Tag Archives: EPA

Environment, Infrastructure

Heavy Metals Spill into Colorado River

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People kayak in the Animas River near Durango, Colo., Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in water colored from a mine waste spill. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that a cleanup team was working with heavy equipment Wednesday to secure an entrance to the Gold King Mine. Workers instead released an estimated 1 million gallons of mine waste into Cement Creek, which flows into the Animas River. (Jerry McBride/The Durango Herald via AP)
People kayak in the Animas River near Durango, Colo., Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in water colored from a mine waste spill. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that a cleanup team was working with heavy equipment Wednesday to secure an entrance to the Gold King Mine. Workers instead released an estimated 1 million gallons of mine waste into Cement Creek, which flows into the Animas River. (Jerry McBride/The Durango Herald via AP)

This week, the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally dumped 1 million gallons of heavy metals from an inactive mine into the Cement Creek in Colorado. A tributary of the Animas River, the sludge, which turned the water an eerie orange color, could be seen snaking toward New Mexico on Wednesday.

The Denver Post reports EPA workers caused the spill while they were investigating acid discharge from Gold King and three other mines in the area. The paper also quotes Dave Ostrander, the EPA’s regional director of emergency preparedness assessment and response, as saying, “We are very sorry for what happened. This is a huge tragedy. It’s hard being on the other side of this. Typically we respond to emergencies; we don’t cause them. … It’s something we sincerely regret.”

According to the NY Times, “E.P.A. officials confirmed the leak contained heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, but said it was too early to know whether there was a health risk to humans or animals. The river was closed for recreational and other uses, but officials said water sources should be safe.”

Now this writer is no expert, but it’s difficult to imagine that wastewater in the river will not affect the river’s eco-system. Further questions arise as to how will this tragedy impact the plants, fish and wildlife that depend on the river to survive?

The EPA is evaluating the human health risk, but it is reported that at least two of the heavy metals in this spill can be “lethal for humans in long-term exposure. Arsenic at high levels can cause blindness, paralysis and cancer. Lead poisoning can create muscle and vision problems for adults, harm development in fetuses and lead to kidney disease, developmental problems and sometimes death in children”.

This is serious stuff. Residents along the river are being asked to “minimize water usage”.  At least seven water utilities shut down their intake valves ahead of the plume to keep it out of their systems and farmers also closed the gates on their irrigation ditches to protect crops.

With news of toxic algae stretching from California to Alaska, fracking chemicals contaminating wells in Pennsylvania and now heavy metals dumped into the Animas in Colorado, just how safe are our water supplies?

Rainwater Catchment, Sustainability

Should I Collect Rainwater From My Roof ?

rain-432770_1280There are many good reasons for collecting rainwater from your roof. By doing so, you would be helping to protect our rivers, streams, lakes, sounds, bays, and oceans from pollutants entering these bodies of water through stormwater runoff.

A combined sewer is a type of sewer system that collects sewage and surface runoff in a single pipe system. Combined sewers can cause serious water pollution problems due to combined sewer overflows, which are caused by large variations in flow between dry and wet weather. This type of sewer design is no longer used in building new communities (because modern design separates sanitary sewers from runoff), but many older cities continue to operate combined sewers.

By reducing runoff from our roofs, less water is entering the combined sewer system, reducing amounts of discharge into our bodies of water.

Collecting rainwater from our roofs reduces demand on our centralized water systems.

The overwhelming majority of the water used in the U.S. comes from freshwater supplies of surface and groundwater. Water extracted for public systems is treated to potable standards as defined by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Access to high quality water has greatly benefited public health, but it has also resulted in our current system which utilizes potable water for virtually every end use, even when lesser quality water would be sufficient. In addition to conservation methods, using alternative sources of water will be necessary for more efficient use of water resources.

Rainwater collection reduces electrical usage.

According to the EPA’S Rainwater Harvesting Policies, Municipal Handbook, the connection between water and energy is often overlooked, but the process of extracting water from surface or groundwater supplies, bringing it to treatment facilities, treating it to drinking water standards, and delivering it to residential and commercial customers expends energy – primarily because of pumping and treatment costs. The water sector consumes 3% of the electricity generated in the U.S. and electricity accounts for approximately one-third of utilities’ operating costs. Reducing potable water demand by 10% could save approximately 300 billion kilowatt- hours of energy each year. Water reuse systems, like rainwater harvesting, supplant potable water and reduce demand. The reduced water demand provided by rainwater harvesting systems translates directly to energy savings.

Collecting rainwater provides a safe, clean, reliable source of water and has many benefits available to the consumer.

Infrastructure, Rainwater Catchment

What is the Connection Between Rainwater and Stormwater?

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rain-432770_1280Stormwater is rainwater that has not been collected and stored for future use, infiltrated or managed at the source. Rainwater, when not stored for future use or infiltrated on site, will flow into storm drains picking up toxins on the way and eventually will end up in our waterways.

The EPA has identified “stormwater as the greatest source of water pollution”.

With proper filtration and disinfection, the practice of rainwater collection for landscaping, toilet flushing, laundry, commercial and industrial use, along with potable use for single family residences, can minimize storm water runoff. The use of swales and rain gardens to lessen the effects of storm water from urban sprawl are helping reduce the effects of stormwater runoff.

According to the EPA “rainwater harvesting systems are recognized as a Low Impact Development (LID) technique for stormwater management.” As a result, many states, counties and cities have adopted and encourage rainwater collection. The EPA recognizes that the “effectiveness of a rainwater harvesting system for managing stormwater runoff depends on the presence of a consistent and reliable demand that can draw down the cisterns and ensure adequate volume for storm water retention.” A system that is sized properly by taking daily rainfall amounts into account, rather than yearly averages – and design that includes a full range of use during those peak events, or enough storage to minimize overflow, are going to be the most effective. 

Whether commercial or residential, rainwater collection, when sized properly and used regularly on a scale that lessens the overflow amount from the cistern, has the most positive effect on stormwater management.

To read more from the EPA on rainwater collection and stormwater see http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/upload/rainharvesting.pdf