06-28-2009
Dead Sea canal plan approved
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 Israel -
[Israel] The World Bank approved a loan of $1.25 billion US to build a canal linking the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, a move that will give new life to a much-discussed but much-delayed project. Israeli Development Minister Sylvan Shalom made the announcement after a meeting with World Bank President Robert Zoellick in Washington, DC. The Dead Sea, which has been steadily drying out, is in urgent need of replenishment, and the pilot stage of the proposal will run a channel from the Red Sea to recharge it. Half of the seawater will feed a giant desalination plant, to be operated jointly by Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority. In the second stage, a bigger canal would supply 2 billion cubic meters of water a year to maintain and increase water levels in the Dead Sea.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Arab News byMohammed Mar'i
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: lake, artificial recharge, desalination plant, international aid, water treaty
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06-27-2009
Manufacturing firms in the red
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 Ethiopia -
[Ethiopia] In the past three months, severe drought has forced the Ethiopian Electric and Power Corporation (EEPCo) to disconnect businesses of all sizes from the country's power grid in order to conserve the shrinking water levels in hydroelectric dams. Many firms declared financial losses for May, and the power cuts have also affected the overall economy. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi reported that the country's Gross Domestic Product was expected to be a percentage point less this year as a direct result of power cuts interrupting manufacturing, and substantial job cuts are expected. EEPCo insists that the problem will be solved when the Gilgel Gibe II hydroelectric dam on the Omo River starts operation.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Ethiopian Reporter by
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: drought, dam, power plant
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06-27-2009
Sophisticated weather satellite rockets into orbit
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 Florida -
[Florida] A sophisticated new weather satellite blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida on 27 June. It's the second of an advanced series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) whose function is to monitor weather across 60% of the planet, monitor solar flares that can disrupt communications, and track climate change. GOES 14 is headed towards a 22,000-mile-high orbit, where it will undergo six months of testing before being used as a backup for other spacecraft. NASA manages the GOES satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Yahoo News byMarcia Dunn (taken from Associated Press)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: spacecraft, forecasting, global warming, hurricane
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06-26-2009
Wastewater: 500 communities are outside the law
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 Italy -
[Italy] Capri, Ischia, Maratea, Rocella Jonica, Favignana, Tarquinia, Sanremo, Imperia, Port Rotondo, and Gallipoli are among the 500 Italian municipalities that are violating a European Union directive on waste disposal and sewage treatment. European Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas urged the Italian government to act quickly to halt sewage discharges into the sea, which promote the growth of toxic algae, and to obey an order by the EU Court to remedy the widespread problem of illegal rubbish tips. Italy has missed years of deadlines and now has only two months left before the court imposes a hefty fine.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
La Stampa byMarco Zatterin
Original Language: Italian
Check for stories with: sewage pollution, waste disposal, ocean, algal bloom, international law
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06-26-2009
Farmers steal water with hacker help
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 Greece -
[Greece] A pioneering electronic system to monitor irrigation, which has cut farmers' water consumption by up to 40% in other countries, was introduced in Greece two years ago. A credit card is run through a special machine so that the Local Land Development Office (TOEB) can see how many units of water a farmer has drawn. These are deducted from the farmer's allocation. Recently, however, enterprising irrigators in Kozanis, Grevena, and Drama prefectures discovered that forged credit cards were available from Bulgaria, said Argyris Efdos of a firm that manufactures credit-card watering systems. The Public Prosecutor's Office in Drama announced that farmers caught using fake cards would be prosecuted, while in Grevena, TOEB was forced to impose an extra fee of 25 euros per acre to compensate for water thefts. Some farmers also damage their water meters to avoid paying for what they consume, added Kostas Zarogiannis, the chairman of one TOEB in Kozanis Prefecture.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Ta Nea byGiorgos Khatsios
Original Language: Greek
Check for stories with: irrigation, water conservation
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06-26-2009
Water Purification Technology Granted U.S. EPA Registration
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 Alabama -
[Alabama] A process of water purification developed by Professor Dave Worley of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Auburn University in Auburn, Lee County, Alabama has been registered by the US Environmental Protection Agency. "HaloPure Br" is sold commercially by HaloSource Inc. of Seattle, Washington. The process works by binding bromine atoms to the surface of polystyrene beads. "Bacteria and viruses are killed on contact," explained the inventor. Senior Vice President Jeff Williams of HaloSource said that because devices using this technology don't require piped water or electricity, it's ideal for hikers and campers, rural parts of the world without water or power services, and during natural disasters. It's already used in India, where many growing cities rely upon water tankers to supplement an inadequate public water system. The water from the tanks is purified as it flows through "HaloPure Br" filters on its way to home storage tanks.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Newswise Science News by (taken from Auburn University)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: water purification technology
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06-25-2009
One More Threat to Clean Water
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 Washington, D.C. -
[Washington, D.C.] The US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, in a 6-to-3 decision, ruled that an American gold-mining firm could discharge 210,000 gallons a day of potentially toxic mining wastes into a lake near Juneau, Alaska. The Clean Water Act allows the US Army Corps of Engineers to dump "fill material" in waterways when it's building bridges and levees, and in 2002, the Bush administration enlarged the definition of "fill material" to include mining wastes. In an editorial, the "New York Times" pointed out that both the Obama administration and Congress had the power to step in by simply reversing the Bush rule.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
New York Times by
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: lawsuit, river, pollution, legislation
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06-24-2009
Abruzzo: Water emergency after the earthquake
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 Italy -
[Italy] When a catastrophic earthquake struck Italy's L'Aquila Province on 6 April, a second disaster occurred almost unnoticed: the flow of the mountain spring that feeds the Gran Sasso Aqueduct temporarily slowed down and some of the piping was damaged. The aqueduct survived, thanks to two temporary repairs, but engineer Aurelio Melaragni of the city of L'Aquila wonders whether it can withstand another shock. "The water network, 2500 kilometers of ducts, was reduced by the earthquake to a disastrous condition," he said. "We have a water treatment plant out of service. And a damaged sewer network." The municipality, which has been distributing water and sewer service to the tent city of homeless earthquake victims for free, is in serious financial straits and can't afford to do all the necessary repairs. Director Raffaele Giannone revealed that the utilities were close to bankruptcy and would be forced to close down in October unless the government stepped in.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Corriere della Sera byVirginia Piccolillo
Original Language: Italian
Check for stories with: subsidence, aquifer, water pipeline, sewer system, water service
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