The notice began a 30-day period for public comments, motions and intervenors in the decision.
Among the changes is a request to raise the target water elevations of three lakes — James, Norman and Wylie.
“Raising reservoir normal target elevations by 6 inches on our three largest storage reservoirs increases available storage by approximately 8 billion gallons,” said Kim Crawford, company spokesperson.
They also help solve a problem Duke and municipal water providers along the Catawba discovered throughout a hydroelectric relicensing project dating back more than a decade.
A study found the amount of water needed from the Catawba — drinking water, power, the whole lot — would exceed what it yields by 2048.
Further studies began, largely from the Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group made up of Duke and municipal suppliers, on how to extend that deadline.
Boat ramps on Lake Wylie were closed because of low water for part of 2015 and 2016.
Lake Wylie Marine Commission member Brad Thomas recently asked what Duke can do when it rains to ward off problems when it doesn’t.
“These 95-degree days, you have millions of gallons of evaporation,” he said.
Even in normal rain patterns the lake level can sit a few inches off the target.

Ohsweken waits for funding to deliver clean water to more people.
Four years after a multi-million dollar water treatment plant was built in the Six Nations of the Grand River community of Ohsweken, the public utility service is hoping to receive new federal funding to feed new lines of fresh drinking water into approximately 480 more homes.
Michael Montour, Director of Public Works for Six Nations of the Grand River, has been waiting since March of this year and says the government’s commitment to lift boil water advisories in other first nations community may put their project plans lower on the priority list.
"We’re all shovel-ready: meaning we’ve had the extension designed, gone through INAC’s approval processes, but now we’re just waiting for the money and we’re basically being told we’re not a priority because we don’t have a Health Canada boil advisory imposed on us."
In 2013 the community opened a water treatment plant outside Ohsweken that could treat water for 27,000 people living in the community.
Michael Montour describes it as "a picture of success."
The other 91 per cent of residents not on the treated water line get their water through various methods.
She lives in Cayuga on the Six Nations of the Grand Reserve, and tells CBC she buys bottled water because the water from the well system she is on is "undrinkable" and burns her skin when she bathes in it.
Sheri Longboat, assistant professor at the University of Guelph in the rural planning and development program, says because the First Nations community is under the jurisdiction and responsibility of the federal government, people aren’t getting the same sort of municipal water services other communities would expect to have.
Longboat says the federal government five year plan may address the water problems, but she doesn’t think it addresses the fundamental issues that have left many Indigenous towns without the infrastructure and services seen outside First Nations communities.

Canberra’s pampered pooches and their owners will have plenty to bark about when their favourite dog parks are upgraded over the next month or so and work starts on a new one in Duffy.
The ACT’s off-leash dog parks are to be given a $200,000 makeover based on feedback from the community consultation conducted earlier in the year.
Minister for Transport and City Services Meegan Fitzharris said improvements such as more water, shade and seating would make the ACT’s six dog parks safer and more comfortable for people and their pets.
“More than 580 people left feedback during community engagement between April and May this year which provided the Government with enough information to make improvements where they are needed,” she said.
“Canberra’s six dog parks will each receive minor improvements to fix high priority issues the community identified like site access, drinking water, ground erosion, seating and shade.” The improvements include: Belconnen: two new water stations, eight new shade trees and resurfacing of bare-ground areas.
Casey: new water station and four mature trees to improve access to shade.
Tuggeranong: a new entry path will be constructed, which will include screen planting to reduce conflict between the small and large dog enclosures.
Tuggeranong will also have two new water stations and 10 new trees to improve access to shade.
Yarralumla: remediation of erosion, better fences and entry enclosure and two new water stations.
“We also look forward to the Weston Creek Dog Park in Duffy being built over the coming months,” the Minister said The Duffy site (below) is at the corner of Eucumbene Drive and Warragamba Avenue.

Watch Out!
Your Tap Water May Not Be Safe to Drink.
Just over 86 percent of all Americans have access to drinking water, while top ranked countries (21 in total) have a perfect 100 percent accessibility.
The database was compiled by the Environmental Working Group and has close to 50,000 public water systems cataloged within its digital stacks.
The data comes from tests conducted in between 2010 and 2015 by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The statistics can be pulled up either by entering your zip code, or your utility provider.
Once the information is plugged in and your utility provider is selected, the database will return a brief summary about where your water comes from, what other companies are involved in the processing, how many contaminants violate health guidelines, and what additional contaminants are present.
Additionally, the database breaks down where the contaminants are coming from, whether they’re from local industry, agriculture, runoff, or nature.
But the site doesn’t just notify you about the problem, it also advises the best bet in terms of filtration.
If you’re interested in the rest of the United States water system as a whole, we have some additional answers beyond just the local level.

Watch Out!
Your Tap Water May Not Be Safe to Drink.
Just over 86 percent of all Americans have access to drinking water, while top ranked countries (21 in total) have a perfect 100 percent accessibility.
The database was compiled by the Environmental Working Group and has close to 50,000 public water systems cataloged within its digital stacks.
The data comes from tests conducted in between 2010 and 2015 by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The statistics can be pulled up either by entering your zip code, or your utility provider.
Once the information is plugged in and your utility provider is selected, the database will return a brief summary about where your water comes from, what other companies are involved in the processing, how many contaminants violate health guidelines, and what additional contaminants are present.
Additionally, the database breaks down where the contaminants are coming from, whether they’re from local industry, agriculture, runoff, or nature.
But the site doesn’t just notify you about the problem, it also advises the best bet in terms of filtration.
If you’re interested in the rest of the United States water system as a whole, we have some additional answers beyond just the local level.

Salem water-quality standards need to keep up with new findings.
Mid-Valley residents learned this week that Salem’s drinking water meets all federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
A nonprofit group out of Washington, D.C., the Environmental Working Group, released a national drinking-water database Wednesday that allows users to plug in their ZIP Code and find out what contaminants are in their drinking water.
In Salem, three chemicals met the Environmental Protection Agency’s legal limit, but they far exceeded those considered safe by the nonprofit.
But since 1996, Lunder said, more chemicals have been identified and new technology to detect even more chemicals has been developed.
"We’re frustrated by the lack of action on the EPA’s part to update its list," Lunder said.
It’s relatively inexpensive to monitor chemicals; the problem is the cost of removing them once they’re identified.
Not a single new contaminant has been added to the EPA list in more than two decades Public health is not being protected.
Our water utility should be using the most-recent science to evaluate the public health risk.
To find out what contaminants are in your drinking water

Nestle told to review pumping impact on Michigan wetlands.
Michigan environmental regulators have told a bottled water company to re-evaluate how its proposal to withdraw 210 million gallons of water annually from the state would impact local wetlands, streams and natural springs.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality requested more information from Nestle Waters North America in June about groundwater replenishment around the company’s White Pine Springs well northwest of Evart, MLive reported .
The application has been stalled since October after Nestle was found planning to extract more groundwater in conjunction with a $36 million expansion of its bottling plant in Stanwood.
"Reluctantly, they are agreeing to do it, but I think they said it was not easy and it couldn’t be done with until the end of August," Benzie said.
The department is reviewing the company’s application under the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, a regulation for the state’s water bottlers that was developed in response to environmental concerns from Nestle’s original Sanctuary Springs well.
The act is connected to the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, which states that groundwater pumping must have no negative impact.
Arlene Anderson-Vincent, natural resources manager at the Nestle Ice Mountain plant, said the company is confident the additional information the department requested will show the proposed extraction is sustainable.
"We will use our 17 years of thorough studies and monitoring of groundwater and ecosystems to meet their request," she said.
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Peddling for clean water.
Cyclists peddled hard through Kelowna yesterday, as they raised money for clean water in Somalia.
President and CEO of the nonprofit Sarah Fillier was making her way up the Coquihalla, just outside of Merritt when she spoke to the Capital News.
“It’s been a pretty big morning,” she said.
Everyone was in tip-top shape for the ride, with two iron man athletes joining for the cause.
“That just blew his mind… so he put together the very first cycling event and raised enough money for a water project,” said Fillier.
After Weber and his parents moved, Fillier and her significant other David Custer took on the event.
The goal is to raise $15,000, which would have an impact on 10 villages, or approximately 28,000 people, said Fillier.
Normally we fund one water project a year, but this year we’re doing our third,” said Fillier.
The nonprofit also hosts four events per year with the community ride in Calgary growing three times its initial size.

Feds commit $8.8M for Neskantaga water treatment plant.
NESKANTAGA FIRST NATION, Ont.
– A Northwestern Ontario First Nation community under a water advisory for more than two decades could be a year away from having clean drinking water.
The federal government earlier this week announced $8.8 million to upgrade the water treatment plant in Neskantaga First Nation, where a long-term drinking water advisory had been in place for the past 22 years.
"For more than 20 years we haven’t been able to drink water from our taps or bathe without getting rashes.
“This has been a long and difficult process and has demonstrated the resolve of our members.
We also appreciate the efforts of everyone who brought attention to this issue over the years.
We are one step closer to ending the water advisory, but there is much more work to be done.
We hope that work gets underway immediately."
“Investing in water systems like the one at Neskantaga First Nation represents one more step in renewing our relationship with First Nations and reaffirms our commitment to end all long-term drinking water advisories affecting on-reserve public systems financially supported by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada,” Bennett said.

Hindon goes the Ganga way with ‘no development zone’ along its banks.
There are a total of 68 drains that fall into these rivers.”Divisional commissioner Kumar said, “We need to develop a multi-pronged strategy to ensure the rejuvenation of Hindon in a time-bound manner.
Anyone who has suggestions for the cause can email at nirmalhindon@gmail.com, officials added.“We will not allow dearth of funds to affect this noble cause,” said Kumar.
Disturbingly, the total sewage generated in the cities is 1,215 million litres per day.
Meerut: An order somewhat similar to what the National Green Tribunal (NGT) gave for the Ganga a few days ago was enforced for Hindon river also on Saturday, with no development zones along both of its banks.Meerut divisional commissioner Prabhat Kumar on Saturday issued directions to the administrations of all seven districts of western UP through which the river passes, to invoke section 133 of CrPC (conditional order for removal of nuisance) in case anyone initiates any development within 500 metres of the river.Contaminated water flowing into the Hindon and its tributaries has, over a period of time, become a cause of major concern especially for hundreds of villages on the banks, where people are suffering from dreaded diseases like bone deformity, skin disease and cancer.The crisis has assumed gigantic proportions as the effluent flowing into these rivers has even contaminated groundwater which is consumed by the villagers.Besides announcing a slew of measures to rejuvenate the river, the commissioner inaugurated a seven-day Hindon Van Mahotsav that aims to plant five lakh saplings on the banks of the river.Additional divisional commissioner RN Dhama said, “There are 316 industrial units on the banks of the river and its tributaries comprising sugar mills, distilleries, pulp and paper industries, slaughterhouses, leather units, textiles, a thermal power plant and electroplating plants.
Disturbingly, the total sewage generated in the cities is 1,215 million litres per day.
There are 872 villages on the banks out of which 106 do not have access to safe drinking water.
We will work simultaneously on various fronts that include development of sewerage and solid waste management of the cities and villages, effective anti-encroachment drive, effective curb on industrial effluent being thrown into the river, to ensure villages become ODF by December end, establishment of organic farming to curb the use of pesticides, to ensure the flowing of additional amount of water from canals into the river to decrease its pollution level, and of course, to sensitize the biggest stakeholder in the project — the public.”To draw in public participation, the divisional office has elaborate plans to use social media to unite populations of these seven districts for the cause.While work is on to create social media platforms, a bank account has already been opened under the name of ‘Nirmal Hindon Kosh’ which is in the Allahabad Bank branch in Meerut Development Authority (MDA) premises.People who wish to contribute to the cause can donate in account no.
50399065176 with the IFSC code ALLA0212075.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/hindon-goes-the-ganga-way-with-no-development-zone-along-its-banks/articleshow/59825704.cms Subscribe to Meerut News