Water Quality Discussion Links:
The Oregonian reports that Superfund study has cost public the most. [OR, February 20, 2007] The City of Portland and Port of Portland officials say they have provided about half of the $42 million to study pollution in the Portland Harbor Superfund site on the Willamette River. The disclosures of the approximate 9 river-miles study costs come as city commissioners planned to meet for their first significant briefing on the Superfund investigation on the Willamette River. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed the site in December 2000. More than six years later, the EPA accepted for review the investigative report regarding the harbor's pollution from the Lower Willamette Group. The group is composed of 14 mostly private landowners but includes the city and port. The Oregonian notes EPA notified at least 69 companies and agencies that they might be liable for cleanup of decades of the Willamette's industrial pollution. The Oregonian investigation adds that the city's potential liability stems from decades of storm-water and sewage overflows that may have dumped metals and other contaminants into the river bottom. The Port's potential responsibility results from offloading ships at docks. Copies of the Lower Willamette Group's reporting can be obtained from the EPA Region 10 webpage for the Portland Harbor Superfund site cleanup.
The Seattle Times notes New agency considered a vital step in Sound's restoration. [ST, April 21, 2007] The State of Washington in creating the Puget Sound Partnership intends to help restore the sound to health. The cleanup effort could cost from $18 billion to $27 billion by year 2020. The governor will now choose seven board members, and the partnership will have until September 2008 to present a detailed recovery plan.
CBS News reports U.S. Opposes Canadian Coal Mine. [CBS, March 11, 2007] The U.S. State Department said in a letter to the British Columbia government that the proposed site just north of Glacier National Park could cause "significant adverse environmental effects" in the United States. Montana officials say the open-pit mine would jeopardize water quality in Flathead Lake and other waters popular for recreation. The Flathead River system spans the international border with the river's north fork delineating Glacier's western boundary.
The Independent UK discusses the risk warning by international scientists of Fish contaminated with mercury 'pose worldwide threat to health'. [IUK, March 8, 2007] The warning results from five papers by mercury specialists summarizing the current state of knowledge on the chemical published in the international science journal Ambio. Subscription online articles can be accessed through Allen Press, and BioOne particularly BioOne Collections.
The Seattle Times describes the problems that Puget Sound, and in particular Hood Canal, is having with some non-native species of tunicate (sea squirt), The blob that's invading the Sound. [ST, February 20, 2007] These marine filter feeders, which are also commonly called ascidians, can be strong indicators of polluted waters. Gretchen and Charles Lambert's website, Seattle area experts on ascidians, is very informative. Wikipedia has additional information, pictures and reference links on sea squirts (ascidians).
The New York Times reports Oil Company to Pay $200 Million in Toxic Dumping in Ivory Coast [NYT, February 15, 2007] to settle claims the company illegally dumped toxic petrochemical waste in Abidjan last August.
USA Today hits some key marine water quality points in a study, due out February 15, in the journal Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T) about Damage of Exxon Valdez Endures [UT, February 2, 2007] indicating long-term effects on clams, mussels, Pacific herring, pigeon guillemots, sea otters, harlequin ducks, black oystercatchers and other species. See the ES&T article entitled Slightly Weathered Exxon Valdez Oil Persists in Gulf of Alaska Beach Sediments after 16 YearsEnvironmental Science and Technology [Vol. 41, No. 4, 2007; pp. 1245-1250].
CBS reports China Fails To Meet Environmental Goals [CBS, February 13, 2007] for effluent discharges of chemical oxygen demand (COD).
Reuters indicates the journal Science is reporting Cool water surges could affect fish stocks [Reuters, February 2, 2007] becasue vertical currents in ocean waters may be altered due to global warming. The article entitled Rapid 20th-Century Increase in Coastal Upwelling off Northwest Africa [Science 2 February 2007: 637-639] is available on the Science website for a fee for non-subscribers.
The New York Times reports New York Moves Toward Suit Over a 50-Year-Old Oil Spill [NYT, February 9, 2007] in Brooklyn for repair of environmental damage to nearby Newtown Creek, and After Waiting So Long, Neighbors Are Skeptical [NYT, February 9, 2007].
The Miami Herald says Audubon Report Faults Efforts to Restore Everglades [MH, January 18, 2007]. The report claims water managers are botching the effort to save Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, but a Florida state spokesman said the criticism is old and wrong .
The New York Times summarizes the state of America's piping infrastructure in Gaping Reminders of Aging and Crumbling Pipes [NYT, February 8, 2007].
The Los Angeles Times reports in Concerns, finger-pointing greet audit of sewage spills [LAT, January 26, 2007] that most incidents of sewage spills aren't acted. The LAT article is based on an Los Angeles County audit.
The Washington Post reports on environmental trade-offs, in 'Clean Cars' Debate Pits Cost Against Health [WP, January 26, 2007], that may affect the Chesapeake Bay as debated in the State of Maryland Senate .
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