The following is a transcript of the WaterWorld Weekly Newscast for June 25, 2018.
Hi, I'm Angela Godwin for WaterWorld magazine, bringing you water and wastewater news headlines for the week of June 25. Coming up...
EPA, Army move forward with redefining 'Waters of U.S.'
Water agency reaches recycled water milestone
Seeds of clean water
EPA proposes no changes to spill prevention regs
NYC's billion-dollar bypass
The U.S. EPA and the Department of the Army announced a proposed “Step 2” rule redefining “waters of the United States” is being sent to the Office of Management and Budget for interagency review.
The effort to review the definition is pursuant to an executive order issued by President Trump in February 2017.
The agencies will issue the proposal for public comment after the interagency review process is complete.
If you want to follow the progress of the rulemaking, visit epa.gov/wotus-rule.
California's West Basin Municipal Water District recently announced a major milestone: it has produced more than 200 billion gallons of recycled water since opening its first facility in 1995.
West Basin is a wholesale water agency that provides imported drinking water to nearly one million people in Los Angeles County.
In 1995, the District opened its high-tech Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility to further purify already treated sewage from the nearby Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant.
Today, that facility and West Basin’s three satellite treatment facilities produce five types of customer-tailored recycled water
A team of Carnegie Mellon University scientists has refined a filtration process that could soon help provide clean water to many in water-scarce regions.
It uses sand and plant materials readily available in many developing nations to create a cheap and effective water filtration medium.
Called "f-sand," the medium uses proteins from a tropical tree native to India. Its seeds are already used for rudimentary water purification, but they leave behind high amounts of dissolved organic carbon, which promotes bacteria growth.
By combining the seed proteins with sand filtration methods common in developing areas, f-sand both kills microorganisms and reduces turbidity.
The scientists say it could have major benefits for those in developing countries looking for a simple, cheap and easily accessible form of water purification.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt signed a proposed rule that, if finalized, would impose no new regulatory requirements under the Clean Water Act for hazardous substances discharges prevention.
Additional regulatory requirements for CWA hazardous substances are unnecessary, the agency said, and would impose undue burden on approximately 100,000 facilities in the U.S.
EPA said it believes that the existing framework adequately prevents hazardous spills and other adverse outcomes.
The agency's review of the spill prevention regulations stems in part from a chemical spill into the Elk River that impacted drinking water for 300,000 Charleston, W.Va., residents in 2014.
EPA's proposal will be available for public comment for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.
The long tunnel that carries half of New York City's water has a problem: it leaks millions of gallons a day. So, miners are tunneling a $1 billion bypass through solid rock under the Hudson River. AP's Michael Hill has more.
For WaterWorld magazine, I'm Angela Godwin. Thanks for watching.
