"SUPERBUG" slipping past wastewater treatment plants - CHINA

Researchers say an antibiotic-resistant "superbug" appears to be slipping past wastewater treatment plants in Northern China. The lead researcher on a study about the problem in China, called the results "scary." The so-called "superbugs" carry New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1"a multidrug-resistant gene first identified in India in 2010." “There’s no antibiotic that can kill [the bug.] We only realized they exist just a little while ago when a man got infected in India,. The researchers saw it as significant news for the water industry. Tthe findings "underscore the need to better understand and mitigate their proliferation and propagation from wastewater treatment plants." . "We often think about sewage treatment plants as a way to protect us, to get rid of all of these disease-causing constituents in wastewater. But it turns out these microbes are growing. They're eating sewage, so they proliferate. See full article at.. http://www.wateronline.com/doc/superbug-found-in-china-s-wastewater-0001

"Biological" Filtration - The FUTURE ?

This is an idea for the VERY NEAR future..."Biological" filtration...a water treatment system that uses naturally occurring bacteria instead of chemicals to remove contaminants from water, and then treats the water a second time by reverse osmosis (RO). Advantages of biological drinking water treatmenthas been growing in acceptance and popularity over the last five to ten years. Compared to other drinking water treatment technologies that sequester contaminants and then remove them, biological treatment destroys contaminants entirety and is able to remove multiple contaminants at the same time. This cuts down on sludge production and bacterial regrowth. Biological treatment can be used to remove natural organic matter, color, chloroform, perchlorate, nitrate, nitrite, bromate, iron, manganese, selenate, chromate, arsenate, and a variety of other contaminants. It eliminates the need for chemical oxidation prior to filtration or settling, eliminates the need for chemical reduction methods, and produces innocuous end-products, thus reducing the risk of a contaminated concentrate stream.

Check out the full article at WATERONLINE...http://www.wateronline.com/doc/biological-filtration-the-future-of-drinking-water-treatment-0001?sectionCode=Spotlight&templateCode=SponsorHeader&user=20&source=nl:38905

W VA Chemical Spill - DISASTER - Just In

UPDATE - Interesting Link to more detailed info on the spill and information on the chemical spilled, methylcyclohexane methanol...http://www.reddit.com/r/chemistry/comments/1uunyw/4methylcyclohexane_methanol/.......

This just came in....one of the most frightening incidents...will this FINALLY be a wake up call???? FROM NBC News..LINK BELOW.... A chemical spill into a West Virginia river has led to a tap water ban for up to 300,000 people, shut down bars and restaurants and led to a run on bottled water in some stores as people looked to stock up. The federal government joined West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in declaring a disaster as the West Virginia National Guard arranged to dispense bottled drinking water to emergency services agencies in the counties hit by the chemical spill into the Elk River. West Virginia American Water did not provide a timeline for the clean-up process, but the company's external affairs manager Laura Jordan told Reuters that the spill originated with Freedom Industries, a Charleston company. It occurred right above the intake of the Kanawha Valley water treatment plant in Charleston — the largest in West Virginia — and affects 100,000 homes and businesses, or 250,000 to 300,000 people, she said. NBC affiliate WSAZ said the leaked product is 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, which is used in the froth flotation process of coal washing and preparation.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/10/22245996-west-virginia-chemical-spill-cuts-water-to-up-to-300000-state-of-emergency-declared?lite

REFERENCE SOURCE: new U.S. Geological Survey fact sheet provides one-stop information on USGS water sources

Is the river near you flooding? Is the water temperature of your favorite fishing stream right for a good catch? Are groundwater levels in your county going up or down?

A State-by-State Water Resouce Tool
REFERENCE LINK: For more information, visit http://www.usgs.gov/water/

A new U.S. Geological Survey fact sheet provides one-stop information on USGS sources of stream, groundwater and water-quality data for locations across the United States.

Critical USGS online water-resources tools include

WaterQualityWatch provides near-real-time water-quality data, such as temperature and pH, and dissolved oxygen readings from over 1,700 surface-water sites in the U.S.

WaterNow sends on-demand water data such as gage height and stream flow directly to your mobile phone or email.

WaterWatch provides flood and drought information.

Groundwater Watch gives updates on groundwater levels and statistical characteristics of groundwater levels at wells in the network.

For more information, visit http://www.usgs.gov/water/

SOURCE: USGS

FRACK THAT! Hormone Disrupting Chemicals Study

FRACK THAT!!...HORMONE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS .....A new study adds fodder to the debate over whether fracking contaminates ground and surface water. "Water samples collected at Colorado sites where hydraulic fracturing was used to extract natural gas show the presence of chemicals that have been linked to infertility, birth defects and cancer," the Los Angeles Times reported....."The majority of water samples collected from sites in a drilling-dense region of Colorado exhibited more estrogenic, anti-estrogenic, or anti-androgenic activities than reference sites with limited nearby drilling operations. Our data suggest that natural gas drilling operations may result in elevated Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC) activity in surface and ground water," the study said.http://www.wateronline.com/doc/does-fracking-seep-hormone-disrupting-chemicals-into-water-0001

RURAL COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE PARTNERSHIP - Valuable Reference Resource

Happy New Year...going to start out the New Year with some information and links to some INFORMATIVE water related websites that are great reference sources ...to start the year, here is a TERRIFICE INFORMATIONAL SOURCE, complete with concise, informative VIDEOS....check out:

* Rural Community Assistance Partnership: RCAP’s assistance enables communities to provide a reliable, safe and clean supply of drinking water and a sanitary wastewater disposal system.

RCAP works in small, rural communities across the United States, its territories, and in tribal areas.

Most of the communities where RCAP works are low-income and have a population under 2,500.

RCAP provides customized, in-person technical assistance and training services, financial assistance, and information and publications to help communities operate efficient water and wastewater systems that are in compliance with regulations.

The health of residents is protected, the environment is cared for, and the economies of whole communities are supported by this critical infrastructure.

Watch this short video to learn more about RCAP:

http://www.rcap.org/