en-us http://www.gongol.net News on water, wastewater, and the environment, especially in Iowa, Nebraska, the Upper Midwest and Great Plains Thu, 08 May 2008 13:02:04 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/05/08/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/05/08/ Some residents in Ankeny are opposed to a planned $2 a month charge to fund the city's planned stormwater utility. Many communities are finding that they have to take new steps to meeting state and Federal stormwater regulations, but if residents and groups are going to protest over fees of just $2 or $3 a month, it could be a very serious uphill battle for many communities to face. Rate-payers are notoriously hypersensitive to changes in water and sewer charges, even when utilities have no other options. Naturally, there are serious complaints as well when stormwaters aren't drained effectively and cause flooding, too. Thu, 08 May 2008 13:02:03 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/05/07/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/05/07/ The Jackson Hole Star-Tribune features an interview with the area manager for the US Bureau of Reclamation, who is charged with managing flows on the North Platte River system in Montana and Wyoming -- which, of course, determines much of the state of that same river system as it arrives in Nebraska. We can help you with gates for dams and locks. Please feel free to contact us with your questions. Thu, 08 May 2008 13:02:02 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/05/06/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/05/06/ The US has an well-developed system of oil pipelines, but pressure on water supplies in some areas has grown so much that water pipelines are becoming a reality. T. Boone Pickens, who made a fortune in the oil and gas business, is setting up a water pipeline between northern Texas and the Dallas/Fort Worth area in order to ship water from the Ogallala Aquifer to the city. The amount of pumping power that will be required is huge -- enough so that the plans include 2700 wind turbines to generate the power required. Thu, 08 May 2008 13:02:01 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/05/05/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/05/05/ As the Quad Cities deal with the fourth major flood in two decades, the US Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the Mississippi River, is answering questions about why Davenport doesn't have a floodwall. It's the only major city between Minneapolis and St. Louis without one, but city officials say that a floodwall would inhibit the river view and take away one of the area's main tourist attractions. We can help you with water-control gates for floodwalls and geomembranes for flood protection. Please feel free to contact us with your questions. Fri, 02 May 2008 14:26:02 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/05/02/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/05/02/ Floodwaters have hit Davenport hard, and the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids area is testing the upper limits of some flood defenses. The Mississippi River is in one of the worst flooding situations in seven years. We can help you with sump pumps and flood-cleanup pumps. Please feel free to contact us with your questions. Fri, 02 May 2008 14:26:01 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/05/01/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/05/01/ The bill, known as the Clean Water Restoration Act, has 176 co-sponsors in the House, but opponents are arguing that it's a land-grab by the Federal government that could significantly erode property rights. Regardless of the political arguments for and against the bill, if passed, it would certainly represent an enormous change in the way water and wastewater treatment are regulated in the United States. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:21:01 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/04/30/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/04/30/ While it's tempting to apply the same tests for pump efficiency to wastewater pumps that apply to clean-water pumps, the nature of wastewater makes such a comparison mostly invalid. Wastewater, by nature, puts heavy wear and tear on pumps even in normal operation, and the ability to quickly repair wastewater pumps and return them to operation makes a significant difference to overall performance. Thus, while submersible pumps often appear to have higher pumping efficiencies than self-priming pumps, self-primers often produce a much better total efficiency since they are easier to return to service whenever unclogging or repair are required. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:21:01 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/04/29/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/04/29/ The city of Chicago is going to start testing its drinking water for pharmaceuticals, testing for 76 different compounds like caffeine and pharmaceutical residues. The challenge many communities face is that people naturally pass those chemicals through their systems and into the wastewater treatment system, which is simply not equipped to remove inorganic chemicals from the water. And because all water is ultimately recycled, that former wastewater eventually becomes drinking water somewhere else. And without extremely energy-intensive methods of purifying water, like distillation, it may be impossible to remove all of those chemicals from the water cycle. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:21:01 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/04/28/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/04/28/ The deep and lingering drought that's been punishing the South for some time is now causing water rates to rise, as water conservation has decreased the amount of revenue available to pay the fixed costs of operating utilities, like salaries and debt installments. The same effects -- rising prices coupled with tighter conservation requirements -- are certain to find their way to much of the rest of the country, especially the Great Plains. We can help you with municipal water pumps and products, including covers for open-air reservoirs to reduce evaporation losses. Please feel free to contact us with your questions. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:13:01 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/04/25/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/04/25/ The Gorman-Rupp Co. has announced a $52.2 million plant expansion at its headquarters in Mansfield, Ohio. The plant will add nearly 400,000 square feet of manufacturing space -- much of it dedicated to increasing production efficiency. Gorman-Rupp manufactures pumps and packaged pumping stations which we represent in the states of Iowa and Nebraska. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:06:01 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/04/24/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/04/24/ While kids often get geared up for Earth Day every April, it's often hard to get adults to undertake any lasting and meaningful action after the fact. Part of the problem is that Earth Day is portrayed as a matter of saving the planet. In reality, many of the things we do in the name of "saving the environment" are really matters of public health, and the longer we wait to describe them as such, the slower the progress we will make. For instance, cleaning up municipal wastewater is only superficially about protecting the planet. The truth is, wastewater treatment is necessary for protecting the safety of drinking water supplies downstream. But until that fundamental truth is widely acknowledged, it's unlikely that we'll see much progress towards investing in repairing the nation's environmental/public-health infrastructure. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:10:02 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/04/23/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/04/23/ An accident at a poultry plant in New Zealand sent ten people to the hospital after they inhaled chlorine gas. The dangers of chlorine gas are considerable -- which is why it's been used as a terrorist weapon in Iraq. The hazards are sufficient to make government authorities in the US concerned about its use for treating water and wastewater, which makes alternatives to chlorine gas -- like much safer chlorination tablets -- appealing to many communities and plants. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:10:01 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/04/22/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/04/22/ The US Army Corps of Engineers, which manages flows along the Missouri River, will be favoring a reservoir in North Dakota while planning flows this year, which will mean that South Dakota and Montana reservoirs will get far less. Reservoirs in all three states are far below normal -- and one of South Dakota's water regulators says it would take six straight years of normal precipitation to bring the reservoirs up to normal levels. We can help you with water-control gates for reservoirs and rivers. Please feel free to contact us with your questions. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:14:08 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/04/21/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/04/21/ A report by Forbes magazine says that Des Moines has the best drinking water in the country, as determined by things like purity, safety, and clarity. In general, Iowa has an especially clean and abundant natural water supply, which makes public water treatment an issue the public rarely thinks much about.