs California reservoirs in question are also among the few the US president can control directly.

Staged to give weight to Trump’s widely debunked claims that flows could have helped Los Angeles during last month’s devastating firestorm and to show that he holds some power over California’s water, he ordered the army corps to flood the channels. Less than an hour of notice was reportedly given to water authorities down-river who rushed to prepare for the unexpected release, which threatened to inundate nearby communities. Read the full report in The Guardian.

U.S. Water and Sewer Bill Has Increased 24% In Five Years

The costs of upgrading and maintaining infrastructure of water and sewer systems in the US are on the rise.   Over the past five years, sewer costs have consistently accounted for the largest portion of household utility bills, representing approximately 59% of households’ monthly utility bills. Since 2019, sewer expenses have exceeded the costs of water provision by an average of US$19.33 per month. Water Online.
Cleanup of LA Fire Debris Is Controversial

The Palisades and Eaton fires generated a staggering amount of debris, estimated to be 4.5 million tonnes. In comparison, the devastating Maui fires of 2023 generated about 400,000 tonnes, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Those fires took three months of clean-up by the EPA, which is in charge of removing hazardous waste. But now the agency is hoping to finish their job in LA in just a month – by 25 February – after President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding the EPA “expedite the bulk removal of contaminated and general debris”.

The decision to sort through the hazardous waste along the coast has prompted protests and as the clean-up of fire debris moves at unprecedented speeds, many are asking if and when the ocean water will be safe for swimming and surfing.

Troubled waters: New U.S. policies put Canada’s water security at risk

Canadian officials are voicing concerns about water quality of the Great Lakes and other shared water resources because of lowered US water quality standards under the new administration in Washington.

According to Gail Krantzberg, professor emeritus in McMaster’s W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology, who has studied the remediation and protection of the Great Lakes for years:

“Donald Trump’s approach to regulation poses a serious threat to our waters. He believes less regulation is better. He believes in reducing regulations on industries like mining, oil exploration, and manufacturing, which often leads to higher discharge of pollutants being released into the environment. In our case, this could directly affect the Great Lakes and other water bodies in Canada. Under the Biden administration, there was a move to ban a class of substances known as PFAS. These are long-lasting synthetic chemicals that build up in our bodies and in aquatic life, leading to serious health issues like cancer, kidney and liver damage and reproductive impairment. Trump is rolling that back, allowing PFAS to remain in products, and therefore in our waters.” Brighter World. 

Several States, Led by California, Are Moving to Lock In Federal PFAS Rules

Concerns are growing about the fate of a Biden-era rule to limit toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water, with some states moving to introduce laws that would lock in place PFAS protections that could survive any potential rollback by the Trump Administration. Full story from New Lede.