The Indian state of Gujarat will soon build the world’s largest freshwater reservoir in a sea.  The area has been experiencing drought that has affected many of the reservoirs in the area.

The building of the Kalpasar project is expected to begin in early 2014. The technical and economic feasibility study for the ten cubic kilomater reservoir is in its final stages and will be delivered to the state assembly in December 2013. The water will be used mostly for irrigation, but also for drinking water for Gujarat.

The massive project entails building an eighteen mile dam across the Gulf of Khambat. A ten-lane road will run across the top of it, reducing the distance between Bhavnagar at one end of the dam and South Gujarat by ninety miles. A tidal power generator with an installed capacity of 5880 MW had been planned for the dam, but might now be scrapped.  Ports near the dam will be revitalized and new ports will be built further out from the dam.

The feasibility study will look at the stability of the ocean floor at the point where the dam will be placed. Also, the sedimentation pattern in the Gulf of Khambat will change and engineers and scientists are modeling how and what effect it will have on other industries and wildlife in the area.

The estimated cost of the Kalpasar project is around US$12 billion.

Dwarka Bay, Gujarat photo via Shutterstock

Or, rather, don’t poop in public pools. Please. The microscopic flora in many pools is unpleasant to think about.

A group of researchers took samples from the filters of 161 public and private swimming pools and water parks in Atlanta, Georgia during the summer of 2012. Public swimming pools are usually owned by cities and are open to anyone who lives within city limits or who pays a small fee. The private pools in this study were club-owned pools, rather than the pools in somebody’s backyard. The swimmers at private pools are still a varied group.

The study tested for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Giardia intestinalis, Cryptosporidium, Noroviruses, and Adenovirus. All these viruses are associated with diarrheal illness in infected patients.

The good news is that neither norovirus nor adenovirus were detected in these pools. That doesn’t they’re absent from all pools, but that maybe they aren’t very common. E. coli and P. aeruginosa were found in 58% and 59% of pools studied, respectively, with 42% of pools containing both microbes. Giardia was found in two pools and cryptosporidium was found in only one.

E. coli is a common bacteria found in the intestinal tracts of most mammals. However, outside of the intestinal tract, such as if it is ingested through contaminated food or water (pool water, for instance), it can cause severe diarrheal illness. E. coli was found in 70% of the public pools and 66% of the water parks. Only 49% of the private pools contained e. coli.

While cryptosporidium was found in only one pool, it doesn’t take much to start an outbreak. It takes 2-10 days after exposure for symptoms to begin. By that time, an infected person might have gone swimming in more than one pool. In the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in 2008, an outbreak of crypto shut down nearly all water parks and public pools. It started in one swimming hole in the early summer. By mid-summer, at least 400 people had fallen ill with severe diarrhea.

On a positive note, proper chlorination of pool water can kill these microbes. E. coli can be killed within a minute with a chlorine concentration of 1 part per million. Cryptosporidium takes up to ten days to die off – if crypto is suspected, it’s best to hyperchlorinate to rid the water of the microbe.

The microbes get into the pool through leaky diapers or inadequate cleansing after using a toilet. The CDC recommends showering with soap before swimming and taking a rinse shower after a bathroom break. Take small children out of the pool every hour or so and encourage them to use the toilet. Wash your hands well. Don’t swim when you have diarrhea.

Have fun swimming this summer, but do take precautions and stay safe and healthy.

wizdata / Shutterstock.com

The global water crisis affects us all. Experts estimate that population will increase by another billion people in the world by 2025. The infographic below shows that the world’s population has doubled in the last forty years, but fresh water use has quadrupled.

Two side-by-side statistics indicate that water use will increase by 50% in developing countries, presumably because the people living there are improving their living standards. To my mind, this is a good thing. All people should have clean drinking water and enough water to bathe and wash with. Even with the 50% increase in water use, two-thirds of the people in the world will experience water scarcity.

The second statistic shows that water use will increase by 18% in developed countries. This is something that doesn’t have to happen. With careful home, agricultural, and industrial conservation, developed nations should be able to reduce their water usage.

The alternative isn’t pretty. Water scarcity can cause political unrest, which can affect all parts of the world, not just those parts experiencing the lack of water.

Global water crisis infographic courtesy Seametrics

Windmill in Namibia photo via Shutterstock

dloHaiti provides clean drinking water to Haitians at a lower cost than other water companies, and at a profit. The key to their success is solar-powered water filter kiosks.

Jim Chu, formerly an executive of Cisco Systems, formed dloHaiti in order to help the people and prove that helping people can be profitable. Mr. Chu says, “Sometimes, and this is unfortunate, the phrase “social business” is used as shorthand for “bad business”. I want to be able to prove anyone wrong who believes this.”

Currently, Haiti suffers from a lack of clean water. The earthquake in 2010 destroyed much of the infrastructure. Although some remains and some has been rebuilt, pipe systems carrying clean drinking water reach only one-third of the urban poor and less than one-third of the rural poor. Diesel trucks transport water from a centralized location to kiosks. People then walk, sometimes long distances, to get the water from the kiosks. The lowest price these companies offer their drinking water for is twelve cents per gallon.

dloHaiti uses solar-powered kiosks to filter the water near where the people live. This not only cuts down on transport costs, it also cuts down on potential contamination as water moves through pipes or truck tanks. The solar-powered filters are made from easy to obtain parts, so they can be repaired locally.

The advantage of a for-profit business is that it is self-perpetuating. The water kiosks make a profit, supplying a job or jobs to locals, who will keep that business running so they can keep making a living. At the same time, the steady supply of clean water provides a social good to the community.

dloHaiti expects to build forty solar-powered water filtering kiosks in Haiti this year, serving 145,000 people.

Horses drinking water in Haiti photo via Shutterstock

A private corporation is exporting water from Chile during the fourth year of a drought.

Chilean Ambassador Jean Paul Tarud was quoted in Qatar as saying, “Chile has some of the largest fresh water export capabilities in the world,” and that Chile was exporting fresh water to Qatar. Qatar has a serious shortage of water and is implementing multiple projects to attain the water needed by its people.  After the quotes sparked a public outcry in Chile, which is suffering from water scarcity in several regions, Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno assured Chileans that the project is a private enterprise and not a government one.

While Minister Moreno’s point is probably that tax dollars are not being used to benefit a foreign country, his assurances seem to miss the point. Chile is experiencing their fourth year of a severe drought. In the Coquimbo region, reservoirs have only four percent of the water they should have. Agricultural lands are declining in productivity. Population in the region has dropped by 20% as people are no longer able to make a living.

34% of Chile’s power is generated from hydroelectric sources. With some rivers running at just over half their normal rate, there is not enough water flow to produce electricity. Shortages in energy will affect Chile’s economy as businesses have to cut hours.

Chile’s government spent US$152 million last year building reservoirs and seeding clouds. Even if the Chilean government isn’t spending tax dollars to ship the water internationally, they’ve certainly invested a great deal in making sure it’s there. The private company is taking advantage of the government programs and enjoying the profit.

Salt plain in Chile photo via Shutterstock

It may seem contradictory that drought increases runoff pollution. It’s a complicated problem, but not one without solutions.

The severe drought across much of the United States last year left plants unable to absorb the chemical fertilizers intended to boost their growth. The nitrates from the fertilizers remained in the soil until last month in Iowa, when record rainfall washed it out of the farmland and into the rivers.

Iowa is seeing record levels of nitrate pollution in its rivers this year. The Raccoon River near Des Moines had 24 milligrams of nitrates per liter, way above the 10 mg/l limit for drinking water. The Des Moines Water Works spends $7000 per day to decrease the amount of nitrates in the drinking water to acceptable levels.

Iowa’s plan to combat farm runoff includes sharing scientific data with farmers which will help them to apply fertilizer more efficiently and encourage conservation measures. However, cooperation is entirely voluntary and it doesn’t appear that enough farms are applying these measures.

Des Moines photo via Shutterstock

Magdalena Bay is a major feeding ground for several species of sea turtles. Local communities have depended on sea turtles for food and products in their homes.  However, sea turtle populations have declined significantly in recent decades

Traditionally, fishing communities would eat the sea turtles, especially during holidays. When the community noticed the decline in sea turtle populations, they formed Grupo Tortuguero. Grupo Tortuguero is composed mainly of fishermen who also study turtles. When they are fishing and a turtle comes near the boat, they pull it on board, take measurements, tag them, and release them.

Initially, the community worried that conservation would negatively impact their own fisheries. They had to move away from gillnets, which catch turtles and drown them. Tourism allows the community to increase opportunities for employment, but the biggest improvement has been in technology. Adding lights to the fishing nets causes turtles to avoid them, but encourages halibut to enter them.

Conservation has become an important activity in Magdalena Bay and it has created other industries to improve the quality of life for the communities there.

The video on the sea turtles and fisheries of Magdalena Bay is about sixteen minutes long.

Loggerhead sea turtle swimming in the Florida Keys via Shutterstock

On Sunday, people in the Indian state of Gujarat joined together in a pledge to conserve water.

Gujarat, on the western side of India, has been experiencing severe drought. Some aquifers near the coast are undergoing saltwater intrusion. Reservoirs are running dry; many are at 5% of their capacity. Women must walk two to three miles each day to collect water, even in large cities.

The government is implementing multiple solutions. Gujarat is known for its innovative business strategies, having one of the largest solar power plants in the world and planning to put “solar roofs” over major roads and highways. 100% of villages have electricity and broadband internet.

Desilting dams, building more reservoirs, and increasing the number of canals to bring water into the region is already underway. The government also plans to desalinate sea water along Gujarat’s thousand mile coast. Even recycling waste water is getting attention.

In agriculture, drip irrigation is being pushed. “One drop, more crop” is the government’s slogan. Agricultural production has increased in recent years with water conservation innovations, despite scarce rainfall.

Boat stranded in the Little Rann of Kutch photo via Shutterstock

This week, the Delaware legislature banned the sale, trade, distribution, and possession of shark fins in the state. Now the bill awaits the signature of Governor Jack Markell in order to become law.

Shark finning is done by slicing off a shark’s fins while the animal is still alive, then throwing the body back in to the water. The shark dies of its injuries. With shark populations decreasing sharply worldwide, many species are endangered or threatened and sharks are in need of protection.

Shark finning is illegal in the United States, but shark fin products are not illegal, except in those localities that have passed laws banning the shark fin products. California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and Illinois have bans. Maryland and New York are in the process of getting the products banned. That only leaves forty-two more states to step up.

To find out more about shark finning or how you can help sharks around the world, check out Oceana’s shark page.

Dried shark fins photo via Shutterstock

Eighteen percent of Pennsylvania wells have elevated levels of arsenic.

The United State Geological Survey (USGS) compiled data on groundwater wells to map the most likely places where elevated arsenic levels might be found. The study found that eight percent of wells in Pennsylvania have arsenic levels that equal or exceed the EPA’s drinking water maximum contaminant level of ten micrograms per liter. Another ten percent have elevated (but not exceeding standards) levels or arsenic, defined as more than four micrograms per liter.

The study showed that areas with shallow glacial or shale and sandstone aquifers are more likely to have elevated arsenic levels in the groundwater. Arsenic occurs naturally in these formations. Arsenic can also be a result of human activity.  Arsenic can cause health problems in humans ranging from an increased risk of cancer to nausea, vomiting, numbness, partial paralysis, and blindness.

Public water systems in Pennsylvania must conform to national drinking water standards; any arsenic is reduced to acceptable levels before it is sent out to customers. Private water wells are not regulated in Pennsylvania. Homeowners may not even know there is arsenic in their well water. The USGS map for Pennsylvania (and some other states) helps homeowners to assess their risk and decide whether the water needs testing.