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‘An Immediate and Dramatic Business Concern’: How COVID-19 is Disrupting the Energy Sector

/in , /by /Utility Dive (Washington)by Kavya Balaraman

The economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic could cause widespread disruptions in the energy sector, tightening demand, jeopardizing supply chains, diverting regulatory attention and negating previous growth forecasts for solar and storage deployment, according to financial analysts and industry experts.

The novel coronavirus outbreak will be a “significant global crisis, triggering an economic slowdown” — which will likely affect the broader clean energy transition, including renewables, energy storage, and electric vehicles, analysts at BloombergNEF said in a report published last week.

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Water Service Will Continue During Shelter-in-Place

/in , , /by /NBC Bay Area by Bay City News

San Jose Water customers will have uninterrupted service and water shutoffs for nonpayment will be suspended while the Bay Area undergoes shelter-in-place orders to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, the utility company announced Monday.

The company’s customer service office at 110 West Taylor St. will be closed beginning Monday, but residents can get support online at . Non-essential service appointments will be canceled, the company said.

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Arizona Utilities: Coronavirus Outbreak Won’t Disrupt Power, Water and Internet

/in , /by /Arizona Republicby Ryan Randazzo

Major electric, water, gas and internet utilities said Monday they are well prepared to maintain service in Arizona even as people shift to home-based work and school in the weeks ahead, including many of the utilities’ own employees.

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Coronavirus: Water District Employee Tests Positive, Some Leaders Self-Quarantine

/in , , /by /San Jose Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

An employee at Silicon Valley’s largest water district has tested positive for coronavirus, and at least eight other employees, including CEO Norma Camacho, entered self-quarantine because of it.

The employee at the Santa Clara Valley Water District — a public agency that provides drinking water and flood protection to 2 million residents from Stanford University to San Jose to Gilroy — works in the communications department.

The employee, who began showing symptoms on March 1 and left work March 2, remains hospitalized. The employee is not involved with the treatment or delivery of drinking water, and that service continues uninterrupted, officials at the district, also known as Valley Water, said Monday.

“As Valley Water continues to monitor the outbreak of COVID-19, we want to reassure our community that this virus is not impacting the safety of your drinking water, or our ability to supply water in Santa Clara County, ” CEO Norma Camacho said in a statement.

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Military Bases With Possible PFAS Water Contamination Rise. Is Yours on the List?

/in , /by /Impact2020 (Washington)by Tara Copp

The number of known military sites where cancer-linked firefighting foam may have contaminated groundwater across the United States has jumped to 651 from 401, and the cleanup bill will likely cost billions of dollars more than initially estimated, according to a new Pentagon report.

The new report was directed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper as part of his focus on PFAS contamination and lists hundreds of additional locations, many of them Army National Guard sites, in all 50 states where area groundwater may have been contaminated by the chemical compound.

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Military Sees Surge in Sites With ‘Forever Chemical’ Contamination

/in , /by /The Hill (Washington)by Rebecca Beitsch

The military now has at least 651 sites that have been contaminated with cancer-linked “forever chemicals,” a more than 50 percent jump from its last tally.

The information was released Friday in a report from the Department of Defense (DOD), part of a task force designed to help the military remove a class of chemicals known as PFAS from the water supply near numerous military bases.

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States, Utilities Pledge to Keep Water Flowing Amid Coronavirus

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Environment (Arlington, Va.)by Amena H. Saiyid

More than 100 public utilities in at least 34 states have agreed to halt the practice of cutting off water to homes that fail to pay their water bills during the coronavirus crisis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been urging people to wash their hands regularly with soap, saying it’s one of the most effective methods of keeping the Covid-19 virus at bay. But that’s only possible if a household has running water.

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90 US Cities and States Suspend Water Shutoffs to Tackle Coronavirus Pandemic

/in , , /by /The Guardianby Nina Lakhani

Almost 90 cities and states across the US have suspended water shutoffs for residents unable to afford their bills, as local leaders scramble to tackle the complex public health threats posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Stormy Weather Targets California Before Official Start of Spring

/in , , /by /AccuWeatherby Courtney Spamer

The final days of winter will bring more stormy weather across much of California.

A storm started off the weekend along the northern California coast, helping to produce snow and blizzard conditions across the Cascades and northern Rockies.

The storm will shift south along the California coast through early week, bringing precipitation to central and southern California.

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Treated Wastewater May be Safe for Aquaculture

/in , , /by /PHYS.orgby American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Although aquaculture in treated wastewater is practiced worldwide, there is scant scientific research concerning whether organic micropollutants are present at safe levels for consumption.

A new study in Aquaculture by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has determined that organic micropollutants in the water—trace elements of heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and personal care products as well as pesticides, solvents, and detergents—result in minimal accumulation in fish. Additionally, the wastewater does not appear to affect other commercially important traits of fish.

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