Daniel Salzler No. 1235
EnviroInsight.org Five Items January 5, 2024
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- Toilet Paper Is An Unexpected Source Of PFAS In Wastewater, Study Says.
by American Chemical Society. Wastewater can provide clues about a community’s infectious disease status, and even its prescription and illicit drug use. But looking at sewage also provides information on persistent and potentially harmful compounds, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), that get released into the environment.
Now, researchers publishing in Environmental Science & Technology Letters report an unexpected source of these substances in wastewater systems—toilet paper.
PFAS have been detected in many personal care products, such as cosmetics and cleansers, that people use every day and then wash down the drain. But not many researchers have considered whether toilet paper, which also ends up in wastewater, could be a source of the chemicals.
Some paper manufacturers add PFAS when converting wood into pulp, which can get left behind and contaminate the final paper product. In addition, recycled toilet paper could be made with fibers that come from materials containing PFAS. So, Timothy Townsend and colleagues wanted to assess this potential input to wastewater systems, and test toilet paper and sewage for these compounds.
The researchers gathered toilet paper rolls sold in North, South and Central America; Africa; and Western Europe and collected sewage sludge samples from U.S. wastewater treatment plants. Then they extracted PFAS from the paper and sludge solids and analyzed them for 34 compounds.
The primary PFAS detected were disubstituted polyfluoroalkyl phosphates (diPAPs)—compounds that can convert to more stable PFAS such as perfluorooctanoic acid, which is potentially carcinogenic. Specifically, 6:2 diPAP was the most abundant in both types of samples but was present at low levels, in the parts-per-billion range.
Then, the team combined their results with data from other studies that included measurements of PFAS levels in sewage and per capita toilet paper use in various countries. They calculated that toilet paper contributed about 4% of the 6:2 diPAP in sewage in the U.S. and Canada, 35% in Sweden and up to 89% in France.
Despite the fact that North Americans use more toilet paper than people living in many other countries, the calculated percentages suggest that most PFAS enter the U.S. wastewater systems from cosmetics, textiles, food packaging or other sources, the researchers say. They add that this study identifies toilet paper as a source of PFAS to wastewater treatment systems, and in some places, it can be a major source.
2.Colorado River Drought TaskForce Releases Report. Posted by Jan Wondra | Dec 18, 2023 in the Ark Valley Voice, Drought Resiliency Key Message of Drought Task Force Recommendations. On Friday, the Colorado River Drought Task Force and the Sub-Task Force on Tribal Matters released a report with recommendations including tools, programs, and resources that can be used to make communities that rely on water from the Colorado River more resilient to drought.
“The health of the Colorado River is crucial to Western Slope communities and the millions of Americans who rely on its water,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie, (D-Dillon). “This task force served as a critical first step to discuss dozens of policy ideas, seek vital public input and put forward recommendations to protect our waterways.”
“The recommendations would increase the water available for streams and rivers, boost funding to strengthen our water-related infrastructure, and expand flexibility and clarification in existing programs to create more drought-resilient tools for water management,” she added. “I am committed to continuing conversations about threats to the Colorado River.”
“Here on the Western Slope, our water is our lifeblood. It powers our agriculture producers, our small businesses, and is the centerpiece of the environment we cherish. Today, ongoing and worsening drought, exacerbated by climate change, is an immediate and dire threat to our state’s water,” said Senator Dylan Roberts, (D-Frisco), and sponsor of SB23-295 that created the Task Force.
“That is why we created the Colorado River Drought Task Force as an important step in a comprehensive, collaborative, and ongoing approach to addressing this pressing challenge. The Task Force’s recommendations announced today, while not everything I expected, are a positive step in the right direction,” he added. “Strategies like mitigating water loss in transit, allowing further flexibility in the sharing of stored water, and expanding the state’s work to curtail wasteful, nonfunctional turf, among others, are all going to play a role in protecting our critical water supply. Further, the Task Force started conversations on several other larger ideas that should continue to be worked on and strongly considered in the years ahead. I owe an enormous thanks to every member of the Task Force for their hard and comprehensive work – their efforts will be an important part of the ongoing efforts to safeguard our state’s water supply and to lead the nation in bold, innovative solutions to this vital issue.”
Recommendation 4 suggests allowing storage water owners, such as reservoir managers, to temporarily loan their water rights to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, which would allow for in-stream flows without a decreed in-stream flow water right. This would allow for reservoirs across the state to provide critical water to environmental needs – ensuring there is enough water in streams to protect our wildlife during drier times.
The Colorado River Drought Task Force also made recommendations to:
- Continue funding that is consistent with demand for the Technical Assistance Grant program using state fund,
- Reduce water losses in transit and leakage by increasing funding levels to state programs for aging water-related infrastructure, including replacing and upgrading diversion structures, headgate and conveyance efficiency improvements
- Continue funding to improve measurements of streams and snowpack and require more measurement to demonstrate efficiency in small projects
- Increase funding levels of the Turf Removal Program to $5 million per year and increase the amount of funding one entity can access
- Fund assessment and remediation of invasive plants that are disrupting riparian ecosystems
The Sub-Task Force on Tribal Matters made recommendations to:
- Provide a grant to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe to allow expert analysis of the potentially available water, the impacts of contributing that water to the Colorado River system, the appropriate level of compensation, funding sources for a pilot program for forbearance of water development, and potential benefits for all involved
- Request the US Congress to fully fund $35 million that is authorized for the Indian Irrigation Fund,
- Remove the requirement for matching funds of at least 25 percent for Water Plan Implementation Grants and provide the Colorado Water Conservation Board discretion to waive or reduce matching fund requirements for grants to Tribal Nations and Tribal enterprises, and
- Include cultural values for protection when deemed suitable
The Colorado River Drought Task Force also considered tools that require more conversation and stakeholding, giving legislators crucial information on policies they can continue to work on. These programs include:
- Allowing industrial users on the Yampa River to maintain their water rights by not being subject to abandonment through 2050, and to loan water, which would address environmental flow needs.
- Providing permission to the State Engineer to consider environmental needs when shepherding water to the state line if the Upper Colorado River Commission has determined additional water is needed in Lake Powell.
The task forces were created by SB23-295, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Speaker McCluskie and Senator Roberts and Representative Caitlin and Senator Will. The Colorado River Drought Task Force includes representatives from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, regional water conservation districts, local governmental officials, agricultural producers, environmental non-profit organizations, and others that have diverse experience with complex water issues.
A sub-task force consisting of representatives from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Department of Natural Resources was also established to provide policy recommendations to the General Assembly to address tribal needs.
The Colorado River provides water to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Mexico. Over 40 million people rely on the Colorado River for their water supply, and record-breaking heatwaves and droughts in the Southwestern US have only exacerbated water conservation issues.
3. Time To Put The Elf On The Shelf In The Box For Another Year. Bloomberg magazine reports that since 2005, 21 million Elf on the Shelf dolls have been sold globally.
4. Arizona Unveils Proposed Roadmap For Wastewater Reuse. The Advanced Water Purification Proposed Program Roadmap outlines the establishment of a reuse program to convert treated wastewater into a reliable source of purified water.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) released a proposed roadmap, outlining the establishment of a reuse program to convert treated wastewater into safe, reliable purified water.
The proposed program is the Advanced Water Purification (AWP) program, a collection of water treatment methodologies designed to convert treated wastewater into purified water.
The Advanced Water Purification Proposed Program Roadmap is a resource designed to help stakeholders, including utilities, the State of Arizona government employees, consultants, planners, business owners, and the public, understand ADEQ’s approach to AWP implementation in Arizona.
“ADEQ’s vision for advanced water purification reflects our mission to protect and enhance public health and the environment in Arizona,” said ADEQ Cabinet Executive Officer Karen Peters. “Water recovered and used via advanced water purification is a valuable resource that ADEQ will manage with protective regulations and forward-thinking goals informed by stakeholder and public input.”
AWP has the potential to provide a reliable source of purified water that can alleviate water scarcity issues faced by Arizona. This program will also provide Arizona with a sustainable source of healthy drinking water to support the state’s growing population and economy. ADEQ believes that implementing AWP is an important step in ensuring the health and safety of the people of Arizona while protecting the environment.
“As we continue to face a historic drought coupled with record growth in our region, we must continue to innovate new strategies to sustain and maximize our water supply,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “Earlier this year, I was excited to announce Phoenix’s first steps in creating a regional Advanced Water Purification facility that, in accordance with these new guidelines from the state, will deliver up to 60 million gallons of water per day for valley cities. Along with robust conservation programming and smart development policies, Advanced Water Purification is a safe, sustainable way to bolster our water resources for generations.”
To develop the proposed Roadmap that is specific to Arizona’s needs, ADEQ engaged and surveyed stakeholders to gather information about public sentiment toward AWP and other technical and vital considerations.
ADEQ convened a Technical Advisory Group (TAG), a collaboration encompassing ADEQ subject matter experts, academics, utility experts, regulators, consultants, and scientists, who played a pivotal role by providing crucial technical recommendations about pathogen removal, chemical control, enhanced source control, operations, treatment and outreach. This team worked for more than eight months. Source: Wastewater Digest November December2023
5. Did Ya Sing It? What Does “Auld Lang Syne” Actually Mean? It’s from the Scots language, and the expression was first recorded in 1660–1680. Robert Burns. the national poet of Scotland stold the phrase and built a poem around it the poem. Auld Lang Syne means “old long since”. Source: Parade magazine
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