drinking water – Aquarius-Systems

February 2016 Newsletter

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 22:12:59 +0000

Toxic Cocktail from the Tap

Too Much Yet Not Enough. Phosphorus Recycling – Proof of Concept

Toxic Nitrates in Drinking Water

Spreading the Salt Before Using the Shovel

Upcoming Conferences:

Pennsylvania Lake Management Society
Illinois Lake Management Society
Midwest Aquatic Plant Management Society
Indiana Lake Management Society

Salt in Water Sources Becoming Worrisome

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 15:09:30 +0000

Salt in water sources becoming worrisome in D.C. region, experts warn
By Antonio Olivo
August 8, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

The Washington region is growing — a metropolis of nearly 6 million people where area officials are pressing to build another 320,000 homes by the end of this decade.

And with that growth comes an increasing, largely unregulated problem: Salt. Lots of it.

Paved streets, sidewalks and parking lots need de-icing in winter, with the sodium chloride in road salt running off into streams. Washing machines drain sodium-containing detergents and industrial firms discharge sodium-laden water into wastewater systems, which already treat the human waste of a society addicted to salty foods and drinks.

All these sources contribute to what environmental scientists refer to as a “freshwater salinization syndrome” that is damaging local waterways, harming wildlife and affecting the quality of drinking water throughout the United States.

Endocrine Disruptors in Lakes are Becoming an Emerging Concern

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 22:11:46 +0000

Every spring, Dr. Carl Isaacson, a professor of environmental studies at Bemidji State University, sends his students out to collect perch from waters across Minnesota.

Then, they study an egg yolk protein found in the perch’s’ livers, called vitellogenin, which may provide evidence of endocrine disruption in the state’s aquatic species.

Over the past few years, studies of Minnesota’s waters have found a variety of unregulated chemicals — such as pharmaceuticals, fragrances, fire retardants, detergents and insecticides — which are widespread in the state’s lakes and rivers.

When male fish are exposed to EACs, they can start to develop female attributes, such as increased vitellogenin concentrations; in more extreme instances, male fish have also been found to produce eggs in their testes.

And while these chemicals have been linked to health problems such as infertility and different types of cancer, “it’s too soon to say whether feminized fish are indicative of health effects for humans too,” an article by National Geographic said.

Chemical Treatment Kills Thousands of Fish in Hartwell Lake

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 22:03:41 +0000

About 5,000 fish have died because of algaecides applied to Hartwell Lake in an effort to improve the region’s drinking water. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the state’s public-health agency are investigating the fish kill, which affects the area around the Anderson Joint Regional Water System’s intake on the lake.

160 acres of the lake was treated with algaecides to try to improve the taste and smell of customers’ drinking water. The Copper and hydrogen peroxide based algaecide was applied in granular form and in concentrations low enough not to harm fish or people.

The algaecide was applied in accordance with regulations approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Officials believe it “is likely a one-time event” and that the water is “safe for human and wildlife exposure.” Although, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers were not surprised by the fish kill. “Small Fish are susceptible to dying when they come in contact with algaecides.”

Colorado River Getting Saltier

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 21:00:32 +0000

Water suppliers along the drought-stricken Colorado River hope to tackle another tricky issue after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation installs a new leader: salty water.

The river provides water for 40 million people from Colorado to California, and helps irrigate 5.5 million acres of farm and ranchland in the U.S. But all that water also comes with 9 million tons of salt that flow through the system as it heads to Mexico, both due to natural occurrence and runoff, mostly from agriculture. Salt can hurt crop production, corrode drinking water pipes, and cause other damage.

Instead of Curbing Pollution State Lawmakers Consider Chemical Treatment

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 21:48:52 +0000

To clean up the pollution in Jordan Lake, North Carolina lawmakers have tried arguing. They’ve tried SolarBees. They’ve even tried ignoring the problem. All those tactics have failed. Now state officials are examining a potential chemical treatment for the lake — yet another experiment on a vital drinking water source for more than 350,000 people.

The lawmakers and lobbyists behind the chemical scheme are not publicly known. However, one of the state’s most powerful lobbyists, Harold Brubaker, who served 35 years in the House, including two terms as Speaker, represents SePro, a “life sciences” company that sells chemicals to kill aquatic plants in lakes and reservoirs.

SePro’s corporate headquarters are in Carmel, Ind., but it has a research and technology campus in Whitakers, N.C., and a distribution center in Rocky Mount. A review of this year’s registered lobbyists and their clients showed that SePro was the only company that specifically offered this service. Brubaker has represented them since 2016, according to state board of elections records.

Read More https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/instead-curbing-pollution-state-lawmakers-consider-funding-chemical-treatment-jordan-lake/#sthash.M7rsCxsF.dpbs

Nutrient Pollution Drives Nitrate Problems in Decatur Drinking Water Source

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 15:59:14 +0000

Surrounded by some of the world’s richest soil and home to two major grain processing plants, Decatur has long been a hub for agribusiness in the United States.

One major trade-off comes in the form of excess nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus, that runoff from fertilizers used on local farm fields and from discharges from wastewater treatment plants and factories.

In an effort to make the water safe to drink, Decatur, Illinois constructed a $7.6 million nitrate reduction facility in 2002. But, that does not mean the nutrients have gone away as runoff from farms in the lake’s watershed and wastewater discharge from heavy industry find their way into the lake and, eventually, beyond.

Raccoon River Pollution Threatens Drinking Water With Nitrates and Toxic Algae

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 15:11:56 +0000

A national environmental organization labeled the Raccoon River one of the country’s most endangered because of toxic algae and nitrates. Des Moines Water Works called it a “catastrophe,” as the Raccoon is the major source for drinking water for a half-million Iowans.

Des Moines Water Works, after dumping as much as $250,000 a year into buying water from the increasingly polluted Saylorville Lake, is now considering a $50 million treatment plant expansion. But who will pay for it?

The report that labeled the Raccoon River endangered blamed the problem on the farm chemicals and livestock manure that are running from those emerald fields into our increasingly sickly green rivers and streams. However a lawsuit to share the cost with upstream polluters failed along with a separate case against the state of Iowa alleging the state was violating the public trust by failing to protect the Raccoon River from pollution.

Read More https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2021/07/12/green-water-is-costing-iowans-millions-of-greenbacks/

Aquarius Systems Shares Waterway Equipment Solutions at Milwaukee Global Water Center

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 15:42:37 +0000

It goes without saying that naval officers are interested in water. But officers from around the world got a brand-new view of water issues and solutions during a visit to the Global Water Center in Milwaukee.

The visit was part of the Naval Staff College professional development program at the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island. Naval officers representing 30 countries, including Senegal, Malaysia, Norway, Colombia and Timor-Leste, are taking part, traveling across the country to learn more about American life.

But water, of course, is universal. During the officers’ morning at the Global Water Center – headquarters of The Water Council – they learned what private companies, NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) and universities are doing to address worldwide water crises.

Officers heard from Aquarius Systems, a member of The Water Council that makes surface water management equipment. Jane Dauffenbach explained how machines such as aquatic vegetation cutters, trash skimmers and amphibious excavators help communities all over the world clear the surfaces of lakes and rivers, allowing them to continue using the water for drinking, irrigation and hydropower.

Glyphosate and Atrazine Harming Endangered Species

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 00:55:30 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the endocrine-disrupting pesticide atrazine and cancer-linked pesticide glyphosate are each likely to harm more than 1,000 of the nation’s most endangered plants and animals.

These chemical poisons are causing severe harm to imperiled wildlife since U.S. use exceeds 70 million pounds of atrazine and 300 million pounds of glyphosate every year.

Atrazine is a widespread pollutant of groundwater and drinking water. It has been linked to increased risk of cancer and reproductive problems in people and can chemically castrate male frogs at extremely low concentrations, including those allowed in drinking water. Despite being banned in more than 35 countries, including the entire European Union, it remains the second-most used herbicide in the United States after glyphosate.