"The security of our drinking water has always
been of paramount concern. ...Approximately two years ago, the American
Water Works Association held a security seminar in Los Angeles. It was
recognized at the seminar that there are many good reasons that... valves,
meters, etc. are positioned above ground, but also questioned the security of
these placements if left without protection in the new climate of
terrorism. The enclosure industry has offered security to above ground
placement of devices for practically 20 years. Since 1996, several manufacturers
have had their "security-worthiness" certified as one of the standards agreed to
in the American Society of Sanitary Engineers (ASSE) Standard 1060. Section 4.2
of the standard (referring to "Security and Vandalism") states "The method of
providing access to the backflow preventer shall be lockable." It is the
responsibility of the owner of the device and the enclosure to provide locking
mechanism. Certainly, this brief and simple statement seems almost innocent in
regard to terrorism and indeed, its intent was directed almost singularly at
vandalism. The water industry, however, has long seen the enclosure as a line of
defense for the backflow preventer and other aspects of the downstream delivery
system. ...The enclosure as a security accessory to the water distribution
industry covers a broad range of concepts and products. Enclosures range from
wire cages that simply house the object inside to totally covered and "hiding"
enclosures that keep a potential violator from knowing what is housed within.
These "hiding enclosures" may be camouflaged to look like rocks and even tree
stumps." Water World, Oct. 2004
Ripon taking
parks off city water supply "...Last week, the City Council awarded a contract for
a water-line extension that will bring the highly-coveted "purple pipe" to
Veterans Park -- a project that should have the popular community center local
on-line with the non-potable water system by next summer. ...While
water-fountains will still be hooked up to Ripon's drinking water supply, the
park itself will be irrigated with non-potable water from a number of different
wells throughout town that are either high in nitrates or other substances --
which actually helps the grass thrive.While it's a relatively new project for
the city (commercial business are just starting to utilize the service),
staffers don't expect it to be going away anytime soon -- especially with the
nitrate levels -- the measurement that determines the life and quality of a well
-- the way that they are in the Central Valley." Manteca Bulletin, Nov. 22,
2004
Hydrant
abuse, misuse outlawed "The Slidell City Council approved an ordinance...
specifically forbidding the vandalism or unauthorized use of fire hydrants. The
law was prompted by damage to the hydrants, which the city buys and maintains,
and some building contractors using water without permission at construction
sites... ...In the case of contractor use, Noto said, workers making
unauthorized connections to the hydrants often fail to use proper procedure and
equipment. They also frequently don't take precautions to prevent backflow, thus
putting the water supply at risk of contamination, he said. ...It also now is
illegal for an individual or a company's workers to open a hydrant without
permission from the city utilities division. The penalty for violation is $500
and up to 60 days imprisonment. Permits for limited use may be obtained in
certain cases. The permit holder must post a refundable $800 deposit to ensure
that all regulations are followed... ...Until now, the city had no
comprehensive fire hydrant law." Nola.com "Everything New Orleans", Oct.
28, 2004
D.C. Water
Test Finds Toxic Substance "A more
refined test of the water in the Washington Aqueduct has revealed the presence
of perchlorate, a toxic chemical typically found in weapons and explosives,
federal officials said yesterday. The discovery of the chemical in the water
supply challenges the prevailing theory of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
which has argued that contamination from buried World War I munitions in the
Spring Valley neighborhood to the north poses no threat to Dalecarlia Reservoir
along MacArthur Avenue NW. Thomas P. Jacobus, chief of the Washington
Aqueduct, said perchlorate in the reservoir measured between 1.2 and 1.8 parts
per billion (ppb) and did not pose a health risk. He said he has ordered weekly
tests of the water and is recommending that the corps accelerate its search for
the source of perchlorate contamination. "I'm obviously concerned about anything
that has to do with drinking water. ...The corps operates the aqueduct,
which supplies drinking water to more than a million people in the District,
Arlington County and the city of Falls Church." Washington
Post, Nov. 19, 2004
Watering
Ancient Rome "NOVA interviews Peter Aicher, (who as the)
author of "Guide to the Aqueducts of Ancient Rome,"marvels at the sophistication
of the Romans' water distribution system, which included aqueducts fully 60
miles long. NOVA: I thought we'd begin by looking at the big picture.
What would Rome and the Roman Empire have been like without
their aqueducts? What did these water bridges mean to
their civilization? AICHER: The Romans could not have built cities as
big as they did without aqueducts... ..The Romans could have obtained
their water from the (nearby) river, wells, and springs, but these
sources would have become polluted in a large city. NOVA: What do you
think of the theory that the Roman Empire collapsed because the
Romans suffered from lead poisoning? AICHER: Not much.
The Romans did use lead in their pipes. However, two things about
the Roman water supply mitigated the unhealthy effects of lead.
The first is that the water in the Roman aqueducts rarely stopped running.
They had shut-off valves, but they didn't use them much. The water was
meant to move...." NOVA Online, Feb. 22, 2000
Local Scientists Look at Parasites in Tap
Water "The Walkerton tragedy of 2000, in which seven people died
and thousands fell ill in Ontario because of E. coli infection, shattered the
town's confidence in the public drinking-water supply. The crisis also got
people across the country questioning the safety of what comes out of their
kitchen and bathroom taps. And although the likelihood of such a deadly
bacterial mix happening again in Canada is low, drinking water can contain
microbes that lead to other, far less devastating illnesses. But little
scientific attention and research have been directed to these kinds of nonfatal
outbreaks, so there's a lack of understanding of their occurrence and impact. A
group of B.C. scientists is out to change that, though, being the first in the
nation to study gastrointestinal diseases caused by contaminated water and how
they can be prevented. ...one of the problems in preventing illness is that
existing tests are neither reliable nor swift. By the time water is checked for
contamination and a boil-water advisory has been issued, that supply has already
reached the public. ...Water filters can improve the taste, smell, and
appearance of drinking water. ....filters can remove substances like chlorine,
mercury, or lead but do not disinfect water or remove microorganisms. ...if not
used according to the manufacturer's instructions, filters can actually promote
bacterial growth. It's essential to replace the filter as often as recommended
and in some cases to flush the filter daily with cold, treated drinking water to
prevent the buildup of bacterial residue on the filter itself. "Studies have
shown that levels of bacteria present in water that has passed through an
improperly maintained home filtration device may be up to 2,000 times higher
than levels in unfiltered water..." Straight.com, Nov. 18, 2004 (TechZone Ed.: This sort of "biofilm"
contamination can backflow from many types of water using
devices)
Special Town
Meeting " The Board of Selectmen will hold a special Town Meeting on
Monday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss and vote on changes to the 2005
operating budget. ...The selectmen will also discuss and vote on increasing the
2005 water enterprise budget by $21,800 to cover the cost of a
cross-connection testing program...." The Weston Town Crier, Nov. 17,
2004
Developing a Cross
Connection Control Program for a Small Utility "Establishing
a cross connection control program for a small water utility can be a daunting
task. ...This can seem overwhelming, but with an organized approach an effective
program can be established. ...It is important to consider the requirements of
local building, plumbing and fire codes in addition to Health Services
requirements. ...It is preferable for utilities to have similar
requirements when possible. This will minimize confusion for those who work in
several districts and are expected to be familiar with local requirements, such
as backflow assembly testers, plumbers and vendors. It will also help avoid
critical comparisons between utilities. ...Public education is an
important aspect of cross connection control that is too often overlooked or
minimized. This can have disastrous consequences. If a customer receives a
notice to install a backflow preventer with no explanation, they will often have
a negative response. It is important to educate the customers to the dangers of
cross connections and the importance of installing backflow preventers when
needed. ...Most customers will be willing to support the cross connection
control program when they understand that the safety of their drinking water is
at stake. ...Creating an effective cross connection control program is an
important and challenging responsibility. An organized approach in the beginning
will help avoid many problems and conflicts once the program begins to function.
" Oregon Department of Human Services Public Health
Global health suffering
because of toilet taboo, hygiene experts say "BEIJING - Long-held silence over the taboo subject of
toilets is taking its toll on global health and holding back developing
countries, hygiene experts warned Wednesday as a world toilet summit opened.
“The toilet is a subject that people don’t want to discuss because it is seen as
quite disgusting,” said Jack Sim, founder of the Singapore-based World Toilet
Organisation. ...According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
about 2.4 billion people globally do not have access to any latrines. As a
result, the main source of water contamination in developing countries is human
faeces, allowing parasites, bacteria and viruses to get into drinking water and
cause diseases, it said. ..."We’re trying to bring these unspoken issues
onto the stage and make toilets a mainstream subject”... ..“In the past,
there were women’s liberation, leprosy, AIDS, the sexual revolution -- all these
are taboos that have been broken. The toilet problem is probably the last one”.
Khaleej Times, Nov. 17, 2004 (TechZone Ed.: They'll also have to address the ongoing
issue which even here in the US continues to threaten public health!!... Recent
USCFCHHR report found 95.7% of all homes had direct or indirect health
hazard cross-connections. Almost 10% were direct cross-connections, 61% of
which involved toilets!!! See pages 11 & 12 of: http://www.usc.edu/dept/fccchr/epa/hhcc.report.pdf)
Residents wary of
water "When Brett Burnham moved to the island almost a year ago,
he was told by friends not to drink the tap water. "Don't drink the
water" is a phrase that many people hear when traveling to some foreign or
undeveloped countries, but many Guam residents also regard their tap water
with distrust. ...The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has expressed recent
concerns regarding the pace of Guam Waterworks Authority's efforts toward
improving the island's water quality. Several deadlines have been set by a
federal court order, and if not met, could mean a $1,000 fine for each
violation each day for the water agency. ...In a letter dated Nov. 2, the
federal EPA acknowledged the changes that have been made by the water
utility in the past year, and also raised concerns that certain problems
should have been solved already. Residents have endured boil-water notices
throughout the years because of the presence of fecal coliform in the
system..." Guam Pacific Daily News, Nov. 17, 2004
Traces of prescription
drugs found in tap water "Canadians' tap water may contain tiny traces
of prescription drugs, a new federal study has found. A study of water
samples taken from locations near 20 drinking water treatment plants in southern
Ontario found evidence of nine different drugs. They ranged from the painkiller
ibuprofen, cholesterol-lowering drugs and antidepressants, such as
Prozac. The drugs are making it into the water supply because the human
body doesn't always absorb all the medication it ingests. Some is excreted as
solid waste, and the particles aren't removed in the treatment process. ...Those
overseeing water quality say tap water is still safe.Environmentalists counter
by saying any quantity of prescription drugs in water is unacceptable, even if
the drugs themselves have already been tested for safety. ...Municipal
governments, who bear operational responsibility for treating drinking water,
say they are working on what is a complicated problem." CTV.ca, Nov. 15,
2004
Construction Begins on
Iraqi Water System Reconstruction "Iraqi and
multinational force officials are taking on a $50 million program to bring 200
water treatment and sewage facilities in Iraq up to modern standards. ...Two
wars, decades of neglect, more than a decade of sanctions and insurgent attacks
on reconstruction workers have left Iraq's infrastructure in deplorable
condition; water and sewage treatment plants are falling apart and need
immediate repair... ...Ensuring a reliable supply of potable water to the Iraqi
people and restoring the country's water and sanitation systems are among the
main goals in helping to rebuild Iraq. Water and sanitation systems are designed
to protect public health... and years of outmoded operating practices and poor
maintenance have made rehabilitation urgent... Although more than half the
population has access to potable water, leaking pipes have contaminated those
networks in many areas. The untreated sewage problem has affected tap water in
Baghdad, even though potable water is treated. In poor areas, drinking water has
been contaminated by untreated waste in groundwater that seeps into broken
pipes. The problem is made worse by efforts to pull water from the supply
system. Residents in some areas use small electric pumps to siphon water from
the main, and end up sucking sewage into cracked pipes." United States
Department of Defense, Nov. 14, 2004
Probe after ERI hit by
deadly bug alert "HEALTH chiefs ordered a sweep of the
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary’s entire water system after finding traces of the
type of bug which can cause legionnaires’ disease. The bug was
discovered in the hospital’s renal ward following a routine check. ...The
discovery of the bug at the ERI last month was the second
legionnaires scare to hit the Capital inside a year. A potentially
deadly form of the bacteria was found in the water supply at Edinburgh
Sheriff Court in November last year. Some strains of the bacteria can cause
legionnaires’ disease, a rare but serious form of pneumonia.
...Legionnaires’ disease takes its name from the first known outbreak, in a
hotel hosting a convention of the Pennsylvania Department of the American
Legion in 1976, which killed 29. The bacteria are common, particularly
in warm water and mud. If the bacteria get into water systems used in
buildings such as hotels or hospitals, they can multiply quickly. They pose
a risk to people who are exposed through air-conditioning or air cooling
systems, as well as through water systems used for baths or showers.
...In 2002, Health and Safety Executive officials found conditions within
a sprinkler system at the city’s Powderhall waste depot could have led to a
outbreak of legionnaires’ disease. The public was temporarily banned from
using the site." The Scotsman, Nov. 12, 2004
The BACKFLOW PREVENTION TECHZONE is a regularly
updated compendium of backflow prevention / drinking water
related resource materials & information links collected from
around the world. Recent to archived news stories' excerpts, and web
site reviews are this collection's focus, for anyone involved or
interested in the safety of potable water distribution systems, and backflow
prevention or cross connection control programs. Backflow
prevention or cross-connection
control education and training, for waterworks personnel,
public health and municipal officials, architects, engineers, contractors,
plumbers, backflow preventer testers, and students of all ages, are the
central point of a series of references and links to basic
through advanced technical information about the appropriate use and
correct installation of drinking water system backflow preventer
devices. Why they are essential to drinking water plumbing safety and
our health will be explored extensively. Historical to current
web page links, information, ideas, and techniques from around the world,
related to backflow prevention and cross connection control between potable
water plumbing, and drainage or non-potable systems, as well as other safe
drinking water supply issues encompass the aim of the Backflow
Prevention TechZone......