Millions of Drinking Wells Worldwide Could Run Dry
Over-pumping, drought, and climate change are all factors depleting global groundwater resources. Up to 20 percent of the world’s drinking wells might be encountering impending doom. Without clean, fresh drinking wells, billions of people could be in a water crisis. According to research published in the journal Science, construction records from 39 million wells scattered… Read more
Michiganders Advised to Avoid Foam on Lakes and Rivers
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has issued a press release warning residents to stay clear of foam on Michigan lakes, rivers, and streams. The foam is typically associated with bacteria or chemicals, specifically per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which resembles shaving cream and is bright white. The foam can blow onto… Read more
$35 Billion Water Bill Passed in Senate
A $35-billion measure to purify the United States’ water systems passed overwhelmingly in the Senate. The 89-to-2 vote is evidence that lawmakers in both parties support infrastructure initiatives. Now that the bill has passed in the senate, it will go to the House of Representatives. “We’re trying to work in a bipartisan way whenever we… Read more
Another ‘Forever Chemical’ Called 1,4 Dioxane Found in Ann Arbor
Popular in the second half of the 20th century, 1,4-dioxane was used in pharmaceutical ingredients, filters, metal degreasers, and more. In toxicity studies, laboratory rodents given the chemical in their drinking water developed liver cancer. The United States National Toxicology Program classifies 1,4,-dioxane as a human carcinogen. The United States Environmental Protection Agency also deemed… Read more
Six Significant Benefits of Using Iron Filters
Most well owners know that iron is a common culprit of maintaining clean water. Brown, tinged-colored glasses of drinking water or bright orange streaks in toilets and bathtubs are signs of an iron issue. Stains, discoloration, and foul odors and flavors mean there is iron in your water. Iron can clog pipes, reduce household water… Read more
Your City’s Water Supply Could Be Targeted by Hackers
The following is an excerpt taken from the Wall Street Journal by Dave Weinstein on Feb 26, 2021. “I first saw the inside of a water-treatment plant in 2015. I was conducting a site visit at a municipal facility in New Jersey, where I was the state’s director of cybersecurity. It wasn’t an inspection; the… Read more
Toxic Hexavalent Chromium Released into Tap Water Through Pipes
The 2000 film “Erin Brockovich,” based on a true story, launched the carcinogen hexavalent chromium into the spotlight. Water supplies in California were tainted with the chemical, which caused a plethora of residents in Hinkley to succumb to cancer and all sorts of other deadly diseases. A new study is bringing this chemical back to… Read more
Hacker Tried to Poison Town’s Water Supply
In Oldsmar, Florida, a city of 15,000 people in the Tampa Bay area, a hacker remotely accessed the water treatment plant and adjusted the lye levels in the city’s drinking water, raising it to more than 100 times the normal level. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said, “It’s a bad act. It’s a bad actor.… Read more
Are Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water a Health Risk?
In 2008, the Associated Press (AP) conducted a five-month investigation and published a three-part series documenting a wide array of pharmaceuticals (antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones) that were present in the drinking water of at least 41 million Americans. The concentrations were minuscule but left scientists concerned. How do pharmaceuticals end up in… Read more
Former Michigan Governor and Eight Others Face Charges in Flint Water Crisis
After a nearly two-year-long criminal investigation, Michigan prosecutors announced 41 counts (34 felonies and seven misdemeanors) against nine high-ranking government officials, including former governor Rick Snyder, his top advisors, trusted medical officials, and two emergency managers. Two of the officials were charged with nine counts of involuntary manslaughter. According to prosecutors, Flint residents’ health and… Read more