The Wednesday Wetness

Potomac Conservancy, Sewage spill: The EPA declares the Potomac’s recovery goals are achieved. Why we disagree

The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Everything Stops For Tea up and at'em at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

USEPA, EPA to Take Over Potomac River Water Quality Sampling Near Interceptor Site "Today, as part of the ongoing federal response to the Potomac Interceptor collapse, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will assume responsibility for water quality sampling previously conducted by the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). EPA will utilize the same locations as the previous DOEE sampling, which can be seen on the map below..."

Tattoo Thursday

Science Alert: Tattoos Affect Your Immune System in Ways We're Only Beginning to Understand

So it must not be that bad.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: But First, Coffee awaiting your digital amusement at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

From the Balmer Sun, Baltimore-led work group to study regional water management model serving 1.8 million residents

A 13-member work group will convene in January to start discussing a potential new oversight structure for the Baltimore region’s water and sewer systems. Chaired by Baltimore Comptroller Bill Henry, the work group will look at creating a regional water management model to give jurisdictions that use the systems a say in how the water and wastewater systems are managed and financed, and to bolster the region’s ability to maintain the infrastructure in the future. “The future of Baltimore’s water system affects so much of the metropolitan area; it’s important that we employ a regional approach when tackling this issue,” Henry said in a statement Monday. The work group will meet Jan. 7 in the Baltimore City Council chambers.

Owned and operated by Baltimore City, the region’s water and wastewater systems serve 1.8 million residents in the city, as well as Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties. The city is responsible for managing, maintaining and upgrading the systems, though nearby jurisdictions chip in through cost-sharing agreements. “This work group gives us the chance to modernize a system that has served the region for decades, but no longer reflects the needs of our communities,” Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said in a statement.

You have to be pretty desperate to let the City of Baltimore handle your water and sewage needs.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Old Trucks & Young Girls up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

Luck Stone Quarry

WTOP, Drought concerns highlight lack of backup water supply in DC, Arlington

While local water officials monitor drought conditions, and weigh the likelihood of needing to tap water reserves to supplement the Potomac River, more local utility companies are utilizing an age-old method of increasing their backup supply.

“Quarries have been used since Roman times to supply water,” said Michael Nardolilli, executive director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. “Filling them up during times of high flow, and then using it during times of drought or contamination events.”

Loudoun County in Virginia is in the process of converting Luck Stone quarry into a billion-gallon reservoir. That project is slated to finish in 2028. “Now, you have Vulcan Quarry in Fairfax County,” said Nardolilli. “Which will be called the Edgemon Reservoir.” The name is a reference to a former general manager of the water company, who died in 2022.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Doughnut Dolly up on time and under budget.

The Wednesday Wetness

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The Wednesday Wetness

Vox whines   Why RFK Jr. wants to ban fluoride in water, "Kennedy is targeting our best defense against the dentist.

Having undermined the government’s support for childhood vaccines amid the worst measles outbreak in years, he is now targeting another longstanding pillar of American public health: water fluoridation. HHS will convene a board of experts to review the federal government’s recommendation that communities fluoridate their water, the agency announced on Monday. The Environmental Protection Agency is simultaneously launching a review of the science on fluoride’s health effects.

The end result of those inquiries seems to be a foregone conclusion: Kennedy told the Associated Press that he wanted the government to stop recommending fluoridation. He has called fluoride “industrial waste” and blamed it for an array of health conditions, from neurological damage in children to bone cancer. Banning fluoride is an integral part of Kennedy’s campaign to Make America Healthy Again. The news of the reviews came on the same day he appeared in Salt Lake City to praise Utah for being the first state to officially ban water fluoridation.

”It makes no sense to have it in our water supply,” Kennedy told reporters. “I’m very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it, and I hope many more will come.”
. . .
Water fluoridation, which the US government has supported since 1950, has long been considered a major public health win. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported as recently as last year that, based on the best available evidence, fluoride in water reduces tooth decay by 25 percent for children and adults. About three in five Americans now drink fluoridated water from their community water system.

Concerns about fluoridated water’s health effects have been around for decades, too, particularly among conspiracy-minded individuals like Kennedy. Like many conspiracies, it has some basis in reality — but the reality is far more nuanced than Kennedy’s new call for banning it outright would suggest.

As neuroscientist Celia Ford covered for Vox last year, questions around fluoridated water began growing after the US National Toxicology Program stated with “moderate” confidence that exposure to elevated fluoride levels could reduce IQ in children.

That’s a finding worth taking seriously — but only in context. The elevated fluoride levels that were studied in the report were above 1.5 milligrams per liter — more than twice the existing federal guidelines for how much fluoride communities should add to their water. The size of the effect was also fairly small, amounting to 1 to 2 points.

To put their context into context. Fluoride doesn't have to be ingested to be effective for cavity prevention. Fluoride is not incorporated into teeth from food and drink. It is absorbed at the tooth surface. Mere contact with fluoridated water, fluoridated toothpaste or fluoride treatments at the dentist do equally well, without risk of neurological damage.

Similar claims of minor IQ reductions in children from Hg in fish were used as a pretext to massively change our economy, challenging coal use, mandating extreme efforts to remove Hg from coal stack gases. Sauce for the goose.

As I have noted before, our local water system doesn't fluoridate, as a small co-op, we are not permitted to, and the risk of accidental poisoning is too high. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Fresh From The Shower up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain on time and under budget.

The Wednesday Wetness

Central Oregon Daily, Cougar spotted on Oregon coast dock tranquilized, but dies after jumping into water. "A cougar that was spotted walking on boat docks in Newport, Oregon, Thursday was tranquilized before it could harm anyone."

Oregon, my Oregon!

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Pre-Coffee Lounging and FMJRA 2.0: No Expansion This Year garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

NBC, Teen kayaker rescued after spending 12 hours treading water and clinging to his kayak "The 17-year-old became separated from his high school paddling group around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday."

At least it was Hawaii, where the water is warm.

The Wednesday Wetness

NBC News, A new study suggested the public health benefits of water fluoridation are diminishing

NBC News’ Yasmin Vossoughian details the scrutiny around fluoride and explains why a federal judge ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency needs to take action to regulate it. 

So the John Birch Society was right all along? Recent studies link elevated fluoride in drinking water to lower IQs in children.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Where My Wolfsbane At? on time and under budget at the Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

WTOP, If something disrupts the Potomac River, DC has less than 24 hours of water in supply

D.C. could be in hot water if something ever disrupts the Potomac River’s drinking water supply. That’s according to a new report outlining the devastating economic impact a disruption would cause while urging for a better backup.

“If we do have an issue here in the District of Columbia, at the Washington Aqueduct, we have approximately less than 24 hours of water in supply,” David Gaddis, the CEO and general manager of D.C. Water, said during a news conference at The Wharf on Tuesday.

The report from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin revealed that a catastrophe on the Potomac — such as a severe drought, chemical spill, infrastructure failure or algae bloom — could disrupt the water supply for weeks. The commission found such a disruption could result in a loss of $15 billion in gross regional product within the first month.

I mean, what could go wrong? A hurricane? 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: But First, Coffee  up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

Franklin County Freep, Pennsylvania Faces Widespread Lead Pipe Crisis Despite Increased Funding

Pennsylvania is grappling with a significant lead pipe issue, ranking among the states with the most lead water service lines. Cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia alone report having 29,000 and 25,000 lead pipes, respectively, though experts believe the problem is even larger due to a lack of comprehensive data.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) estimates that more than 660,000 service lines in Pennsylvania contain lead. A report by NRDC highlights that many U.S. cities, both large and small, continue to have residents using lead pipes for their drinking water, often without knowing the materials used in their service lines.

All drinking water, and all plumbing systems have lead. The only question is how much. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Loungewear garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

Fox 45: Levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in water exceed regulations in some Baltimore schools

Along with the stress of a new school year, some Baltimore area schools also are dealing with elevated levels of PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” found in their water systems.

Water testing detected elevated levels of PFAS in several schools in Baltimore, Howard and Harford counties. In some schools, bottled water will be the new normal while solutions are being worked on.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are an expansive group containing thousands of man-made chemicals that have been used to create several products, from nonstick pans to waterproof raincoats. Though their resistance to water and heat makes the chemicals useful, it also means that once they get into the environment they don’t readily degrade, which earned them the forever chemical nickname.

Which begs the question, where do the PFAS in these water supplies come from? Most of the region of concern uses treated surface water for drinking (unlike us, whose deep well water is 40,000 years old, and remarkably free of PFAS), and presumably the water supplies in the area around the affected schools is similarly contaminated. We'll probably find that out soon enough, as the PFAS testing mandate from EPA will kick in.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Sunday Morning Coffee up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

At the Bay Journal, Get to know a stream near you — and its connection to the Chesapeake Bay

A small creek is often one of the first “natural” places a child investigates, a seemingly wild area full of adventures. The sound of water flowing though the landscape and trickling over rocks is all but universally soothing. Streams offer us a place of refuge from the stress of our everyday lives. Streams connect us to nature.

As a kid growing up in Culver City, California, I used to explore La Ballona Creek (for some reason they seem to have dropped the "La"), a fully channelized creek that is now largely street runoff.  Our house was only a few houses distant. We used to catch tadpoles and mosquito fish, and look for "treasures" there. One time my dad and I found a diamond ring.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Biker Babe In Bikini up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

Mocoshow, Drinking Water Remains Safe and Reliable in Rockville Amid City System Enhancements

Rockville’s water once again met or exceeded all federal water quality regulations limits, the city’s Department of Public Works said in the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report released July 1. Per the City of Rockville: “The city’s water treatment plant, on the banks of the Potomac River, serves 70% of Rockville, or approximately 13,000 accounts and 52,000 community members. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission serves the remainder of the city.

Plant operators actively monitor water quality to ensure protective levels of chlorine and corrosion control, which prevents lead and copper in distribution pipes from leaching into drinking water. The plant incurred one monitoring violation in 2023. Due to a clerical error, the plant did not monitor or test for Phase II/V Synthetic Organic Contaminants for the third quarter (July 1-Sept. 30). This was not an emergency and did not require customers to take any action. More information is available in the report.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Outstanding In Her Field garnering clicks at The Other McCain. 

The Wednesday Wetness

WHYY, More than 30 Pa. schools detected toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in their drinking water that exceed EPA standard

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Leave Room For Cream ready for business at The Other McCain.

Here's Soap in Your Eyes

Althouse catches the WaPoo "soap shaming" the public, "We’re not judging you for the soap that you use. But, collectively, that can add up as billions of people wash their hands or bathe..."

"... hundreds or thousands of times a year. If you’re so inclined, it makes sense to switch to a more eco-friendly product. Just understand that there may be a trade-off between sustainability and comfort. 'The consumer has to decide: Are they serious about where their soap comes from, whether it’s synthetic or natural?...'"

From "Bar soap or body wash: Which is best for your skin and the planet? Depending on its ingredients and packaging, your soap could cut as much as a third of the carbon emissions from your next shower" (WaPo).

So: Don't feel judged, but feel judged. "We’re not judging you"... but you — you conscientious people — need to step up and judge yourself.

That reminds me. I'm reading a book — "Morning After the Revolution" by Nellie Bowles (commission earned) — and here's how the chapter "The Most Important White Woman in the World" begins:

What are the characteristics of white people? A middle-aged white woman named Tema Okun with flowing long hair created the definitional list. In that list she put perfectionism, a sense of urgency, worship of the written word, a right to comfort, individualism, one right way, and objectivity. Those were white values, Tema said. These were how white people upheld their supremacy.

I wonder what's the carbon footprint of flowing long hair and whether, if we were serious about the environment, we'd cut it short or at least forgo the substance whose very name tells you it is an indulgence — "shampoo." Bar soap will do for your hands and for the rest of you, including your hair. Yes, it's drying and difficult to use but the question is are you serious?

Sorry, I was distracted by the superfluous detail of flowing long hair. What I wanted to focus on was that attribute of white supremacy called "a right to comfort." This is not just a question of your seriousness about the environment. It's a question of your white supremacist sense that you are entitled to comfort.

Your hair-shirt will be bar soap.cu

For what it's worth, we used bar soap for years (but not as shampoo) until Georgia decided there was less soap scum to clean in the showers with liquid soap (which is actually detergent). I still prefer bar soap for hand washing though.

However, articles like this, and the one on why you should shower in cold water, make me want to investigate if each and every WaPoo reporter and editor is living up the ideals they espouse. If not, we should wash out their mouths with soap.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Pool’s Open up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

Bay Journal, Environmental groups send EPA lawsuit warning

The Environmental Integrity Project, on behalf of the Waterkeeper Alliance and Center for Biological Diversity, sent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a notice of intent to sue May 2. Among the Waterkeeper Alliance are 16 waterkeepers — advocates for various waterways — in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The organizations accuse the EPA of failing to provide Congress with regular comprehensive reports on the state of the nation’s waterways as required under the Clean Water Act.

“The Clean Water Act can’t live up to its promise if EPA won’t report on polluted waterways, as required, or update its standards to keep pace with technology,” Meg Parish, senior attorney at the Environmental Integrity Project, said in a press release.

In the notice, the groups assert that the Clean Water Act requires the EPA to provide a thorough analysis to Congress on the condition of the nation’s waterbodies at least once every two years. The groups contend that the EPA hasn’t done so since 2017.

I assume, this being EPA, and they being environmental groups, that this will be a case of sue and settle. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Low Effort Komiposting up and garnering clicks.

The Wednesday Wetness

At LI, Eco-Activist Bureaucrats and Fear-Mongering Media’s Newest Terror: PFAS Chemicals

What appears to be happening is that “environmental scientists” are exposing animals to high levels of these compounds in their experiments, then projecting those findings to trace levels in the environment to which humans can be exposed.

Human health effects from exposure to low environmental levels of PFAS are uncertain.

Studies of laboratory animals given large amounts of PFAS indicate that some PFAS may affect growth and development. In addition, these animal studies indicate PFAS may affect reproduction, thyroid function, the immune system, and injure the liver.

With all of this in mind, it is not surprising that Biden’s EPA is now hitting up the nation’s water supply with new rules related to PFAS chemicals. Eco-activists aim to entirely eliminate theses substances from use.

Environmentalist are a bit like sharks are reputed to be, unable to stop swimming forward because they need to move forward into new water to stay alive. There is a constant need for more issues, chemicals to regulate for more costs, and less gain to the public.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Super Extra Double-Scoop Post-Tax Day Leather Edition up for your digital amusement at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

WSLS10 News, Gov. Youngkin passes bill to monitor and create action plans for public water systems that detect PFAS

“We said, ‘Yeah, we’ll check all of our reservoirs and share the data with you.’ We happened to find one of these compounds in our Spring Hollow Reservoir,” Sarah Baumgardner, Director of Public Relations for the Western Virginia Water Authority said.

That compound is a part of our daily lives but shouldn’t be in our drinking water.

The Western Virginia Water Authority has been testing waterways and reports that PFAS levels have decreased at Spring Hollow Reservoir over the last several years.

“We are spending a lot of money and a lot of time to treat the water with granular activated carbon so that it is removed we are pleased to say it’s been effective,” Baumgardner said.