As the winter progresses one is reminded to always be prepared in case of emergency. Snowstorms, power outages, broken water pipes, and spring floods can all present challenges to basic living conditions. It is important to always be prepared for emergencies that may create a need for you and your family to remain in your home for
The U. S. Geological Survey’s (USGS’s) National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program is investigating nine U.S. aquifer systems to examine the pathways and processes by which contaminants reach public water supply wells through underground storm water disposal. Scientists are studying the processes below the land surface that control whether contaminants introduced in storm water are delayed, transformed or mobilized.
Since the earthquake of January 12, 2010 that devastated Haiti and resulted in more than 230,000 deaths, thousands of volunteers have traveled to that country to assist in the relief effort. Virtually all reports, whether they originate from the media, the Haitian government, organizations and agencies such as the Red Cross, WHO/PAHO, UNICEF, CDC, and OXFAM point
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified Miami-Dade health officials that three tourists, all of whom stayed at the luxury EPIC Hotel, had contracted Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia. Investigators initially attributed the outbreak to low levels of chlorine in the hotel’s drinking water, which presumably allowed Legionella to contaminate the water supply; however, the chlorine levels
A century ago, in 1908, chlorine chemistry’s germ-defeating properties were demonstrated in drinking water in two very different settings in the United States. First, chlorination transformed animal feed water, drawn from a highly polluted stream in Chicago’s Union Stockyards, into a product that exceeded the purity of city water. Days later, in Jersey City, chlorinated
About 12 million American households, roughly 15 percent of the U.S. population, draw their drinking water from private wells. Unlike public water systems, which are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), private wells are the responsibilities of homeowners. EPA standards do not apply to private wells. Consequently, well-owning homeowners are obliged to protect
Detractors Continue to Challenge Chlorination as a Safe Water Solution for Developing Nations. Despite data supporting chlorine’s highly beneficial impact on clean water supplies and public health, claims persist that the potential risks of chlorination outweigh the public health value of water disinfection. To me this is comparable to watching the third sequel of a