1) US: CALIFORNIA
A jury has awarded the California city of Clovis $22 million in a civil suit against Shell Oil Co. after unsafe levels of a chemical were found in the city’s drinking water supply. The chemical, 1,2,3-trichloropropane, or TCP, is a waste product from plastic manufacturing. The Fresno Bee reported that the jury found that “Clovis residents were harmed by the design of the fumigant, that Shell did not prove the benefits of its product outweighed the risks, and that those risks were known at the time it was sold.” This is the first time a community has won a lawsuit against a chemical company for TCP contamination. In July, California officials proposed a drinking water standard that would require the removal of TCP from tap water by 2018.
2) US: MICHIGAN
Monitoring U.S. drinking water supplies for chemical and microbial contaminants should be increased, especially for vulnerable populations, according to the final report from a panel of scientists and engineers advised President Obama. In response to concerns about the safety of the nation’s drinking water, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology was tasked to investigate how science and technology could help ensure the safety of the nation’s drinking water.
A final report released in December included recommendations, with the panel stating that public confidence regarding drinking-water quality has been shaken, following incidents such as Flint.
3) ISRAEL
A senior figure from the Middle East nation’s government has indicated that the amount of wastewater reused in Israel has actually reached a staggering high 90%. Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs & Public Diplomacy, Gilad Erdan, said: “Today, nearly 90% of our wastewater is recycled.” Speaking at the CSR Experience Conference held in Israel, the minister said: “That’s around four times higher than any other country in the world.” Previous data from Israeli water company Mekorot suggested that 75% of total wastewater produced was reused for agriculture. However, last year a survey conducted by the water authority showed that 85.6% of the country’s wastewater is reused.