Nigeria: How Potable Water Changes Life Stories in Rural Nigeria

Before the EU and UNICEF came to their rescue, the people had no access to safe drinking water.
Like Nsit Atai, many parts of Nigeria do not have access to potable water, with rural dwellers suffering the most.
Provision of potable water supply was one of the various interventions in Nsit Atai by UNICEF under its WASH programme.
Children of Ikot Nkpenne community, in Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, fetching water from the borehole constructed by UNICEF and EU The scheme is aimed at improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene in Nigeria – especially in the rural areas.
"I fetched water from the stream four times before going to school.
This only means that I had to go to the stream to fill all the buckets in the house."
Uwemedimo Davis, the deputy village head of Onong Uwana in Nsit Atai, said the provision of a borehole for the community has reduced deaths and illnesses among children.
This is the first time we will have pipe-borne water in this community," he said.
"We are very happy that WASH has come through EU and UNICEF to provide us with this water.
In Nigeria alone, 130 million people use unimproved sanitation facilities, and as expected more than half of them live in rural areas.

Farmer’s stream-water drinking challenge labelled risky by Greenpeace

Farmer’s stream-water drinking challenge labelled risky by Greenpeace.
A Wairoa farmer filmed himself drinking water from a stream on his farm in a bid to prove water quality issues aren’t confined to farming.
In the video, he describes the stream as "a bit off-colour" after recent rain, but says the water tastes "not too bad really.
* Opinion: Drinking from streams is like Russian roulette * Opinion: Taranaki farm water is clean enough to drink * 11 tips for keeping your farm drinking water clean * Declining water quality hurting tourism, industry says He ends the video with a challenge: "How about a couple of mates do the same thing, eh?"
Toop said farmers needed to take a scientific approach to addressing the water pollution issue, rather than pretending it did not exist.
But Jarden said he had been drinking stream water all his life "and I’ve never got crook from it".
Jarden said he wanted to make the point that there was a "bigger picture" around water pollution and "it’s not only farmers that are contributing to it".
"It is easy to overlook other factors – physical characteristics of a water body, how easily water is heated in summer, water fowl as a direct source of nutrients to waterways – and towns aren’t perfect either.
We all need to do our part.
"They go on about swimmable rivers and everything.

Shelburne awarded ecosystem restoration grant

Shelburne awarded ecosystem restoration grant.
News Release — Town of Shelburne June 26, 2017 Contacts: Chris Robinson 985-3700 crobinson@shelburnevt.org Ann Janda 264-5031 ajanda@shelburnevt.org Shelburne Awarded Ecosystem Restoration Grant to Complete Brook Lane Stormwater Mitigation Project and Decrease Stormwater Impacts to the Munroe Brook Watershed Shelburne (VT) – The Town of Shelburne has been awarded a Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC), Ecosystem Restoration Program Grant ($12,395) to replace 260 feet of failing stormwater pipe on Brook Lane with 260 feet of perforated pipe, stone lining, and two catch basins.
The Munroe Brook watershed is currently included in the Agency of Natural Resources Stormwater Imapaired List.
Brook Lane is in the Hullcrest area within the Munroe Brook watershed.
It is a suburban neighborhood that was built a long time ago, and is in need of stormwater retrofitting.
Ecosystem Restoration Grants are made available to Vermont municipalities, local or regional governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and citizens groups as part of the Ecosystem Restoration Program’s on-going efforts to reduce surface water pollution from phosphorus and sediment.
Funded projects typically involve efforts to improve stream stability, protect against flood hazards, improve in-stream and riparian habitat, lessen the effects of stormwater runoff, protect and restore riparian wetlands, re-establish lake shoreline native vegetation, and enhance the environmental and economic sustainability of agricultural lands.

How to kill a Louisville stream? Build a city around it

But not Floyds Fork.
Consider: A $362,000 effort led by Kentucky Waterways Alliance to build consensus on a voluntary plan to manage the Floyds Fork watershed blew up in 2008 when another environmental group, Floyds Fork Environmental Association, sued all participants and claimed it was shut out of the process.
New planning effort Louisville planning officials said they will try one more time starting this summer to reach consensus on development in the Floyds Fork area, with the support of Stuart Benson, a Republican who represents the area on the Louisville Metro Council.
Its watershed drains 284 square miles in six Kentucky counties, and state officials are quick to point out what happens in all those counties — not just Jefferson — affects its water quality.
He said farmers wanted to make sure the Floyds Fork plan was done properly and contended that the computer modeling done for the plan by Tetra Tech was flawed.
Frank said he believes the delay was in large part because the modeling has revealed the seriousness of the pollution problem and how it could potentially limit growth.
"The real answer is (the state) didn’t like the model’s results," he claimed, adding that Friends of Floyds Fork wants to make sure the state and EPA complete what they started after the Future Fund lawsuit.
He said developers are interested in building in southeast Jefferson County, which is now zoned for one home every 5 acres.
Park as growth magnet Larger rivers are better able to absorb the treated discharge from sewage plants, and MSD explored a long-term solution of joining with other surrounding counties to construct a big, regional sewage treatment plant in the Fort Knox area on the Salt River near the Ohio River.
"But if we build the way we’ve been building, we will kill the creek."

Better Information Can Help the Environment

Better Information Can Help the Environment.
by Henry McCann and Alvar Escriva-Bou This blog was originally posted on the Public Policy Institute’s Viewpoints blog.
Yet there are significant gaps in our understanding of key factors affecting ecosystem health that make it difficult to effectively manage water for the natural environment.
Good practices from other dry places offer lessons for protecting our struggling species and improving conditions in troubled ecosystems.
Other states have improved their water information systems and reduced environmental problems.
This makes active management of environmental water during droughts very difficult, if not impossible, in many parts of the state.
Better accounting can also help us prepare for drought, rather than just respond to it.
This inventory informs Victoria’s short- and long-term decision making about where and when water will be most beneficial to ecosystems and thus helps build drought resilience.
Examples from other arid regions suggest that this social process is improved by having access to accurate and timely information.
Before the next drought pushes more freshwater species to the brink, we would be wise to follow the lead of other semi-arid regions and invest in accounting systems that improve our understanding and management of our rivers and streams.

DHEC, Clemson University launch statewide Adopt-A-Stream program

DHEC, Clemson University launch statewide Adopt-A-Stream program.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has partnered with the Clemson University Center for Watershed Excellence to launch the South Carolina Adopt-A-Stream program.
The program aims to promote and expand existing volunteer stream monitoring efforts across the state by providing a website for information, a database to maintain water quality monitoring data, training classes, and materials, and other useful resources, according to a press release.
“Our citizens deserve the opportunity to fish, swim, and play in clean rivers and streams and this program helps make that a reality.” South Carolina has more than 64,000 miles of streams and rivers but only 174 permanent stations to monitor for water pollution, according to a report by the Issac Walton League of America, a national conservation group.
Pollutants found in the state’s waterways include toxic metals, mercury, bacteria, acids, and more.
The Reedy River, which flows through Falls Park in downtown Greenville, has experienced severe pollution since the early 1900s because of nearby textile mills, sewage discharges and runoff from increased urbanization.
For example, Friends of the Reedy River currently holds two cleanup events each year, and Upstate Forever started an Adopt a Stream program, which trains volunteers to monitor water quality along the river and its tributaries.
Numerous volunteer groups from across the state have agreed to participate in the SCAAS program, according to Katie Buckley, director of the Clemson University Center for Watershed Excellence and Friends of the Reedy River board member.
Residents who join the program will be certified in documenting the conditions of a river, streambed, streambanks, and floodplain; tracking basic stream conditions over time; and monitoring for any indication of fecal pollution and populations of macroinvertebrates like crayfish, which are indicators of healthy or polluted waterways.
They will also be trained and certified in sample and data collection protocols designed to inform future monitoring efforts, infrastructure repairs, restoration priorities, and more, according to Buckley.

Drought Conditions Improve, but Streams Remain Low

Drought Conditions Improve, but Streams Remain Low.
Greenwich experienced about 15.4 inches of rainfall cumulatively over March, April and May, according to a water supply update issued by Aquarion Water Co. on June 9.
“Drinking water reservoirs have improved and average levels statewide were more than 100 percent of normal as of the end of April, with three systems at less than 90 percent of normal,” McClure said in his release.
Although efforts to refill the state’s reservoirs have been successful, Connecticut’s stream flow and groundwater levels remain below their historical average.
On March 6, the river averaged 14.6 cubic feet of water per second, and on March 14 it averaged 20.3 cubic feet of water per second.
Rippowam River remains at low flow—it is currently about four inches below the historical average for the month, and its stream flow has fallen to lower levels since the beginning of the month.
Over the week of June 4 through June 10, the river averaged at 29.4 cubic feet of water per second, while the same week has historically seen flow discharge rates of 55.9 cubic feet of water per second between 1976 and 2016.
In this region, because of the coolness and the natural rainfall we have, for the most part people can get away with watering once a week,” Savageau said.
“It’s going to require years of adding infrastructure and conservation to make up for the loss of water that’s no longer available,” Fazekas said.
“For us, that means increasing the amount of water from the Bridgeport system transported into Stamford and Greenwich.” People-Tag: Denise Savageau, Peter Fazekas, Rob Katz, Savagaeu Tags: drought, greenwich, water supply

NEWS WORTH NOTING: Butte Creek salmon recovery efforts celebrated: Weekly Water and Climate Update: Snowpack persists in the mountains of the West

NEWS WORTH NOTING: Butte Creek salmon recovery efforts celebrated: Weekly Water and Climate Update: Snowpack persists in the mountains of the West.
Butte Creek Salmon Recovery Efforts Celebrated 20th Anniversary of Restoration Efforts that Have Led to Significant Salmon Recovery DURHAM – Partners from state and federal agencies, conservation organizations, water districts, and farmers today commemorated the 20th anniversary of restoration efforts on Butte Creek that have led to a significant recovery of spring-run Chinook salmon.
The Butte Creek Fish Passage Improvement projects are located along 90 miles of the middle reach of Butte Creek, comprising one of the nation’s most significant fisheries restoration efforts.
Today, as a result of the Butte Creek Fish Passage Improvement projects, in tandem with a valuable food supply and safe rearing habitat in the Sutter Bypass wetlands, more than 10,000 spring-run salmon return on average to Butte Creek.
“The Butte Creek effort is a leading example of how regional leaders are working to re-establish the natural connection between water and the landscape, providing functional and targeted flows that are directly tailored to benefit salmon and other species,” said Ted Trimble, General Manager, Western Canal Water District.
“And the results of these efforts are real, they are making a difference.” There are many reasons for this success including water management in the upper reach of Butte Creek that provides well-timed functional flows for spawning and holding habitat; the Butte Creek fish passage improvement projects along the middle reach of the creek, including the Gorrill Ranch diversion and the Western Canal Gary Brown siphon; and fish food production and safe rearing habitat for juvenile fish in the lower reach of the creek flowing through the wetlands created by the Sutter Bypass.
“The Butte Creek restoration projects happened because of the cooperation between the different communities involved.
The report focuses on seasonal snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and drought conditions in the U.S. A combination of widespread June snowstorms and cool temperatures has slowed snowmelt at high-elevation Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) sites in June.
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Water Pollution Essay – 439 Words – Free Essay Examples

Water Pollution Essay – 439 Words – Free Essay Examples.
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These life forms need water to survive.
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How Do Water Boards Regulate Surface Water Pollution?

How Do Water Boards Regulate Surface Water Pollution?.
Public or private facilities that discharge to rivers, lakes or streams must have discharge permits.
Water boards regulate discharges and stormwater runoff.
Since 1972, the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) has regulated the discharge of pollutants to navigable waters through issuance of permits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).
They are waste discharge requirements for discharges to surface waters (rivers, streams and lakes that often serve as drinking water supplies) under the CWA.
The regional water board holds a public hearing after the 30-day public notification.
It or the state may adopt the permit as proposed or with modification, or not adopt it at all.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency then has 30 days to object to the draft permit, and the objection must be satisfied before the permit becomes effective.
Regulating Stormwater Runoff Urban runoff can cause pollution, as well as physical impacts, to water bodies and their surrounding landscape.
Regional water boards regulate point source discharges of stormwater using federal CWA authority.