MADISON, WI, October 20, 2008 (Water Tech) — Some WI well water contains viruses

OTTAWA, October 22, 2008 (Water Tech) — Ottawa’s water source contains toxic compounds

LISLE, IL, October 23, 2008 (Water Tech) — WQA promotes POU for meds removal

TORONTO, October 27, 2008 (Water Tech) — Norovirus outbreaks linked to drinking water: study

SAN FRANCISCO, October 28, 2008 (Water Tech) — 11 CA systems ordered to comply with arsenic rule

MADISON, WI, October 20, 2008 (Water Tech) — Research released last week by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey and the Marshfield Clinic, headquartered in Marshfield, shows that human viruses are present in most of the drinking water in this city, and could be infectious enough to cause illness if the city water were not chlorinated, according to an October 18 article in the Wisconsin State Journal.

During the study, six city wells were tested every month between September 2007 and September 2008. While no well tested positive in every sampling, gastrointestinal and respiratory viruses were found at least twice in every well. Samples were taken prior to being treated with chlorine, according to the article.

Researchers say they believe that the source of the viruses is the leakage of untreated sewage from the Madison sewer system into the wells, according to the article.

Neither the states nor federal government sets standards for viruses in drinking water, and communities are not required to treat for them. Hundreds of communities across Wisconsin do not chlorinate their drinking water, according to the article.

OTTAWA, October 22, 2008 (Water Tech) — This Canadian capital city’s main drinking water source, the site of a huge raw sewage spill in 2006, contains trace levels of at least 10 toxins, including the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), the pain reliever acetaminophen and the livestock antibiotic lasaloid A, an October 20 UPI report quoting an Ottawa Sun article said.

City officials found out about the results of the testing through a memo from the infrastructure services department. Testing took place this spring, taking raw water samples from the Ottawa River. Analysis of the samples found only low levels of the chemical compounds, so city officials have told residents not to worry, according to an October 20 CTV report.

One of the toxins detected in the water, BPA, recently was declared a hazardous chemical by the Canadian government. The government has banned it from use in polycarbonate baby bottles, as WaterTech Online™ reported.

Meanwhile, the city has received a 107-page report from its auditor general, Alain Lalonde, regarding the 2006 raw sewage spill. Lalonde’s October 22 report concludes that incompetent management and neglect of aging sewage and stormwater equipment were to blame for two weeks of unnoticed sewage dumping into the Ottawa River, the Ottawa Sun reported. The river supplies 338 million liters (89 million gallons) of water daily to 750,000 residents.

LISLE, IL, October 23, 2008 (Water Tech) — The Water Quality Association (WQA) released consumer-directed information in an October 22 PR Newswire press release stating that point-of-use (POU) water treatment devices are an option for reducing emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, that are in some tap water.

In the release, the WQA directs consumers to a guide for choosing home treatment devices released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The Consumer Guide to Water Filters outlines POU and point-of-entry (POE) water treatment methods and equipment, and addresses how to find a qualified water treatment system dealer.

The release was prompted by a recent ABC News report on the issue of pharmaceuticals in water supplies. According to the report, “ABC News asked researchers to test a widely available water filter for the home. They found it greatly reduced the traces of drugs in the water.”

WaterTech Online™ requested on October 16 more information from ABC News on the water filter research, but that specific request has not been answered.

According to WQA Technical Director Joseph Harrison, POU systems are the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly treatment because less than 2 percent of all water consumed is ingested by humans. He said in the press release that while specific product performance standards have not yet been developed for pharmaceuticals, many POU technologies have proven effective for some emerging contaminants.

Multi-Pure Commentary:
This is a great article that talks about a press release from the Water Quality Association with regards to pharmaceuticals in drinking water. It is a very informative article, which further validates the need for a point-of-use system. Be sure to take a moment to read this and share this with the distributors in your network and your prospective customers. Multi-Pure is the best solution for all your drinking water needs!

You can also read NSF’s press release by clicking the link below:
www.nsf.org/consumer/newsroom/pdf/pharmaceuticals_water2.pdf

TORONTO, October 27, 2008 (Water Tech) — Findings from a study looking for patterns that might explain winter flare-ups of Norovirus-induced stomach flu, also known as gastroenteritis, may be linked to drinking water sources that also serve as sewage treatment outlets, The Canadian Press reported on October 27.

The research found that winter outbreaks were more likely to happen in the week after water temperatures in Lake Ontario dipped below 4 degrees Celsius (39.2 degrees Fahrenheit) or flow from the Don River into Lake Ontario was high. These findings suggest that under certain environmental conditions, noroviruses from human sewage may proliferate in bodies of water that are used both as municipal water sources and sewage treatment outlets, eventually finding their way back into human gastrointestinal tracts through drinking water, according to the report.

Lead author of the study, Amy Greer, is a post-doctoral fellow working on the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases at the Research Institute of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. She presented the findings at an October 26 joint scientific conference of the American Society for Microbiology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Washington, DC.

While Greer cautioned that the findings are preliminary, she said, “So the question is, if we have a reservoir in the lake of environmental virus, essentially how is it that people are coming in contact with it? … Our findings may suggest that that [drinking water] might be something that we should look at.”

SAN FRANCISCO, October 28, 2008 (Water Tech) — The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in an October 28 press release that it has ordered 11 public drinking water systems throughout the state of California to reduce the level of arsenic in their respective systems or face penalties of up to $32,500 per day for each violation.

The EPA’s orders require the systems to develop and meet a schedule to comply with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act’s arsenic standard of 10 parts per billion (ppb).

The EPA has issued orders to the following California public water systems:

• City of Delano, Kern County
• Tranquility Irrigation District public water system, Fresno County
• Armona Community Service District public water system, Kings County
• Public water system located at 21600 Eight Street East, Sonoma County
• Groskopf Warehousing & Logistics public water system, Sonoma County
• Lancelot Mobile Home Park public water system, Santa Rosa
• Rancho de Sonoma Mobile Home Park, Sonoma County
• Riverdale Public Utility District, Fresno County
• J Vineyards & Winery, Sonoma County
• Arvin Community Services District, Kern County
• Pla-Vada Woodlands Community Association, Nevada County