Everglades Restoration Bogs Down
Costs are up and work is delayed, except for water supply projects, a federal report says.
Seven years after the giant Everglades restoration project began, some of its crucial elements are already six years behind schedule and the cost has ballooned to nearly $20-billion, according to the Government Accountability Office.
A GAO report released Monday fueled renewed criticism that the taxpayer-funded project will do more to supply water for South Florida's booming population than to revive the River of Grass.
"Concerns remain about how the water will be allocated between the natural, urban and agricultural areas for many of these projects, and who will ultimately benefit from these water allocation decisions, " the GAO report stated.
For more information, please visit: TampaBay.com
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Message in a Bottle
Americans spent more money last year on bottled water than on ipods or movie tickets: $15 Billion. A journey into the economics--and psychology--of an unlikely business boom. And what it says about our culture of indulgence.
The largest bottled-water factory in North America is located on the outskirts of Hollis, Maine. In the back of the plant stretches the staging area for finished product: 24 million bottles of Poland Spring water. As far as the eye can see, there are double-stacked pallets packed with half-pint bottles, half-liters, liters, "Aquapods" for school lunches, and 2.5-gallon jugs for the refrigerator.
Really, it is a lake of Poland Spring water, conveniently celled off in plastic, extending across 6 acres, 8 feet high. A week ago, the lake was still underground; within five days, it will all be gone, to supermarkets and convenience stores across the Northeast, replaced by another lake's worth of bottles.
Looking at the piles of water, you can have only one thought: Americans sure are thirsty.
For more information, please visit: FastCompany
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22nd Annual WateReuse Symposium to Make a Splash in Tampa
The 22nd Annual WateReuse Symposium, to be held September 9–12, 2007 at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina in Tampa, FL, is expected to set a new attendance record for the third year in a row. With more than 120 technical sessions, panel discussions, a national legislative outlook forum, technical tours, and an exhibit hall, the Symposium will be packed with educational and networking opportunities.
“The continued growth and success of the Annual WateReuse Symposium is a reflection of the quality of this event,” said Pick Talley of Pinellas County (FL) Utilities, who is also one of the chairs of the Symposium Planning Committee. “This is the preeminent conference devoted to water reuse and desalination and there is no better place for water professionals to get the information they need to develop new sources of water and solve critical utility issues.”
Presented by the WateReuse Association and cosponsored by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Symposium will cover such key issues as membrane treatment technologies, urban water reuse, water quality issues, public outreach and education, desalination, agricultural reuse, disinfection, and regulatory issues.
For more information, please visit: WateReuse
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Goodbye, Bottled Water?
Did you know that you could be harming the environment when you drink a bottle of water? It’s estimated that 30 billion single-serving bottles of water are gulped down each year in the United States. If you are like most people, you throw away that bottle when you're finished.
Mayor Gavin Newsom, of San Francisco, California, thinks it's time for a change. He has banned city government from using public money to purchase bottled water for its employees.
According to a statement from the Mayor’s office, “More than 1 billion plastic water bottles end up in California’s landfills each year, taking 1,000 years to biodegrade and leaking toxic additives such as phthalates into the groundwater.”
The mayor also cites the cost of fuel to transport the bottled water as a factor in his decision.
For more information, please visit: Scholastic
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U.S. Water Recycling and Reuse Systems Markets
This Frost & Sullivan research service titled U.S. Water Recycling and Reuse Systems Market provides the drivers, restraints, and market trends that are impacting this market. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following technologies: activated carbon systems, media filtration systems, and membrane systems.
Population Increase and Freshwater Demand Drive the Water Recycling and Reuse Market.
Water recycling and reuse is gaining popularity in the United States due to the growing demand for water in industries and municipal applications like agricultural irrigation, lawn watering, and other non-potable applications. Increase in population and the growing economy are further putting enormous strain on the existing freshwater resources. Water reuse and recycling, which helps augment existing water resources to cope with the demand for freshwater, provides a solution for sustainable water management. There are several technologies, which are currently available for treating wastewater for reuse or recycling. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a popular technology that is on a high growth path, as it combines activated sludge treatment with membrane filtration.
For more information, please visit: ResearchAndMarkets
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