Springing Stories - May and June

Bimonthly recaps of all  tap water, bottled water, plastic, and other Spring to the Tap related news!

Fracking chemicals detected in Pennsylvania drinking water - New York Times
May 4th, a study found household drinking water in a Pennsylvania town was contaminated with a common fracking chemical likely the result of a faulty drilling well.

Blame Cognitive Biases When Efforts To Conserve Water Aren't Effective - NPR
May 5th, a researcher on human behavior found that people are more likely to opt for curtailment solutions to try and reduce their water use (taking a shorter shower, for example). They found that the most effective water saving strategies, however, usually involve efficiency solutions that incur a one-time expense, like installing a low-flow toilet.

May 11th, the bottled water industry is being analyzed during a time of drought in California. Although there may be more egregious overuses of water in the state, the industry still faces criticism for their questionable tactics including bottling water from a national forest without a valid permit.

Nestle Waters' CEO will 'absolutely not' stop bottling water in California — 'In fact, if I could, I'd increase it' - Business Insider
May 14th, Nestle Waters' North America CEO, Tim Brown, refused to step down when called to re-examine Nestle's usage of water during a historic drought.

Nestlé says it will use less water at California plants - USA Today
May 14th, the same day Nestle Waters' CEO claims he would like to increase bottling operations, a statement from Nestle claims the company will invest in new technologies to help conserve water at their California plants.

May 15th, Jay Inslee declares a statewide drought emergency, citing snowpack levels at 16% of average, which will impact summer irrigation supplies, as well as the potential for a severely dangerous wildfire season.

Nestle Bottled Water Plant Draws Fight in Drought-Stricken Oregon - Bloomberg Politics
May 26th, negotiations between Nestle and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Department of Natural Resources began in 2008 and are still ongoing, and generating more opposition. Nestle is still attempting to acquire the rights to Oxbow Springs in Cascade Locks, a town of 1,235 people.

New federal rules on stream protection hailed, criticized - Associated Press
May 27th, the United States EPA and Army Corps of Engineers released new federal rules to better clarify which steams and tributaries are protected under Clean Water Act regulations.

Scientists say plastic pollution in Great Lakes poses problems beyond cluttered beaches - Star Tribune
May 28th, scientists met at the University of Vermont to assess the threat of plastic in the Great Lakes. About 80% of the pollution in the Great Lakes is plastic, some of that debris is too small to see, and most plastic can harbor toxic chemicals.

Our Water-Guzzling Food Factory - New York Times
May 30th, an opinion on the management of water for agriculture, the largest user of water in California.

Fracking not a 'widespread risk' to drinking water: U.S. EPA - Reuters
June 4th, a U.S. EPA report draft five years in the making concludes that fracking is not a widespread risk to drinking water, but notes that water contamination and other health risks do occur as a result of fracking.

A Better Way For California to Water Its Farms - Wired
June 5th, dry-farmed grapes and tomatoes are less expensive to maintain, better protect the soil, and most importantly use much less water than traditionally irrigated farms. Other techniques like drip irrigation, micro emitters, or carefully choosing crops, provide possible alternatives for an increasingly water scarce world.

Our Fate is Tied To Our Ocean - Huffington Post
June 8th, a round-up of the importance of our oceans as a resource, and ways humanity, with overfishing, plastic, and carbon dioxide, are harming our marine lifeblood.

California Cuts Farmer's Share of Scant Water - New York Times
June 12th, with snowpack at a historic low, seniors water rights holders, some with claims dating back to 1903, face water usage cuts in California.

New NASA data show how the world is running out of water - Washington Post
June 16th, underground aquifers supply 35% of worldwide water use, and twenty-one of the world's largest thirty-seven aquifers have been dangerously depleted in the last ten years.

How A Historical Blunder Helped Create the Water Crisis in the West - NPR
June 25th, in 1922 the states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, and California reached an agreement on dividing the waters of the Colorado River, the only problem is that the states were promised more than the water that actually exists.

Bottled water recalled over E. coli concerns - USA Today
June 23rd, Niagra bottling is recalling fourteen brands of bottled water due to possible E. coli contamination at one of their plants.

Microplastic particles move up marine food chain on B.C. coast: research - Vancouver Sun
June 30th, tiny marine organisms that mistake plastic for food allow microplastics to pass up the food chain, along with the chemicals they harbor, to many different species of marine life, and possibly including humans.

Did you see any other interesting stories the last two months? Be sure to share them with us in the comments, or on Facebook or Twitter!

No comments:

Post a Comment