By Mike Sprague, SGVN September 6, 2012 Lawsuits Against Water Replenishment District A regional water district could be facing more than a $100 million in damages after a Superior Court judge ruled on Thursday it had violated the state constitution when it didn’t follow procedural requirements for an assessment on pumping from the underground water […]
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Court Rules the Public must be Informed about Groundwater Pumping
On August 9, 2012 Judge Grillo of the Superior Court in Alameda, Ca. granted the environmental group, Living Rivers Council (LRC), their Writ of Mandate that the State Water Resource Control Board (SWRCB) must comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, regarding groundwater protection mitigations when applying for water diversions from streams in the […]
Read MorePetition for Writ of Mandate
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF ALAMEDA LIVING RIVERS COUNCIL, Petitioner and Plaintiff, vs. STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD, Respondent and Defendant. RG10-543923 WRIT OF MANDATE. (C.C.P. 1094.5; Pub. Res. Code 21168.9.) TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD: YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED TO: 1. Set aside and vacate […]
Read MoreGreen-glowing fish provides new insights into health impacts of pollution
April 12, 2012 The fluorescent fish has shown that oestrogenic chemicals, which are already linked to reproductive problems, impact on more parts of the body than previously thought. The research by the University of Exeter and UCL (University College London) is published today (April 18, 2012) in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Numerous studies have linked ‘endocrine-disrupting’ chemicals, […]
Read MoreFish, Bugs and Mercury Contamination in Small Ponds: Why We Should Worry About Aquatic Insects and Hg Contamination
ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2012) — There have been many scientific studies looking at the levels of toxic mercury (Hg) in fish. After all, fish can end up directly on our plate. However, far fewer studies have examined Hg levels in aquatic insects. This is a significant oversight because aquatic insects are an important source of […]
Read MoreFracking poses risk to water systems, research suggests: U.S. study
By Teresa Smith, Postmedia News, August 6, 2012 A new scientific study of the risks associated with Hydraulic fracturing — or “fracking” — in the United States, found that current methods for wastewater disposal put drinking water at risk. Fracking involves pumping a mixture of water, sand and other chemicals deep underground at high pressure […]
Read MoreIn Northwest dam project, fish are back in the water
Biologists are elated to find wild steelhead trout on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula—a sign of success for one of the largest river-restoration projects ever undertaken. By Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times July 15, 2012, 5:00 a.m. PORT ANGELES, Wash.—When it comes to disappearing species and humanity’s harmful imprints on nature, hardly anybody expects anything to go […]
Read MoreDead Baby Fish Do Not Pair Well With North Coast Wines
Growing wine grapes often involves taking water from creeks or from ground water near creeks. These practices can severely impact watersheds. One example of this is the practice of spraying water on vines during frost season. This intense use of water can rapidly lower water in nearby creeks that impact the small salmonids that are […]
Read MoreTime Is Nigh for Global Action, Manifesto Warns
By DAVID JOLLY, March 29, 2012 An era has dawned in which humanity’s impact on the earth could prove to be as great as ice ages or meteoric collisions, scientists, government officials and business leaders warned this week at a big environmental conference in London. The world’s approach to tackling environmental problems therefore must change […]
Read MoreState of the Planet Declaration
The State of the Planet Declaration is by the Co-Chairs of the Planet Under Pressure conference, Dr Lidia Brito and Dr Mark Stafford Smith, supported by the conference Scientific Organizing Committee. We believe this statement reflects the key messages emerging from the proceedings of the Planet Under Pressure conference. Planet Under Pressure: New Knowledge Towards […]
Read MoreGMO Farming, Glyphosate Significant Causes of Water Pollution
Mike Barrett, NaturalSociety, June 28, 2012 Water pollution and air pollution has been and continues to be a serious issue in many nations. Both of these pollution types are successfully bringing down the health of not only humans, but also animals, plant life, and the ecosystem as a whole. While the causes of water pollution […]
Read MoreHow Estrogens Persist in Dairy Wastewater
ScienceDaily (June 5, 2012) – Wastewater from large dairy farms contains significant concentrations of estrogenic hormones that can persist for months or even years, researchers report in a new study. In the absence of oxygen, the estrogens rapidly convert from one form to another; this stalls their biodegradation and complicates efforts to detect them, the […]
Read MoreInjection Wells: The Poison Beneath Us
By Injection Wells: The Poison Beneath Us 22 June 12 Over the past several decades, U.S. industries have injected more than 30 trillion gallons of toxic liquid deep into the earth, using broad expanses of the nation’s geology as an invisible dumping ground. No company would be allowed to pour such dangerous chemicals into the […]
Read MoreCalifornia Senate rejects ‘fracking’ legislation
By Michael J. Mishak, Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2012 The California Senate on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have required energy firms to notify property owners before using hydraulic fracturing to tap oil deposits on or near their land. The legislation, SB 1054, was pushed by state Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) as the […]
Read MoreLawsuit Filed to Stop Clearcutting of Redwoods for Sonoma County Vineyard
SANTA ROSA, California — Conservation groups filed a lawsuit today challenging a controversial proposal by a Spanish corporation to clearcut 154 acres of redwood forest to plant wine grapes in northwestern Sonoma County. The Sierra Club’s Redwood Chapter, the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Gualala River sued the California Department of Forestry […]
Read MoreArtesa’s Hired Gun
Will Parrish on May 2, 2012 Artesa of Sonoma, a subsidiary of Spanish wine giant Codorniu, has a public image crisis on its hands, and on a scale few wine companies have ever encountered. Last year, the company received a spate of national media coverage concerning its plan to carry out the largest forest-to-vineyard conversion […]
Read MoreIs everything we think we know about chemical toxicity wrong?
May 30, 2012, Health & Environment Yes, if the first comprehensive review of the issue in a decade is correct in concluding that low doses of chemicals can harm health. Although the hypothesis that chemicals can have health effects at doses much lower than those routinely tested in the toxicological evaluation of chemicals is much-discussed, […]
Read MoreIdentification and prioritization of bioaccumulable pharmaceutical substances discharged in hospital effluents
By J. Jeana, b, Y. Perrodina, C. Pivotc, D. Trepod, M. Perraude, J. Droguetf, F. Tissot-Guerrazg, F. Locherb Journal of Environmental Management Volume 103, July 30, 2012, Pages 113–121 Abstract The consumption of pharmaceuticals and their excretion in wastewater is a continuous source of pollution for aquatic ecosystems. In certain cases these compounds are found […]
Read MoreNew Study Predicts Frack Fluids Can Migrate to Aquifers Within Years
Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica May 4, 2012 A new study has raised fresh concerns about the safety of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, concluding that fracking chemicals injected into the ground could migrate toward drinking water supplies far more quickly than experts have previously predicted. More than 5,000 wells were drilled in the Marcellus between […]
Read MoreCalifornia lawmakers push for fracking rules
LA Times, May 9, 2012 California lawmakers on Wednesday took preliminary steps to increase the size of the state’s oil and gas agency — with the condition that regulators draft rules for hydraulic fracturing, a controversial form of oil extraction that some say can pose a hazard to drinking water. The lack of “fracking” regulations […]
Read MoreSteelhead trout lose out when water is low in wine country
Sarah Yang, Media Relations | May 7, 2012 The competition between farmers and fish for precious water in California is intensifying in wine country, suggests a new study by biologists at the University of California, Berkeley. The findings, published in the May issue of the journal Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, link higher death […]
Read MoreState OKs Forest-to-vineyard Plan in Sonoma County
Brett Wilkison, The Press Democrat, May 8, 2012 The 324-acre site for a forestland to vineyard project stretches from the grass area to the redwood/ fir stand in the background at Artesa Winery’s proposed Fairfax Estate on the outskirts of Annapolis. State forestry officials on Tuesday approved a controversial timber-to-vineyard conversion project in northwest Sonoma […]
Read MoreLong-awaited dioxins report revealed
After 21 years of wrangling over health threats, uncertain science and industry pressure, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday released its assessment of dioxins defining how toxic they are. By Marla Cone, Editor in Chief Environmental Health News February 17, 2012 After 21 years of wrangling over health threats, uncertain science and industry pressure, the […]
Read MoreNew Rules for Nitrates
Janice Kaspersen, Stormwater Editor Comments March 20, 2012 Nitrate pollution is getting a lot of attention in California. Even as other states—notably Florida—enact TMDLs for nutrients, California’s Central Coast Regional Water Quality Board recently adopted new rules for agriculture, requiring ag operations to reduce nitrate and pesticide pollution. Just before the new rules were announced, […]
Read MoreWasting Our Waterways
Industrial Toxic Pollution and the Unfulfilled Promise of the Clean Water Act Environment Maryland Research & Policy Center March 22, 2012 Industrial facilities continue to dump millions of pounds of toxic chemicals into America’s rivers, streams, lakes and ocean waters each year—threatening both the environment and human health. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency […]
Read MoreSan Pablo Bay receives most toxics in state
Mark Prado, Marin Independent Journal, March 22, 2012 San Pablo Bay receives the highest volume of toxic discharges in the state, according to a report issued Thursday. The report, titled “Wasting Our Waterways: Industrial Toxic Pollution and the Unfulfilled Promise of the Clean Water Act,” was issued by Los Angeles-based Environment California, which analyzed U.S. Environmental […]
Read MoreCalifornia Creeks, Levees May be Next Battleground for Public Access
Matt Weiser, McClatchy / News Report March 25, 2012 Public access to coastal beaches has been a high-profile struggle for decades. The same battle on inland waterways, however, has received far less attention. It was January 2010 when Shawn O’Brien visited her favorite paddling spot on Cache Creek, in Yolo County’s scenic Capay Valley, and […]
Read MoreHole in the Head
The Place Where You Live “A sense of place is the sixth sense, an internal compass and map made by memory and spatial perception together.” —Rebecca Solnit Bodega Head, Bodega Bay, California I come to the Bodega Headlands often to make offerings and prayers. Offerings to the land—the wild Northern California Coast—and a prayer of gratitude to […]
Read MoreField Research on Bees Raises Concern About Low-Dose Pesticides
Erik Stokstad Science 30 March 2012 Five years ago, bees made headlines when a mysterious condition called colony collapse disorder decimated honey bee colonies in parts of the United States. Now bees are poised to be in the news again, this time because of evidence that systemic insecticides, a common way to protect crops, indirectly […]
Read MoreScientists Warn of Low-Dose Risks of Chemical Exposure
By Elizabeth Grossman, Yale Environment 360 March 26, 2012 Since before the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring 50 years ago, scientists have known that certain synthetic chemicals can interfere with the hormones that regulate the body’s most vital systems. Evidence of the health impacts of so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals grew from the 1960s to the […]
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