Summer is Over: Where is the Water?

I took a bit of a hiatus over the summer so I could relax from a mountain’s worth of work and enjoy my friends and family.  As the summer comes to an end and the days get shorter many people in Southern California are gearing up for rain dances to try an squeeze some rain from the atmosphere.

It amazes me that in Southern California, which is known for the beautiful ocean that we are not doing much to harness one of the largest reservoirs on our planet: the Pacific Ocean! Many opponents say that the water is too expensive but with almost 20% of the electricity costs of the entire state of California devoted to delivering water from Northern California to Southern California, I am not sure why the Governor Brown is not lobbing the federal government to invest in desalination plants on the coasts of California.  Instead Governor Brown is pushing for a massive bond measure to drill tunnels under the Bay Delta to deliver the water to the South in case of a massive earthquake.  Instead of the conversation devoted to local water resources we are talking about alternate means of delivering the water.  I would like the money the state spends on the delivery of water devoted to other business related or education projects.

On another note, the water quality related to the ocean desalination project would be much cleaner than the water we currently receive from the State Water Project and the Colorado River because desalination requires reverse osmosis which will produce pure H2O not a mix of constituents from discharges above our watershed.  Even though the cost of desalination may be more expensive now I think that it is not a treatment technology that we can ignore, especially with the ocean as our backyard.

Bacterial Counts & Public Health

In water quality science we can count total coliform bacteria in order to determine the concentration of bacteria pre and post water treatment.  We can also differentiate the types of bacteria there are.  There are 2 main branches of bacteria: autotrophs & heterotrophs. Heterotrophs are bacteria like deadly E. Coli that are harmful for people if consumed.

So by differentiating type of the bacteria and the concentration of bacteria we can theorize what is causing poor water quality and what would be the best treatment to apply to the impaired source of water.  These tools are important because without water that is free from bacterial contamination developers and water suppliers cannot deliver water to the public.  The Total Coliform Rule is one such regulation that dictates drinking water bacterial concentration and steps to prevent bacterial outbreaks. I love when science and the regulatory world work together to protect the public the most.

California Mussels & Water Quality Regulations

Mytilus californianus or the California mussel is the keystone species pictured below:

California Mussel

Wikipedia – California Mussel

The muscle can be used to determine if there are toxic substance in an estuarine environment.  The mussel has been transplanted in areas along the California coast where dischargers could be expelling toxic substances.  The mussel will die if trace metals or synthetic organic chemicals exceed limits tolerable to the species. Mussels were chosen as an indicator organism for their ability to concentrate the toxics above ambient sea water levels (becuase their tissues will absorb the toxics & not release then), ability to provide a composite sample (time averaged), and the fact that they are stationary allows scientists to ensure the impacted water is coming from a specific source.

The mussels are extracted in areas of Special Biological Significance and tested for the SOCs and trace metals applicable to the monitoring requirements of the Mussel Watch Program (MWP).  The results of the MWP are published annually and have so since 1978. 

The MWP is one of three programs in the state of California started to adhere to the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (Section 13163) to establish a coordinated Primary Water Quality Monitoring Network.  The results of the MWP along with the Toxic Substance Monitoring and Bay Protection and Toxic Cleanup Programs are compiled into reports to satisfy requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act (sections 104, 106, 208, 301, 303, 304, 305, 307, 308, 314, & 402). San Diego Region Basin Plan

Low Voltage qPCR??

Today I stumbled upon the most amazing no-lab DNA analysis technique. I found this post after redearching primers and probes associated with human beauty gene expressions. I wondered if people were currently marketing personalized dna analysis that match the perfect skin care products.

I was interested to find a mechanical engineering professor from Imperial College in London who combined low voltage circuits with a DNA analysis called PCR.  I wondered how that application would work in an environmental setting such as the one I work in.  For example, inspector sites require a bacteriological test that can take up to 48 hours for results. That is a lot of wait time considering building crews halt work until a passing grade is reached.  For a test that only takes 30 minutes for analysis time, that is amazing! 

Of course I will be interested how he determines viability of cells and it is exciting to watch how the technique will be regulated.

Spring Garden

The 25 seed varieties I planted about a month ago are ready to move from the comfort of the homemade greenhouse into the outside. Most of the seeds are from Kentucky from my husband’s brother and his wife and daughter. One seed pack is called the Santa Claus Melon and is from California. California produce is world class and we have the Bay Delta and Central California waterways to thank. Looking forward to Spring and Summer and growing some California produce of our own!

Public Health & Technology

With an overall grade D in public water system infrastructure, one has to wonder if the dna technology developments in the first world should be applied to current microbiology methodology to assess drinking water contamination.  Also, are our public monies better spent on evaluating the link between persistent organic chemicals and cancers. 

This week I spoke with a water quality microbiologist who sent me a couple of studies related to the use of qPCR methods to detect bacteria such as Escherichia Coli, Enterococcus, & Bacteriodes in 2 to 4 hours vs. up to 72 hours now.  I also spoke with an environmental regulator who related a study his lab performed to expedite the analysis of enterococcus in recreational waters.

The one positive note both persons shared was that the cost of the technology to analyze dna is much cheaper. But with issues regarding viability and methods that provide good notification thus far, what is the justification?

What’s in a sample?

A composite sample is a sample that includes a discrete series of samples based on a temporal or rate based frequency.   The composite sample could be a minimum number of samples over a time that water is flowing or over a specific period of time  (e.g. 24 hours).  Composite samples give a better picture of what is happening for a larger body of water, stream, or even air.  When environmental scientists take samples there is a lot of time and thought that goes into making sure that sample will accurately reflect the quality of water. 

40 CFR Part 136 reviews the proper sampling techniques for a variety of environmental matrices: http://www.tn.gov/environment/fleming/docs/wwt_epamethod136.pdf

Flouride & Children

Last year there was an article circulating that said fluoride in water causes low IQ in children. When I did some research I found that the study was conducted in China where the fluoride levels are orders of magnitude greater than our water supply in Southern California. So I was super suprised when I saw the above article in my Parenting magazine about the very same thing I researched last year. I am glad Parenting magazine spent time to debunk the misinformation out there!

Plants and Water Quality

Even though I am in the field of water quality I still googled whether or not to use chlorine treated water for my seedlings. The disinfectant used to treat our municipal supply is chloramines.  Chloramines are chlorine plus ammonia.

Okay, back to the seedlings. On 1 hand I thought the chlorine could actually work to disinfect any mold that might be going or any bacteria growing on the seed from storage.  I though the ammonia might be good for just the fertilization properties for growth but after further research it dictated that chlorine and chloramine treated water was not good for seedlings due to the concentration and oxidation srates of the chemicals. So I just used a brita filter to take out the chlorine portion.

Regulated Drinking Water Fountains

Public access to drinking water sources has lead to the spread of diseases such a chlorea. Hasley Taylor & Luther Haws started seperate companies in the early 1900s to manufacture drinking water fountains. Hasley Taylor’s father died from a public drinking water source contaminated by Salmonella typhi which is what motivated him to invent the drinking water fountain. S.typhi is a virulent bacteria that causes Typhoid fever.

In the early 20th century drinking water fountains were becoming a prolific. The problem was that vertical water flow was still leading to an increase the spread of disease. To stop the manufacture of vertical drinking water faucets, a standard was created and codified in the Federal Register (24 CFR 100.201).