Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 7, 2007
4. Water Quality -
Are local pools a real concern?
Realtors doubt water sources at foreclosed homes spur virus -
Efforts of environmentalists have paid off in health of
Opinion:
As a health drink, bottled water is all wet
The triumph of marketing finally gets the scrutiny it deserves. -
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Are local pools a real concern?
Realtors doubt water sources at foreclosed homes spur virus
BY EMILY HAGEDORN, Californian staff writer
When it comes to
All Miller, 48, has to do is look out the window of the home he's remodeling to make his point. "The water bowl for their dogs is full of mosquito larvae," Miller said. "They kind of look like little shrimp."
The nearby pool is only one of a handful, he said.
"I don't want my kids going over there," Miller said. "But I'm not frightened by
Many Realtors and brokers echo this sentiment, questioning what their role will be as pools come under more scrutiny and the toll of sickened people rises.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger mentioned working with the real estate community to ensure standing water is emptied and pools are maintained in last week's state-of-emergency proclamation.
Since that order was signed, West Nile cases have climbed to 64 in the state, with 38 in
"It's easy to say, 'The Realtors can help us,'" said Ray Karpe, president of the Bakersfield Association of Realtors. "As concerned citizens, maybe we will, but is it our responsibility?"
One local senator believes so.
"We are in a state of emergency, and that means that folks need to make an extra effort," said Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, via e-mail. "And Realtors in some cases can help and should help officials.
"It is fair to say that they are on the front lines of this epidemic for the mere fact that they probably have the most up-to-date information on homes that are for sale or in some cases in foreclosure."
Florez mentioned talking to Karpe about possible solutions at his press conference last week.
Karpe told The Californian his organization could send out an e-mail or letter to its members, urging them to be on the lookout for green, abandoned pools and to report them to the local mosquito abatement office.
"I don't know what else we can do," he said. "I can't make anybody do anything."
Karpe is worried about potential lawsuits. He has several legal questions about Realtors' involvement: What happens if a vector control employee gets hurt on the property? What if something is damaged and the home's value decreases? Can vector control come on the property without the owner's permission?
"People often use claims of possible legal liability to just stay uninvolved," said Andrew Haut, a local real estate attorney.
Workers' compensation covers injuries, and a claim can be filed against the county if damage is done, said Steve Schuett, assistant
And vector control workers can go on a property, with or without permission, said Robert Quiring, manager of the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District.
They don't drain pools, he added. Vector control will treat the water with an insecticide or dump in some "mosquito fish" to kill larvae.
"I don't think Realtors are worried about liability if they smelled a gas leak in a home or if they found an abandoned animal," Florez said. "It's simply a reporting issue."
Broker Darrell Sparks is "almost laughing" at the idea of these pools being at the root of Kern's
"I think a lot of focus is being given unfairly to these pools," said the owner of Sparks Realty.
Whenever he comes across an abandoned pool, he reports it to vector control, but he's only had to do that a couple of times in the past few months, he said.
"If you're upset with somebody, maybe you should be upset with the deadbeat who didn't make their payments,"
Abandoned pools play a large part in our current
The district got called out to about 140 stagnant pools in July, he said. And while they also check many other sources of standing water, like fountains and sumps, pools pose a particular difficulty since the district doesn't know where all of them are.
"What we're doing is urging everyone -- homeowners, Realtors associations, brokers -- to assist with efforts," said Suanne Buggy, spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health. "(The stagnant pools) are just new this year because of the level of foreclosures."
Karpe and
Karpe said he is open to talking to local and state government about what more his group can do.
"We're not trying to be difficult," he said. "But it's not as easy as us going, 'Hey, red flag here.'"#
http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/206929.html
Efforts of environmentalists have paid off in health of Clear Lake
Elizabeth Wilson, staff writer
Some local residents lately have pondered, "What is the current environmental condition of our lake?" Patrick McCaffrey, a Lakeport resident who moved to the county seven years ago from Sonoma County, wonders whether it is safe to swim in Clear Lake, and has heard about mercury poisoning and algae growth that has affected the lake for decades.
"I personally won't swim in the lake because I'm worried about the pollution. And I know there has been pollution from mercury and run-off, but I haven't heard anything about the current situation. Is the lake healthy, or not?" asks McCaffrey.
According to UC Davis researchers, who since 1997 have been studying mercury levels and ecosystems of
"It's certainly safe to swim in," said UC Davis research scientist Tom Suchanek, who says that untreated lake water is drinkable despite the mercury levels that sparked the California Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment to issue a health advisory for consumption of fish. The maximum amount of fish consumption should be limited to one per month for the average person, according to COEHH.
The pollution of the lake dates back to sulfur and mercury mining in the late 1800's, when mercury was used in gold mining.
In 1949, DDT was sprayed on the lake to control gnats. The biocide then appeared throughout the food chain, dropping the grebe population from 1,000 nesting pairs to almost zero. The declining grebe population was noted in Rachel Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring, a publication many believe spearheaded the environmental movement. Today, the grebe population on
The long-time algae problem in
Residents may have noticed, however, that that smell has decreased in recent years, as well as the thickness of the algae. Local resident Lucinda Wilson recalls the algae being so thick one summer during the 1970's that "turtles could walk on it in
Fortunately, turtles walking on water will likely be a thing of the past, as plans by local agencies to curb overloading nutrients into the lake have been steadily underway.
The reclaiming of Rodman Slough wetlands on the north end of the lake at the confluence of Middle and Scott's Creeks as well as efforts to replant native tule plants will allow nutrients to be filtered from the lake as well as bolster habitats for
A factor in increased mercury levels throughout the decades was found to be the Sulfur Bank Mine on the eastern shores of
For decades, the water from the 90-foot-deep Herman Pit which sits above lake level seeped through mine rubble located near the lakes shore, picking up sulfuric acid and mercury before entering the lake.
And while remediation efforts have largely cleared the rubble, added vegetation, and improved the looks of the mine, there is some debate over whether or not these efforts have resulted in curbing the mercury leaks from the mine.
Another debate in the county is over whether or not the nutrient TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load as determined by the US Environmental Protection Agency) is justified, because the data is based on tests conducted many years ago, according to Victoria Brandon, chair of the Lake County Sierra Club chapter.
"As far as the algae and water weed concerns, there are a lot more weeds than algae now, and the weeds are not nearly as bad for the ecosystem as the algae. The mercury really is a concern, but there are some positive things in the future-the Middle Creek restoration project just passed through Congress-which will help with the nutrients and add about another 1000 acres of wetlands," said
"Rodman's
According to
According to
"It depends on another bill being passed. Robinson Rancheria land was going to be flooded by the levees coming down, this is their trust land, so they would want to transfer their trust status to another property they own. This is going to require additional legislation, so it is really tied up in that," said
http://www.record-bee.com/local/ci_6560947
Opinion:
As a health drink, bottled water is all wet
The triumph of marketing finally gets the scrutiny it deserves.
By Tom Standage, author of "A History of the World in Six Glasses."
In 1783, george Washington visited the natural springs of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Along with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, he took a keen interest in the supposed medicinal qualities of mineral water, a subject of much scientific research at the time. The following year, a friend wrote to him to describe the difficulty of bottling the strongly effervescent
The business of bottling water really got going in the 1790s in
But bottled water's mass appeal really began in the
In recent years, though, sparkling water has been eclipsed by still water in popularity. Last year, sales of bottled water in the
Go into a restaurant or a supermarket and you will be offered water from all over the planet. The idea that bottled water from particular places is good for you has persisted since
Bottled water may look and taste pure enough, but the whole idea stinks. For a start, bottled water is indistinguishable from tap water. Put five bottled waters up against tap water in a blind tasting and see if you can tell the difference.
In many cases, bottled water is actually derived from tap water and filtered -- which is why PepsiCo has just agreed to add the words "public water source" to the label of its Aquafina water. But water from glacial springs is not inherently superior. Worse, shipping it around causes unnecessary environmental damage. Bottled water is often refrigerated before sale, wasting even more energy. Then there are the millions of plastic bottles, many of which end up in landfills.
Surely bottled water is purer and safer? Actually, no. The regulations governing the quality of public water supplies are far stricter than those governing bottled-water plants. True, there are sometimes contamination problems with tap water, but the same is true of bottled water.
The industry responds that it is not selling water; it is selling "portable hydration." But filling a bottle from the tap works just as well. The industry also likes to point out that bottled water is a healthy, calorie-free alternative to sugary soda drinks. The same goes for tap water.
Bottled water would appear to be the ultimate triumph of marketing. If you can get people to pay so much for something that is already available at very low cost in their own homes, doesn't that suggest that they will buy anything? Canned air, anyone? Of course, in a free society, people should be able to spend their money on silly things, provided they are in full possession of the facts. But many people are not, judging by the persistence of the idea that there is something magically superior about bottled water.
But now a backlash against bottled water is gathering pace as people realize just how daft it is. (Actually it is worse than daft; it is decadent to shun perfectly good tap water, given that more than 1 billion people on the planet lack access to it.) Many fancy restaurants now proudly proclaim that they serve tap water to burnish their green credentials. Restaurant patrons are increasingly prepared to ask unashamedly for tap water when offered expensive bottled stuff.
Campaigns such as "Think Outside the Bottle" attack bottled water as part of a corporate conspiracy to seize control of the world's water. Meanwhile, UNICEF's Tap Project, launched in March, uses the power of branding to promote tap water.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-standage7aug07,0,6787134.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
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