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Showing posts with label Water Sustainability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Water Sustainability. Show all posts
Current Activities and Outcomes of Previous Initiatives Undertaken by the Haw River Assembly
Fearrington Village Green's Scene May 08, 2024 Meeting Program
Large Room at The Gathering Place, 11:00 AM till Noon
Email Questions, Replies, and/or Comments to: janemcw@aol.com
On Wednesday, May 8, our 11:00 AM Green Scene Meeting at The Gathering Place will feature a presentation by Seth Darling, Ph.D. (https://www.anl.gov/profile/
Topic: Some Scientific "Bright Lights" As ANL Works to Improve Our Nation's Water/Air Quality”
The ANL is the first and largest national laboratory in the midwest, employing more than 1000 scientists, is owned by the United States Department of Energy, and operated in conjunction with the University of Chicago.
Seth is the Chief Science and Technology Officer of the Advanced Energy Technologies Directorate at ANL. He also directs the Advanced Materials for Energy-Water Systems (AMEWS) Center. His research activities have produced pioneering work on the development of new materials for energy and water processing, including membrane materials for water filtration (Smart Water Solutions).
Come and learn about some "state of the art" initiatives that are being explored on our road to addressing the nation's water quality and atmospheric carbon reduction.
Thanks to Fred Morris and Preston Thomas, if time allows we will have the capability for some Q&A following the presentation.
United Nations Concerned About PFAS "Forever Chemicals" in North Carolina Water
United Nations criticizes 'forever chemical' contamination in North Carolina
Use the blue hotlink above to open the full article and to view the short related 4 minute 28 seconds video.
February 22, 2024 -- Experts from the United Nations issued a statement this week criticizing companies for chemical contamination in North Carolina. In a statement, a group from the U.N. that included Marcos Orellana, special rapporteur on toxics and human rights, called out chemical companies DuPont and Chemours. "Even as DuPont and Chemours had information about the toxic impacts...
Turning Waste In Water Into Wealth for the Great Lakes Region
To read this article, use the blue hotlink which is included below.
New water-focused innovation engine aims to turn waste into wealth for Great Lakes region
The waste in our water could soon generate new waves of clean energy development, job creation and economic growth across the Great Lakes thanks to a new regional innovation and economic development initiative launched by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).
Fearrington Green Scene January 10, 2024 Program Presentation
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FEARRINGTON VILLAGE DRINKING WATER
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 meeting at 11:00 AM till Noon in The Gathering Place
Those of us who attended the December 13, 2023 meeting experienced an enlightening presentation by Jamie Revels, Utilities Director for the Town of Cary. The presentation was especially enlightening because Cary controls the Water Intake Facility, which is located on the edge of Jordan Lake where our drinking water originates. Cary’s intake facility performs a number of tests of the water on an ongoing basis - with the results ( going back a few years ) are available on their water report website and are now also available via this link on the Green Scene Blog.
This is why we arranged for Blake Mills, Chatham County Director of Public Utilities, together with Chris Summerlin, Assistant Utilities Director, and Daniel Clevenger the Manager of the County Water Treatment Plant who are responsible for the pumping and testing of that water as it travels to our homes who also addressed the 46 residents who attended the presentation.
The PDF file version of the Program Presentation Can Be Accessed By Using This Link.
All are welcome to this ( free ) educational presentation.
Recovering Valuable Materials From Water
To boost supply chains, scientists are looking at ways to recover valuable materials from water
For many materials critical to supply chains that will help enable America's decarbonization transition, resources are limited. Traditional mining is fraught with challenges, so advancing clean energy depends on finding new ways to reliably access critical materials. Promoting national security and economic competitiveness will require America's researchers to find new ways to obtain the materials that we need for many technologies.
Chatham County Watershed Protection to Co-Sponsor Creek Week
The Chatham County Community is Invited to Regional Creek Week March 18 –25, 2023.
Post Date: 03/06/2023 9:56 AM
Creek Week offers the opportunity for the public to interact with the waters of Chatham County through a variety of free river-oriented activities. There are programs where people can visit the rivers, explore ephemeral pools, meet aquatic insects like dragonflies and damselflies, learn about plants that are good for streams, and participate in river clean-ups. Individuals may also participate in the Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Oh My! scavenger hunt for fun and prizes. Programs will take place in person, via Zoom, Facebook, and Instagram.
To learn more about the free programs being offered during Creek Week, or to register for those programs, individuals may visit Chatham County Creek Week or CWEP Regional Creek Week and find out how to get involved locally and regionally.
Questions about this event may be directed to Phillip Cox, Chatham County Watershed Protection Department, at (919) 542-8268 or phillip.cox@chathamcountync.
Forever Chemicals: The Threat of PFAS in Our Water
CBS Sunday Morning, August 21, 2022 -- Lee Cowan reports on the chemical compounds PFAS, which have contaminated water supplies across the country for decades and have been linked to cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease and more.Forever chemicals: The threat of PFAS in our water
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (known as PFAS) are long-lasting compounds that are showing up in soil, ground water, drinking water sources, even rainfall, and have been linked to cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease, and other ailments. By some estimates, this toxic family of chemicals can be found in the blood of nearly every person on the planet.
Unique Wind Powered Dry Toilet Installation Does Not Require Water to Work
A sanitary installation which does not require either water, or evacuation to work.
Not only the water is saved, but this system is completely isolated from the environment and can’t contaminate the groundwater.
The excrements are dried up in the conveyor and the urine as well as the humidity evaporate into the atmosphere. The system was designed to handle normal amounts of urine. In fact it assists with the removal of odors due to the additional ventilation it causes because of evaporation. The excrements dry by being transformed into a kind of compost and represent between 5 and 10 % of their initial mass. If more voluminous objects such as cans of drink, layers or other objects are accidentally dropped into the tank, the system will not be blocked; nonetheless, it is recommended that such objects not be added to the system.
The system is manufactured in the Collectivity of St. Martin in the French West Indies and uses a natural biological process to transform the waste into a kind of dehydrated and odourless compost. For more information, see the schematic just below and visit the product website (or click on the banner above).
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| A SunwinD Eco San toilet is housed inside this attractive beachfront tropical shack at a popular public beach located in a beautiful nature park on Pinel Island just offshore from the Island Collectivity of St. Martin. |
Jordan Lake Water Treatment Facility Project to Begin
The Western Intake Partnership announces the start of Phase 1 of the Jordan Lake Water Supply Project.
Post Date: 03/02/2022
The Western Intake Partnership announces the start of Phase 1 of the Jordan Lake Water Supply Project. The Western Intake Partnership, made up of Chatham County, the City of Durham, and the Town of Pittsboro, was formed in 2014 to focus on securing a long-term regional water supply together for the communities they serve. In 2020, following extensive study, the Partnership decided to move forward with a plan to withdraw and treat water from Jordan Lake and deliver it to partner water systems.
Jordan Lake is a vital regional resource. It is a popular place for recreation, supplies water to surrounding communities, controls flooding and water quality, and helps conserve fish and wildlife habitats. Now the lake will provide the growing communities of the Western Intake Partnership with a reliable source of clean drinking water, while protecting the reservoir's other uses.
During Phase 1 of the Jordan Lake Water Supply Project, the Partnership will identify and investigate facility location and pipeline route alternatives, determine the capacities required, evaluate treatment process alternatives, evaluate and select the governance model for the Partnership, and conduct an environmental review process. This process is expected to continue through 2024. In future phases, the project is expected to begin construction in 2027 and be completed by 2031.
The project includes:
• A new water treatment facility, intake facility, and pump station on Jordan Lake near the Vista Point recreation area, and finished water transmission pipelines/booster pumping.
• A water supply pipeline to deliver water from the intake facility to a new water treatment facility.
• A water treatment facility on currently owned property near Jordan Lake.
• Drinking water transmission pipelines to deliver water to Partner distribution systems.
Beginning the week of March 7, consultants associated with the project will begin work on a site being considered for the proposed water treatment facility. Their work will include a field survey, preliminary geotechnical investigations, and environmental resource surveys such as wetland and stream delineations. The site being considered is owned by Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) in the vicinity of Jordan Lake.
OWASA is engaged with the Western Intake Partnership but is not a member. OWASA is currently working to finalize a decision on how to meet its long-term water supply needs.
Information about the project can be found at www.WesternIntakePartnership.
Jordan Lake is a vital regional resource. It is a popular place for recreation, supplies water to surrounding communities, controls flooding and water quality, and helps conserve fish and wildlife habitats. Now the lake will provide the growing communities of the Western Intake Partnership with a reliable source of clean drinking water, while protecting the reservoir's other uses.
During Phase 1 of the Jordan Lake Water Supply Project, the Partnership will identify and investigate facility location and pipeline route alternatives, determine the capacities required, evaluate treatment process alternatives, evaluate and select the governance model for the Partnership, and conduct an environmental review process. This process is expected to continue through 2024. In future phases, the project is expected to begin construction in 2027 and be completed by 2031.
The project includes:
• A new water treatment facility, intake facility, and pump station on Jordan Lake near the Vista Point recreation area, and finished water transmission pipelines/booster pumping.
• A water supply pipeline to deliver water from the intake facility to a new water treatment facility.
• A water treatment facility on currently owned property near Jordan Lake.
• Drinking water transmission pipelines to deliver water to Partner distribution systems.
Beginning the week of March 7, consultants associated with the project will begin work on a site being considered for the proposed water treatment facility. Their work will include a field survey, preliminary geotechnical investigations, and environmental resource surveys such as wetland and stream delineations. The site being considered is owned by Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) in the vicinity of Jordan Lake.
OWASA is engaged with the Western Intake Partnership but is not a member. OWASA is currently working to finalize a decision on how to meet its long-term water supply needs.
Information about the project can be found at www.WesternIntakePartnership.
Rocky River Heritage Foundation Volunteers Clean-Up
CH@T: Rocky River Heritage Foundation's volunteers conduct clean-up effort
Environmental and volunteer organizations routinely devote hundreds of hours every month to keep lakes and rivers in North Carolina as pristine as possible. This week, we speak with Pamela Hawe, a member of the Rocky River Heritage Foundation; foundation members and other river organizations recently completed Chatham's first "Creek Week" program, working to clean a portion of the Rocky River.
No Water, No Microchips: What Is Happening in Taiwan?
No Water No Microchips: What Is Happening In Taiwan?
Water wars are no longer from apocalyptic imagery. Something as dramatic is already happening in Taiwan, where a drought is causing chip manufacturers to compete with locals for water use. Starting on June 1, in fact, the country will cut water supply for the major chip making hub Taichung.
CDAC Discovery Challenge Awardees Train Data Science on Medicine, Clean Water, and Education
CDAC Discovery Challenge Awardees Train Data Science on Medicine, Clean Water, and Education | CDAC
As data science matures as a field, its power to tackle major challenges across all disciplines and industries rises. However, unlocking novel, powerful innovations and solutions for interdisciplinary challenges that benefit, and don't inadvertently harm stakeholders, is a non-trivial task that often requires matchmaking, stakeholder engagement, and a plan for coordination.
A Conversation About Chicago’s Stewardship of One of the Future’s Most Precious Resources: Water.
February 17, 2021
Click on the Poster to Launch Video.
Join Chicago Studies and guest lecturer Sabina Shaikh, Director of the Program on the Global Environment, for her presentation on The Blue City. This lecture will create a conversation about Chicago’s stewardship of one of the future’s most precious resources: water. This presentation was a part of our Chicago Futures series, a lecture series focused on imagining the future of Chicago through turbulent times.
“The Blue City” explored the latest thinking about water innovation, technology, architecture, and urban design to imagine how our region’s connection to fresh water can attract residents and businesses through water, and retain them through an equitable quality of life.
Panelists:
- Sabina Shaikh, University of Chicago
- Tony Briscoe, ProPublica
- Seth Darling, Argonne National Laboratory
- Martin Felsen, UrbanLab, IIT, University of Chicago
- Alaina Harkness, Current
Recommended Resources:
- Build Back Bluer: Water innovation can drive inclusive recovery
- New Resources to Propel our Blue Economy
- Meet the entrepreneurs solving our most pressing water challenges
The End of Water As We Know it | The Pearson Global Forum October 2020
Hosted by The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at The University of Chicago
Water Crises Again Ranked a Top Global Risk in World Economic Forum Report
Water Crises Again Ranked a Top Global Risk in World Economic Forum Report - Circle of Blue
For the first time in the history of the Global Risks Report, respondents ranked environmental factors as the top five risks that are most likely to occur. On a second measurement - impact, or the damage that a risk can cause - four of the top five risks are environmental.
Careful Measurement of Environmental Trends and Progress Provides a Foundation for Effective Policymaking
Welcome
Careful measurement of environmental trends and progress provides a foundation for effective policymaking. The 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks 180 countries on 24 performance indicators across ten issue categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. These metrics provide a gauge at a national scale of how close countries are to established environmental policy goals.
NASA Satellite Tracking Polluted Carolina Water Flowing Into Rivers and Spilling into The Atlantic Ocean
NASA can see dark, polluted Carolina rivers spilling into the ocean from space
A NASA satellite is tracking flooding in the Carolinas following Hurricane Florence, and its images show dark, polluted water flowing from rivers into the Atlantic Ocean. Nearly 8 trillion gallons of rain fell across North Carolina during the storm, according to the National Weather Service in Raleigh's estimate.
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