In this post:
water is not clean. Why? – Mining, Chemical Production waste, careful hiking in the “wilderness”?, Suffering from their Climate Change, Water infrastructure in Crisis
Less Water Use – Thanks To Better Toilets?,
Any Leaky Toilet Patrols?
Technology offers some exciting toilet valve and and leak detection devices
…a list at the bottom of 7 posts on the subject of water-sanitation-toilets
picture above: What went wrong with 92-year-old structure – 2019 – Dam’s collapse raises questions
7- What is Wrong with the Haves?
This is the Clincher!
Things are not going so well in “industrial countries” that have the flush toilets.
It is as if, many people who work for the worldwide water & sanitation organisations, left the EU and North America with water problems at home.
There may be flush toilets, but water is not much cleaner than in developing countries. Why?
1. Waste left over from Mining and old pipe infrastructure.
Ms. Maynard’s family does not drink the “tap” water.
…………No drinkable water coming from the faucet, their indoor water sources can only be used for flushing the toilet:
The nearly 12,000 residents in Martin County including Huntleyville, Kentucky, USA, near the border with West Virginia, have water that comes out brown or milky or smells bad. Other times nothing comes out at all.
All of this is why BarbiAnn Maynard’s family doesn’t drink the tap water. She says they spend about $30 a week on bottled water. That is plus their monthly water bill — about $65 — for water used only for cleaning and flushing the toilet.
Americans, from Ms. Maynard’s home in rural Appalachia to urban areas like Flint, Michigan, or Compton, California, are facing a lack of clean, reliable drinking water. At the heart of the problem is a water system in crisis: old, crumbling infrastructure and a lack of funds to upgrading it and more contaminated rivers and lakes.
2. Other Chemical Production waste flowing into community drinking water and trump is arranging for more to flow.
In the USA people are learning that their drinking water is polluted by a group of chemicals called Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).
PFAS chemicals are good at repelling oil and water. That makes them useful in a lot of products including non-stick cookware, fast food wrappers, pizza boxes, water-repellent fabrics and fire-fighting foam.
Manufacturers have agreed to stop using two forms of PFAS in the U.S, but have started to use others. These chemicals take a long time to break down in the environment, which is why they remain a problem now.
3. They can’t even go for an overnight hike in the wilderness, without taking precautions not to drink water and to handle their waste with great caution.
OK, it is a population issue…
The fact is that the whole world is shrinking. This is not only communication devices, but bigger populations that are moving around, migrating. Makes the whole planet Earth have the same problems of sanitation, hygiene and transmission of diseases….. Take Giardia; a microscopic parasite that causes diarrhea, known as giardiasis, a global disease.
A few years ago, a very nice relative of mine, gifted me a copy of the book “How to Shit in The Woods” – An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art, by Kathleen Meyer. This is a totally comprehensive guide to sanitation in nature:
“Until roughly the mid-1970’s, no one ever considered it un-safe to drink directly from mountain streams. …. But no longer can we drink it at all – no longer can we drink even a drop before purifying it, without running the risk of getting sick. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta ((and world wide)), no surface water in the world is guaranteed free of the microscopic cysts responsible for a parasitic disease called giardiasis**.”
((you will remember – a big killer of children world wide – diarrhoea.))
Ms. Meyer covers every imaginable aspect of “body elimination for the outdoor person and the traveler”….
“Focusing on prevention automatically brings us face to face with sanitation practices. Because the “enteric pathogens (the intestinal bad guys) are transmitted by forms of fecal-oral contact, logically, then, the first step toward prevention is to ritualise hand washing.”
“… Be neurotic about it!
The importance of hand washing can’t be stressed enough for outdoor people who tend to equate ruggedness – that messing and sweating about in earth’s fresh fragrant dirt – with the primeval, the long-sought-after excuse not to bathe for days.”
…
”Packing-it-out – the practice of capturing and transporting fecal matter and sometimes pee out of the backcountry – is nowadays the practical alternative to burial in high-use areas and fragile ecosystems. As early as 1988, Cal Adventures (CA), the outdoor program at the University of California at Berkeley, under the direction of Rick Spittler, began experimenting with individual container-systems for participants in their cross-country skiing program. CA’s novel techniques were successful, if rudimentary: milk cartons with duct tape. Today on many busy trails, day hikers are given plastic “bags” for packaging up their turds and carrying them out. The US Forest Service straps portable toilets onto mules that accompany trail crews into the mountains. … Every year, participation in the cleanup campaign is made easier by a changing overall consciousness – everybody in the same poo boat – and there is development of specialised equipment. Not to mention tightening regulations.”
Visit Kathleen on her own website.
** Giardiasis is a global disease. It infects nearly 2% of adults and 6% to 8% of children in developed countries worldwide. Nearly 33% of people in developing countries have had giardiasis. In the United States, Giardiainfection is the most common intestinal parasitic disease affecting humans.
Giardia cysts can survive for extended periods of time in the environment and chlorination of water alone cannot inactivate them. Therefore, cases among hikers or backpackers in wilderness areas are common, and waterborne outbreaks due to inadequate treatment of drinking water are common.
The World Health Organization
Transmission – Infection usually occurs through ingestion of G. intestinalis cysts in water (including both unfiltered drinking-water and recreational waters) or food contaminated by the faeces of infected humans or animals.
Nature of the disease – Many infections are asymptomatic. When symptoms occur, they are mainly intestinal, characterized by chronic diarrhoea (watery initially, then loose greasy stools), abdominal cramps, bloating, fatigue and weight loss.
Geographical distribution – Worldwide.
4. The makers of Climate Change suffer from it.
DRY days, weeks or months are increasing.
>> Not enough Water – Conflicts and even crime come into the picture:
Back at the office, the sheriff’s Deputy, Dave Huhn says violent skirmishes over water have been on the decline since the county started enforcing water law. But dry years add pressure on farmers and ranchers trying to make ends meet.
“Historically, we’ve had people killed over water in the state of Colorado. We have in this county,” he says.
Huhn’s job has all the makings of a tall tale from the Wild West, with sweeping desert vistas and shootouts with outlaws. But his role now seems more focused on the future. The most recent science on climate change shows the Colorado River Basin, which includes all of Montezuma County, will be hotter and drier as decades pass.
>> Rainfall in the Western USA: Dry days per year are increasing.
The dryer conditions are increasing the number, size and frequency of wildfires in industrial countries. Most of the western USA is suffering from wildfires. I wonder when the available water to put them out will run out.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map released every Thursday, showing the parts of the U.S. that are suffering from drought. Recognizing drought before it gets worse can reduce the impacts and save money. … The US Department of Agriculture uses the drought monitor to trigger disaster notifications and maybe qualify for low-interest loans. The Farm Service Agency uses it to help qualify for their Livestock Forage Program, and the Internal Revenue Service uses it for tax delays on forced livestock sales, due to drought.
It’s not a forecast – In fact, it looks backward. It may take more than one good rainfall to end a drought, especially if an area has been in drought for a long time.
>> Other kinds of Extreme
Buildings – Urbanization Are Partly To Blame for More Water in Hurricanes / Typhoons
Hurricanes are dropping more rain and causing more flooding than in the past, and humans are to blame on multiple fronts.
Hurricanes are causing more rain than they used to, and that cities themselves may be making the rainfall even worse. …
Scientists are looking at data from the city of Houston during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and comparing the amount of rain that fell to a model of how much rain would have fallen, if the city and its surrounding area had never been built.
“What we found was that the city, itself, increased the overall rainfall footprint [compared] to what we would have expected if the urban areas were, instead, cropland,” explains study co-author Gabriele Villarini of the University of Iowa. Significantly more rain fell on the Houston area than would have fallen on the coastal grasslands that used to be there.
5. Water System in Crisis: Old, Crumbling infrastructure
that is overdue for repair and replacement
The 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers report is the almost the same as 2013 or worse.
For decades, the U.S. was a leader in water management. Now it’s falling behind. “If we have old infrastructure that’s falling apart, and we’re dealing with climate change, isn’t that a good opportunity to finally do something?” suggested Upmanu Lall, director of the Columbia Water Center.
The USA has been sleeping on old infrastructure from 40 – 100 years.
So the Industrial World is going to have to wake up and pay the price.
The present approach: “New efficient fixtures on old failing infrastructure” is not going to hold up…….
7- What is Wrong with the haves? The way they think about it?
Less Water Use – Thanks To Better Toilets?
The (WRF) Water Research Foundation’s 2016 report, Residential End Uses of Water, Version 2 (REU2016), provides an updated and expanded assessment of water use.
In 2016….The decline in water use from 1999 to 2016 amounted to no more than 148 litres (39 gallons) less per household/day and was not due to a “green wave of environmental concerns” breaking over the suburbs. U.S. households did not change their behavior, according to William DeOreo, lead author of the study. Household size was roughly equal in the two studies (2.7 people in 1999 versus 2.6 today). Minutes per shower remained constant. Toilet flushes did not increase. Neither did faucet use. >>>>>The reason households are using less water: better equipment
USA – EPA says about Toilets:
Toilets, can be the biggest water wasters in your home. Toilets use over 24% of the water in the average American household. And when they are quietly leaking, they can waste up to 200 gallons per day! Older toilet models (before 1990) can use up to 6 gallons per flush. Think about that. At 6-12 flushes per day, you’re losing 72 gallons of good drinkable water per day down the toilet. (Enough drinking water for at least 130 people.)
Federal standards now require no greater than 1.6 gallons per flush, but there are already toilets that work at 1.28 gpf or less?
Every town, county, state, uses their website to advertise, write persuasively and announce regulations to control water use; in both homes or commercial buildings.
A moderate toilet leak can cost you an additional $70 per month— $1,000 per year.
Running water in your toilet wastes about 25 times more water than a shower leak.
The most common cause for a high water bill is running water from your toilet. A continuously running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons a day. So fix toilet leaks as soon as possible.
A single leaky loo can waste up to 400 litres of water per day; the equivalent to five full bath tubs. When you have a leaky loo, the water just dribbles away down the back of the pan, often going unnoticed. Here’s how to test if your loo is leaking .
Toilet leaks rank among the biggest water wasters— PCWA offers free test kits to check if there is a slow leak in your toilet. For your kit, contact PCWA Customer Services. (Be sure to flush immediately after the experiment to avoid staining the tank.) Stop Running Toilets!
Leaking toilets cause more water waste than any other fixture. Even a silent toilet leak (that’s one you normally can’t hear) will waste from 30 to 500 gallons of water per day! The ones you can hear will waste much, much more.
But NO Leaky Toilet Patrol
The closest I found to a Leaky Toilet Patrol, is…..
EPA recognizes 2018 WaterSense Promotional Partners of the Year:
Citrus County, Florida Utilities earned its 3rd Award with their Water Classroom Challenge; 3rd through 5th graders from 29 classrooms in six different schools. Students tested 593 toilets and identified 90 leaks. 363 students’ families completed a five-question survey included on their challenge worksheets; 287 indicated they would choose a “WaterSense” model when replacing their toilets. The utility also provided free irrigation audits and distributed hundreds of free “WaterSense” shower-heads and faucet aerators.
And then there is the Water Cop, who wanted to be “Officer Friendly”
SACRAMENTO, California –
The Wildfire State!
“I don’t want to crack down on them,” said Steve Upton, who works for the water conservation unit of Sacramento’s utilities department. “People don’t waste water on purpose. They don’t know they are wasting water.”
In the heart of the wild fire area of California….only out door water use is patrolled…..
Sacramento is one of the few big water agencies actively patrolling streets for violators and encouraging neighbors to report water waste. While gentle reminders are preferred, citations and fines will follow for repeat offenders.
Sacramento, where about half the homes are unmetered, is deploying the state’s most aggressive water patrols. In February 2014, this city of 475,000 authorized 40 employees who drive regularly for their jobs (building inspectors, meter readers), to report water waste. Of them, six are on water patrol full-time.
LOS ANGELES, CA has just a small water-enforcement program since 2009 and has cut water use by 18 percent. One inspector patrols the streets full time in a city of nearly 3.9 million that imports most of its water. They are going to expand from one to four people. (But again, only outside.)
The Marin Municipal Water District north of San Francisco used water patrols during “the mid-1970s drought” but now use water rates that catch those that waste water. “We also focus on voluntary home visits to catch leaks and point out appliances that are not water-efficient,” said Dan Carney, the conservation manager.
Water Conservation Stage 2 Effective Monday July 23, 2018
During Stage 2
–Residential Property Outside Watering Times
-Even numbered civic addresses Wednesday and Saturday
-Odd-numbered civic addresses Thursday and Sunday
Between the hours of 7:00am-9:00am OR 8:00pm-10:00pm.
–Commercial Property Outside Watering Times
-Even-numbered civic addresses Wednesday and Saturday
-Odd-numbered civic addresses Thursday and Sunday
Between the hours of 1:00am and 8:00am (maximum 2 hours).
–YOU MAY water trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables on any day with a sprinkler during the prescribed hours for Stage 2 lawn watering and on any day at any time if watering is done by hand held container or a hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle; wash a vehicle with water using a hand-held container or hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle and at car dealerships and commercial car washes.
–PROHIBITED – Washing sidewalks, driveways or parking lots, exterior windows or exterior building surfaces, except as necessary for applying a product such as paint, preservative and stucco, preparing a surface prior to paving or repointing bricks, or if required by law to comply with health or safety regulations.
It looks like innovation and technology are going to take care of the problem, before I find a “Leaky Toilet Patrol”.
WHC has a project with the city of Tshwane in Soshanguve, South Africa, where they have installed a thousand WHC Leak-Less Valves™. It simply stops water in-flow, until someone flushes. They have also trained, certified and employed 20 young men and women from the community as plumbers to work within the project. So far, the project has been able to save about 7-8 million liters of water and the number is still increasing. The WHC Leak-Less Valve™ saves water on the resident’s water bills, which has always been a problem. And it is much simpler than the fancy toilet, in the Stealth video above.
Technology offers some exciting innovations in water leak detection.
These devices can communicate by phone app, text, and email when a leak is detected. Cloud-based sensors can integrate with a portal where you can monitor all sensors in a system. There are even automated sensors which can shut off water. There are entire building water monitoring systems……where you can pin-point a leak.
WaterSignal – No shut-off device, but apparently set up for companies that have a monitoring center for one or more buildings.
“With WaterSignal’s unique hourly and daily alert levels, managers do not have be surprised by enormous water bills.”
Alert Labs Inc. – No shut-off device, yet. They will have one in 2019.
Landlords, property and facility managers use the Flowie smart water flow sensor and Floodie flood detector to detect leaks, floods, water use, power outages, and humidity.
On Sun, Dec 9, 2018 at 11:01 PM Support – Alert Labs <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Lesley,
Flowie is a water flow sensor that detects and reports water consumption, costs, and alerts. If it sees a potential leak or abnormally high water usage. We are currently in development of our shut-off component and expect it to arrive in the first half of next year. It will work on all pipe sizes up to 2″. They are weatherproof – for indoor and outdoor applications.
>>The nice thing about shopping malls is that they tend to be submetered per suite/area/WCroom. So if there is an alert of extreme water flow, it will be easy for the mall to dispatch maintenance staff to that particular “suite” instead of searching suite by suite to find a random water issue.
>>Volume discounts are certainly available! Our sales team is very good at working with our clients, large and small, to help find the correct solutions for their particular needs.
>>Plumbers really enjoy our devices as they are constantly looking for new revenue streams. Plumbers and contractors find new revenue with “maintenance contracts/subscriptions”. Our devices make those programs extremely accurate and easy to set up. For a monthly or yearly charge, the plumber will remotely monitor a property and will automatically respond to any suspected emergency of floods or leaks. The plumber retains a loyal customer base that will not look elsewhere for their plumbing needs.
Kind regards,
Jeff
https://www.alertlabs.com/
Streamlabs – With advanced ultrasonic technology, our monitor stays tuned to the pulse of your home’s water, delivering accurate usage data in real time.
Meet Flo, the all-in-one security system for your home. Say hello to smarter plumbing. Never miss a drip.
World Water Day, on 22 March every year
World Toilet Day, on 19 November every year
World Water Week, Last of August…..each year
The next World Water Week will be held during 25 – 30 August, 2019,
Stockholm, Sweden
World Water Week is the annual focal point for the globe’s water issues. It is organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). In 2019, World Water Week will address the theme “Water for society – Including all”. Last year’s event included over 3,300 individuals, around 380 organizations from 135 countries. The Week’s programme consists of more than 200 sessions of different formats and subjects.
Young Professional Speaker Directory – at World Water Week
Want to be a speaker, panelist or moderator during the Week? More information and to sign up for our Speaker Directory! here.
Presentation Abstract Submission open 5 Nov – 20 Jan 2019
Make a Presentation in a Seminar – Talk about your project – Look for Support
People from all relevant disciplines who wish to present their research are welcome to submit abstracts. Abstracts can be submitted on any subject related to the issues being addressed by the seminars. See more information here:
http://www.worldwaterweek.org/category/seminar-2019/
Everyone, All ages are concerned about Toilets………………………………….
Hanifa Zaara told the police, in a letter, that her father had “cheated” her and should therefore be arrested. She said that she was “ashamed” to defecate outside.
Hanifa and her parents live in Ambur, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
She wrote that her father told her he would build a toilet, if she topped her class.
“I have been topping my class since nursery,” she wrote. “I am in the second grade now. And he is still only saying he will do it. This is a form of cheating, so please arrest him.”
We should remember the connections and proportions between Water and CO2 . A big part of our planet’s way of life.
Bodies of water and the ocean are great at sucking up CO2 from the air. The ocean, alone, absorbs about one-quarter of the CO2 that we humans create when we burn fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas.) If not for the ocean, we’d be in even worse trouble with too much CO2. But too much CO2 effects the ocean, too, acid.
If we did not breath air, we humans would breath water.
7- What is Wrong with the haves?
There is a lot of work to do. If I can help anyone, look for needed support, information, assistance, I look forward to your request! And if you can lead me to a “Leaky Toilet Patrol” I look forward to your response! Lesley
7 posts on the subject of water-sanitation-toilets, covering the following issues:
#1 Leaky toilets are everyone’s business!
#2 The beginning of Wasted Water.
#3 The natural way to empty our Bowels?
#4 We have 12 years to cool off planet Earth!
#5 Dry Toilet sanitation systems for our growing population
#6 Online Tools to Re-Invent with the Have-Nots.
#7 What is wrong with the Have’s? Plenty!
and two on a water Super Plant – Vetiver
Termite Eradication Naturally? …Ask WasteRush To Search
Vetiver System Proven I Say, “Heal The Land With Vetiver”