Daniel Salzler No. 1063
EnviroInsight.org 6 Items August 14, 2020
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1. Sewer Spill Into Oak Creek. The Oak Creek Watershed Council learned of a sewer spill into Oak Creek, where a reported 15,000 to 20,000 of raw untreated sewage flowed into a storm drain and immediately drained into Oak Creek.
The incident occurred between 5:00 and 7:30 p.m. on August 4th along SR 179 at the Hillside Sedona Shopping Center. Kinney Construction Services is responsible for the spill which was in
conjunction with the continued SR179 Sewer Main Replacement Project. Source; Oak Creek Watershed
2. Do You Perceive Yourself To Be Rich Or Wealthy? In a book to be published next month by Morgan Housel, entitled “The Psychology Of Money”, has made the distinction between being wealthy and being rich. Being rich is having (real or perceived) high or modest current income. Being wealthy is having the freedom to choose not to spend money.
Many rich people are not wealthy because they feel the need to spend a lot of money to show others how rich they are. Wealth consists in caring less about what others think about you and more about using your money to control how you spend your time. Source: Wall Street Journal, August 8-9, 2020.
3 A Prospectus On Viruses. Two thirds of all human diseases originate in animals. According to an article in the August edition of “Smithsonian”, it is approximated that there are 827,000 viruses in the animal world that can potentially infect humans. A few examples of these diseases include:
Measles – from cattle
HIV – Monkeys
West Nile – Mosquitoes
Zika (2015) – Mosquitoes
H5N1 Avian Flu – Poultry
Other virus-based diseases……….SARS, MERS, Ebola, Malaria, Tuberculosis, River Blindness1, H56N2 Influenza
Six new coronaviruses have been discovered in Myanmar (April 26, 2020). Covid 19 viruses favor hosts in Rhinolohus 2 bats and Hippoideras3 bats.
A group known as the USID, primarily funds U.S. organizations such as the EPA, Brookings Institute, Smithsonian, University of California, and research institutions and also includes governments , [including China] around the world. This group researches and shares findings on animal transmitted viruses. In early 2020, President Trump canceled funding for these organizations, eliminating the exchange of all information between organizations and governments.
1 Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is a disease that affects the skin and eyes. It’s caused by the worm Onchocerca volvulus.
Onchocerca volvulus is a parasite. It’s spread to humans and livestock through the bite of a type of blackfly from the genus Simulium. This type of blackfly is found near rivers and streams. That’s where the name “river blindness” comes from.
2 Rhinolohus includes almost 80 species of large-eared, insect-eating bats that make up the sole genus of family Rhinolophidae
3 Hipposideridae bats live mainly in the tropics.
Covid-19, the newly emergent virus behind the current pandemic, is only the latest pathogen to jump from an animal carrier to afflict human beings. Here are some additional notable outbreaks.
Source: “Smithsonian”, August 2020
4. Granite Creek Cleanup – CANCELLED For 2020 Due To COVID-19 PRESCOTT, AZ – Due to concerns about coronavirus and COVID-19, Prescott Creeks has cancelled the Granite Creek Cleanup which was rescheduled from April to September 19th, 2020. While the Cleanup represents an important community event connecting people and making a difference with creeks, Prescott Creeks believes that exercising extreme caution is the best course of action given the ongoing and developing conditions with the coronavirus and COVID-19 crisis.
“The decision to cancel the 2020 Cleanup was made late last week after surveys, research, and exploration of adapting the event to accommodate social distancing and other COVID-19 strategies,” reported Michael Byrd, Executive Director for Prescott Creeks. “Extensive discussion with past community participants, partner organizations, and event sponsors, combined with uncertainty about whether the already rescheduled event could be held safely led to the final decision to cancel the 2020 event.” The organization is planning for the 2021 Granite Creek Cleanup scheduled for Saturday April 17th, 2021.
5. Three Facts Of CAP Efficiency: Seepage And Evaporation. The Central Az Project (CAP) reliably delivers Colorado River water to central and southern Arizona, and in the process, some water is “lost” to seepage and evaporation.
1. Total system loss is nominal
CAP’s average annual system loss (system loss = seepage + evaporation) during the past 20 years is approximately 4.5 percent of Colorado River diversions due to CAP’s canal design, construction, and efficient operation methods. CAP’s system includes the aqueduct and Lake Pleasant.
2. Lake Pleasant annual loss: about 3% of annual diversions
The math is elementary: more surface area equals more evaporation, right? As of the publishing date of this article, Lake Pleasant was at 7,755 acres of surface area and 66-percent full. Lake Pleasant, CAP’s storage reservoir that provides the flexibility to balance Colorado River supply diversions and customer deliveries, has an annual loss of around 3 percent. Consequently, about two-thirds of CAP’s annual system loss occurs at the lake just northwest of Phoenix.
3. CAP canal annual loss: about 1.5% of annual diversions
The 336-mile CAP canal is a relatively narrow passage. Along with a concrete liner, this helps explain why CAP’s average annual loss from the aqueduct is only around 25,000 acre feet or 1.5 percent of total diversions. That figure includes 9,000 acre-feet lost due to seepage. Even in a state that enjoys more peak sun hours that any in the nation, this loss is nominal.
So all told, based on our scientific calculations, evaporation and seepage accounts for approximately 4.5% of the amount of water CAP diverts from the Colorado River.
Considering CAP diverts around 1.5 million acre feet each year, evaporation and seepage on this system is quite minimal thanks to the efficient, engineering marvel that is the 336-mile CAP system. Source: CAP
6. While You’re Operating In COVID Slow Down Mode, plan your next “get-outta-town ” trip. Match the following names of towns with the state in which it is located. Perhaps one of these towns will be a destination trip once the COVID restrictions are lifted. Draw a line from the left column to the correct answer in the right column.
Name of Town State
Interourse North Carolina
Hell Washington
Unalaska Florida
Belchertown Michigan
Accident Maryland
Boogertown Alaska
Humptulips Massachusetts
Two Egg Pennsylvania
Correct answers on next page
Source: Travel Trivia
Correct Answers from No. 6 above
Name of Town State
Interourse Pennsylvania
Hell Michigan
Unalaska Alaska
Belchertown Massachusetts
Accident Maryland
Boogertown North Carolina
Humptulips Washington
Two Egg Florida
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