Back to School with No water—Aging Infrastructure and Lead
In recent weeks, millions of children across the United States have returned to school. Yet, many of them are faced with the challenge of having safe water to drink while at school. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, in a recent report, found that “that fewer than half of the nation’s schools tested for lead in 2016 – and among these schools, about 37 percent identified elevated levels of lead.”[1] The frightening reality is that “there is no federal requirement for schools to test their water supply.”[2] In addition to antiquated equipment, drinking water in schools is more likely to have to […]
Santa Monica Paves the Way Toward Sustainability
If you’re looking for a city committed to sustainability, it would be hard to find one more committed than Santa Monica, California. Since 1994 with the adoption of the first Sustainable City Plan, laws and programs enacted must meet the requirements of the city’s goals, with more recent aggressive goals being, “to achieve water self-sufficiency by 2020, zero waste production by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.”[1] Toward that end, “all new construction, residential and commercial, must include rooftop solar systems and be “net zero” energy.”[2] New developments must also meet a “water neutrality ordinance that sets limits for water […]
The City of Steel Raises Rates Again
Across the country municipalities are dealing with aging and ineffective infrastructure and the solution often entails financial implications to the public. An example of a city dealing with this issue is Pittsburg. The Steel City has been hit, again, with a rate increase. In January of this year, the Pittsburg Water and Sewer Authority imposed a sizeable increase on its residents of 28 percent, and at the end of August raised the rates, again, an additional 16.7 percent.[1] A typical consumer who uses 3,000 gallons a month could see their monthly bill go from $63.62 to $74.23.[2] Although this increase […]
Breweries “Hop” onto Wastewater Solutions
In a time when water scarcity is the norm for much of the country, environmental pressures effect numerous industries including breweries. “On average, it takes about 4 to 5 gallons of water to produce a gallon of beer, making it a water-intensive industry.”[1] The city of Burlington, Vermont has six breweries, which does not seem like a lot. However, in recent years the volume of beer produced by these breweries has increased and so, too, has the waste. “Brewery waste includes yeast, spent grains and hops, and managing waste is expensive and challenging, local breweries say. Managing water and wastewater, […]
Increased Fracking Means Increased Water Demands
Although water is vital to sustain human life, water is equally vital to the economic foundation of the Permian Basin in west Texas. Recently, large energy corporations have employed more intense fracking techniques to efficiently retrieve oil and gas. This practice places an even greater amount of stress on the valuable commodity of water, which is already a scarce resource in the semi-arid western Texas climate. The increase in the volume of water required for oil and gas operations has raised the question of how can “energy needs coexist with the needs of the people and animals and other industries […]