Tennessee Needs $15.6 Billion for Water
In December, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam released the findings of the TN H20 Plan, which outlines a blueprint for the state to address its dual issues of protecting future water supplies and upgrading wastewater systems. According to the report, the state will need $15.6 billion to address these issues. In a statement to the Nashville Tennessean, Bob Freudenthal, executive director of the Tennessee Association of Utility Districts, stated, “Our infrastructure has been lagging in upkeep, maintenance and growth.”[1] He explained that pipes and pumps associated with wastewater systems have a life expectancy of 30 – 40 years and many throughout […]
Florida’s Water Woes
Florida is faced with a myriad of issues, many centered around water; issues ranging from red tides and algae blooms, to marine mortality and the inability to fish or swim. On January 21, six groups came together in the first Florida Water Policy Summit to discuss policy solutions to address the state’s compromised waters. According to John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, “Not a single resident in Florida lives more than 20 miles from an impaired waterway.”[1] 12 million acres of water are currently served by Best Management Action Plans (BMAPs) which are plans implemented over the course of 15 years, mandated […]
Water.org and Social Impact Investing
This weekend more than 100 million people will watch the Superbowl, many of whom will watch for the television ads as much as the game, itself. One of the ads scheduled for game time is called, “Change Up the Usual,” and is a 30-second spot purchased by Stella Artois. The company ran a similar ad during last year’s Superbowl as well, the purpose being to not only promote its product but also to encourage people to support Water.org through the purchase of a Stella Artois chalice; a percentage of the purchase goes to the organization, whose mission, according to its […]
Kentucky Water Rates Continue to Climb
Since June 2007, Kentucky American Water has raised its rates six times. Residents of the 14 counties in Kentucky serviced by the company, including Fayette County, are facing yet another possible increase in water rates. The last rate increase was implemented approximately 18 months ago when KAW raised its rates by 9.2 percent for residential clients, an increase that was only about half as much as the company had proposed to the Public Service Commission in 2016. KAW’s current application to the PSC proposes to increase its total rate by 22 percent, which will produce nearly $20 million in additional […]
The Effect of Disinfection on Treated Water
Water scarcity is a problem that faces many regions of the country, and as treated water is considered as an option for drinking water, the quality of water going to the public for consumption will be, obviously, under scrutiny. In September of this year, Yanyan Zhang, a civil engineering Assistant Professor at New Mexico State University, received a three-year grant from the US Department of Health & Human Services/National Institutes of Health, “to evaluate if commonly used disinfection processes are effective in keeping the water supply pathogen-free and safe.”[1] According to Zhang, the processes used for disinfecting water (chlorination, ozonation […]