WaterWired

USGAO Report: Alternative Drinking Water Systems - Use by Very Small Communities, Related Cost Savings, and Technical Assistance Provided by EPA and USDA

From USGAO on 22 January 2020: Alternative Drinking Water Systems - Use by Very Small Communities, Related Cost Savings, and Technical Assistance Provided by EPA and USDA.

Download USGAO_Alternative_DW_Systems

Fast Facts

Small communities may lack the resources needed to maintain or replace drinking water systems. New or nonconventional approaches have the potential to do a better, more cost-effective job of providing drinking water.

We identified some alternative systems used by communities of 500 or fewer people, such as using a sand filtration process and devices that treat water as it enters a home. The costs of using such systems can vary widely.

EPA and USDA each have programs that provide technical assistance for systems serving 10,000 or fewer people. The agencies awarded $62.9 to $96 million annually through these programs in fiscal years 2016-2018.

What GAO Found

GAO found limited information on the use of alternative drinking water systems serving communities of 500 or fewer people. Alternative drinking water systems are substitute systems (e.g., wells and well systems) or innovative systems featuring advanced methods identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), or others. Through review of EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), a data system that contains limited information on treatment processes used by public water systems; a review of relevant studies, reports, and webpages; and interviews, GAO identified examples of alternative drinking water systems used in communities of 500 or fewer people. These included

• biosand filtration—a sand filtration process used to remove bacteria,

• low-pressure microfiltration or ultrafiltration membrane— a physical filtration process used to remove suspended particles and microorganisms,

• point-of-entry treatment—a device installed at the water entry point to treat all water as soon as it enters each home or building in a water system,

• point-of-use treatment— a device installed at a single water tap, such as a kitchen faucet, to treat water primarily used for drinking and cooking in each home or building (see figure), and

• ultraviolet disinfection—ultraviolet light emitting lamps used to inactivate microorganisms.

Point-of-Use Treatment: An Example of an Alternative Drinking Water System Used in Communities of 500 or Fewer People

 

GAO also found there is an unknown range of cost savings to communities of 500 or fewer people using alternative drinking water systems. Based on a review of EPA cost models for various alternative system types and according to interviews with EPA, USDA and other officials, the costs and cost savings are case-specific and may vary widely depending on a number of factors. For example, costs and cost savings can vary based on the distance of a community from a supplier for the transportation of goods or services or options of conventional systems that are available, such as hookup to a public water system.

Regarding technical assistance programs, EPA and USDA each administer two programs that provide drinking water technical assistance for systems serving 10,000 or fewer people. These agencies awarded a total of $62.9 million to $96 million annually in fiscal years 2016 through 2018 to support technical assistance activities under these programs. Technical assistance activities funded under the four programs included training on a wide range of topics from Safe Drinking Water Act rules, such as monitoring and sampling rules, to drinking water risk communication. The programs also provided on-site technical assistance to small communities with their drinking water systems, including assistance with operation and maintenance, such as leak detection and repair, and management and finance, such as development of policies and water rate structures.

Why GAO Did This Study

According to EPA, small communities face financial and other challenges that limit their ability to achieve and maintain system sustainability. New or nonconventional approaches have the potential to provide small communities with better or more cost-effective access to drinking water. According to estimates in SDWIS, nearly 4.6 million people depend on community water systems that serve 500 or fewer people and more than half of the nation's community water systems serve this population range. For the purposes of this report, these systems are referred to as “very small.”

Congress included a provision in statute for GAO to report on the use of innovative and alternative drinking water systems serving very small communities and on drinking water technical assistance programs operated by EPA and USDA. This report describes (1) what is known about the use of alternative drinking water systems serving 500 or fewer people; (2) what is known about the range of any cost savings to such communities using alternative drinking water systems; and (3) drinking water technical assistance programs administered by EPA and USDA. Among other things, GAO conducted a literature search, reviewed the SDWIS database, and reviewed reports and funding data for EPA and USDA drinking water technical assistance programs. GAO interviewed EPA and USDA officials, representatives from two national research centers for small drinking water systems, and others.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is not making any receommednations.

For more information, contact J. Alfredo Gómez at (202) 512-3841 or gomezj@gao.gov.

Enjoy!

"If 'con' is the opposite of 'pro', then isn't Congress the opposite of progress?" - Jon Stewart

CRS InFocus Report: 'Regulating Drinking Water Contaminants - EPA PFAS Actions' Updated: 21 January 2020

Mary Tiemann and Elena H. Humphreys are responsible for this CRS InFocus two-pager: Regulating Drinking Water Contaminants: EPA PFAS Actions.

Download CRS_InFocus_Reg_DW_Contaminants_PFAS_21Jan2020

Summary
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to address the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water has been the focus of increased congressional attention. Over the past decade, EPA has been evaluating several PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to determine whether national drinking water regulations may be warranted. EPA has not issued SDWA regulations for any PFAS but has taken other actions to address PFAS in drinking water.

The 116th Congress has held hearings and passed legislation directing EPA and other departments and agencies to take a range of actions to address PFAS contamination. In February 2019, EPA issued a PFAS Action Plan (EPA 823R18004), which discusses EPA’s efforts to address PFAS under multiple environmental laws. This In Focus outlines the agency’s activities to address PFAS using SDWA authorities and reviews related legislative actions.

 

Cutting to the chase...

Legislation in the 116th Congress
In the 116th Congress, numerous bills would address PFAS through various authorities and agencies. P.L. 116-92 (H.Rept. 116-333) includes multiple PFAS provisions, primarily regarding DOD, but several involve EPA and other federal agencies. P.L. 116-92, Title LXXIII, includes several PFAS drinking water provisions. Section 7311 requires EPA to add to UCMR 5 all PFAS or categories of PFAS with validated test methods. Section 7312 establishes a grant program within the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to assist water systems in addressing emerging contaminants with an emphasis on PFAS. Section 7312 authorizes appropriations of $100 million annually for FY2020-FY2024 for this purpose.

On January 10, 2020, the House passed H.R. 535, a broad PFAS bill with several SDWA amendments. The bill would direct EPA to promulgate drinking water regulations for PFAS (with standards for at least PFOS and PFOA) within two years. H.R. 535 would establish a drinking water regulatory process and schedule specifically for PFAS. It would direct EPA to issue a health advisory within a year of finalizing a toxicity value for a single PFAS or class of PFAS. Among other bills, several would direct EPA to issue final or interim regulations for all or some PFAS, authorize grants for systems and/or households to treat PFAS, and/or increase PFAS monitoring. For further discussion of PFAS drinking water bills and EPA actions, see CRS Report R45793, PFAS and Drinking Water: Selected EPA and Congressional Actions.

Enjoy!

"Ass Dean Pro-Tip: Have your assistant email people you don’t want to talk to and ask them to call when they have a chance. Then don’t answer. That should buy you at least a couple of days." - @ass_deans

Josh's Water Jobs and More! 21 January 2020 (Updated: 23 January 2020)

Newly added water jobs for the week of 21January 2020

1) Josh's Jobs

Josh’s Pick:   1) Research Associate – Pacific Institute (Oakland, CA, USA): Until filled   Highlighted:   2) (Junior) Consultancy: Support for SWA Country Liaison – Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) (Home-Based): 23 January   3) Spanish speakers: Coordinador Regional de Proyecto (BRIDGE-4) – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Costa Rica): 31 January   4) Chief Water Resources Management Officer – African Development Bank (AfDB) (Ivory Coast): 28 January   5) Research Assistant in Water Resource and Agricultural Systems – International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) (Vienna): 28 January   6) Sustainability Manager (Denim & Water Stewardship) – Tommy Hilfilger (Amsterdam): Until filled   7) Director (Water Stewardship & Policy) – World Resources Institute (WRI) (Washington, DC): Until filled   8) Environmental Affairs Officer (UNECE Water Convention) – United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (Geneva): 23 January   Deadline today (21 January)!   9) Senior Water Resource Management Specialist – Asian Development Bank (ADB)` (Timor-Leste): 21 January   10) Volunteer (Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA)) – Oxfam (Dhaka): 21 January   11) Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Manager – Water for People (Delhi): 21 January

Minimum years experience requested:

0-2 years   12) Programme Assistant (Ecosystem based Adaptation) – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Washington, DC): 22 January   13) Science Officer – Future Earth (Paris): 22 January – 2-8 years’ experience required   14) Trase Product Manager – Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) (Stockholm): Until filled   15) Junior Engineer – Krishi Gram Vikas Kendra (KGVK) (India): 23 January   16) Isotope Hydrologist – International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (Vienna): 28 February   17) Communications Specialist – Global Commission on Adaptation (Washington, DC): Until filled   18) Graduate Hydrologist / Water Resources Scientist – Jacobs (Glasgow): Until filled   19) Graduate Hydraulic Modeller (Water Catchment Management) – Jacobs(Glasgow/Edinburgh): Until filled   20) Hydrogeologist (Assistant Consultant) – Wood (United Kingdom): Until filled   21) Entry Level Water Resources Engineer – Dewberry (Fairfax, VA, USA): Until filled   22) Specialist (Climate Change & Resilience) – WSP (Toronto, ON, Canada): Until filled   23) Environmental Policy Analyst – ICF (Cambridge, MA, USA): Until filled   24) Map Specialist I – Michael Baker International (Alexandria, VA, USA): Until filled   25) Civil Associate (Water) – Michael Baker International (Lakewood, CO, USA): Until filled   26) Entry Level Water Resources Engineer – AECOM (Austin, TX, USA): Until filled   27) Water Rights Specialist – Washington Department of Natural Resources(Ellensburg, WA, USA): 22 January   28) Adaptive Management Coordinator – Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA, USA): 23 January   29) Water Resource Specialist/Extension Support Specialist 1 – Cornell University(New Paltz, NY, USA): Until filled   30) Conservation and Brewshed® Program Manager – Washington Wild (Seattle, WA, USA): 27 January   31) Hudson Valley Organizer – Food & Water Watch (Home-Based): Until filled   32) Climate Resilience Researcher (Graduating Students) – ICF (Washington, DC): Until filled   33) Climate Resilience Researcher (Graduating Students) – ICF (Los Angeles or San Diego, CA, USA): Until filled

3-4 years   34) Programme Officer (Ecosystem based Adaptation) – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Washington, DC): 22 January   35) German speakers: Scientific Coordinator (Sustainability and Innovation Management) – UNU Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES) (Germany): 30 January – 2 years’ experience w/PhD   36) Spanish speakers: Gerente de Proyectos Multiestrategia – The Nature Conservancy (TNC) (Colombia): 29 January   37) Sustainability Planner (Climate mitigation and adaptation) – AECOM (San Francisco): Until filled   38) Policy & Intergovernmental Affairs Director (Watershed Director II) – City of Atlanta (Atlanta, GA, USA): Until filled   39) Clean Water Act Program Manager – State of Indiana (Indianapolis, IN, USA): Until filled   40) Research Scientist Engineer 2 – University of Washington (Washington, USA): 22 January   41) Hydrologist (Groundwater) – Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (Helena, MT, USA): 26 January   42) Basin Coordinator – Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa City, IA, USA): 30 January   43) Communications Manager – Waterfront Alliance (New York): Until filled   44) Staff Attorney – Riverkeeper (Ossining, NY, USA): Until filled   45) Laos nationals: Water & Wetlands Programme Officer – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Laos): 31 January   46) Fiji nationals: National Coordinator (GCCA+ SUPA) – Pacific Community (SPC)(Fiji): 29 January

5-7 years   47) French speakers: Chargé(e) de communication et de la gestion des connaissances – Global Water Partnership - Central Africa (GWP-CAF) (Cameroon): 31 January   48) Green Infrastructure Coordinator – San Juan Bay Estuary Program (Estuario)(Puerto Rico): Until filled   49) MEL Specialist (Resilient Waters Programme (South Africa)) – Genesis (South Africa): Until filled   50) Spanish speakers: Water and Tailings Modelling Specialist (Bolt-On) – First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (Panama): Until filled   51) Principal Consultant in Water Resources/Sustainability – Zenith Global (United Kingdom): Until filled   52) Advisor (Climate Change & Resilience) – WSP (Toronto, ON, Canada): Until filled   53) French speakers: Environmental Lobbyist – Sustainable Development Technology Canada (Ottawa, ON, Canada): 22 January   54) Water Program Professional – Plexus Scientific Corporation (Fort Belvoir, VA, USA): Until filled   55) Conservation Project Manager – The Freshwater Trust (Sacramento, CA, USA): Until filled   56) Alabama Chapter Director – Sierra Club (Montgomery, AL, USA): Until filled   57) Executive Director – The Wetlands Conservancy (Tualatin, OR, USA): 24 January   58) Pakistan nationals: Agriculture Water Management Specialist – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Pakistan): 27 January

10+ years   59) Senior Environment Specialist – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Manila): 28 January   60) Senior Environmental and Social Development Specialist – The World Bank(Washington, DC): 29 January   61) Evaluation Team Leader (Final Performance Evaluation of a USAID Indonesia; Climate Change Adaptation Project (APIK)) – Management Systems International (MSI) (Indonesia): Until filled   62) Chief of Staff – Conservation International (CI) (Arlington, VA, USA): Until filled   63) GIS Industry Solutions Manager (Water) – Esri (Redlands, CA, USA): Until filled   64) Project Manager (Environment & Climate Change) – CSA Group (Toronto or Ottawa, ON, Canada): Until filled   65) Urdu speakers: Environment & Climate Change Expert – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Pakistan): 27 January

Not specified:   66) German speakers: Berater (m/w/d) für die Themen Umwelt- und Klimapolitik in den Ländern Subsahara-Afrika – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (Berlin): 23 January   67) German speakers: Fachplaner (m/w/d) für das Thema Klimawandel – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (Germany): 26 January   68) German speakers: Berater (w/m/d) zu klimarisikoinformierter Infrastrukturplanung – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (Germany): 26 January   69) Infrastructure and Water Systems Expert – Nexperia (Germany): Until filled   70) Senior Project Development Manager – UNTAPPED (Netherlands): Until filled   71) Pakistan nationals: Agriculture Water Policy Specialist – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Pakistan): 27 January   72) Associate/Technical Director Hydrology and Hydraulics – Aurecon (Newcastle, NSW, Australia): Until filled   73) Australia nationals: Policy Officer (Climate) – Government of the Northern Territories (Darwin, NT, Australia): 23 January   74) Hydrogeologist – Rio Tinto (Pilbara, WA, Australia): Until filled   75) Senior Environmental Safeguarding & DRR Advisor – World Vision (Burwood East, VIC, Australia): Until filled   76) Nature Based Solutions Adviser (Geomatics) – Shell (London): Until filled   77) Wildlife and Farming Officer (ST Catchment Partnership) – Shropshire Wildlife Trust (United Kingdom): 30 January   78) U.K. nationals: Environment Planning Officer – Environment Agency (United Kingdom): 22 January   79) Canada nationals: Engineering Advisor (Flood Modelling) – Natural Resources Canada (Ottawa, ON, Canada): 27 January   80) Canada nationals: Manager (Policy and Stakeholder Engagement) – Government of Saskatchewan (Regina, SK, Canada): 24 January   81) GIS Watershed Outreach Specialist – Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR) (Ashley, PA, USA): Until filled   82) Environmental Communications Specialist – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Washington, DC): Until filled   83) U.S. nationals: Hydrologist – U.S. Bureau of Land Management (Idaho Falls, ID, USA): 22 January   84) U.S. nationals: Environmental Protection Specialist – U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Boise, ID, USA): 23 January   85) U.S. nationals: Hydrologist – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Albuquerque, NM, USA): 23 January   86) Water Quality & Aquatic Ecosystems Modeler – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (Madison, WI, USA): 3 February   87) Climate Change Specialist – California Department of Water Resources (Yolo County, CA, USA): 27 January   88) U.S. nationals: Assistant Director, Energy, Water, and Sustainability Branch – Architect of the Capitol (Washington, DC): 27 January   89) Environmental Justice Organizer/Researcher – Clean Water for North Carolina(Asheville, NC, USA): 29 January   90) U.S. nationals: Hydrologist – U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (Portland, OR, USA): 24 January

Not specified (academic): Professors/lecturers 91) Lecturer in Socio-Environmental Systems – Scotland's Rural College (SRUC)(Edinburgh): 22 January   92) Assistant Professor Position in Integrated Water Resources Management – Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco): Until filled   93) Assistant Professor position in Water Desalination Technologies – Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco): Until filled   94) Assistant Professor position in Large-Scale Integrated Hydrologic Systems Modeling – Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco): Until filled   95) Assistant Professor Position in Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainability Strategies in Africa – Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco): Until filled   96) CRC Tier II – Civil and Environmental Engineering (Water Resources) – Carleton University (Ottawa, ON, Canada): Until filled Postdocs 97) Modeling of winter carbon losses in cold region wetland ecosystems under current and future climates – University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON, Canada): Until filled   98) Postdoctoral Research Associate – Texas A&M AgriLife Research (Temple, TX, USA): Until filled   99) Postdoctoral Researcher in Global Sustainability Transitions – Utrecht University(Netherlands): 24 January   100) Postdoctoral fellow in Environmental Science – Lund University (Sweden): 16 February Researchers/other 101) Research Associate – Imperial College London (London): 31 January   102) Agricultural Water Management in peri-urban rural areas – University of Florence (Italy): 27 January   103) Assistant Director (Texas Water Resource Institute) – Texas A&M AgriLife Research (Dallas, TX, USA): Until filled

WASH: 0-2 years 104) French and Spanish speakers: Delegado/a de agua y saneamiento – Cruz Roja Española (Burundi): 26 January   105) Operations Specialist (WASHPaLS) – Tetra Tech (Arlington, VA, USA): Until filled   106) French speakers: WASH Project Manager – Medair (DRC): Until filled 3-4 years   107) Project Manager (Protection, WASH and Nutrition) – INTERSOS (Yemen): 23 January   108) Rural Development Specialist (Environmental & Agua4All) – Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) (Various, USA): Until filled   109) Water Supply Planning and Analysis Team Leader – Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (Richmond, VA, USA): 31 January   110) Water+ Systems Advisor – CARE (Atlanta, GA, USA): Until filled   111) Turkey nationals: WASH and Shelter Project Officer – IYD International Humanitarian Relief Association (Turkey): 22 January   112) Nigeria nationals: Water Engineer (Infrastructure) – INTERSOS (Nigeria): 22 January   113) Nigeria nationals: WATSAN Assistant – Danish Refugee Council (Nigeria): 26 January   114) Cameroon nationals: Environmental Health (Wash) Manager – International Rescue Committee (IRC) (Cameroon): Until filled   115) Afghanistan nationals: WASH Officer – Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)(Afghanistan): 26 January 5-7 years 116) WASH/Infrastructure Technical Coordinator – ACTED (Yemen): 27 January   117) French speakers: Spécialiste Urgences WASH – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Chad): 29 January   118) Water and Sanitation Customer Sensitization Specialist (Short-term) – Tetra Tech (Zambia): Until filled   119) Romanian speakers: Water and Sanitation Project Manager – Solidarity Water Europe (SWE) (Moldova): 16 February   120) South Sudan nationals: WASH Specialist – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (South Sudan): 24 January 10+ years  121) Shelter & Infrastructure Specialist (WASH) – Danish Refugee Council (Libya): 27 January   122) Senior Technical Advisor (Water and Environment) – Catholic Relief Services (CRS) (Baltimore, MD, USA): Until filled   123) Lead Evaluation & Research Analyst – water.org (Various): Until filled   124) US South Regional Drinking Water Practice Leader – Stantec (Austin, TX, USA): Until filled Not specified 125) French speakers: Country Director/Directeur National – Water for Good (Central African Republic): Until filled   126) Humanitarian WASH Advisor – Save the Children (London): 16 February

Consultancies: 127) Rapid analysis of hydropower potential compared to wind and solar – World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) (Home-Based): 23 January   128) Navigation Planning International Consultant – Mekong River Commission (MRC)        (Home-Based): 24 January   129) Waterborne Transportation Legal International Consultant – Mekong River Commission (MRC) (Home-Based): 24 January   130) Communications Consultant (SwitchMed) – Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Production and Consumption (Barcelona): 26 January   131) Water Supply, Sanitation and Solid Waste Management Institutional and Technical Advisor – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Home-Based): 22 January   132) Environment Specialist (Strengthening Capacity to Design and Implement Water and Rural Infrastructure Facility) – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Home-Based): 22 January   133) Feasibility Study on Reverse Osmosis Technology and Drip Irrigation – Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe (Kenya): 24 January   134) Russian speakers: Natural Resource Management Experts (Roster) – Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) (Kyrgyzstan): 29 January   135) Philippines nationals: Technical Support for the Joint WASH and Nutrition and Integrated Nutrition – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Philippines): 22 January

RFP: 136) Accountability Partner (data collection affected populations) (WASH Gap Analysis) – Global Water Cluster (GWC) (Home-Based): 22 January   137) RFP: Feasibility Study on Concepts and Options to Improve Apia's Existing Sewage and Wastewater Systems – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (Samoa): 27 January

Internships: 138) Intern: Ecosystem-based Adaptation – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Washington, DC): 22 January   139) Intern (Programme Assistant) – United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) (Nairobi): 23 January   140) Intern (Regional Programme Directorate) – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Bangkok): 26 January   141) Master Student Internship in Identification of approaches to foster the efficient use of water and energy – Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology(Luxembourg): Until filled   142) Intern (Environment Affairs) – United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) (Geneva): 28 January   143) Water Resources Intern – VHB (Watertown, MA, USA): Until filled   144) Environmental Sustainability/Data Inventory Graduate Intern (Summer-Fall 2020) – The Walt Disney Company (Glendale, CA, USA): Until filled   145) Communications Intern – Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) (New York): 27 January   146) Summer 2020 Legal Program Internships – Riverkeeper (Ossining, NY, USA): Until filled   147) Sustainable Infrastructure Research Intern – World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) (Washington, DC): Until filled   148) Environmental Sustainability Data Visualization Grad Intern – The Walt Disney Company (Glendale, CA, USA): Until filled   149) Surface Water Intern – Michael Baker International (Santa Ana, CA, USA): Until filled

Scholarships: 150) Impact of winter warming mitigation in controlling carbon losses from pan-Canadian wetland and permafrost ecosystems – University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON, Canada): Until filled   151) PhD Candidate within water and environmental engineering for smart cities – Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway): 31 January   152) PhD: Water Science and Engineering – Cranfield University (United Kingdom): 29 January

Fellowships: 153) Senior Research Fellow – Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy(New Orleans, LA, USA): Until filled

Other: 154) Solar Water Pumping Volunteers – Engineers Without Borders USA (Various): 31 January     Last week’s list, in case you missed it   Post a job   Support Josh’s Water Jobs

2) Additional Jobs from WaterWired

Posted: Last Week

155) Positions: Conservation Jobs - Various locations, qualifications, due dates. http://bit.ly/39eMKQW #JobWaWi

157) From @CUAHSI, @NSF and @mtugeomining: Eight-Week Graduate Research Internship in El Salvador: 'Agricultural Community Adaptations to Extreme Hydrometeorological Events.' Application date: 31 January 2020. http://bit.ly/2Fh02i0

158) Position: @oregonwetlands (Portland, OR) - Executive Dirctor. Closes: 24 January http://bit.ly/37FjyAV #JobWaWi

159) Position: Oroville-Tonasket Irrigation District (Oroville, CA) - Field Operator. Closes: 1 March or until filled. Download OTID_Job_Posting_010620

160) Position: @TualatinRiver (Tualatin, OR) - Executive Director. Closes: 31 March. http://bit.ly/39WW8t1 #JobWaWi

161) Position: @OregonDEQ (Portland, OR) - Risk Assessor/Air Toxics Project Manager (Natural Resource Specialist 4). Closes: 2 February http://bit.ly/2NgnCzV #JobWaWi

162) Positions (3): @water_witness: 1)Practice Lead - Research (Edinburgh, UK; 2) Practice Lead - Water Stewardship (Edinburgh, UK); 3) Regional Programme Manager (Addis Ababa). All close: 6 February. http://bit.ly/36IEOpu #JobWaWi

163) Position: Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (Willows, CA) - Engineering Technician. OUF. http://bit.ly/2NmlJli #JobWaWi

164) Position: Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (Willows, CA) - Assistant Engineer. OUF. http://bit.ly/2Rb7LUA #JobWaWi

165): Position: VA DEQ (Richmond, VA) - ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST II (Water Supply Planning and Analysis Team Leader) - P4305. Closes: 31 January.
Download P4305_Ad_for_distribution

166) Position: @MyAquaAmerica (Bryn Mawr, PA) - Project Engineer - Hydraulic Modeling http://bit.ly/2tfLGfl #JobWaWi

167) Position: Oregon WRD (Pendleton or Milton Freewater, OR) - Natural Resource Specialist 2 (Assistant Watermaster). Closes: 23 January http://bit.ly/2FK15an #JobWaWi

142) Position: @ClackamasSWCD (Beavercreek, OR) - General Manager. Closes: 24 January http://bit.ly/36WaUxK #JobWaWi

168) Position: New York State Water Resources Institute (New Paltz, NY) - Extension Supply Specialist I - Extension Supp Specialist I http://bit.ly/30pjgMk #JobWaWi

169) Position: @ucabears (Conway, AR) - T-T Assistant Professor with expertise in GIS, Cartography, and Geospatial Techniques. OUF. http://bit.ly/2uHn3IR #JobWaWi

170) Position: The Klamath Tribes (Chiloquin, OR) - Lead Chemist. Closes: 5 February.
Download Lead Chemist      Download KT APPL fillable pdf

171) Postdoctoral Position: Oregon State University (Hermiston, OR) - Specializing in Soil, Water, & Nutrient Dynamics. Closes: 15 March
Download OSU_Lukas_Lab_PostDoc_2020  

172) Position: Imperial Irrigation District (Holtville, CA) - Water Division Coordinator. Internal Only. Closes: 4 February. http://bit.ly/2RgRsH5 #JobWaWi

Posted: 23 January 2020

173) Position: @USDA_NRCS (Boise, ID) - Hydrologist. Closes: 10 February. http://bit.ly/30PwWQE #JobWaWi

174) Position: Kennewick Irrigation District (Kennewick, WA) - Staff Engineer I or II. OUF. http://bit.ly/3axZnr3 #JobWaWi #PNWater

175) Positions: @USGS_OR (Portland, OR) - Hydrologists. Closes: 31 January. http://bit.ly/36prWU6 #JobWaWi

176) Position: Calaveras County Water District (San Andreas, CA) - Manager of Water Resources. Closes: 14 February https://sforce.co/2TSBwfS #JobWaWi

3) Some General Employment Resources

AGU Career Center for research/academic jobs

GoodWorkCanada - Canada's Green Jobs Site

Congressional Research Service Positions 

Check out @AidJobs - Vacancies in aid, development, humanitarian & nonprofit sector (volunteers, consultants or F-T employment) https://aidjobs.org

Conservation Jobs Board

UN Jobs in Water Resources

UN Jobs in Water Management

UN Jobs in Water and Sanitation

Global Water Jobs

WASH Vacancies

Academic Jobs Online

Higher Education Job Site

Get Hydrology Jobs

AAG Jobs

@BCWaterNews Jobs Click View Jobs

@EcologyWA - Current Openings - Updated every few days. Click here. 

King County (WA) Jobs

Geoscience Job Board

California DWR Jobs

AZ Water Career Center 

Florida Water Jobs

NYC DEP 

Nature Conservancy jobs

State of Washington Careers

Idaho DEQ 

OSU Water Resources Program

Water District Jobs

Academic Jobs in Schools of Physical/Earth Sciences

Mac's List - Jobs in Portland and Beyond!

New Zealand Hydrological Society Jobs Board

California Water Jobs 

Government Jobs

Association of Oregon Counties Job Postings

Soil Science Societies Career Center

How to Find Work Overseas, with Marcelle Yeager. https://bit.ly/1pIopLT  

For the full list of Josh's active water jobs, please visit www.joshswaterjobs.com/jobs

Enjoy! 

"It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem." - Malcolm Forbes

Elaine J. Hanford's Bulletin Boards: 1) Geoscience; 2) Environmental Science; 3) Coastal Zone Management - 20 January 2020

In the USA we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., Day today. Take 17 minutes to listed to his insightful and inspirational 'I Have a Dream' speech. Click here. Thanks to friend Steven J. Downey for sending this my way.

Do you know of a colleague and/or student who would be interested in receiving  these Bulletin Board listings? Please forward this to them. A 

quick email to Geosciences-BBoard@att.net with the word “subscribe” in the subject line and the email address will be added to the weekly distribution. 

Here are Elaine's BBs as Word/PDF documents:     

As PDF: Download Bulletin_Boards_20Jan2020

As Word: Download Bulletin_Boards_20Jan2020

Note: If a link does not work, try pasting it into your browser.

Geoscience Bulletin Board – 20 January 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

Karst topography is active in northwestern China – sinkhole opens up and “swallows” a bus

• https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/enormous-sinkhole-swallows-bus-passengers-070903729.html
• Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofsGW7Azi7I
• http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Huge_sinkhole_swallows_bus_kills_six_in_China_999.html

Tracking patterns of freeze-thaw in Quebec

• https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2020/01/13/concordia-researcher-tracks-the-impact-of-climate-change-on-freeze-and-thaw-patterns-in-quebec.html

Practicing “active source seismic” in West Texas in advance of research in Antarctica

• https://eos.org/articles/controlled-explosions-pave-the-way-for-thwaites-glacier-research

Large-scale agricultural irrigation programs trigger giant slow-moving landslides in Peruvian deserts

• https://eos.org/articles/modern-farming-kick-starts-large-landslides-in-peruvian-deserts

Computer simulations of transport of natural & anthropogenic materials in ocean mixed layer

• https://eos.org/editors-vox/understanding-material-movement-in-the-oceans-upper-layer

EQs in Puerto Rico – more aftershocks likely

• https://www.usgs.gov/news/magnitude-64-earthquake-puerto-rico
• http://theconversation.com/earthquake-forecast-for-puerto-rico-dozens-more-large-aftershocks-are-likely-129874

NASA maps ground displacement from Puerto Rico EQ using InSAR data

• http://www.terradaily.com/reports/NASA_maps_ground_changes_from_Puerto_Rico_quake_999.html

Well-preserved digestive tracts in microscopic animals – cloudinomorphsof Ediacaran age

• http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/cloudinomorph-digestive-tracts-08011.html

Oldest slime mold found in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber

• http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/oldest-slime-mold-08006.html

Assessing impact of deep-sea mining on microbes

• https://phys.org/news/2020-01-deep-sea-impact-microbes.html
• Paper: https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lno.11403

Explaining why deep-sea nodules remain on the surface of the ocean floor

• https://phys.org/news/2020-01-nodules-bottom-sea.html

New analysis shows warmest oceans in “recorded human history” i.e., since 1955 – 0.075 degrees Celsius above 1981-2010 average to a depth of 2,000 meters

• https://www.livescience.com/ocean-temperatures-break-record.html
• https://phys.org/news/2020-01-oceans-hottest.html
• https://phys.org/news/2020-01-record-setting-ocean-warmth-equivalent-billion.html

NASA EOSDIS monitoring smoke and aerosols from bushfires in Australia

• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0455-3

Landsat 9 carrying on the tradition

• http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Landsat_9_The_Pieces_Come_Together_999.html

ESA now includes Aeolus winds in daily weather forecasts

• http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Aeolus_winds_now_in_daily_weather_forecasts_999.html

Analysis of “shocked meteorite” provides clues to Lower Mantle

• http://www.terradaily.com/reports/NASA_maps_ground_changes_from_Puerto_Rico_quake_999.html
• Paper: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/2/eaay7893

If you look for “climate change” in daily weather observations you will find it

• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200102143429.htm

Depth of porphyry deposits correlates with metal composition – copper is deeper, gold is shallower

• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200114104046.htm
• Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-14113-1

Understanding middle Miocene Climate Optimum – 3 to 4 degrees warmer than today – no humans involved

• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200109105533.htm
• https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/1744735-scientists-use-ancient-marine-fossils-to-unravel-long-standing-climate-puzzle
• https://theworldnews.net/uk-news/ancient-marine-fossils-used-to-study-previous-global-warming-events
• Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-13792-0

Schools of thought on thermochemical “blobs” in the interior of Earth & hot spots

• https://www.quantamagazine.org/continents-of-the-underworld-come-into-focus-20200107/

Creating 3D tactile map for students with disabilities

• https://bbg.life/index.php/2020/01/14/geology-professor-creates-3d-tactile-map-for-students-with-disabilities-best-brothers-group-of-companies/

What the disciplines in the Earth Sciences need to do for the future

• https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/earth-sciences-face-crisis-sustainability

Geologists:  speaking “geo” - origin & types of rocks, bedrock, detectives, energy hunters

• https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=252945

Nevada gold deposits and the unique geology of the Great Basin

• https://investingnews.com/innspired/nevada-gold-deposits-north-american-great-basin/

Long-term (1970s to 2016) degradation in groundwater chemistry of the High Plains aquifer in Kansas

• https://salinapost.com/posts/5e1d3abc7d7daa72b30ead31

Tracking landslides in Maine

• https://www.pressherald.com/2020/01/14/landslide-hotspots-identified-in-new-maine-study/

Wyoming State Geological Survey issues new pamphlet on Glendo State Park

• https://www.rocketminer.com/news/state/new-pamphlet-details-geology-in-glendo-state-park/article_180be5fe-acc9-5cd6-b291-a4fc3b70a9f2.html
• Pamphlet: https://www.wsgs.wyo.gov/products/wsgs-2020-ip-19.pdf

Fossil smuggling is stripping geological heritage of Morocco

• https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/87792/fossil-smuggling-stripping-morocco-from.html

Mapping of discreet high-grade zones & bulk tonnage potential at Lawyers Project with Cerro Negro Gold-Silver Mine in Argentina

• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/benchmark-compares-mapping-discreet-high-143000886.html

Mirabilite mounds common to polar ice cap and Mars are detected on Great Salt Lake

• https://fox13now.com/2020/01/07/rare-mineral-formations-common-to-polar-cap-mars-detected-on-great-salt-lake/

Culturing cells of Asgard archaea from the sea floor is a time-consuming & difficult process

• https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00087-4

 

Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 20 January 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

China released genetic data on new, now deadly, coronavirus (nCoV) pneumonia

• http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/01/china-releases-genetic-data-new-coronavirus-now-deadly
• https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/01/10/795343026/chinese-virologists-are-fighting-a-new-outbreak-heres-what-they-re-looking-for
• https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/01/never-before-seen-virus-in-china-outbreak-kills-one-spreads-to-thailand/

Candida auris– deadly fungal pathogen – now resists all existing antifungal drugs

• https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/01/how-a-deadly-pan-resistant-fungal-infection-arose-in-the-us-3-times/
• CDC MMWR: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6901a2.htm?s_cid=mm6901a2_w

Bush fires pose short- and long-term impacts on public drinking water quality & the environment

• https://eos.org/articles/five-environmental-consequences-of-australias-fires
• http://theconversation.com/bushfires-threaten-drinking-water-safety-the-consequences-could-last-for-decades-129353

Amazon fires released black carbon emissions that caused changes in glaciers in the Andes

• https://eos.org/articles/amazon-fires-contribute-to-andean-glacier-melting

Political battle will rage over revisions to NEPA – public comment period began 10 January

• https://www.enr.com/articles/48458-battle-begins-as-administration-outlines-national-environmental-policy-act-changes

US Army COE increases levee inspections as Mississippi River rises above 11 feet at New Orleans

• https://www.nola.com/news/article_b8fa539a-3303-11ea-8fe8-5bae605b748a.html

Trenton, New Jersey, to replace lead water pipes over next 5 years – estimated cost $150M

• https://apnews.com/fdbedd81f3cc25f3079deba63f579fe5

Long list of projects in queue for next Water Resources Development Act (WRDA)

• https://www.enr.com/articles/48459-long-list-of-projects-in-the-queue-for-next-wrda-bill
• Proposed projects: https://transportation.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Corps%20Testimony.pdf

Coyotes are indeed wily – moving into urban areas – rare encounters with humans

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/attacks-urban-coyotes-rare-frightening-131637785.html

10-day python hunting contest in the Everglades – Python Challenge

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/10-day-everglades-python-hunt-kicks-off/ar-BBYQn79
• Invasive species: http://www.savetheglades.org/the-python/
• Florida Python Challenge: https://flpythonchallenge.org/

Slow increase in Tiger population in India

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/a-viral-photo-of-a-tiger-and-her-5-cubs-shows-how-the-species-is-bouncing-back-from-extinction/ar-BBYQ7TP

Reward increased to $7,500 for information on killer who shot endangered California wolf (OR-59)

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/7500-reward-wolf-killing-california-061909689.html

“Where white people are in charge” the fires are much worse – need to learn from Aboriginals

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/australias-indigenous-people-have-a-solution-for-the-countrys-bushfires-and-its-been-around-for-tens-and-thousands-of-years/ar-BBYSdg4

US Army COE anticipating high runoff season for Missouri River System

• https://www.minotdailynews.com/news/local-news/2020/01/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-anticipates-high-runoff-season-for-missouri-river/
• https://www.omaha.com/news/local/corps-again-increases-dam-releases-as-another-year-of-high/article_f702ad35-1b56-55c1-bb83-51ce33824fab.html

US Army COE to get $39.6M for design & construction of Princeville levee in North Carolina

• https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/state/north-carolina/article239158333.html

Federal energy subsidies – what are we getting for all that money?

• https://www.ewg.org/energy/22777/federal-energy-subsidies-what-are-we-getting-our-money
• https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solar-itc-extension-bill-introduced-in-house-and-senate
• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/4th-person-pleads-guilty-in-dollar1b-california-energy-scam/ar-BBYY15N

Book Review:  An Underground Guide to Sewers

• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/these-photos-capture-worlds-sewer-systems-when-they-were-brand-new-180973921/

Construction on $2B DigIndy Tunnel not quite done - insufficient to prevent sewage overflows

• https://www.indystar.com/story/news/environment/2020/01/10/digindy-tunnel-might-not-big-enough-keep-sewage-out-river/4181373002/

Diego, the giant tortoise, gets to retire at age 130 after saving his species

• https://www.yahoo.com/gma/galapagos-giant-tortoise-much-sex-retires-saving-species-215100380--abc-news-topstories.html

Water main break floods half a million gallons of water into New York subway lines – looking for excuses

• https://gothamist.com/news/mta-subway-water-main-commuting-hell

Puerto Rico is not prepared for big earthquakes

• https://apnews.com/8d5cbcf5b342038bd164fb7f0a5f081c
• https://eos.org/articles/rare-earthquake-swarm-strikes-puerto-rico

JetBlue Airline will buy carbon offsets believing in the myth of CO2 and global warming

• https://eos.org/articles/first-u-s-airline-goes-carbon-neutral

New isotope model predicts denitrification from groundwater in riparian zones

• https://eos.org/editor-highlights/new-isotope-model-predicts-denitrification-from-riparian-zones

Monitoring increased and continuing risks of activity of Taal Volcano in the Philippines

• https://eos.org/articles/taal-eruption-and-ashfall-continue-thousands-still-at-risk
• https://www.rt.com/news/478261-lloyds-insurance-volcano-threat/

Still drinking the Kool-Aid – yet another legislative plan being introduced with goal of 100% clean US economy by 2050 – the CLEAN Future Act & $1.1T EU “Green Deal”

• https://eos.org/articles/house-democrats-introduce-ambitious-climate-change-plan
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/andrew-romanoff-climate_n_5df59a78e4b03aed50ef5f4e
• https://phys.org/news/2020-01-eu-trillion-euro-green.html

Officials in California are rousting homeless camps – creating health crisis

• https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/10/794616155/sweeps-of-homeless-camps-in-california-aggravate-key-health-issues

Why you should not throw apple cores out the car window

• https://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/dont-throw-apple-cores-out-car-window.html

Battle being waged in Texas Hill Country over pipelines, population and property rights

• https://www.ehn.org/kinder-morgan-texas-hill-country-2641646934.html

Anti-vaxxers continue to wage battle – celebrate as pro-vaccine bill falls apart in New Jersey

• https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/01/anti-vaxxers-celebrate-victory-in-nj-as-pro-vaccine-bill-falls-apart/’

New real-time soil nitrate sensor developed

• https://phys.org/news/2020-01-realtime-soil-nitrate-sensor.html

UN Nature rescue plan to protect 30% of the planet by 2030 – biodiversity summit in October 2020

• https://phys.org/news/2020-01-planet-nature.html
• https://phys.org/news/2019-04-biodiversity-conference-groundwork-nature.html

Sand mining is unsustainable & is threatening lives along Mekong River in Cambodia

• https://phys.org/news/2020-01-unsustainable-sand-threatening-mekong-river.html

Only grove of Wollemi pine trees saved from bush fires – rare species dates back 90 million years

• https://time.com/5766136/australia-wildfires-dinosaur-trees/
• https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/australia/dinosaur-pines-rescued-scli-intl/index.html
• https://www.wpxi.com/news/trending/firefighters-save-dinosaur-trees-devastating-australian-wildfires/3TISKXXL6RFJ3JNKUVUYGI32T4/

Questioning whether ecosystem can recover from Australian bush fires – of course it will once again

• http://theconversation.com/bushfires-can-ecosystems-recover-from-such-dramatic-losses-of-biodiversity-129836

22 rhinos killed by poachers in supposedly secure sanctuary on Chief’s Island in Botswana

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/africa/botswanas-rhinos-are-under-siege-its-time-to-learn-from-historical-mistakes/ar-BBYNC5A

Effects of secondhand marijuana smoke on your lungs, heart & blood vessels – not good

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/what-are-the-effects-of-secondhand-marijuana-smoke/ar-BBYZaio

Private company building segment of US Border Wall to help protect national security

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/this-contractor-says-he-can-build-trumps-border-wall-faster-and-cheaper-than-the-us-can/ar-BBYYXqD

Lioness at Brookfield Zoo euthanized after accidental fall

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lioness-dies-in-tragic-fall-at-zoo-just-2-weeks-after-mate-is-euthanized/ar-BBYYqLU

Oktibbeha County Lake dam at risk of failure due to extremely high water levels in the lake

• https://apnews.com/9ad24515acdb193672ce33f68adcdebe

New “waste police” unit to crackdown on illegal activities & dumping

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/prison-sentences-fly-tippers-government-235900897.html

Benzene & other chemicals leak from largest oil refinery on the East Coast - bankruptcy

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/massive-oil-refinery-leaks-toxic-chemical-in-the-middle-of-philadelphia/ar-BBZ1RYi

Data suggest that human bodies in the US are, on average, cooler than they were in the 19^thcentury

• https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00074-9

Egypt, Ethiopia & Sudan reach preliminary agreement on filling & operating $5B dam project on Nile River – the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

• https://apnews.com/2951395637d37152f280fc9fb5aa7b84

California now pursuing 30-mile long $11B single tunnel project beneath Sacramento-San Joaquin River delta to divert water from northern to southern parts of the State

• https://www.sfchronicle.com/environment/article/1-is-better-than-none-California-moves-toward-14979048.php

Recovering bodies of those killed by avalanche in Kashmir – rescue/recovery efforts underway

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/pakistan-21-more-bodies-recovered-101447047.html

Offshore wind farms built to tackle “climate change” should be banned to protect sea birds

• https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/15/wind-farms-built-tackle-climate-change-couldfinal-nail-coffin/

Louisiana coastal authority will put $2B restoration & levee projects out to bid for 2020 – 28 projects

• https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article_260f5dea-37eb-11ea-bd8ff31fa3abebef.html

Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 20 January 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

Helgoland Island is birth place of North Sea seals – 520 births and counting this season

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/historic-german-island-is-nursery-for-north-seaseals/ar-BBYQ1Ht

• https://www.hindustantimes.com/it-s-viral/historic-helgoland-island-in-germany-is-nursery-forgrey-seal-pups/story-UEerlps0J5pXF8s9S7W7HO.html

Touring coastal Liguria, Italy

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/tmullen/2020/01/13/enjoy-unique-mysteries-of-coastalliguria/#3c18d1fc1a54 

2024 World Rowing event in Paris could include coastal rowing after debut in 2022

• https://www.insidethegames.biz/index.php/articles/1089075/coastal-rowing-paris-2024-inclusion

• https://row-360.com/world-rowing-confirms-plans-to-propose-coastal-rowing-for-paris-2024/

Coastal towns in North Carolina bracing for high tides and storms

• https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-01-13/climate-change-air-quality/high-tides-risingsea-levels-worry-coastal-nc-residents/a68815-2

Primer on the California Coastal Commission

• https://www.smdp.com/primer-coastal-commission/184692

Rhode Island CRMC offered tutorial on new coastal hazards application – worksheet & online viewer

• https://www.thewesterlysun.com/news/westerly/crmc-to-offer-workshop-on-new-coastalhazards-app/article_6efd7aae-33af-11ea-b259-67a4599909db.html

• APP: http://www.crmc.ri.gov/coastalhazardapp.html

Coastal Railway along Puget Sound poses risks to endangered salmon

• https://www.heraldnet.com/news/changes-coming-for-coastal-train-tracks-that-endangersalmon/

City of Duluth, Minnesota, seeking $13.5M in bonds for coastal repair

• https://www.fox21online.com/2020/01/10/city-of-duluth-seeks-million-in-bonding-money-forcoastal-repair/

Five Nations group still at odds with Coastal GasLink

• https://www.pipelinesinternational.com/2020/01/13/first-nations-group-still-at-odds-withcoastal-gaslink/

Mudflats, mangroves & marshes protect the coastline

• https://www.dw.com/en/mudflats-mangroves-and-marshes-the-great-coastal-protectors/a-50628747

Coastal Rivers Center is hub for outdoor activities

• https://www.wiscassetnewspaper.com/article/coastal-rivers-nature-center-hub-outdoorexploration/129072

• https://www.coastalrivers.org/

“Herbivores of the sea” keep coral reefs healthy – selective fishing can disrupt ecological balance

• https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=299824&org=GEO&from=news

11,000-gallon sewage spill in San Gabriel River prompts closure of coastal beaches in Long Beach

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/11k-gallon-sewage-spill-leads-to-closure-ofcoastal-beaches-in-long-beach/ar-BBYWf9N

46-ft lifeboat tows 1,300 tonne freighter to safety off Oban, Scotland

• https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/46-foot-lifeboat-tows-coastal-freighter-to-safety

US Army COE provides briefing on coastal issues along Lake Michigan

• https://kewauneecomet.com/corps-spokesperson-updates-coastal-issues/

$281M award by US Army COE to coastal communities in North Carolina for hurricane damages

• https://www.wxii12.com/article/army-corps-award-north-carolina-hurricane-stormdamage/30517063#

Maryland to take legal action against Pennsylvania & USEPA for pollution in Susquehanna River that enters Chesapeake Bay

• https://fox43.com/2020/01/10/maryland-governor-seeks-lawsuit-against-pennsylvania-epaover-chesapeake-bay-water-pollution/

• https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/environment/bs-md-epa-bay-program-comments-20200107-34qokq34hfhevizv25d3auzxi4-story.html

Public hearing on Ocean City, Maryland, offshore wind farms

• https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/taller-turbines-public-hearing-on-oc-offshore-windprojects/

Introduced invasive catfish now on the menu in Chesapeake Bay cuisine

• https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/blue-catfish

Offshore oil & gas boom in Suriname & Senegal & Norway & Jamaica & Myanmar

• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/start-offshore-oil-gas-boom-170000190.html

• https://www.worldoil.com/news/2020/1/14/senegal-launches-new-2020-offshore-licensinground

• https://www.reuters.com/article/us-oil-offshore/offshore-oil-and-gas-boom-to-continue-rystadidUSKBN1ZD1N6

• https://www.offshore-mag.com/regional-reports/article/14074759/offshore-jamaica-partnersgiven-more-time-for-drilling-decision

• https://www.offshore-mag.com/field-development/article/14074515/up-to-10-wells-forultradeepwater-myanmar-gas-tieback

Commercial fishing groups calling for transit lanes through offshore wind turbine arrays in New England

• https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/fishing-advocates-propose-four-mile-transit-lanesfor-offshore-wind/

Monitoring construction of coastal LNG project in Mozambique

• https://www.offshore-mag.com/field-development/article/14074754/fulkrum-to-monitoroffshore-mozambique-lng-construction

Train tunnel under New River would cost $3.3B to reduce delays for boat traffic in Fort Lauderdale

• https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-ne-brightline-crossing-newriver-20200114-3lia2icztnhbvfw3dx2lw6anqu-story.html

Tens of thousands of guillemot die of starvation in Pacific Ocean – wrecks wash up on beaches

• https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/worst-marine-heatwave-record-killed-190730551.html

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” ― Martin Luther King, Jr.

Paper: 'Geological Heterogeneity of Coastal Unconsolidated Groundwater Systems Worldwide and Its Influence on Offshore Fresh Groundwater Occurrence'

This is a fascinating open-access paper sent to me by Michael van der Valk at the Dutch Hydrology Portal: Geological Heterogeneity of Coastal Unconsolidated Groundwater Systems Worldwide and Its Influence on Offshore Fresh Groundwater Occurrence, by Daniel Zamrsky, Maria E. Karssenberg Kim M. Cohen, Marc F. P. Bierkens, and Gualbert H. P. Oude Essink. Front. Earth Sci., 15 January 2020 https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00339

Here is a PDF (but click on the title above to access the hot links in the article and the references):

Download Feart-07-00339

Abstract
Numerous coastal areas worldwide already experience fresh water shortages due to overexploitation and salt water intrusion. Future climate change and population growth will further intensify this threat in more areas in coming decades. Therefore, it is necessary to explore any potential fresh water source, such as offshore fresh groundwater, that could alleviate this fresh water shortage and provide valuable time for adaptation measures implementation and changes in water management strategies. Recent evidence suggests that a disproportionally large portion of human population living in coastal areas relies on groundwater resources stored in underlying unconsolidated groundwater systems. These systems are often very heterogeneous, combining numerous high permeability aquifers interlaid with low permeability aquitards with varying total thickness. This heterogeneity is a major control on the fresh groundwater volume and groundwater salinity distribution within such systems. Thus, the quantification of geological heterogeneity is often the limiting factor when estimating fresh groundwater volumes, both inland and offshore, along the global coastline. To overcome this obstacle, we combine conceptual geological models with available state-of-the-art global datasets to derive a set of geological heterogeneity parameter distributions quantifying geological heterogeneity of coastal unconsolidated groundwater systems (CUGSs) as formed over last 1 Ma. These are then used in an algorithm designed to build synthetic heterogenic parameterizations of CUGSs along the global coastline. These, in turn, provide key input for modeling variable-density groundwater flow and coupled salt transport to analyze changes in groundwater salinities and offshore fresh groundwater volume (OFGV). Such an analysis is performed over one full glacial–interglacial cycle (the last 0.13 Ma) to account for oscillating sea-level conditions and shifts in coast-line positions and salinity incursions. Our simulation results show a close match between the modeling scenarios and values presented by literature sources demonstrating the potential of the hereby presented methodology to be applied in similar future studies.

Summary and Conclusion
The need for a better understanding and definition of heterogeneous coastal hydrogeology at the global scale is addressed in this study by combining various conceptual geological models with state-of-the-art freely available global datasets. The combination of these is used as input into the global geological heterogeneity algorithm. Even though only three geological parameters are explicitly quantified (another four need to be randomized), we show that adequate information is provided to create synthetic heterogenic CUGSs.

These synthetic heterogenic CUGSs are used as input to SEAWAT models (using the SEAWAT code), simulating variable-density groundwater flow and coupled salt transport. The SEAWAT models estimate FGFs and OFGVs over the past glacial–interglacial cycle and extending to the near future. Thus, we are able to estimate the magnitude and future decrease of OFGVs in seven selected COSCAT regions. Comparing the estimated OFGVs with literature values for the selected COSCAT regions shows a potential for expanding the hereby presented methodology to the rest of coastal COSCAT regions worldwide (being 127 in number). By extending our approach to the global coastline, thus we would gain valuable insights into current and near future OFGV occurrence and magnitude in CUGSs. The analysis of the influence of geological settings on OFGVs shows that the presence and thickness of an offshore low permeable (e.g., clay) layer overtopping the more permeable offshore aquifers has the highest positive influence on simulated OFGV. Therefore, the focus of the geological data collection should not be limited to the inland areas but should also include as many offshore locations as possible.

Four geological parameters could not be quantified within the scope of this study. To overcome this, two different modeling concepts were designed to randomize the values of these geological parameters for seven selected COSCAT regions (= nine ARPs). The first modeling concept only takes into account the extreme values of the geological heterogeneity parameter values (PE) resulting in 24 SEAWAT models in total. The second modeling concept is based on a randomized MC randomization of the geological heterogeneity parameter values and amounts to 100 SEAWAT models. The average groundwater salinity profiles calculated by these two modeling concepts showed to yield very similar results. This means that using the PE-method to estimate averaged regional OFGVs results in a 75% reduction in total SEAWAT model runtimes, while maintaining the same degree of confidence in the model outcome as when conducting a full MC simulation. This is an important implication for future global and large regional modeling studies dealing with missing geological information on such large scales. Collecting local coastal geological data (e.g., borehole datasets) and implementing these into the conceptual geological model would be a logical next step in clearing the path to a better understanding and quantification of global hydrogeological heterogeneity, leading to improved water management strategies and decision making. The hereby presented new dataset and methods can be applied on a regional scale (tens to hundreds of kilometers) to investigate the effects of geological heterogeneity in coastal unconsolidated systems on OFGVs presence and to quantify their magnitude.

 Supplementary material can be found here.

Here are some other articles about offshore aquifers by Renee Martin-Nagle and others: June 2015 and October 2015.

Time to tune up those drill rigs!

Enjoy!

"Science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." - Isaac Asimov