Month: March 2015

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Russias Water Crisis

  1. Russia http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-17/russia-s-lake-baikal-water-level-nearing-critical-stage
    1. In Russia Lake Baikal fell to 1 cm above critical levels. This lake is where the world gets 20% of its freshwater. Since 2013 the water levels have fallen around 40cm which is major. This drop will ensue many changes is the surrounding towns and areas pertaining to water usage. The Russian government is talking about rationing because of the rest of the world’s dependence on this source. They are also waiting to make any major decision because usually by May the water is restored to its usual levels. One other way that the government is ensuring water security is by flowing some of the water down rivers to hydroelectric power plants to generate power. This will help save money and keep neighboring towns powered.
    2. This relates to Environmental Science because many aspects are being discussed that are relevant. The way that the water is being used is efficient and forward thinking. This article is also helpful because is further emphasizes our drought and dependence on one source of water. We need to start thinking about other ways we can get clean drinkable water.
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Ireland Water Prices

  1. Ireland http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/data-blog-irish-water-charges-to-be-cheapest-in-europe-1.2085619
    1. New laws have been put in place where Ireland will pay the least amount for their water. With the rising discussion on water this is beneficial to the country. Most of Europe uses the meters to base their charges rather than a fixed rate that Ireland is using. Some people like the rate because it lets them know how much water they can use. Others like the meter because they can use as much as they want and pay for the amount they use. Irelands water is the cheapest in Europe because of the abundance that they have. Places like Denmark have to pay 6.33 compared to Irelands .89.
    2. This is relevant to Environmental Science because it contrasts places where theres drought and where there isn’t. This information is useful because it helps us better understand how our world is functioning as a whole. Mostly we see the droughts and problems that are going on but we rarely see the positive aspects. This further proves that even though the climate is changing and many countries are having a hard time adjusting there are still places that we can look up to.
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Brazil Water Crisis

  1. Brazil http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/11428718/Taps-run-dry-in-Brazils-biggest-city-as-drought-bites.html
    1. Like California, Brazil is going through a major drought. Even though in february the country received the most rainfall all year they still are running out at a rapid pace. Since 2012 there has been warnings that there might not be enough water to carry this population in the coming years. The reason why no one knew about it was because of political reasons. The most recently elected president didn’t want to carry that burden on his shoulders until it was necessary so the government decided to not tell the public. This created a major shock that people are now having to deal with. The water supply shuts off at 1pm so on lunch breaks citizens of San Paolo run to the nearest water pipe to collect their water for the day.
    2. This relates to Environmental Science because it has to do with the distribution of water. Many people are scared now because the country might have to start rationing if worst comes to worst. Until now water had been easy flowing and there was no issue about whose water it was because there was enough for everyone. Now the real issue is what you do with a resource that technically can’t be owned by one particular organization. That is why the government is trying to take control of the situation before it gets even more out of hand.
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West Africa Water

 

  1. West Africa http://blog.al.com/press-releases/2015/02/water_relief_continues_in_west.html
    1. West Africa is in the middle of an Ebola crisis and on top of that lacking in clean water. This absence is what is worsening the disease because when treating Ebola, clean water is needed to clean the sheets; disinfect the surrounding area and wash the patients. People from all over the world are contributing to the cause but it still isn’t enough. There are more people dying because the infrastructure for clean water hasn’t been built. This is why people need to donate not just water but to the construction of wells and pipes that can carry water to these towns that don’t have any.
    2. This relates to Environmental Science because of the water crisis that is occurring all over the world. We as a human race are slowly using up all the freshwater that we have. Some places like West Africa don’t even have the availability of clean water like we do. This imbalance is what spreads disease and keeps people in poverty. It also prevents nations as a whole from developing. The positive part of this is that people are starting to realize what’s going on. More and more organizations are donating the money and water to help these people.
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Benzene in LA

Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-fracking-20150211-story.html#page=1

 

There are now high amounts of benzene found in fracking waste waters in California. It is said that for years, California allowed companies to inject fracking flowback water into aquifers that had drinking water. California’s oil field waste water injection program does not comply with federal safe drinking water act. There are about 9 drinking water wells that have shown benzene in them. 98% of waste water samples taken from fracked oil wells exceeded federal water quality standards. The EPA states that another 279 disposal wells were drilled into aquifers. They contained water that was suitable that would be drinkable if treated. However, there were 48 wells that contained water that was not drinkable. The EPA is now directing $500000 to help California establish a baseline for water quality.


I think that the state as a whole needs to take responsibility for this. They allowed for companies to do this so they should pay the price. The state complains that we are in a drought but yet they allow this go on? Benzene is known to be toxic. It is not good that the benzene may be in our drinking water. Wells should provide drinkable water because that is what California is in great need of. We do not need toxic, polluted water that we cannot drink.  I think that it is good that the EPA is helping out. We need to get this issue resolved.

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Toxic Waste Water

“Oil Industry’s Toxic Wastewater Threatens California Water Supplies.”Sacbee. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.

http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article10718264.html

 

In California, oil industries produce about 130 billion gallons of wastewater per year. Documents revealed that state regulators allowed the oil industries to drill more than 2,400 illegal injections wells. This was for wastewater disposal and oil production into protected California aquifers. This illegal injection was not just in one part of the state but throughout the state. Even though many were already shut down, some are still shooting oil industry wastewater into underground water resource that should be protected. Not only are the oil industries dumping into wells, but also to open pits. In the Central Valley, water officials state that a least 383 of these sumps lack permits. There are fracked wells that contain benzene at levels as high as 1500 times the federal limits for drinking water. The levels were 700 times the federal limits for drinking water. 98% of operators found a level over the limit.


The illegal injections in wells needs to stop. As we can all see, it is not doing anyone any good. It does not do the state any good knowing that it is not just in one part of the state but all over. 130 billion gallons of wastewater per year is a lot that can do us harm. This is not just being dropped into wells but to open pits as well. The best thing that can be done in order to slowly decrease the amount of wastewater being dumped is to stop the oil industries. The sooner they stop dumping, the sooner this issue can be resolved. Also, there needs to be more attention towards these industries. Many lacked permits and had they been stopped sooner, this issue could have been fixed as well.

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Fracking

“Confirmed: California Aquifers Contaminated With Billions Of Gallons of Fracking Wastewater.” DeSmogBlog. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.

http://www.desmogblog.com/2014/10/07/central-california-aquifers-contaminated-billions-gallons-fracking-wastewater

 

In October of last year, there was a problem with California’s underground injection program reported. It is now said that the issue is much worse than what was reported back in October. Last July, 11 wastewater injection wells were shut down. This happened because there were concerns that the wastewater may have been contaminate aquifers. This is a big issue because these aquifers are used for farm irrigation and drinking water. It has been stated that 9 of those sites were dumping wastewater. About 3 billion gallons of wastewater were injected illegally into central California aquifers. Some of the sites had high levels of chemicals like arsenic, which can weaken the immune system. There are about another 19 injection wells that may have been contaminated. Many say that Governor Jerry Brown needs to do something to stop this.


I was not aware of this issue that we had in California. This has been an ongoing issue for a while now. The fact that it is worse than what was stated I think shows how much attention is given. I do not think it would be as bad as it is if we paid much more attention. We really need to watch our aquifers. Since they do provide us with drinking water, it is important that wastewater is not dumped here. 3 billion gallons is a lot of wastewater. We do not need more wastewater than we already have. The last thing needed is for people to get sick from this a start spreading diseases.

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Water Contamination

Bernstein, Sharon. “Health Experts Warn of Water Contamination from California Drought.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 18 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/19/us-usa-california-drought-idUSBREA1I06P20140219

 

Rural communities in California that depend on wells for their drinking water are at risk. Groundwater is becoming more contaminated than ever before. Our drought put 10 communities in California at a tight risk of running out of drinking water in 60 days. The state has already helped 22 communities that were identified as a reliant on contaminated groundwater. In total, there were 183 communities in need of help. The California Farm Bureau has estimated that the impact of idled farmland will run to about $5 billion. Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency. This is because the reservoir levels decreased due to the small amount of rain and snow we have received. There are 10 communities in need of a lot of help.


The fact that we are in a drought does not help this situation at all. The fact that we had 10 communities with the risk of running out of water within 60 days is not a good sign. I personally think that people have not been conservative towards water and we are now paying the price. California is in great need of water. Having the little water that we have being polluted does not help us anymore. I think it is good that Governor Brown declared a state emergency. Now we must be careful oh how we are using our water. There are too many communities that are in need of help just because of contamination.

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Groudwater

“NRDC: California’s Contaminated Groundwater – Executive Summary.”NRDC: California’s Contaminated Groundwater – Executive Summary. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.

http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/ccg/execsum.asp

 

For about 100 years groundwater has been providing California with an essential and substantial resource for its industries, agriculture, and cities. About 25-40% of California’s water supply comes from beneath the ground water and not from the surface water. California is the number one state in the country that uses the most groundwater. We use about 14.5 billion gallons of groundwater a day.  There are so many gallons used because over 50% of our population depends on groundwater. However, it was not until recently that groundwater received so much attention. It was recently seen that groundwater is naturally pristine an immune from contamination by surface activity. It is possible that the groundwater could contaminate more than it already is. By this happening contamination can spread everywhere.


It is interesting to see how dependent we are on groundwater. I find it more interesting that we are the number one state in the country to use groundwater the most. I do think that it is important that we do pay attention to our groundwater. It is ironic that this is what we use as our drinking water but never payed much attention to it. Due to the fact that we did not pay attention to it like we should have, the groundwater is now contaminated. The best thing that we can do is first, try to fix the contaminated water. Second, we have to pay more attention to our groundwater. We really need the water as it is considering that we are in a drought. We should not wait until it is too late to try and use our water wisely.

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Tiny Particles increasing Heart Attacks

A new study in California has linked tiny particles released from cars being inhaled to deaths by way of heart attacks. These scary findings raise consumes of ultrafine particles which are so microscopic that they easily pass through the bloodstream and into the brain and important organs. The study that was conducted concluded that those living near traffic are more prone to being affected by these ultrafine particles. It is important to remember to stay off of major roadways such as those in downtown Los Angeles as they give off some of the world’s most polluted air.

 

 

While it is obvious that major roadways give off the most pollution and hurt the environment most critically, I never fully realized the true danger that standing on a major roadway can elicit. This will make me more cautious when I am near a busy street. It is especially scary because of how fine the particles being accidentally consumed are and how they can easily travel into your bloodstream and critical organs. This study further goes to show how dangerous air pollution is and all the negative affects it has on humans.