The News Review:

- Agency to look into use of water in golf courses
- Plan to attempt to increase water supplies moving ahead
- Pharmaceutical Waste: An ‘Emerging Issue’ In State
- Drinking Water: The Need For Constant Innovation
- Thailand: Distribution of water supply in flooded areas resumes

Agency to look into use of water in golf courses
Inquirer.net, Philippines 
Alikpala said they talked to the golf course administrators about considering the use of wastewater for watering the grass to protect Metro Manilas groundwater supply. Alikpala revealed last week that the high level of urbanization in Metro Manila and the cities of Baguio, Angeles, Iloilo, Davao, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga and Metro Cebu has had a negative impact on their water supply. While assuring the public that the countrys water supply is still relatively abundant, Alikpala warned that the mismanagement of water resources could eventually lead to a crisis. Studies have revealed that the groundwater supply in Metro Manila has reached a critical level, he added. Alikpala said the University of the Philippines has identified the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela as among the specific areas where groundwater has been reduced to below the sea level. Other problems in Metro Manila are saltwater intrusion and contamination of groundwater from septic tanks.

Plan to attempt to increase water supplies moving ahead
Enterprise-Record, CA 
2 million project to explore whether groundwater in Northern California could be used with existing surface water storage to increase reliability of water supplies. The project has received $700,000 from the Bureau of Reclamation and $500,000 from the Department of Water Resources. Glenn-Colusa is the largest agricultural irrigation district in Northern California, providing water primarily for growing rice. The Natural Heritage Institute, based in San Francisco, is a nonprofit group whose mission is to protect and restore domestic and global water resources. The goal is to see if use of groundwater, tied in with surface water, could increase water supplies. Glenn-Colusa Manager Thad Bettner has emphasized that providing water locally would be the top priority, and that the grant is a planning project, not a pumping project.

Pharmaceutical Waste: An ‘Emerging Issue’ In State
Hartford Courant, United States 
Growing concern about low levels of drugs and other chemicals showing up in water supplies has stirred the federal government to action, inspired proposals for new laws and prompted local groups to organize disposal days for medical waste. “There’s not one water treatment facility in the state of Connecticut that can screen out the pharmaceuticals that are either flushed down the sink or down the toilet,” said Greg McKenna, president of PharmASC-e, a pharmaceutical waste management consultant in. “That means we’re drinking them. Related links Dumping Drugs • Put them in the trash.

Drinking Water: The Need For Constant Innovation
Science Daily (press release) 
In industrialized countries water utilities are ageing and need to be renewed. In partnership with the water sector, the aquatic research institute Eawag is identifying ways of ensuring that high-quality drinking water supplies remain available in the future. Challenges of climate changeVarious models predict that rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases will lead not only to increases in air temperatures but also to warming of waterbodies. This prediction has been confirmed by observations: since 1945, for example, water at a depth of 5 m in Lake Zurich has warmed by around 1°C in the winter and by almost 2°C in the summer. The same trend is apparent in rivers. For the first time, researchers have now also compiled long-term time series for groundwater temperatures.

Thailand: Distribution of water supply in flooded areas resumes
ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland 
To assist residents of Tambon Dong Phlab, the Provincial Waterworks Region 2 (Lop Buri) and the Tambon Chon Muang Local Administrative Organization have sent water trucks to distribute water supply to people affected by inundation. Meanwhile, water from the Lam Takhlong canal has flooded a low-pressure water pumping station in Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima province. However, the flood situation has returned to normal and waterworks offices in the area have distributed water supply to people as usual. The opinions expressed in the documents carried by this site are those of the authors and are not necessarily shared by UN OCHA or ReliefWeb.