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This is the Hydrophsere Webquest Project Due date  

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This is the Hydrophsere Webquest Project Due date  

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The first link is broken use this instead. https://www.milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/whats-a-river-basin-whats-a-watershed/

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Currents and Climate. PAGE 202 nVocab words

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Currents and Climate. PAGE 202 nVocab words

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This is the SECOND Collection of videos you may use for the project/ you may use 1-5. 

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This is the SECOND Collection of videos you may use for the project/ you may use 1-5. 

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EXTRA CREDIT:  Video Numbers 11-16 ( not 8-11) all use dance to express ocean issues in some ways. Please write a REVIEW OF THE PERFORMANCES type of reflection of how you thought the use of dance was used to bring life to the issues of the ocean. What did you like? What did not work? Could you make suggestions for improvement? What stuck with you? Include a short description of each one and the questions in one writing piece of approximately one page.

EXTRA CREDIT: The College lecture on Fishes is the last VIDEO on the 1-16 from the other yellow box. Take at least a page of notes as you watch.

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Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

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Climate Variation, Food Availability, and Deep-Sea Ecosystems

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The vast muddy expanses of the abyssal plains occupy about 60 percent of the Earth's surface and are important in global carbon cycling. Changes in the Earth's climate can cause unexpectedly large changes in deep-sea ecosystems. Based on 18 years of studies, MBARI's Ken Smith and his coauthors showed that such ecosystem changes occur over short time scales of weeks to months, as well as over longer periods of years to decades.

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This is a website for background information on Brine Shrimp

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Here are some interesting data on this fascinating life form.

1. Under optimal conditions, brine shrimp grows from larvae to adult in less than two weeks, increasing in length by a factor of 20 and in biomass by a factor of 500.

2. Artemia can be found in a wide range of water salinities; i.e. from 10 ppt to saturation level. Above 100 ppt no predators or food competitors survive, resulting in a monoculture under natural conditions.

3. There are literally hundreds of locations on the five continents where brine shrimp live, and many natural strains of Artemia thrive in coastal salinas as well as in inland salt lakes (rich in chlorine, sulphate, or carbonate salts).

4. Artemia can reproduce by two ways, viviparous or live reproduction (free swimming nauplii) occurring in lower salinity levels. Oviparous reproduction occurs at salinities exceeding 150 ppt (the ocean is around 35 ppt). The Artemia will switch reproductive modes to maximize their survival according to the conditions. During oviparous reproduction, the embryo develops into gastrulae at which stage they are encapsulated in a cyst shell and their metabolism is reversibly interrupted. As the salinity drops (in the rainy season), the dehydrated cysts will hydrate and the hatching mechanism will be triggered. Within 24-48 hours, a live Artemia nauplii will emerge.

5. Artemia has a high fecundity rate (more than 100 cysts or nauplii, every four days) and a long lifespan (exceeding 6 months).

6. Proper knowledge of the biological and ecological (life cycle and habitat) characteristics of brine shrimp reveals the potential to understand and manage existing natural resources of cysts and biomass in operational saltworks or salt lakes. The natural distribution or "dispersion" of Artemia an be enhanced by human intervention, i.e., introduction or "transplantation" of a selected Artemia strain into a suitable environment.

7. The quality of the Artemia produced differs from strain to strain and from location to location as a result of genotypical respectively phenotypical variations. The Artemia largely reflect the food conditions of the high levels of heavy metals and/or chlorinated hydrocarbons and/or deficient in essential fatty acids for marine predators.

8. Artemia are non-selective filter feeders and feed on particulate matter of biological origin as well as on living organisms of the appropriate size range (microscopic algae and bacteria). In fact, due to the absence of predators and food competitors in hypersaline conditions, Artemia often develop into large monocultures, the densities of which are mostly controlled by food limitation.

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Here are some interesting data on this fascinating life form. Under optimal conditions, brine shrimp grows from larvae to adult in less than two weeks, increasing in length by a factor of 20 and in biomass by a factor of 500. Artemia can be found in a wide range of water salinities; i.e.

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Clean Water Editorial Support Article #3

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Clean Water Editorial Support Article #3

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Associated Press review of complaints casts doubt on industry view that it rarely happens.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - In at least four states that have nurtured the nation's energy boom, hundreds of complaints have been made about well-water contamination from oil or gas drilling, and pollution was confirmed in a number of them, according to a review that casts doubt on industry suggestions that such problems rarely happen.

The Associated Press requested data on drilling-related complaints in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Texas and found major differences in how the states report such problems. Texas provided the most detail, while the other states provided only general outlines. And while the confirmed problems represent only a tiny portion of the thousands of oil and gas wells drilled each year in the U.S., the lack of detail in some state reports could help fuel public confusion and mistrust.

The AP found that Pennsylvania received 398 complaints in 2013 alleging that oil or natural gas drilling polluted or otherwise affected private water wells, compared with 499 in 2012. The Pennsylvania complaints can include allegations of short-term diminished water flow, as well as pollution from stray gas or other substances. More than 100 cases of pollution were confirmed over the past five years.

Just hearing the total number of complaints shocked Heather McMicken, an eastern Pennsylvania homeowner who complained about water-well contamination that state officials eventually confirmed.

"Wow, I'm very surprised," said McMicken, recalling that she and her husband never knew how many other people made similar complaints, since the main source of information "was just through the grapevine."

The McMickens were one of three families that eventually reached a $1.6 million settlement with a drilling company. Heather McMicken said the state should be forthcoming with details.

Over the past 10 years, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has led to a boom in oil and natural gas production around the nation. It has reduced imports and led to hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue for companies and landowners, but also created pollution fears.

Extracting fuel from shale formations requires pumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, sand and chemicals into the ground to break apart rock and free the gas. Some of that water, along with large quantities of existing underground water, returns to the surface, and it can contain high levels of salt, drilling chemicals, heavy metals and naturally occurring low-level radiation.

But some conventional oil and gas wells are still drilled, so the complaints about water contamination can come from them, too. Experts say the most common type of pollution involves methane, not chemicals from the drilling process.

Some people who rely on well water near drilling operations have complained about pollution, but there's been considerable confusion over how widespread such problems are. For example, starting in 2011, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection aggressively fought efforts by the AP and other news organizations to obtain information about complaints related to drilling. The department has argued in court filings that it does not count how many contamination "determination letters" it issues or track where they are kept in its files.

Steve Forde, a spokesman for the Marcellus Shale Coalition, the leading industry group in Pennsylvania, said in a statement that "transparency and making data available to the public is critical to getting this historic opportunity right and maintaining the public's trust."

When the state Environmental Department determines natural gas development has caused problems, Forde said, "our member companies work collaboratively with the homeowner and regulators to find a speedy resolution."

Among the findings in the AP's review:

- Pennsylvania has confirmed at least 106 water-well contamination cases since 2005, out of more than 5,000 new wells. There were five confirmed cases of water-well contamination in the first nine months of 2012, 18 in all of 2011 and 29 in 2010. The Environmental Department said more complete data may be available in several months.

- Ohio had 37 complaints in 2010 and no confirmed contamination of water supplies; 54 complaints in 2011 and two confirmed cases of contamination; 59 complaints in 2012 and two confirmed contaminations; and 40 complaints for the first 11 months of 2013, with two confirmed contaminations and 14 still under investigation, Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mark Bruce said in an email. None of the six confirmed cases of contamination was related to fracking, Bruce said.

- West Virginia has had about 122 complaints that drilling contaminated water wells over the past four years, and in four cases the evidence was strong enough that the driller agreed to take corrective action, officials said.

- A Texas spreadsheet contains more than 2,000 complaints, and 62 of those allege possible well-water contamination from oil and gas activity, said Ramona Nye, a spokeswoman for the Railroad Commission of Texas, which oversees drilling. Texas regulators haven't confirmed a single case of drilling-related water-well contamination in the past 10 years, she said.

In Pennsylvania, the number of confirmed instances of water pollution in the eastern part of the state "dropped quite substantially" in 2013, compared with previous years, Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Lisa Kasianowitz wrote in an email. Two instances of drilling affecting water wells were confirmed there last year, she said, and a final decision hasn't been made in three other cases. But she couldn't say how many of the other statewide complaints have been resolved or were found to be from natural causes.

Releasing comprehensive information about gas drilling problems is important because the debate is no longer about just science but trust, said Irina Feygina, a social psychologist who studies environmental policy issues. Losing public trust is "a surefire way to harm" the reputation of any business, Feygina said.

Experts and regulators agree that investigating complaints of water-well contamination is particularly difficult, in part because some regions also have natural methane gas pollution or other problems unrelated to drilling. A 2011 Penn State study found that about 40% of water wells tested prior to gas drilling failed at least one federal drinking water standard. Pennsylvania is one of only a few states that don't have private water-well construction standards.

But other experts say people who are trying to understand the benefits and harms from the drilling boom need comprehensive details about complaints, even if some cases are from natural causes.

In Pennsylvania, the raw number of complaints "doesn't tell you anything," said Rob Jackson, a Duke University scientist who has studied gas drilling and water contamination issues. Jackson said he doesn't think providing more details is asking for too much.

"Right or wrong, many people in the public feel like DEP is stonewalling some of these investigations," Jackson said of the situation in Pennsylvania.

In contrast with the limited information provided by Pennsylvania, Texas officials supplied a detailed 94-page spreadsheet almost immediately, listing all types of oil and gas related complaints over much of the past two years. The Texas data include the date of the complaint, the landowner, the drilling company and a brief summary of the alleged problems. Many complaints involve other issues, such as odors or abandoned equipment.

Scott Anderson, an expert on oil and gas drilling with the Environmental Defense Fund, a national nonprofit based in Austin, notes that Texas regulators started keeping more data on complaints in the 1980s. New legislation in 2011 and 2013 led to more detailed reports and provided funds for a new information technology system, he said.

Anderson agreed that a lack of transparency fuels mistrust.

"If the industry has nothing to hide, then they should be willing to let the facts speaks for themselves," he said. "The same goes for regulatory agencies."
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1loH8W0

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4 states confirm water pollution from drilling

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Associated Press review of complaints casts doubt on industry view that it rarely happens. PITTSBURGH (AP) - In at least four states that have nurtured the nation's energy boom, hundreds of complaints have been made about well-water contamination from oil or gas drilling, and pollution was confirmed in a number of them, according to a review that casts doubt on industry suggestions that such problems rarely happen.

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Clean Water Editorial Assignment  DUE on 2/23/23 AT THE START OF CLASS FOR PEER EDIT. MUST BE TURNED IN PRINTED OR HAND WRITTEN and it will  be PUT INTO THE DISCUSSION BOARD IN CANVAS after editing

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Clean Water Editorial Assignment  DUE on 2/23/23 AT THE START OF CLASS FOR PEER EDIT. MUST BE TURNED IN PRINTED OR HAND WRITTEN and it will  be PUT INTO THE DISCUSSION BOARD IN CANVAS after editing

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Please compose an editorial ( 250-400 words, typed, 12 font TNRoman font ) where you address the issue of       " All American citizens have a fundamental right to access clean water in their homes and no other interest should be allowed to compromise that right." Discuss current issues in American water health from the perspective of one or more  of the 7 support articles shown here on this page. You must use SPECIFIC INFORMATION from the articles to support your case. PLEASE USE  a hashtag( #1) at the start of your post to identify which "article/s" you chose for your discussion. Quotes DO NOT count toward your 200-250 words.
No Works Cited needed since you are using my articles. POST this into the discussion board by the due date.

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Why is the Colorado so important?
It's the lifeline of the arid Southwest. Starting off in the snowy Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado, the 1,450-mile river snakes its way through the Grand Canyon and southwest toward Mexico, supplying water to seven states - California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The river and its tributaries provide water for 40 million people in hot, thirsty cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Phoenix, while irrigating 4 million acres of farmland stretching from California's Imperial Valley to Wyoming's cattle herds. But with the Colorado's flow now reduced to a muddy trickle in parts, millions in the Southwest face the grave prospect of acute, permanent water shortages. The river "is a testament of what happens when we ask too much of a limited resource," said PBS filmmaker Peter McBride. "It disappears."

What's causing the problem?
The most immediate cause is 14 years of drought unrivaled in 1,250 years. Low snowpack in the Rocky Mountains has diminished the river at its source, while soaring summer temperatures over 110 degrees have evaporated its waters, depleted its reservoirs, and dried out huge swaths of soil - crippling farmers in the process. "I've got corn plants that are as brown as you could imagine," said Weld County, Colo., farmer Dave Eckhardt last summer, after losing more than 400 acres of his 1,400-acre crop. Colorado's supply crisis has been exacerbated by a demand problem: Millions of Americans have flocked to the Sun Belt to enjoy warmer temperatures, and have dug swimming pools and planted grass lawns that really don't belong in desert climates.

How bad is the water shortage?
It's severe. Authorities are now reducing the flow from Colorado's two parched reservoirs: Lake Powell, which supplies the upper Colorado basin, and Lake Mead, which supplies Los Angeles and Las Vegas. For the first time in the river's history, the amount of water flowing from Powell to Mead will this year be reduced by 750,000 acre-feet - enough to supply about 1.5 million homes. Officials say the reduction is necessary, given that Powell is at almost half its capacity. With Mead's levels just as low, officials in Nevada and other states are predicting an unprecedented water crisis. If Mead were to drop below 1,000 feet above sea level - it's currently at 1,106 feet - the lake would sink below the intake of the massive pipe that feeds water to several states. That means not just brown lawns and dry gardens, but stunted crops and higher food prices nationally. Those threats have sent Nevada and others scrambling to adapt.

What can they possibly do?
Quite a lot, actually. Arizona farmers have started using laser technology to keep their fields table flat and reduce runoff. The state now consumes as much water as it did in 1955, even though the population was then one twelfth what it is now. In southern Nevada, almost all water used indoors by the 40 million tourists who visit Las Vegas each year is recycled and returned to Lake Mead, and officials now claim that everyone could take a 20-minute shower every day and the city's water consumption wouldn't increase a single drop. Nevada is also digging a new, deeper inflow pipe from Lake Mead. San Diego, meanwhile, is attempting to build an expensive desalination plant so residents can start drinking the Pacific Ocean. But in the long run, none of these responses may suffice.

Why is that?
Climate experts believe the drought is a prelude to a new, drier era in which the river's flow is permanently diminished. "We can't depend on history to project the future anymore," said Carly Jerla, a geological hydrologist who closely monitors the Colorado. The river's wet 20th century may have been an anomaly; in the 13 centuries before the 1900s, its flow was actually 15 percent lower. The current drought may also be the product of a wider pattern of climate change, signifying a barren future: Several global-warming studies predict that rising temperatures will reduce the river's flow by up to 35 percent by 2050.

What will a drier future be like?
The states will have to make some grim compromises. California has subsidized the Central Arizona Project - an irrigation system of canals - in exchange for priority status during a drought. If water rationing begins in 2015, as predicted, Arizona will therefore have to bear the brunt of reductions - effectively killing agriculture as "an industry in central Arizona," according to the project's manager. Arizona is not likely to stand for such farming suicide. But California is determined to hold on to its full allotment of water, especially with its population projected to rise by 6 million by midcentury. With 15 percent of the nation's food produced on the region's Colorado-fed farmland, the struggle over resources will have national consequences, says Brad Udall, a director at the University of Colorado Law School. Southwesterners, he says, will "have to answer some very difficult questions," including whether farms are less important than cities. Someday, states may even have to start turning away new residents.

A river that doesn't reach the sea
For 6 million years, the Colorado River flowed southwest from the snowy Rocky Mountains to a sodden, 2-million-acre-wide delta in Mexico, finally emptying its 14 million acre-feet of freshwater into the Sea of Cortez. But in 1998, the river stopped reaching the sea. Its waters had been so depleted from constant diversion and damming that none remained to flow into the sea. Today, the delta is a "dry river cemetery," a barren moonscape dotted with abandoned boats, says Peter McBride, who made a PBS film about the river. While American states have desperately fought over the Colorado's resources, McBride says, they've totally disregarded how the water fight affects more than 3 million people in Mexico who also depend on it. "If the river ended in San Diego," he says, "I guarantee it wouldn't run dry."
Editor's note: This article originally misstated the size of California's population. It has since been corrected. We regret the error.

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The unprecedented water crisis of the American Southwest

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Why is the Colorado so important? It's the lifeline of the arid Southwest. Starting off in the snowy Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado, the 1,450-mile river snakes its way through the Grand Canyon and southwest toward Mexico, supplying water to seven states - California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

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To learn more about toxic water crises, watch Parched.

A chemical spill that left 300,000 residents of Charleston, West Virginia, without tap water last month is raising new concerns about the ability of the United States to maintain its high quality of drinking water.

While the U.S. has one of the safest water supplies in the world, experts say the Charleston contamination with a coal-washing chemical shows how quickly the trust that most Americans place in their drinking water can be shattered.

"We often don't think about where our water comes from," said Steve Fleischli, director and senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Water Program in Los Angeles. "Does it come from a nearby river or a lake, intermittent streams, isolated wetlands, or an aquifer? Yes, you may have a water treatment plant, but if your water source is not protected, people face a real risk."

In Charleston on January 9, about 10,000 gallons of a little-known and unregulated chemical called 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) leaked from an aboveground storage tank into the Elk River. The amount of the chemical overwhelmed the carbon filtration system in the West Virginia American Water treatment plant about a mile downstream. Within a week, more than 400 people were treated at hospitals for rashes, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms.

West Virginia American Water decided by January 13 that the water was again safe to drink, because the concentration of MCHM had fallen below one part per million. But it soon emerged that there was little scientific information backing up that safety threshold, and this past week many West Virginians were still not drinking tap water. "I wouldn't drink it if you paid me," West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller told National Public Radio last Monday.

While Congress was holding hearings on the West Virginia incident, the next one happened. On February 2, up to 82,000 tons of toxic coal ash spilled into the Dan River, near the border of North Carolina and Virginia, from a pond at a closed Duke Energy power plant. This week state health officials warned people not to swim in the river or eat fish from it.

The Associated Press reported February 13 that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Raleigh has launched a criminal investigation into the spill, seeking records from Duke Energy and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources- which had sued Duke last August for unpermitted discharges at Dan River and five other power plants.

"When you burn coal you leave behind metals and radioactivity," said Robert B. Jackson, an environmental scientist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. "The ash is quite toxic. The waste products we create to produce energy, the waste we generate every day, are a threat to drinking water quality."

Coal ash contains arsenic, mercury, lead, thallium, and other dangerous contaminants. At power plants it is mixed with water, forming a slurry that is stored in large ponds. According to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, 40 percent of the country's coal ash ponds are located in the southeast and contain 118 billion gallons of toxic material. Most of these impoundments, like the one on the Dan River, are located near major waterways.

In 2008, the dike at an impoundment in eastern Tennessee failed at the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant. More than 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash spilled from the site and spread across more than 300 acres of land and water. Tests of nearby river water showed levels of lead and thallium exceeded safety limits for drinking water, but the TVA said at the time that the toxic metals were filtered out by water treatment processes. The TVA spent a year and a half cleaning up the sludge.

In 2000, the bottom of a coal ash pond in Kentucky crumbled and released an estimated 306 million gallons of slurry. Water supplies for 27,000 people were contaminated.

Following the Tennessee spill, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified 676 coal ash impoundments at 240 facilities, assigning a "high hazard" rating to 45 ponds. The rating indicates that a failure would probably cause loss of human life.
Droughts, Floods, and Hogs
Another threat, Jackson said, is severe weather. Research suggests that dry regions will become drier and wet regions wetter as a result of climate change. Both extremes pose significant challenges for maintaining safe drinking water.

Jackson pointed to a 1999 hurricane that flooded hog farms in North Carolina. "Hurricane Floyd came through and flushed the contents of the hog waste lagoons out into the streams and rivers," he said. The result was widespread fecal contamination of drinking water. More than decade after Floyd, North Carolina still has more than 4,000 hog waste lagoons.

At the other extreme of the weather spectrum is drought. Laurel Firestone, founder of the Community Water Center, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Visalia, California, said the most severe drought in California history may have a dramatic effect on water quality.

In a 2012 report prepared for the California State Water Control Board, scientists from the University of California at Davis found that about 254,000 people in the Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley are currently at risk for nitrate contamination of their drinking water. In one of the nation's most productive farming regions, nitrates from heavily fertilized fields leach into the groundwater. "Many small communities cannot afford safe drinking water treatment," the report said.

As a result of the current drought, farmers are having to rely on groundwater to irrigate their fields-which inevitably raises the concentration of nitrates in the water left in the ground. "The California drought is exacerbating problems that already existed," Firestone said. "Those being affected first are people who depend on the shallow wells. They are canaries in the coal mine." Exposures to high levels of nitrates can cause death, miscarriages, and blue baby syndrome, she said.

In general, Jackson said, and not just in California, "the most vulnerable group of people are those who get their water from a private water source. People who have private drinking water wells are far less protected than anyone else in the country. No one tests your water unless you pay for a test."

What worries Jackson and some other experts more than headline-making spills and weather is chronic pollution of a more insidious kind-from pharmaceuticals and personal care products, or PPCPs. Studies have shown that pharmaceuticals, especially antibiotics and steroids, are widely present in the nation's water supply. We excrete them in our urine; our livestock do as well. Other chemicals from soaps, shampoos, and lotions get washed down the drains of our tubs and showers. Sewage treatment plants are not equipped to remove them. Some have been shown to disrupt the hormone system in fish.

The EPA states there are no known human health effects from low-level exposure to PPCPs in drinking water, "but special scenarios (one example being fetal exposure to low levels of medications that a mother would ordinarily be avoiding) require more investigation."

"What we don't know are the interactions of thousands of different compounds that are taking place in our lakes, streams, and aquifers," said Jackson, who is studying the effects of some of the compounds on fish and mice. "When you have a spill like in West Virginia it's terrible, but at least you know about it. The cases that may be more dangerous are the slow and steady spills and chemical reactions that we don't know about."

For municipal utilities, such new worries come at a very bad time. In the American Society of Civil Engineers 2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, the nation's drinking water infrastructure was given a D grade for aging pipes, some of which date back to the Civil War. "At the dawn of the 21st century, much of our drinking water infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life," the report stated. The American Water Works Association estimates there are 240,000 water-main breaks per year in the U.S. The investment needed to bring the nation's waterworks up to speed has been estimated in the trillions of dollars.

Money that might be devoted to such investments is instead being spent by a worried public on buying the stuff in plastic bottles. It made sense in West Virginia in recent weeks, but in general, according to Jackson, in spite of all the good reasons to be concerned about drinking water safety, resorting to bottles is not a sensible reflex. "People think bottled water is safer, but there is zero evidence that is true," he said. "The quality of water in city tap water is regulated far more closely than bottled water."

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To learn more about toxic water crises, watch Parched. A chemical spill that left 300,000 residents of Charleston, West Virginia, without tap water last month is raising new concerns about the ability of the United States to maintain its high quality of drinking water. While the U.S.

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Food chains and Roles in Ecosystems PAGE 265 DUE 3/4  DO CARDS  for terms on first page PLUS add cards for  Mutualism, Parasitism, Commensalism, Predator Prey Relationship and QUESTIONS 2-6 on page 269

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Food chains and Roles in Ecosystems PAGE 265 DUE 3/4  DO CARDS  for terms on first page PLUS add cards for  Mutualism, Parasitism, Commensalism, Predator Prey Relationship and QUESTIONS 2-6 on page 269

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Types of Ocean Life Due 3/4   PAGE 211- Vocab cards first page please include JUST #3 from page 217 on CYCLE OF C AND N.

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Types of Ocean Life Due 3/4   PAGE 211- Vocab cards first page please include JUST #3 from page 217 on CYCLE OF C AND N.

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DO cards for terms on first pdf page. Do questions 1-4 on page 242

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 PAGE 150 DUE 3/4 Please complete the 4 vocab cards for this section. Please READ and answer the questions  on page 153 # 1,2,3,4,5,6. These are DUE in Class as M5 BY  2/21/24.

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 PAGE 150 DUE 3/4 Please complete the 4 vocab cards for this section. Please READ and answer the questions  on page 153 # 1,2,3,4,5,6. These are DUE in Class as M5 BY  2/21/24.

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CLick below for the article you just cant see it....

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#2 GEN X in Wilmington NC Drinking Water

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#2 GEN X in Wilmington NC Drinking Water

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Gen X more current issues

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WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - For years, we've known GenX, a chemical compound known as PFAS, is in the water supply for thousands of residents across the Cape Fear. However, Tuesday's new report from the EPA states GenX is likely much more toxic than we previously thought.

"Personally, I don't think it's safe to drink something that I don't know what it is," said Emily Donovan, co-founder of Clean Cape Fear.

Donovan says the report is more proof of how little we truly know about this chemical found in the Cape Fear River. It leaves more questions unanswered, like the safety of bathing or growing vegetables with the contaminated water. One thing she does know: it's not safe to drink.

"Kids are about to go out trick-or-treating for Halloween and I certainly wouldn't allow my children to [eat] mystery candy," explained Donovan. "I'm most definitely not going to allow them to drink mystery chemicals in their water."

The EPA's toxicity assessment details a number of health effects animals experienced after too much GenX consumption. The chemical reportedly caused problems for the liver, kidneys, immune system and development of offspring. The EPA also noted an association with cancer.

"We're working with the state to try to understand the implications of the EPA's toxicity assessment," said Vaughn Hagerty with Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA). "The EPA plans to have a health advisory for GenX by next spring."

The newly released assessment is the first study since 2018. Back then, the reference dose was 0.00008. The most recent assessment has the reference dose at about 26 times lower at 0.000003 over the course of a person's lifetime.

The latest tests at Sweeney Water Treatment Plant say Cape Fear customers' drinking water contains 7.78 parts per trillion of GenX, but CFPUA hopes to change that soon.

"In 2019, we began construction on new granular activated carbon filters and those are under construction at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant," said Hagerty. "They're expected to come online of June 2022 and they'll be very effective at treating PFAS."

Once online, the GAC filters are expected to filter out 99 percent of PFAS, reducing the GenX contamination to one part per trillion.

Chemours, the company responsible for dumping GenX into the Cape Fear River, released a statement in response to the findings, saying: "We are in the process of reviewing the significant body of technical information released today by the U.S. EPA relating to its toxicity assessment for 'GenX chemicals'. We are unaware of data that would support the conclusions drawn by the agency. We're reviewing the information for additional insight into the new review process used by the agency and the new data the agency utilized for the change from its 2018 draft assessment, including the application of revised uncertainty factors to reflect greater uncertainty even though the agency indicates there is additional data since the draft assessment."

Despite the new findings in the EPA report, the DHHS does not plan to update its guidelines that currently state that GenX levels up to 140 parts per trillion in drinking water is safe to ingest. However, the new findings are an important part of the federal government's plan to develop water health advisories and drinking water regulations.
Copyright 2021 WECT. All rights reserved.

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EPA toxicity assessment finds GenX is more harmful than previously thought

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For years, we've known GenX, a chemical compound known as PFAS, is in the water supply for thousands of residents across the Cape Fear. However, Tuesday's new report from the EPA states GenX is likely much more toxic than we previously thought.

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This article is about the recent train wreck in Ohio.

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An Ohio train derailment prompted officials to conduct a "controlled release" of chemicals onboard.

A week later, local streams were full of dead fish and chickens have been found dead in their coop.

Officials said those who use private well water in the region should seek testing.

Days after a catastrophic train derailment prompted officials to conduct a "controlled release" of the toxic chemicals onboard, animals are dying at alarming rates in East Palestine, Ohio.

A woman in North Lima, roughly 11 miles away from the village of East Palestine, where the crash occurred, checked on her chicken coop on February 7 only to find her five hens and rooster laying lifeless, with no sign of a predator entering their enclosure.

"I'm beyond upset and quite panicked, 'cause this, they may be just chickens, but they're family," Amanda Breshears told local news outlet ABC27 WHTM.

Local officials said during a Tuesday press conference that most drinking water in the region is safe to drink. However, residents with private water sources were instructed to drink bottled water until the state can confirm the safety of their water source. The state Environmental Protection Agency is also monitoring air quality and indicated there is no reason for concern. But Breshears and other Ohio residents aren't fully convinced.

"My video camera footage shows my chickens were perfectly fine before they started this burn, and as soon as they started the burn, my chickens slowed down and they died," Breshears said. "If it can do this to chickens in one night, imagine what it's going to do to us in 20 years."

In addition to domesticated animals possibly suffering from the toxin exposure, locals have reported seeing streams full of dead fish in recent days. An official with the Ohio EPA confirmed toxic material had entered the waterways after the burn and killed fish but reiterated that drinking water is safe and air contaminant levels are not currently cause for concern.

Officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday they had counted approximately 3,500 dead fish in four nearby waterways. In early sampling in the immediate days following the Feb. 3 crash, officials counted deaths among 12 different species, none of which are currently listed as endangered or threatened. Officials said they haven't noted any increase in the number of dead fish in recent days.

Onboard the train - which derailed in a fiery crash earlier this month - were highly flammable hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, used to create a polymer that forms a popular plastic. Worried that the materials could explode, sending deadly shrapnel flying up to a mile through the air, officials conducted a "controlled release" of the chemicals and burnt them, sending a toxic cloud of black smoke into the air.

Rail crews released the chemical by drilling a small hole into the tank car, an official with the railroad told local outlet WKYC.

"This will allow the material to come out of the tank car," Scott Deutsch, a Norfolk Southern Railroad official, said on Monday, prior to the fire, according to WKYC. "It will go into a pit and trench that we have dug and set up for this operation. Inside that trench will be flares lining that trench that then will light off the material."

Representatives from the East Palestine village council and the Ohio Governor's office did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Breshears' chickens weren't the only fatalities locals are attributing to the burn. Taylor Holzer, an East Palestine resident who rescues foxes, told Newsweek all four of his animals are experiencing signs of chemical exposure. One rescue fox had such severe symptoms it died before it could receive treatment.

"He went downhill very fast," Holzer said, adding that the fox had symptoms including diarrhea and breathing issues. "He crashed so fast and unexpectedly. He wasn't able to blink or function properly as he died in my arms."

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Officials with the Ohio Department of Agriculture said they haven't seen any widespread symptoms among community livestock to cause concern about how the chemicals may be impacting animals. A state veterinarian told reporters that any residents with dead animals should first call their private veterinarian to seek guidance and consultation.

Kurt Rhoads, an environmental engineer and associate professor at Care Western Reserve University, told local news outlet Cleveland 19 that the impact of the chemicals will be measured for years to come as they seep into the groundwater and likely impact wells used for drinking.

"If I try to make a scale of things you would not want to have in a derailed, toppled-over rail car that's leaking and burning this is also near the top of that list," Rhodes said. "I can think of some worse things but I would put it at a seven or an eight."

While the animal deaths initially alarmed residents, human health problems are also beginning to appear, even among residents who initially evacuated the area.

Chelsea Simpson, who lives near the site of the derailment, told The New Republic she has had a sore throat since the burn, and her 8-month-old baby has suffered respiratory issues that are being treated with a steroid. Simpson said her eyes were bloodshot and burning after visiting her home for just 10 minutes a few days ago, and she has yet to return.

"Re-entry air screenings are underway," read a Monday statement by the EPA sent to Insider. "As of yesterday evening, 291 homes have been screened. To date, no detections of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride were identified for the completed screened homes."

There are 181 homes in the area that have yet to be screened. It remains unclear whether the burn will have long-term effects on the environment or residents of the region, and residents are concerned over the limited information released so far.

"It kinda sucks we're all getting the majority of our information from fellow residents on Facebook," East Palestine local Liz Smith told The New Republic. "So it's hard to tell what's true or not."

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Streams of fish, a coop of chickens, and a skulk of foxes are among the animals reported sickened and dying after a catastrophic train derailment led to a chemical burn in Ohio

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An Ohio train derailment prompted officials to conduct a "controlled release" of chemicals onboard. A week later, local streams were full of dead fish and chickens have been found dead in their coop. Officials said those who use private well water in the region should seek testing.

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Cleanup at the train derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio, on Tuesday. (Photo by Sean McCallister and Tolu Olasoji/Center for Contemporary Documentation)

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio - Eleven days after a train derailed, spilling toxic chemicals and causing a massive fire here, officials told residents Tuesday to use bottled water until testing could confirm whether the local water supply was safe to drink - heightening concern among some locals who were already wary of returning to their homes.
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As questions continued to swirl around the cause of the Feb. 3 accident and the official response to it, the disaster's still-emerging list of effects became more clear: Water officials are tracking a large plume of contamination flowing down the Ohio River; about 3,500 fish in local waterways have been killed by the chemical release; and cleanup crews are excavating a "grossly contaminated" 1,000-foot area around the train tracks where butyl acrylate puddled and vinyl chloride burned.

"For right now, I think bottled water's the right answer," Ohio Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff said at a news conference Tuesday.

A train derailed near the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania on Feb. 3, causing a large fire and prompting evacuations. (Video: AP)

Along with wondering about their drinking water, many residents pondered their options as a strong odor of chemicals continued to hang over the town. Some locals said they are considering leaving East Palestine and are frustrated with how little they know about their potential exposure to toxic chemicals.

Bodiah Cepin, 21, showed up at a local assistance center Tuesday and said he has spent time online researching ethylhexyl acrylate, one of the toxic chemicals that leaked out from the crash site.

"I've got my eye on moving somewhere else because I am young and it will take years to clean this up," said Cepin, who evacuated the area and has been staying with his father outside of Pittsburgh. "Even a minute size of ethylhexyl can stay in the soil for years."

A mechanical issue probably caused the Norfolk Southern train to derail near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, federal investigators have said, suddenly hitting the small town with a pollutant-laden fire, the threat of an explosion and the release of at least six toxic chemicals. Officials now face the task of assessing how much contamination has seeped into the ground, soil and water.

Ohio state officials on Tuesday focused on reassuring residents that the air in East Palestine remains safe to breathe and that those who evacuated last week can live in their homes. Despite the extent of the cleanup ahead, officials indicated new contamination wasn't happening.

The plume flowing down the Ohio River is being diluted as it moves and is not expected to taint any drinking water, Tiffani Kavalec, head of surface water for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said at the briefing. In addition, fish are not continuing to die, said Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, indicating that new contamination isn't flowing into the local waters.

More than a week after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio on Feb. 3, residents have reported experiencing nausea and headaches. (Video: John Farrell/The Washington Post)

On Tuesday morning, East Palestine was quiet except for the hum of industrial equipment. At the site of the accident, cleanup workers were using cranes and other heavy machinery, hauling sheets of metal by hand, and moving wreckage into dumpsters - pausing their work whenever a train came through.

"Please Pray for EP," read a sign at the Dairy Mill, an ice cream shop closed for the season.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) told reporters that Norfolk Southern had committed to paying "for everything" and said the state would hold the rail company responsible.

"The impact on this community is huge. Not just the physical problem that might be caused, but the inconvenience, the terror," DeWine said. "I understand people's skepticism and I understand their anger, and if I lived in the community, I would be angry, too."

A chemical 'soup'

The train was not categorized as a high-hazardous material train, DeWine said, meaning the railroad company wasn't required to give the state any notification about its passage. The governor called on Congress to reexamine regulations for trains carrying toxic substances, something some environmental advocates have long pushed for.

Norfolk Southern said Monday that it has paid out more than $1 million to displaced residents in "reimbursements and cash advances" for lodging and other expenses and is "in the process of contacting and meeting with affected local businesses." The company also donated money to the Ohio Red Cross and the local fire department.

Twenty cars of the 141-car train were carrying hazardous materials, 11 of which derailed, the National Transportation Safety Board reported Tuesday, along with other cars carrying cargo not categorized as hazardous. When the train derailed, federal investigators and chemical safety experts immediately homed in on a toxic and highly flammable gas being transported in five of the cars: vinyl chloride.

Afraid the train cars would explode, sending shrapnel into neighborhoods, authorities decided the better of "two bad options" was to release and burn the vinyl chloride, DeWine said Tuesday. The move sent dangerous gases, hydrogen chloride and phosgene, into the air, but averted an explosion that DeWine said he had been told would be "catastrophic."

Residents for days have wondered what else leaked from the train, and information has emerged slowly. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said last week that several more toxic chemicals were on board, which the agency confirmed Sunday when it published a list from Norfolk Southern showing which rail cars had been breached.

Vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate were the primary chemicals that were released, Ohio EPA spokesman James Lee told The Washington Post on Tuesday. The others included ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and ethylhexyl acrylate.

Neither government agencies nor the railroad has detailed what quantity of the chemicals was released into the air or how much spilled on the ground.

"I wouldn't want to be exposed to any of them in significant amounts," Erik D. Olson, a senior strategic director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, said in an email. "They all pose hazards if inhaled."

Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, a combustible liquid that's used commercially as a solvent in spray lacquers and latex paint and is an ingredient in paint thinner, can cause irritation of the eyes and nose, headache, and vomiting in people exposed to it at high levels, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. On the railway's list, the status of this chemical is listed as "unknown."

Exposure to large amounts of the other three chemicals, two of them liquid and one, isobutylene, a flammable gas, is also known to cause headaches, nausea and respiratory problems. The car carrying isobutylene was not breached.

"The whole thing was a little bit of a toxic soup," said David Masur, executive director of the advocacy group PennEnvironment. "It feels a little like a sci-fi movie when you are told that one of the byproducts being released is an agent that we used against our enemies in World War I," he added, referring to phosgene.

Whether the air is now safe to breathe largely depends on whether chemicals are still being emitted, experts have said. Because residents can smell odors and have reported symptoms such as headache and nausea, which are consistent with what some of the chemicals can trigger, some remain uneasy.

The EPA has said that no concerning levels of toxins have been detected in the air, though some experts cast doubt on the initial measurements, telling The Post the testing should have been more robust. Officials at the governor's briefing said residents should be confident in the data coming from authorities.

After a fire or chemical release ends, the air eventually becomes clear, experts said, and the contamination concern shifts to what is on the ground or could have gotten into the soil. State and EPA officials have said that the chemicals being cleaned up can emit smells even when at levels not deemed hazardous to inhale.

"What's really important is that the government officials are monitoring the levels to make sure that they're safe and clearly communicating that," environmental epidemiologist Lynn R. Goldman, dean of public health at George Washington University and a former EPA official. "But if you're smelling these odors and they're making you feel sick, I would want to be somewhere else."

At the news briefing, officials said anyone experiencing symptoms should call their doctor.

Disbelief and frustration

On Feb. 3, Travers and Tangie Mohrbacher saw fire from their front porch, a mile and a half from the accident site.

"What I was feeling was disbelief as it got bigger and bigger," recalled Tangie Mohrbacher, 45.

"Nothing happens here," she added. "It's East Palestine, Ohio."

But like many small U.S. towns, this village has train tracks running through it, and they are busy.

Environmental advocates have long warned about the dangers of trains freighting hazardous chemicals. Meanwhile, some in the Republican Party's right wing have used the incident to criticize the Biden administration and, in particular, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

"Another transportation failure under Mayor Pete's leadership," tweeted Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), one of the central players in the effort to block Rep. Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker.

Toxic chemicals burn over Ohio derailment site

J.D. Vance, Ohio's new Republican senator, released a statement Monday raising questions about the quality of the braking system used on the train and the Transportation Department's approach to regulating the rail system.

DeWine said that President Biden had last week offered federal assistance but that the state had not needed to take Biden up on that offer. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday that the administration was "in close touch with local officials to ensure that they have what they need and that their needs are being met."

Buttigieg weighed in Monday evening. "I continue to be concerned about the impacts of the Feb 3 train derailment near East Palestine, OH, and the effects on families in the ten days since their lives were upended through no fault of their own," he wrote on Twitter.

In downtown East Palestine, Melissa James on Tuesday reopened her store, Manetta's Furniture & Décor, for the first time since the train derailment.

She left with her fiancé Jared Clark and his son, who is afflicted with myotonic dystrophy and is autistic. They fled to a hotel for several days but frequently returned for medical supplies and specialty items.

Standing outside the store, she and Clark, 45, said they weren't sure they will stay in East Palestine. "I am still in a state of shock," said James.

As for the Mohrbachers, they evacuated with their 13- and 18-year-old children and have since returned - still unsure about the safety of returning home, but hopeful.

"We have trust in our elected officials and the people above them," said Tangie, referring to local leaders. "We think it's safe to stay here until they tell us not to."
Rebecca Kiger in East Palestine and Missy Ryan in Washington contributed to this report.
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Drink bottled water, officials tell Ohio town hit by toxic train crash

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EAST PALESTINE, Ohio - Eleven days after a train derailed, spilling toxic chemicals and causing a massive fire here, officials told residents Tuesday to use bottled water until testing could confirm whether the local water supply was safe to drink - heightening concern among some locals who were already wary of returning to their homes.

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TURN IN DURING CLASS all of the green boxes

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TURN IN DURING CLASS all of the green boxes

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M6 - 21 note cards

M7-   11 Questions from the reading

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This is a group of 16 videos on ocean issues if you click on you tube link below see playlist on right. This is DUE  on Feb 27. We will present these in seminar groups on Feb 28.  This will be your last major grade of the first nine weeks. DO A GOOD JOB on this project!! ( UP TO 5 pts ExCredit on creativity!) 

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This is a group of 16 videos on ocean issues if you click on you tube link below see playlist on right. This is DUE  on Feb 27. We will present these in seminar groups on Feb 28.  This will be your last major grade of the first nine weeks. DO A GOOD JOB on this project!! ( UP TO 5 pts ExCredit on creativity!) 

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Please watch each video and choose one of the following options that include key information from the videos:

1) Create a "bubble" poster with an information bubble ( 3-5 sentences of summary content)  for at least TEN videos and a Large Center bubble where you focus on one issue from one other video in the set ( 8-10 sentences) that you feel is MOST important  and add research information from at least one more video resource outside of this collection for the center bubble. please post url on the back. Please think of decorating your work.

OR

2) If the ocean was a person what would the Status of its recent life be. Make a large  Instagram "paper" profile page for the "Ocean" ( you can rename it...) And create at least ten  "informational comments" (3-5 sentences and a picture for each one )based on ten of the videos as you share your thoughts/"status". So you posts must be related to the videos--

OR

3) You may choose to write an illustrated Children's book with the ocean as the main character. You must include "parts" of your story from TEN issues in the videos. Be creative!! should be at least 10-12 pages

((  The last video is a college lecture that you do not have to watch but you  can for EXTRA CREDIT!! take notes while you watch it and turn in)

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Flint Michigan Drinking Water disaster #1

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Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know

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The Cape Fear River is damaged, contaminated by decades of human malfeasance, negligence and ignorance.

For those reasons, NC State University scientists told a crowd of 75 New Hanover County residents last night, it will be years before their tap water is completely free of GenX and other fluorinated compounds.

Scientists from the university's Center for Human Health and the Environment released the results of a month-long tap water study conducted in Wilmington in November and early December of last year. In addition to 198 tap water samples, researchers led by scientist Nadine Kotlarz collected blood and urine from 300 people who get their water from the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority. Study participants also filled out a health questionnaire to help inform researchers of any links between exposure and disease.

"We'll have the first human data on what's in the body," said Jane Hoppin, who lead the Human Population team. "That's the question we're trying to answer because there is no data on how long the chemical stays in the body."

Of the tap water samples, 194 were taken from homes that are served by the utility's Sweeney plant, which gets its water from the Cape Fear River. Four samples were taken from homes served by the utility's Richardson plant, where groundwater is its source.

Scientists also analyzed the samples for 17 other fluorinated compounds, both those known and newly identified, such as GenX. Levels of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) were also below the EPA's drinking water standard of 70 parts per trillion. However, the cumulative effects of these compounds is still unknown.

While the blood and urine analyses is not yet complete, tap water results showed that none of the samples of Sweeney plant customers exceeded the state's provisional health goal of 140 parts per trillion. The range was non-detect to 100 ppt, with an average of 45 ppt. (To protect the privacy of the participants, scientists didn't reveal individual results, but discussed them in general terms.)

Kotlarz noted that the utility, which routinely monitors for GenX, showed levels of 29 ppt in treated water at the Sweeney plant during the testing period.

Samples from the Richardson plant did not detect any of these compounds.

"Each sample is a snapshot of what was in the water at that moment," Kotlarz said. Concentrations can vary based on those entering the Sweeney plant from the river.

And scientists could not pinpoint concentrations of several compounds that were part of the study because they did not yet have the analytical tools to do so. It's expected that they will be able to do that type of analysis with the blood and urine, Kotlarz said.

Fluorinated compounds that showed low levels in water may be higher in blood. "The blood can provide more information about long-term exposures," Kotlarz said.

There are no human health studies on the effects of GenX. However, a study of 45,000 adults who were exposed to GenX's precursor, C8, in Parkersburg, WV, showed significant increases in thyroid disorders and high cholesterol levels. Hoppin said the research team would be analyzing these health effects in this study, and will ask some recipients to return for a second round of health questions.

Levels of GenX in the river and drinking water have decreased "dramatically," said NC State scientist Detlef Knappe, since Chemours stopped discharging contaminated wastewater from its Fayetteville plant upstream. Other contaminants originating from industries farther upstream that discharge into the Haw River also contribute to the pollutant load. For example, several years ago Knappe detected high concentrations of 1,4 dioxane in the Haw River and Pittsboro's drinking water. Pittsboro has since installed an activated charcoal system to help reduce those levels.

"The Cape Fear is not pristine when it enters Chemours," Knappe said. But in addition to the fluorinated compounds in the Haw, they are also coming from the plant.

Since it's unlikely that these compounds will be eliminated from the drinking water, the scientists advised residents concerned about the contamination to buy under-sink reverse osmosis systems. In an unfunded study conducted last year, Knappe led undergraduate researchers in testing several types of removal systems. Reverse-osmosis significantly decreased the contamination levels in drinking water. The cost of an under-sink system ranges from $200 to $1,000, plus maintenance and replacement of the filters. (The cost creates an economic and environmental justice issue for low-income individuals and households, for whom $200 is equivalent to nearly three days' gross pay at minimum wage.)

Other systems did not remove the contaminants as well as reverse-osmosis, or they presented their own set of problems. Most activated carbon block filters removed the contaminants, but the filters must be changed regularly. And these carbon systems don't have a way to monitor the filters' performance. "You're kind of flying blind," Knappe said.

Brita filters, for example, did not remove 1,4 dioxane. And whole-house filtration systems can present their own problems. Those systems can remove chlorine from the water - added by the treatment plant to kill bacteria and other pathogens from the river - and leave people vulnerable to infections. They are also every expensive, well over $1,000.

Even though fluorinated chemicals are no longer leaving the Chemours plant via the company's wastewater, they are still entering the air, where the contaminants then settle on the soil and can enter the river. Groundwater and river sediment are also contaminated. And ultimately, much of that pollution winds up in the Cape Fear and in the drinking water supplies of those living downstream.

"The contamination of land and groundwater will persist for decades," Knappe said.

About the author

Lisa Sorg, Environmental Reporter, joined N.C. Policy Watch in July 2016. She covers environmental issues, including social justice, pollution, climate change and energy policy. Before joining the project, Lisa was the editor and an investigative reporter for INDY Week, covering the environment, housing and city government. She has been a journalist for 22 years, working at magazines, daily newspapers, digital media outlets and alternative newsweeklies.
lisa@ncpolicywatch.com
919-861-1463

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NC State scientists: GenX will be in Cape Fear River, tap water for years to come; health effects need more study | NC Policy Watch

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The Cape Fear River is damaged, contaminated by decades of human malfeasance, negligence and ignorance. For those reasons, NC State University scientists told a crowd of 75 New Hanover County residents last night, it will be years before their tap water is completely free of GenX and other fluorinated compounds.