Environmental Group Says That More Accurate Water Meters Are Essential

Water News in a Nutshell.

 

In a Nutshell: The National Resources Defense Council believes that more accurate water meters will save much water and much money for consumers.  Currently 10 percent of US homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day, and meter standards go way back into the last century.

 

 

Customer meters are the cash register for a utility. If not all meters are accurate then some customers are subsidizing the consumption of other customers because our rates by necessity need to recover all costs incurred by the system.—Anastasia Valdes,  Senior Resource Analyst,  San Antonio Water System.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), in a groundbreaking partnership with utilities from across the nation, submitted a proposal to the American Water Works Association (AWWA) to revise national accuracy standards for new water meters to combat the unnecessary waste of water from low-level leaks, according to a March 2013 press release.

The AWWA is the national non-profit organization that publishes standards for mechanical water meters used to measure customer water usage.

NRDC blames much water waste on antiquated water meters.  According to the press release:

Current AWWA standards need to be improved to keep up with today’s water meter technology. The minimum flow rates at which meters are required to be tested have not changed since the first AWWA standard for cold water meters was proposed in 1921. Today, a water meter commonly installed in a new single family home is only certified to be accurate for flows down to 1/4 gallon of water per minute. A continuous flow of 1/4 gallon per minute is equivalent to 360 gallons per day. Lower flows, such as those from a dripping faucet, a running toilet, or a leaky irrigation system, may run for days, weeks or months at levels below 1/4 gallon per minute, and not be fully recorded – or recorded at all – by water meters. Consumers can lose 100 gallons a day or more from unrecorded or under-recorded leakage. This type of water waste contributes to higher bills for all consumers as utilities recover the cost of these water losses through higher and more frequent rate increases.

“Water leaks are incredibly common, often lurking unseen in our homes and businesses and wasting an enormous

Minimum flow accuracy standards for water meters haven’t changed since 1921.

amount of water,” said Tracy Quinn, NRDC water policy analyst. “The costs for leaks not captured by meters are passed on to all customers and result in higher rates and more frequent rate increases. We can fix this by ensuring that utilities are supplied with more accurate water meters that can better detect hidden leaks. Stronger accuracy standards will lead to the widespread installation of more accurate meters, and major water savings will follow when homeowners fix leaks identified. At a time when we cannot afford to let a drop go to waste, these water saving measures matter more than ever.”More than one trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year and 10 percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day, often unbeknownst to homeowners, according to the US EPA’s WaterSense Program.

 

Read the entire press release here.

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Ice-Age Snake Valley Water Will Remain in Utah

Water News in a Nutshell.

 

In a Nutshell:  Utah Governor Gary Herbert won praise of environmental groups and residents of Utah’s Snake Valley by refusing to sign an agreement that would have given half of the ancient aquifer under Snake Valley to thirsty Las Vegas.  But . . . it may not be over yet.

 

After four years of negotiations, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert on Wednesday rejected an agreement with Nevada that would allow Las Vegas to pump massive amounts of groundwater from the states’ shared border.

The water comes from an ice-age aquifer under the 120-mile-long Snake Valley, which supports ranching and farming on both sides of the border.

Nevada has already signed the agreement, which took four years to negotiate and allows the Southern Nevada Water Authority to build a 263-mile pipeline stretching from rural areas on the Utah-Nevada border to Las Vegas.

Snake Valley Wetlands

In a statement announcing his decision, Herbert said he could not sign the agreement because Utah residents in the affected area oppose the deal.

“A majority of local residents do not support the agreement with Nevada,” Herbert said, “Therefore, I cannot in good conscience sign the agreement because I won’t impose a solution on those most impacted that they themselves cannot support.”

Herbert also called the agreement one of the most complex emotional issues he’d dealt with as governor.

Herbert’s lawyers have said that if he did not sign the agreement, Las Vegas will grab a share of the groundwater anyway.

Scott Huntley, spokesman for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said his agency hadn’t reviewed the decision and didn’t have immediate comment.

“This agreement was negotiated over many years and in good faith,” said Leo Drozdoff, director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “We are disappointed by this decision and we are evaluating all of our options in light of Gov. Herbert’s decision.”

Utah water attorneys have said the agreement was a better option for the state than a long court battle with Nevada.

“In the absence of these agreements, Nevada, because of its more pressing need for water, may simply appropriate the remaining available water in the Snake Valley groundwater system to the exclusion of Utah’s needs for future water supplies,” three lawyers advised Herbert in a report filed in November.

During an interview Wednesday afternoon, Herbert said Nevada will have to come back to the table with another agreement before any water is extracted.

If there’s a conflict or the state’s water is taken “inappropriately,” Utah would take the matter to court, Herbert said.

Under the deal, Snake Valley’s groundwater would have been evenly split between Utah and Nevada.

Patricia Mulroy, the general manager for the water authority, has said the deal would reduce Las Vegas’ reliance on the drought-prone Colorado River.

Herbert said last week that pumping groundwater could dry out Snake Valley, which could leave Utah’s heavily populated Wasatch Front vulnerable to dust storms and worse air pollution.

Dozens of environment groups, who have urged Herbert to reject the deal for those and other reasons, praised Herbert’s decision.

“Overall, it’s a good psychological win,” said Susan Lynn, a former coordinator with the Great Basin Water Network, which opposes the pipeline. “We think the governor was very brave and stood with the people of Utah to support their desires and wishes.”

But she also called it “a mixed blessing,” saying her group was bracing for a possible federal lawsuit by the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

Scot Rutledge, executive director of the southern Nevada-based Nevada Conservation League, said his group is concerned with the project’s environmental impacts and the potential “rate shock” consumers would bear if the expensive proposal yields less water than expected.

“We think it’s a boondoggle,” Rutledge said. “Any decision … that slows down this proposal to develop water is good news.”

The agreement called for pumping to be stopped if the water is extracted faster than it can be replaced by surrounding mountains. It would also postpone the pumping for 10 years until a review of environmental conditions is completed.

Herbert is still open to an agreement in the future, which he said would be best for both states in the long run.

“We just haven’t been able to come to an agreement that the people of Utah, particularly those most impacted, feel is in their best interest,” Herbert said. “So we have to live with the consequences, whatever they may be, of not signing the agreement. But we clearly want to leave the door open.”

 

Source: Bloomberg BusinessWeek

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How Reverse Osmosis Tanks Work and How to Take Care of Them

By Pure Water Annie

Gazette Technical Wizard Pure Water Annie Clears Up the Nagging Questions about Reverse Osmosis Tanks That Have Been Keeping You Awake

Water Flow

• A reverse osmosis tank is simply a miniature well tank. Pressure tanks on wells and RO tanks work the same way.
• Water enters and leaves the tank through the same tube.

Does Water Come Into Contact with the Plastic/Metal Shell?

• Inside the tank is a bladder made of a material called butyl. In metal tanks, the upper water compartment of the tank is lined with a plastic liner so that water does not touch the metal.  It touches only the butyl bladder, the plastic liner, and the tank spout (usually stainless steel or hard plastic) as it enters or leaves the tank.

Air Pressure and Reverse Osmosis Tanks

• There is a small air charge under the bladder. It’s the air pressure that pushes the water out of the tank when you open the faucet.
• When you purchase an RO unit or a new tank, the tank is usually pre-charged with air. But tanks are like automobile tires: you have to put air in them as part of normal maintenance.
• The air valve to check the pressure is located on the side or on the bottom of most RO tanks. It has a cap like an auto tire air cap.
• The standard air charge for undersink RO tanks is about seven psi when there is no water in the tank. You have to empty the tank of water in order to check the air pressure.
• To check the pressure accurately, you need a low pressure air gauge. You can find these at auto parts stores or hardware stores.
• To add air to the tank you need a high tech tool called a bicycle pump. These are also available at hardware stores.

Putting too much air in the tank will not give you more pressure at the faucet; it will just give you less water in the tank.

• If you want more capacity, it’s usually easier and more economical to use two (or more) standard-sized tanks rather than a large tank. To join two tanks, all you need is a single tee and some tubing. The orange tube in the picture connects the tanks to the RO unit. The tanks don’t need to be the same size or the same style. They will interact perfectly together.

Tank Capacity

• Some of the tank’s inner capacity is taken up by air and part is taken up by the bladder. Therefore, for practical purposes, the stated volume in gallons of the tank is about twice what the tank will actually hold in terms of usable water. You’ll get about two gallons of usable water from a four gallon tank. This will vary according to your inlet water pressure, the temperature of the water, the condition of the membrane and prefilter of your RO unit, and a few other variables. But don’t expect four gallons of water from a four gallon tank. On the other hand, two gallons is a lot of water unless you’re filling an aquarium or hosting a dinner party for 18.

Metal or Plastic?

• Metal tanks and plastic tanks yield water of equal quality. Plastic tanks are heavier and cost more than metal tanks, as a rule. The main advantage of plastic tanks is that the do not rust. Normally, metal tanks don’t rust if you keep them dry.

Tank Valves

• A tank valve is an essential part of the RO unit, although many cheap RO units are built without a tank valve. Without a tank valve, it is necessary to empty the tank to do a minor repair on the RO unit. The valve allows you to isolate the tank from the rest of the RO unit. This is a great advantage when you perform routine maintenance or service on the RO unit.

• Source: Pure Water Products.

Fracking and Wastewater Injection Are Being Blamed for Earthquakes

Water News in a Nutshell.

 

In a Nutshell: The U.S. Geological Survey links a 2011 earthquake in Prague, OK that destroyed 14 homes to wastewater injection by oil companies.  Wastewater injection is blamed for the high volume of earthquakes  that are currently occurring in states like Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey have linked an earthquake in Oklahoma in 2011 to the injection of oil-drilling wastewater underground. The latest research adds to a long list of studies that point to a possible relationship between fracking operations and unusual geological activity recorded in various regions across the United States.

The study, published in the journal Geology, said that the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred near Prague, Okla., on Nov. 6, 2011, could also be the largest and most devastating ever linked to hydraulic fracturing. It destroyed 14 homes and injured two people and was felt all the way to Milwaukee, more than 800 miles from the site.

Oil and gas wastewater injection well.

U.S. natural gas production generates huge amounts of wastewater, used for hydraulic fracturing to create cracks in rocks and release natural gas, and also in extraction of oil from oil wells. Either way, a significant proportion of that water has to be disposed of and one method of getting rid of it is to inject it back underground in deep wells.However, many scientists have raised concerns that this process can trigger earthquakes. Geological activity has been detected lately in places previously believed to be calm but now hosting major oil and gas projects, such as Arkansas, Texas, Ohio and Colorado.According to data from Geology, the number of earthquakes in the middle parts of the United States has increased by 11 times compared to the number recorded 30 years ago. As other studies have also pointed to a link with injecting wastewater underground, the National Academy of Sciences has called for further research into such seismic events.Still, the research from U.S. Geological Survey noted that wastewater has been pumped underground for over 17 years without causing any trouble. Researchers speculated that as wastewater filled compartments that used to be full of oil the pressure that was needed to keep the fluid going down built up, triggering the earthquake, said Heather Savage, geophysicist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and co-author of the report.

Geoffrey Abers, who also took part in the research, said that even though the amount of water injected into the well was not big, it may have caused a series of tremors that culminated in the main shock. He noted that an unexpectedly large earthquake triggered by a relatively small injection suggested that the risk of inducing big earthquakes from even small injection activities was likely to be higher than previously thought.

So far, an official account of the sequence of events has not been released and wastewater is still being injected at the site. In a statement responding to the paper, Oklahoma Geological Survey seismologist Austin Holland stated that “these earthquakes could be naturally occurring” and further investigation into the causes of the earthquake was underway.

Source: Waste Water Processing.

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Hot Tap Water Can Be a Hazard to Your Health 

Temperatures in home hot water heaters can be too high and pose a potential scald hazard for young children and seniors, according to a new study.

In the United States, burns from hot tap water result in about 1,500 hospital admissions and 100 deaths per year. Water at 140 degrees can lead to a serious burn within three seconds, while it takes 10 minutes for water at 120 degrees to cause a serious burn, according to the researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Young children and seniors have thinner skin that burns more quickly, making them more vulnerable.

Even though manufacturers adopted voluntary standards to preset hot water heaters below the recommended safety standard of 120 degrees, water heater temperatures remain dangerously high in a large number of homes, the researchers said.

They tested the temperature of hot tap water in more than 700 homes in Baltimore. Despite the fact that 99 percent of the water heaters in the homes were installed after the voluntary standard was implemented, hot water temperatures were above 120 degrees in 41 percent of the homes, and at or above 130 degrees in 27 percent of the homes.

Gas water heaters were less likely to have safe temperatures, as were water heaters that held fewer gallons per person. The researchers also found that renters were less likely to have safe hot water temperatures than homeowners.

The study appears in the March issue of the Journal of Burn Care Research.

“Delivering hot water at a consistent temperature is difficult,” lead author Wendy Shields, an assistant scientist with the Bloomberg School’s department of health policy and management, said in a school news release. “As a hot water tank is depleted, replenished and reheated, water temperature will not be constant throughout the tank. In addition, water heater thermostats are not designed to provide precise estimates of water temperatures, making it difficult for residents to assess the exact temperature.”

“One potential solution is to equip faucets with anti-scald devices, such as thermostatic mixer valves, anti-scald aerators or scald guards, but until engineering solutions can be implemented on a large scale, attention must be paid to educational messages,” Shields said. “To prevent scald burns, families should be encouraged to test hot water temperatures after adjusting gauges to ensure that a safe temperature is achieved.” 

Source: Health Day

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The Pure Water Occasional catalogs the intriguing happenings of the complex world of water.

Keeping Your Well Safe and Clean

Reprinted from the Paris Beacon News.

Floods, droughts, and power outages can affect the safety of water supplies in private wells. Being prepared for the unexpected may minimize the damage, according to Steve Wilson, hydrologist at the Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In the event of a flood, store a supply of clean water that you can use during and after the flood. Disconnect the power supply to your well to prevent any electrical damage. Also, plug the vent holes temporarily to keep debris out of the well.

If flood water overtops the well, assume that the well water is contaminated, Wilson said. Once the water recedes, have your well disinfected and sampled for bacteria before using it again.

Also, inspect your wellhead to be sure no debris got into the well. This is a particular concern if the vent screen is missing. If you think there is debris, have a contractor clean and disinfect your well.

“If the water reaches your well but doesn’t overtop it, take the precaution of disinfecting your well and have samples tested before using it again,” Wilson said.

Septic systems can also be damaged or cause contamination during floods. Make sure the access points are sealed. Your septic system should have a backflow preventer ahead of the tank to keep sewage from backing up into your home during a flood. If your septic system has its own pump, but sure to shut off the power.

In droughts, private wells can go dry. In case of a shallow dug or bored well, you may not have many options to restore the water supply to your home. These wells are built in areas without significant aquifers to store water that seeps into the well slowly.

In a very dry year, such as occurred in some locations in Illinois in 2012, the water table may have dropped below the well. In this situation, one option is to have a portable water tank as a backup system.

“You can have water delivered or haul it yourself from a municipal source, and practice conserving water until the situation changes,” Wilson said.

In some locations, a deeper well might be possible. Contact the Illinois State Water Survey to find out about your options.

When a power outage occurs, the only option is to have a backup generator to keep the well pump working. Keeping the power working is particularly important in the winter for older wells in which the piping comes to the surface. Loss of power could mean frozen pipes as well, which could burst. If you have a well house, it may be possible to use a portable propane heater to keep pipes from freezing.

Water well owners interested in learning how to maintain their own wells can take the Private Well Class, a free, step-by-step online education program to help well owners understand groundwater basics, well care best practices, and how to find assistance.

Well owners will also learn how to sample their well, how to interpret sample results, and what they can do to protect their well and source water from contamination. For more information, visit the Private Well Class website (http://www.privatewellclass.org) or e-mail info@privatewellclass.org. 

Source: Paris Beacon News

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Dr. Peter Gleick Receives a Lifetime Acheivement Award on World Water Day

As part of the World Water Day celebration,  Dr. Peter Gleick and the Pacific Institute were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Silicon Valley Water Conservation Awards ceremony in San Jose, California. Dr. Gleick is President and co-founder of the Oakland, CA organization that, over 25 years, has built a reputation in California and around the world as one of the most innovative, independent non-governmental organizations in the fields of sustainable and equitable water management.

Dr. Gleick said: “Water is closely connected to each of the vital resource issues of our time – human and ecosystem health, poverty, conflict, energy, food, sustainable communities, and strong economies.” 

Gleick is considered by many to be the world’s leading expert, innovator, and communicator on freshwater resources. He was named a MacArthur Fellow for his work and called  a “visionary on the environment” by the BBC. A member of the US National Academy of Sciences, he is author of many scientific papers and eight books, including the biennial water report, The World’s Water, Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water and as coauthor, A Twenty-First Century U.S. Water Policy.

Dr. Peter Gleick

According to WCPOnline, “Gleick and the Pacific Institute have done extensive research and education to understand and influence how we use water and how we must move to a sustainable approach – a ‘soft path for water’ that recognizes the realities of a renewable but ultimately limited resource. The Pacific Institute drives a vision and strategy of a comprehensive approach to water use and management that takes advantage of remarkable engineering skills and technologies – but also looks to the innovative application of economics; smart incentives for efficient water use; appropriate regulatory approaches and expanded public education and community participation in water decision making.”

Pacific Institute offers a wealth of information and offers its research  free of charge online.