Purified urine to be astronauts' water
Reuters Page 17 2008-11-16 12:57 AM

As NASA prepares to double the number of astronauts living aboard the International Space Station, nothing may do more for crew bonding than a machine being launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on Friday.
It's a water-recycling device that will process the crew's urine for communal consumption.
"We did blind taste tests of the water," said NASA's Bob Bagdigian, lead engineer. "Nobody had any strong objections. Other than a faint taste of iodine, it is just as refreshing as any other kind of water. It tastes fine to me."
Delivery of the US$250 million wastewater recycling gear is among the primary goals of NASA's 124th shuttle mission.
In addition to the water recycler, Endeavour carries two small bedrooms, the station's first refrigerator, new exercise gear, and perhaps most important for a growing crew - a second toilet. NASA wants to make sure the water recycling system is working well before adding another three astronauts to the station's crew.
Reusing water will become essential once NASA retires its space shuttles, which produce water as a byproduct of their electrical systems. Rather than dumping the water overboard, NASA has been transferring it to the space station.
But the shuttle's days are numbered. Only 10 flights remain, including a final servicing call to the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA is preparing to end the program in 2010.
"We can't be delivering water all the time for six crew," said space station flight director Ron Spencer. "Recycling is a must."
NASA expects to process about six gallons (23 liters) of water per day with the new device. The goal is to recover about 92 percent of the water from the crew's urine and moisture in the air.
The wastewater is processed using a series of purification techniques, including distillation - which is somewhat tricky in microgravity - filtration, oxidation, and ionization.
The final step is the addition of iodine to control microbial growth, Bagdigian said.
The device is intended to process a full day's worth of wastewater in less than 24 hours.
"Today's drinking water was yesterday's waste," Bagdigian said.

STAY AWAY FROM "DASANI" WATER!!

We all want to hope that bottled water is safe.... well it all depends on the source of water they use.

Are we happy with our tap water? it doesnt matter, Coca Cola is planning to begin drawing water out of a RIVER and treat it to start a bottled water program...

DASANI, a bottled water company owned by Coca-Cola is doing what everyone else is, Bottling water from a river that has been a focus of enviromental studies.

I have two press releases here, the first from Coke, The second from an enviromental group near the river in Ore.

Please read both and STAY AWAY FROM "DASANI" WATER

Coca-Cola may bottle Willamette River water
November 2008

U.S. Water News Online

PORTLAND, Ore. —
Filtered water from the Willamette River may soon be bottled and sold by Dasani.
Coca-Cola Bottling of Oregon plans a $35 million expansion of its suburban Wilsonville plant near Interstate 5 to include Dasani water, adding 17 jobs in Wilsonville and 45 in the surrounding area.
Bottled water is not without controversy.

Critics say that filtering and bottling tap water, as Dasani and some other brands do, just packs landfills with bottles when people could simply turn on a faucet in their homes.
But the American Beverage Association says bottled water is different from tap water because it goes through additional filtering.

“While the source may be municipal, the (filtering) process is advanced beyond what any municipality does,” Craig Stevens, spokesman for the beverage industry organization, told The Oregonian.
Dasani filters city water and uses a reverse osmosis process to remove most of the minerals and “impurities,” said Dora Wong, spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Bottling of Oregon. The company then adds its own mix of minerals.

At the start of 2009, Oregon will add water bottles to the state recycling program, tacking on a five-cent deposit to the price. The legislation is expected to reduce the roughly 125 million water bottles reaching state landfills, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
The Coca-Cola plant has been in Wilsonville for more than 20 years and currently employs 107 people, said Mayor Charlotte Lehan.

Wilsonville is the only city in the Portland area to take its drinking water from the Willamette. Farther south, Corvallis and Adair Village use water from the Willamette.
Water from the Wilsonville drinking water treatment plant, built in 2002 near the river shore, has consistently met federal and state standards, according to the state Drinking Water Program.

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NOW READ THIS,,,,,,,,


Current Problems
While not all of these sources of pollution and habitat modification can be attributed to any one negative aspect of today's Willamette River, we do indeed have the following realities on the river:

The Willamette is on the Clean Water Act 303 (d) list for violations of water quality standards.

The Willamette currently violates temperature, bacteria, and mercury standards.

A large section of the river, some 40-miles known as the Newberg Pool, is home to resident fish (those that don't migrate such as the northern pikeminnow) that exhibit high percentages of skeletal deformities. For example, in some samples in this area over 50% of the juvenile fish were deformed. This section of the river, as well as others, contains PCBs, dioxin, and PAH among others.

A six-mile stretch of the river in Portland is now a federally designated Superfund site. This site is highly polluted with all manner of toxic pollution, heavy metals, and other substances. It is now going through a cleanup process that will likely push a decade to complete.
Spring Chinook and steelhead, the Willamette's native salmonids, are listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act.

Other species such as lamprey eel and white sturgeon have been found to contain significant concentrations of man made chemicals in their tissues.

There is a fish consumption advisory for people that eat ANY species of resident fish. This is pretty much any fish other than salmon, lamprey, and sturgeon.

New studies are underway that are looking into additional impacts from toxic and other pollution on the Willamette River and the species that inhabit it.

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Be careful everyone and KNOW WHAT YOUR DRINKING!!!

DRINKINGWATERSAFE.COM staff..

BAD WATER IN SCHOOLS!!

High Levels Of Uranium Found In Water At 2 Madison Schools
By DAVID FUNKHOUSER The Hartford Courant
3:32 PM EST, November 16, 2008

MADISON - Unusually high levels of uranium found in the well water of two schools has forced town officials to shut off the bubblers and provide students with bottled water while they investigate.School officials said they have been told the contamination is not harmful."The state toxicologist said it shouldn't be a great concern, it's a non-problem as far as they are concerned," board of education Chairman Robert Hale said.Hale said the Robert H. Brown Middle School and Kathleen Ryerson Elementary School off Route 79 have been supplied with bottled water fountains, and the schools will stick with bottled water for drinking and cooking until a solution can be found.
The town tested the water after school officials received anonymous tips on Oct. 28 that uranium had been found in the groundwater under nearby homes, which share the same aquifer, Hale said.The town's other schools are not affected, Hale said, because they get water from the Connecticut Water Company, which regularly tests for such materials.Test results that came back Thursday confirmed the presence of about 110 micrograms of uranium per liter (roughly parts per billion), according to a statement from School Superintendent David J. Klein.The federal Environmental Protection Agency's standard for water systems that serve homes is about 30 parts per billion, but there is no standard for schools. Consumption levels in schools are typically much lower than in a home, officials noted.Uranium is found naturally in the environment, and the state Department of Public Health told Klein that it "would not expect to see adverse effects on people consuming the water from the Brown and Ryerson schools, and they do not see a need for medical follow-up." Officials will hold a meeting tonight at 7 in the Brown Middle School auditorium for anyone with additional questions and concerns.According to a fact sheet produced by the federal Centers for Disease Control, everyone is exposed to low amounts of uranium through food, air and water. It is a naturally occurring chemical substance that is mildly radioactive.High levels of exposure can cause kidney disease, the CDC said; it is not known to cause cancer, but can decay into other radioactive materials that may.


Very bad situation there, I would not send my child to any school that had this problem.
In fact I would like to know right away what the test results were last time.. and lets stop wasting time and find out what the reason is.!!

good luck Madison Conn.

WWW.DRINKINGWATERSAFE.COM

Storm Water Treatment on its way

Today in a press release from New Jersey Legislators, The state is considering a Storm Water Treatment Authority to treat the Storm water runoff from More then 200 storm drains that empty into waterways from Atlantic, Gloucester and Ocean counties.

But who will pay for this Authority to operate? Property owners will!

There is no argument that Barneget Bay needs help, but this proposal seems to have business owners worried about the costs.

One issue that stands out for all waterways is the amount of Road Salt used on the streets and bridges through out the entire state, Turning fresh water spots into brackish water and ruining ecosystems. There are alernatives to using Salt and salt compounds for keeping ice off roadways.

Article is taken from www.pressofAtlanticcity.com

Read on:


N.J. legislators consider three-county authority for stormwater treatment
By DEREK HARPER Statehouse Bureau, 609-292-4935

Published: Friday, November 14, 2008

TRENTON - State legislators are considering creating a tri-county utilities authority to treat the water that goes down storm drains in Ocean, Atlantic and Gloucester counties, paid for with usage fees from property owners.
The initial bill dealt solely with Ocean County, but changes Thursday included the other counties.
Environmental advocates have said the runoff from homes and streets is one of the worst causes of environmental degradation in the region's back bays.
On Thursday, legislators in the Senate Environmental Committee took testimony but postponed voting on the bill until the December meeting.
Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society's state branch, said he supported the bill because severe, ongoing problems in Barnegat Bay need attention. He said more than 200 stormwater drains empty into the bay.
"I can tell you that ecologically, it's dying," he told legislators. He compared it to Maryland's Chesapeake Bay and North Carolina's Outer Banks, where legislators have moved to regulate runoff.
Similarly, state Sierra Club Executive Director Jeff Tittel said while tens of thousands of jobs rely on a clean bay, "Barnegat Bay is becoming New Jersey's largest retention basin."
He said the bay sees less fresh water, more pollution, lower oxygen levels, more eelgrass and increased salinity.
But David Brogan, New Jersey Business and Industry Association environmental policy vice president, worried about the cost that would be borne by businesses in the three counties.
Legislators asked supporters to get support from the Atlantic and Ocean County freeholders. Sen. Andrew R. Cisla, R-Ocean, Monmouth, said he wondered about the cost of the program, coming in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Similarly, committee Vice Chairman Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, said, "There is no question it is a problem in Barnegat Bay," but he wondered if going into other counties made business sense.
Cisla said advocates should also approach the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which operates the Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway.

New Jersey American Water

This past January New Jersey American Water asked the BPU, Board of Public Utilities, For for water rate increase of 23%... which would cost each homeowner about 9.50 a month increase in what they pay now.

There were supposed to be hearings and we have not heard of any yet.. see below:

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New Jersey American Water seeks 23 percent rate increase

by The Associated Press

Tuesday January 15, 2008, 6:01 AM

New Jersey American Water Company, the state's largest water utility, wants to raise rates by 23 percent to upgrade its lines and treatment plants and help it meet increased operating expenses.

That would mean an increase of about $9.50 a month for the average residential customer. New Jersey American has more than 2.6 million customers statewide.

The company announced the filing of the request with the state Board of Public Utilities Monday. The agency will hold hearings on it during the next year or so.

Its last rate increase went into effect in March of 2007. It was 12.5 percent and raised residential rates an average of $5.30 a month.

RWE, the company's German-based parent, has said it is preparing to divest its American Water subsidiary, the largest water company in the U.S. Critics have questioned whether the rate increase request was aimed at improving the company's bottom line prior to divestiture.

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OK so we waited for the hearings....... and waited...... and waited.... Not a problem, we can wait.

But hold on a minute, this past week on November 5Th 2008, this company reported a 6.2% increase in revenues. Now this sounds like the company is making more then enough money to supplement any rate increase that they would need to make... doesn't it?

See below:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

American Water Reports Third Quarter 2008 Results

Last update: 5:05 p.m. EST Nov. 5, 2008

VOORHEES, N.J., Nov 05, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- American Water Works Company, Inc.:

-- Operating revenues increase 6.2 percent to $672.2 million

-- Net income of $88.2 million or $0.55 per share for third quarter 2008

-- Excluding goodwill impairment charge (a non-GAAP financial measure), approximately 11 percent growth over third quarter 2007 net income of $79.5 million

-- Annualized general rate increases of approximately $27.0 million

American Water Works Company, Inc. (AWK:

19.79, +0.36, +1.9%) , the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company, today reported results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008.

For the quarter, the company reported operating revenues of $672.2 million, a 6.2 percent increase or $39.1 million over the same period in 2007. Net income in the third quarter was $88.2 million, or $0.55 per basic and diluted common share, compared with a loss of $160.1 million or $1.00 per basic and diluted common share, in the third quarter of 2007. Excluding the goodwill impairment charge, the third quarter 2007 net income would have been $79.5 million, showing approximately 11 percent growth quarter over quarter. The increase in net income was due primarily to higher revenues in its Regulated Business.

"We continue to make progress in our regulatory filings," said Don Correll, president and CEO of American Water. "The increase in revenues, despite the high rainfall our Midwest operations have experienced, reflects our commitment to prudently invest in infrastructure and our ability to achieve an appropriate rate of return on those investments."

For the third quarter, the company received authorizations for additional annualized revenues from general rate case activity of approximately $27.0 million, which brings the total for the first nine months of 2008 to $73.9 million. As of September 30, 2008, the company has general rate cases awaiting final order in nine additional states that would provide $267.6 million of additional revenues, if approved as filed. The extent to which these rate increase requests will be granted by the applicable regulatory agencies will vary.

The increase in operating revenues from the company's Regulated Business of $31.6 million, or 5.5 percent increase over the same period in 2007 was achieved even with the Midwest experiencing some of the wettest weather on record. For the company as a whole, primarily due to weather, total volume of water sold decreased 4.8 percent for the quarter ended September 30, 2008, to 122.3 billion gallons, from 128.5 billion gallons for the same period in 2007, resulting in an estimated reduction of $11.4 million in revenues, approximately $5.8 million in net income, or $.04 per basic and diluted common share.

The company's Non-regulated Businesses' revenues increased by $7.5 million or 11.3 percent for the third quarter, compared to the same period in 2007. The increase was primarily attributable to higher revenues in the Homeowner Services Group and the Contract Operations Group.

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What the hell is "NON REGULATED BUSINESSES"?????

hey it makes no difference, all I want to know is why are we being asked to pay more, when the water supplier is making more then what is needed to supply us with drinking water...????

If your wondering too, ask this guy:

Don Correll, president and CEO of American Water.

look his email up.

Clean Ocean Action (COA) is a broad-based coalition of 125 business, community, conservation, environmental, fishing, boating, diving, student, surfing, women's, and service groups.  These "Ocean Wavemakers" work to clean up and protect the waters of the New York Bight.  The groups came together in 1984 to investigate sources, effects, and solutions of ocean pollution.  What follows is a description of the network.( taken from COE website)

I believe this to be one of the best citizen groups around today.

I think is extremely important to this coastal community to support this group in every way they can, they have shown that they can pull together and strive to make changes in the enviroment.

With that being said;

This Wed. November 12th at 10:30am this organization will holding a meeting at bingham hall, In Rumson NJ.

The topic will be LNG, "Liquid Natural Gas" A few companies are planning to "place"  not build,  Natural gas terminals "20 Miles" off the jersey coast... Twenty Miles! Will it really inpact the future of the jersey shore?  I cant imagine how it could.

These are not perminant structures, they are free floating platforms that wont effect a thing.

Taken from EXXON website:

"The receiving terminal would cost more than $1 billion (680 million) to build and be able to supply about 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, enough for more than 5 million residential customers, to New York and New Jersey, Exxon said.

If regulators approve the terminal, it would go into operation in the middle of the next decade, Exxon said.

Many power plants built in the last decade burn natural gas, which is seen as cleaner than coal. But high natural gas prices have sent homeowners' electric bills soaring in many parts of the country and have raised concern about power supplies.

Now I am not saying that I aprove of this , but I am saying that we should learn the facts about whats  happening... before making a decision.. Again, these folks that strive for enviromental change should be commended for all they do, all I ask is get the facts before we destroy the option.

Drinkingwatersafe.com

Well the election for president is over, and yes folks we have a new man in the white house.

We wish President elect Obama the best of luck and hope he is true to to his words.

My concerns are the environment, will elected President Obama  give as much thought and concern to the environment as he does to the economy?

The president of these united states can't rest on just one platform.

His words are very strong, but we have learned in the past that words mean nothing unless actions will follow.

I just hope and I pray that someday I can look at my kids and say, " we made the right choice" as of right this minute I can't honestly say that.

Congrats to Obama, I hope this country did a good thing tonight.

Drinkingwatersafe staff.

Safe Drinking water

Hi, and welcome to our BLOG,

Everyone would like to spend hundreds, no thousands of dollars on bottled water.

Is it a trend or is because we honestly think our water is nopt safe to drink?

Our goal on this web site is to answer all of your questions, concerns and/or comments about the water you drink, pay for and live with.

Water treatment is one thing that many people take for granted. 

It is not.

Through out the life of our company, we are dedicated to give you as much information about the Water you drink as we can.

It's our promise to give you 100% free information. So if you have a problem with dirty water, bad water pressure, smelly water, high water bills..... whatever the issue is, we will try to help you.

100% free of charge. 

Is there a catch? well its not really a "catch" All I ask is that you take the extra minute to click on my sponsors, that's all. 

Just click on one of my sponsors I have listed on the site, You don't have to buy anything, Just click on it and close it if you like.. however if you want to buy the product or act upon the add, then please do so.

Well that's what we do, now you tell us what you need, and don't hold back.

Any problem you have with Water in your town or county, NO MATTER WHERE you live and we will try to solve your problem....... Its that easy..

If you don't want your blog comment posted then email us.

our policy is," The more you know about your water, the better".

The Drinkingwatersafe Team.