Officials in Tucson, Arizona, say they plan to shut down the city’s water treatment plant as a precaution against high levels of per- and polyfluoroalykl substances (PFAS) moving toward the facility.
“Unfortunately, we have hit a critical moment where we can no longer confidently deliver safe drinking water (from the Tucson Airport Remediation Project),” Mayor Regina Romero said at a news conference Tuesday, according to Tucson.com.
Once operations at the facility are suspended, customers will be able to access water from the Central Arizona Project, which uses water from the Colorado River.
Midwest Utilities Ask Customers to Conserve Water During Dry Spell
While record-breaking drought continues in the Southwest, utilities in the Midwest are also asking customers to conserve water during a summer dry spell.
Madison (Wisconsin) Water Utility and Des Moines (Iowa) Water Works are asking residents to conserve water.
In Madison, a combination of dry, hot weather along with a number of out-of-service wells has prompted the utility to announce voluntary restrictions. In Des Moines, it’s a combination of drought, heat and very high demand for water motivating the request.
DC Water Announces Success of Green Infrastructure Projects
DC Water has announced the success of both its first green infrastructure projects in Rock Creek and the innovative Environmental Impact Bond that financed them. The intent of the projects and robust evaluation of project outcomes was to establish the effectiveness of green infrastructure in the district and reduce combined sewer and stormwater runoff into Rock Creek, improving the health of waterways in Washington D.C.
These projects achieved the goals set in 2016, reducing runoff into Rock Creek by nearly 20%. DC Water’s prediction, measurement and reporting of the outcomes is a signature component of the EIB, the first issuance of its kind in the country. The information gained through performance monitoring resulted in optimizations that will ensure a future for green infrastructure at DC Water.
