Trace pesticides in treated Oregon drinking water

RESTON, VA — Treated drinking water from Oregon’s Clackamas River contains trace levels of pesticides, according to results of a recently released US Geological Survey (USGS) study, in which the Clackamas River Water Providers and the Clackamas County Department of Water Environment Services cooperated.

Information on the study, available in the USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5027, Pesticide Occurrence and Distribution in the Lower Clackamas River Basin, Oregon, 2000-2005, was released by the USGS in a March 18 press release.

The treated drinking water samples were collected from a drinking water treatment plant that uses the Clackamas River as a raw water source. One or more of 15 pesticides were detected in nine of 15 samples of drinking water. According to the USGS, all of the detections in drinking water were “far below” existing US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards and other human health benchmarks.

The UGGS said its study also found a variety of pesticides in water samples from the lower Clackamas River mainstem and tributaries, with more pesticides detected in the tributaries than the mainstem.

The herbicides atrazine and simazine were the most commonly detected. High-use herbicides such as glyphosate and triclopyr/2,4-D, the active ingredients in RoundUP™ and Crossbow™, respectively, also were frequently detected, reported the USGS.

Clock is running for old US water pipes

WASHINGTON — A report from the National Research Council says that a majority of the 1 million miles of water piping in the US will need to be replaced within the next 30 years, according to a September 11 story by the Environment News Service.

The report linked an increase in waterborne diseases as a potential result of the corroding water systems and asks the federal government to fund programs that would better monitor waterborne contamination in the future, the story said.

The report also calls on the US Environmental Protection Agency to work with each state to establish programs that will improve and unify plumbing codes, according to the story.

One problem the report addresses is that current regulatory programs do not properly address the potential for disease outbreaks or look at distribution systems as the potential sources of contamination, the story said.
 

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Crypto found in CA play fountains

SAN JOSE, CA – The Santa Clara County Public Health Department is monitoring interactive play fountains around the county after seven children were infected by a Cryptosporidium parasite while playing in a fountain at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, according to an article in The Mercury News.

The Plaza de Cesar Chavez fountain and another fountain in McEnery Park have been shut off, and city officials are expected to meet this week with representatives from the county to review filtration systems for removing bacteria from the water, the story said.

Interactive fountains, which are designed for water play, continuously recirculate water through a series of jets, increasing the opportunity for contaminants to build up, the report noted.

Unlike public pools, hot tubs, spas and water parks, interactive fountains are not monitored by health officials for proper chlorination, according to the article.

To read the full article, click here.