Residents urged to conserve water
By Star-Bulletin staff
POSTED: 12:26 p.m. HST, Dec 27, 2008
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is urging residents to conserve water because the reservoirs are depleted from the power outage.
“They can not refill the reservoirs until they have power back because their pumps are electrically run,” Board of Water Supply officials said in a written statement. “Because HECO is unclear about how long it will take for all of Oahu to be back up, and fully operational, they want to request that Hawaii Kai to Salt Lake, especially in the lower elevations, really conserve their water. Even when power if fully restored the system will not be back to normal and they are estimating that this conservation should last through the weekend.”
Su Shin, spokeswoman for the board, said if residents have no water, they can call 748-5010 and a water wagon will be sent to the area.
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is urging residents to conserve water because the reservoirs are depleted from the power outage.
“They can not refill the reservoirs until they have power back because their pumps are electrically run,” Board of Water Supply officials said in a written statement. “Because HECO is unclear about how long it will take for all of Oahu to be back up, and fully operational, they want to request that Hawaii Kai to Salt Lake, especially in the lower elevations, really conserve their water. Even when power if fully restored the system will not be back to normal and they are estimating that this conservation should last through the weekend.”
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Is Hovnanian Builders on the Naughty List for Xmas?
DID HOVNANIAN RUN AWAY FROM WATER PROBLEMS??
The L.A. Times says they did.After only building 35 homes in an estimated 425 home development outside Lancaster, The developer stopped building homes and "beat feet" outa there!!Why would Hovananian run away from a project?
Well it was started without enough water pressure or supply to finish the project, Now home owners are up in arms.How would a developer agree and pursue the job without first testing and re-assuring that water supply was there to meet the demand for the houses? Its beyond me.
Read on,
Upset over water shortages and unfinished development, residents of the community are suing the developer for fraud, negligence and breach of contract.
By Ann M. Simmons December 15, 2008 :
The first sign of trouble came almost immediately after Kurt and Michelle Dahlin moved into Lancaster's new Westview Estates in March 2007.The water slowed to a trickle midway through showering. The toilet tank took two hours to refill.
The family often was forced to bathe at 4 a.m. -- before the neighbors awoke and the water flow became a dribble. Some days, there was no water at all.
Things only got worse as more homeowners moved into the gated community on the outskirts of Lancaster. Complaints to New Jersey-based developer K. Hovnanian Homes, Los Angeles County water officials and Lancaster city representatives were met with excuses and finger-pointing, residents said in interviews.
In September 2007, the developer halted construction after building only 35 of the 425 homes originally planned. Of those, just 23 were sold.A fight immediately ensued over who was to blame for stopping the development.
The families who remain in Westview are angry. Residents said they thought they were buying into a luxury community in a coveted residential enclave. What they got was a suburban ghost town, with vacant homes and windblown tumbleweeds sweeping across empty lots.
"Our position is that these homes should never have been sold," said Jamie Duarte, an attorney representing the Westview homeowners in suing K. Hovnanian Homes for fraud, negligence and breach of contract. The lawsuit alleges the developer knew of the water deficiencies but failed to disclose them.
Read whole story on this link:http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-westview15-2008dec15,0,4786612.story
The L.A. Times says they did.After only building 35 homes in an estimated 425 home development outside Lancaster, The developer stopped building homes and "beat feet" outa there!!Why would Hovananian run away from a project?
Well it was started without enough water pressure or supply to finish the project, Now home owners are up in arms.How would a developer agree and pursue the job without first testing and re-assuring that water supply was there to meet the demand for the houses? Its beyond me.
Read on,
Upset over water shortages and unfinished development, residents of the community are suing the developer for fraud, negligence and breach of contract.
By Ann M. Simmons December 15, 2008 :
The first sign of trouble came almost immediately after Kurt and Michelle Dahlin moved into Lancaster's new Westview Estates in March 2007.The water slowed to a trickle midway through showering. The toilet tank took two hours to refill.
The family often was forced to bathe at 4 a.m. -- before the neighbors awoke and the water flow became a dribble. Some days, there was no water at all.
Things only got worse as more homeowners moved into the gated community on the outskirts of Lancaster. Complaints to New Jersey-based developer K. Hovnanian Homes, Los Angeles County water officials and Lancaster city representatives were met with excuses and finger-pointing, residents said in interviews.
In September 2007, the developer halted construction after building only 35 of the 425 homes originally planned. Of those, just 23 were sold.A fight immediately ensued over who was to blame for stopping the development.
The families who remain in Westview are angry. Residents said they thought they were buying into a luxury community in a coveted residential enclave. What they got was a suburban ghost town, with vacant homes and windblown tumbleweeds sweeping across empty lots.
"Our position is that these homes should never have been sold," said Jamie Duarte, an attorney representing the Westview homeowners in suing K. Hovnanian Homes for fraud, negligence and breach of contract. The lawsuit alleges the developer knew of the water deficiencies but failed to disclose them.
Read whole story on this link:http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-westview15-2008dec15,0,4786612.story
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Drought parches much of the U.S., may get worse
By John Blake CNN,
The value of water is starting to become apparent in America. Over the past three years a drought has affected large swaths of the country, and conflicts over water usage may become commonplace in the future, climatologists say.
"Our focus is oil, but the critical need for water is going to make water the most significant natural resource that we're going to have to worry about in the future," says Larry Fillmer, executive director of the Natural Resources Management & Development Institute at Auburn University in Alabama.
At least 36 states expect to face water shortages within the next five years, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, several regions in particular have been hit hard: the Southeast, Southwest and the West. Texas, Georgia and South Carolina have suffered the worst droughts this year, the agency said.
Yet most people don't need a federal agency to tell them there's a water shortage. Plenty of cities have implemented water bans while state squabbles over water usage are common in some regions. What may surprise people, though, are the causes for the recent drought.
It's not global warming, some climatologists say. The droughts are caused by rapid population growth and unwise agricultural choices.
John R. Christy, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, says the last three years have been drier than usual in many parts of the United States, but overall there's been no shortage of rainfall. He says the U.S. mainland experienced worse droughts in the 12th and 16th centuries.
"The demand for water has gone up," Christy says. "The demand has skyrocketed in places like California and New Mexico because they've tried to grow crops in deserts."
Even drought conditions in the Southeast can't be blamed on a shortage of rainfall, Christy says. The region's water delivery systems can't keep pace with the growth, he says.
The value of water is starting to become apparent in America. Over the past three years a drought has affected large swaths of the country, and conflicts over water usage may become commonplace in the future, climatologists say.
"Our focus is oil, but the critical need for water is going to make water the most significant natural resource that we're going to have to worry about in the future," says Larry Fillmer, executive director of the Natural Resources Management & Development Institute at Auburn University in Alabama.
At least 36 states expect to face water shortages within the next five years, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, several regions in particular have been hit hard: the Southeast, Southwest and the West. Texas, Georgia and South Carolina have suffered the worst droughts this year, the agency said.
Yet most people don't need a federal agency to tell them there's a water shortage. Plenty of cities have implemented water bans while state squabbles over water usage are common in some regions. What may surprise people, though, are the causes for the recent drought.
It's not global warming, some climatologists say. The droughts are caused by rapid population growth and unwise agricultural choices.
John R. Christy, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, says the last three years have been drier than usual in many parts of the United States, but overall there's been no shortage of rainfall. He says the U.S. mainland experienced worse droughts in the 12th and 16th centuries.
"The demand for water has gone up," Christy says. "The demand has skyrocketed in places like California and New Mexico because they've tried to grow crops in deserts."
Even drought conditions in the Southeast can't be blamed on a shortage of rainfall, Christy says. The region's water delivery systems can't keep pace with the growth, he says.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
THE RICH KEEP GETTING RICHER!!
NJ AMERICAN WATER GETS WATER RATE INCREASE....
Like they really need it!!
In case you were wondering, the stocks are down 1.6% so far today...
The subsidiary of Voorhees, N.J.-based American Water Works Co. (NYSE:AWK) said average residential customers, who use 7,000 gallons of water a month, will see their monthly bills rise $4.71 to $49.25 from $44.54.
New Jersey American Water also said:
• Customers of what were the Elizabethtown and Mount Holly water systems will see their monthly bills rise $8.37 to $43.92 from $35.55;
• Customers of the former Pennsgrove system will see their monthly bills go up $6.23 to $32.28 from $26.05;
• And customers of the former South Jersey Water Supply Co. will see their monthly bills increase $9.10 to $43.92 from $34.82.
Additionally, New Jersey American Water said the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities granted its request to transition customers in the former Elizabethtown and Mount Holly systems, Harrison, Pennsgrove, Adelphia, Chester Borough and Mount Ephraim from quarterly to monthly billing next year.
New Jersey American Water filed for the rate increase in January. It said the increase reflects the costs of serving its more than 2.5 million people and the investment of more than $325 million to replace and upgrade its infrastructure.American Water is the largest publicly traded owner of water and wastewater systems based in the United States with subsidiaries serving about 15 million people in 32 states and Ontario, Canada.
Like they really need it!!
In case you were wondering, the stocks are down 1.6% so far today...
The subsidiary of Voorhees, N.J.-based American Water Works Co. (NYSE:AWK) said average residential customers, who use 7,000 gallons of water a month, will see their monthly bills rise $4.71 to $49.25 from $44.54.
New Jersey American Water also said:
• Customers of what were the Elizabethtown and Mount Holly water systems will see their monthly bills rise $8.37 to $43.92 from $35.55;
• Customers of the former Pennsgrove system will see their monthly bills go up $6.23 to $32.28 from $26.05;
• And customers of the former South Jersey Water Supply Co. will see their monthly bills increase $9.10 to $43.92 from $34.82.
Additionally, New Jersey American Water said the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities granted its request to transition customers in the former Elizabethtown and Mount Holly systems, Harrison, Pennsgrove, Adelphia, Chester Borough and Mount Ephraim from quarterly to monthly billing next year.
New Jersey American Water filed for the rate increase in January. It said the increase reflects the costs of serving its more than 2.5 million people and the investment of more than $325 million to replace and upgrade its infrastructure.American Water is the largest publicly traded owner of water and wastewater systems based in the United States with subsidiaries serving about 15 million people in 32 states and Ontario, Canada.
Monday, December 8, 2008
WATER IN THE NEWS
Drinking water from the air? Yes that's right!
I new item on the market costs about 1200 bucks and promises to take humid air and turn it into about 13 quarts of fresh drinking water every day.
Kind of like an air conditioner drips the humidity out of the air, this unit will take that water treat it and store it for human consumption... Or at least that's what the company says they will do.
In a new era of drinking water technology these devices will be popping more then ever within the next few years.
I have not tasted any of this water yet, I am curious to see test results from the end product before purchasing a unit.
Remember, air quality differs in the different states we live. So use caution when purchasing a unit where the air quality is poor or unhealthy. Ask manufactures to test a unit at your home before purchasing, and have that water tested by outside firm... not the manufacturer.
See link below.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28003681/
I new item on the market costs about 1200 bucks and promises to take humid air and turn it into about 13 quarts of fresh drinking water every day.
Kind of like an air conditioner drips the humidity out of the air, this unit will take that water treat it and store it for human consumption... Or at least that's what the company says they will do.
In a new era of drinking water technology these devices will be popping more then ever within the next few years.
I have not tasted any of this water yet, I am curious to see test results from the end product before purchasing a unit.
Remember, air quality differs in the different states we live. So use caution when purchasing a unit where the air quality is poor or unhealthy. Ask manufactures to test a unit at your home before purchasing, and have that water tested by outside firm... not the manufacturer.
See link below.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28003681/
Friday, December 5, 2008
REAL TIME NAVESINK RIVER WATER QUALITY
The folks at Monmouth University have had a Water Quality Monitoring Station Installed at the Oceanic bridge. This Station will provide Water Quality data to the university for study purpose on any changes that may occur throughout the year. There are charts also available for the Data provided on this webpage.
http://71.59.88.199/SondePages/501.htm
This data is very important to the quality of life of the river, Not to mention good data for the Fisherman to use. For instance, If the Turbidity is low then the water is clearer so fish could see bait easier. Also provide is pH, DO, Temperature and Salinity of the water.
take a look and bookmark the website so you will always know real time data.
http://71.59.88.199/SondePages/501.htm
This data is very important to the quality of life of the river, Not to mention good data for the Fisherman to use. For instance, If the Turbidity is low then the water is clearer so fish could see bait easier. Also provide is pH, DO, Temperature and Salinity of the water.
take a look and bookmark the website so you will always know real time data.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
WATER IN THE NEWS
Tainted Water causes guardsmen to file suit.
Taken from the Houston Chronicle.
Guardsmens' suit against KBR alleges exposure to toxics
By DAVID IVANOVICH Houston Chronicle Copyright 2008
Dec. 3, 2008, 11:31PM
WASHINGTON — Sixteen members of the Indiana National Guard have filed suit against Houston-based military contractor KBR, seeking unspecified damages for alleged exposure to a toxic chemical at an Iraqi water treatment plant in 2003.
In their suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Evansville, Ind., the plaintiffs contend KBR knowingly allowed them to be exposed to sodium dichromate, a chemical used as an anti-corrosive but containing the carcinogen hexavalent chromium. The alleged exposure occurred while the guardsmen were providing security for KBR workers at the Qarmat Ali water plant in southern Iraq.
KBR was restoring the facility so the water could be used to help increase production from Iraqi oil wells.
The guardsmen allege KBR officials repeatedly told the soldiers there was no danger, even though blood tests on some civilian workers had shown elevated chromium levels.
And when some at the water plant began experiencing symptoms associated with hexavalent chromium poisoning — particularly bleeding from the nose known as 'chrome nose'— KBR managers "told men on site it was simply an effect of the 'dry desert air' and they must be 'allergic to sand,' " the suit alleges.
KBR spokeswoman Heather Browne declined to comment on the specifics but said: "We deny the assertion that KBR harmed troops and was responsible for an unsafe condition. KBR appropriately notified the Army Corps of Engineers upon discovery of the existence of the substance on the site, and the Corps of Engineers concluded that KBR's efforts to remediate the situation were effective."
In June, a panel of Senate Democrats led by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., examined the exposure allegations. The Army is trying to determine whether the Corps of Engineers used appropriate oversight of KBR.
Ten former KBR workers, meanwhile, contend they also were exposed to sodium dichromate at the water plant and have filed a separate arbitration case.
They are scheduled to argue their case before an arbitrator in Houston on Monday, said Houston attorney Michael Doyle, who is representing the guardsmen and the workers.
KBR used to be a subsidiary within Halliburton Co. but became a separate public company last year.
Taken from the Houston Chronicle.
Guardsmens' suit against KBR alleges exposure to toxics
By DAVID IVANOVICH Houston Chronicle Copyright 2008
Dec. 3, 2008, 11:31PM
WASHINGTON — Sixteen members of the Indiana National Guard have filed suit against Houston-based military contractor KBR, seeking unspecified damages for alleged exposure to a toxic chemical at an Iraqi water treatment plant in 2003.
In their suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Evansville, Ind., the plaintiffs contend KBR knowingly allowed them to be exposed to sodium dichromate, a chemical used as an anti-corrosive but containing the carcinogen hexavalent chromium. The alleged exposure occurred while the guardsmen were providing security for KBR workers at the Qarmat Ali water plant in southern Iraq.
KBR was restoring the facility so the water could be used to help increase production from Iraqi oil wells.
The guardsmen allege KBR officials repeatedly told the soldiers there was no danger, even though blood tests on some civilian workers had shown elevated chromium levels.
And when some at the water plant began experiencing symptoms associated with hexavalent chromium poisoning — particularly bleeding from the nose known as 'chrome nose'— KBR managers "told men on site it was simply an effect of the 'dry desert air' and they must be 'allergic to sand,' " the suit alleges.
KBR spokeswoman Heather Browne declined to comment on the specifics but said: "We deny the assertion that KBR harmed troops and was responsible for an unsafe condition. KBR appropriately notified the Army Corps of Engineers upon discovery of the existence of the substance on the site, and the Corps of Engineers concluded that KBR's efforts to remediate the situation were effective."
In June, a panel of Senate Democrats led by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., examined the exposure allegations. The Army is trying to determine whether the Corps of Engineers used appropriate oversight of KBR.
Ten former KBR workers, meanwhile, contend they also were exposed to sodium dichromate at the water plant and have filed a separate arbitration case.
They are scheduled to argue their case before an arbitrator in Houston on Monday, said Houston attorney Michael Doyle, who is representing the guardsmen and the workers.
KBR used to be a subsidiary within Halliburton Co. but became a separate public company last year.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Is Obama trying to show his enviromental side to soon? It seems in a State like new jersey where we have the strictest enviromental rules governing the polution and treatment of water.
Obama wants to increase standards and designate millions to try to get more regulations started up.
Well, someone better inform New Jersey where the state keeps letting DEP reps work long hours already and they dont seem to be hiring any more soon, Hell they probably will let a few more go just to save a buck.
Obama Likely to Boost Water Quality Rules After Years of Lax Regulation
By Kent Garber
Posted December 1, 2008
The Obama administration and the next Congress are being urged, by a growing number of academics, environmentalists, and lawmakers, to address the country's water problems, including its dwindling supplies, inadequate environmental protections, and stalled cleanup efforts.
Over the past decade, a potent combination of Supreme Court decisions, Bush administration regulatory actions, and congressional inaction—coupled with recent droughts and the specter of more pronounced problems from climate change—has helped breed crises of both water quality and water availability, they say.
At the top of their priority list: reviving federal laws—particularly the Clean Water Act—that have been weakened or narrowly interpreted in recent years; boosting funding for the nation's faltering and aging water infrastructure; and strengthening the Environmental Protection Agency's regulation of water pollution from industry and power plants.
Many of these priorities appear to align with those of Barack Obama. In his remarks about a stimulus package last week, Obama stressed the need for infrastructure improvement. During the campaign, he touted his support for water protection in battleground states like Florida, pledging to help protect and restore the Florida Everglades. His campaign advisers, meantime, say he will support legislation to restore the full scope of environmental laws that were weakened under the current administration.
Environmentalists want him to start by rejuvenating the Clean Water Act—the main water-pollution control act in the United States. Passed in 1972, the law was interpreted by both Congress and the courts for nearly 30 years as protecting virtually all federal waters. But in 2001, and again in 2006, the Supreme Court handed down rulings that served, in effect, to limit the law's reach.
Now, more than 20 million acres of wetlands, along with more than half of the country's steams and rivers, are more vulnerable to pollution as a result of the court's decisions and EPA rules that have followed. "Clean water enforcement is essentially broken at this point," says Joan Mulhern, senior legislative counsel at Earthjustice, a nonprofit law firm that has prosecuted many of the most high-profile environmental cases of the past decade. Moreover, because of uncertainty resulting from the court's 2006 decision, the EPA has delayed processing hundreds of environmental violations.
Obama wants to increase standards and designate millions to try to get more regulations started up.
Well, someone better inform New Jersey where the state keeps letting DEP reps work long hours already and they dont seem to be hiring any more soon, Hell they probably will let a few more go just to save a buck.
Obama Likely to Boost Water Quality Rules After Years of Lax Regulation
By Kent Garber
Posted December 1, 2008
The Obama administration and the next Congress are being urged, by a growing number of academics, environmentalists, and lawmakers, to address the country's water problems, including its dwindling supplies, inadequate environmental protections, and stalled cleanup efforts.
Over the past decade, a potent combination of Supreme Court decisions, Bush administration regulatory actions, and congressional inaction—coupled with recent droughts and the specter of more pronounced problems from climate change—has helped breed crises of both water quality and water availability, they say.
At the top of their priority list: reviving federal laws—particularly the Clean Water Act—that have been weakened or narrowly interpreted in recent years; boosting funding for the nation's faltering and aging water infrastructure; and strengthening the Environmental Protection Agency's regulation of water pollution from industry and power plants.
Many of these priorities appear to align with those of Barack Obama. In his remarks about a stimulus package last week, Obama stressed the need for infrastructure improvement. During the campaign, he touted his support for water protection in battleground states like Florida, pledging to help protect and restore the Florida Everglades. His campaign advisers, meantime, say he will support legislation to restore the full scope of environmental laws that were weakened under the current administration.
Environmentalists want him to start by rejuvenating the Clean Water Act—the main water-pollution control act in the United States. Passed in 1972, the law was interpreted by both Congress and the courts for nearly 30 years as protecting virtually all federal waters. But in 2001, and again in 2006, the Supreme Court handed down rulings that served, in effect, to limit the law's reach.
Now, more than 20 million acres of wetlands, along with more than half of the country's steams and rivers, are more vulnerable to pollution as a result of the court's decisions and EPA rules that have followed. "Clean water enforcement is essentially broken at this point," says Joan Mulhern, senior legislative counsel at Earthjustice, a nonprofit law firm that has prosecuted many of the most high-profile environmental cases of the past decade. Moreover, because of uncertainty resulting from the court's 2006 decision, the EPA has delayed processing hundreds of environmental violations.
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