http://allafrica.com/stories/200501241288.html


Informant: Deane T. Rimerman

CANADIAN PRESS
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1106565247742&call_pageid=968256289824&col=968342212737

OTTAWA — Water levels in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan have dropped by 80 centimetres since the 1800s — and will continue to drop with major environmental costs unless remedial action is taken, says a study released today. "Georgian Bay wetlands are the most ecologically diverse, significant and pristine found anywhere on the Great Lakes," she said in a teleconference today.

People living around the Great Lakes have seen the unpleasant results of low water levels in the last decade, said Tim Eder of the U.S. National Wildlife Association. Water levels of the "middle" Great Lakes have declined because of dredging, gravel-mining and shoreline alteration over the last 140 years, says the report commissioned by the Georgian Bay Association, a citizens group.

Activists are calling for a moratorium on further dredging, research aimed at finding corrective measures and firm rejection of proposals to expand the St. Lawrence canal to accommodate larger ships. "Without implementation of compensation measures, this drop represents an irreversible decline in the long-term average lake level," says the study.

"This is very significant with potentially extensive socio-economic and environmental implications." Mary Muter of the association, which raised $200,000 to pay for the study, said wetlands around the area are drying up with devastating effects for wildlife.

The study attributes the continuing decline in water levels to erosion in the St. Clair River, at the bottom of Lake Huron. The river is compared to the drain of a bath tub — when the drain is larger, the water drains faster. Ironically, one factor in the deepening of the St. Clair is shoreline protection built by property owners upstream to prevent erosion of their waterfronts.

This reduces the supply of sand that is carried to the river and that would help keep it shallow. "Low water levels are serious problem for people and wildlife. When water levels go down, impacts include shorelines that dry up and expose mud flats instead of beach fronts.

"Ships must carry lighter loads. Recreational boaters found that docks . . . were high and dry. Countless boaters ran aground."

The International Joint Commission which manages Canada-U.S. boundary waters is studying the report, said a spokesman.


Informant: Teresa Binstock

http://tinyurl.com/6d2mb


Request for comments by 30 Nov: Revised WHO Guidelines supporting doc "Chemical safety drinking water assessing priorities risk mgmt"

With thanks to David J Power

One of the 'supporting documents' to the new 2004 WHO Guidelines, "Chemical safety of drinking water: assessing priorities for risk management" has been issued in draft form. It appears this document have been issued some time ago, but recently the WHO newsletter gave a reminder that comments are welcome until 30 November 2004.

The paper is available at:

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/cmp/en/

This paper is very helpful generally and gives due prominence to arsenic issues. Whether or not you feel like commenting, it's a worthwhile document to get - while it's still available.

However Table A4.1 in Appendix 4 summarising documented cases of arsenic problems may omit some countries. It does include Bangladesh (of course) and West Bengal, Taiwan and areas of mainland China, the Danube basin, Argentina, N. Chile, SW USA and Mexico. But I'm aware that parts of Cambodia have a serious problem (not listed) and it may be that important areas in other countries have also been omitted.

I have noted the omission of Cambodia in my own comments. The newslettermakes reference to an 'online comment form' so I'm guessing that is the mechanism to respond (haven't sent my comments in yet).

Regards

David J Power MACantab MIEAust CPEng, Snr Water Supply Advisor
Shillong Urban Water Supply & Environmental Sanitation Project
Eldorado Bungalow, Dhankheti, SHILLONG, Meghalaya, 793003 India
Tel (+91) 364 250-5794 FAX (+91) 364 250-5793
Project: amcshillong@sancharnet.in
please note new personal e-mail address:
djpower@westnet.com.au (was djpower@melbpc.org.au)



Posted by
Deborah Elaine Barrie
4 Catherine Street
Smiths Falls, On
Canada
K7A 3Z8
(613)284-8259
deborahbarrie@hotmail.com
http://www.noccawood.ca

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/cpress/20041115/ca_pr_on_na/great_lakes_water


Informant: lynnzy

http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/pub253.cfm


Informant: Teresa Binstock

Homeopathy breakthrough: homeopathic solutions proven to carry memory of water and exhibit biological effects..

http://www.NewsTarget.com/001951.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1324367,00.html


Informant: Teresa Binstock

Federal Judge Says: Let The San Joaquin Flow!

by Dan Bacher

After 15 years of litigation, fish advocates and environmental groups won a huge legal victory on August 27 when a federal court judge ruled that the Bureau of Reclamation illegally dried up the San Joaquin River when Friant Dam was built in the 1940’s. The ruling means that the bureau will have to release water from Friant Dam near Fresno for the first time in 55 years, according to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), the lead plaintiff in a broad coalition of fishing and environmental groups....

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Sept04/Bacher0904.htm

EPA report: One in three lakes contaminated

Dodge City Daily Globe

08/24/04

One of every three lakes in the United States, and nearly one-quarter of the nation's rivers contain enough pollution that people should limit or avoid eating fish caught there. Every state but Alaska and Wyoming issued fish advisories covering some and occasionally all of their lakes or rivers in 2003, according to a national databased maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency and updated every year...

http://ap.dodgeglobe.com/stories/20040824/2394623.shtml


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp