GOLDEN GATE ESTATES, FL, October 11, 2010 (Water Tech) — Toxic compounds found in drinking water at south Florida schools

NEW YORK, October 13, 2010 (Water Tech) — EPA finalizes plans for Superfund site cleanup

SEATTLE, October 15, 2010 (Water Tech) — Seattle University stops selling bottled water on campus

ROCK ISLAND, IL, October 18, 2010 (Water Tech) — Retiree faces jail time, fines for Clean Water Act violations

DALLAS, October 20, 2010 (Water Tech) — EPA proposes adding Texas groundwater site to Superfund list

WHITE PLAINS, NY, November 3, 2010 (Water Tech) — Survey: Americans willing to pay more for clean water

BOSTON, November 3, 2010 (Water Tech) — Power station faces fines for Clean Water Act violations

Toxic compounds found in drinking water at south Florida schools

GOLDEN GATE ESTATES, FL, October 11, 2010 (Water Tech) — Water tests at two south Florida elementary schools revealed high levels of toxic compounds in the drinking water, the Naples Daily News reported.

The drinking water at Estates Elementary School and Palmetto Elementary School exceeded the maximum level allowed for total trihalomethanes, or TTHMs, and haloacetic acids, or HAAs — both of which are byproducts of the disinfection process, the article stated.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued a permit to allow the district to install dual carbon filters and a flush valve, according to the story.

Officials said that TTHMs and HAAs are “fairly common” with small water systems and they do not pose an immediate health risk to students or faculty, the story reported.

Multi-Pure Commentary:
Multi-Pure Drinking Water Systems have been certified by NSF International, under Standard 53 to reduce Trihalomethanes (TTHMs), a VOC.

EPA finalizes plans for Superfund site cleanup

NEW YORK, October 13, 2010 (Water Tech) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized the steps it will take to clean up the Ellenville Scrap Iron and Metal Superfund site in the Village of Ellenville, N.Y., according to a press release.

EPA will excavate contaminated soil from six different areas at the site, consolidate the soil on the landfill portion of the site and then securely cap the landfill, which will prevent further contamination of the groundwater.

EPA will also install a series of additional wells to monitor groundwater around the site to make sure it remains free of contaminants, the release stated.

“After an extensive analysis of the contamination at the Ellenville Scrap Iron and Metal Superfund site, EPA has selected a plan that will result in a thorough and efficient cleanup,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck.

Seattle University stops selling bottled water on campus

SEATTLE, October 15, 2010 (Water Tech) — Seattle University has become the first school in the state of Washington to ban the sale of bottled water on its campus, The Seattle Times reported.

As part of a student-led initiative to reduce waste and make the school more sustainable, bottled water will no longer be sold in the school’s cafeterias, concession stands or vending machines, the article stated.

The university has started selling stainless-steel water bottles and is encouraging students to fill them at water fountains, according to the story.

Retiree faces jail time, fines for Clean Water Act violations

ROCK ISLAND, IL, October 18, 2010 (Water Tech) — A retired Deere & Co. employee has pleaded guilty to felony charges under the Clean Water Act, The Quad-City Times reported. According to the story, Leroy Hill, who was employed as the environmental coordinator at the John Deere seeding and cylinder facility in Moline, Iowa, from 2000 to 2005, made false statements and did not fully disclose how much wastewater was being released to a sewage treatment plant.

The facility’s manufacturing process created wastewater containing pollutants such as chromium, nickel, copper, lead and zinc, the article stated.

Hill said that he routinely failed to submit discharge monitoring reports to the city of Moline and made a false statement concerning the Clean Water Act when he certified reports, according to the story.

EPA proposes adding Texas groundwater site to Superfund list

DALLAS, October 20, 2010 (Water Tech) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced the West County Road 112 Groundwater site near Midland, Texas, has been proposed to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites, according to a press release.

The West County Road 112 Groundwater site is a groundwater plume of chromium/hexavalent chromium located in a rural area of Midland County immediately to the southwest of the city limits of Midland, the release stated.

The site was identified in April 2009 by a local resident who asked TCEQ to test his private well due to yellow discoloration.

Sampling of this well revealed the presence of hexavalent chromium.

To date, approximately 234 water wells have been sampled by TCEQ and 46 water wells have concentrations of total chromium above safe levels, and TCEQ has installed water filtration systems at those homes, according to the release.

Multi-Pure Commentary:
Multi-Pure’s MP750 Plus RO has been certified by NSF International, under Standard 58, to reduce Hexavalent Chromium.

Survey: Americans willing to pay more for clean water

WHITE PLAINS, NY, November 3, 2010 (Water Tech) — ITT Corporation has released the results of its Value of Water Survey, a nationwide poll of registered voters and industrial and agricultural businesses that measures how the public values water and their level of awareness of the nation’s aging water infrastructure, according to a press release.

The results show that a majority of the American public desires reform and is willing to pay more now to ensure that they have access to clean water in the generations to come. The survey revealed that 63 percent of all American voters are willing to pay an average of 11 percent more on their water bill each month to help ensure continued access to a reliable and consistent supply of clean water, the release stated.

Most survey respondents also said that fixing insufficient water infrastructure must be a national priority and is a shared responsibility between individuals, business and the government.

“Water is a necessity, but our survey confirms that most people take access to clean tap water for granted,” said Gretchen McClain, president of ITT Corporation’s Fluid and Motion Control business. “Indeed, water is one critical issue missing from the national infrastructure debate. Yet when presented with the facts, Americans recognize a looming crisis and are willing to pay their share to properly maintain the systems that bring clean water into their homes.”

Power station faces fines for Clean Water Act violations

BOSTON, November 3, 2010 (Water Tech) — A power station located in Holyoke, Mass., faces up to $177,500 in Clean Water Act (CWA) fines for allegedly discharging muddy stormwater and other pollutants into the Connecticut River, according to a press release. The Mt. Tom Generating Company LLC has been accused of violating its federally issued permit by exceeding permit discharge limits over a five month period.

The company was performing construction work at the coal-fired power plant facility during this time, the release stated.