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The following is a transcript of the July 21, 2011, edition of the WaterWorld Weekly Newscast.
Hi, I'm Angela Godwin, digital media editor for WaterWorld magazine, bringing you this week's water and wastewater news headlines. Coming up...
• Tulsa water usage sets record
• Enviro groups sue PA treatment plant over drilling wastewater
• Man scales water tower, faces charges
• Toilets sweeten utility power plant deal
• Algae causes Florida fish kill
• Sierra Leone launches major water project
[story1]
Record heat is definitely taking its toll on Tulsa's water supply. On Saturday, July 16, the city set a new one-day water usage record of more than 204 million gallons, shattering the previous record set in 1999 by 12 million gallons.
The next day, Tulsans used 202 million gallons.
Together, the city's two water treatment plants are capable of producing 220 million gallons per day.
Water restrictions are not currently in effect in Tulsa, but officials say that could change if the usage trend continues.
[story2]
A lawsuit filed by Clean Water Action and Three Rivers Waterkeepers alleges that a Pittsburgh-area wastewater plant is treating drilling wastewater without a permit.
As of May 19, drilling companies in Pennsylvania are not supposed to take their wastewater to plants that are unable to treat it.
The lawsuit is seeking a formal ban on accepting drilling wastewater at the McKeesport plant.
Clean Water Action said it wants the formal ban in place as a way to legally verify that drillers are cooperating with Pennsylvania DEP's request.
A spokesperson at the McKeesport plant said it is no longer accepting drilling wastewater but doesn't want a formal ban in case new technologies emerge that would enable them to treat it.
[story3]
An Illinois man is facing felony charges after he climbed 120 feet up a water tower and damaged communications equipment, knocking out Internet service to 350 residents.
The 20-year-old was unable to get down and had to be rescued by firefighters.
He was charged with property damage and interfering with utilities.
[story4]
To offset the water usage of a proposed 45-megawatt peaking power plant, Southern California Edison is offering to install water saving toilets and urinals in the city of Oxnard.
The plant would use an estimated nine million gallons of water per year.
The city had previously rejected the utility's plan to build the plant, which would be located near an existing electricity generating facility at Mandalay Beach.
Although the plant was approved two years ago by the California Coastal Commission, the utility still needs approval of construction permits from the city of Oxnard.
[story5]
Beaches in Collier County, Florida, were the site of a significant fish kill earlier this week.
Subsequent tests have confirmed that a species of algae and a species of diatom are depleting the water of oxygen, creating an inhospitable environment for marine life, including sharks, crabs, and rays.
An estimated 800 fish were cleared from the beaches, but evidence of the algae bloom still remains.
It is unclear what caused the bloom, but there is some speculation it could be related to the larger dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
[story6]
Two million people in Sierra Leone will soon have improved access to water as a result of a new project to upgrade water stations and distribution systems in three major cities.
The $61 million dollar project, made possible by funding from the African Development Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development, aims to establish sustainable water systems in the cities of Bo, Kenema, and Makeni within four years.
Upon completion, the project will boost national coverage of water services from 33% to 75%.
For WaterWorld magazine, I'm Angela Godwin. Thanks for watching.
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