ARTICLES BY PETER CHAWAGA
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PFAS Manufacturers Grilled By Congress9/17/2019
Following years of warnings from drinking water treatment institutions and source water quality advocates, it appears that the federal government is cracking down on potential per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination.
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EPA Determines Newark’s Lead Filters Not Working; City Distributes Bottled Water8/13/2019
Late last week, the U.S. EPA sent a letter to officials in Newark, NJ, warning them that residents were exposed to dangerous levels of lead contamination in their drinking water and that the city’s efforts to mediate the crisis weren’t working.
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Microbe Treatment System May Solve California's Nitrate Problems7/1/2019
California is well known around the world for its bounty of farmland and agricultural products. But this excess brings an acute problem for water treatment operations: nitrate contamination.
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More Than 300 Public Water Systems Serve Unsafe Water In California5/28/2019
Some of California’s struggles with drinking water are well known. The state’s ongoing drought conditions and the difficulties around providing enough supply for residents are usually spread across headlines.
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Pennsylvania To Test 350 Water Systems For PFAS Contamination5/14/2019
This month, Pennsylvania will begin sampling more than 350 public water systems in an effort mandated by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to curb per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination.
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EPA Asserts Position On Clean Water Act, Groundwater Discharge Oversight4/26/2019
According to a recent interpretation of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. EPA won’t regulate pollution that occurs in surface water if it passes through groundwater first.
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High Manganese Levels Lead To Drinking Water Ban In Iowa3/13/2019
Residents of an Iowa town were told not to drink their tap water this month when dangerous levels of manganese were found in the supply. And most concerning may be the fact that nobody seems sure how long the contamination has been affecting residents.
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PFAS Contamination Issue Taken Up By Local Regulators2/27/2019
The presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water is creating concern among utilities, regulators, and consumers around the country. With little clear direction from federal lawmakers, some local agencies are stepping up to tackle the issue themselves.
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After 7 Years Under Consent Decree, Jackson, MS Still Struggling With Sewage Overflow2/20/2019
It’s not uncommon for the U.S. EPA to step in when local wastewater operations struggle to adequately remove pollutants before releasing effluent into waterways. In Mississippi, however, even that federal intervention has failed to yield enough progress.
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EPA Mandate On Arsenic Has Helped Drinking Water Quality11/1/2017
Arsenic is one of the naturally-occurring drinking water contaminants that registers highest on consumer concern charts. While it poses a serious threat, there is new evidence to suggest that the U.S. EPA is doing a good job of curbing that threat.
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Following Water Quality Concerns, Fracking Banned From The Delaware River Basin10/23/2017
In a move that has already draw controversy from either side of the hydraulic fracturing debate, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) has voted to ban the practice from its purview.
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As Discharged Sewage Contaminates Niagara Falls, Outdated Infrastructure Is To Blame10/18/2017
Niagara Falls may be best known for its majestic, natural beauty, but this precious resource is having a hard time lately as the area’s wastewater treatment swims upstream against fundamental infrastructure issues.
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517 Containers Of Unknown Chemicals Among Leak Concerns Following Harvey10/3/2017
Latest on the list of water quality fallout from Hurricane Harvey: hundreds of containers of mysterious, potentially dangerous material found to have escaped and possibly to have contaminated the environment.
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Michigan Town Uncovers PFC Contamination 400 Times EPA-Advised Limits9/13/2017
Another community appears to be struggling with a drinking water contaminant that continues to plague treatment facilities around the country.
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What To Know About The EPA’s New Effluent Guidelines8/9/2016
The U.S. EPA’s recently released Preliminary 2016 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan indicates the industries and pollutants that the agency has its eyes on for potential future regulation.