In 2012 Arctic Ice Reached the Smallest Volume Ever Recorded

In 2007,  27 percent of the Arctic Ocean was covered with ice.  That was the lowest percentage ever recorded, but this year, 2012, only 24 percent of the Arctic’s surface was covered with ice.

One research scientist said, “The Arctic is the earth’s air-conditioner.”   When the ice recedes in the Arctic region, it isn’t just the humans and animals who live in the region that feel the effect.  The entire planet can feel the effect.

The sea ice is declining much faster than was predicted in the last big UN report on the state of the climate, published in 2007,  which suggested that the ice would not disappear before the middle of this century.

Now, some scientists think the Arctic Ocean could be largely free of summer ice as soon as 2020. But governments have not responded to the change with any greater urgency about limiting greenhouse emissions. To the contrary, their main response has been to plan for ways to exploit energy in the Arctic, including drilling for oil.

 A deep concern is that as the ice melts, the level of the oceans will rise to levels even greater than expected.  The sea is now rising at a rate of about a foot per century. As the rate of rise increases, so does the risk to coastal settlements.

A main concern of scientists is the apparent futility of convincing the public and governments of the gravity of the situation.

More information on Arctic ice melts from the New York Times.

 

 

 

 

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring Gave a Strong Push to the Environmental Awakening that Lead to the Establishment of the EPA

 

September of 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of one of the most influential books of modern times, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.

Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, which focused on what she saw as the widespread and detrimental use of pesticides, is credited as being the catalyst for the modern environmental movement and helping to lead to the creation of the US EPA in 1970.

“With the publication of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” average citizens grasped, maybe for the first time, how their choices could harm the environment in which they live,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. ”Each of us is an engine of change in the choices we make, what we buy and how we live.”

The New Yorker started serializing Silent Spring in June 1962, and it was published in book form  by Houghton Mifflin later that year. When the book Silent Spring was published, Rachel Carson was already a well-known writer on natural history, but had not previously been a social critic. The book was widely read—especially after its selection by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the New York Times best-seller list.  The book inspired widespread public concerns with pesticides and environmental pollution .

Silent Spring started the dialog that resulted in  the ban of the pesticide DDT^[3] in 1972 in the United States. The book documented detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment, particularly on birds. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading purposely misleading the public, and she accused public officials of accepting industry claims uncritically.

Read the EPA’s Statement on the 50th Anniversary of Silent Spring

NSF International’s Comprehensive CCS-11804 Protocol Is Established for Swimming Spas, Hot Tubs, and Related Equipment

NSF International, an independent global organization that establishes standards, tests and certifies products for the water, food and consumer goods industries, has developed the first comprehensive protocol that evaluates the performance, health and safety of every component of a swim spa.

The new protocol, CCS-11804, includes testing and evaluation criteria in these areas:

• Performance testing – evaluates the durability, strength and chemical resistance of the spa shell and other components.
• Material evaluation – verifies that water contact materials meet regulations for corrosion resistance, toxicological health and safety and do not leach harmful contaminants into the swim spa water.
• Accessibility and safety features – tests the effectiveness of safety features such as floor and step slip resistance, step dimensions, depth markings, handholds and railings.
• Filtration and water chemistry – ensures the chemical treatment, water skimming and particulate filtration systems perform at a high level and effectively filter contaminants.
• Suction fittings and systems testing – tests the entire swim current or exercise system for entrapment safety. This includes verifying that suction vacuum release systems and suction fittings are compliant with ANSI/APSP 16 (formerly known as ASME/ANSI A112.19.8), as mandated by the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act.

Master Spas’ Michael Phelps Signature Swim Spas are the first to earn certification to the new protocol.

 

NSF’s Press Release with More Information about Spa Certification.

An Abandoned Wastewater Treatment Plant is Oozing Trichloroethylene

The town of Salem, NH has been spending at least $100,000 per year for the last 15 years in an effort to clean up pollution left behind when it closed its old wastewater treatment plant in in mid-1980s.

The issue now is environmental contamination caused by the chemical trichloroethylene, a solvent that is carcinogenic. After being closed for 25 years, the old plant is still the source of excessive amounts of TCE.  Now, $306,000 additional is being requested for 2013 cleanup activities.

Trichloroethene is a manufactured, volatile organic chemical. It has been used as a solvent to remove grease from metal. Trichloroethene has also been used as a paint stripper, adhesive solvent and as an ingredient in paints and varnishes. The chemical can affect the nervous system.

TCE can cause liver and kidney damage, and other ailments.  It is probably  carcinogenic to humans.  In small amounts, TCE can cause headaches, lung irritation, poor coordination, and difficulty concentrating.

Small amounts of TCE can contaminate large amounts of groundwater.  Salem is doing its best to deal with a dangerous and frustrating problem.

More information from the Salem Eagle-Tribune.

 

Lifelong Friend of the Environment, Russell Train,  Is Dead at Age 92

 

Mr. Russell E. Train, a respected conservationist and environmentalist, died September 17, 2012 at the age of 92.

 

Train was chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Nixon and then served as EPA administrator under President Ford. He was, according to the New York Times,” among a select group of senior administration officials and Congressional leaders who shaped the world’s first comprehensive program for scrubbing the skies and waters of pollution, ensuring the survival of ecologically significant plants and animals, and safeguarding citizens from exposure to toxic chemicals.”

Train was also instrumental in the formation and administration of the influential environmental group the  World Wildlife Fund.  As a moderate Republican he is said to have had much influence on President Nixon and the development of much of the administration’s environmental policy.   Train is reported to have  explained to Nixon the power of environmental issues to galvanize voters.

Train became EPA administrator during the Watergate era.  He remained active in environmental causes even during his last years, becoming chairman emeritus of the World Wildlife Fund 12 years ago and serving an active role in the organization.

“Train came to symbolize the bipartisan nature of the environmental movement more than 40 years ago when many conservatives were enthusiastic advocates of environmentalism,”  according to the Associated Press.   His ability to put the needs of the environment above politics is in short supply today.

 

More information about Mr. Train from the New York Times.

Even  Drought Has Advantages

If the current drought has an upside, it is that the Great Lakes may get some relief from algae blooms that form the “green slime” that’s been getting steadily worse in recent years. That’s because this year’s drought conditions are expected to  dramatically reduced the number and intensity of heavy spring rains that wash farm field fertilizers into agricultural watersheds that drain into the lakes.

Half a century ago, the nation and states around the lakes legislated an end to the wholesale dumping of sewage and industrial waste in the lakes.  Before that legislation, algae blooms, which result from the mixing of such wastes as phosphorous, manure, and other nutrients into the warm lake waters, were common.

The federal Clean Water Act of 1972 quickly made things better, and the lakes enjoyed several decades without green slime.

Now the slime is back again, worse than ever in some places.

The cure is difficult, although there is no doubt that it is simply a matter of preventing nutrients, especially phosphorous, from entering the lakes.  This sounds easy but it is a thorny political problem, especially with a congress reluctant to regulate the activities of business.

According to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission and other groups studying the blooms, the problem comes from three sources — “1) overflowing and aged municipal sewage treatment plants, 2) industrial agriculture practices that pour fertilizer on farm fields and concentrate livestock in massive, manure-producing confined feeding operations, and 3) sprawling metropolitan land use patterns that are so parking lot- and highway-hardened that rain washes everything on the ground into the nearest waterway.”

According to Grist–“Large corn and soy farms are mostly to blame, scientists and activists say, because they rely heavily on large quantities of phosphorous- and nitrogen-rich fertilizer that leach into the lakes, where they feed toxic blooms of cladophora and other nasty algae species. Manure from factory farms only adds to the nutrient load.”

These are problems fixed by the Clean Water Act that now need to be fixed again.

More information from Circle of Blue.

 An Aquifer Is Just Like A Savings Account

The small Texas community of Milano is bent on protecting its groundwater.

Alcoa Aluminum is asking for a groundwater pumping permit from the Post Oak Savannah Groundwater Conservation District.  Several Milam Co. residents believe the deal could jeopardize the county’s future water supply.  They point out that some permit holders are not pumping to capacity now, and if more permits are granted the aquifer will be at risk.

One opponent of the Alcoa proposal, Curtis Chubb of the Central Texas Aquifers Coalition, said, “It’s just like a savings account if you withdraw too much money without putting money back in, you deplete the savings account. Same thing with the aquifers.”

Alcoa is currently asking to use the water for their industrial needs. However, people believe the company will sell the land to Lower Colorado River Association and the water will be pumped out of the county down to the Austin area.

There were approximately 120 people at the last meeting to discuss the Alcoa request, with about 80% of the crowd opposing the permit.

Small communities, often short on cash, sometimes enter into water deals that look good at the outset but leave them high and very dry.  The citizens of Milano seem to be paying attention.

The next meeting is scheduled for October.

More information.

 

 

In Wichita, Portland, and Phoenix the Fluoride Debate Goes On

In early September 2012,  two large U.S. cities considered whether to start fluoridating their water or to stop the practice altogether. A third will put the issue to the voters in November.

Portland, Oregon (pop. 593,000) is the largest city in the nation not to add fluoride to its drinking water. On September 12, the city council decided to change that, voting to start fluoridation in 2014.  The decision will add fluoride to the drinking water of some 900,000 residents in the metropolitan area.

It is possible, however, that voters will have a say before then. Opponents of the measure said they will gather signatures for a ballot referendum.  The Oregonian reports:

A referendum — which would directly challenge the city’s plan rather than seek a general ban on fluoride — needs about 20,000 valid signatures in 30 days to go forward.

But if anti-fluoride activists gather those signatures, the city’s ordinance will be suspended pending a public vote in May 2014, the earliest possible date under election rules.

Portlanders have voted against fluoridation three times, most recently in 1980. This time, opponents said they have 125 volunteers and expect to have 25 paid signature-gatherers.

Portland Voter Voices His Displeasure at the City Council’s Decision to Adopt Fluoridation

The Classy Model 77 Countertop Filter Is Now 25 Years Old and the Price Has Not Changed

Pure Water Products announced in September 2012 that its Model 77 countertop water filter is now 25 years old.  And the amazing thing is that in 25 years the price, $77 with shipping to US addresses free, has never changed.

Among the unique properties of the product is its lifetime guarantee, which covers all parts except the replaceable filter cartridges.

Pure Water Products first made Model 77 in 1987,  the company’s second year in operation, as a low-cost alternative to aggressively marketed stainless steel  and silver/carbon countertops that were popular at the time.

The company credits the product’s success to its simplicity.  It attaches easily to most faucets and it’s easy to move. It requires no professional installation. Installation usually takes a couple of minutes, as does the annual cartridge change.

Although it’s simple, it is quite effective and versatile.  The standard unit accepts any 9.75″ X 2.5″ filter cartridge (by far the most common size made),  so it can be applied to a variety of water treatment situations.  The standard cartridge is a chlorine-hungry MatriKX carbon block.

The alternative “candle” style slimline Model 77 accepts Doulton ceramic candles as well as screw-in carbon blocks.

 

 

For more information about Model 77.

For information about the double version of Model 77.

 South Korea Is Planning For Rapid Urban Population Increase

The City of Busan, South Korea’s second largest, in 2013 will be operating the world’s largest seawater reverse osmosis plant of its kind based on a measure of its unit train and membrane size. The plant will use membranes with a 16-inch diameter—double that of the current global standard.

“The purpose of the Busan project is to do the research and development, operate the technology on a practical level, then export the core technologies,” says Professor In S. Kim, executive director of the Center for Seawater Desalination Plant in Korea. “The greatest benefit will be the outcomes of the research and development that can be used in regions of the world where there are long-term water shortages, especially with the uncertainties presented by climate change. “The project is aimed at exploring overseas markets by developing integral and strategic technologies,” said Professor Kim. Seawater reverse osmosis desalination requires a lot of steps—intake, pre-treatment, the reverse osmosis process, and post-treatment processing.”

The new desalination plant, therefore, promises to diversify the sources of water resources and produce high-quality tap water for Busan.” The new desalination plant will be capable of producing 45 million litres of water daily, which is enough to provide drinking water for 50,000 households. The average water use per person per day in Busan is 301 litres.

The ambitious seawater reverse osmosis plan is in anticipation of massive increases in demand for drinking water in urban areas.

“In the next 40 years urban populations will grow by at least 1 million every week.”

“This is why water professionals need to change the way they think about sourcing water, and using it over and over again,” according to International Water Association’s (IWA) executive director, Paul Reiter.  Mr Reiter announced at a press conference in Seoul  that future technologies and approaches to providing sustainable water solutions will be center stage at the upcoming IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition in Korea in September.

Mr. Reiter  says the most important message of the Congress for the expected 5,000 water professionals who attend will be to hasten the uptake of these new water management options. “We need to break the orthodox approach to delivering water to urban communities,” says Mr Reiter. Across the globe, water is an issue for many different reasons, including stable supply, sanitation, drainage, wastewater reuse, industrial management, or the environmental impact of new water technologies. Between 2009 and 2050, urban populations alone are projected to increase by 2.9 billion to 6.3 billion.

More Information from the International Water Association.