Water: Made in the USA

Water exports from Alaska to India

• First fish, then oil, now water! By the end of this year, Sitka, Alaska (a town 90 miles southwest of Juneau) will begin shipping water to a ‘world water hub’ being developed on the west coast of India, south of Mumbai. S2C and True Alaska Bottling formed Alaska Resource Management LLC and have a contract for the rights to export 2.9 billion gallons per year from Sitka’s Blue Lake Reservoir. S2C will ship water via barge at 50 million gallons/shipment. They are purchasing the water for 1 cent/gallon and can buy, load, ship and unload it for 7 cents/gallon. This does not include the energy costs involved in treating the water and markup. At this cost many are skeptical about the long-term feasibility. However, climate change is creating depleting water resources in the most populated regions, and increasing access to water at the poles due to glacier melt. Rod Bartlett, managing partner of Alaska Resource Management counters skepticism by stating “You move the water because you can’t move the population.”

The city of Sitka will earn $26 million per year if the partnership exports its entire allocation, and more than $90 million annually if the city can export its maximum water right of 9.6 billion gallons. That amount of water is enough to meet the annual domestic needs of a city of 2.6 million people using 10 gallons per person per day (the average use in developing nations). This is a 20% of Mumbai’s population. However, at a of cost of 23 times more than that of tap water in the US, this water will not be used to alleviate water shortages for the world’s poorest; but rather is slated to be sold to clients around the Arabian sea.
“Every nation within a four-day target of the hub is a potential customer or client that will need fresh water,” said Bartlett. Without revealing details, Bartlett stated that S2C has received both spoken and “written expressions of interest.”

This bulk water export may be only the first of many as S2C, envisions water hubs in the Arabian Sea, East China Sea and Caribbean Sea. The supply side seems to have many willing partners as well.

• The Alaska Department of Natural Resources received three new applications for bulk water removal from Adak Island in the Aleutian chain. The Aleut Corporation plans to export 1.5 million gallons per day from three reservoirs on the island.
• The city of Sitka continues to look for buyers with this announcement on their website:
  “The City and Borough of Sitka welcomes proposals from companies or individuals who are interested in bulk fresh water export. We currently have 6,206,629,025 million gallons available for sale directly sourced from the Blue Lake reservoir. This abundant water source is fed by snow/glacial melt, and rain precipitation. Blue Lake water is nearly pure in its natural state, so that Sitka is not required to filter it prior to purification and distribution to the consumer. A 36-inch diameter raw water pipeline is complete and ready to load water right on our waterfront.”
• What other large water resources may be considered for export? In 2008, in response to a proposal to ship water from the Great Lakes to China, the US and Canada Signed the Great Lakes Compact preventing water from being diverted from the region. Therefore the Great Lakes is now protected and Canada, which owns more freshwater resources than any other country, is moving to ban bulk exports from other water resources in the country.
• However, Greenland, Iceland and New Zealand are searching for investors

Through our Global Sustainable Water Program, we take a different approach to finding ‘new water sources’ by educating communities to use existing water resources more sustainably. One of our solutions to the growing water crisis in India, is a cooperative partnership with the Goodwill Social Work Center to develop of a ‘Rain Center’ in the Madurai, India. Check it out!

Two Spills, Two Continents, Two Vastly Different Approaches: Which One Will Succeed?

Fireball resulting from Oil Spill in China's Yellow Sea

The Gulf Coast is so badly polluted that it may have stolen your attention away from a similar catastrophe that has gone on in China’s Yellow

Sea.  Yes, more oil in our precious oceans.  On July 16, two oil pipelines exploded at the Chinese oil storage facility at the Dalian city port, when workers injected desulfurizer into pipes for the refinement process.  A fireball ignited, shrouding the city in smoke, after raging for 15 hours and spewing 47,600 gallons of crude oil.  Although this is a very large oil spill, by comparison, it’s much smaller than the BP oil spill in the gulf, in which approximately 94 million to 184 million gallons of oil has been spilled.  The BP oil spill is 2,000  to 4,000 times larger, but the boys at BP have had 106 days so far and haven’t begun to close in on a solution; whereas the China spill was cleaned up in ten days.  What’s the cause for such different outcomes?  There are numerous factors involved in the nature of the spills, but the main deviation is in the methods used for clean up.

What makes the Deepwater Horizon spill so much more devastating, is that it’s happening deep underwater.  Instead of oil floating only on the surface of the water (as in the China spill), in the gulf a constant supply of oil was gushing underwater; causing some of the oil to form plumes at depths of up to a mile below the surface of the ocean.

The other main difference is the approach.  BP has been rather close-minded about the whole process of cleanup.  They have only used skimming and dispersants and even refuse to use nontoxic dispersants.  The problem with dispersants is that not only do they thin out the oil and spread it over a larger area, but they are also an additional pollution for the environment. The China oil spill, on the other hand, was handled immediately and with ease.  The cleanup consisted of dispersants, scooping up the larger portions of the spill, and one vital ingredient: Bacteria.  Using bacteria to clean up waste is an environmentally safe, economically sound, time-efficient and proven method called bioremediation.  The Chinese government recognizes this and had its oil spill cleaned up in ten days.  Why is bioremediation not being used in the Gulf Oil Spill? NVOC is investigating this and conducting a feasibility study to determine the benefits and potential obstacles in using this bioremediation in the Gulf.

Although the China spill was cleaned up quickly, there is some extended damage that has been done to the environment; Greenpeace, an organization involved in the cleanup in China, indicated that the environment will be adversely affected for at least 30 years.  This considered, we have to ask ourselves, how long will the environment be adversely affected in the Gulf?  If it is at all related to how long the oil’s been in the water, and at what quantity, just imagine what an ongoing 106 days of over 100 million gallons of oil will give us.

–Adam Catalfano

Resources:

http://www.examiner.com/x-43877-International-Trade-Examiner~y2010m8d3-BP-refused-to-use-nontoxic-dispersants-in-oil-spill

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0422/Amid-search-for-Deepwater-Horizon-oil-rig-survivors-What-happened

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0723/Oil-eating-bacteria-to-the-China-oil-spill-rescue

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100720/sc_afp/chinaenvironmentoilpollution

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/27/world/la-fg-china-oil-spill-20100727

Flooding Causes Water Shortages

When you hear the words “Lack of potable water” what comes to mind?  Drought?  Developing countries?  What about flooding in a major U.S. city?  This week, Nashville’s flood served as a wakeup call to the serious potable water shortages that can result from flooding. One of two water treatment plants in Nashville is currently under water; making it inoperable and reducing the amount of potable water that is available to people throughout the city. Despite city officials urging citizens to conserve water, records show that water use over the last few days, during a time of crisis, is nearly equal to that used last year, under normal conditions. Unlike food, fuel, and other supplies, Nashville cannot import water from another source to meet their needs; all they have is their local water resources. Cities throughout the world face an uncertain future as climate change progresses. However, one thing is certain; severe water events (both droughts and floods) are imminent. Each of us plays an important role in conserving our local water resources. Don’t wait for a crisis, Start Now!

Help Us Create a Rain Center

2009 Poster Contest Winner - Drishti Desai, Age 13 - receiving her award at the Goodwill Social Work Center

We are asking you to help us raise $10,000 for the creation of a Rain Center in Madurai, India.  Nature’s Voice Our Choice in cooperation with Goodwill Social Work Center in Madurai  has developed a project aimed at increasing the technical capacity of people living in slums areas to implement small urban rainwater harvesting projects.  This project is part of a larger ‘Student’s Give Water a Voice’ program which promotes artistic expression of the water challenges facing students and empowers them to realize their ability to make changes and take action.  Because students from the Goodwill Social Work Center were winners of our 2008 and 2009 International Poster Contest they received the opportunity to design and implement a community water resource project with technical assistance from NVOC.  Now we need your assistance to make it possible.

The slum areas of Madurai East and West suffer from seasonal severe floods and severe droughts. Rainwater harvesting from rooftops is mandated by the Indian Government and is common practice among those who can afford it. However, in the slum areas, where clean water is needed most, residents lack access to technical resources and training for developing basic rooftop rainwater harvesting structures.  This program will train technicians in Urban Rainwater Harvesting through the Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board in Madurai. Prior to the 2010 Monsoon season, these technicians will train 500 residents over 16 weeks in rooftop rainwater harvesting techniques and provide them with on-site technical assistance.  Increasing the number of rainwater harvesting structures will provide residents with a source of clean water, reduce flooding and overflowing sewage during the monsoon, and improve the health and living conditions for thousands of children.  Please Help us Reach our Goal of raising $10,000 by April 22nd to fund the first phase of the project.

Campaign to Eliminate Plastics

In the Fall of 2008, while standing on the banks of the Elizabeth River in Portmounth, VA, my son and I counted 25 pieces of plastic floating by in less than 5 minutes (bags, straws, cups, lids…)  Not only are plastics unsightly in the water, they also harm aquatic plants and animals.  Debris from plastics bags and small plastic pieces are eaten by fish, birds, and aquatic animals who mistake the brightly colored floating pieces, for food.  Unable to digest the plastic that fills their stomachs, they starve to death.  Or they become entangled in plastics and drown or it grows into their body.

We all recycle when possible and certainly don’t throw plastics into rivers, lakes, or oceans so we are doing your part, RIGHT?  Wrong!  Many plastic can not be recycled and the only way to keep plastics out of our oceans and waterways is to stop buying them and stop throwing them away.  It is extremely difficult to eliminate all plastics from our lives, but paying attention to what we use and buy can reduce them.  WHAT CAN YOU DO? 
 
Starting October 1st, 2008 we began a Campaign to Eliminate Plastics.  This is Something everyone can do with a little effort.  Make it a challenge, a goal to work towards eliminating disposable plastics in your life, one month at a time.  We will give you a new plastic to ‘give up’ each month and provide you with tips, links, and information on buying alternatives.

October, 2008  — Month 1 – Stop Using Plastic Grocery Bags

If you haven’t already, go out and buy several reusable canvas shopping bags (they are available at every supermarket now).  Put them in your trunk and take them with you EVERYTIME you shop.

For years I’ve used the excuse that I need the plastic bags because I use them as trash bags.  But the truth is, I get many more bags than I need and now biodegradable trash bags (made from cornstarch) are available.

 

November, 2008 — Month 2 — Stop Using Plastic Produce Bags

 

Now that you are in the habit of carrying cloth bags, and using them, lets look at how to eliminate plastic produce bags.  You don’t want all those plastic produce bags, but……..
Where do you put your apples, green peppers, and potatoes?  
Paper bags are a good solution!  You can purchase them at hardware stores, department stores, and in bulk at Sam’s Club and on line.  You can get 500 bags for about $14.00.  500 bags should last you a lifetime.  Store the paper bags along with your cloth bags and reuse them until they fall apart and then recycle them.

December, 2008 — Month 3 — Stop Using Saran Wrap

Saran wrap is very popular for covering lefovers in the refrigerator, wrapping and covering baked goods, and covering dishes in the microwave; However, there are many simple alternatives to saran wrap.

Try wrapping baked goods in wax paper and then sealing the package with decorative sticker or tape.  
Place leftovers and baked goods in reusable tupperware dishes.  Or place a saucer plate over a bowl of leftovers in the refrigerator.  Place a microwave safe plate over your dish when heating it in the microwave. 

January, 2009 — Month 4 — Stop Buying Ziplock Bags

Ziplock bags, the seemingly convient way to store cheese, meats, leftovers and the quick solution to packing lunches.  However, disposable ziplock bags are not recyclable or reusable and are a enomorous waste.

There are a huge variety of reusable containers available on the market in all shapes and sizes.  Try packing lunches and storing leftovers in reusable sturdy tupperware, freezing meats in freezer paper, and packing snacks in reusable containers.

February, 2009 — Month 5 — Buy Glass Bottles instead of Plastic

Whenever possible look for the option of buy glass bottles with metal lids instead of plastic.  Nearly all plastic bottles have a platic sealing ring and plastic lid that can not be recycled.  However, glass bottles often have metal lids can be recycled separately with your aluminum materials.  Many products are bottled in glass containers including condiments, juice, softdrinks, and in some places milk.  There are a few states where bottles can be returned instead of recycled.

March 2010 — Month 6 — Stop Using Straws

Straws are convenient and can make drinking a softdrink more pleasurable or add a stirring device to your cocktail.  But actually straws are unnecessary, wasteful, and cannot be recycled.  Next time your at a fastfood place, a restaurant, or a bar kindly insist that you do not need a lid or a straw with your drink.

For at home use their are a couple alternatives to plastic straws including glass straws and reusable bamboo straws made in Laos and shipped free to anywhere in the world.

As Consumers we drive the production of plastics,
if we stop buying them,
they will stop being made

Finding Value in Waste

Increased Desertification and Falling Water Tables Force People
from Rural Areas into the Cities in Search of Work

In the desert village of Ksar Terchane, in the Northern Adrar Region of Mauritania, West Africa, water is the most valuable resource. Villagers live on less than 2 liters (1/2 gallon)/day including drinking, cooking, bathing, and washing dishes and clothes. Traditionally desert nomads, Mauritanians have become experts in water conservation; not a drop is wasted.
+ When thirsty you drink milk
+ Dishes are washed without soap so that the goats can drink the left over water
+ Bathing is done with a (teapot), permitting a decent bath with only a liter of water.
However in the late 70′s drought and increased desertification began to alter their lifestyle, first requiring settlement in oasis villages in order to find water and grow food. Later, as wells dried up, grazing forage for goats ceased to exist, firewood became impossible to find, and as the hot desert winds became relentless, many began to migrate to the cities in search of work. The capital, Nouakchott, has grown from a population of 50,000 to over 1 million in the last 20 years. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I traveled from Ksar Terchane to the capital city every few months and witnessed this transformation. I watched as one by one, families from the village loaded up all their belongings in the back of a taxi, tied the goats on top, and headed off to Nouakchott with the promise of a better life in a place which many of them had never visited.  As I watched, I couldn’t help thinking of “The Grapes of Wrath”.

Untreated wastewater dumped in open lots

Like many large cities in the developing world the population growth does not match the infrastructural growth. Therefore, the majority of the population lives in shanty towns on the peripheries of Nouakchott. Although their environment has changed, the need to conserve water has not. For the majority of these families living on the peripheries of Nouakchott, access to running water does not exist and buying water in barrels is 10 times more expensive than tap water in the city’s center; thus making agriculture production nearly impossible. Market gardeners previously tapped into the city’s main line that pumps water from an aquifer 60 km (37 miles) east of Nouakchott. However, increase demand in Nouakchott’s affluent neighborhoods required the city to regulate and prohibit this activity. In addition to the problem of potable water access, peripheral neighborhoods have become the dumping grounds for waste water (from septic tanks that have been pumped from affluent neighborhoods). This waste water was once dumped at the edge of town, however as the city grew and the price of fuel rose, the trucks began dumping in open lots in the shanty towns. This area is also the dumping grounds for solid waste, these areas have become waste swamps filled with mosquitos, odors, and disease – a health hazard nightmare. The poorest of these neighborhoods is called ‘Kebbah’ which in Hassaniya language means ‘garbage’. The wrath is felt daily by these former villagers who once enjoyed the beauty and cleanliness of open spaces. This problem in not specific to Nouakchott, it exists throughout the developing world in large cities that have an influx of people searching for ways to survive after their lands have become uninhabitable due to desertification, deforestation, erosion, soil salinity, and depleting water resources.

Waste water treatment using aquatic plants and wetlands

In November, 2003, motivated by an idea from former US Ambassador to Mauritania, John Limbert, we I started a local Nonprofit Organization called Nature’s Voice – Our Choice with the goal of developing a system that could treat waste water using aquatic plants found in the nearby Senegal River. The goal was to create a pilot project that could: + be duplicated in peripheral neighborhoods + be constructed locally with minimal expense + function using only manual labor + be operated and maintained by local women + treat domestic waste water to World Health Organization standards for irrigation of vegetables for human consumption. We partnered with the owner of a local apartment complex who agreed to let us use the lot adjacent to his complex as an experiment in “What is possible”, in exchange for finding a solution to his waste water problem. The oldest method of waste water treatment is aerobic decomposition through natural processes (flow of water over rocks and plants, through sand, and in streams wherebacteria break down the waste). Natural aerobic decomposition of wastewater is a long process, but it is possible to recreate nature. How? By constructing basins filled with aquatic plants and constructed wetlands. There are numerous types of aquatic plants that can be used in wastewater treatment; however, for this project we chose water lettuce and water hyacinths for the basins and cattail and bulrush for the wetlands due to their proven effectiveness in other experimental projects and availability in the nearby Senegal River. Water lettuce and Water Hyacinths are buoyant and grow on the surface of fresh water streams, rivers, and lakes. The plant roots provide an ideal environment for aerobic bacteria to grow. The contact of waste water with large surface areas of aerobic (good) bacteria is the process of aerobic decomposition during secondary treatment. For irrigational purposes, recycled water may be used after secondary treatment. At this stage harmful bacteria and chemical levels have been sufficiently reduced and the remaining inorganic compounds primarily (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) are beneficial to the soil as an alternative to chemical fertilizers; replenishing nutrients that are lost during crop production. Aquatic plants reproduce quickly requiring a third of them to be harvested twice a week. Harvesting the plants involves simply removing them from the water with a pitch fork. The harvested plants are utilized to produce the following products: mulch, compost, silage serving as a high nutrient animal feed.

Mauritanian women are trained to operate and maintain the system

A team of six Mauritanian women were trained for one month in the operation and maintenance of the system, as well as health and socioeconomic impacts. The women continue to operate the system producing 1000 liters of treated water/day that is used to irrigate a 900 square meter plot of land producing vegetables, trees, ornamental plants, animal feed and a continuous source of income for their families. Women who once woke each day wondering what they would feed their families have now found value in waste water.