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NEWBURYPORT — Support for new projects addressing combined sewage overflows and updates on ongoing ones were discussed by dozens of local and state officials during Thursday’s meeting at the Newburyport Senior/Community Center.
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By Matt Petry | mpetry@northofboston.com
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HAVERHILL — The city will borrow $12.4 million for a project aimed at reducing the amount of combined sewer overflows reaching the Merrimack River.
The City Council this week unanimously approved borrowing $12.4 million for a project intended to reduce CSOs pouring into the Little River and into the Merrimack River while also improving the water distribution system in the Locke Street area.
In his request for the funding, DPW Director Robert Ward told the council the amount of the loan order increased by about $2 million since the original request passed about a year ago.
He said the project was deferred a year due to permitting issues hit by cost increases.
He said a number of things, including the need for additional quantities of items such as 18-inch diameter pipes, the creation of additional stormwater outfalls not in the original cost estimates, the need to rehabilitate some stormwater drain pipes, additional roadway restoration costs and other items.
The council was provided with documents explaining the project, which will play out in three phases over the next 10 years.
In his letter to the council, Ward noted that in 2016 the city entered into a consent decree with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) requiring the city to reduce CSOs.
Ward said that before the 1960s, sewage and stormwater were commonly collected in the same pipe. These combined sewers were designed and built to overflow into nearby waterways to prevent excessive flooding during rain storms from backing up into basements, streets, parking lots and other areas.
Ward said the Locke Street area is the city’s biggest contributor to CSO overflows into the Merrimack River.
This Locke Street Phase 1 combined sewer overflow (CSO) separation and water system improvements project will involve separating the combined sewer system in that area into separate wastewater and stormwater systems, thereby reducing excessive stormwater entering the sewer system during rain events.
Ward noted that Phase 1 separates about 3,500 feet of combined sewers in the Locke Street area by installing new stormwater pipes, disconnecting catch basins from them, and connecting them to the separate stormwater lines. The project also involves upsizing existing storm drains, installing new outfalls to increase capacity of the existing storm drain system, and rehabilitating existing sewers and manholes.
In conjunction with the sewer and drain work, old, undersized water mains in the Phase 1 area will be replaced and upsized. Ward said it makes sense to upgrade water lines in that area rather than return at a future date and having to dig up the streets again.
The average household’s sewer rate impact from this project will be less than $21 annually, Ward stated in his letter. The water rate impact will add about $8 to the annual bill for an average size household, he said.
The loan order funds Phase 1 of three phases over the next 10 years or so. Phases 2 and 3 will be in other areas, including Primrose, Main Street and Lawrence Street, which also discharge into Little River and to the CSO outlet behind the downtown bus station.
“We’re paying for the sins of the past,” Ward said.
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By Mike LaBella | mlabella@eagletribune.com
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Press Release
•
Aug 15, 2023 10:00 MDT
Water engineers can now accurately capture pressure and flow data in even the most extreme locations using a compact device that is incredibly robust, with industry-leading battery runtimes.
CALGARY, Alberta, August 15, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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MOBILTEX [an XPV Water Partners company] has launched its latest innovation for the Water Utilities industry, the GCRTech PFL1 Portable Pressure/Flow Data Logger. Based on the field-proven design of the GCRTech PTRI/TRI data logger, MOBILTEX has further enhanced the device to deliver a more robust, reliable and effective solution for field capture of critical pressure and flow data for water utility operators.
Accurate and reliable data logging is vital for water utilities to accurately and reliably record parameters for pressure and flow across the water network by interfacing with common industry flow meters and sensors to enable efficient network management. Visibility of district-metered areas (DMAs) combined with network models, pressure surveys, consumer flow monitoring and reservoir depth calculations all mean water companies are able to make informed decisions that will result in a reduction in the cost of network ownership. With more data comes increased insight and ultimately increased value.
The completely updated PFL1 range of data loggers utilizes MOBILTEX’s patented data logging architecture that allows the user to monitor pressure/flow inputs in a multitude of configurations, providing ultimate flexibility to meet specific application requirements. The PFL1 non-volatile memory organizes each data file as an independent data logger record with its own start/stop time, sample rate, and logging rate. The memory register size is designed to be ready to accommodate overflows associated with high pulse rates on Flow inputs. Pressure measurement accuracy is optimized using multi-point calibration and logged data can be recalibrated before, during or after the recording by recalibrating the pressure transducer to the logger.
Some applications for the GCRTech PFL1 include Leakage Flow-Monitoring; Fire Flow Testing /C-Factor Testing; Pressure/PRV Monitoring; Hydraulic Network Analysis; Pressure Surge Detection; Minimum Night Flow Analysis; and Low-Pressure Investigations.
Some of the key features of the PI-1 include:
“The enhanced GCRTech PFL1 release is an exciting milestone for GCRTech and represents the coming evolution for the entire GCRTech portfolio. Field technicians in the Water Utilities space now can easily and accurately capture pressure/flow data in even the most extreme locations using a compact, intelligently engineered solution that is lightweight, incredibly robust and also delivers the real-world runtimes that field engineers require,” said Marc Bracken, MOBILTEX CEO.
Visit www.mobiltex.com/pfl1 to learn more about the GCRTech PFL1 and the entire suite of Pressurized Pipeline Network Monitoring solutions from the MOBILTEX GCRTech Product Group.
Source: MOBILTEX Data Ltd.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The federal government said Monday it will spend $250 million over four years on environmental cleanup and restoration work around a drying Southern California lake that’s fed by the depleted Colorado River.
The future of the Salton Sea, and who is financially responsible for it, has been a key issue in discussions over how to stave off a crisis in the Colorado River. The lake was formed in 1905 when the river overflowed, creating a resort destination that slowly morphed into an environmental disaster as water levels receded, exposing residents to harmful dust and reducing wildlife habitat.
The lake is largely fed by runoff from farms in California’s Imperial Valley, who use Colorado River water to grow many of the nation’s winter vegetables as well as feed crops like alfalfa. As the farmers reduce their water use, less flows into the lake. California said it would only reduce its reliance on the over-tapped river if the federal government put up money to mitigate the effects of less water flowing into the sea.
“It’s kind of a linchpin for the action we need to see on the Colorado River,” said Wade Crowfoot, California’s natural resources secretary. “Finally we are all in agreement that we can’t leave the Salton Sea on the cutting room floor, we can’t take these conservation actions — these extraordinary measures — at the expense of these residents.”
The deal announced Monday needs approval from the Imperial Irrigation District, the largest user of Colorado River water. The water entity’s board will take it up on Tuesday.
Both the district’s general manager and board member JB Hamby applauded the deal Monday.
“The collaboration happening at the Salton Sea between water agencies and state, federal, and tribal governments is a blueprint for effective cooperation that the Colorado River Basin sorely needs,” Hamby said in a statement.
The $250 million will come out of the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, which set aside $4 billion to stave off the worst effects of drought across the U.S. West.
Most of the money is contingent on the Imperial Irrigation District and Coachella Valley Water District making good on their commitments to reduce their own use of river water. Both submitted proposals to cut back their usage for payment as part of a new federal program.
The quarter-billion dollars will largely go to bolster and speed up existing state projects designed to lower the negative environmental impact of the drying lake bed. The state has committed nearly $583 million to projects at the sea, including dust suppression and habitat restoration. One project underway aims to create wetlands and ponds that will limit dust from blowing into the air while creating safe spaces for fish and birds, according to the state.
The deal comes as the U.S. Interior Department and the seven states that rely on the river — California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming — scramble to stave off the worst impacts of the ongoing drought and historic overuse of the river. Lakes Powell and Mead, the key reservoirs that store river water and provide hydropower across the West, are only about a quarter full.
After months of failed negotiations over a deal to drastically cut water use, the federal government in October said it would pay farmers and cities to cut back through activities like leaving fields unplanted or lining canals to prevent water from seeping into the ground. Proposals were due earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Interior Department has taken steps to unilaterally revise guidelines that govern when water shortages are declared, a move that could force states to further cut back.
The Salton Sea, meanwhile, became its own political flashpoint in October when Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, then up for reelection, urged the federal government to withhold any environmental cleanup money unless California agreed to give up more water. That prompted criticism he was using communities who already suffer from poor air quality as a bargaining chip.
The agreement marks a good step forward but key details still need to be fleshed out, said Frank Ruiz, Salton Sea program director for Audubon California. He worries that $250 million is not enough to mitigate all of the damage already done at the sea.
“This is a great step but I think we need a lot more,” he said. “We need to continue discussing water sustainability in the region.”
Broadly, he wants to see a more equitable distribution of the region’s water supplies and hopes the Salton Sea gets a guaranteed minimum amount of water even as overall use declines.
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HOUSTON — More than 2 million people in the Houston area were under a boil order notice Monday after a power outage caused low pressure at a water purification plant, officials said.
The order — which means water must be boiled before it’s used for cooking, bathing or drinking — also prompted schools in the Houston area to close Monday. It was issued Sunday after a power outage at a water purification plant, the city’s public works department said.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Twitter that the city believes the water is safe but a boil order was required because of the drop in water pressure. He said water sampling would begin Monday morning, and the boil order could be lifted 24 hours after the city is notified the water is safe.
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DAWWAYAH, Iraq and ILISU DAM, Turkey — Next year, the water will come. The pipes have been laid to Ata Yigit’s sprawling farm in Turkey’s southeast connecting it to a dam on the Euphrates River. A dream, soon to become a reality, he says.
Over 1,000 kilometers (625 miles) downstream in southern Iraq, nothing grows anymore in Obeid Hafez’s wheat farm. The water stopped coming a year ago, the 95-year-old said.
The starkly different realities are playing out along the length of the Tigris-Euphrates river basin, one of the world’s most vulnerable. River flows have fallen by 40% in the past four decades as countries along its length — Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq — pursue rapid, unilateral development of the waters’ use.
The drop is projected to worsen as temperatures rise from climate change. Both Turkey and Iraq, the two biggest consumers, acknowledge they must cooperate to preserve the river system. But a combination of political failures, mistrust and intransigence are conspiring to prevent a deal on sharing the rivers.
The Associated Press conducted more than a dozen interviews in both countries, from top water envoys and senior officials to local farmers, and gained exclusive visits to controversial dam projects. Internal reports and revealed data illustrate the calculations driving disputes behind closed doors, from Iraq’s fears of a potential 20% drop in food production to Turkey’s struggles to balance Iraq’s and its own needs.
“I don’t see a solution,” said former Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi.
“Would Turkey sacrifice its own interests? Especially if that means that by giving more (water) to us, their farmers and people will suffer?”
Turkey has been harnessing the river basin with a massive project to boost agriculture and generate hydroelectricity, the Southeast Anatolia Project, or GAP by its Turkish acronym. It has built at least 19 dams on the Euphrates and Tigris, with several more planned for a total of 22. The aim is to develop Turkey’s southeast, long an economic backwater.
For the farmer, Yigit, the project will be transformative.
Until now, his reliance on well water only permitted half his lands to be irrigated.
But now that the irrigation pipes have reached his farm in Mardin province, his entire 4,500 acres will be watered next year via the Ataturk Dam on the Euphrates.
In contrast, Iraq — which relies on outside sources for nearly all its water — grows more worried with every drop diverted upstream.
In 2014, its Water Ministry prepared a confidential report warning that in two years, Iraq’s water supply would no longer meet demand, and the gap would keep widening. The report, seen by the AP, said that by 2035, the water deficit would cause a 20% reduction in food production.
The report shows Iraqi officials knew how bleak the future would be without the recommended $180 billion in investment in water infrastructure and an agreement with its neighbors. Neither has happened.
Decades of talks have still not found common ground on water-sharing.
Turkey approaches the water issue as if it were the river basin’s benevolent owner, assessing needs and deciding how much to let flow downstream. Iraq considers ownership shared and wants a more permanent arrangement with defined portions.
In a rare interview, Turkey’s envoy on water issues with Iraq, Veysel Eroglu, told the AP that Turkey cannot accept to release a fixed amount of water because of the unpredictability of river flows in the age of climate change.
Eroglu said Turkey could agree to setting a ratio to release — but only if Syria and Iraq provide detailed data on their water consumption.
“That is the only way to share water in an optimal and fair manner,” Eroglu said.
Iraq refuses to provide its consumption data. That’s in part because it would show the widespread water waste in Iraq and the government weakness that makes managing water nearly impossible.
Government attempts at rationing the waning water causes outrage in southern Iraq. In August in southern Dhi Qar province, for example, tribal leader Sheikh Thamer Saeedi and dozens of protesters tried to divert water from a Tigris tributary to feed his barren lands after authorities failed to respond to his pleas for water.
The attempted diversion nearly sparked violence between local tribes before security forces intervened.
Iraq blames one Turkish infrastructure project in particular for these woes: the Ilusu Dam, on the Tigris.
Before Turkey began operating the dam in 2020, all the waters of Tigris flowed into Iraq. Now how much water comes down depends on Ankara’s consideration of Iraq’s month-to-month requests for a minimum flow, weighed against Turkey’s own hydropower needs.
Turkey contends it is unfairly scapegoated. The AP was given an exclusive tour of the dam facility in October by Turkey’s State Hydraulics Works, known by the Turkish acronym DSI, and given figures for the first time detailing flow rates and electricity production over two years.
A decade ago, Iraq received an average flow of 625 cubic meters of water per second from the Tigris. Today, the rate averages only 36% of that, Iraqi water ministry officials say.
Data provided by DSI shows that Turkey respected a request made by Iraq that it release at least 300 cubic meters per second down the Tigris during summer months when shortages are common.
But Iraqi officials say depending on such ad hoc arrangements make planning difficult.
“They can cut water, they can release water. We urgently need a water agreement just to satisfy Iraq’s minimum requirements,” said Hatem Hamid, head of the National Centre for Water Resources Management.
For example, with dire shortages anticipated in 2022, Hamid cut the state agriculture water plan in half and reduced fresh water flows to Iraq’s marshlands, to minimize salinity. But water-stressed Iran also diverted flows from tributaries feeding the marshes. The result was an environmental emergency and hundreds of dead livestock.
Back in Obeid Hafez’s farm, the land is barren.
Portraits of Hafez’s forefathers hang in his spartan living room. With his sons gone to seek work in the cities, there will be no one to till the land after him.
“Life has ended here,” he said.
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MENTONE, Texas — A strong earthquake that struck a remote area of the West Texas desert caused damage in San Antonio, hundreds of miles from the epicenter, officials said.
University Health said Thursday that its Robert B. Green historical building was deemed unsafe because of damage sustained from the quake, which hit Wednesday in a remote area near the New Mexico border. The historical building is more than 100 years old and has been closed off for safety reasons, University Health said.
The quake initially had a 5.3 magnitude but that was revised upward to 5.4. The earthquake’s epicenter was about 23 miles (37 kilometers) south of Mentone, a tiny community about 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio.
It was one of the strongest earthquakes on record in Texas and hit in an area known for oil and gas production. On Thursday, the state’s Railroad Commission — which regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry — sent inspectors to the site to determine whether any actions were needed.
Earthquakes in the south-central United States have been linked to oil and gas production, particularly the underground injection of wastewater. The U.S. Geological Survey said research suggests that a 5.0 magnitude quake that struck the same West Texas area in 2020 was the result of a large increase of wastewater injection in the region.
In neighboring Oklahoma, thousands of earthquakes of varying magnitudes have been recorded in the past decade, leading state regulators to direct producers to close some injection wells.
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JACKSON, Miss — Local officials in Mississippi’s capital city, where a late summer water crisis upended life for 150,00 people, have approved an emergency plan to increase staffing at the city’s two water treatment plants.
Jackson city council members voted Thursday to hire contract workers from a Los Angeles-based company to staff the O.B. Curtis and J.H. Fewell water treatment plants, tanks and well facilities. Under the agreement, WaterTalent LLC will provide the city with four skilled water operators to help beef up paltry staffing at the two treatment facilities.
Jackson currently has two operators licensed at the Class A level, who have a degree of technical expertise that can take years to acquire. City leaders said that the two operators have been working more than 80 hours a week to produce clean water at the plants.
“We’re still relying on the same operators who are working long, long, long hours and long shifts,” said Ted Henifin, a consultant working with the city council. “So, we identified this company, and they recruit these folks and have them on standby, essentially licensed operators, that are willing to deploy for some emergency periods, and we’ve gotten a proposal from them.”
The workers will be paid around $40 per hour. The agreement will be in place until the city hires a long-term contractor, WLBT-TV reported. The new operators will report to Jackson on Sunday, November 13.
Jackson’s water system has been beset by problems for decades, but the latest troubles began in late August after heavy rainfall exacerbated problems at the O.B. Curtis plant, leaving many customers without running water. State and federal officials surged resources to the area after emergency orders were declared by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves and President Joe Biden.
Reeves said the state of emergency he declared on Aug. 30 would remain in place until Nov. 22. City officials are attempting to reach an agreement with a private firm to operate Jackson’s water system over the long term. Until then, extra staffing will ease the burden on city workers, local officials said.
“The big piece of this is it also allows (operators) not to have to work 70 to 80 hours a week,” Henifin said. “They’re actually going to get some of their life back, which I think they would all like at this point in time.”
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SAN FRANCISCO — A lawsuit filed Thursday by the state of California accuses 3M, Dupont and 16 smaller companies of covering up the harm caused to the environment and the public from chemicals manufactured by the firms that have over decades found their way into waterways and human bloodstreams.
Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the lawsuit against the manufacturers of compounds that have been used in consumer goods and industry since the 1940s. The chemicals are found in firefighting foams, nonstick frying pans, cleaning sprays, water-repellent sports gear, stain-resistant rugs, cosmetics and countless other products.
Bonta said these so-called forever chemicals are so strong that they do not degrade or do so only slowly in the environment and remain in a person’s bloodstream indefinitely.
The companies knew for decades that the chemicals are “toxic and harmful to human health and the environment, yet they continued to produce them for mass use and concealed their harms from the public,” Bonta said.
He said the court action comes following a multiyear investigation that found the companies marketed products containing PFAS, short for polyfluoroalkyl substances, despite knowing they cause cancer, developmental defects, reduced bone density and other health problems.
Minnesota-based 3M said in a statement after the court filing that it “acted responsibly in connection with products containing PFAS and will defend its record of environmental stewardship.”
Dupont, based in Delaware, said the company as it now exists should not have been named in the lawsuit.
“In 2019, DuPont de Nemours was established as a new multi-industrial specialty products company. DuPont de Nemours has never manufactured PFOA, PFOS or firefighting foam. While we don’t comment on pending litigation, we believe these complaints are without merit, and the latest example of DuPont de Nemours being improperly named in litigation,” the statement said.
The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County, is the first statewide legal action over PFAS contamination.
It alleges violations of state consumer protection and environmental statutes and invokes a federal law that establishes a path to recoup the costs of cleaning up hazardous substances in soil and water.
Bonta estimated penalties and cleanup costs sought by the lawsuit would reach hundreds of millions of dollars.
U.S. manufacturers have voluntarily phased out compounds such as PFAS, but there are a limited number of ongoing uses and the chemicals remain in the environment because they do not degrade over time.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency in June invited states and territories to apply for $1 billion under the new bipartisan infrastructure law to address PFAS and other contaminants in drinking water. Money can be used for technical assistance, water quality testing, contractor training and installation of centralized treatment, officials said.
The EPA warned then that the chemicals are more dangerous than previously thought and pose health risks even at levels so low they cannot currently be detected.
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JACKSON, Miss — Mississippi officials on Friday approved the city of Jackson’s request for $35.6 million in federal funds to help fix its crumbling water infrastructure, following this summer’s flooding-induced breakdowns that left 150,000 people without running water for days.
The Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program approved the full amount the state’s capital city requested to pay for seven water and sewer projects.
State lawmakers created the program in 2022 to provide grants matching the federal government’s aid for cities and counties financed through the American Rescue Plan Act. The dollar-for-dollar match means Jackson will have $71.3 million to upgrade its water system.
Congress passed the sweeping American Rescue Plan Act to tame the public health and economic crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the funds would help provide reliable drinking water to a city that has periodically lost access to such a basic necessity.
“We are grateful for the assistance and will continue to explore all potential funding avenues to achieve this end,” Lumumba said.
Over $400 million in match funds will be awarded for the entire state in two rounds. Applications for the $180 million first round closed on Sept. 30. About 430 cities and counties in Mississippi applied for funding. The second round of funds will be awarded sometime in the spring. Jackson-area legislative leaders plan to press for money during the 2022 legislative session, which begins in January.
“I was told by the executive director that one of the city’s drinking water projects scored higher than any other application in this first round,” said Democratic Sen. John Horhn of Jackson. “We are looking for the state to do more once the regular session begins in January.”
A lingering boil water notice preceded the late summer crisis after testing revealed the tap water was unsafe.
Among seven water and sewer system upgrades, the funds will be used to help replace a raw water pump at the beleaguered O.B. Curtis water treatment plant, which fell into crisis in late August after torrential rain fell in central Mississippi. The deluge altered the raw water quality entering Jackson’s treatment plants. That slowed the treatment process, depleted supplies in water tanks and caused a precipitous drop in pressure.
Understaffing at its water treatment plants, a shrinking tax base and political disputes between city and state officials have also contributed to the city’s water woes.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that the water in Jackson is safe to drink based on samples it collected over the past several months. But the agency is still waiting on another round of test results to determine whether Jackson has too much lead and copper in its water. The results are expected in mid-November.
On Oct. 20, the EPA said it was investigating whether Mississippi state agencies have discriminated against Jackson by refusing to fund water system improvements in the city, where more than 80% of residents are Black and about a quarter of the population lives in poverty.
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Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mikergoldberg.
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JACKSON, Miss — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed Monday that the water in Mississippi’s capital city is safe to drink, after months of sampling at a treatment plant overwhelmed by August flooding that caused wide supply disruptions.
The beleaguered O.B. Curtis water treatment plant fell into crisis after the late summer flooding left 150,000 people without running water for several days. People waited in lines for water to drink, bathe, cook and flush toilets. The crisis also added to the rising costs for business owners already saddled with a labor shortage and high inflation.
The city had already been under a boil-water notice since late July because the state health department found cloudy water that could make people ill. But current water samples pass muster for safe consumption, the EPA said.
“Current sampling confirms water delivered from J.H. Fewell Water and O.B. Curtis Water Treatment is safe to drink,” said Maria Michalos, a spokesperson for the EPA, referring to the city’s two water treatment plants.
The agency encouraged Jackson residents to stay vigilant about updates and follow all future boil water advisories, as “localized issues” may resurface. It is not yet certain whether Jackson has too much lead and copper in its water. Sampling for lead and copper has been completed and results are expected in mid-November.
The sampling was collected during a series of tests over the last several months conducted by the EPA and the Mississippi Department of Health, said Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba.
At a news conference, Lumumba said Monday that city officials had been informed that Jackson was “in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act,” the federal law that gives the EPA authority to set standards for drinking water quality.
Current samples indicate that Jackson’s water quality meets federal standards although testing is ongoing.
The EPA is coordinating with the city and the state health department to sample the water and “confirm drinking water delivered to customers meets Safe Drinking Water Act standards,” Michalos said.
Although water pressure was restored in the days after the late August crisis and a boil water notice lifted, many people still don’t drink the water and haven’t been doing so for years amid lingering distrust of the supply.
In September, attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice said they were “prepared to file an action” against the city under the Safe Drinking Water Act, but hoped they could avoid a legal dispute by reaching an “enforceable agreement.” Federal attorneys said state and local officials “had not acted to protect public health.”
On Monday, Lumumba said negotiations between city attorneys and the federal government are continuing.
In response to a question about whether Jackson could still face legal action under the Safe Drinking Water Act, Michalos said the “EPA does not comment on ongoing enforcement matters.”
In an Oct. 20 announcement, the EPA said it was investigating whether Mississippi state agencies have discriminated against Jackson by refusing to fund water system improvements in the city, where more than 80% of residents are Black and about a quarter of the population lives in poverty.
Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who represents Jackson, said the EPA civil investigation is expected to take about four months.
Lumumba also said the city is pressing ahead with plans to secure a private firm to operate the O.B. Curtis water treatment plant. Several firms have already toured the plant, Lumumba said. Even as the city looks to outsource the plant’s operations and maintenance to a private company, Lumumba has been adamant that ownership of the city’s water system should remain in public hands.
On Friday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves extended the state of emergency over the water crisis until Nov. 22. City officials aim to have a contract in place with a private operator by Nov. 17, Lumumba said.
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Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mikergoldberg.
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The Interior Department announced Friday that it will consider revising a set of guidelines for operating two major dams on the Colorado River in the first sign of what could lead to federal action to protect the once-massive but shrinking reservoirs behind them.
The public has until Dec. 20 to weigh in on three options that seek to keep Lake Mead and Lake Powell from dropping so low they couldn’t produce power or provide the water that seven Western states, Mexico and tribes have relied on for decades.
One of the options would allow the Interior Department’s U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to take unilateral action, as it threatened this summer when it asked states to come up with ways to significantly reduce their use beyond what they have already volunteered and were mandated to cut.
“The Interior Department continues to pursue a collaborative and consensus-based approach to addressing the drought crisis afflicting the West,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “At the same time, we are committed to taking prompt and decisive action necessary to protect the Colorado River System and all those who depend on it.”
The announcement comes more than four months after Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton told Congress that water use must be cut dramatically as drought and overuse tax the river — an essential supply of water for farmers, cities and tribes in the U.S. West, as well as Mexico.
The seven states that tap the river failed to reach Touton’s August deadline and have been working ever since to reach a compromise. It now appears unlikely a grand deal will be reached. In the meantime, the bureau has offered up billions in federal money to pay farmers and cities to cut back.
But Interior’s new action marks the first time it’s taking a clear step toward imposing its own, mandatory cuts. The agency anticipates changes to the conditions at which water shortages are declared in the river’s lower basin. Lake Mead and Lake Powell were about half full when the 2007 guidelines were approved and are now about one-quarter full.
The other two options under the Bureau of Reclamation’s plan are to let states, tribes, and non-governmental organizations reach consensus, or do nothing, which is a standard alternative in environmental impact statements.
The bureau expects to produce a draft next spring based on public input. A final decision could come in late summer of 2023 around the time the bureau announces any water cuts for the following year.
The 2007 guidelines and an overlapping drought contingency plan approved in 2019 were meant to give states more certainty in their water supply. For the lower basin states — California, Arizona and Nevada — the agreements set elevation levels at Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border at which they are subjected to mandatory and voluntary reductions. Mexico also shoulders cuts.
Water users have been delayed in renegotiating the agreements that expire in 2026 because the drought and climate change have forced quicker action.
Nevada, Arizona and Mexico will have to cut their water use in 2023 for a second year in a row under existing agreements. California is looped in at lower elevations in Lake Mead. Arizona was forced to give up 21% of its total Colorado River supply. Farmers in central Arizona, tribes and growing cities like Scottsdale are feeling the impacts.
Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said he’s been hoping the bureau would require cuts from water users rather than rely on voluntary action. But he also warned the prospect of mandatory cuts could make it less likely that farms or cities will choose to give up some of their water, calling it a “zero-sum game” of sorts.
Still, anything that results in savings is a worthwhile action, he said.
“The situation in my mind is so dire, we’re so close to the edge,” he said in a recent interview.
The department declined further comment Friday, and the Southern Nevada Water Agency didn’t respond to a request for comment. Chuck Cullom, executive director of the Upper Colorado River Commission, said he was still evaluating the announcement but appreciated the bureau taking action.
Bill Hasencamp, manager of Colorado River resources for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said he hopes the threat of cuts will inspire users to offer up more savings now while federal money is available to pay for it. The district supplies water to nearly 20 million people and counts on the river for a third of that water.
“The more you can do now with compensation is going to reduce the chance of being cut back without it,” he said.
Under one payment option, water users can be paid up to $400 per acre foot of water (325,850 gallons) left in Lake Mead. So far only the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona has publicly expressed interest in that option, saying it will conserve up to 125,000 acre feet of water (40.7 billion gallons) on its reservation and offer another 125,000 acre feet of water stored underground to cities annually for the next three years.
Farmers in California and Arizona say that’s not enough money to account to cover losses if they leave fields unplanted or to pay for things like installing more efficient irrigation systems. They plan to apply for money through a different option that allows them to name their price — and justify why they deserve it.
A third pot of money would offer payment for larger projects aimed at achieving long-term water savings, like ripping up decorative grass in urban areas or building small, on-farm storage systems that make it easier for farmers to bank water rather than lose it to runoff.
The bureau says water users who take the $400 payments may be prioritized for that money over users who want more for short-term conservation.
California’s water users have offered to conserve up to 9% of its river water. That’s contingent on adequate payment and help for the Salton Sea, a drying lake bed fed by farm runoff.
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Ronayne reported from Sacramento, Calif.
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JACKSON, Miss — An employee of a Mississippi wastewater hauling company pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday for his part in illegally discharging industrial waste into the capital city’s sewer system.
William Roberts, an employee of Partridge-Sibley Industrial Services, admitted to supervising the improper disposal of industrial waste at a commercial entity in Jackson. As a result of Roberts’s negligence, the waste was trucked and hauled to a facility that was not a legal discharge point designated to receive the waste, federal prosecutors said.
“The defendant’s negligent conduct contributed to the discharge of millions of gallons of untreated industrial waste into the Jackson water system,” said Chuck Carfagno, a special agent for the Environmental Protection Agency’s criminal investigations division.
Jackson’s water and sewer system has been beset by troubles dating back years. The water system was recently engulfed in a crisis that forced people in the city of 150,000 to go days without running water in late August and early September.
In addition to the EPA and local law enforcement officials, the case was also investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
An attorney for Roberts did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He will be sentenced on December 14, 2022.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The past three years have been California’s driest on record, a streak unlikely to break this winter, state officials said Monday.
The official water year concluded Friday, marking an end to a period that saw both record rainfall in October and the driest January-to-March period in at least a century. Scientists say such weather whiplash is likely to become more common as the planet warms. It will take more than a few winter storms to help the state dig out of drought.
“This is our new climate reality, and we must adapt,” Karla Nemeth, director of the state Department of Water Resources, said in a statement.
Her comments came ahead of expected remarks Monday by state water officials about what to expect in the months ahead. The water year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, so that the rainiest winter months are recorded together.
Snow that falls in California’s mountains typically provides one-third of the state’s annual water supply, but last year snow levels were far below average by the end of the winter. The Colorado River, another major source of water for Southern California, is also beset by drought, threatening its ability to supply farmers and cities around the U.S. West.
Precipitation was 76% of average for the year that just ended, and the state’s reservoirs are at 69% of their historical levels, state officials said.
Most of the state is in severe or extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The worst conditions are throughout the Central Valley, the state’s agricultural heartland where many of the nation’s fruits, vegetables and nuts are grown.
Another dry year would mean little to no water deliveries from state supplies to farmers and cities in central and Southern California. State and local officials, meanwhile, continue to urge California’s 39 million residents to save water wherever possible by ripping out grass lawns or letting them go brown, taking shorter showers and generally being more conscious about water use.
There are signs that the state and its residents are better learning to deal with ongoing dry periods, said Jeff Mount, a senior fellow with the Water Policy Center at the Public Policy Institute of California. With limited water supplies, farmers in the northern part of the state have fallowed rice fields, while major water agencies in the south have started to look for ways to expand water supply through recycling and other means.
Still, drought fatigue may be setting in. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called on residents last year to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15%. The state still hasn’t met that target and water use went up in the spring compared to prior years. But use has started to tick down after state water officials put new restrictions on outdoor watering.
“We’re not fighting anymore about whether things are changing — we’re having reasonable fights about how to adapt to it,” Mount said.
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Based on the award-winning concept that originated with Taku Engineering, MOBILTEX has enhanced the field-proven design of the CorTalk PI-1 Pocket Interrupter to deliver a more robust, reliable and effective solution for field Cathodic Protection interruption.
Press Release
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updated: Aug 10, 2021
CALGARY, Alberta, August 10, 2021 (Newswire.com)
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MOBILTEX has launched its latest innovation for the Cathodic Protection industry, the CorTalk PI-1 Pocket Interrupter – a robust, reliable and effective solution for field Cathodic Protection interruption.
GPS-synchronized CP interrupters have historically been large, bulky devices with heavy external batteries that often required daily charging. Mobilizing to the field with enough interrupters for even small jobs with several galvanic CP systems could require hundreds of pounds of equipment. Often locations are extremely remote and may require plane or helicopter access, which combined with the required timing and equipment creates an expensive, logistical nightmare. The MOBILTEX Pocket Interrupter One (PI-1) is a handheld, lightweight, two-channel GPS time synchronized cathodic protection (CP) current interrupter that makes these challenges a thing of the past.
Capable of interrupting two CP current sources of up to 1 Amp and 20 Volts each, the CorTalk PI-1 interruption channels provide standard On/Off cycles from 1-30 seconds, and it includes a programmable external relay control. Plus there’s no computer or smart device required to set up so it’s simple to change interruption cycles on the fly.
“The enhanced CorTalk PI-1 is truly an evolution in the management of CP systems. Field technicians now can easily perform accurate interruption in even the most remote locations using a compact, intelligently engineered solution that is lightweight and also delivers the real-world runtimes that field engineers require,” said Marc Bracken, MOBILTEX CEO. “These latest advancements will enable MOBILTEX to continue its rapid growth with best-in-class devices that provide our clients with superior reliability, ease of installation and increased operational efficiency.”
Some of the key features of the PI-1 include: powerful 72-channel uBlox 8 Series GPS Receiver; 2-channel interruption of any CP current source; easily expandable for rectifier applications up to 100 Amps and 100 Volts; built to withstand the toughest conditions and most extreme environments; intuitively designed for the field with internal expansion connector for future peripherals; engineered for maximum portability; long-life battery with runtimes of up to 15 days and smart field charging capabilities
Please visit www.mobiltex.com/pi-1 to learn more.
ABOUT MOBILTEX
Over 30 years of cathodic protection innovation, over 200 major organizations across North America and around the globe, and over 160,000 kilometres of pipeline assets protected – MOBILTEX solutions are redefining the cathodic protection and pipeline integrity monitoring industry. As our reputation grows, we continue to invest and expand our patented IIoT technologies while leveraging 5G cellular and satellite communications across our portfolio. MOBILTEX is widely recognized in the industry for innovation, reliability, and our world-class service and support. For more information, visit www.mobiltex.com.
Source: MOBILTEX Data Ltd.
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Press Release
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updated: May 21, 2021
CALGARY, Alberta, May 21, 2021 (Newswire.com)
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MOBILTEX [an XPV Water Partners company] today introduces the CorTalk RMU1-SUB, a robust and intelligently engineered device based on our industry-leading fourth generation RMU1, and specifically for the environmental challenges within subgrade installations. Working together with our industry partners, MOBILTEX has boldly taken on the challenge of delivering a Cathodic Protection (CP) test station remote monitoring solution that can be deployed in virtually any location flush-mounted to the ground, and that can withstand the harshest of environmental conditions. The device is designed to significantly increase and optimize the acquisition of critical CP performance and regulatory compliance data, eliminates process-intensive permitting and traffic control requirements, and effectively removes workers from high-risk areas to perform manual collections.
Infrastructure organizations around the world manage tens of thousands of subgrade, or flush-mounted, test stations to monitor CP on energy or water pipeline assets. These are more commonly utilized in urban areas due to their less conspicuous nature, and often require installation directly within the traffic right-of ways. Test stations are commonly only visited once a year as part of the annual level of protection compliance readings. At each site, a technician must obtain permitting, setup and coordinate traffic control, gain access to the valve box, take a voltage reading (often an ON and an OFF potential), and record before moving on to the next site. A time consuming and expensive process. And even if managed well, one errant driver can put the health and safety of the public and the utility workers at risk.
“The CorTalk RMU1-SUB solves a significant challenge for organizations that have CP systems protecting assets in challenging urban locations which requires technicians to physically monitor or collect readings directly, and also creates difficult environments for managing CP systems effectively,” said MOBILTEX CEO Marc Bracken. “Manual data collection in urban applications is time-consuming, costly, dangerous, and can introduce human error and is highly inefficient. But it also significantly delays system health data and therefore decision making, which not only adds costs, but also minimizes the ability for operations to proactively mitigate business risk. The RMU1-SUB is another example of how MOBILTEX is working directly with our customers to develop solutions to address real problems that improve safety, lower costs, and more effectively protect their critical infrastructure assets.”
“The difficulty in designing a device to work in these harsh environments that can last 10 years in the field was not lost on us,” said Tony da Costa, Mobiltex VP of Engineering. “We leveraged our skills in Quality Assurance testing and reliability engineering to design a device that will function for years in typical subgrade valve boxes. However, validation wasn’t just done in a lab environment, these units were tested in real world conditions by our clients. One of our clients piloting the device even submerged it in a bucket of water and left it overnight to freeze solid and it continued to work properly.”
With a network of battery-powered CorTalk RMU1-SUB devices transmitting data by cellular or satellite networks, pipeline operators can effectively eliminate the need to physically visit CP test stations to obtain critical system measurements and can begin to leverage near real-time data collection. This new level of data collection also allows operators to effectively identify short-lived events that impact CP performance, such as power load transfers or faults, as well as significant urban challenges produced by high-voltage power lines and transit systems that can compromise CP systems. These intermittent issues are nearly impossible to identify through annual or semi-annual site inspections and can leave pipelines vulnerable to corrosion.
The RMU1-SUB has two-way communication capabilities and can monitor all signals applicable to test point pipe-to-soil potential, coupon and bond monitoring. Especially important for monitoring test point potentials, edge computing features enable it to capture of both On and Off DC potentials with only the attachment of an additional reference cell. By cycling the impressed current rectifiers and galvanic anodes attached to the protected structure, it’s now possible to attain a validation of an asset’s protection level from anywhere with a web-enabled device. The fine time granularity of the readings gives new insights into the varying protection levels throughout the year.
Data that is transmitted by the RMU1-SUB, and other MOBILTEX remote monitoring devices, is received and stored by CorView, a powerful cloud-based software platform. CorView can be accessed from any location, using any web-enabled device, to access measurement data, create trending graphs and generate reports. Technicians can also configure CorView to automatically send alerts if measurements received from the RMU1-SUB are outside of set thresholds or if data is not received at scheduled intervals. CorView’s data repository and functions are entirely hosted and supported by MOBILTEX, which means no special software or IT support is ever required to access its powerful capabilities.
Please visit www.mobiltex.com/rmu1-sub to learn more about the CorTalk RMU1-SUB and the entire suite of Cathodic Protection and Pipeline Integrity solutions from MOBILTEX.
About MOBILTEX
Over 30 years of cathodic protection innovation, over 200 major organizations across North America and around the globe, and over 160,000 kilometres of pipeline assets protected – MOBILTEX solutions are redefining the cathodic protection and pipeline integrity monitoring industry. As our reputation grows, we continue to invest and expand our patented IIoT technologies while leveraging 5G cellular and satellite communications across our portfolio. MOBILTEX is widely recognized in the industry for innovation, reliability, and our world-class service and support. For more information, visit www.mobiltex.com.
About XPV Water Partners
XPV Water Partners is comprised of experienced water entrepreneurs, operators, and investment professionals dedicated to make a difference in the water industry. XPV invests in and actively supports water-focused companies to enable them to grow and deliver value for all stakeholders. For more information, visit www.xpvwaterpartners.com.
Media Contact: Jonathan Saint
Phone: 403.291.2770
Email: media[ at ]mobiltex[ dot ]com
Source: MOBILTEX
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