water

Water temperatures are experiencing a record high

elysegabor Climate, water, Wildlife , , ,

Sunrise Colours
Via Flickr

Elyse Gabor | September 14, 2022

Recently, the Northern Atlantic and northern Pacific oceans have been experiencing abnormally warm temperatures. Marine life is now experiencing heat waves similar to those on land.  

As the earth warms and climate change becomes more prevalent, the ocean absorbs the heat. With the rise in greenhouse gases comes the warming of land due to hotter temperatures. This heat becomes stored by the ocean. According to a recent study authored by John Abraham, a professor of thermal sciences at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, “The pace of warming has increased about 500 percent since the late 1980s.” 

Dillon Amaya, a research scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Physical Sciences Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, said that temperatures have risen as much as 9 degrees F. Amaya said, “It’s been very extreme — some of the hottest temperatures we’ve seen on record — and they’ve hung around for several months.” 

The warming of ocean waters can lead to rising water levels and large impacts on marine life like a population rise in invasive species and other effects on marine ecosystems.  

Des Moines Water Utilities Join “Forever Chemicals” Lawsuit

josieetaylor water, Water quality , , , ,

Josie Taylor | July 27, 2022

Trustees of two Des Moines metro area drinking water producers have voted to join hundreds of civil claims against manufacturers of firefighting foams that contain PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” which have contaminated Iowa water.

Des Moines Water Works and West Des Moines Water Works are pursuing the litigation to help offset anticipated future costs to remove the chemicals from their treated water. Tests of both systems’ drinking water in recent months have revealed concentrations of PFAS chemicals that exceed federal health advisories.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to set enforceable limits on the chemicals that could force water utilities to remove them as part of their treatment processes. Recent tests of the treated water that might again reveal PFAS contamination are pending.

Firefighting foam is a potential source of contamination in West Des Moines, and it’s the subject of the multi-state lawsuit that the two metro utilities recently voted to join. These utilities were approached by law firms that are helping litigate it.

The foam is believed to have contaminated groundwater near military bases, airports and other sites.

Lake Mead may become a dead pool because of intense drought

gsmith26 Uncategorized , , ,

Via Flickr

Grace Smith | June 30, 2022

Lake Mead, a lake on the border of Arizona and Nevada, experienced an extremely low water level on Thursday at 1,043.8 feet: the lowest level since 1930 when the lake was filled. Over 25 million people rely on water from the lake, which is also the nation’s largest reservoir. 

As of January 2022, Lake Mead is now at only 34 percent of its capacity. If the water level reaches below 895 feet, it will be classified as a dead pool. This means the lake will be too low to flow downstream or over the Hoover Dam, the lake’s lowest water outlet.

At the end of April, one of the water intake valves, which has been used since 1971, became exposed to air. This is the first valve to be above water in the lake and can no longer be in service.

The decrease in water comes from a drought occurring in the western United States that is described as the West’s worst drought in 1,200 years. In a Nature Climate Change study published in February 2022, authors estimated that 42 percent of the soil moisture depletion in the West from 2000-2021 was caused by human-provoked climate change. The drought, which started in 2000, will likely continue until at least 2030.

E. Coli Founda t Terry Trueblood Lake in Iowa City

josieetaylor Public health, water , , , , ,

Photo taken by Josie Taylor on June 6, 2022

Josie Taylor | June 29, 2022

High levels of bacteria were found in the water at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. The City of Iowa City has warned against swimming in the lake because of this. 

The city has done regular water tests at the lake, called Sand Lake, in previous summers, but this is the first time there has been a no-swim advisory due to high levels of E. coli bacteria. E. coli can carry parasites or other pathogens that sicken swimmers. It can come from geese, humans or agricultural runoff. 

Paddle boarding and other activities that do not require going in the water will still be allowed at the lake. 

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources does weekly water tests at 39 state park beaches between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day. The agency reported 106 swim advisories for E. coli or microcystins last summer.Iowa City has posted signs at Sand Lake advising against swimming. The advisory will be in effect until water quality improves, the city said. Updates will be posted on the city’s Parks & Recreation website.

All Detectable PFAS Chemicals in Iowa Exceed Heath Advisory

josieetaylor water, Water quality , , , ,

Via Flickr

Josie Taylor | June 21, 2022

The treated drinking water of a northeast Iowa city had nearly 3,000 times the safe amount of PFAS chemicals when it was tested in February, according to new federal advisories announced last Wednesday. 

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been sampling water in dozens of cities in the past year to help determine the pervasiveness of PFAS or “forever chemicals.”

They have been used for decades to make non-stick and waterproof products, firefighting foams and other items. Recent studies have shown that they can accumulate in people’s bodies over time and can cause numerous ailments, including cancers, liver damage, diminished immune systems and infant and childhood development delays, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In 2009, the EPA set a safety threshold of 70 parts per trillion for the two most-prominent PFAS. On Wednesday, it lowered the health advisory of one of them to .004 parts per trillion and the other to .02 parts per trillion. Current testing technology is unable to detect concentrations that small.

The DNR’s testing can detect concentrations as small as 1.9 parts per trillion. That means that one of the PFAS would have to be 475 times the safety threshold before it is even detected.

Des Moines Water Works Using Nitrate Removal System for the First Time in Five Years

josieetaylor water, Water quality , , , ,

Via Flickr

Josie Taylor | June 14, 2022

Des Moines Water Works has had to begin operating its nitrate-removal system for the first time in five years after finding elevated nitrate concentrations in their water. The level of nitrate in the utility’s water supply fluctuates, and is attributable to excess nutrients on upstream farmland running off the land and entering Iowa’s rivers, lakes and streams.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Standard for nitrate is 10 milligrams per liter, and the nitrate levels in the rivers and groundwater used by the Des Moines Water Works have recently peaked at more than nine milligrams per liter.

The Water Works’ nitrate removal facility initially began operating in March 1992, but was last used in 2017. Drier conditions the past few years have limited the flow of nutrients into Iowa’s waterways, which has led to lower levels of nitrate in raw source water. 

Use of the nitrate-removal system is significant because of what it means in terms of water quality and because of the expense. It can cost up to $10,000 a day to operate the nitrate-removal system, the Des Moines Water Works says.

The Des Moines Water Works is Iowa’s largest drinking water utility and provides drinking water to one-fifth of the state’s population.

West Des Moines Successfully Treats Water for Forever Chemicals

josieetaylor Health, water, Water quality , , , ,

Via Flickr

Josie Taylor | May 5, 2022

The treated drinking water of West Des Moines no longer has detectable amounts of PFAS, commonly called “forever chemicals.” West Des Moines Water Works shut down a contaminated well in 2021 after finding troubling levels of PFAS. 

Initial tests of West Des Moines water in November showed it contained the two prominent PFAS in a combined concentration of 5.3 parts per trillion. A subsequent test in March did not detect either. Those tests can detect concentrations as small as 1.9 parts per trillion.

“We were pleased to see that,” said Christina Murphy, general manager of West Des Moines Water Works. “We do everything we can to mitigate the presence of those compounds.”

Two other West Des Moines wells showed contamination in lesser concentrations than the one that was shut down, and the water utility is minimizing its use of them, Murphy said. 

Ames stopped using its most-contaminated well after DNR sampling found a combined concentration of 38 parts per trillion, but its treated drinking water appeared unaffected by the change. Initial tests of the treated water showed it had the two PFAS in a combined concentration of 9.6 parts per trillion in December. In March, it was 10 parts per trillion.

The state is requiring water supplies to test their finished drinking water quarterly if they have detectable amounts of PFAS.

Wastewater Leaks into Creek in Creston

josieetaylor Infrastructure, waste, water , , , ,

Via Flickr

Josie Taylor | April 14, 2022

The bank of a creek in Creston, IA collapsed and severed a sewer line on Tuesday, which spilled untreated wastewater into the creek for about four hours until city workers were able to repair it, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

According to State Records, Hurley Creek goes through much of the north and west sides of town, and there have been restoration efforts to stabilize the banks. A shift of the soil likely caused the cast-iron pipe to come apart, said Dan Olson, a senior environmental specialist for the DNR. 

The wastewater leak in the creek happened Tuesday about a mile upstream of the McKinley Lake, which was created about 150 years ago by damming the creek, the DNR reported. The lake is a public attraction for a zoo with bears, elk, wolves and exotic birds, among other creatures.

Originally, the pipe was constructed under the creek bed, but it had been exposed by erosion over the years, he said. About five gallons of sewage was flowing into the creek each minute.

An estimated 1,275 gallons of sewage leaked into the creek, which Olson doubted would have much of an impact on the McKinley Lake. 

Survey discovers that Kammerer Mobile Home Park’s drinking water contains the state’s highest amount of toxic chemicals

elysegabor pollution, water, Water quality , , ,

A glass of water, please
Via Flickr

Elyse Gabor | March 8, 2022

Just south of Muscatine, the Kammerer Mobile Home Park near the Mississippi River contains the highest amount of toxic chemicals that have been discovered by the new state survey. The mobile home park houses around 100 people. 

According to the Iowa DNR, the water is contaminated with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, also known as “forever chemicals” or PFAS. Out of the dozens of communities tested for the chemicals, ten have reported findings or PFAS. Kammerer Mobile Home Park has been found to contain the highest amount of chemicals and surpasses other states’ safety levels. At this time, it is unknown if mobile park residents are aware of the presence of “forever chemicals” in their water.  

Roger Bruner, the supervisor of the DNR’s water quality bureau that is conducting the statewide survey, said, “They didn’t exceed anything with the (federal) health advisory — that’s the point at which we would require a public water supply to notify their customers.”

The well that contains drinking water for the park is very susceptible to surface contamination due to porous sediment in the area. The prime source of contamination likely came from one of the many industrial sites nearby; however, the exact origin is unknown. 

The US Will See Sea Levels Rise at an Unprecedented Rate

josieetaylor Climate, Flooding, ocean, water , , , ,

Via Flickr

Josie Taylor | February 21, 2022

According to a new government report, the US coastline will see sea levels rise in the next 30 years by as much as they did in the entire 20th century. The projected increase is especially alarming given that in the 20th century, seas along the Atlantic coast rose at the fastest clip in 2,000 years.

By 2050, seas lapping against the U.S. shore will be 10 to 12 inches (0.25 to 0.3 meters) higher, with parts of Louisiana and Texas projected to see waters a foot and a half (0.45 meters) higher, according to a 111-page report issued Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and six other federal agencies.

The report did have some good news, like the worst of the long-term sea level rise from the melting of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland probably won’t kick in until after 2100. 

The report “is the equivalent of NOAA sending a red flag up” about accelerating the rise in sea levels, said University of Wisconsin-Madison geoscientist Andrea Dutton, a specialist in sea level rise who wasn’t part of the federal report. The coastal flooding the U.S. is seeing now “will get taken to a whole new level in just a couple of decades.”

The reason why sea level rises more in some places than others is because of sinking land, currents and water from ice melt. The U.S. will get slightly more sea level rise than the global average. 

While higher seas cause much more damage when storms such as hurricanes hit the coast, they are also becoming a problem on sunny days.

Cities such as Miami Beach, Florida; Annapolis, Maryland; and Norfolk, Virginia, already get a few minor floods a year during high tides, but those will be replaced by several “moderate” floods a year by mid-century.