Living in Alabama for several years, I discovered just how much college football means to the population. With Alabama and Auburn sharing an incredible run of overall success and National Championships, there is no doubt that college football is king right now in "The Heart of Dixie." Even as I write this #2 Alabama is preparing to face #1 Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl for the right to be #1 again.
However, there's another #2 ranking that Alabama should not be so proud of: Shelby, AL, is home to the #2 largest source of mercury pollution in the United States, the Gaston Steam Plant. This power plant dumped 1244 lbs of mercury into Alabama's water and air in 2011, second only to the Martin Lake Steam Electric Station & Lignite Mine in Rusk County, TX, at 1501 lbs of mercury emitted.
Mercury is a heavy metal that can be toxic in high doses, and typically causes damage to the brain, kidneys, or lungs. Frequently you may hear that mercury is prevalent in fish, which is true. However, mercury is also present in grasses, insects, and livestock. It bioaccumulates, meaning that is becomes concentrated at ever-higher amounts as you move up the food chain. Fishing is off-limits in many rivers and lakes in the U.S., including Alabama, due to mercury contamination.
Humans are the source of approximately 50% of mercury releases worldwide, primarily from the burning of coal. The 10 "dirtiest" coal-fired plants in the United States account for approximately 18% of all U.S. based mercury emissions. Note: the other 4 of the top 5 dirtiest mercury-emitting plants in the U.S. are all located in Texas, and operated by Luminant Generation.
The technology exists to eliminate mercury emissions from coal fired plants by over 90%, yet often nothing is done because of the incremental increase in the cost of energy to consumers. I wonder though--what is the cost of illness and lost productivity? What is the off-set gain in the creation of jobs to retrofit the plants with cleaner technologies? Don't these costs and benefits also factor into the overall picture when deciding whether or not to clean up a "dirty" plant? If not, shouldn't they? Essentially the energy companies are externalizing their operating costs on the public at large, maximizing their own profitability.
It is common knowledge that Alabama consistently ranks near the bottom of all U.S. states whether considering education, health, poverty, income, or many other indicators of overall well-being. (As the saying in Alabama goes, "Thank God for Mississippi!)" It's great to have a college football team challenging for the National Title, and it gives many people something to cheer for. However, whether or not the Crimson Tide ends its season #1 or #2, I'm more concerned about the long-term consequences of that other #2: emitting mercury that we all may end up breathing or ingesting.
Showing posts with label Clean Water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clean Water. Show all posts
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Sandy's Surge Sloshes Superfund Sites
So called "Superstorm Sandy" has made all kinds of news of late. The images of devastation along the Eastern seaboard, particularly in New York and New Jersey captured worldwide attention, and even got President Barack Obama and the (Republican) governor of New Jersey working together for common cause, setting aside politics while they focused on the needs of the people harmed by this storm.
As flood waters recede, the problems are many: people displaced by the storm, homes ruined, other homes inhabitable because of lack of power, possible gas leaks, flood damage, etc. However, one insidious little side-effect has largely escaped the public's notice: raw sewage, and hazardous and toxic chemicals "freed" by the storm.
The eastern seaboard does not lack for Superfund sites, such as the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, or Staten Island's North Shore. Just as homes, businesses, and subways were being filled with seawater, so were these sites. As the flood waters receded, they took pollutants with them--although these pollutants were not necessarily washed out to sea. They were deposited wherever the water went--into homes, businesses, etc.
Now, as people look to return home, they have multiple issues facing them--not the least of which is, "when the seawater retreated, what got left behind?" Cleaning out rotted drywall and basements full of sand is bad enough, but what if the debris also contains raw sewage, neurotoxins such as lead and mercury, radioactive materials, or other carcinogens?
Suffice to say that clean up is going to be expensive, hazardous, and very uncertain for these property owners who literally may have no idea what they're returning to. When people discuss the "costs" associated with environmental protection, where are these costs accounted for? Who will have to pay for this bill, especially when the responsible party will be unknown, and the specific harm caused may be outside the property owner's insurance coverage?
As flood waters recede, the problems are many: people displaced by the storm, homes ruined, other homes inhabitable because of lack of power, possible gas leaks, flood damage, etc. However, one insidious little side-effect has largely escaped the public's notice: raw sewage, and hazardous and toxic chemicals "freed" by the storm.
The eastern seaboard does not lack for Superfund sites, such as the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, or Staten Island's North Shore. Just as homes, businesses, and subways were being filled with seawater, so were these sites. As the flood waters receded, they took pollutants with them--although these pollutants were not necessarily washed out to sea. They were deposited wherever the water went--into homes, businesses, etc.
Now, as people look to return home, they have multiple issues facing them--not the least of which is, "when the seawater retreated, what got left behind?" Cleaning out rotted drywall and basements full of sand is bad enough, but what if the debris also contains raw sewage, neurotoxins such as lead and mercury, radioactive materials, or other carcinogens?
Suffice to say that clean up is going to be expensive, hazardous, and very uncertain for these property owners who literally may have no idea what they're returning to. When people discuss the "costs" associated with environmental protection, where are these costs accounted for? Who will have to pay for this bill, especially when the responsible party will be unknown, and the specific harm caused may be outside the property owner's insurance coverage?
Monday, October 29, 2012
Climate Change 102: CA Water Issues
California has water issues. As a state, CA currently does not have enough water to meet all of our personal, agricultural, industrial, and recreational needs. We already import water from the Colorado River, and we have already drawn down our existing reservoirs in our underground aquifers to meet these needs. Probably none of this background comes as much of a surprise? Our water woes have been well-documented and publicized for decades, dating back to the days of Mulholland. The question is, what are we doing about it--and what does the future hold?
As I mentioned before, climate change has made predicting the future much more difficult. It used to be that historical models could be counted on to accurately predict what would happen in the future. Water planners have been able to rely on the concept of "stationarity": that you can use historical water flows to plan for future water availability. Sure, there have always been unusual events that happen once every 50 or 100 years, but our weather operated in a known range. This is no longer true. "Once in a lifetime" events now happen every 10 or 20 years. New and previously unforeseen events are occurring. We're in new territory, and although we have no crystal balls, we do have computer modeling. It allows us to make reasonable decisions on what might happen, and what is most likely to happen.
For example, the Department of Water Resources is expecting the water CA gets from the annual Sierra snowmelt to decrease by 25-40% in the next 50 years. Considering that this natural resource is an important source of water for CA in the late spring and summer months, DWR must decide not only how to replace this water supply, but also whether resources can/should be dedicated to capturing and retaining precipitation that may fall as rain (and quickly runs off) rather than slow-melting snow?
Further, what about sea-level rise? Sea levels have already risen over a foot in the last 50 years. They are expected to rise another foot by 2050. However, remember that slow but profound effect I mentioned before in the last post? Sea levels are projected to rise approximately 55 inches between 2050-2100! Imagine what this will do to low-lying areas such as Venice, Florida, New Orleans--and the Sacramento River delta. Literally thousands of acres of productive farmland could be inundated, and our existing levee system is currently not ready for sea-level rise of such magnitude. Further, salt water will encrouch up river many miles further inland, affecting fresh-water availability.
There are a few easy answers. For example, golf courses use (on average) over 300,000 gallons of fresh water a day. (Is the economic and/or recreational value of a golf course worth this cost in water resources?) We currently do very little with water recycling, and many of our reservoirs, pipelines, and other delivery systems are porous, leaky, or otherwise inefficient. We have made progress with low-flow shower heads and more efficient toilets. Much can still be done to improve our water infrastructure.
Unfortunately, although these answers will help, they will not begin to solve our water problems--especially for a state with a huge agricultural industry, and a population that is expected to increase another 10 million people by 2050. The good news, if there is good news, is that DWR is no longer using modeling based on historical averages, or wishful thinking. They're using the modern computer models to base their planning on the best science available, not history or hope. They have a hard task ahead, and unfortunately things may well get worse before they get better on this front. In the meantime--don't flush that toilet!
As I mentioned before, climate change has made predicting the future much more difficult. It used to be that historical models could be counted on to accurately predict what would happen in the future. Water planners have been able to rely on the concept of "stationarity": that you can use historical water flows to plan for future water availability. Sure, there have always been unusual events that happen once every 50 or 100 years, but our weather operated in a known range. This is no longer true. "Once in a lifetime" events now happen every 10 or 20 years. New and previously unforeseen events are occurring. We're in new territory, and although we have no crystal balls, we do have computer modeling. It allows us to make reasonable decisions on what might happen, and what is most likely to happen.
For example, the Department of Water Resources is expecting the water CA gets from the annual Sierra snowmelt to decrease by 25-40% in the next 50 years. Considering that this natural resource is an important source of water for CA in the late spring and summer months, DWR must decide not only how to replace this water supply, but also whether resources can/should be dedicated to capturing and retaining precipitation that may fall as rain (and quickly runs off) rather than slow-melting snow?
Further, what about sea-level rise? Sea levels have already risen over a foot in the last 50 years. They are expected to rise another foot by 2050. However, remember that slow but profound effect I mentioned before in the last post? Sea levels are projected to rise approximately 55 inches between 2050-2100! Imagine what this will do to low-lying areas such as Venice, Florida, New Orleans--and the Sacramento River delta. Literally thousands of acres of productive farmland could be inundated, and our existing levee system is currently not ready for sea-level rise of such magnitude. Further, salt water will encrouch up river many miles further inland, affecting fresh-water availability.
There are a few easy answers. For example, golf courses use (on average) over 300,000 gallons of fresh water a day. (Is the economic and/or recreational value of a golf course worth this cost in water resources?) We currently do very little with water recycling, and many of our reservoirs, pipelines, and other delivery systems are porous, leaky, or otherwise inefficient. We have made progress with low-flow shower heads and more efficient toilets. Much can still be done to improve our water infrastructure.
Unfortunately, although these answers will help, they will not begin to solve our water problems--especially for a state with a huge agricultural industry, and a population that is expected to increase another 10 million people by 2050. The good news, if there is good news, is that DWR is no longer using modeling based on historical averages, or wishful thinking. They're using the modern computer models to base their planning on the best science available, not history or hope. They have a hard task ahead, and unfortunately things may well get worse before they get better on this front. In the meantime--don't flush that toilet!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Supreme Court also Checks in on Clean Water
As I mentioned several days ago (October 8), environmental law is a favorite topic of mine, and the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't take that many environmental law cases. Well, a friend and colleague reminded me that the Supreme Court is taking a look at another important environmental law issue this term in the clean water realm.
On December 4, 2012, oral argument will be held in the matter of Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Counsel, et al. This case involves polluted waters in Los Angeles County. Here the Court will decide whether the County Flood Control District is liable for Clean Water Act permit violations, for the simple reason that someone else's pollutants passed through its flood control channel.
In Southern California, we don't see a lot of rain. Pollutants accumulate on the roadways in all of the cities, on the parking lots of businesses, churches and schools, and on the driveways and rooftops of homeowners. When the occasional deluge comes, these pollutants wash into storm drains, and eventually make their way into the storm sewer system, which the Flood Control District operates throughout the County. These waters flow through the sewer system into the L.A. River and San Gabriel River, among others, and eventually wash into the Pacific Ocean.
Several years of testing within the Flood Control District's sewer system reveals high levels of pollutants (above permitted levels), and the Natural Resources Defense Counsel has taken legal action. Now, the Flood Control District, which did not generate these pollutants, faces sole liability for them because the pollutants passed through its sewer. It goes without saying that this ruling could have massive implications for cities, counties and flood control districts nationwide, which are invariably responsible for providing flood control and storm sewer systems within their jurisdictions.
A negative ruling against the Flood Control District could be a big win for clean water everywhere, as it will likely assure that sewer operators treat everyone's pollutants before final discharge. However, it could be a huge hit for sewer operators (who generally didn't generate the pollutants), and eventually for cities and their taxpayers that use storm drains upstream, as they will likely have to subsidize these new treatments and liabilities.
Suffice to say that this is a classic situation where the polluters have effectively externalized their costs on the public at large. While few would dispute the need to actually clean up the pollutants, this is another situation where government and the people are being asked to collectively carry the load when the identity of specific polluters is often unknown, and there may be no good way to effectively target appropriate clean-up measures at the source.
On December 4, 2012, oral argument will be held in the matter of Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Counsel, et al. This case involves polluted waters in Los Angeles County. Here the Court will decide whether the County Flood Control District is liable for Clean Water Act permit violations, for the simple reason that someone else's pollutants passed through its flood control channel.
In Southern California, we don't see a lot of rain. Pollutants accumulate on the roadways in all of the cities, on the parking lots of businesses, churches and schools, and on the driveways and rooftops of homeowners. When the occasional deluge comes, these pollutants wash into storm drains, and eventually make their way into the storm sewer system, which the Flood Control District operates throughout the County. These waters flow through the sewer system into the L.A. River and San Gabriel River, among others, and eventually wash into the Pacific Ocean.
Several years of testing within the Flood Control District's sewer system reveals high levels of pollutants (above permitted levels), and the Natural Resources Defense Counsel has taken legal action. Now, the Flood Control District, which did not generate these pollutants, faces sole liability for them because the pollutants passed through its sewer. It goes without saying that this ruling could have massive implications for cities, counties and flood control districts nationwide, which are invariably responsible for providing flood control and storm sewer systems within their jurisdictions.
A negative ruling against the Flood Control District could be a big win for clean water everywhere, as it will likely assure that sewer operators treat everyone's pollutants before final discharge. However, it could be a huge hit for sewer operators (who generally didn't generate the pollutants), and eventually for cities and their taxpayers that use storm drains upstream, as they will likely have to subsidize these new treatments and liabilities.
Suffice to say that this is a classic situation where the polluters have effectively externalized their costs on the public at large. While few would dispute the need to actually clean up the pollutants, this is another situation where government and the people are being asked to collectively carry the load when the identity of specific polluters is often unknown, and there may be no good way to effectively target appropriate clean-up measures at the source.
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