Waterwise: State budget includes funds for water projects.
California’s 2017-2018 fiscal year budget includes $17 million in allocations to tackle the Golden State’s drinking water crisis’ immediate needs, the Community Water Center reported.
In a separate announcement, the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation announced seven grants for projects around California, including one in the Central Valley.
State budget The funds from the state budget are separated into three portions, the Community Water Center said.
The budget grants $8 million to the State Water Board program for emergency replacement of domestic wells and emergency connections to community water systems.
Last week, Self-Help Enterprises officially took over the domestic water tank program, stepping up on the county’s stead.
"This is a critical step in maintaining a commitment to the vulnerable Californians most affected by the drought, and provides needed resources to continue work toward finding long-term sustainable water solutions for them," said Tom Collishaw, President and Chief Executive Officer of Self-Help Enterprises.
"The funds included in the state budget will ensure continued work to provide relief to the thousands of Californians still impacted by the worst drought in our state’s history, and those facing other water emergencies," said Stanley Keasling, Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer.
Other California residents are dealing with access to drinking water.
Federal grants The Bureau of Reclamation announced last week $4.24 million in grants for seven projects.

Factors Impacting Heat Stress The amount of stress that cattle are under is affected by both the air temperature and the relative humidity, as shown by the chart below.
“The combination of high temperatures plus high relative humidity is particularly dangerous, especially when there is little to no night-time cooling,” Rusche said.
Managing Heat Stress Provide water: Water access is vitally important to maintain the well-being of cattle during hot weather.
“The water system needs to have enough capacity to satisfy cattle demand at all times,” Rusche said.
Extra tanks may be required to ensure enough access and holding capacity.
Use sprinklers for cooling: Heat stress can also be reduced by using sprinklers to cool both the cattle and ground.
“Shade reduces the radiant heat load on the cattle as well as the ground temperature,” Rusche said.
If it is absolutely necessary to move or work cattle during hot weather, plan on being done before 9 a.m. “The core temperature of cattle peaks about two hours after the peak air temperature, and it takes roughly six hours for cattle to dissipate their heat load,” Rusche said.
So, even if it cools down at night, the carryover effects from earlier in the day could be enough to cause problems if cattle were worked.
Other Considerations: Some other management steps to reduce heat stress related losses include: Pay particular attention to cattle that are at higher risk for heat stress.

Factors Impacting Heat Stress The amount of stress that cattle are under is affected by both the air temperature and the relative humidity, as shown by the chart below.
“The combination of high temperatures plus high relative humidity is particularly dangerous, especially when there is little to no night-time cooling,” Rusche said.
Managing Heat Stress Provide water: Water access is vitally important to maintain the well-being of cattle during hot weather.
“The water system needs to have enough capacity to satisfy cattle demand at all times,” Rusche said.
Use sprinklers for cooling: Heat stress can also be reduced by using sprinklers to cool both the cattle and ground.
Provide shade: Another way to mitigate heat stress is by providing shade.
“Shade reduces the radiant heat load on the cattle as well as the ground temperature,” Rusche said.
If it is absolutely necessary to move or work cattle during hot weather, plan on being done before 9 a.m. “The core temperature of cattle peaks about two hours after the peak air temperature, and it takes roughly six hours for cattle to dissipate their heat load,” Rusche said.
So, even if it cools down at night, the carryover effects from earlier in the day could be enough to cause problems if cattle were worked.
Other Considerations: Some other management steps to reduce heat stress related losses include: Pay particular attention to cattle that are at higher risk for heat stress.

HHS awards $15 million for Flint, Michigan families affected by lead exposure.
The Department of Health and Human Services has earmarked $15 million in funding for Michigan’s Genesee County Healthy Start Program to provide health and social services for women, infants, and their families who have had or are at risk for, lead exposure in Flint, Michigan, and the surrounding area.
The HHS funding is authorized under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act and the Public Health Service Act.
Lead exposure can cause miscarriage, developmental delays in infants, and other medical issues.
Because lead can stay in the bones for decades, women and infants may continue to be exposed through pregnancy and breastfeeding even after the source is removed.
The HHS earmarked contribution will help, especially since Michigan has racked up $14 million in legal fees – money some Flint leaders suggest would be better spent on ensuring the water is safe and providing help for the people affected by the crisis.
The Genesee County Healthy Start Program will use this new grant from HHS in partnership with other community organizations to expand access to services available to minimize the health effects of lead exposure among pregnant women, infants and young children in Flint and the surrounding Genesee County area.
The Genesee County Healthy Start Program will identify children who were exposed to lead from the contaminated water to assess their needs; facilitate access to recommended services, and minimize developmental delays.
It will also coordinate access to appropriate medical, behavioral, and developmental screening, services, and supports for impacted women, children, and their families.
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HHS awards $15 million for Flint, Michigan families affected by lead exposure.
The Department of Health and Human Services has earmarked $15 million in funding for Michigan’s Genesee County Healthy Start Program to provide health and social services for women, infants, and their families who have had or are at risk for, lead exposure in Flint, Michigan, and the surrounding area.
The HHS funding is authorized under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act and the Public Health Service Act.
Lead exposure can cause miscarriage, developmental delays in infants, and other medical issues.
Because lead can stay in the bones for decades, women and infants may continue to be exposed through pregnancy and breastfeeding even after the source is removed.
The HHS earmarked contribution will help, especially since Michigan has racked up $14 million in legal fees – money some Flint leaders suggest would be better spent on ensuring the water is safe and providing help for the people affected by the crisis.
The Genesee County Healthy Start Program will use this new grant from HHS in partnership with other community organizations to expand access to services available to minimize the health effects of lead exposure among pregnant women, infants and young children in Flint and the surrounding Genesee County area.
The Genesee County Healthy Start Program will identify children who were exposed to lead from the contaminated water to assess their needs; facilitate access to recommended services, and minimize developmental delays.
It will also coordinate access to appropriate medical, behavioral, and developmental screening, services, and supports for impacted women, children, and their families.
Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook and LinkedIn

This community-driven initiative uses an app to connect thirsty people with businesses that will fill bottles with tap water.
In an ideal world, there would be clean water fountains on every street corner, where people could refill their water bottles as needed.
Their Refill campaign connects thirsty people with local cafés, shops, and hotels that are willing to refill their bottles for free, using tap water.
Businesses sign up to participate, put a blue Refill sticker on their door, and appear on an app that reveals their location to thirsty travellers and locals.
With two months of launching in 2015, more than 200 businesses in Bristol had signed on to the Refill campaign, and, two years later, it continues to spread to cities across England and Germany.
Why has Refill been so successful?
An article called “How to live without plastic bottles” cited some depressing statistics from the UK: “In a recent study, 71 percent of consumers admitted to feeling uncomfortable when asking for free tap water from an establishment if they hadn’t purchased anything.
And 30 percent of people said they would still feel awkward asking for a free refill even if they had bought other food or drinks.” People also worry about the quality of tap water, possibly because they’ve fallen victim to the bottled water industry’s message that water in plastic is somehow better than tap-sourced.
(That’s not true; tap water is better regulated than bottled.)
If every Bristolian refilled once a week instead of buying a single-use plastic bottle, the city would reduce its waste plastic bottle consumption by 22.3m a year.” The Refill campaign offers a model for effectively combating plastic bottle pollution, and hopefully it will continue to spread around the globe to all places where tap water is safe for drinking.

Water quality projects receive Pigeon River Fund grants.
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, $30,000.
The Conservation Fund, $30,000.
Along with other funds, the grant will help buy the 93-acre Urban Property on the north side of Maggie Valley, which helps protect the watershed that provides the valley’s drinking water.
HWA will install river access steps and riparian vegetation near BearWaters Brewing in Canton as part of a greenway extension.
Town of Canton, $30,000.
The funds will go toward development of a comprehensive plan for management of the recent 5,329-acre addition to the Blue Ridge Parkway at Waterrock Knob.
Haywood County Schools, $2,000.
Since its creation in 1996, the Pigeon River Fund has awarded $6.4 million for water conservation and education in Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties.
The fund is managed by the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

Water quality projects receive Pigeon River Fund grants.
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, $30,000.
The Conservation Fund, $30,000.
Along with other funds, the grant will help buy the 93-acre Urban Property on the north side of Maggie Valley, which helps protect the watershed that provides the valley’s drinking water.
HWA will install river access steps and riparian vegetation near BearWaters Brewing in Canton as part of a greenway extension.
Town of Canton, $30,000.
The funds will go toward development of a comprehensive plan for management of the recent 5,329-acre addition to the Blue Ridge Parkway at Waterrock Knob.
Haywood County Schools, $2,000.
Since its creation in 1996, the Pigeon River Fund has awarded $6.4 million for water conservation and education in Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties.
The fund is managed by the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

The epicenter of the state’s drinking water catastrophe is in the San Joaquin Valley, where 200,000 people have struggled to obtain clean, safe water for decades.
Across California more than 1.5 million people rely on drinking water from a community system that has a water quality violation that could impact public health, according to an estimate by the state using 2015 data.
A further 166,000 people are connected to nearly 1,000 water systems serving just 75 to 300 people each.
“Small community water systems typically lack the infrastructure and economies of scale of larger water systems, and in some cases cannot afford to treat or find alternative supplies for a contaminated drinking water source,” an SWRCB report found.
There are 310,000 people living in 525 low-income, unincorporated communities in the San Joaquin Valley where water quality problems are common.
Seville, Quintana’s hometown, was among those listed.
But it’s a water system designed to feed the farms of the valley and the cities of southern California, not the region’s rural communities.
Lucy Hernandez lives in West Goshen in Tulare County, a community where the water is contaminated by high levels of nitrate.
“We’ve always had these problems.
But the more people you get involved, other communities, you have a bigger voice and people do listen.” In tiny Tombstone Territory, Carolina Garcia dreams of connecting her home’s water to the town of Sanger next door.

Cauvery and Kabini river water fit to drink;says study.
Prime News, Karnataka, Mysuru, July 5: – The water from the Cauvery and Kabini rivers is fit to drink, declares various government agencies which studied the water for different parameters.
The two major rivers in Mysuru district which supply water to Mysuru and Bengaluru got thumbs up from the agencies which conducted a study to access the quality of water for drinking purpose.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) in association with Central Pollution Control Boards studied the two river water on April and May 2017.
According to KSPCB the water samples Of19 Rivers tested across the state.
The water samples were analysed for 28 parameters, which include 9 core parameters, 19 Physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters along with field observations.
Eight trace metals and 15 pesticides analysed once in a year to check the water quality.
The report brings many cheers to the people who depend on Cauvery and Kabana river water for drinking and other purposes.
-(NAV, Inputs; Agencies)