Safeguarding Water with Super Absorbent Polymer Geomembranes
By Richard Starkey and Michael Aerts – The competition for water resources is growing globally, with the resolution of or the inability to effectively resolve these issues threatening economies, communities,...
EPA Announces Next Step in Rigorous Pollution Diet for Chesapeake Bay
EPA today announced draft allocations for nitrogen and phosphorus as part of a rigorous pollution diet for meeting water quality standards in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries, and restoring local rivers and streams throughout the 64,000-square-mile watershed. EPA plans to issue a draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) or pollution diet for a 45-day public comment period on September 24. The final Phase 1 Watershed Implementation Plans are due November 29, and EPA will establish the Bay TMDL by December 31.
U.S. Conference of Mayors Encourages Adoption of Green Building Codes
The U.S. Conference of Mayors has voiced their support for the International Green Construction Code, the first code to address regulation of green construction. A resolution was passed that endorses Version 1.0 of the Code, which is slated for release in November. The Conference of Mayors believes that making buildings more energy efficient could save the U.S. up to $140 billion annually. ASTM International is one of the Cooperating Sponsors of the IGCC. For more information, visit www.iccsafe.org.
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Geomembranes Saving Pakistan's Water Supply
Last year, the Sukaarr Foundation Trust (SFT) launched a rainwater harvesting project in Pakistan's Thar region, village of Diplo where the well had run dry. The SFT is a non-governmental organization. The project installed geomembrane-lined ponds to stop seepage. Roofs over the ponds and some underground tanks have helped assuage evaportation concerns. By the end of the monsoon season's second shower, the village's 700 residents had enough water for a year. This pilot project may be replicated across Pakistan soon.