WaterWorld Weekly Newscast, October 9, 2017

Oct. 9, 2017
A transcript of the WaterWorld Weekly Newscast for October 9, 2017.
Crow water treatment plant vandalized; North Las Vegas to implement wastewater pretreatment program under settlement; Rice scientists develop 'super filter' to clean frack water for reuse; Australian farms reap benefits of human biosolids

The following is a transcript of the WaterWorld Weekly Newscast for October 9, 2017.

Hi, I'm Angela Godwin for WaterWorld magazine, bringing you water and wastewater news headlines for the week of October 9. Coming up...

  • Crow water treatment plant vandalized
  • North Las Vegas to implement wastewater pretreatment program under settlement
  • Rice scientists develop 'super filter' to clean frack water for reuse
  • Australian farms reap benefits of human biosolids

Last week, a tribal water treatment plant in Crow Agency, Montana, was broken into and vandalized, resulting in damages estimated at $1 million and a warning to residents not to come in contact with drinking water.

Workers discovered the damage Wednesday morning. Shots had been fired at computers, desks, and process equipment, including a chlorine tank.

And multiple fires had been set throughout the plant.

Fearing the water supply may have been compromised, officials are asking residents not to use tap water until test results are completed. In the meantime, tribal crews are distributing bottled water to affected residents.

Officials believe the damage may have been caused by a former employee who was recently furloughed.

As of late last week, a suspect had been detained but no charges had yet been filed.

Under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. EPA and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, the City of North Las Vegas will be required to develop, fund and implement an industrial pretreatment program to better protect downstream waters.

The agreement resolves alleged Clean Water Act violations discovered during a 2014 inspection, which found deficiencies in the City’s wastewater system that left its treatment plant vulnerable to toxic pollutants from industrial wastewater discharges.

As part of the proposed settlement, North Las Vegas must also pay a penalty of $192,500 each to the State of Nevada and the federal government.

Rice University scientists have produced a new filter capable of removing more than 90 percent of hydrocarbons, bacteria and particulates from contaminated water produced by hydraulic fracturing operations at shale oil and gas wells.

The researchers turned a ceramic membrane with microscale pores into a superhydrophilic filter that they say “essentially eliminates” the common problem of fouling.

The filters keep emulsified hydrocarbons from passing through the material’s ionically charged pores, which are about one-fifth of a micron wide, small enough that other contaminants cannot pass through.

The charge attracts a thin layer of water that adheres to the entire surface of the filter to repel globules of oil and other hydrocarbons -- and keep it from clogging.

The researchers determined one pass through the membrane should clean contaminated water enough for reuse at a well, significantly cutting the amount that has to be stored or transported.

You can read more about their work in Nature’s open-access Scientific Reports.

In Sydney, Australia, sewage is being put to good use as fertilizer and showing major improvements in soil health.

Some 20 farms across New South Wales are using human biosolids harvested from 23 of Sydney's wastewater treatment plants.

Farmers are finding that the biosolids offer significant protection against dry conditions and tough winters.

While using treated biosolids on food crops may raise eyebrows, authorities stress that it's no cause for concern.

Demand for the biosolids is outstripping supply but farmers say that as long as Sydney Water keeps producing it, they'll keep taking it.

For WaterWorld magazine, I'm Angela Godwin. Thanks for watching.

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