The Christchurch (New Zealand) City Council has spent nearly $1 million in recent years trying to get a swarm of midges at its wastewater treatment plant under control.

But residents of Aranui, a suburb of Christchurch, say they can’t open their windows and doors in the summer due to what’s being described as a “biblical plague” of insects breeding at the plant.

The midge problem started a decade ago when plant improvements allowed cleaner water to enter its oxidation ponds — the largest body of freshwater in Christchurch.

The council is investigating options for dealing with the swarm of midges, including any emerging treatments and technologies.

Source: The Press

Charlotte Water Report Includes Details for Home-Brewers

The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, recently did something unique with its annual water report, offering detailed advice for people using city water to brew beer at home.

The report includes the typical data about bacteria, lead and other water quality concerns, but it also offered an analysis of minerals in the water for home-brewers.

“We’ve been getting more and more calls,” from home-brewers, spokeswoman Jennifer Frost told The Charlotte Observer. “They’re not concerned about the water’s safety, but just want to adjust (their brewing) accordingly.”

Minerals play a big role in the brewing process, and different beers respond uniquely to waters with certain mineral levels.

Source: The Charlotte Observer

Labatt Employee Finds Unique Way to Reuse Brewery Wastewater

A worker for Labatt Brewery in Edmonton, Alberta, found a way to save the establishment more than 25,000 gallons of water per year, and the idea is being implemented at other Labatt breweries.

An employee suggested that the wastewater from brewery’s wort, which is heated, could be used to clean the brewery’s machinery instead of dumped down the drain.

After making some basic changes to the brewery’s piping system, the idea became reality. And now all six Labatt breweries are doing the same, and American breweries are expected to follow suit.

“If you pile up all that water usage, it’s going to make a huge impact on the overall environment long term,” General Manager Peter Delamont told CBC News.

Source: CBC News

Judge Supports San Diego's Recycled Water Project

The Sterling Natural Resource Center (SNRC) has announced a San Diego Superior Court judge ruled in its favor in a lawsuit filed by the city of San Bernardino, California, against coordinating agencies San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and East Valley Water District.

The lawsuit, which challenged a recycled water project’s Environmental Impact Report under the toughest environmental law in the United States was overthrown by the judge.

The ruling affirms the SNRC is in compliance with California Environmental Quality Act, and allows the project to advance with its plans of creating a state-of-the-art recycled water facility.

“This ruling brings the San Bernardino Valley one step closer to building a project that will reduce the amount of water used only once locally and then sent down the Santa Ana River for Orange County to treat and reuse,” says Valley District Board President Susan Longville. “The Sterling Natural Resource Center will treat up to 10 million gallons of wastewater every day that will be used to recharge our own local groundwater basin year after year.”