21
Apr
2011
Wastewater

Water for Cities. Water for Dignity
08
Apr
2011
Drinking Water
by Jerod Loeb, PhD

Topsy-turvy Winter Highlights Water Infrastructure Needs in El Paso

This winter residents of El Paso, Texas experienced unusually cold weather.  Temperatures reached six degrees Fahrenheit in early February, the lowest recorded for the city in 120 years.  In short order, El Paso became a city of frozen and burst water pipes where businesses and daily activities were seriously disrupted. Faced with a significant water... Read More »
25
Mar
2011
Drinking Water
by Bruce K. Bernard, PhD

Is Your Well Drinking Water all Well and Good?

Mrs. Joan Betty Bernard (me mum), paraphrasing Senator Adelai Stevenson, told me over and over,  “Americans demand simple answers to complex questions“(as you would expect his actual quote was significantly more erudite).  Their statements are as true today as they were 50 years ago. Is private well water safe to drink?  Well, that depends on... Read More »
18
Mar
2011
Treatment
by Chris Wiant, MPH, PhD

Wisconsin Rolling the Dice by Rolling Back Mandatory Disinfection

Wisconsin is about to roll the dice on public health by rolling back a state rule requiring municipal governments to disinfect drinking water [GOP proposes rollback of mandatory disinfection for drinking water].  The current rule protects the safety of drinking water for 12 percent of Wisconsin’s municipal water supply systems in some of the state’s... Read More »
04
Mar
2011
Treatment
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

Disinfection Byproducts and the Wrath of Unintended Consequences

In the past century, drinking water chlorination has dramatically reduced the incidence of waterborne disease wherever it has been adopted, contributing to greater life expectancy and healthier societies.  A recent article in the journal Science (The Chlorine Dilemma, January 7) takes a fresh look at water chlorination by stacking the “pros” of this technology against... Read More »
04
Feb
2011
Drinking Water
by Fred Reiff, PE

Water on the Blue Planet

It’s another beautiful snowy day in the Mid-Atlantic and I have just cleared my sidewalks and driveway of eight inches of heavy snow and sleet, placing it on the adjacent lawn and flower beds.  Unlike rain, which tends to run off rather quickly, these ice crystals will melt slowly and soak into the soil and... Read More »
25
Jan
2011
Drinking Water
by Chris Wiant, MPH, PhD

Chromium-6 in Drinking Water

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently raised alarm over the presence of chromium-6 in single samples of drinking water from 31 of 35 U.S. cities tested.  The group’s report notes the average level of chromium-6 in the 35 samples (0.18 parts per billion, or “ppb”) is higher than the 2009 draft California health goal of... Read More »
05
Nov
2010
Drinking Water
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

EPA Seeking Input from the Public on Drinking Water Strategy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched an online discussion forum to gather public input on how the agency can improve drinking water protection. The information will be used in implementing EPA’s new drinking water strategy, announced by Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in March of this year. EPA officials are seeking input from water... Read More »
26
Jul
2010
Public Health
by Water Quality & Health Council

Waterborne Diseases Cost US $500 Million a Year

According to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hospitalizations from three common and preventable waterborne diseases – Legionnaire’s disease, cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis – could cost the U.S an estimated $539 million dollars each year. These figures represent only a fraction of all waterborne disease costs. They underscore the large and hidden... Read More »
30
Mar
2010
Drinking Water
by Chris Wiant, MPH, PhD

Chlorine in Tap Water Is Safe to Drink

There has been a lot of press recently touting new water filters for faucets, showers, and entire home systems. As a marketing tactic to increase sales of these products, advertisers have been overplaying an unsubstantiated risk associated with drinking water chlorination. They overlook the benefits of chlorine as an inexpensive and highly effective disinfectant and... Read More »