M5.7 Blog: Your Sewage Facilities

Your Sewage Facilities

FIND OUT: Where are the sewage treatment facilities in your community? 

There is one sewage treatment facility (Facility) in the city of Davis, California (City) that operates and maintains the City's sanitary sewer system, and disposes of the City’s treated wastewater.  The Facility is located at 1717 Fifth Street, Davis, CA 95616. The City's current user classes include the following:

The Facility performs the following functions:

• Operates and maintains the wastewater collections system and treatment plant;

• Operates and maintains the City's restoration treatment wetlands;

• Administers the industrial wastewater pretreatment program;

• Administers the national pollutant discharge elimination system permit and compliance program;

• Special districts operation & maintenance for El Macero and North Davis Meadows;

• Wildlife and habitat management; and

• Provides outreach materials regarding pollution prevention and wildlife habitat relationships.

In comparison, there are three sewage facilities located in San Francisco. They include:

1. North Point Wet Weather Facility
• Built in 1951
• Only active during wet weather
• Treats up to 150 million gallons a day (MGD) during rain storms
• Located at Bay Street and The Embarcadero
2. Oceanside Treatment Plant
• Built in 1993
• Receives 20% of the City's flows
• Treats 15 MGD and up to 175 MGD during rain storms
3. Southeast Treatment Plan
• Built in 1952
• Receives 80% of the City's flows
• Treats 60 MGD and up to 250 MGD during rain storms
• Located on Phelps Street near Third and Evans streets in the Bayview District

References:  

• City of Davis, California. Waste Water. Retrieved from: http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/public-works/wastewater

• San Francisco’s Wastewater Treatment Facilities. Retrieved from: https://sfwater.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=5801 

M5.5 Blog: Campaign for Tap Water

Campaign for Tap Water

Blog about: If you were to develop a nationwide campaign to get people to drink tap water instead of bottled water, what would be your campaign slogan?

My campaign slogan would read:  Team tap water: Refills, not landfills.

If I were to create a campaign slogan to get people to drink tap water instead of bottled water, I would focus on the benefits of tap water and highlight how unnecessary bottled water actually is. The bottled water industry (Industry) has created a manufactured demand for their product. They have accomplished this is by scaring the public into believing that tap water is not safe, and if the public wants to drink safe clean water, then bottled water is their only option. In reality, tap water is better regulated than bottled water. The Industry has also seduced the public into drinking bottled water by hiding their image behind a fantasy. For example, Fiji Water, whose slogan is “Earth’s finest water,” sells their product by making people think that their water is exotic. Additionally, the Industry has misled the public by making us think that they are environmentally responsible, when in fact the Industry is environmentally irresponsible. Each year the production of plastic bottles, used to bottle the water, consumes enough oil and energy to fuel the equivalent of one million cars; even more is used to ship the bottled water around the world.

Tap water on the other hand often tastes much better than bottled water. The City of Cleveland, Ohio (City) proved this after Fiji brand water advertised that their bottled water tasted better than the City’s. In response, the City conducted taste tests of their tap water against Fiji’s bottled water, and the results showed that people far preferred the City’s tap water. Additionally, bottled water is much more expensive, and costs 2,000 times more than tap water. It does not make sense for people to pay excessively for something that they already have available in their homes. In the end, tap water is more sustainable, tastier, and far cheaper than bottled water. For all of these reasons, people should make tap water their drink of choice, and skip the bottled water all together.

M5.4 Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR) and water quality

Water quality (2016 City of Davis Water Quality Report)

Where does your water come from?

My drinking water’s provider is the City of Davis (City), and prior to June 2016 the source of my drinking water was ground water. During 2016, the City pumped water from 14 municipal wells, and these wells drew water from aquifers beneath the City at depths ranging from 210 to 1,760 feet below ground surface. The groundwater was filtered naturally by sands and clays as it passed through geologic formations. However, starting in June 2016 the City began to integrate surface water from the Sacramento River with an allotment of 10.2 million gallons per day. The City will continue to use surface water as the primary source and supplement with groundwater when demand is over 10.2 million gallons per day.

What did you discover about your water quality?

I discovered that our over all water quality is good. However, the 2016 Water Quality Report did show that the concentration of Chromium Six (also known as Hexavalent Chromium) was over the maximum contaminant level (MCL) in twelve of the City’s groundwater wells. Chromium Six is associated with occupational asthma, eye irritation and damage, perforated eardrums, respiratory irritation, kidney damage, liver damage, pulmonary congestion and edema, upper abdominal pain, nose irritation and damage, respiratory cancer, skin irritation, and erosion and discoloration of the teeth. The City was given a directive by the Board to correct this problem by the end of 2019.

*In 2017 the MCL was found invalid by the Sacramento Superior Court, due to the fact that the California State Department of Public Health did not properly analyze the economic feasibly of complying with the ten parts per billion (ppb) standard. (See Final Ruling on Writ Petition - CA Manufacturers and Technology Assn, et al. v. CDPH, et al. (SA2014116360))

Do you use a filter for your water?

Currently we do not use a filter for our water.  

What are you trying to filter out?

Since we do not use a filter, there is not anything specific that we are working to filter out of our water. 

Do you drink bottled water? How does this square with what you learned when you watched the Story of Bottled Water?

I try to drink as little bottled water as possible. When I am at home I drink water that comes from the tap. When I am away from home, I fill up my big reusable “Kleen Kanteen” with the water available. On par with the video Story of Bottled Water, I think that bottled water is a gimmick to make people spend money on an item that we already have access to. I am happy to find out that I am not wrong to trust that tap water is better regulated.

References:

·     City of Davis. Water Division. Retrieved from: http://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/public-works/water  

M5.2 The public health importance of safe drinking water

 The public health importance of safe drinking water

Water Facts

While watching “Water Facts,” I found it terrifying that 7 billion people share the 0.007% of potable water that is available on earth. Of those seven billion people, 1.2 billion do not have access to clean water. From a public health perspective these facts are a huge problem. Additionally, the fact that the world’s population continues to grow, as our water resources continue to shrink, is a public health crisis in the making. An example of this is the drought-plagued city of Cape Town that is currently expected to run dry of water. This issue is negatively impacting millions of people and their health. More people need be aware of these issues, and the huge importance of having clean water available on a daily basis.

What is Ground Water?

I found the information in this video very helpful in learning more about how ground water is captured and its importance to public health. Although, I was aware of the fact that there was ground water, I was unaware of the cycle of how the water reached the ground and filled aquifers. Additionally, I was surprised to learn just how much humans depend on ground water and the aquifers, and the fact that in some parts of the United States tap water comes directly from the ground and from the thousands of wells across the country that draw water out of aquifers. However, what shocked me the most was the fact that most of the groundwater is used to grow the food that we eat. In fact, farms across the United States use approximately 53 billion gallons of ground water every day. Although, farmers get water from rain it is not always enough. During the times of drought, farmers depend heavily on ground water. Because, we depend so heavily on the use of ground water and aquifers we need to protect against draining them dry before they have a chance to refill. If the aquifers were to run dry, it would take hundreds of years for the largest ones to fill back up to healthy levels. An issue such as this would create a public health crisis.

Clean Water Act of 1972

I’m embarrassed to say how little I knew, prior to this course, about the importance of the Clean Water Act of 1972 (Clean Water Act), and the central role that it played in cleaning up our nation’s waters. Although, I was aware that there were regulations in place to help control water pollution in the United States, I was unfamiliar with where these regulations stemmed from. The Clean Water Act established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of our nation and regulating quality standards for surface waters. This was done by imposing specified deadlines, and giving regulators permission to set interim goals to reduce additional water pollution, and to ensure that surface waters meet better safety standards for human recreation. This is important from a public health standpoint because, in order to have a healthy population its fundamental that people have access to safe clean water whether this is used for drinking, domestic use, food production or recreational purposes. People who are exposed to contaminated water are at risk of catching diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio. The passing and implementation of the Clean Water Act helped reduce these potential health risks by working to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of our nation’s waters.

Resources:

·       Water Facts. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=173&v=zNdbj3PbX6o

·       What is Ground Water. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=oNWAerr_xEE

·       Clean Water Act of 1972. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbgKwEkseVo

·       World Health Organization. Drinking Water. Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs391/en/

M4.5 (Group Exercise) Elements of an Ideal Chemical/Fragrance Policy

M4.5 Think about it/Group exercise

Navleen Saini, Elesia Quitugua, and Angela Reed

Elements of an ideal chemical/fragrance policy include:

Statement describing the issue and how the policy addresses the issue :

• The policy should specifically state the issue that is of concern, explain why this issue is a concern, and also explain how implementation of this policy will address the issue.
• The policy should explain specifically who the policy is geared towards. This can include staff, and depending on the institution, such as a hospital, it can include patients and visitors.  

Definitions of  terms:

• The term “fragrance” can be interpreted very broadly. To ensure that individuals are able to understand and follow the fragrance-free policy it is important to define what “fragrance” and “fragrance-free” means.

Procedures:

• An ideal policy will include procedures (a series of steps) that are to be followed that assist in accomplishing the desired end result.
• Example: “Staff will attend a yearly 30 minute training on the adverse health effects of fragrance.”

How does the policy eliminate/decrease our body burdens and exposures?:

• By reducing fragrance use in the workplace, the policy protects those with immature or weakened immune systems, such as infants and the elderly, from harmful chemicals.
• By citing local legislation within the policy, this informs and protects those working in the institution against the use of fragrances that have the potential to harm sensitive populations.

M4.6 National Awareness Campaign: Lung Cancer Related Deaths Associated With Exposure to Radon

National Awareness Campaign: Lung Cancer Related Deaths Associated With Exposure to Radon

How would you develop a national awareness campaign?

Elements of my awareness campaign

Planning:

There is a lot of careful planning that needs to take place when putting together a successful national awareness campaign. I would begin by asking and answering the following questions: 

o   What is important about the issue that we want others to think is important?

o   Who is the intended audience that we are trying to influence?

o   What is the outcome that we want to see take place?  

o   Who stands to benefit and who stands to lose? 

o   Are there any obstacles that may be in the way of implementing a successful campaign? If so, who or what are they? 

o   What groups or individuals are on our side?  Are these groups or individuals willing to be active participants?

Messaging:

After answering the questions above, I would then work on developing compelling messaging. Messaging will be crucial in delivering a successful campaign. We want our target audience to learn about and understand the facts regarding radon exposure and lung cancer. Messaging can take place in the form of commercials, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Blogosphere), and outreach events. An important part of the messaging will also include hard data/numbers surrounding the issue. For example, it is important that the audience knows that the second leading cause of lung cancer is exposure to radon. This kind of information will show credibility and provide the audience with vital facts.  

Relationship Building:

In addition to the areas listed above, in order to have a successful campaign it is imperative to build strong working relationships and collaborate with stakeholders. Their cooperation and support will play a vital role in ensuring that the campaign message is successfully delivered and to the right audience. Additionally, stakeholders can prove to be powerful allies. For example, legislators may help to not only deliver your campaign message, but they may also help to pass legislation such as requiring those selling property to test for radon and disclose the findings to the buyer as a condition of the sell. Below is a list of potential collaborators (stakeholders) that would be ideal to work with on a national awareness campaign to inform the public about lung cancer related deaths associated with exposure to radon.

Potential collaborators (stakeholders): 

·     Legislators

·     Public Health Departments (both national and local)

·     People who have been affected by this issue

·     The World Health Organization

·     Environmental Protection Agency

·     Center for Disease Control and Prevention

·     Universities

·     The American Lung Association

M.4.2 National Library ToxNet

National Library ToxNet

Review and describe one or more health effects that is associated with exposures to: 

• Urea formaldehyde (found in pressed board, a common building material):
Chronic Conjunctivitis: One of the most common uses of formaldehyde in the U.S is manufacturing urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins, used in particleboard products. Health effects associated with exposure to UF include chronic conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis, also known as pinkeye, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is the thin clear tissue that lies over the white part of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelid. Symptoms include: Insidious discharge, eye redness, and foreign body sensation.

• Bleach (a cleaning/disinfectant product)
• Non-Allergic Asthma: Frequent use of bleach for home-cleaning is associated with non-allergic adult-onset asthma in women. Consistently, among women without allergic sensitization, significant positive associations were found between use of bleach and bronchial hyperresponsiveness, asthma like-symptoms and chronic cough.

References:

• Toxline. Retrieved from: https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/f?./temp/~chExqo:7:@od@@/cgi-bin/sis/search2/d?./temp/~w5Fykx:0@

• Toxline. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27492540 

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