http://www.americanrivers.org/newsroom/press-releases/2009/nationalmer-press.html
America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2009 announced today
Annual report highlights threats to drinking water, flood protection, river health
Contacts:
Amy Kober, 206-213-0330 x23, akober@americanrivers.org
April 7, 2009
...
Rivers in Alaska, California, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin are on the list this year.
...
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Ganga - recent news
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kanpur/Fishes-in-Ganga-can-breathe-easy-again/articleshow/4763857.cms
Fishes in Ganga can breathe easy again
shivani vig, TNN 10 July 2009, 10:38pm IST
|
KANPUR: If the monitoring done by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) is any indication, the Anoxic Bioremediation (ABR) treatment for 5 mld Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Jajmau and on-channel treatment of sewage drain have been considerably successful in reducing the water odour, reduce Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and turbidity in the waste water. This would also help in survival of aquatic life.
Notably, to save aquatic life in the Ganga and to effectively treat waste water, two pilot projects had been initiated by WWF India's Living programme in the city which are -- Use of ABR in the 5 mld STP at Jajmau and on-channel treatment of sewage on the 3 km stretch of the Singhpur-Kalyanpur Nullah (Near DPS school).
The monitoring done at the STP by Pollution Control Board before and after ABR treatment showed that BOD level was brought down within the prescribed limit. The BOD before treatment which was sampled at 320 mg/l (mg/l) was found to be about 60 after the ABR process.
"The monitoring results have shown that 60-70 per cent of BOD has been reduced, but it being only one time sampling, the efficacy of the ABR process cannot be concluded on this sampling alone and we would have to wait for more testing results," claimed Radhey Shyam, regional officer, UPPCB.
Similarly, the suspended particles which were found to be 766 mg/l, after the treatment were recorded to be only 176 mg/l thus reducing the turbidity in outlet channel due to the oxidation of organic matter present in the sludge.
The STP was not the lone example of this new technique, the on-channel stretch of the Singhpur-Kalyanpur also showed the results vis-a-vis reduced turbidity and BOD. More so, the site was free from odour.
Meanwhile, the Pollution Control Board scientists also claimed that the efficiency of the ABR treatment would depend on the proper doses and maintenance of the process and thus, trained manpower would be required for its maintenance in the long run.
Dr Suresh Rohilla, director and team leader of WWF India's Living Ganga programme said, "The process does not require any electricity."
He added that at present Kanpur requires a lot of electricity for pumping of waste including high operation and maintenance cost for waste water treatment. "The successful implementation of the pilot projects will set the roadmap, reduce the power consumption and will create a footprint of the city on the Ganga system and emerge as a model city in the Ganga basin," maintained Rohilla.
Interestingly, Kanpur Nagar Nigam being the regulatory body would decide upon the extension of these pilot projects. "We are waiting for the completion of these projects. If the results are positive, we would look forward to the implementation of the ABR treatment to other sites," pointed out municipal commissioner KNN, P K Pandey.
Fishes in Ganga can breathe easy again
shivani vig, TNN 10 July 2009, 10:38pm IST
|
KANPUR: If the monitoring done by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) is any indication, the Anoxic Bioremediation (ABR) treatment for 5 mld Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Jajmau and on-channel treatment of sewage drain have been considerably successful in reducing the water odour, reduce Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and turbidity in the waste water. This would also help in survival of aquatic life.
Notably, to save aquatic life in the Ganga and to effectively treat waste water, two pilot projects had been initiated by WWF India's Living programme in the city which are -- Use of ABR in the 5 mld STP at Jajmau and on-channel treatment of sewage on the 3 km stretch of the Singhpur-Kalyanpur Nullah (Near DPS school).
The monitoring done at the STP by Pollution Control Board before and after ABR treatment showed that BOD level was brought down within the prescribed limit. The BOD before treatment which was sampled at 320 mg/l (mg/l) was found to be about 60 after the ABR process.
"The monitoring results have shown that 60-70 per cent of BOD has been reduced, but it being only one time sampling, the efficacy of the ABR process cannot be concluded on this sampling alone and we would have to wait for more testing results," claimed Radhey Shyam, regional officer, UPPCB.
Similarly, the suspended particles which were found to be 766 mg/l, after the treatment were recorded to be only 176 mg/l thus reducing the turbidity in outlet channel due to the oxidation of organic matter present in the sludge.
The STP was not the lone example of this new technique, the on-channel stretch of the Singhpur-Kalyanpur also showed the results vis-a-vis reduced turbidity and BOD. More so, the site was free from odour.
Meanwhile, the Pollution Control Board scientists also claimed that the efficiency of the ABR treatment would depend on the proper doses and maintenance of the process and thus, trained manpower would be required for its maintenance in the long run.
Dr Suresh Rohilla, director and team leader of WWF India's Living Ganga programme said, "The process does not require any electricity."
He added that at present Kanpur requires a lot of electricity for pumping of waste including high operation and maintenance cost for waste water treatment. "The successful implementation of the pilot projects will set the roadmap, reduce the power consumption and will create a footprint of the city on the Ganga system and emerge as a model city in the Ganga basin," maintained Rohilla.
Interestingly, Kanpur Nagar Nigam being the regulatory body would decide upon the extension of these pilot projects. "We are waiting for the completion of these projects. If the results are positive, we would look forward to the implementation of the ABR treatment to other sites," pointed out municipal commissioner KNN, P K Pandey.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Diatoms in the Arctic Ocean
http://robertkyriakides.wordpress.com/2009/07/11/the-arctic-ocean-was-once-full-of-life/
The Arctic Ocean was once full of life
Posted on July 11, 2009 by robertkyriakides
The Arctic Ocean is home to very few types of life. There are some plankton and algae, which provide the food for small fish, worms, crustaceans and molluscs, which in turn are eaten by cod. The cod are eaten by seals and the seals are eaten by polar bears. Of course, it is all a bit more complicated than that but there are not many different varieties of life in the Arctic Ocean because the fact that the ocean is mostly frozen tends to limit the size of the food chain.
If you look point a powerful microscope at cores of mud that have been extracted from beneath the Arctic Ocean you will see, I am reliably informed, diatoms. Diatoms are very small algae. From the pattern of the distribution and arrangement of diatoms you can, according to Alan Kemp of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, reconstruct the Arctic Ocean’s climate. From Mr Kemp’s observations he has deduced that the Arctic was once rich in life of many varieties, because of the sheer numbers and distribution of the diatoms. It was once as rich in life as the Indian Ocean is today.
From this it seems that the Arctic was once ice free, certainly in the summer time, and possibly for some of the winter. The diatoms were laid down in the ocean floor mud at the same time as when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Some think that the Arctic Ocean will be free of ice in the next twenty or so years. If that happens then whatever the climate change consequences (which are likely to be very unpleasant for humanity) the consequences of an Arctic Ocean supporting far more life than it does today will be to provide a much needed source food for those animals at the top of the practical food chain – humans.
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Why wait for the Arctic Ocean to thaw to get more Diatoms.
There are better ways to do this - Nualgi and this will prevent the Arctic Ocean from thawing.
The Arctic Ocean was once full of life
Posted on July 11, 2009 by robertkyriakides
The Arctic Ocean is home to very few types of life. There are some plankton and algae, which provide the food for small fish, worms, crustaceans and molluscs, which in turn are eaten by cod. The cod are eaten by seals and the seals are eaten by polar bears. Of course, it is all a bit more complicated than that but there are not many different varieties of life in the Arctic Ocean because the fact that the ocean is mostly frozen tends to limit the size of the food chain.
If you look point a powerful microscope at cores of mud that have been extracted from beneath the Arctic Ocean you will see, I am reliably informed, diatoms. Diatoms are very small algae. From the pattern of the distribution and arrangement of diatoms you can, according to Alan Kemp of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, reconstruct the Arctic Ocean’s climate. From Mr Kemp’s observations he has deduced that the Arctic was once rich in life of many varieties, because of the sheer numbers and distribution of the diatoms. It was once as rich in life as the Indian Ocean is today.
From this it seems that the Arctic was once ice free, certainly in the summer time, and possibly for some of the winter. The diatoms were laid down in the ocean floor mud at the same time as when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Some think that the Arctic Ocean will be free of ice in the next twenty or so years. If that happens then whatever the climate change consequences (which are likely to be very unpleasant for humanity) the consequences of an Arctic Ocean supporting far more life than it does today will be to provide a much needed source food for those animals at the top of the practical food chain – humans.
-----------------------
Why wait for the Arctic Ocean to thaw to get more Diatoms.
There are better ways to do this - Nualgi and this will prevent the Arctic Ocean from thawing.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Chesapeake Bay - buy back of crabbing licenses
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/09/AR2009070902685.html
CHESAPEAKE BAY
Maryland Seeks to Buy Back Small-Scale Crab Licenses
By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 10, 2009
The state of Maryland is offering to buy back crabbing licenses from about half of the state's watermen in a bid to rebuild the Chesapeake Bay's beleaguered stock of blue crabs by reducing the number of people trying to catch them.
The offer was mailed Wednesday to 3,676 watermen who hold "Limited Crab Catcher" licenses, state officials said. These are the state's small-scale crabbers, licensed to set out 50 or fewer wire-mesh crab traps, or "pots." The other half of the state's watermen, with licenses to use more pots, were not included in the offer.
The state will use a "reverse auction," officials said: Each crabber will submit a bid, saying how much he or she would accept in exchange for giving up a license. Officials will accept the bids, starting with the lowest, until the money runs out or the price reaches a level the state deems too high.
Lynn Fegley, an official with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, said the auction aims to eliminate uncertainty about the state's crab harvests. She said that about 1,060 crabbers who hold the small-scale licenses have not worked on the water since 2004. Others catch relatively few.
But all of them might suddenly choose to catch more, she said. She said the state would like to buy back 2,000 licenses.
"You have a lot more [fishing] capacity out there than the resource can bear," said Douglas Lipton, a University of Maryland economist who helped design the buyback system. "This is a way, in the future, to have more of a handle on that."
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Maryland and Virginia have put restrictions on the blue crab catch in the past two years, trying to stem a sharp drop in the population. Virginia officials are also planning a license buyback program, a state official said, but the details have not been worked out.
---------------------------
All this is so unnecessary.
Nualgi can be used to treat the Bay.
CHESAPEAKE BAY
Maryland Seeks to Buy Back Small-Scale Crab Licenses
By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 10, 2009
The state of Maryland is offering to buy back crabbing licenses from about half of the state's watermen in a bid to rebuild the Chesapeake Bay's beleaguered stock of blue crabs by reducing the number of people trying to catch them.
The offer was mailed Wednesday to 3,676 watermen who hold "Limited Crab Catcher" licenses, state officials said. These are the state's small-scale crabbers, licensed to set out 50 or fewer wire-mesh crab traps, or "pots." The other half of the state's watermen, with licenses to use more pots, were not included in the offer.
The state will use a "reverse auction," officials said: Each crabber will submit a bid, saying how much he or she would accept in exchange for giving up a license. Officials will accept the bids, starting with the lowest, until the money runs out or the price reaches a level the state deems too high.
Lynn Fegley, an official with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, said the auction aims to eliminate uncertainty about the state's crab harvests. She said that about 1,060 crabbers who hold the small-scale licenses have not worked on the water since 2004. Others catch relatively few.
But all of them might suddenly choose to catch more, she said. She said the state would like to buy back 2,000 licenses.
"You have a lot more [fishing] capacity out there than the resource can bear," said Douglas Lipton, a University of Maryland economist who helped design the buyback system. "This is a way, in the future, to have more of a handle on that."
ad_icon
Maryland and Virginia have put restrictions on the blue crab catch in the past two years, trying to stem a sharp drop in the population. Virginia officials are also planning a license buyback program, a state official said, but the details have not been worked out.
---------------------------
All this is so unnecessary.
Nualgi can be used to treat the Bay.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Coral condemned to extinction by CO2 levels, warns Attenborough
Guardian has an interesting article about Coral Reefs
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/07/coral-attenborough
Nualgi can reduce the CO2 levels of the water and increase O2 level.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/07/coral-attenborough
Nualgi can reduce the CO2 levels of the water and increase O2 level.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi on Lakes
The website of CSE, Delhi has some useful information on Lakes in India.
http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/public_interest.htm
There is also a blog managed by Ms Sushmita of CSE.
http://twitter.com/lakewarriors
http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/public_interest.htm
There is also a blog managed by Ms Sushmita of CSE.
http://twitter.com/lakewarriors
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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