Dunedin taking steps to get fecal pollution out of waterways

by Keyonna Summers

Editor’s Note:  Water pollution by dogs gets worse all the time. Attempts to address this serious issue are often laced with cutesy puns that detract from the seriousness of the issue.  The Gazette has featured many anti-dog manure items,  including those of our own columnists Tiger Tom, who favors capital punishment for offenders, and B. Sharper, who has furnished numerical evidence aplenty to justify drastic action. Below is an account of actions being taken at canine-friendly Dunedin, FL. — Hardly Waite.

DUNEDIN — From doggie dining and pet-friendly festivals to a famed pet memorial mural and even a contest naming a dog the honorary mayor, this city’s embrace of its furry friends has earned it the nickname “Dogedin.”

The animals’ poo, however, is quickly becoming a contender for Public Enemy No. 1.

Looking to reduce high levels of fecal bacteria in city waterways, Dunedin has proposed strengthening an existing ordinance that already requires all pet owners to pick up their animals’ waste by creating a poo section in the city code book and clarifying that violators could risk fines or jail.

Like any other violation of city code, the penalty is a fine of up to $500 and a possible 60-day jail term. However, Dunedin leaders say it is unlikely the city would take a violator to county court seeking the maximum penalty, though City Attorney Tom Trask said it is possible for code enforcement to step in and render a small judgment in extreme cases.

The city’s transformation of “petiquette” into law is only the latest in a series of anti-pollution efforts suggested by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which identified Dunedin several years ago as one of many cities with elevated levels of water pollution.

Cedar and Curlew creeks, which both flow into St. Joseph Sound, were specifically mentioned as having fecal contamination.

Dunedin Public Works director Doug Hutchens said the city is already using smoke testing to detect leaks in its sewer system and has been “aggressive” in deploying pet waste disposal stations throughout the city.

Spike, in the foreground, is good at dropping but looks the other way at pick-up time.

The poo pickup law and an accompanying educational campaign slated for later this year are the next steps.

“We’re just taking their advice on a low-cost way to improve the water quality. It’s pretty well known that addressing the source of the problem is far cheaper than addressing the problem once it’s already in the creek,” Hutchens said. “Dealing with it upstream is far more cost effective than dealing with it downstream.”

He added: “We not only want to require people to pick up after their pets but we want to make it convenient for them when they’re in and around city parks.”

City officials hope adopting the “basin management action plan” strategies — a blueprint for pollution reduction — recommended by DEP will bring Dunedin in compliance with the federal Clean Water Act and DEP’s “total maximum daily load” standard for the state’s most polluted waterways. That’s a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive from various sources and still meet certain quality standards.

City commissioners are expected to consider the measure later this year along with others being examined by an Ordinance Review Committee, a citizen group appointed every few years to clean up city code language. The committee has already recommended the pet waste ordinance for approval.

Under another FDEP recommendation, the city is putting together a program to encourage all residents to abandon septic tanks in favor of connection to Dunedin’s sewer system. The idea will be presented to commissioners at a future workshop.

Source: Tampa Bay Times.

Pure Water Gazette Fair Use Statement

 What’s an Infographic Worth?

by Gene Franks

Several years ago I wrote a piece for the old paper Pure Water Gazette called “Paying Off the National Debt with Water.”  Here’s how it started:

I read a clip from an engineering magazine about a Canadian inventor named Roy Jomha who has invented a toilet attachment called Econo-Flush. Mr. Jomha says that Econo-Flush can save 68% of the water that is sucked down toilets, and since 43% of the average home’s water goes down the toilet, he calculates that if every U.S. home had an Econo-Flush, the savings could take a big chunk out of the national debt in just a few years. This may be a good idea, but I got an even better one from the familiar medical slogan, “If we spend just one dollar on childhood immunization, we save $10 in later medical costs.” This could be the answer to the national debt, sickness care costs, and even world hunger. All we have to do is start spending $1 trillion or so per year on vaccinations, and with the $10 trillion per year we save in medical costs we can soon pay off the national debt and begin feeding the world.

The point is that our world runs on big, round unverifiable numbers that explain everything from the birth of the universe to the penis length of zebras in the year 2413.   There are so many big numbers, in fact,  that no one pays much attention.

When these big numbers involve the saving of money, I’ve never been able to think through the complicated equation that must explain who is saving the money and who is losing the money and how these opposites are reconciled.  If we prevent a case of chicken pox, for example, who saves money and who loses?  Clearly, the medical insurance provider may save the cost of a doctor visit and a prescription, but don’t the doctor and the pharmacy lose an equal amount by being deprived of income?  Determining the actual loss from a case of chicken pox would have to take into account the sick person’s employer, the nature of his or job, the service station that sells him gasoline, the coffee shop that loses its profit on the bagel that the sufferer did not purchase because of illness, the publisher of the newspaper he or she did not buy on the way to work, in increased use of gas and electricity resulting from spending a day at home (a loss to the chicken pox victim but a loss to the utility provider),  and so on forever and ever.

In the “infographic”  below prepared by the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP),  I can’t imagine the formula used to determine the recovery of investment time for an open pit latrine in Kenya or the fivefold return of investment for sanitation improvement projects.  Not that I doubt their importance. I just doubt the importance of funding studies to tell us the dollar cost of worldwide lack of access to sanitation.

In general, I think the money would be better spent on shovels to dig latrines in Kenya. The best investment in world health is without doubt providing clean water and sanitation.  The world already has plenty of pie charts and bar graphs with big numbers.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – in a recent national report on human exposure to environmental chemicals – found a 50 percent increase in levels of triclosan across all demographics in the U.S. That study found that affluent individuals, and those over the age of 20, have the highest concentrations of triclosan.

“Triclosan is a clear-cut case of the potential hazards of using it in so many products,” said Pessah. “Triclosan has been documented to promote bacterial resistance, a global problem that has reached critical proportions, sufficient for the CDC to issue bulletins about the hazards of microbial resistance.”

Opting out of antibacterial soaps with triclosan may be a good idea, especially for individuals who have heart disease, said Bruce Hammock, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund program at UC Davis.

Hammock has been studying the chemical for the last six years. Triclosan first came to his attention when he realized that it was being found in high levels downstream from area sewage-treatment plants. “That was a surprise to me,” said Hammock. “The chemical was found in the environment at higher levels than predicted. It’s a high-volume chemical.”

Those high rates means triclosan use needs to be reassessed, Hammock said.

“Soap itself is very toxic to bacteria, and the abrasion of washing your hands with water and soap really does get rid of viruses and bacteria,” Hammock said. “So I don’t understand why the average person needs an anti-microbial added to soap.”

Brian Sansoni, a spokesman for the American Cleaning Institute, which represents the makers and suppliers of hygiene and cleaning products, disagrees with Hammock.

“Antibacterial soaps do provide a public health benefit, by reducing or eliminating pathogenic bacteria on the skin to a significantly greater degree than plain soap and water,” Sansoni said. “The bacterial reduction from hand-washing is linked to reduced infection from pathogenic bacteria.”

Triclosan is now finding its way into paper towels and many cosmetics. It’s also used in Colgate’s Total toothpaste, to fight gingivitis. Studies have shown the chemical particularly effective for this purpose.

“I think this is an example of small-volume use with a high benefit.” said Hammock, who said he uses the Colgate product. “I think the benefit here outweighs the risk – until something else comes along that’s better. I wish there were a warning label.”

Triclosan is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is in litigation with the Natural Resources Defense Council, which wants the agency to make a long-awaited ruling on triclosan.

The FDA has said that it would be issuing a final set of regulations concerning antibacterial hand soap products and triclosan by the end of this year. However, Mae Wu, lead attorney for NRDC’s litigation with the FDA, is not holding her breath.

“The agency has been mulling a ruling on the products for the last 40 years,” Wu said.

She believes the agency has dragged its feet because of industry pressure. “Triclosan is part of a huge industry where billions of dollars are now being spent on these antibacterial soap products,” she said. “A lot of companies rely on these products for their profits.”

The FDA chose not to comment for this article because of the lawsuit with the NRDC.

Wu said another problem would arise if the FDA rules against the use of triclosan.

“There is a problem with the chemicals these companies are using to replacing triclosan,” she said.

Wu was referring to benzalkonium chloride. “That is another chemical the FDA is looking at that may also have some issues as far as human health effects,” she said.

Meanwhile, evidence continues to mount on triclosan and its risks for humans and the environment.

A recent study made a link between low-dose exposure to triclosan and endocrine disruption in the North American bullfrog. Another study found that the presence of triclosan proved deadly to algae and bacteria in low-flow Mediterranean streams where chemicals don’t get diluted readily. That study is especially important to the Central Valley, where many streams and creeks may have similar properties.

Evidence of the risks have not gone unnoticed. Earlier this year, the state of Minnesota banned the use of products with triclosan for use in its state buildings. Some companies – such as Unilever – have phased out the chemical’s use in Europe. Others – like Procter and Gamble – have said they intend to phase out the chemical in their products by 2014.

Over 7 Tons of Dead Fish Found in South China Lake

Thousands of fish have died in a lake in Guangdong Province since late October, probably due to pollution from sewage and industrial wastewater.

The die-off took place in Minghu City Park in the city of Shenzhen. A reporter with the Yangcheng Evening News visited the site, and could smell the stench from over 500 yards away, making him feel dizzy and vomit after spending some time there.

The lake was a dark yellow color with flies buzzing everywhere, according to Yangcheng Evening News. Some of the fish were already rotten and maggot-ridden; others were being eaten by cats and birds.

A sanitation worker told the reporter that it has not rained in Shenzhen recently to replenish the lake, and the only other water that enters it is polluted.

The man was part of a small group of workers removing dead fish from the vicinity of the outlet pipe, where the dirty water was draining into the lake.

“It’s too smelly,” one man said, adding that wearing a mask was not helping at all. “I couldn’t even swallow my lunch, and just felt sick. There are at least 7.5 tons of dead fish here.”

A local called Mr. Wu told the reporter that the water used to be clean, and many people used to visit there, and even catch fish.

“Since the 20th of last month, the water level dropped and the lake became very smelly,” Mr. Wu said. “At first, there weren’t that many dead fish, but after a few days, thousands floated to the top. They’re trying to clear it up, but there are just too many.”

There are several plastic factories in the area, and also some farms. The discharge water from these businesses flows into a spillway that drains into the lake, according to the reporter.

Further investigation revealed that about 800,000 tons of water were drained out of a nearby reservoir to make repairs near the base. The concurrent reduction in the lake water level may have contributed to the fish die-off.

Source:  Epoch Times.

Pure Water Gazette Fair Use Statement

 How to Measure the Output of a Residential Well

by Pure Water Annie

Gazette Technical Wizard Pure Water Annie Explains the How and the Why of Measuring Well Output

If you are thinking of installing a backwashing filter to treat well water issues like iron,  turbidity, or manganese,  the first thing you should consider is the output capacity of your well.  This is important because if you don’t have enough water–enough gallons per minute (gpm) flow–the filter will eventually fail.  If, for example, the filter that you install requires 8 gallons per minute (gpm) to backwash the media bed and your well is capable of only 6 gpm, the filter may work well for a few weeks or even months, but it will eventually lose its service flow and/or its effectiveness.

When a backwashing filter regenerates, it lifts and tosses the media bed in the empty upper part of the tank (freeboard space). If you don’t give the filter enough water to get sufficient lift in the bed, particles will remain after the backwash and eventually build up to clog the filter.  The filter has a flow control device installed by the manufacturer to prevent excess backwash flow, which would wash media out through the drain, but it is up to your well to supply a sufficient volume of water to keep the media clean. 

 How Much Water Do You Need?

Every filter medium has backwash requirements that are determined mainly by its density (weight).  Other factors that determine the backwash flow requirement are the diameter of the filter tank and the temperature of the water.  You can find a chart that lists the most common filter media and a complete explanation on Pure Water Products’ main website.

How to Measure the Output of Your Well

After you have determined the needed flow rate, here’s how you find out if your well has the needed output:

1. Start by closing off the water going to the building(s) served by the well so that no water can run to the building.  Then, run water through an outdoor spigot until your well pump comes on,  turn your spigot off, and let the tank fill completely.

2. With the tank full, run water into a measured bucket so that you can get an exact number of gallons that the well tank puts out before the pump turns back on.  If you have a small bucket and have to turn the water off to refill it several times, it doesn’t matter.  Just keep an accurate record of how many times you fill it.

3. When the pump comes on, immediately close your spigot and,  using a watch,  record the number of seconds it takes for the pump to turn off.

4. Now that you know the time between the pump’s cut-on and cut-off and the gallons it takes to fill the tank you can determine the flow rate of the well in gallons per minute.  The formula for determining the flow rate is the number of  gallons drawn down that were measured above, divided by the seconds required for recovery, then multiplied by 60. (Gallons / Seconds) x 60 = Gallons per Minute (gpm) flow

For example, if 16 gallons are drawn down and it takes 90 seconds to build pressure back up, then: 16 divided by 90 = .177. Consequently, .177 x 60 = 10.6 gallons per minute flow rate.

Another example:  The refill time is 110 seconds and the amount drawn from the tank was 22 gallons.  22 divided by 110 = 0.2, which multiplied by 60 gives a flow rate of 12 gallons per minute.

After you’ve done this simple calculation,  you will no longer have to embarrass yourself by admitting that you don’t know how many gallons per minute your well is capable of putting out.  It will improve your self esteem.

More information:

• Backwash and Flow Rates of Filter Media
• Backwash FAQ
• Backwashing Filter Basics
• How Backwashing Filters Work
• Importance of Backwash Rate

What Are Fiberglass Mineral Tanks Made Of?

by Pure Water Annie

Good , sincere, heartfelt information from the Occasional’s Technical Department.

Editor’s Note:  This article is adapted from a longer piece that appeared in the Pure Water Occasional for May 2011. — Hardly Waite.

The water filter pictured below is built with a conventional fiberglass mineral tank. In water treatment, these tanks are used to build virtually all filters and water softeners. They’re called “mineral tanks” because the stuff you put in them, whether it’s carbon, Birm, water softener resin, or calcite, or any other granular water treatment medium, is collectively referred to as “mineral.” In the vernacular, the tanks are made of a substance called “fiberglass.”

When someone asks what a filter or softener tank is made of,  the short answer is simply to say “fiberglass” and be done with it,  although this really isn’t true.

According to a leading manufacturer, Structural, what we often refer to as “fiberglass” tanks do in fact have a band of fiberglass reinforcement on the outside. The inner shell of the tank, however, is made of Polyethylene, Polypropylene, PVDF. ECTFE (aka HALAR), FFT.and “around 50 other custom materials.”

The tanks have certification of the following agencies: NSF, WQA, and Druckbehalterverordung (German).

So, should you worry about drinking or bathing in water that has been exposed to fifty to sixty plastics? Should the fact that it has certification by such prestigious approving agencies as NSF and WQA ease your concerns?

I can’t answer that one for you. Pure Water Annie can’t solve all your problems. The alternative to the sixty plastics is a stainless steel tank that costs ten times as much, doesn’t work as well, and probably has its own set of health issues that haven’t been discovered yet. Our experience has been that in spite of popular mythology, stainless tanks aren’t as “leak-proof” as fiberglass. “Fiberglass” mineral tanks have been around a long time and no one has yet shown that they do any harm. Myself, I’m at home with them. But Pure Water Annie doesn’t know everything.

In Haiti, Cholera Claims New Victims Daily

 “None dispute that the lack of clean water and sanitation in Haiti has been a key driver of the epidemic.”

UNITED NATIONS/PORT-AU-PRINCE, Oct 31 2013 (IPS) – Some 2,400 kilometres from New York City, where victims of Haiti’s cholera epidemic are suing the United Nations in a U.S. federal court, the disease continues to burn through the populace with no end in sight.

In a single week between Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, the Pan-American Health Organisation reported 1,512 new cases and 31 deaths. New cases are reported in all 10 departments.

At the Cholera Treatment Centre run by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders in Delmas 33, a commune in Port-au-Prince Arrondissement, nurse Viola Augustine says the clinic is so packed it cannot accept new patients.

“The centre has already handled over 20,000 cases of cholera since it opened. At the moment, the centre is full and we cannot take in the increase of patients due to the rainy season,” she told IPS. “We are forced, in this case, to transfer patients to other treatment centres when they are brought here.”

U.N. Spokesperson Martin Nesirky says the U.N. remains committed to do all it can to help the people of Haiti overcome the cholera epidemic.

“The United Nations is working on the ground with the government and people of Haiti both to provide immediate and practical assistance to those affected, and to put in place better infrastructure and services for all,” he told a press briefing this month.

Kanak Dixit, a veteran Nepali journalist and a civil rights activist, told IPS the fact that the epidemic has been traced to likely contamination of water sourced to the Nepali peacekeeping battalion is a matter of great consternation.

Nepal is heading into elections on Nov. 19, and the news has not received much attention there, nor has there been public discussion on the matter, he said.

“It would be extremely sad if it were true that a poor country in one hemisphere has been involved in the spread of the epidemic in an equally poor country in another part of the globe,” said Dixit, founder of the news magazine Himal SouthAsian.

He said it should be the collective duty of the United Nations to support the Haitian people in battling the epidemic, and supporting the victims’ families, rather than take a legalistic and hands‑off approach.

“Nepalis would understand the need to respond to the epidemic with humanitarian ethos and organisational efficiency,” Dixit said.

Nurse Augustine agrees. “For a disease like cholera that has led to so many victims, I think the United Nations should compensate those who have suffered because the illness is truly horrible.

“Talking about cholera and living with it are two different things,” she said. “Living with cholera is really frustrating.”

The spread of cholera in Haiti, which has killed more than 8,300 and infected over 680,000 people since October 2010, has been blamed on Nepali peacekeepers who are part of the 9,500‑strong U.N. Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

The United Nations has refused demands for compensation. Earlier this month, an advocacy group filed a lawsuit seeking reparations from the world body on behalf of the cholera victims.

Felicia Paul, 45, lives in Saint-Marc, about 100 kms northwest of the capital. She caught cholera in 2010, and survived it though extensive treatment with saline IV bags.

“I was infected with cholera for 12 days,” Paul told IPS. “My two daughters caught it while they were taking care of me. MINUSTAH brought cholera so we ask that they compensate me. We always drank water out of the river and it never made us ill. But that water has been contaminated due the spillage of the peacekeeper’s feces into the river.

“I still feel the effects of the disease,” she added. “It blurs my vision and weakens me every day.”

A former senior U.N. official from Nepal told IPS he strongly supports compensation.

“As a Nepali who lived in and loved Haiti, I feel special empathy for the victims of the cholera epidemic,” said former U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Kul Gautam.

In a way, he said, even the Nepali peacekeepers are victims of the kind of poverty and poor governance that afflicts both Nepal and Haiti. The two nations are categorised by the United Nations as among the 49 least developed countries (LDCs), described as the poorest of the world’s poor.

None dispute that the lack of clean water and sanitation in Haiti has been a key driver of the epidemic.

“I wish a creative solution could be found whereby the Haitian victims would get some modest amount of financial support on humanitarian grounds, without the U.N. having to give up its diplomatic immunity,” Gautam said.

“For this to happen, some enlightened governments and foundations would need to offer help, not as a matter of legal obligation, but as a matter of humanitarian consideration,” said Gautam, a former deputy executive director of the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF.

Mario Joseph has been the director of Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) since its inception in 1995. BAI, together with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, is leading the lawsuit.

“The trial is proceeding normally like any other trial,” he told IPS. “We’ve taken the first steps with the U.N. to bring them to take responsibility. To submit our claim, we sent the case to [Secretary-General] Ban Ki-moon, but unfortunately, the U.N. said it was protected by immunity.

“The U.N. experts have clearly established that it was the Nepalese peacekeepers who brought cholera to Haiti. It is clear that damage has been caused, the negligence of the U.N. is proven and it must assume its responsibilities.

“An organisation like the U.N. should not exercise a policy of double standard for evaluating itself vis-à-vis its member states. Haiti is a founding member of the U.N. In this sense the organisation must assume its responsibility concerning the cholera it brought into the country,” he said.

Anti-UN Protest in Port-au-Prince.

Article Source: Inter Press Service News Agency.

Pure Water Gazette Fair Use Statement

Reverse Osmosis Booster Pumps:  How They Work

The purpose of the reverse osmosis booster pump is to increase water pressure going into the RO unit.  The booster pump should not be confused with a delivery pump, also called a “demand pump,” that is used to increased the pressure of water leaving the RO unit.  The two pumps are not interchangeable.  They work differently and serve different purposes.

The picture above shows the three essential elements of the RO booster pump. The white object at left is the transformer. It plugs into a standard wall outlet and converts to the voltage (most commonly 24 volts) required by the pump. The large object is the pump itself. The third device is the pressure switch. It monitors the water pressure in the RO unit’s storage tank and turns the pump off and on in response to storage tank pressure. The most common shutoff pressure for undersink home RO units is 40 psi.

Reverse osmosis is a pressure-driven process. Small residential RO units will theoretically operate on very low pressure–down to 35 psi, according to some membrane makers–but the reality is, you won’t get a lot of water and the product water quality will be compromised if the unit runs below 45 psi. Low inlet pressure makes the unit put out more reject water, produce less drinking water, fill the storage tank more slowly, and produce lower quality water.

RO units run well on typical city water pressure of 60 psi, but they run even better with a small pump to boost the pressure to 80 psi or higher.

Do You Need a Booster Pump?

Most city water reverse osmosis users have enough city water pressure to run their RO unit nicely and they do not need a booster pump. For example, if your city water pressure is 60 psi or more, there is little to be gained by adding a booster pump. If your pressure is 50 psi or less, however, a pressure boost pump will give your RO unit more zip. You’ll have more water, at a higher pressure, in the storage tank, and the tank will fill faster. The increased pressure will also improve the economy of the unit (it will run less reject water to drain) as well as the quality of the water. RO units thrive on pressure.

Are All Pumps the Same?

Manufacturers often designate pumps by the gallon-per-day output of the RO unit. With the Aquatec 6800 pump pictured above, the recommendation is for use with units with membranes that put out up to 50 gallons per day. For larger membranes, another model, the Aquatec 8800, is recommended.

The standard pump setup is shown above. The function of the pressure switch in the tank line is to shut off current to the pump when the tank pressure reaches a preset level. Default pressure settings usually provide around 80 psi pressure going into the RO unit and shut off production when tank pressure reaches 40 psi. These settings can be adjusted, but it’s usually best to leave them at factory setting.

More Information about booster pumps.