Water News for September 2024
Wastewater Restores the Flow of the Santa Cruz River
The Santa Cruz River, which runs through Arizona and New Mexico, was a “dry wash” until University of Arizona scientists began introducing treated wastewater. With the increased water volume, over a two-year period, hundreds of invertebrate species as well as fish, frogs, and turtles have come back.
“I think the biggest surprise in our study was just how quickly species returned to the Santa Cruz River when flow was restored – it was astounding how fast biodiversity could recover when given a chance,” the study’s co-author Michael Bogan, a professor of aquatic ecology at the University of Arizona, told Salon. MSNBC — Full story.
Texas City Water Contaminated by Firefighting Agent
Residents of a large portion of Grand Prairie, TX were without water for a couple of days in early September when it was discovered that a foaming agent, which entered the water as a result of firefighting, had contaminated the water supply. Although the chemical was classed as “environmentally friendly” and “non-PFAS,” residents were told not to use the water except for flushing until testing proved it safe. Around 60,000 North Texans were affected. City officials were praised for responding quickly, communicating effectively, and providing bottled water free of charge. Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) was faulted for having too few water testing facilities. (Samples had to be flown to test sites in distant parts of the state for testing.)
An underwater tunnel that passes beneath New York City’s East River sprang a leak on Sept. 4 after a city contractor mistakenly drilled a hole through it, sending streams of water into the heavily used tunnel. Officials were left scrambling to plug the opening and block off traffic after the accident. Thousands of drivers who use the busy tunnel were upset.
EPA battles environmentalists in court over regulation of CAFOs and water pollution
A coalition of environmental organizations faced off against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in federal appellate court on September 12 in the latest skirmish in a long-running battle over the agency’s regulatory approach to water contamination connected to industrial agricultural operations.
The groups, led by the nonprofit Food & Water Watch, told a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals that the EPA must strengthen its oversight of what are known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
The agency is unlawfully allowing roughly half of the nation’s more than 20,000 big livestock and poultry feeding facilities around the country to operate without permits required under the 1972 Clean Water Act, the groups argued to the court. And, they said, the agency is violating the law by authorizing CAFOs to store and spread manure so haphazardly that the drinking water for millions of people is at risk as thousands of streams, lakes and other waterways are polluted with harmful bacteria, nitrates, phosphorus and other contaminants.
The agency has “failed” for more than a decade to adequately regulate these operations, Food & Water Watch lawyer Emily Miller told the court. Read the rest of the story in New Lede.
Ingenious Plan to Solve California’s Water Shortage by Turning on a Very Large Faucet
Presidential candidate Donald Trump, speaking at a campaign rally in September, said:
“They have, essentially, a very large faucet. And you turn the faucet and it takes one day to turn it, it’s massive. It’s as big as that wall on that building right there behind you. And you turn that and all of that water goes aimlessly into the Pacific . And if you turned it back all of that water would come right down here and right into Los Angeles.” . No one is sure what he was talking about but it has been suggested that he is referring to a scheme he mentioned previously about solving California’s water shortage by diverting water from British Columbia.
Trump added that the water from the big faucet could also be “reverted” into the hills of California to prevent wildfires.
“You have all that water that could be used to … what they call water flow — where the land would be damp,” Trump said. “And you’d stop many of these horrible fires that are costing billions and billions of dollars.” Full story.
Fluoride and Neurological Development of Children
Because of the government report acknowledging that high levels of fluoride exposure may harm neurological development and cognitive health in children, there is increased questioning of the wisdom of adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies. See “Is It Time to Rethink Fluoride in Drinking Water?”
Perhaps the most significant water news item of the month was the conclusion of a seven-year court case in which a federal court ruled that the fluoridation of water presents a significant risk to the neurological development of children. See Pure Water Gazette article.
Water Speculators Represent a Major Threat to Sane Water Management
As the West suffers its worst megadrought in 1,200 years, investors have increasingly eyed water as a valuable asset and a resource to be exploited. For years, investment firms have bought up farmland throughout the Southwest, drilling to new depths for their water-hungry crops and causing nearby wells to run dry. Now, new players have entered the scene: “Water management companies” are purchasing up thousands of acres of farmland, with the intention of selling the water rights at a profit to cities and suburbs elsewhere in the state. Some argue that treating water as a commodity can efficiently get it where it is needed most. But others fear that water markets open the door to profiteering and hoarding, leaving poorer communities in the dust. Full article from Truthout.
When Water Turns to Sand: Demise of the Aral Sea.
In Central Asia, the world’s youngest desert occupies a basin that once held a vast saline lake. The Aral Sea.
Up until the 1960s, the sea spanned more than 26 thousand square miles across two countries. It supported thriving fishing communities along its shores. But then, in the name of progress and development, much of the river water that fed the sea was diverted for agriculture. Now the Aral Sea has all but disappeared, shrunk to about tenth of its original size. The UN Environment Programme has called the Aral Sea’s destruction “one of the most staggering disasters of the 20th century.” NPR
