February 25, 2011

Some experts are now calling for a labeling system so that consumers can have a better idea of how much water is used to grow agricultural products or manufacturer goods.

One of the leaders of the movement is Dr. Brent Clothier of the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd., whose specialty is plant water use. He urged the introduction of a water labeling system at the Australian Society of Agronomy conference, held in Lincoln, New Zealand, toward the end of 2010.

Clothier believes a water-labeling system would increase consumer awareness of water use and encourage manufacturers to use less water to manufacture products.

“ENERGY STAR and WaterSense has been very successful in this way,” says Klaus Reichardt, founder and CEO ofWaterless Co. Inc., manufacturers of no-flush urinal systems. “They have made consumers much more energy and water conscious and encouraged manufacturers to make products that are more efficient.”

Reichardt cites two key reasons we are now hearing calls for a water-labeling system.

“The first is because we are becoming much more concerned about water shortages around the world and the other is due to recent studies that surprised many people, indicating just how much water is used to manufacture products we use every day,” he says.

Reichardt is referring to studies released in the past year that indicate:

• An estimated 39,000 gallons of water are used to make one car;
• Two thousand gallons are used to make tires for the car;
• More than 1,800 gallons of water are necessary to grow the cotton for one pair of jeans;
• One pound of plastic requires 24 gallons of water; and
• One latte requires 53 gallons of water, which includes the water necessary to grow the coffee as well as to make the paper and plastic for the cup.

Although the water-labeling idea has not garnered government interest as yet, it is getting attention in private industry. Corporations such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the Coca-Cola Co. are getting much more water conscious.

Sustainable Facility

Georgia is home to more than 70,000 miles of rivers and streams, but with a population of 9.8 million people these abundant water resources are being strained, especially in Metro Atlanta where more than 4 million of Georgia’s citizens reside. Unfortunately, Georgia’s largest metropolitan area sits in North Georgia near the state’s mountains where several of Georgia’s rivers begin, and where water is less abundant.

For example, each day on average, about 1.6 billion gallons of water flows by the City of Atlanta in the Chattahoochee River—the area’s primary drinking water source. By contrast, about 4.5 billion gallons flow by the City of Augusta in the Savannah, more than 3 billion gallons flow by Columbus in the Chattahoochee and some 4.4 billion gallons flow by Rome in the Coosa.

Because Georgia’s residents are not where Georgia’s water is, some special interests want to pipe or transfer the abundant water resources of Georgia’s smaller cities to Metro Atlanta to support that region’s continued economic growth. This process is usually referred to as “interbasin transfer” because water is moved from one river basin to another and not returned.

Interbasin transfers create conflicts between communities because water removed from a river and not returned is no longer available to sustain the economies of downstream communities or protect the health of the river and the wildlife that depend upon it.

Interbasin transfers currently take place in many parts of the state but most notably on the Chattahoochee and Coosa rivers. In 2008, the Chattahoochee lost 46.7 million gallons each day (MGD) while the Flint lost 11.7 MGD and the Coosa lost 9.7 MGD.

However, recent proposals for meeting Metro Atlanta’s water demands include the transfer of up to 150 MGD from the Savannah River system, 200 MGD from the Tennessee River system and even 200 MGD from South Georgia wells.

Such massive transfers could significantly impact the economic future of Georgia’s smaller communities and threaten our state’s natural resources.

Georgia needs to regulate interbasin transfers to protect our rivers and the future of all Georgia communities.

The state’s current laws regulating interbasin transfers are weak and should be strengthened.

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Say No

From Toxic Waters a NY Times series about the worsening pollution in American water and regulators’ responce.

Across the nation, the system that Congress created to protect the nation’s waters under the Clean Water Act of 1972 today often fails to prevent pollution. The New York Times has compiled data on more than 200,000 facilities that have permits to discharge pollutants and collected responses from states regarding compliance. Information about facilities contained in this database comes from two sources: the Environmental Protection Agency and the California State Water Resources Control Board. The database does not contain information submitted by the states. Full Story »

Washington State Dept of Transportation held liable for Stormwater runoff under CERCLA

Started by Jeffrey Sutton P.E.,M.ASCE, Staff Engineering at Erlandsen & Associates

Federal Court Holds Washington State Liable
Under Superfund Law for Stormwater Runoff
In what may be a first case of its kind, a federal district judge has ruled that the Washington State Department of Transportation is liable for cleanup costs under the superfund law for highway stormwater runoff that contained hazardous substances (United States v. Washington State Dept. of Transportation, W.D. Wash., No. C08-5722, 6/7/10).
Judge Robert J. Bryan of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington held in a June 7 order granting partial summary judgment to the federal government that the state was liable under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act because it arranged for the disposal of hazardous substances by designing the drainage systems for three highways—I-5, State Route 705, and State Route 509.
The runoff from the roadways drains into the Thea Foss and Wheeler Osgood waterways, which are located within the Commencement Bay-Nearshore Tideflats superfund site on Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash.
The state Transportation Department “arranged for disposal of hazardous substances. It is undisputed that [the department] designed the drainage systems at issue,” Bryan wrote. “Designing is an action directed to a specific purpose. The purpose was to discharge the highway runoff into the environment. [The department] had knowledge that the runoff contained hazardous substances, and there was an actual release of the hazardous substances into the environment.”
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Commencement Bay-Nearshore Tideflats Superfund Site in Tacoma occupies 12 square miles and includes more than 300 active businesses, with almost 500 sources of contamination (142 DEN A-7, 7/28/09).
Bryan wrote in his order that highway runoff from the three highways contained the following hazardous substances: phthalates, cadmium, lead, zinc, nickel, and petroleum hydrocarbons.
Deborah L. Cade, state assistant attorney general, said the opinion is the first of its kind in using CERCLA to control stormwater runoff.
“There is no evidence in his case that the stormwater runoff is anything other than stormwater runoff. It’s just rainwater that falls on the highway,” The United States brought suit against the state transportation department on Dec. 2, 2008, seeking to recover its costs incurred in response to the releases and threatened releases of hazardous substances to the two waterways, located in Tacoma.
Response Costs Set at $6.8 Million
The United States alleged that, as of June 30, 2008, it had incurred at least $6.8 million in unreimbursed response costs linked to the Thea Foss and Wheeler Osgood Waterways.
Because the court found the department to be an arranger under CERCLA, Bryan wrote that he did not need to address whether the department was an owner or operator of the superfund site.
Arranger liability under CERCLA provides that one who disposes of or treats any hazardous substance will be liable for a subsequent release of such hazardous substance into the environment.
The state agency defended itself against the allegations of the federal government by claiming that it did not fall under one of the classes of responsible parties under the superfund law.
The United States countered that by claiming the department “arranged for disposal by designing, constructing, and operating drainage systems whose sole function was to collect highway runoff and dispose of it into nearby water-bodies,” according to the June 7 decision.

Not in my backyard. Check out your state from the list below

Search data on more than 200,000 facilities around the nation permitted to discharge pollutants.

From an article by the New York Times

Toxic Waters

A series about the worsening pollution in American waters and regulators’ response

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi

• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

According to a 2008 survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), many homeowners aren’t up to speed on the benefits of sustainable landscape practices — but they’d be willing to try if given more information. The survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of ASLA, showed that while 96 percent of U.S. adults have adopted sustainable or energy-efficient practices inside the home, only 58 percent use energy- or water-saving techniques in their yard, lawn or garden.

Of those involved in the care of a residential yard, lawn or garden, only 29 percent planted shade trees to lower energy costs; 23 percent used maintenance methods that reduce fuel consumption, exhaust and emissions (such as using a rake instead of a leaf blower); 15 percent harvested rainwater or used recycled water to water plants; and 11 percent used drip irrigation.

The survey also examined these homeowners’ attitudes about sustainable landscape practices. Only 13 percent disagreed with the statement “I would use more ‘green’ yard practices if I knew more about them.” Sixteen percent disagreed with “Using ‘green’ practices in my yard takes little extra effort and time,” and 19 percent disagreed with “Using ‘green’ practices in my yard saves me money.”

“You probably see a similar gap in consumer awareness as you do with builders and some of the other groups in the design and construction industry,” says Nancy Somerville, ASLA’s executive vice president and CEO. Clearly, there is an opportunity here to enlighten both the housing industry and the public.

© 2009, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.

RELATED ARTICLES

U.S. Department of Energy/Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy/Building Technologies Program/Residential Buildings (climate zones)

Building Science Corp. (building homes in different climate zones)

Background on synthetic turf

Membrane bioreactor system (advanced water treatment technology)

GreenScapes web site (tips for contractors, homeowners)

Atlanta Business Chronicle

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Forbes magazine has ranked Atlanta the nation’s “most toxic” city.

“In Atlanta, Ga., you’ll find southern gentility, a world-class music scene–and 21,000 tons of environmental waste,” Forbes.com noted. “In spite of its charms, the city’s combination of air pollution, contaminated land and atmospheric chemicals makes it the most toxic city in the country.”

Forbes said it looked at the country’s 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas based on data provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It then counted the number of facilities that reported releasing toxins into the environment, the total pounds of certain toxic chemicals released into the air, water and earth, the days per year that air pollution was above healthy levels, and the total number of Superfund sites (contaminated areas that the federal government has designated for cleanup efforts) in each city.

According to the data, Atlanta has 58 Superfund sites, 277 facilities releasing toxic chemicals, 41.5 million pounds of released toxic chemicals, and the 28th-worst air quality.

The least toxic was Las Vegas.