en-us http://www.gongol.net News on water, wastewater, and the environment, especially in Iowa, Nebraska, the Upper Midwest and Great Plains Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:09 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/30/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/30/ Algae blooms in the coastal areas of the Yellow Sea have gotten so bad that Olympic teams training for the Beijing Games are finding it impossible to use the designated sailing area. The Chinese government has recruited -- or forced -- 20,000 people to start scooping the algae out of the sea by hand in order to make the waters available for the competition. Algae blooms are frequently blamed on high levels of nutrients in the water, which can come from fertilizer runoff and untreated sewage. Wastewater-treatment plants combat these nutrients through processes like aeration. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:08 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/27/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/27/ A chart of estimated rainfall in Iowa over the last three months makes it pretty evident that the state has been pounded by an abnormal amount of precipitation -- 48 days of measurable rain in 87 days, with many instances of an inch or more falling in a day. We can help you with stormwater-control products, including pumps for flood cleanup. Please feel free to contact us with your questions. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:07 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/26/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/26/ The Iowa DNR has posted a website with extensive information on flood recovery, including steps for water systems and wastewater systems to take as they resume normal operations in the post-flooding environment. Communities needing assistance returning any equipment to service which they may have purchased from DJ Gongol and Associates may feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:06 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/25/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/25/ The Iowa DNR has applauded the work of a pair of water-treatment operators in Guttenberg, who noticed changes in the demand for chlorine going through one of their city's water wells and used that to initiate a further investigation that revealed an outbreak of E. coli bacteria. Continuous, automatic monitoring of chlorine is inexpensive and can help prevent bacterial hazards from endangering public water supplies. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:05 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/24/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/24/ Iowa's 4th District Representative, Tom Latham, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, has pushed a bill through the House that would increase by $93 million the amount available through FEMA for disaster-assistance loans to municipal entities like water and wastewater treatment plants that have lost revenues due to critical infrastructure damage due to flooding. The historic flooding of 2008 has left some of Iowa's treatment plants temporarily inoperable. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:04 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/23/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/23/ After the serious flooding of the last few weeks, Grand Island has returned to normal water and sewer service. Nebraska's fourth-largest city went into a sewer emergency when floodwaters overwhelmed the system's capacity to process and discharge the overflow. We can help you with emergency pumping equipment, including portable automatic pumping stations. Please feel free to contact us with your questions. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:03 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/20/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/20/ The Department of Homeland Security is planning to warn more than 7,000 facilities nationwide that they're at high risk for terrorist attack. They are concerned that terrorist attacks on those facilities could endanger lots of lives. Undoubtedly, many of those facilities will include municipal water-treatment facilities that use liquid and gas chlorine to disinfect the water. Chlorination tablets deliver chlorine in a much safer form that is much harder to abuse. Gas-detection sensors can also help provide early warning in case of accidental leaks. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:02 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/19/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/19/ A group representing municipal water treatment plants has sent representatives to testify before Congress about legislation that would force many plants to abandon the use of chlorine gas as a disinfection tool. Chlorine gas has been used as a terrorist weapon in Iraq, and the Department of Homeland Security has made it clear that it considers the transportation and storage of chlorine gas to be a major security risk in the US. The cost to secure facilities like Omaha's Florence Water Treatment Plant against the dangers of terrorist attack could be prohibitive for many areas, which is one of the arguments the water-agency representatives are taking to the Capitol. Meanwhile, safer alternatives to gas chlorination, like solid-tablet chlorination and ultraviolet disinfection remain available to smaller facilities. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:07:01 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/18/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/18/ The city of Ravenna in central Nebraska is no longer under a boil order for its municipal water supply. Routine tests at the start of the month indicated contamination, which has been combatted with chlorination. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:32:03 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/06/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/06/ The state generally prohibits any sewerage from bypassing treatment at a wastewater plant, but the DNR is considering new guidelines to clarify those circumstances under which a community may bypass treatment. The proposed rules take up almost two pages of documentation. We can help you with portable pumps for emergency bypass operations, as well as portable lift stations. Please feel free to contact us with your questions. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:32:02 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/05/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/05/ Iowa's water regulators are considering a proposal to change state law to allow golf courses to used treated wastewater as a source of irrigation water. We can help you with pressure-booster stations for irrigation. Please feel free to contact us with your questions. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:32:01 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/04/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/04/ The Natural Resources Defense Council has petitioned the EPA to tighten regulations on the release of nitrogen and phosphorous from municipal wastewater treatment plants in Iowa. The Iowa Water Pollution Control Association has sent the EPA a response suggesting that if tigher nitrogen and phosphorous rules are applied to Iowa communities, many will be bankrupted by the cost of the additional equipment required. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:08:03 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/19/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/19/ A group representing municipal water treatment plants has sent representatives to testify before Congress about legislation that would force many plants to abandon the use of chlorine gas as a disinfection tool. Chlorine gas has been used as a terrorist weapon in Iraq, and the Department of Homeland Security has made it clear that it considers the transportation and storage of chlorine gas to be a major security risk in the US. The cost to secure facilities like Omaha's Florence Water Treatment Plant against the dangers of terrorist attack could be prohibitive for many areas, which is one of the arguments the water-agency representatives are taking to the Capitol. Meanwhile, safer alternatives to gas chlorination, like solid-tablet chlorination and ultraviolet disinfection remain available to smaller facilities. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:08:02 CDT http://gongol.net/newsletter/2008/06/12/ http://gongol.net/newsletter/2007/06/12/ ISU has developed a timely new website that shows active flood stages for every major river in central Iowa. Other sites show similar reports for eastern Iowa, northeast Iowa, northwest Iowa, and southwest Iowa. We are available to assist Iowa residents and communities with information on pumps and flood cleanup as needed.