Pismo Beach’s long-anticipated recycled water project is going by a new name these days: Central Coast Blue.
While the new moniker is admittedly less of a mouthful than its previous name — the Regional Groundwater Sustainability Project — Pismo Beach Public Works Director Ben Fine said the rebranding also recognizes “the value water has in the distinct character of the Central Coast community.” Fine unveiled the new name at the Pismo Beach City Council meeting Tuesday.
“Our communities are taking a proactive and responsible approach to water management, leading a regional vision and effort that recognizes our community, water and future as one,” Fine said.
“This effort acknowledges the value we place on water in the Central Coast, and connects our community in closing the water gap.” Never miss a local story.
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The Central Coast Blue project is a unified effort between multiple agencies, including Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District and the Oceano Community Services District.
Once completed, it will treat wastewater to be re-injected back into the groundwater basin; this will give an additional source of drinking water to residents in the South County, as well as help prevent seawater intrusion into the Santa Maria groundwater basin.
It is expected to increase municipal groundwater supplies by 60 percent and reduce the amount of treated wastewater discharged into the ocean by 77 percent.
According to a news release, the unveiling is the first in a string of upcoming program milestones, including the opening of a public advanced treatment demonstration facility this spring, development of a groundwater model, construction of a test injection well, completion of the environmental impact report and securing national and state funding support.
Kaytlyn Leslie: 805-781-7928, @kaytyleslie

Through a six-month-long fundraising stunt for his internship, Heideman Raised $4,000 that went toward providing 100 filters, allowing 100 families in the Dominican Republic to have access to clean drinking water for up to ten years.
Heideman learned about the faith-based nonprofit organization Filter of Hope, which works to provide clean drinking water while sharing the gospel, by participating in Campus Cru, a religious organization at Ball State.
Heideman said learning that 800 million people in the world don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water and that 4,000 children die every day because of unclean drinking water shocked him and further motivated him to apply for the internship.
Interns at Filter of Hope have the opportunity to visit one of the seven countries the organization sends filters to, but first they must do fundraising.
“Josh was incredibly dedicated.
"Josh understood that what he was really doing was not going on a trip, but providing as many people as he could with clean water.” Johnson said Heideman set the record for most individual donors and has “demonstrated more persistence than any other intern.” In December, Heideman traveled to the Dominican Republic to give out filters and show people how to use and maintain them through basic hygiene training sessions.
When first demonstrating how the filter works, Heideman had to drink the water to prove it was safe.
We saw a lot of confusion because in the filter, you can put dirty water, any type of water quality — even with waterborne illness and cholera — and the water comes out just as clean as American tap water,” Heideman said.
Some older people didn’t even trust it at first.” During the trip, Heideman said he was impacted by the experiences he had and the people he met.
“People live the most fulfilling life when they are seeking to serve other people.

Hawthorne once again released its annual drinking water report, but what do the results actually mean?
Why should you care?
The first table of the report shows a list of contaminants that were monitored in the previous year, with the range of concentrations observed and whether or not these concentrations were in violation of state standards.
Only results for coliform, nitrate, halogenated byproducts (from the chemical disinfection process), and residual chlorine are shown—coliform is a common indicator of bacteria, while nitrate can be a proxy for nutrient and pesticide contamination (high levels can also cause methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby” syndrome).
So what is the schedule for contaminant monitoring, and where can one access test results?
Outside of contaminants, the water report shows results for secondary standards, or components of drinking water that are monitored but do not pose health risks.
Hawthorne has a level of hardness that exceeds the RMCL, or the Recommended Max Containment Level, in this case a suggested upper limit set by the state.
A final note is that the water report also shows a water source assessment, with a table displaying the number of wells bearing a high, medium, or low risk (H-M-L) of impact from an accompanying class of contaminant.
Notably, all 21 of Hawthorne’s wells are at a high risk for VOC’s, even though tests show drinking water is not currently contaminated.
In fact, that knowledge is still growing today, and in the future there may be more things to worry about in the annual water report.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has officially removed two Vancouver water stations from a federal list of hazardous waste sites in need of cleanup.
4 Superfund sites were deleted from the National Priorities List after it was determined that no further purification work was necessary.
Although the city’s drinking water meets all federal standards, the city of Vancouver will leave the cleanup equipment in place to continue to reap their benefits.
After the discovery, the city immediately modified pumping rates to protect public health, then, in 1992 and 1993, added several air-stripping towers to remove the chemical from the drinking water supply.
Tetrachloroethylene is a synthetic chemical widely used as a metal degreaser and dry cleaning agent, and is also believed to increase the risks of cancer, harm the nervous and reproductive systems as well damage the liver and kidneys.
In 1992, the EPA set a maximum contaminant level for the chemical, a legal drinking water standard, at 5 parts per billion.
The two sites were then added to the National Priorities List in 1992 and 1994 and the city continued to clean up and monitor the contamination.
The air-stripping treatment towers removed the PCE from the drinking water while also removing it from the untreated groundwater.
“We continue to treat it to what they’d call non-detectable standards in the drinking water, and the untreated groundwater is below the (drinking water maximum contamination level) of 5 parts per billion,” said Tyler Clary, water engineering program manager for the city of Vancouver Public Works.
The city initiated talks with the EPA to have the two sites removed from the National Priorities List.

One of the main items on the agenda is reviewing current legislation around safe drinking water in First Nations communities, which the assembly wants to see repealed and discussing a way forward with the federal government.
Looking to build on success Speaking about commitments from Ottawa, many people highlighted the recent promise from Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott to eliminate all long-term boil water advisories in First Nations by March 2021.
Attached to that announcement was an acknowledgement of 91 long-term drinking water advisories in communities throughout Canada.
regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations, new legislation should help to address those infrastructure needs.
And I think that’s an important part for legislation, for anything that concerns Indigenous people," he said.
Teegee says he’s looking forward to having people share their stories of success, like the work done by Nadleh Whut’en to codify their water laws.
‘We’ve got a lot of work ahead’ While legislation may be top of mind, so too is reconciliation.
For Teegee, access to safe drinking water is an important part of reconciliation and water, but it’s also about a lot more than that.
Not once in my research have I seen a form of government acknowledge Mother Earth and how she sustains all life.
One of our most sacred sources of life.

Everyone in Canada deserves access to safe, clean, and reliable drinking water SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER FIRST NATION – The Minister of Indigenous Services, the Honourable Jane Philpott, and Chief Ava Hill of the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation announced a water main extension project which will expand the distribution of treated drinking water to two federally-operated schools on reserve.
The tendering process is already underway.
This project will allow for a direct connection from the water treatment plant to I.L.
Thomas School, which treats well water on site, and O.M.
The project will also provide an opportunity for future connections to the water distribution system to more 400 homes currently on wells.
Our government is proud to work with Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation and to support their efforts to expand their water distribution system.
I commend Chief Hill and council for their efforts in improving water distribution and the future vision for their community,” says Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services “The vision of the Six Nations Elected Council is to one day expand the water distribution system throughout the entire community.
Thankfully we were able to construct the new Water Treatment Plant and upgrade a critical piece of infrastructure over the past four years, to put us in the position where we can begin to extend the water main.
Quick Facts Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation is located approximately 25 kilometres southwest of Hamilton.
The Government of Canada provided more than $26 million to its design and construction, and Six Nations of the Grand River provided approximately $15.4 million.

Families in Chatham-Kent concerned about black, silty water in their wells have been told by the provincial government that their water quality has changed, but not because of the construction of wind turbines.
The farming families are upset with the government after receiving a report that appears to clear North Kent Wind Farms, owned by Pattern Energy, of water contamination complaints.
"I have a problem with that," said Christine Burke, while swirling a bottle of blackened water.
"It’s a fourth-generation farm and we’ve had crystal clear, pristine water for decades .. and after the wind farm construction it’s gone to where we can’t use it."
She added her family welcomed green energy to the area, but "not at the cost of my family’s drinking water."
Company blames traffic and well pumps Pattern Energy spokesperson Matt Dallas said the company received 16 complaints about water quality in 2017, nine of them have been reviewed by the ministry.
"The highest vibration levels recorded at the well locations were attributed to well pumps and nearby traffic," he added.
Brooks and her family have been using a water tank supplied by North Kent Wind for clean water while the government examined their water.
Now that the study is completed, the company plans to begin removing those tanks, something Brooks said could leave her family without a source of clean water.
"We’ll contact the water company we’re currently working with to see how much it will cost to keep that tank.

The Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education gave a favorable report to S.251, “An Act relative to water bottle filling stations in schools,” which would promote healthy hydration in children while reducing plastic waste by creating a grant program to help fund the installation of water bottle filling stations in public schools.
“I filed this bill in order to ensure that children not only have access to safe drinking water in their schools, but that the water comes from a sustainable source.
Water bottle filling stations are an inexpensive way to engage children in issues of healthy hydration and environmental consciousness while helping them create healthful habits that last a lifetime.” The bill, inspired by the efforts of Concord resident Janet Rothrock, will allow public schools to apply for grants to install bottle filling stations in their buildings, athletic facilities and playgrounds through the “Safe drinking water for healthy students grant program” within the Department of Public Health.
Grants would be prioritized for school districts serving low-income communities, which may have less access to safe drinking water.
“All students of the commonwealth deserve access to healthy tap water at their schools,” said Rothrock.
“It is better for the kids and our environment not to get used to drinking out of disposable bottles and instead develop the habit of using a drinking fountain or carrying reusable water bottle and filling it at bottle filler.
These students can be part of the solution, not part of the problem.” Children who have access to drinking water can make healthy hydration choices by avoiding sugary beverages, which can cause tooth decay, obesity, and other health issues.
Plastic bottles are made from fossil fuels and can hurt or kill wildlife if not properly recycled.
Drinking tap water can help prevent health problems while simultaneously cutting down on plastic waste.
The bill now goes to the Senate Ways and Means Committee for consideration.

The tendering process is already underway.
This project will allow for a direct connection from the water treatment plant to I.L.
Thomas School, which treats well water on site, and O.M.
Smith School, which receives trucked water.
The project will also provide an opportunity for future connections to the water distribution system to more 400 homes currently on wells.
Our government is proud to work with Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation and to support their efforts to expand their water distribution system.
I commend Chief Hill and council for their efforts in improving water distribution and the future vision for their community."
Thankfully we were able to construct the new Water Treatment Plant and upgrade a critical piece of infrastructure over the past four years, to put us in the position where we can begin to extend the water main.
A new water treatment plant was opened in 2014.
SOURCE Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada For further information: Media may contact: Andrew MacKendrick, Office of the Honourable Jane Philpott, 819-956-5372; Media Relations, Department of Indigenous Services Canada, 819-953-1160

It was a strenuous work for the women of the village to provide clean drinking water to their families.
Still, the villagers, especially the women, who are responsible for collecting water, were dependent on these two sources to meet the family’s needs for drinking, cooking and other household purposes.
Almost all the villages in Kanas block were severely affected by water from Chilika and floodwater from the rivers.
Every day the women spent hours to make polluted river water potable.
The tube well water that gets filtered through the iron removal plants is free of bad smell and taste.
Pond to potability In Suhagpur, the villagers were dependent on the pond water for drinking and cooking.
“The pond water caters to the 1,000-odd population of the entire village,” Pradhan said.
Villagers draw the filtered water from the last chamber.
There are five iron removal plants and two pond sand filtration units set up in different villages in Kanas block.
With setting up of iron removal plants and the pond sand filtration units, the women of these villages are relieved from the strenuous labor of purifying the water to make it fit for drinking.