In the past few years, the wildfires that normally blaze through the drier California regions have worsened. Photos of the devastating damage are always prevalent in various news outlets as homes are destroyed and the flames come dangerously close to the highways used to flee the fires. But the effects of the fires extend beyond [...]
At the Georgia Rural Water Association's fall 2019 conference in Helen, Georgia, Dr. Scott Thomas of AARC Consultants, LLC gave a brief but informative overview of the AWIA 2018 requirements for water utilities. The America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) was passed in October 2018 by Congress and is an EPA requirement for all drinking water [...]
In Texas, about 500 water utilities have tested positive for a weed killer with known negative health effects. Atrazine, an herbicide, is used to fend off weeds especially in warmer seasons, when it's easier for weeds to grow. The environmental working group (EWG) from EPA that reported these findings discovered, however, that these water utilities [...]
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are chemicals with known adverse health effects. PFAS have been present for decades in industrial and commercial use because of their versatility and resistance to heat, water, and oil. Due to a recent EPA program, water suppliers have been testing for PFAS in drinking water. Water suppliers have found PFAs [...]
The record rains of Hurricane Florence have posed multiple environmental and human health issues. As of September 19, 2018, at least 77 pig waste "lagoons" in North Carolina have flooded into the surrounding area or are at imminent risk of doing so. In these large-scale pig farms, pig waste falls through slatted floors into a [...]
