Water News; Afghanistan’s Kabul Basin Faces Major Water Challenges
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey ( Investorideas.com water newswire, http://www.water-stocks.com/ )
In the next 50 years, it is estimated that drinking water needs in the Kabul Basin of Afghanistan may increase sixfold due to population increases resulting from returning refugees. It is also likely that future water resources in the Kabul Basin will be reduced as a result of increasing air temperatures associated with global climate change. These are the findings of a new study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The study estimates that at least 60 percent of shallow groundwater-supply wells would be affected and may become dry or inoperative as a result of climate change. Groundwater in the basin’s less widely used deep aquifer may supply future needs; however, the sustainability of this resource for large withdrawals, such as agricultural uses, is uncertain. Contamination is also a concern in shallow drinking water sources in Kabul.
“Water resources in the Kabul Basin are a critical issue for both the people of Afghanistan and U.S. military personnel serving there,” said USGS Director Dr. Marcia McNutt. “The work the USGS has done in providing insight about the water situation in the basin can help with future water-resource planning and management efforts and can be applied to other areas of Afghanistan.”
This study presents the results of a multidisciplinary water-resources assessment conducted between 2005 and 2007 to address questions of future water availability for a growing population and of the potential effects of climate change.
Although there is considerable uncertainty associated with climate change projections, warming trends forecast for southwest Asia would likely result in adverse changes to recharge patterns and further stresses on limited water resources. Such stresses were simulated to result in 50 percent of shallow groundwater wells in the basin becoming inoperable.
“Investigating water resources in a country affected by war and civil strife — which have left a more than 20-year gap in the scientific record — is challenging,” said Thomas Mack, USGS scientist and lead author on the report. “However, our collaborative investigation and the USGS's capacity-building efforts help empower our Afghan colleagues to manage their resources and their future.”
The research for this study was conducted in collaboration with the Afghanistan Geological Survey, a division of the Afghanistan Ministry of Mines, and the Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water under an agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“Training with USGS scientists has helped our engineers to modernize their skills and improve their capabilities,” said Afghanistan Geological Survey Director Mohammed Omar. “Our engineers are using these improvements as they monitor groundwater levels and water quality in the Kabul Basin.”
The study assessed climate trends, water use, surface and groundwater availability and water quality by integrating several forms of data, including surface and groundwater analyses, satellite imagery, geologic investigations, climate change analyses, and estimates of public-supply and agricultural water uses, to provide a comprehensive overview of water resources in this basin.
The full report can be accessed at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5262.
Contact Information:
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Office of Communication
119 National Center
Reston, VA 20192 Thomas Mack
Phone: 603-226-7805
Kara Capelli
Phone: 571-230-6601
_____________________________________________________________-
More water stocks info and water stocks research resources for investors:
Visit the water stocks directory, one of the most comprehensive water stocks directory online- Publicly traded water companies on global stock exchanges: http://www.investorideas.com/Water-Stocks/Stock_List.asp
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Showing posts with label Bottled Water News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bottled Water News. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Water News; U.S. Maritime Industry Seeks Streamlined System to Put Vessels to Work on Oil Spill Clean-Up
Water News; U.S. Maritime Industry Seeks Streamlined System to Put Vessels to Work on Oil Spill Clean-Up
HARAHAN, La., June 19 Water News; ( http://www.investorideas.com/ water stocks blog ; http://www.water-stocks.com/ ) The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) has proposed to BP and the U.S. Coast Guard that they create a smooth, efficient system to be sure vessel owners know what marine assets are needed to combat the Gulf oil spill, and to share with the Incident Command what vessels are available. OMSA, which represents the U.S. flag vessels that work in the offshore energy sector, has a number of member vessels that are currently involved in the cleanup effort, including skimming activities, working to control the leak at its source and setting out boom along the shore.
"Given the magnitude of the crisis we are addressing, it makes sense to set up direct communications between the industry as a group and the Incident Command, so that we can meet the needs of the spill head-on and in real time. Frankly, the Coast Guard should have done this weeks ago," said Ken Wells, OMSA President.
He noted that because of the moratorium on deepwater drilling and the effective moratorium on all new shallow water drilling, between 100 to 200 American offshore vessels may be without work soon, resulting in potential layoffs for thousands of mariners and shoreside personnel that support the offshore workboat industry. "We proposed last Monday that if BP and the Coast Guard will immediately set up a system to let us know their needs, we should be able to meet the requirements of the response effort without disruption. We hope that they are giving our proposal serious consideration," said Wells.
He pointed out that the Coast Guard recently indicated it had more than 400 vessels at work on skimming operations, making this the largest number of skimming vessels ever put to work in the Gulf of Mexico at one time. The Coast Guard has also recently sent out requests to industry to locate every additional available skimming unit in the country and even the world. "But the issue is complicated by the fact that there are a number of different situations requiring different types of vessels. A "skimmer" can be an unmanned floating device, a 16-foot boat equipped with a boom or a small skimming unit, a fishing troller or shrimp boat, a 180-foot offshore supply vessel, or a specialty-built Oil Spill Response Vessel. Each type of vessel has its own application, and we suspect there are significant needs for each. But we will not know that unless and until BP and the Coast Guard indicate that. To the extent that offshore supply vessels equipped with skimming units and storage tanks are needed, we want to make sure that as these skimming units are shipped here, there are American vessels ready to install them and get to work," Wells said.
Wells also noted that there has been some attention focused on the Jones Act, which says that vessels that carry cargo between places in the U.S. must be built in America, owned by Americans and crewed by Americans. The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) testified before Congress on Thursday, June 17th that if it is necessary to waive the Jones Act, that can be done very quickly.
According to MARAD testimony, there has been only one request to waive the Jones Act and that was addressed in less than 24 hours. Wells stated, "clearly, if we need to bring in foreign boats, the Jones Act process can accomplish that with no delay and our industry will not stand in the way. At the same time, we need to make sure that American vessels and American mariners who are or will soon be out of work as a result of this catastrophe or the government's response are not left unemployed. American vessels are here, ready willing and able to further contribute to this response effort. We simply need clear direction and communication from our government."
To see examples of U.S. flag vessels involved in oil skimming operations, visit www.uscg.mil or visit the following links:
http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=903509
http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=900225
http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=870426&g2_imageViewsIndex=1
Visit http://www.offshoremarine.org/
SOURCE Offshore Marine Service Association
______________________________________________________________
More water news and stocks info and water stocks research resources for investors: Visit the water stocks directory, one of the most comprehensive water stocks directory online- Publicly traded water companies on global stock exchanges: http://www.investorideas.com/Water-Stocks/Stock_List.asp
Investorideas.com and http://www.water-stocks.com/ are positioning to be a leading destination for cleantech investors researching the water space.
HARAHAN, La., June 19 Water News; ( http://www.investorideas.com/ water stocks blog ; http://www.water-stocks.com/ ) The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) has proposed to BP and the U.S. Coast Guard that they create a smooth, efficient system to be sure vessel owners know what marine assets are needed to combat the Gulf oil spill, and to share with the Incident Command what vessels are available. OMSA, which represents the U.S. flag vessels that work in the offshore energy sector, has a number of member vessels that are currently involved in the cleanup effort, including skimming activities, working to control the leak at its source and setting out boom along the shore.
"Given the magnitude of the crisis we are addressing, it makes sense to set up direct communications between the industry as a group and the Incident Command, so that we can meet the needs of the spill head-on and in real time. Frankly, the Coast Guard should have done this weeks ago," said Ken Wells, OMSA President.
He noted that because of the moratorium on deepwater drilling and the effective moratorium on all new shallow water drilling, between 100 to 200 American offshore vessels may be without work soon, resulting in potential layoffs for thousands of mariners and shoreside personnel that support the offshore workboat industry. "We proposed last Monday that if BP and the Coast Guard will immediately set up a system to let us know their needs, we should be able to meet the requirements of the response effort without disruption. We hope that they are giving our proposal serious consideration," said Wells.
He pointed out that the Coast Guard recently indicated it had more than 400 vessels at work on skimming operations, making this the largest number of skimming vessels ever put to work in the Gulf of Mexico at one time. The Coast Guard has also recently sent out requests to industry to locate every additional available skimming unit in the country and even the world. "But the issue is complicated by the fact that there are a number of different situations requiring different types of vessels. A "skimmer" can be an unmanned floating device, a 16-foot boat equipped with a boom or a small skimming unit, a fishing troller or shrimp boat, a 180-foot offshore supply vessel, or a specialty-built Oil Spill Response Vessel. Each type of vessel has its own application, and we suspect there are significant needs for each. But we will not know that unless and until BP and the Coast Guard indicate that. To the extent that offshore supply vessels equipped with skimming units and storage tanks are needed, we want to make sure that as these skimming units are shipped here, there are American vessels ready to install them and get to work," Wells said.
Wells also noted that there has been some attention focused on the Jones Act, which says that vessels that carry cargo between places in the U.S. must be built in America, owned by Americans and crewed by Americans. The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) testified before Congress on Thursday, June 17th that if it is necessary to waive the Jones Act, that can be done very quickly.
According to MARAD testimony, there has been only one request to waive the Jones Act and that was addressed in less than 24 hours. Wells stated, "clearly, if we need to bring in foreign boats, the Jones Act process can accomplish that with no delay and our industry will not stand in the way. At the same time, we need to make sure that American vessels and American mariners who are or will soon be out of work as a result of this catastrophe or the government's response are not left unemployed. American vessels are here, ready willing and able to further contribute to this response effort. We simply need clear direction and communication from our government."
To see examples of U.S. flag vessels involved in oil skimming operations, visit www.uscg.mil or visit the following links:
http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=903509
http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=900225
http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=870426&g2_imageViewsIndex=1
Visit http://www.offshoremarine.org/
SOURCE Offshore Marine Service Association
______________________________________________________________
More water news and stocks info and water stocks research resources for investors: Visit the water stocks directory, one of the most comprehensive water stocks directory online- Publicly traded water companies on global stock exchanges: http://www.investorideas.com/Water-Stocks/Stock_List.asp
Investorideas.com and http://www.water-stocks.com/ are positioning to be a leading destination for cleantech investors researching the water space.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Water news- DOE Awards Up to $14.6 Million to Support Development of Advanced Water Power Technologies
WASHINGTON, DC – Sept 15th 2009 - U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that 22 advanced water power projects will receive up to $14.6 million in funding to advance the commercial viability, market acceptance, and environmental performance for new marine and hydrokinetic technologies as well as conventional hydropower plants. The projects selected today will further the nation’s supply of domestic clean hydroelectricity through technological innovation to capitalize on new sources of energy, and will advance markets and research to maximize the nation’s largest renewable energy source.
“Hydropower provides our nation with emissions-free, sustainable energy. By improving hydropower technology, we can maximize what is already our biggest source of renewable energy in an environmentally responsible way. These projects will provide critical support for the development of innovative renewable water power technologies and help ensure a vibrant hydropower industry for years to come,” said Secretary Chu.
The selected projects successfully address five topic areas:
· Hydropower Grid Services - Selection has been made for a project that develops new methods to quantify and maximize the benefits that conventional hydropower and pumped storage hydropower provide to transmission grids.
· University Hydropower Research Program - Selected projects will be for organizations to establish and manage a competitive fellowship program to support graduate students and faculty members engaged in work directly relevant to conventional hydropower or pumped storage hydropower.
· Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion Device or Component Design and Development - Selections are for industry-led partnerships to design, model, develop, refine, or test a marine and hydrokinetic energy conversion device, at full or subscale, or a component of such a device.
· Marine and Hydrokinetic Site-specific Environmental Studies - Selected projects are for industry-led teams to perform environmental studies related to the installation, testing, or operation of a marine and hydrokinetic energy conversion device at an open water project site.
· Advanced Water Power Market Acceleration Analysis and Assessments - Selections are for a number of energy resource assessments across a number of marine and hydrokinetic resources, as well as life-cycle cost analyses for wave, current and ocean thermal energy conversion technologies.
Projects selected in today’s announcement will focus on updating technologies and methods to improve the performance of conventional hydropower plants. The projects selected for negotiation of awards totaling up to $14.6 million include:
Dehlsen Associates, LLC (Carpinteria, CA) will further develop and validate the Aquantis Current Plane ocean current turbine technology. The project will validate analytical design tools and develop the technology’s direct drive component.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Dehlsen Associates, LLC (Carpinteria, CA) will first develop a bottom habitat survey methodology and siting study approach in accordance with all relevant regulatory agencies in the southeast Florida region; then they will determine the most suitable areas for mooring marine and hydrokinetic facilities based on the distribution of sensitive bottom habitats identified by existing and supplemental surveys.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will develop and demonstrate an innovative approach using industry-proven analyses and modeling tools at the unit level, the plant level, the system level, and the regional/national level, over multiple time scales ranging from seconds to years in order to quantify and maximize the benefits provided by conventional and pumped storage hydroelectric projects to transmission grids.
DOE share: up to $1.5 million; Duration: up to 2 years
Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will perform a comprehensive assessment of existing United States in-stream hydrokinetic resources and the optimal achievable energy conversion rates which could be produced by future hydrokinetic turbine machines from those resources.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will perform desktop and laboratory flume studies that will produce information needed to determine the potential for injury and mortality of fish that encounter hydrokinetic turbines of various designs installed in tidal and river environments. Behavioral patterns will also be investigated to assess the potential for disruptions in the upstream and downstream movements of fish.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Re Vision Consulting, LLC (Sacramento, CA) will develop life-cycle cost profiles for different site and wave, tidal, ocean current, and in-stream hydrokinetic technology combinations using baseline representative commercial project development data from specific sites.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Hydro Research Foundation (Washington, DC) will establish a competitive Hydro Fellowship Program to award fellowships to approximately 27 graduate and doctoral level students for two-year periods of study, which shall include conducting relevant research in the fields of hydropower-related engineering and environmental sciences.
DOE share: up to $1 million; Duration: up to 3 years
Georgia Tech Research Corporation (Atlanta, GA) will perform an ocean current resource potential database, which will then be used to develop a web-based interface and GIS (Geographic Information System) tools for understanding the locations and practical amount of energy that can be extracted from ocean currents.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Ocean Engineering and Energy Systems International, Inc (Honolulu, HI) will conduct baseline biological sampling studies of a proposed Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion site in Port Allen, Kauai, Hawaii in order to create a conceptual design of a site-specific warm water intake pipe.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Ocean Renewable Power Company (Portland, ME) will design a standard mooring system for hydrokinetic devices that will be moored below the surface and suspended in the water column in reversing tidal environments. The Ocean Renewable Power Company will validate its tidal turbine by deploying it in Western Passage, Maine.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Ocean Renewable Power Company (Portland, ME) will use a new combination of monitoring technologies to collect baseline data on pre-deployment patterns of marine mammal distribution in Cook Inlet, Alaska, with special emphasis on the endangered beluga whale. Monitoring during and after deployment will then occur to determine marine mammal interaction with the company’s tidal turbine.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Harris Miller Miller & Hanson (Burlington, MA) will deploy two established tidal energy technologies near Martha’s Vineyard and collect and analyze information related to sediment transport alteration and impacts on protected species.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Free Flow Power Corporation (Gloucester, MA) will design, implement, and test an electrically interconnected hydrokinetic turbine pylon installation to achieve maximum water-to-wire efficiency. Special emphasis will be placed on the design of a mooring system that maximizes efficiency of installation and maintenance.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Ocean Power Technologies, Inc (Pennington, NJ) will create conceptual prototype designs and model a prototype device of much increased power delivery. Modifications to the power take-off component and the implementation of a Design For Manufacture approach will reduce costs and address mass manufacturing issues.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Pacific Energy Ventures (Portland, OR) will test a limited range acoustic deterrent system at an open water location near a proposed Oregon State University project site with the purpose of discouraging migrating gray whales from entering wave energy parks in order to minimize the risk of mortality.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA) will support at least eight individual Master of Science (MS) or Doctoral (PhD) level research projects to identify and investigate topics in the hydropower industry for which academic research is of benefit to the industry, and thus generate new knowledge and technologies that will enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. hydropower industry in the global market.
DOE share: up to $1 million; Duration: up to 3 years
Columbia Power Technologies, Inc (Charlottesville, VA) will optimize, demonstrate, and validate an intermediate-scale wave energy conversion device in preparation for a full-scale bay/ocean demonstration. Improvements in energy capture of this device will occur through research into hydrodynamics and advanced controls to better match the wave regime.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Columbia Power Technologies, Inc (Charlottesville, VA) will perform benchmark laboratory experiments and numerical modeling of the near-field and far-field impacts of wave scattering from an array of wave energy devices. This will provide the information needed to design arrays balancing performance with the mitigation of far-field impacts.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Lockheed Martin Corporation (Manassas, VA) will develop and describe designs, performance and life-cycle costs for both the nearshore and offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) baseline cost figures.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Lockheed Martin Corporation (Manassas, VA) will develop a GIS-based dataset and software tool to assess the maximum practicably extractable energy from the global and domestic U.S. ocean thermal resource and identify regions viable for OTEC and Cold Seawater Based Air Conditioning.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Public Utility District #1 of Snohomish County (Everett, WA) will determine the types of aquatic species in Admiralty Inlet, Washington and will determine both baseline levels of background noise as well as the acoustic impacts that hydrokinetic turbines will have on these species.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Principle Power, Inc (Seattle, WA) will design, validate and determine the levelized cost of electricity for an innovative floating support structure that combines a number of wave and wind energy power take-off mechanisms, which will defray the mooring and installation costs associated with higher power output.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Media contact(s):(202) 586-4940
Published on www.Investorideas.com and www.water-stocks.com www.Water-Stocks.com, a portal within the InvestorIdeas.com content umbrella, offers investors research tools, news, Blogs, online conferences, Podcasts , interviews and a directory of public companies within the water sector .The water-stocks content hub has created a global marketplace and meeting place for investors, public companies, industry buyers and sellers of water technology, services and water assets. Subscribe to Investing in Water Podcast RSS Feed
Research global water stocks at the water Stocks Directory: http://www.investorideas.com/Water-Stocks/Stock_List.asp
WASHINGTON, DC – Sept 15th 2009 - U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that 22 advanced water power projects will receive up to $14.6 million in funding to advance the commercial viability, market acceptance, and environmental performance for new marine and hydrokinetic technologies as well as conventional hydropower plants. The projects selected today will further the nation’s supply of domestic clean hydroelectricity through technological innovation to capitalize on new sources of energy, and will advance markets and research to maximize the nation’s largest renewable energy source.
“Hydropower provides our nation with emissions-free, sustainable energy. By improving hydropower technology, we can maximize what is already our biggest source of renewable energy in an environmentally responsible way. These projects will provide critical support for the development of innovative renewable water power technologies and help ensure a vibrant hydropower industry for years to come,” said Secretary Chu.
The selected projects successfully address five topic areas:
· Hydropower Grid Services - Selection has been made for a project that develops new methods to quantify and maximize the benefits that conventional hydropower and pumped storage hydropower provide to transmission grids.
· University Hydropower Research Program - Selected projects will be for organizations to establish and manage a competitive fellowship program to support graduate students and faculty members engaged in work directly relevant to conventional hydropower or pumped storage hydropower.
· Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion Device or Component Design and Development - Selections are for industry-led partnerships to design, model, develop, refine, or test a marine and hydrokinetic energy conversion device, at full or subscale, or a component of such a device.
· Marine and Hydrokinetic Site-specific Environmental Studies - Selected projects are for industry-led teams to perform environmental studies related to the installation, testing, or operation of a marine and hydrokinetic energy conversion device at an open water project site.
· Advanced Water Power Market Acceleration Analysis and Assessments - Selections are for a number of energy resource assessments across a number of marine and hydrokinetic resources, as well as life-cycle cost analyses for wave, current and ocean thermal energy conversion technologies.
Projects selected in today’s announcement will focus on updating technologies and methods to improve the performance of conventional hydropower plants. The projects selected for negotiation of awards totaling up to $14.6 million include:
Dehlsen Associates, LLC (Carpinteria, CA) will further develop and validate the Aquantis Current Plane ocean current turbine technology. The project will validate analytical design tools and develop the technology’s direct drive component.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Dehlsen Associates, LLC (Carpinteria, CA) will first develop a bottom habitat survey methodology and siting study approach in accordance with all relevant regulatory agencies in the southeast Florida region; then they will determine the most suitable areas for mooring marine and hydrokinetic facilities based on the distribution of sensitive bottom habitats identified by existing and supplemental surveys.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will develop and demonstrate an innovative approach using industry-proven analyses and modeling tools at the unit level, the plant level, the system level, and the regional/national level, over multiple time scales ranging from seconds to years in order to quantify and maximize the benefits provided by conventional and pumped storage hydroelectric projects to transmission grids.
DOE share: up to $1.5 million; Duration: up to 2 years
Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will perform a comprehensive assessment of existing United States in-stream hydrokinetic resources and the optimal achievable energy conversion rates which could be produced by future hydrokinetic turbine machines from those resources.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will perform desktop and laboratory flume studies that will produce information needed to determine the potential for injury and mortality of fish that encounter hydrokinetic turbines of various designs installed in tidal and river environments. Behavioral patterns will also be investigated to assess the potential for disruptions in the upstream and downstream movements of fish.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Re Vision Consulting, LLC (Sacramento, CA) will develop life-cycle cost profiles for different site and wave, tidal, ocean current, and in-stream hydrokinetic technology combinations using baseline representative commercial project development data from specific sites.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Hydro Research Foundation (Washington, DC) will establish a competitive Hydro Fellowship Program to award fellowships to approximately 27 graduate and doctoral level students for two-year periods of study, which shall include conducting relevant research in the fields of hydropower-related engineering and environmental sciences.
DOE share: up to $1 million; Duration: up to 3 years
Georgia Tech Research Corporation (Atlanta, GA) will perform an ocean current resource potential database, which will then be used to develop a web-based interface and GIS (Geographic Information System) tools for understanding the locations and practical amount of energy that can be extracted from ocean currents.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Ocean Engineering and Energy Systems International, Inc (Honolulu, HI) will conduct baseline biological sampling studies of a proposed Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion site in Port Allen, Kauai, Hawaii in order to create a conceptual design of a site-specific warm water intake pipe.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Ocean Renewable Power Company (Portland, ME) will design a standard mooring system for hydrokinetic devices that will be moored below the surface and suspended in the water column in reversing tidal environments. The Ocean Renewable Power Company will validate its tidal turbine by deploying it in Western Passage, Maine.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Ocean Renewable Power Company (Portland, ME) will use a new combination of monitoring technologies to collect baseline data on pre-deployment patterns of marine mammal distribution in Cook Inlet, Alaska, with special emphasis on the endangered beluga whale. Monitoring during and after deployment will then occur to determine marine mammal interaction with the company’s tidal turbine.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Harris Miller Miller & Hanson (Burlington, MA) will deploy two established tidal energy technologies near Martha’s Vineyard and collect and analyze information related to sediment transport alteration and impacts on protected species.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Free Flow Power Corporation (Gloucester, MA) will design, implement, and test an electrically interconnected hydrokinetic turbine pylon installation to achieve maximum water-to-wire efficiency. Special emphasis will be placed on the design of a mooring system that maximizes efficiency of installation and maintenance.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Ocean Power Technologies, Inc (Pennington, NJ) will create conceptual prototype designs and model a prototype device of much increased power delivery. Modifications to the power take-off component and the implementation of a Design For Manufacture approach will reduce costs and address mass manufacturing issues.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Pacific Energy Ventures (Portland, OR) will test a limited range acoustic deterrent system at an open water location near a proposed Oregon State University project site with the purpose of discouraging migrating gray whales from entering wave energy parks in order to minimize the risk of mortality.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA) will support at least eight individual Master of Science (MS) or Doctoral (PhD) level research projects to identify and investigate topics in the hydropower industry for which academic research is of benefit to the industry, and thus generate new knowledge and technologies that will enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. hydropower industry in the global market.
DOE share: up to $1 million; Duration: up to 3 years
Columbia Power Technologies, Inc (Charlottesville, VA) will optimize, demonstrate, and validate an intermediate-scale wave energy conversion device in preparation for a full-scale bay/ocean demonstration. Improvements in energy capture of this device will occur through research into hydrodynamics and advanced controls to better match the wave regime.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Columbia Power Technologies, Inc (Charlottesville, VA) will perform benchmark laboratory experiments and numerical modeling of the near-field and far-field impacts of wave scattering from an array of wave energy devices. This will provide the information needed to design arrays balancing performance with the mitigation of far-field impacts.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Lockheed Martin Corporation (Manassas, VA) will develop and describe designs, performance and life-cycle costs for both the nearshore and offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) baseline cost figures.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Lockheed Martin Corporation (Manassas, VA) will develop a GIS-based dataset and software tool to assess the maximum practicably extractable energy from the global and domestic U.S. ocean thermal resource and identify regions viable for OTEC and Cold Seawater Based Air Conditioning.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Public Utility District #1 of Snohomish County (Everett, WA) will determine the types of aquatic species in Admiralty Inlet, Washington and will determine both baseline levels of background noise as well as the acoustic impacts that hydrokinetic turbines will have on these species.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Principle Power, Inc (Seattle, WA) will design, validate and determine the levelized cost of electricity for an innovative floating support structure that combines a number of wave and wind energy power take-off mechanisms, which will defray the mooring and installation costs associated with higher power output.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Media contact(s):(202) 586-4940
Published on www.Investorideas.com and www.water-stocks.com www.Water-Stocks.com, a portal within the InvestorIdeas.com content umbrella, offers investors research tools, news, Blogs, online conferences, Podcasts , interviews and a directory of public companies within the water sector .The water-stocks content hub has created a global marketplace and meeting place for investors, public companies, industry buyers and sellers of water technology, services and water assets. Subscribe to Investing in Water Podcast RSS Feed
Research global water stocks at the water Stocks Directory: http://www.investorideas.com/Water-Stocks/Stock_List.asp
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Bottled Water News - Most Bottled Water Brands Don’t Disclose Information About Source, Purity and Contaminants
Bottled Water News - Most Bottled Water Brands Don’t Disclose Information About Source, Purity and Contaminants
Congress Holds Investigative Hearing into Bottled Water Industry
CONTACT: EWG Public Affairs, (202) 667-6982 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC-- An Environmental Working Group (EWG) investigation of almost 200 popular bottled water brands found less than 2 percent disclose the water’s source, how the water has been purified and what chemical pollutants each bottle of water may contain. Just 2 of the 188 individual brands EWG analyzed disclosed those three basic facts about their water.
Full report found here: http://www.ewg.org/health/report/bottledwater-scorecard
Jane Houlihan, EWG Senior Vice President for Research, discussed the findings of the 18-month long study in testimony today before a congressional oversight hearing on the gaps in government regulation of the bottled water industry.
Some of the more interesting discoveries were that mainstream brands such as Sam’s Club and Walgreen’s scored relatively high marks, while waters marketed as elite, including Perrier, S. Pellegrino and the Whole Foods store brand, flunked because they provided almost no meaningful information for consumers.
Why the glaring lack of disclosure? Houlihan said that bottled water companies enjoy a regulatory holiday under the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which give beverage corporations complete latitude to choose what, if any, information about their water they divulge to customers.
In contrast, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -- the federal agency that oversees the nation’s municipal water utilities -- requires all 52,000 community tap water suppliers nationwide to produce an annual water quality report: The utilities’ reports detail water source and pollutant testing results for customers, as required under the Safe Drinking Water Act. An estimated 58 percent of these reports also describe water treatment methods.
“Many people assume bottled water is healthier and safer to drink than ordinary tap water. But some companies have lured consumers away from the tap with claims of health and purity that aren’t backed by public data,” Houlihan said. “The ugly truth is that under lax federal law, consumers know very little about the quality of bottled water on which they spend billions every year.”
“The Bottled water industry's strategy has been to market bottled water as the safe and clean alternative to tap water,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of the non-profit consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch. “This myth has been used to trick consumers into paying thousands times more for a product that is the same or even more polluted than the water available from our faucets. Tap water in the United States undergoes rigorous testing for contaminants—as often as 480 times a month, far more than the once–a–week test for bottled water.”
EWG researchers analyzed labels and websites from 188 bottled waters to learn which bottlers voluntarily disclosed the same information as required of community water suppliers. EWG found that many disclose little to no information at all on water source and purity.
EWG compared 2008 and 2009 labels and websites to learn how many brands are telling customers more this year than last. The answer was a heartening 52 percent, though in nearly every case water bottlers provided less information than municipal water utilities.
“Members of Congress need to understand that it has taken major public outcry, followed by proactive legislation, to provoke much of these changes,” said Kelle Louaillier, executive director for Corporate Accountability International, an organization that has compelled both Pepsi and Nestlé to label the source of their bottled water. “Starting today, Congress can work to guarantee the consumer’s right to know what exactly they are getting in these disposable plastic water bottles.”
Few water sources are completely free of detectable contaminants. The 40 percent of bottled water brands that rely on tap water are drawing from supplies that collectively contain at least 260 pollutants, according to EWG's 2002-2005 survey of tap water testing conducted by community water supplies.
Last year EWG commissioned bottled water quality tests that found that the water is not necessarily any safer than ordinary tap water. The lab tests of 10 major brands identified 38 pollutants, ranging from fertilizer residue to industrial solvents. Pollutants in 2 brands exceeded some state and industry health standards.
Legislation is underway to close loopholes in nationwide bottled water standards. A California law effective January 1, 2009, requires bottled water companies to post information on the water source, treatment and testing on labels and websites. A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate last year would require similar strictures at the federal level.
EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment.http://www.ewg.org
Visit the water stocks directory at Investorideas.com and Water-stocks.com
http://www.investorideas.com/Water-Stocks/Stock_List.asp
Congress Holds Investigative Hearing into Bottled Water Industry
CONTACT: EWG Public Affairs, (202) 667-6982 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC-- An Environmental Working Group (EWG) investigation of almost 200 popular bottled water brands found less than 2 percent disclose the water’s source, how the water has been purified and what chemical pollutants each bottle of water may contain. Just 2 of the 188 individual brands EWG analyzed disclosed those three basic facts about their water.
Full report found here: http://www.ewg.org/health/report/bottledwater-scorecard
Jane Houlihan, EWG Senior Vice President for Research, discussed the findings of the 18-month long study in testimony today before a congressional oversight hearing on the gaps in government regulation of the bottled water industry.
Some of the more interesting discoveries were that mainstream brands such as Sam’s Club and Walgreen’s scored relatively high marks, while waters marketed as elite, including Perrier, S. Pellegrino and the Whole Foods store brand, flunked because they provided almost no meaningful information for consumers.
Why the glaring lack of disclosure? Houlihan said that bottled water companies enjoy a regulatory holiday under the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which give beverage corporations complete latitude to choose what, if any, information about their water they divulge to customers.
In contrast, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -- the federal agency that oversees the nation’s municipal water utilities -- requires all 52,000 community tap water suppliers nationwide to produce an annual water quality report: The utilities’ reports detail water source and pollutant testing results for customers, as required under the Safe Drinking Water Act. An estimated 58 percent of these reports also describe water treatment methods.
“Many people assume bottled water is healthier and safer to drink than ordinary tap water. But some companies have lured consumers away from the tap with claims of health and purity that aren’t backed by public data,” Houlihan said. “The ugly truth is that under lax federal law, consumers know very little about the quality of bottled water on which they spend billions every year.”
“The Bottled water industry's strategy has been to market bottled water as the safe and clean alternative to tap water,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of the non-profit consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch. “This myth has been used to trick consumers into paying thousands times more for a product that is the same or even more polluted than the water available from our faucets. Tap water in the United States undergoes rigorous testing for contaminants—as often as 480 times a month, far more than the once–a–week test for bottled water.”
EWG researchers analyzed labels and websites from 188 bottled waters to learn which bottlers voluntarily disclosed the same information as required of community water suppliers. EWG found that many disclose little to no information at all on water source and purity.
EWG compared 2008 and 2009 labels and websites to learn how many brands are telling customers more this year than last. The answer was a heartening 52 percent, though in nearly every case water bottlers provided less information than municipal water utilities.
“Members of Congress need to understand that it has taken major public outcry, followed by proactive legislation, to provoke much of these changes,” said Kelle Louaillier, executive director for Corporate Accountability International, an organization that has compelled both Pepsi and Nestlé to label the source of their bottled water. “Starting today, Congress can work to guarantee the consumer’s right to know what exactly they are getting in these disposable plastic water bottles.”
Few water sources are completely free of detectable contaminants. The 40 percent of bottled water brands that rely on tap water are drawing from supplies that collectively contain at least 260 pollutants, according to EWG's 2002-2005 survey of tap water testing conducted by community water supplies.
Last year EWG commissioned bottled water quality tests that found that the water is not necessarily any safer than ordinary tap water. The lab tests of 10 major brands identified 38 pollutants, ranging from fertilizer residue to industrial solvents. Pollutants in 2 brands exceeded some state and industry health standards.
Legislation is underway to close loopholes in nationwide bottled water standards. A California law effective January 1, 2009, requires bottled water companies to post information on the water source, treatment and testing on labels and websites. A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate last year would require similar strictures at the federal level.
EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment.http://www.ewg.org
Visit the water stocks directory at Investorideas.com and Water-stocks.com
http://www.investorideas.com/Water-Stocks/Stock_List.asp
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