PUTTING TAP BACK ON THE MAP: THE BENEFITS OF
PUBLIC WATER
POSTED BY DAN E. ON JANUARY 22, 2013, IN INDUSTRY NEWS
LOS ANGELES, CA — Bottled water costs 750 to 2‚700 times more than tap‚ but millions of people pay for the privilege of drinking what is essentially tap water. While
their choices may instantly slake their thirsts‚ it is also sucking Mother Nature dry.
Environmental research non–profit Pacific Institute estimates that it took three liters of water to produce one liter of bottled water and the process of bottling the water produces more than 2.5
million tons of carbon dioxide. That′s not even taking into consideration additional resources needed to transport the bottles by trucks‚ cool it in refrigerators or‚ ideally‚ even recycling it.
“We′re bombarded by advertisements that this or that water is wonderful or will make you sexier‚ smarter or more popular. Municipal agencies don't have the money to do that‚” said Peter Gleick,
president of the Pacific Institute who also wrote the book, "Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water."
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TOWN'S WATER CONTAMINATION SICKENS DOZENS
POSTED BY DAN E. ON JUNE 14, 2012, IN INDUSTRY NEWS
WEST BOISE, ID — Gary Stringham had a house full of visiting family over Memorial Day weekend for his son’s high school graduation.
But things weren’t as festive as he had hoped, as one by one, family members fell ill on Sunday and Monday. The symptoms were similar: fever, aches, nausea and diarrhea.
When Stringham learned that many others in the 380-home Hobble Creek subdivision were also sick, he notified United Water. The company came and tested the water at his and a neighbor’s home, but the tests came back negative for bacteria.
But on Monday, United Water and Idaho Department of Environmental Quality officials said more tests are being conducted at houses in the neighborhood east of Eagle Road at Chinden Boulevard. United Water was hanging fliers on doors in the subdivision Monday afternoon to explain what happened.
Water mains have been flushed, and residents are being encouraged to flush their water heaters. Tests found chlorination at appropriate levels.
“We believe that the water is safe to drink,” United Water spokesman Mark Snider said.
Brandon Lowder, DEQ’s drinking-water compliance supervisor for the Boise region, said he received a call from Central District Health that a resident in Hobble Creek had been confirmed to have Campylobacter — a bacteria that causes illness for two to five days and can be life-threatening for people with compromised immune systems.
Lowder said the suspected contamination source was a faulty backflow prevention device at a vacant house in the neighborhood that could have let contaminated water into the drinking-water system.
“It had the wrong device, and it hadn’t been inspected,” Snider said.
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CONTRACTORS BLAST TOWN'S WATER POLICY
POSTED BY DAN E. ON APRIL 18, 2012, IN INDUSTRY NEWS
YORKTOWN, NY — Contractors who fix and maintain water systems are angry over a town policy they say is unfairly costing them business.
Since 2009, the town has been carrying out its own inspections of backflow preventers, devices that keep unsanitary water from contaminating drinking water. With town staff doing inspection work on jobs that were previously done by private contractors, company owners like Joe Bonnano say the town’s policy is “ inappropriate and unethical.”
Bonnano, who has contacted the state Department of Health, said “They’ve really monopolized the market.”
The town charges $120 for a typical inspection. Bonanno said he charges $100 for the same service. He believes the price will rise dramatically once the town controls the market.
Town officials, meanwhile, say they are reviewing the policy but insist there is no wrongdoing.
At issue are the devices used in water systems in commercial operations and some multi-family dwellings, several hundred of them in the community. They keep unclean water used in sprinklers, pools or storage tanks from mixing with drinking water. Annual inspections are required by the state, and notices are supposed to be sent to residents and businesses about the inspection.
It was discovered in 2009 that the annual notices were not being sent out. The town’s water department then re-vamped its procedures, and it also trained staff to do the inspections. Now when the town sends out letters reminding people that the annual inspection is coming up, the town also informs customers that town staff will do the inspections.
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DEVICES REQUIRED TO PREVENT WATER POLLUTION
POSTED BY DAN E. ON JANUARY 30, 2012, IN INDUSTRY NEWS
Backflow prevention devices protect drinking water from contamination. Knowing that backflow preventer devices are mechanical and need routine maintenance to work properly, water purveyors should keep track of all backflow prevention devices within their distribution system. They should also notify consumers that annual testing and certification should be done to guarantee that the device is working properly.
In the state of West Virginia, backflow device requirements have been on the books since 1976, but it has only recently become a mandate for West Virginia customers.
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