Scheduled to meet for the first time Oct. 2, the council will address a range of emerging water quality issues.
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Sept. 22 announced his eight appointees to the 12-member Drinking Water Quality Council that will guide New York’s actions to ensure all communities across the state have access to clean drinking water. Scheduled to meet for the first time Oct. 2, the council will address a range of emerging water quality issues and solicit outside industry experts, as well. Its first task will be to make recommendations to establish enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for three priority emerging contaminants, which are not regulated by the federal government, that have been found in New York: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and 1,4-dioxane.
A second meeting of the council will happen later this year.
"Using the best available science and tapping an array of experts, this new council will provide science-based recommendations for the development of regulations to assure that good-quality drinking water remains available to all New Yorkers. Water quality is a national issue that requires consistent national standards, but New York can no longer afford to wait."

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The notice said the issue on the 3rd was due to “start-up issues with the system” that the city is still working out.
Tompkins County Director of Environmental Health Elizabeth Cameron said residents needn’t be concerned. She said Maximum Contaminant Levels are based on the risks associated with long-term exposure to certain compounds, and one day of higher exposure should not pose health concerns.
Long-term exposure to elevated chlorite levels can cause nervous system effects in children, infants and pregnant women’s fetuses. High levels can also lead to anemia.
But the city met the 30-day reporting requirement for this specific violation, Cameron said.

Eng. Abdul Rab Hakimi, Samangan rural rehabilitation and development director, told Pajhwok Afghan News thousands of families were suffering from the shortage of drinking water in 32 villages of Aibak, the provincial capital, three villages in Firoz Nakhchir district and some in Hazrat Sultan district.
His department supplied 24,000 liters of water through tankers to these families on a daily basis, Hakimi said. “This process of water supply has prevented these families from migrating to other areas and the supply will continue until rainfall”, he said.
Amanullah, a resident of Sharikyar area of Aibak, said their area faced the shortage of potable water due to lack of raining.
“Deep wells are not available here because the undergoing water level is very deep and people cannot dig such wells”, he said.
He said the rural rehabilitation and development department supplied one water tanker in a week to their village, which he said did not meet their requirement.
“Local people purchase 200 liters of water from private tankers against 200 afghanis”, he said.
The rural rehabilitation and development director said the issue would be shared with relevant organs in Kabul.

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The steady ageing of Europe’s population will result in an increased consumption of medicines, which will consequently lead to higher concentrations of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment and pose potential threats to public health, a new study has warned.
However, the European Commission is already behind schedule on planned actions on the issue.
A study by Civity Management Consultants, commissioned by the German association of energy and water industries (BDEW), predicted that consumption of medicines in Germany will rise by 70% in the next 30 years.
Moreover, a 2013 European Commission study pointed out there was a “substantial margin of safety” before current levels of concentration of pharmaceuticals could trigger adverse effects to human health.
Pharmaceuticals are an issue that is part of the revision of the Directive ongoing – but work had not been concluded and thus we cannot say more at this stage,” EU sources explained.
The German Association of Energy and Water Industries calls for a holistic approach involving all actors in the pharmaceutical chain- starting with drug companies.
Producers should increase the biodegradability of drugs and replace or reduce environmentally damaging components, as well as inform consumers of drugs’ environmental impacts on the boxes.

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Six projects that aim to facilitate the population’s access to drinking water in Romania will get total funds of EUR 129 million from EU’s Cohesion Fund.
About EUR 15.7 million will be used to improve the wastewater treatment system in Bacau County, in the east of Romania. Another EUR 8.6 million will go to a project that aims to improve the access to clean water for more than 155,000 inhabitants in the Bistrita-Nasaud county, in Northern Romania.
Some EUR 17.4 million will be used to connect some 380,000 people to a modern water distribution and sewerage network in the Brasov county. Over 110,000 people in the Valea Jiului mining area, Hunedoara county, will also be connected to a modern water distribution and sewerage network, with EUR 60.7 million funds.
Some EUR 8.2 million will go for the environment protection and better water quality in the Tulcea county, near the Danube Delta, and EUR 18.5 million will be used to extend the drinking water infrastructure in the Valcea county.

ISLAMABAD: The microbial contamination of drinking water in Islamabad has intensified due to lack of proper disposal of municipal waste, posing serious health hazards to the residents of the capital.
The report compiled by Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) –a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune — reveals that 68% water sources were found unfit for drinking purpose in Islamabad and 62% in Rawalpindi. Water quality of Rawalpindi city has been found better and improved then of Islamabad.
A total of 25 predetermined locations were monitored for the drinking water quality of Islamabad, out of them 17 sources were found unfit for drinking purpose.
The major contaminant found in the drinking water was bacteria, as 68% of the water samples were found contaminated with Coliforms. However the surface run-off, increased concentrations of nutrients and municipal waste are major contributing sources for higher bacterial contamination in drinking water, according to the report.
He said that around 37 filtration plants are installed at different locations in the capital meanwhile water purification plant is installed at Simly Dam in order to provide clean drinking water to the people of Islamabad.
The report further shows a significant improvement in the water quality of Rawalpindi city since 2002 as safe water sources has increased from 27% in 2002 to 43% in 2016.

At a stakeholder meeting for the development of updated rules and regulations for the Owasco Lake Watershed, a group of farmers talked about their role in addressing the nutrient runoff that has contributed to many problems, including the toxic algae outbreaks, in Owasco Lake.
At one point during the meeting, the concept of establishing "whole farms plans" was introduced.
Such plans would be expensive, especially for small and mid-sized farms — and in a watershed as vast and varied as Owasco’s.
It’s far too early in the process to say if whole farm plans should be part of the changes to the watershed rules and regulations, but the money question raised Thursday night needs to brought front and center to this and all other discussions about water quality issues in the region.
What’s becoming clear in central New York and in many other places around the nation is that environmental issues and aging and outdated infrastructure are presenting a clear and present threat to something almost everyone in this country takes for granted: access to potable water.
The good news is that federal and state leaders have taken some concrete steps already to invest in solutions to this problem. These measures include the $2.5 billion clean water act included in the current state budget and the $250 million amendment — introduced by central New York Rep. John Katko — recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives to restore clean water funding in the federal budget.
Earlier this week, responding to the news that harmful algae has infiltrated one of the purest lakes one can find, Skaneateles Lake, Katko issued a statement outlining steps taken.

At a stakeholder meeting for the development of updated rules and regulations for the Owasco Lake Watershed, a group of farmers talked about their role in addressing the nutrient runoff that has contributed to many problems, including the toxic algae outbreaks, in Owasco Lake.
At one point during the meeting, the concept of establishing "whole farms plans" was introduced.
Such plans would be expensive, especially for small and mid-sized farms — and in a watershed as vast and varied as Owasco’s.
It’s far too early in the process to say if whole farm plans should be part of the changes to the watershed rules and regulations, but the money question raised Thursday night needs to brought front and center to this and all other discussions about water quality issues in the region.
What’s becoming clear in central New York and in many other places around the nation is that environmental issues and aging and outdated infrastructure are presenting a clear and present threat to something almost everyone in this country takes for granted: access to potable water.
The good news is that federal and state leaders have taken some concrete steps already to invest in solutions to this problem. These measures include the $2.5 billion clean water act included in the current state budget and the $250 million amendment — introduced by central New York Rep. John Katko — recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives to restore clean water funding in the federal budget.
Earlier this week, responding to the news that harmful algae has infiltrated one of the purest lakes one can find, Skaneateles Lake, Katko issued a statement outlining steps taken.

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"All regions should have access to clean water, but in Romania and other regions of Europe, this is not yet fully achieved. Thanks to these EU-funded projects, hundreds of thousands of Romanians will benefit from drinking water every day," Corina Cretu, European Commissioner for regional policy, said.
The Commission will invest 60.7 million euro in Hunedoara county, in western Romania, to connect 110,000 inhabitants of the Jiu Valley area to a modern water distribution and treatment network.
Some 17.4 million euro will help connect approximately 380,000 people to a modern water distribution and sewerage network in Brasov county, central Romania.
In the northeastern Bacau county, the Commission will invest 15.7 million euro to improve the sewage treatment system.
Access to clean water for more than 155,000 inhabitants in Bistrita-Nasaud, northwestern Romania will be improved through an 8.6 million euro investment.
Finally, some 8.2 million euro will be granted to Tulcea county, southeastern Romania, to support water quality improvement and better environmental protection in the vicinity of the Danube Delta, which is part of UNESCO World Heritage.

Heidi Rickels is co-founder, president and creative marketing director of Freshwater Project International, a Golden-based nonprofit devoted to not only installing clean water pumps, latrines and sanitation stations in Malawi, but teaching people how to fix the pumps and latrines, source parts locally and support Malawi’s rural economy through self-reliability.
That’s the day and the life of a Malawian student.
The lack of accessible water and clean latrines at schools also prompts adolescents and teens, especially girls, to drop out, Rickels said.
Freshwater works with local organizations, including Real World Solutions, Calvary Church Golden and the Interact Club at Golden High School, to raise money for its work in the small, landlocked East African nation.
Rickels recently met with members of the Interact Club, a school service group, in hopes of recruiting student volunteers for Freshwater’s upcoming fundraiser, Walk for Freshwater.
Participants can experience what a Malawian might go through to get water for drinking, cooking and cleaning by carrying a gallon jug for seven laps of the track — more than 1.5 miles — the average distance a Malawian walks to get water each day.
Rickels and others also will hand out “challenge cards” to walkers to give them an idea of obstacles Malawians face in accessing water.
Each school received a hand pump for drinking water, locking latrines for boys and girls, several hygienic hand-washing stations, known as tippy taps, and powdered water purifiers that students can use at home.