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Why Wastewater Testing is Critical in the Fight Against COVID-19

/in , , /by /Treatment Plant Operators Magazineby Tim Dobbins

Almost certainly you’ve seen headlines about wastewater treatment plants around North America joining the fight against COVID-19 by testing wastewater in an effort to predict viral hotspots. Our industry is well positioned to be a key player in the fight through this kind of routine testing during the pandemic.

Researchers have confirmed that the COVID-19 virus can be detected in the untreated waste of positive patients, and numerous treatment facilities across the U.S. are taking advantage of that and working to help track the spread of the outbreak.

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Groundbreaking Study: Earth Will Warm 4.9 to 7 Degrees F

/in , , /by /E&E Newsby Chelsea Harvey

How much warming will greenhouse gas emissions cause in the coming years? It’s one of the most fundamental questions about climate change — and also one of the trickiest to answer.

Now, a major study claims to have narrowed down the range of possible estimates.

It presents both good and bad news. The worst-case climate scenarios may be somewhat less likely than previous studies suggested. But the best-case climate scenarios — those assuming the least amount of warming — are almost certainly not going to happen.

It’s “the most important climate science paper that’s come out in several years,” according to climate scientist Andrew Dessler of Texas A&M University, who was not involved with the study.

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As Flood Season Settles In, Experts Shed Light on Dam Safety Problems

/in , , /by /Engineering News-Recordby Jonathan Keller

U.S. dam safety frameworks have helped to prevent major calamities, but the May collapse of the 95-year-old Edenville Dam in Michigan illustrates that key failure risks remain—often involving many causes, according to a study of dam safety risk assessments by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

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California Still Doesn’t Have a Plan to Bring Back Clean Energy Jobs Lost to COVID-19

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Sammy Roth

Ever since it became clear the COVID-19 pandemic would send the U.S. economy into a tailspin, there’s been lots of talk about using government stimulus funds to create clean energy jobs rather than propping up fossil fuel companies whose business model is fueling the climate crisis.

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House Sends Lands Bill to Trump Against Political Backdrop

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Emma Dumain

The House yesterday cleared a sweeping public lands package to be signed into law — a historic achievement that could have long-standing political repercussions in both parties and chambers.

The House’s 310-107 passage of the “Great American Outdoors Act” came nearly a month after the Senate advanced its version, 73-25.

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Washington Sues to Protect Clean Water Act from Rollback

/in , /by /Patch (Seattle)by Charles Woodman

Washington has joined New York, California, and 17 other states plus the District of Columbia in filing a lawsuit to prevent the Trump Administration’s proposal to change the Clean Water Act.

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21 State Attorneys General Sue Over New Trump Water Rule

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Don Thompson

Attorneys general in 20 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, alleging that new federal rules undermine their ability to protect rivers, lakes and streams within their borders.

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Court Rules IID Holds Water Rights

/in , , /by /KYMA Imperial Countyby Alexandra Rangel

The Imperial Irrigation District has won the battle over water rights in Imperial County.

The Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeals ruled a split decision Thursday. The lawsuit, filed by the local farmers and former IID Director Michael Abatti.

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Farmers Doing More With Less Need Help From Above

/in , /by /Bakersfield.comby Dianne Hardisty

Joel Ackerknecht manages about 3,500 acres of land north and west of Bakersfield and south of Arvin for DM Camp and Sons, a more than 80-year-old Kern County farming operation that grows a variety of specialty crops, including wine grapes, nuts and sweet potatoes.

A combination of expanding global demand for California produce, stretched water resources, receding ground water levels and increasing government regulations caused Ackerknecht to search for ways to do more with less.

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California Plans to Cut Detection Level for Perchlorate in Water

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. Dooley

California water regulators announced Monday they planned to cut the level at which water suppliers must sample for and report detections of the chemical perchlorate, which has been linked to thyroid conditions.

Water suppliers in California currently must test for perchlorate in drinking water down to 4 parts per billion. The State Water Resources Control Board said it plans to cut that level to 2 parts per billion and then again to 1 part per billion in 2024.

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