06-21-2008
Pulp friction: 2 nations at odds over huge riverside plant
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 Argentina -
Pollution from a Finnish-owned paper mill on the banks of the Rio Uruguay has become a source of international contention. The mill is located in Fray Bentos, Uruguay, directly across the river from Gualeguaychu, Argentina. Wastewater from bleached woodpulp contains chlorine compounds, phosphorous, nitrogen, and suspended solids, says Dr. Martin Alazard, who heads a citizens' association health committee. Some of these are persistent organic pollutants which can take centuries to break down. In April 2005, 50,000 residents of Gualeguaychu blockaded the bridge connecting the two nations and refused to open it to traffic again until the paper mill closed. In May 2006, a lawsuit was filed in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands. Argentina claimed that Uruguay violated the 1975 Uruguay River Treaty by not receiving permission from Argentina to construct the pulp mill and by not disclosing the environmental effects. Now a lawyer involved in the case, Romina Picolotti, has been named the head of Argentina's Secretariat of the Environment and Sustainable Development.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Arizona Daily Star byClaire Conrad, Andrea Helmus, and Jeremy Slack
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: river, chemical pollution, chlorine, lawsuit, water treaty, international law
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06-20-2008
Frozen Water Confirmed on Mars
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 Mars -
Dr. Peter Smith of the University of Arizona in Tucson, head of the "Phoenix" Mars lander mission, confirmed that the spacecraft had discovered water ice just beneath the surface at the Red Planet's North Pole. The next step, he said, was to analyze the ice samples for minerals, chemicals, and possibly organic materials associated with microbial life. "Phoenix" landed on Mars on 25 May for a three-month mission.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
UA News/University of Arizona by
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: spacecraft, glacier
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06-20-2008
Floodwaters to widen 'dead zone' in Gulf of Mexico
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 United States -
Floodwaters loaded with fertilizers, manure, and other farm runoff are heading down the Mississippi River towards the Gulf of Mexico, and scientists predict that the organic load will dramatically increase this summer's "dead zone." The "dead zone" is a region of the sea that's too deprived of oxygen to support fish or other sea life. Oxygen is depleted by excess nutrients that encourage the growth of algae; after the algae die, bacteria on the ocean floor eat them, removing crucial oxygen from the water. Freshwater from the flooded river will remain on top of the saltwater because it is less dense, forming a physical barrier that will keep oxygen in the air from mixing with the water and making the problem worse, explained Professor Steven DiMarco of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Yahoo News bySeth Borenstein (taken from Associated Press)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: river, ocean, flood, farm runoff, pollution
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06-18-2008
Getting Power From Salty Water
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Norway -
Scientists at Statkraft, a renewable-energy company based in Oslo, Norway, are busy refining a process of water osmosis to generate electrical power. In June, Statkraft began building the world's first osmotic power plant, and hopes to have it up and running by the end of the year. Saltwater is used to draw freshwater across a membrane, leading to a buildup of pressure which forces water through a turbine. According to Stein Erik Skilhagen, vice-president in charge of the project, all that's required is a place where sufficiently salty water meets freshwater, adding that there are plenty of rivers worldwide that meet this criterion near urban and industrial centers. Limitations of the technology include a need for a large tract of land, engineering a suitable membrane for large-scale operations, and (at present) a high cost.
- summary by Mike Babcock
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Source:
Yahoo News byVidya Ram (taken from Forbes.com)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: power plant, ocean, river
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06-18-2008
Australian minister says drought needs attention
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 Australia -
In Australia, Climate Change and Water Minister Penny Wong announced that she had received a scientific report in May warning that the southern reaches of the drought-stricken Murray-Darling River Basin would be irreversibly damaged if there was not sufficient water in it by October. Wong said that two years of record-low rainfall have placed pressure upon the unique ecosystem of the lower lakes and wetlands. Additionally, irrigated farming has significantly reduced river flows. Wong did not suggest any specific action to avert the crisis, although the government has already promised to spend $2.9 billion to buy water rights from willing farmers.
- summary by Mike Babcock
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Source:
Denver Post Online byRod McGuirk
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: drought, river, lake, wetland, water rights, water policy
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06-18-2008
Congo Basin under conservation spotlight
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 Africa -
Africa's Congo River Basin, which contains a quarter of the world's rainforests, needs an international effort to reduce deforestation, and that's exactly what it's getting. The United Kingdom and Norway have pledged the equivalent of $212 million US for a satellite system to help African governments monitor deforestation. The Congo Basin Forest Fund will also support local projects that boost economic development without destroying the rainforest ecosystem.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
ABC News Online by (taken from BBC News)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: spacecraft, deforestation, river, international aid
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06-18-2008
Senegal: A 38.4 billion SONES project to have potable water at the national level
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 Senegal -
The National Water Society of Senegal (SONES) plans to improve access to safe drinking water across the country by 2011, announced Director-General Cheikh Fall. SONES has budgeted 38.4 billion francs for a series of projects, thanks to grants and loans from the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Investment Bank, the European Union, and the West African Development Bank. Water treatment plants aimed at removing iron from the water will be built in the national capital, Dakar, and the city of Kedougou. General water treatment and distribution infrastructure will be upgraded in Ndiock Sall, Thies, Diourbel, Mbour, Mbacke, Bambey, Somone, Tambacounda, Fatick, Kaolack, Koungheul, and Ziguinchor.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
allAfrica.com by (taken from Agence de Presse Senegalaise)
Original Language: French
Check for stories with: water policy, international aid, heavy metal pollution, water treatment plant, water service
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06-18-2008
Bottled water losing steam
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 United States -
With a year's worth of bottled water now costing anywhere from $400 on up and the US economy in dire straits, more Americans are doing what environmentalists have been urging for several years: drinking tapwater instead. Recent campaigns against the use of oil in making and transporting the bottles and the waste they create in landfills have also played a role in slowing the trend of buying bottled water. Sales of filters for home taps are booming, as are sales of reusable hard-plastic and stainless steel water bottles. Cities and businesses have also jumped on the bandwagon. Marriott International Inc., for example, is distributing free refillable water bottles to employees at its corporate offices in Bethesda, Maryland, and the city of San Francisco, California has replaced single-serving bottles in its municipal offices with tap filters and bottle-less water dispensers.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Arizona Daily Star byTali Arbel (taken from Associated Press)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: bottled water, waste disposal
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