The News Review:

- NWC begins damage assessment
- Ethanol Production Gulps Down Water.
- Azad promises improved water supply to Jammu
- City to get daily water supply in six months: YSR
- Water quality to lessen due to reduced flow

NWC begins damage assessment
Jamaica Observer – Aug 21, 2007
“Virtually all of the NWC’s 460 water supply systems and 68 wastewater systems across the island were affected in one way or another by the passage of Hurricane Dean, and about 80 per cent of them stopped operating during or immediately before the hurricane’s passage, while some customers continued to receive piped water throughout the passing hurricane,” corporate public relations manager Charles Buchanan said yesterday. He said the NWC had already received reports of heavy siltation and high turbidity at some treatment plants and pumping stations, broken mains and dislocated pipelines, damage to intake structures and inaccessible roadways preventing access to their facilities. But he said despite the challenges, “nearly all of the largest water supply systems are among the set now back in operation using available standby generators or by means of gravity flow distribution”. “In addition, most of our wastewater facilities are also now back in operation,” Buchanan said yesterday. According to Buchanan, the NWC’s first and highest priority is to bring back into operation the largest and most critical water supply facilities that serve large population centres and important public institutions (such as hospitals and the airports)…
“In addition, most of our wastewater facilities are also now back in operation,” Buchanan said yesterday. According to Buchanan, the NWC’s first and highest priority is to bring back into operation the largest and most critical water supply facilities that serve large population centres and important public institutions (such as hospitals and the airports). Yesterday, he said that among the major systems that operated throughout the passage of the hurricane and which were still operating were the Bogue Water Treatment Plant in St Ann that serves the Ocho Rios environs; Roaring River Water Treatment Plant in Westmoreland, which serves Savanna-la-Mar; and the Bluefields Water Supply system, that supplies Bluefields and Mt Edgecombe in Westmoreland. Meanwhile, he said the water supply along the coastal areas from Ocho Rios through to Montego Bay were reactivated yesterday as well as Bullstrode in Westmoreland, the Constant Spring, Seaview and Mona Treatment Plants in Kingston. The coastal strip from Montego Bay to Lucea was expected to be restored last night. “Based on the production facilities now in operation, even without public power supply, approximately 40 per cent of production capacity is now in operation,” Buchanan said while urging customers to continue to store water. Talk Back No comments have been posted.

Ethanol Production Gulps Down Water.
Free with registration – Tampa Tribune – AccessMyLibrary.com – Aug 21, 2007
21–In Florida, water is on everybody’s minds. There is never a time when there isn’t some type of restriction on water use in Florida, where booming populations and furious development have reduced the state’s lakes, rivers and aquifers to dangerously low levels. A new, significant draw on Florida’s water supplies is about to emerge. The ethanol industry, which uses so much water that it has been blamed for lowering water levels throughout the Midwest, has targeted Florida. Plans to build at least four ethanol plants in Florida, including one in Tampa, have been announced and more are expected. State officials are bent on making Florida a leader in ethanol production, an initiative designed to ease Florida’s energy crunch, bring farmers extra cash for their crops and create thousands of new jobs through an emerging industry. Ethanol plants and the crops they use to make ethanol require massive amounts of water.

Azad promises improved water supply to Jammu
Hindu – Aug 21, 2007
Code Ends here –>. 21 (PTI): Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the supply of potable water to Jammu city would be enhanced to 23 million gallons per day in the next six months with the construction of third intake plant at Sittilee-Nagrota. “The water scarcity in Jammu would end as 23 million gallons potable water per day would be made available with the construction of third intake plant at Sittilee-Nagrota and digging of ten more tube wells by Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA),” Azad said. At the high level meeting convened by him last evening to review water scarcity in Jammu, Azad gave on the spot instructions for the renovation of the damaged intake plant at Sittilee Nagrota in a time frame of six months. Azad also ordered immediate release of remaining money to complete the work on the intake-cum-filtration plant proposed to restore the original capacity of the Sittilee filtration plant, a part of which was washed away in floods last year. As a short term measure, Azad directed for pressing in to service 50 tankers for pooling about four lakh gallons of water per day at the main storage tank at Manda to overcome the prevailing scarcity.

City to get daily water supply in six months: YSR
Hindu – Aug 21, 2007
HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y. Rajasekhara Reddy has promised daily water supply to all localities in the twin cities within six months. Participating in the Sadbhavana day to mark the 63rd birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Charminar here on Monday, Dr. Reddy said water could be supplied for two to four hours daily. He also promised that the Rs. 2,000 crore package for development of old city would be implemented within timeframe.

Water quality to lessen due to reduced flow
Stuff.co.nz – Aug 21, 2007
The risk of campylobacter infection after getting wet in the river was predicted to be 20 per thousand. This is above the recommended limit of eight per thousand. While community water supplies may be affected Mr Ball felt the affects would be minimal. Only Duntroon and Kurow water supplies come from the affected part of the river all be it from hydraulic connection between the river and groundwater supply sources. Most of the water supplies needed upgrading because only one, Kurow, consistently met bacteriological compliance with water standards…
This is above the recommended limit of eight per thousand. While community water supplies may be affected Mr Ball felt the affects would be minimal. Only Duntroon and Kurow water supplies come from the affected part of the river all be it from hydraulic connection between the river and groundwater supply sources. Most of the water supplies needed upgrading because only one, Kurow, consistently met bacteriological compliance with water standards.