The News Review:
- Pipeline to protect water supply
- Water company imposes hosepipe and sprinkler bans
- Stockton water spat nears end: City plan to take SJ River water may…
- Student trip to Kenya provides help towards clean water supply
- Nai Gaj dam and the survival of Manchhar Lake
- Burst Pipeline Disrupts Service
- Why water levels have run so low
Pipeline to protect water supply
BBC News – Mar 13, 2006
South East Water is replacing a section of water mains “in poor condition and increasingly prone to bursts” to avoid the disruption of emergency work. The pipe, at Piddinghoe, takes water from an underground supply to a storage reservoir that serves about 30,000 people in Newhaven and Peacehaven. The £300,000 improvement scheme was getting started in mid-March and would take about 12 weeks, the company said. South East Water said a specialist drilling machine would be used which would allow the water pipe to be laid without the need for open excavations. The pipe, which passes across a flood plain, underneath the railway line and the River Ouse, was originally laid in the 1970s. The company said water supplies would be maintained while work is carried out by using other parts of the supply network… South East Water said a specialist drilling machine would be used which would allow the water pipe to be laid without the need for open excavations. The pipe, which passes across a flood plain, underneath the railway line and the River Ouse, was originally laid in the 1970s. The company said water supplies would be maintained while work is carried out by using other parts of the supply network. It comes as the South East faces its most serious drought in the last 100 years, after two consecutive winters with below-average rainfall.
Water company imposes hosepipe and sprinkler bans
The Independent – Independent – Mar 13, 2006
An advertising campaign encouraging the public to help conserve water is also being planned with the Greater London Authority. Simple tips include not washing cars, not leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth, and having showers rather than baths. A spokesman for the EA welcomed the move: "Given the current status of our water resources, water companies must take action to reduce risks to water supply and the environment. "Thames Water is acting responsibly by introducing a hosepipe ban at this time. " The South East has been harder-hit by the drought than the rest of Britain because of its high population density, relatively low number of reservoirs, and geological factors including a heavy reliance on groundwater supplies. Andrew Marsh, of the Consumer Council for Water, said imposing hosepipe bans now to prevent more serious problems in the summer was a "sensible precaution". "Consumers will support the ban, but the problem with Thames Water is that they have a pretty poor record with leakage.
Stockton water spat nears end: City plan to take SJ River water may…
Free with registration – The Record – AccessMyLibrary.com – Mar 13, 2006
Byline: Warren Lutz Mar. 13–STOCKTON – A dispute over a key Stockton proposal to take water from the Delta is mellowing after the city agreed to curb its thirst for drinking water slightly. Two water agencies sued the city earlier this year, fearing its plans to take San Joaquin River water would drain water supplies for users south of the Delta. About 23million Californians depend on Delta exports for drinking and farming. But a compromise is near after state water officials refused last week to.
Student trip to Kenya provides help towards clean water supply
Massachusetts Daily Collegian – The Massachusetts Daily Collegian – Mar 13, 2006
“Even though I am not an engineering student, over spring break I’ll get to use the Swahili and I’m learning and actually get to apply my energy and knowledge to help real people,” said Seth Mansur, a junior and active member of EWB. “Without EWB, I’d be just another face in the crowd. ” The assessment trip in March will determine a plan for giving Namawanga a self-sufficient water supply that is both uncontaminated and sustainable. Presently, the EWB-UMass team is looking into a variety of solutions, including drilling a well, rainwater catchment systems, and conventional water treatment. In that context, the assessment trip will include extensive testing for major contaminants such as bacteria, arsenic, fluoride and nitrates. The implementation follow-up trip will take place in early 2007, staffed by as many as 10 members of EWB-UMass. The goals of this trip will be to put into effect a well-designed engineering plan created from the findings of the first trip.
Nai Gaj dam and the survival of Manchhar Lake
Pakistan Dawn – Mar 13, 2006
The ground-breaking ceremony of survey of Nai Gaj Dam was held in February 2005. A decision has been made to excavate a canal at the Nai Gaj bungalow for the cultivation of 50,000 acres barren land which has sparked a controversy. The people of Taluka Johi have expressed a fear that after construction of Nai Gaj Dam, the government would not supply water to Manchhar Lake and thousand acres of their land would remain barren in their Taluka. While the Wapda has confirmed that it would excavate a new canal, Nai Gaj Nala carries the second highest flow of water after the Indus River located in the western part of the Dadu district and is the only source of water of Manchhar Lake. And the local people are worried about the project. Mushtaque Choudhry, a Wapda expert on dams said the main objective of the project was the socio-economic development of the area through agricultural development, flood control, drinking water supply and fisheries development.
Burst Pipeline Disrupts Service
Washington Post – Mar 13, 2006
The water main supplies Arlington County, much of which felt the effects of the break. The water main supplies Arlington County, much of which felt the effects of the break. (By Kevin Clark — The Washington Post)… at what appeared to be a seam in a pipe 20 inches in diameter on the east bank of the C&O Canal, beneath the approach to the bridge. Although the pipe is in the District, it is part of Arlington’s water system. It channels water for Arlington’s 200,000 residents from a treatment facility about one mile from the point of the break. Officials said they restored service by using a backup line that is four feet in diameter and crosses the Potomac beneath the riverbed. The cause of the failure was not immediately known. Officials said that in addition to the western part of the 26-square-mile county, the Crystal City area appeared to escape the effects of the failure. After the break, water gushing upward pounded against the underside of the bridge approach.
Why water levels have run so low
BBC News – Mar 13, 2006
Imperfect storm
Atlantic storms are one such source of valuable rainfall, and these moisture-rich weather systems usually cross the UK during autumn and early winter. This winter, such storms have passed to the north or the south of the country, and as a result the associated rainfall did not fall where it was needed most. Good rainfall totals in October 2005 helped to increase water resources across the country, including the South East, but there was below-average rainfall in subsequent months and water levels fell again… And while the reservoirs of some companies have not been too badly affected, many have suffered from low water levels in their aquifers. Aquifers – also known as ground reservoirs – are underground layers of rock that collect water. Many water companies rely on aquifers for significant amounts of their water supply. Kent and Sussex are the counties most at risk from drought in summer 2006, and here it would take a prolonged spell of above-average rainfall between now and April to avert water shortages. According to the Met Office, there are equal chances of dry, normal or wet weather for the south of England over the next few months. On that basis, everyone must seriously consider the likelihood of continued dry weather through the spring.