State of Emergency Declared in Flint, Michigan

Lead pollution affecting children and other residents in Flint

Flint Mayor Dr. Weaver has declared a state of emergency, calling on the Genesee County Board of Commissioners to conduct a Special Meeting before the end of December to tackle the water crisis, according to local reports.

Weaver says lead exposure is causing irreversible damage in children and would lead to some having learning difficulties.

“The City of Flint has experienced a Manmade disaster,” said the Mayor, proclaiming the State of Emergency.

“I am declaring a state of emergency in the incorporated boundaries of the city of Flint, Michigan.

“The city of Flint has experienced a man-made disaster” by switching to the use of the Flint River, she said.

“Flint children have experienced increased bloods lead levels since the switch to the Flint River.”

“This damage to children is irreversible and can cause effects to a child’s IQ, which will result in learning disabilities and the need for special education and mental health services and an increase in the juvenile justice system.

“This will increase the need for foster and adoptive parents as a result of social services needed due to the detrimental effects of the high blood lead levels.

“I am requesting that all things be done necessary to address this state of emergency declaration, effectively immediately. This action is being taken to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Flint.’

“Flint, a city of about 99,000 people, switched from Detroit’s water system while under state emergency financial management. The Flint River was supposed to be an interim source until the city could join a new system getting water from Lake Huron that is scheduled to be completed next year. But residents complained about the taste, smell and appearance of water coming into their homes and businesses from the Flint River, said a report.

Water samples from Flint, on the left, and Detroit. Credit Steve Carmody / Michigan Radio

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Bombing of Colombian Pipeline Causes Massive Oil Spill

 Colombia Oil Spill to Reach Pacific Coast: Ecopetrol

The bombing of a crude oil pipeline in southwestern Colombia  by the FARC guerrilla group earlier this week has caused a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) oil spill that was expected to reach the Pacific coast,  said a report quoting the CEO of the state-controlled Ecopetrol.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attacked the 306-km Transandino pipeline, which stretches to the Pacific port of Tumaco, causing about 1,000,000 liters  (~ 265,000 gallons) of oil to spill into the Caunapi River, a tributary of the Rosario River, and into Tumaco Bay in the southwestern  department of Nariño, said the report.

The rivers are a source of drinking water and are also used for fishing.

The affected area could take up to 20 years to recover, assuming “a minimum recovery,” said Colombia’s Environment Minister.

The guerrillas also waylaid a convoy of 19 tanker trucks on Monday, and dumped about 757,000 liters (200,000 gallons) of crude oil on the roads in Putumayo department in the southwest of the country, bordering Ecuador and Peru, the report added.

The attack was the 20th against the oil company’s infrastructure this year, affecting more than 84,000 people, said Ecopetrol.

Full report is available here.

Drought Paralyzes Taiwan

Taiwan rations water to 1.2 million households amid worsening drought

One of the driest years on record has depleted Tai­wan’s reservoirs aggravating the water quality problem, forcing cutbacks in irrigation and prompting the authorities to begin water rationing to about 1.2 million households across northern Taiwan, said a government website.

Authorities have begun cutting off water supplies for two days each week in several cities north of the country.

“The water supply situation is urgent as Taiwan had the lowest rainfall last autumn and winter since 1947,” said the authorities.

“We may have delayed or no monsoon rains at all [this year.] We urge the public to co-operate during this difficult time.”

The island nation’s reservoirs have fallen to below 24  percent of capacity, “and lit­tle water will be available for ir­rigation until next June, according to estimates of the Water Resource Planning Commission under the Economics Ministry.”

“The use of water for irrigation was suspended Dec. 1 by the Pro­vincial Reconstruction Depart­ment. It directed farmers to let land lie fallow this spring rather than endanger the supply of water for household use. Farmers will be compensated for letting more than 75,000 hectares of farmland stay idle,” said the report.

Although Taiwan [pop. 24 million] “enjoys an oceanic and subtropical monsoon climate and receives an average annual rainfall of 90 billion cubic meters,” or 2.6 times the global average [total land area: 36,190 km²,] its annual rain per capita is only one-sixth of the world’s average due to its high population density.

[“About 50 bil­lion cubic meters of rain goes directly to the ocean, 20 billion evap­orates and 4 billion soaks into the ground. Only about 20 billion cu­bic meters is available for use, from reservoirs, rivers, and ac­cessible ground water supplies.”]

Taiwan consumed about 17.6 billion cubic meters of water in 1991: About 13.6 billion for  farming, 2.5 billion for households and 1.5 billion for industry.

However, only 20 percent of Taiwan’s water meets the regulatory standard, said the government.

“A third of its 50 rivers and tributaries are seriously polluted, according to a report by the 1,322 water quality observation centers across the island. Every day nearly 2,800 tons of wastewater from farms, factories and households follows its course to the rivers.”

Southern Taiwan, which is plagued by “heavy-metal and chemical industries,” is also facing acute water shortages, as a result of which both the “aquacultural and industrial sec­tors” are pumping underground wa­ter excessively, “causing the ground to sink,” said the report.

What Now Brown Cow?

Manure pollution poses ‘imminent and substantial endangerment’ to the environment, people: Federal Judge

U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice of Spokane has ruled that a large industrial dairy in eastern Washington has polluted drinking water through its handling of manure, said a report.

The judge ruled that the pollution posed an “imminent and substantial endangerment” to the environment and to people who rely on groundwater for drinking.

Rice ruled that he “could come to no other conclusion than that the Dairy’s operations are contributing to the high levels of nitrate that are currently contaminating—and will continue to contaminate … the underlying groundwater.”

“Any attempt to diminish the Dairy’s contribution to the nitrate contamination is disingenuous, at best,” said Rice in his opinion, entering  a partial summary judgment against the mega dairy, Cow Palace.

The dairy has 11,000 cows that create more than 100 million gallons of manure each year, said the judge in summing up.

The civil lawsuit was filed by environmental groups on behalf of more than 24,000 residents in the lower Yakima Valley who rely on private wells for their drinking water. “The valley is a heavily agricultural area located about 150 miles east of Seattle.”

“A trial has been scheduled for March 23 in Yakima to decide how much pollution the Cow Palace dairy of Granger was causing and what steps should be taken as a remedy.” said the report.

For the first time a federal court has ruled that inadequately handled  manure is a solid waste, and not a beneficial farm product, said Jessica Culpepper—an attorney for Public Justice, who helped represent the environmental groups.

“This is also the first time that the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which governs the disposal of solid and hazardous waste, was applied to farm animals,” she said. “Those standards can now be applied across the nation.”

“Rice’s ruling criticized the Cow Palace and its owners, Bill and Adam Dolsen, saying they appeared to minimize the dangers posed by nitrates, including ‘Blue Baby Syndrome,’ a condition that can result when babies consume formula mixed with nitrate-contaminated water.”

Read full report

Bolivia Declares Second Largest Lake ‘Disaster Area’

Mass Deaths of Fish, Waterfowl in Bolivian Lake, River

Agricultural authorities in Bolivia have declared Poopo Lake in Oruro department a disaster area after the death of thousands of fish and waterfowl.

More than 10 kilometers of dead fish and birds were found on the banks of Lake Poopó (Oruro department) earlier this month. The deaths occurred either as a result suffocation, caused by the high volumes of mud washed into the water after recent torrential rains in the region, or by an abnormal rise in the temperature, said reports.

“That event will affect more than 780 thousand fishing families with low production in the coming years, as the fish were on procreation age,” said a report.

Lake Poopó is the second largest in the Andean country, after Titicaca.

In another disaster, thousands of dead fish were found in the Rio Grande, a major river in the department of Santa Cruz, eastern Bolivia, less than two weeks ago, said the report.

 

 

Red Tides Attack Shenzhen; Beijing Issues Air Pollution Alert

MAJOR DISASTERS
INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION
RED TIDES
WATER POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION
SCENARIOS 817, 797, 699, 404, 402, 05, 02
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Image of the Day:

Red tides splash on China’s ‘most successful’ SEZ

Shenzhen [Population: ~ 20 million] is a major city in southern China’s Guangdong Province. Located north of Hong Kong, the city is part of China’s first Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Original caption: Aerial photo taken on Nov. 25, 2014 shows the red tides, a bloom of bacteria that gives a red tint to coastal waters, on the waters of Dameisha in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Li Suren). More images…

Beijing issues air pollution alert

Beijing municipal authorities issued an air pollution alert  Tuesday afternoon, as forecasters warned of serious smog on Tuesday and Wednesday, reported the official Xinhua.

“Air quality index (AQI) in Beijing hit 236 at 6 p.m. with the index of PM 2.5 exceeding 200, according to the Beijing environmental protection monitoring center website.”

The PM2.5 AQI had exceeded the hazardous levels, reaching 361, as of posting.

Industrial air pollution cost Europe up to €189 billion in 2012

Meantime, the European Environment Agency (EEA) reported that air pollution from Europe’s largest industrial facilities cost the region as much as €189 billion in 2012.

The upper estimate of €189 billion [$235b] is approximately equivalent to the GDP of Finland or 50% of the GDP of Poland. The estimated cost was at least €329 and possibly up to €1,053 billion over the period 2008 – 2012, said the report.

 

Toxic Algae Warning Expanded for Oregon River

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
CONTAMINATED WATER
SCENARIO 817, 555, 05
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Microcystis exposure can kill pets within an hour

A health warning issued for a stretch of the Willamette River flowing through downtown Portland has been expanded by the Oregon Health Authority after preliminary test results showed blue-green algae covering the water is a toxic species.

Public health officials recommend that people avoid all contact with Willamette River water in a 10-mile stretch of the river, from Ross Island downriver to the south end of Sauvie Island. This includes avoiding swallowing or inhaling water droplets, and avoiding skin contact. Drinking water directly from this stretch of the Willamette is especially dangerous. Pets should be kept away from the water as well.

Official results of at least two tests on water samples conducted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality are expected back later today. A preliminary test by one of the laboratories, Aquatic Scientific Resource, confirmed the blue-green algae, which is visible as a swirling, bright-green slick, is a species known as Microcystis aeruginosa (microcystis). This type of algae produces toxins that are harmful to humans and animals. The advisory threshold for microcystis is 40,000 cells of the toxin per milliliter of water. Preliminary counts indicate microcystis is present in the Willamette River at 2.25 million cells per milliliter. Several samples were collected around Ross Island, but the specific sample used for this count was from the mouth of the Ross Island lagoon.

Accidental swallowing of water containing these toxins may produce such symptoms as numbness, tingling, dizziness, weakness, diarrhea, nausea, cramps and fainting. Inhalation of water droplets can lead to breathing problems, sneezing, coughing or runny nose. Skin contact can cause skin irritation, including a rash. Symptoms usually occur in less than 24 hours.

Children and pets are at increased risk for exposure because of their size and level of activity. Dogs, in particular, can quickly experience symptoms of microcystis exposure and can die within an hour.

The toxins produced by microcystis cannot be removed by boiling, filtering or treating the water with camping-style filters, health officials warn. People who draw in-home water directly from Willamette are advised to use an alternative water source because private treatment systems are not proven effective at removing algae toxins.

China City Water Supply Suspened after Pollution in Yangtze

ENVIRONMENTAL HOLOCAUST
CONTAMINATED WATER
SCENARIO 05
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Up to a million people affected in China’s latest water pollution scare

Authorities suspend water supply in  east China’s Jingjiang City (Jiangsu Province) on Friday after “abnormal water quality” was detected in the Yangtze River, reported Xinhua.

“The city’s water company detected a strange odor in the river water around 10 a.m., said a statement posted by the city’s official account on microblogging site Sina Weibo.”

The latest episode is one of a series of water pollution incidents that has caused major concern across China.

In April, excessive levels of benzene were detected in Lanzhou city’s tap water. Lanzhou (population: ~ 4 million) is the capital city of northwest China’s Gansu Province.

Original Caption: Residents purchase bottled drinkable water at a supermarket in Jingjiang City, east China’s Jiangsu Province, May 9, 2014. Water supply in Jingjiang City was suspended after abnormal water quality was detected in the Yangtze River water source, the city’s official microblog announced in a statement around noon Friday. (Xinhua)

Related Links

• How Your World Continued Shrinking April 18, 2014

Up to 27 Million Gallons of Coal Ash Spill into Dan River, NC

COLLAPSING INFRASTRUCTURE
WATER POLLUTION
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82,000 tons of ash spill into NC river after a pipe break at a Duke Energy retired coal plant

The spill was detected on Sunday at Dan River Steam Station, a Duke Energy retired power plant in Eden, NC. A broken stormwater pipe located under a 27-acre ash pond released about 27 million gallons of ash basin water, said a company spokesperson.

Other than for obvious reasons, there were no immediate comments from Duke energy as to why the ash pond was built over a stormwater pipe and so close to Dan River, nor any reason why the largest electricity provider in the U.S. failed to remove the toxic ash nearly two years after the plant was retired.

Source: Duke Energy

There’s no immediate threat to drinking water in nearby Virginia towns; however, officials are concerned about  long-term impact of the spill on the Dan River.

“The Dan River does not have a clean bill of health,” said the director of the North Carolina Division of Water Resources.

Lab tests of water samples collected from an affected part of the river showed “extremely high levels of arsenic, chromium, iron, lead and other toxic metals typically found in coal ash,” said Waterkeeper Alliance, a group of water advocates.

“Duke could have avoided contaminating the Dan River and poisoning Virginia’s water supplies if it had removed its toxic ash heaps years ago after being warned by EPA,” said the president of Waterkeeper Alliance.

Aerial view of the retired Dan River Steam Station and ash basins in North Carolina. Source: Duke Energy [This photo taken on February 5, 2014 shows the primary basin almost completely drained into Dan River.]

One of our readers who first read the report commented:

“Coal ash basin water” probably safer than fracking fluid!!!

Full report posted at … coal ash spill in North Carolina

On January 12, 2014 FIRE-EARTH said [but was censored by Google, WordPress and others]

If Anything Can Explode, Leak, Contaminate…

Estimated 100,000 HAZMAT storage sites across the U.S. can potentially explode, leak, contaminate the environment—FIRE-EARTH

United States is dotted with an estimated 100,000 HAZMAT storage sites containing one or more of deadly substances including radioactive, biohazardous, toxic, explosive, flammable, asphyxiating, corrosive, oxidizing, pathogenic, or allergenic materials, as well as herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers that don’t fall into those categories.

Some of the substances (hazchems), which include more than 200 types of dioxins, are so lethal that even a small leak into the water supply could kill or permanently harm millions of people, before they are detected.

Related Links

• If Anything Can Explode, Leak, Contaminate… January 12, 2014
• UPDATE: Hundreds are Sick after West Virgina Water Pollution January 11, 2014
• 737 People Reported Sickness after West Virgina Water Pollution January 11, 2014

• UPDATED: State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia after Chemical Spill January 10, 2014
• State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia due to Chemical Spill January 10, 2014
• State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia after Chemical Spill  January 10, 2014

If Anything Can Explode, Leak, Contaminate…

COLLAPSING INFRASTRUCTURE
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Estimated 100,000 HAZMAT storage sites across the U.S. can potentially explode, leak, contaminate the environment—FIRE-EARTH

United States is dotted with an estimated 100,000 HAZMAT storage sites containing one or more of deadly substances including radioactive, biohazardous, toxic, explosive, flammable, asphyxiating, corrosive, oxidizing, pathogenic, or allergenic materials, as well as herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers that don’t fall into those categories.

Some of the substances (hazchems), which include more than 200 types of dioxins, are so lethal that even a small leak into the water supply could kill or permanently harm millions of people, before they are detected.

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Tap water in West Virginia counties remains unsafe

Some 300,000 residents in 9 West Virginia counties would be unable to use tap water for drinking, cooking, bathing or washing for days, following the chemical spill that contaminated the Elk River, on January 9.

Governor Tomblin declared a State of Emergency for nine counties on Thursday in Virginia following a major spill of 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol, a chemical used in the coal industry, along the Elk River in Charleston.

Tomblin has urged the residents NOT to use tap water for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing.

The State of Emergency Declaration is for Boone, Cabell, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam, and Roane counties.  “This declaration follows a notice from West Virginia American Water Company that its water supply had become contaminated.  Residents served by Lincoln PSD, Queen Shoals PSD, Reamer PSD, City of Culloden PSD, and City of Hurricane PSD are also affected.” according to the WV State website.

A DEP spokesperson said the chemical was 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, a “sudsing agent,”  which is used in the processing of coal.

5,000 to 35,000 Gallons Leaked

Gary Southern, President of Freedom Industries, where the leak came from, told reporters he couldn’t say how much of the chemical, 4-methylcyclohexane methanol,  had been leaked, only that it was less than 35,000 gallons.

Gov Tomblin, on the other hand, has stated that only 5,000 gallons of chemical had leaked into Elk River.

A Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) spokesman said the chemical is used a “sudsing agent,”   in the processing of coal. The substance has an odor like licorice or anise.

“Our teams are out and we have employees that have worked this (water) system that are extremely knowledgeable. [They are] out collecting samples and looking at flushing activities at this time,” Jeff McIntyre, president of West Virginia American Water Co, told reporters on Saturday.

“But we are talking days” before water quality meets federally mandated quality standards, Reuters reported McIntyre as saying.

Bottled Water

“As of Saturday, FEMA has delivered approximately 1 million liters of water from its distribution centers in Cumberland and Frederick, Maryland, to the area for use by the state,” said a spokesperson. “FEMA will continue to deliver supplies to the state for distribution, as needed.”

Freedom Industries

The Chemical leak from Freedom Industries occurred upstream of the intake at the Kanawha Valley water treatment—the largest in West Virginia—and has resulted in a tap water ban for at least 100,000 homes and businesses, or about 300,000 people, said West Virginia American Water.

Freedom Industries describes itself as “a full service producer of specialty chemicals for the mining, steel, and cement industries.” The company was founded in 1986 in Charleston, WV, according to the company website.

Freedom Industries Etowah River Terminal.  The terminal is a liquid bulk storage and distribution facility servicing the Port of Charleston, West Virginia. The terminal is located on the Elk River, 2.5 miles from the Kanawha River in Downtown Charleston. Etowah River Terminal operates 13 bulk tanks with a total liquid storage capacity of 4,000,000 gallons. Source: http://www.freedom-industries.com/

The company says it is a “leading producer of freeze conditioning agents, dust control palliatives, flotation reagents, water treatment polymers and other specialty chemicals.”

State of Emergency in West Virginia

Chronology (continued from previous posts)

01-11-14 @ noon

• To read the proclamation extending the State of Emergency to Cabell, Clay, Logan and Roane counties, CLICK HERE.

• To read the proclamation declaring a State of Emergency in Boone, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln and Putnam counties, CLICK HERE.

Developing story …

Related Links

• UPDATE: Hundreds are Sick after West Virgina Water Pollution January 11, 2014
• State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia after Chemical Spill  January 10, 2014
• 737 People Reported Sickness after West Virgina Water Pollution January 11, 2014

• UPDATED: State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia after Chemical Spill January 10, 2014
• State of Emergency Declared in West Virginia due to Chemical Spill January 10, 2014

Fish Holocaust in Central China

Millions of dead fish blanket Fuhe River in central China’s Hubei Province

The fish mass die-off may have been caused by excessive ammoniacal nitrogen levels, according to an early investigation.

Ammonia is a toxic pollutant which can poison humans and pollute water bodies. Ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), is a measure for the amount of ammonia found in landfill leachate, sewage, farm run-offs,  liquid manure and other liquid organic waste products.

Original caption: Dead fish float on the Fuhe River in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, Sept. 3, 2013. Large amount of dead fish were spotted in several sections of the Fuhe River on Monday afternoon. An earlier investigation suggested that those fish died of excessive ammonia nitrogen that polluted the water. Further investigation is underway. (Xinhua/Cheng Min). More images…

Legacy of Acid Rain: Rivers Becoming Increasingly Alkaline

River alkalinization threatens water supplies in eastern U-S: Study

Two-thirds of rivers in eastern United States show “significant increasing trends in alkalinity,” according to a new study published by the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Researchers examined 97 rivers from the northeastern state of New Hampshire down to Florida over the past 25 to 60 years and found significantly higher alkaline content.

The rivers provide drinking water to big cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, as well as other major metropolises.

“This is because acid rain, acidic mining waste, and agricultural fertilizers speed the breakdown of limestone, other carbonate rocks, and even concrete and cement,” said the researchers. “The result: alkaline particles are washed off of the landscape and into streams and rivers.”

Higher alkaline content in the water can lead to ammonia toxicity and is dangerous for crop irrigation and fish life. It also encourages algal growth and can complicate wastewater and drinking water treatment, as well as causing faster corrosion of metal pipes, the authors said.

Although the airborne pollutants that cause acid rain have somewhat declined in the United States, the legacy of acid rain remains, researchers said.

“The acid rain problem is decreasing. But meanwhile, there are these lagging effects of river alkalinization showing up across a major region of the U.S.,” said lead author, an associate professor and aquatic ecologist at the University of Maryland. “How many decades will river alkalinization persist? We really don’t know the answer.”

“This is another example of the widespread impact of human [activity] on natural systems [which] is, I think, increasingly worrisome,” said study co-author and ecologist Gene Likens of the University of Connecticut.

Related Links

• Most U.S. Rivers, Streams in Poor Condition for Aquatic Life March 27, 2013

Most U.S. Rivers, Streams in Poor Condition for Aquatic Life

Thousands of stream and river miles across the country under ‘significant pressure’: EPA

In its first comprehensive survey looking at the health of thousands of stream and river miles across the country, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found more than half – 55 percent – in poor condition for aquatic life.

The 2008-2009 National Rivers and Stream Assessment reflects the most recent data available on the condition of the water resources, EPA said.

[Does that mean the significant degradations that have occurred in the past 5 years not yet taken into account? Moderator]

“The health of our Nation’s rivers, lakes, bays and coastal waters depends on the vast network of streams where they begin, and this new science shows that America’s streams and rivers are under significant pressure,” said Office of Water Acting Assistant Administrator.

The data was collected by EPA, state and tribal researchers from about 2,000 sites across the country.

National Rivers and Stream Assessment. Biological condition of the nation’s rivers and streams, based on the Macroinvertebrate Multimetric Index (EPA/NRSA).

Indicators Evaluated for NRSA

Biological Indicators

• Benthic macroinvertebrates
• Periphyton (algae)
• Fish community

Chemical Indicators

• Phosphorus
• Nitrogen
• Salinity
• Acidity

Physical Indicators

• Streambed sediments
• In­stream fish habitat
• Riparian vegetative cover
• Riparian disturbance

Human Health Indicators

• Enterococci (fecal indicator)
• Mercury in fish tissue

The following are excerpts from EPA report:

Runoff Contaminated by Fertilizers

• Nitrogen and phosphorus are at excessive levels. Twenty-seven percent of the nation’s rivers and streams have excessive levels of nitrogen, and 40 percent have high levels of phosphorus. Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water—known as nutrient pollution—causes significant increases in algae, which harms water quality, food resources and habitats, and decreases the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive. Nutrient pollution has impacted many streams, rivers, lakes, bays and coastal waters for the past several decades, resulting in serious environmental and human health issues, and impacting the economy.

Decreased Vegetation Cover and Increased Human Disturbance

• Streams and rivers are at an increased risk due to decreased vegetation cover and increased human disturbance. These conditions can cause streams and rivers to be more vulnerable to flooding, erosion, and pollution. Vegetation along rivers and streams slows the flow of rainwater so it does not erode stream banks, removes pollutants carried by rainwater and helps maintain water temperatures that support healthy streams for aquatic life. Approximately 24 percent of the rivers and streams monitored were rated poor due to the loss of healthy vegetative cover.

[Whopping] Increase in Bacteria Levels.

• Increased bacteria levels. High bacteria levels were found in nine percent of stream and river miles making those waters potentially unsafe for swimming and other recreation (samples exceed an enterococci threshold level for protecting human health.)

Increased Mercury Levels

• Increased mercury levels. More than 13,144 miles of river lengths (streams were not evaluated) have fish with mercury levels that may be unsafe for human consumption. For most people, the health risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern, but some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child’s developing nervous system.

NRSA Sample Sites

National Rivers and Stream Assessment Sample Sites.

Related Links

• Death by Lethal Pollution October 16, 2007
• Index of Human Impact on Nature

“Troubled Waters” by U.S. PRIG

Thousands of Dead Pigs Dumped in Shanghai River

Porcine circovirus (PCV) found in Shanghai drinking water source

More than 3,000 dead pigs were dumped in the upper reaches of the Huangpu River, a source of Shanghai’s drinking water, authorities said.

Dead pigs removed from the Hengliaojing Creek in Shanghai’s district of Songjiang. The creek flows into the upper reach of the Huangpu River, a source of the city’s drinking water. 

“The number is expected to rise as there are still six barges that have not returned from collecting carcasses. We have to act quickly to remove them all for fear of causing water pollution,” the director of Shanghai Songjiang District Environmental Protection Bureau, told the Global Times.

The authorities don’t yet know what killed the pigs. Tests for common pig-borne diseases including swine fever, foot and mouth, hog cholera and epidemic diarrhea have thus far proved negative, said a report.

• China Shrouded in Sand, Dust and PM March 10, 2013

United Kingdom

The danger posed by growing resistance to antibiotics is ‘as big a risk as terrorism,’ the UK medical chief, Professor Sally Davies has warned, describing the threat as a “ticking time bomb.”

 

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March 11, 2013 – DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,097 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,097 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Thought for the Day: A 2009 Forecast

The most widely used phrase by “scientists” in 2009

“We were completely surprised!”

Surprised! (source: bp1.blogger.com). Image may be subject to copyright.

Southern Ocean Carbon Sink

From NASA’s Earth Observatory:

If you drove to work or school this morning or used electricity to power the computer on which you’re looking at this image, chances are you released carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, people released about 7.8 billion tons (7.8 gigatons) of carbon into the atmosphere in 2005 by burning fossil fuels and making cement, and that number grows every year. What happens to all of the carbon dioxide that people release into the atmosphere? About half stays in the atmosphere, where it warms Earth, and the other half is absorbed by growing plants on land and by the ocean.

As people have put more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the ocean has responded by soaking up more carbon dioxide—a trend scientists expected to continue for many years. But in 2007, a team of scientists reported in the journal Science that between 1981 and 2004 carbon dioxide concentrations in the Southern Ocean didn’t change at all, even though global atmospheric levels continued to rise. This graph shows the changes scientists expected to see (blue line) compared to their estimate of actual carbon dioxide absorption (red line). The results suggested that the Southern Ocean was no longer keeping pace with human carbon dioxide emissions.

Why has the Southern Ocean started to lag behind human emissions? The answer, believes Corinne Le Quéré, is in the wind. An ocean scientist at the University of East Anglia, Le Quéré led the study that discovered the Southern Ocean’s change of pace. Le Quéré modeled the mechanisms that influence how the ocean takes up carbon and found that winds increased between 1981 and 2004. Winds stirred the ocean and enhanced the upwelling of deep, carbon-rich water. The ocean releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in areas where deep water comes to the surface, so increased upwelling allowed the ocean to vent more carbon dioxide. This increased venting made it look like the Southern Ocean was no longer taking up carbon dioxide as quickly as people were pumping it into the atmosphere.

Full article and references are available at: Southern Ocean Carbon Sink

Related Links:

• Southern Ocean already losing ability to absorb CO₂

• Oceans, Where Life Started, Are Dying – Part IV :  Researchers found evidence of corrosive water about 20 miles off the west coast of North America from Canada to Mexico.

• Human carbon emissions make oceans corrosive : ‘Carbon dioxide spewed by human activities has made ocean water so acidic that it is eating away at the shells and skeletons of starfish, coral, clams and other sea creatures …’

• The Eight Steps that Help Kill More of Our Fish : How Your Car’s Exhaust Emissions Helps Create Dead Zones and Kill Our Fish.

• Global warming could starve oceans of oxygen: study : Areas of the eastern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans with low amounts of dissolved oxygen have expanded in the past 50 years, apparently in line with rising temperatures.

• The Floating Toxic Garbage Island : A patch of garbage twice as large as the continental United States and dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch floats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in North Pacific Gyre.
• Oceans, Where Life Started, Are Dying – Part III : Tourism: The Most Destructive Human Activity After Warfare

• Oceans, Where Life Started, Are Dying – Part II : Major Problems: Fertilizer Runoff; Tourism; Coastal Developments [and Ocean Warming due to climate change]

• Oceans, Where Life Started, Are Dying – Part I : Our Oceans Are Now Dying!

What’s a Hydrokong?

A Shrinking World Series

Is it a mega-tropical storm system, or an extra-tropical cyclone (ETC), i.e., a non-tropical, large-scale low pressure storm system like a Nor’easter?

“Hydrokong” is a colossal atmospheric phenomenon. It’s an extreme precipitation event which is enhanced by circulation changes that increase and concentrate the distribution of water vapor.

Hydrokong! The Storm System as it appeared over the central United States June 12, 2008 04:15 UTC. The still image is an aviation color enhancement of a satellite image.

Globally, as total precipitation increases, the duration or frequency of precipitation events decreases. However, warmer temperatures and regional variation can significantly affect those offsetting behaviors. For example, reduced total precipitation in one region, the Western United States, can significantly increase the intensity of precipitation in another region, the Midwest. Hydrokongs essentially create two extreme events, droughts in one region and flooding caused by mega-intense precipitation in another. As the global temperatures rise, more hydrokongs should be expected.

Another Hydrokong in the making? A new System as it appeared over the central United States June 27, 2008 04:15 UTC. The still image is an aviation color enhancement of a satellite image.

An aviation color enhancement of a floater [updated periodically] satellite image GEOS Eastern U.S. Imagery, NOAA SSD. For full size image right-click on the image and select “View Image.”

In the words of Brian Pierce, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, describing the aftermath of flooding last week: “We are seeing a historic hydrological event taking place with unprecedented river levels occurring.”

Are Extreme Precipitation Events Earth’s Natural Defense Mechanisms?

Related Links:

• Nature’s Defense Mechanisms
• www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/index.php [Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service!]
  

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Schwarzenegger Proclaims Water Emergency in Nine Counties

A Shrinking World Series

Could California Turn to Desert by 2011?

Water, water, my bloody kingdom for a drop of water. ~ King Conan

Water Emergency in Calif

As most of the croplands in the Central U.S. is submerged under floodwater, the heart of California’s farming area is feeling the heat. Gov. Schwarzenegger who proclaimed last week a drought in California, declared yesterday a state of emergency in nine counties in Central Valley.

“Just last week, I said we would announce regional emergencies wherever the state’s drought situation warrants them, and in the Central Valley an emergency proclamation is necessary to protect our economy and way of life,” Mr Schwarzenegger said.

“Central Valley agriculture is a $20 billion a year industry. If we don’t get them water immediately the results will be devastating,” he added. “Food prices, which are already stretching many family budgets, will continue to climb and workers will lose their jobs—everyone’s livelihood will be impacted in some way.”

“His declaration covers Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern counties and directs California’s Department of Water Resources to work with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to deliver more water through the State Water Project to where it is most needed.” Reuters reported.

Conservation Action:

• Water rationing is imposed in Long Beach, Roseville and the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which serves 1.3 million people in the San Francisco Bay area.

• Water agencies serving about 18 million people throughout Calif have declared a water supply alerts.

• Officials are planning for reduced water use through this year because lower water supplies are anticipated next year.

• Schwarzenegger is asking lawmakers to back a “comprehensive solution” to expanding water and says he needs $11.9 billion bond to finance water projects. (Source)

Coyote Dry Lake, Mojave Desert. Image: Jeff T. Alu via Wikimedia. This file is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.

Coyote Dry Lake is a dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert located about 24 km northeast of Barstow, and north of Interstate 15 in southern California. The lake measures about 10 km long and about 6 km wide at its widest section.

California’s Last Chance: Do a U-Turn, or Turn to Desert!

Related news:

• Water squabbles irrigate tensions in Central Asia Reuters
• In Spain, Water Is a New Battleground The New York Times
• Water Shortage and ‘Africanization’ of Spain [Note: ‘Africanization’ is a weasel word for desertification]

Related Links:

• Drought Index

• Failing Ecosystems
• State of the World
• Future Scenarios
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
  
• Nuking Earth for Lifestyle

• Giga Trends
• World Problems: The Root Cause Matrix
• Tipping Point
• Topsoil
• Drying Aquifers, Sinking Cities

• The Economy
• Energy
• Food Security
• Future in the Making: A Shrinking World

• Could California turn to desert by 2011?

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China’s Coastal Waters Are Terminally Polluted

China would be lucky to find a single healthy fish swimming in its coastal waters by 2011.

A Shrinking World Series

China’s wetlands, coral reefs and mangroves are rapidly disappearing: expert

According to a Chinese specialist, Luan Weixin, a professor at the Economics and Management College at Dalian Maritime University:

• About 50 percent of inland coastal wetlands in china have disapperaed because of excessive reclamation.

• Some 80 percent of coral reefs and mangrove forests had been destroyed over the past 50 years.

• Worst affected areas include estuaries of the Yangtze, Yellow and Zhujiang rivers, and water bodies near East Liaoning, Bohai and Hangzhou bays.

• A total of 145,000 square kilometers of shallow waters along China’s coast are substandard.

• Some 29,000 square kilometers of seawater is heavily contaminated by chemicals including fertilizers, which contain nitrogen and phosphate.

A child clears water from his boat in the algae-filled Chaohu Lake in Hefei, in east China’s Anhui province October 14, 2007. Blue-green algae has caused water pollution in Chaohu Lake, China’s fifth largest fresh water lake, where the rare whitebait production is on the decline, Xinhua News Agency reported. REUTERS/Jianan Yu (CHINA). Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

“Over the past 20 years or so, China’s marine economy has been developing at a staggeringly rapid pace and marine resources are being widely tapped. As a result, the condition of China’s inshore environment is deteriorating and the ocean ecology has been seriously damaged,” he said. (Source)

A man carrying lotus roots walk through an algae-filled pond in Yingtan, east China’s Jiangxi province, October 12, 2007. China’s pollution woes will form the smoggy backdrop to a key Communist Party gathering in October as leaders, who long treated nature as a foe to conquer, now fear that dirty air and water threaten stability and growth. REUTERS/Stringer (CHINA) CHINA OUT. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Related Links:

• FACTBOX-Cross-border pollution strains ties in Asia
• China using up natural resources fast: report

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Death by Lethal Pollution

Accumulation of toxic pollution in the environment is one of the dynamics that is driving the ecosystems to the verge of collapse. In the worst case scenario, which could unfold by as early as 2012¹, about 20% the world’s cities become unsustainable and begin to collapse. Massive waves of human migration from the affected areas create domino effect that causes the collapse of most of the remaining population centers. It may be too late to make a significant difference to the final outcome; however, we still have the option to change the worst case scenario! See Collapsing Cities

1. The date “2012” is based on the dynamic model simulations analyzing the impact of excessive energy consumption on the environment. The CASF Committee and its Members do NOT endorse the Mayan Calendar or any New Age, ancient, or bible prophecies whatever.

Legal Limits on Pollution

The idea of having ‘legal limits’ on how much damage you can inflict on nature must surely be a Freudian design. It’s like imposing the death penalty on the victim; and nature isn’t even ‘legally’ represented!

Freud said: “Against the dreaded external world one can only defend oneself by some kind of turning away from it, if one intends to solve the task by oneself. There is, indeed, another and a better path: that of becoming a member of human community, and, with the help of a technique guided by science, going over to attack against nature and subjecting her to human will. [And if the technique guided by science fail to reverse the ‘marsification’ of Earth that it started in the first place, you can always hide behind more abstractions!]” Excerpt from The Death of Homo Sapiens Sapiens (Part 1)

Defendant: Planet Earth (AKA, Blue Marble)
Age: 4.5 billion years
Color: Blue
Verdict: The Defendant stands convicted of the serious felonies of aiding and abetting humanoids by way of providing them with life and material support including air, water, food, land, atmosphere, ecosystems, energy… and majestic splendor.
Sentence: Death by Lethal Pollution [the sentence shall be carried out in the early morning of the Third Millennium, CE.]

“Troubled Waters” by U.S. PRIG

Pollution pouring into nation’s waters far beyond legal limit

San Francisco Chronicle
Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Friday, October 12, 2007

More than half of all industrial and municipal facilities across the country dumped more sewage and other pollutants into the nation’s waterways than allowed under the Clean Water Act, according to a report released Thursday by an environmental group. Read more…

Download the full report, Troubled Waters, by U.S. PRIG Education Fund. (1.12 MB, PDF)

Related Links:

• How Much Water?
• Oceans, were life started, are now dying! – March, 2008
  
• New Zealand Poisoning Syndrome (NZPS), Health Bulletin # 3. Toxic blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), Feb. 13, 2008
• SICK WATER?