Now Bottling in the Potomac: Swill Mineral Water

What do you get when you combine heavy, sustained rain, a surplus of impermeable surfaces, and a shortage of water treatment capacity? WTOP has the gory details:

Heavy rains have resulted in the D.C. sewer system overflowing into local waterways including the Potomac. D.C. Water engineers estimate about 250 million gallons of sewer overflow including raw sewage have been released into local waterways this week.

Due to these hazardous swim conditions, organizers of the 2011 Nation's Triathlon have canceled the swim portion of Sunday's event. There will be a 40K bike and 10K run only.

What's in a combined sewage overflow? You don't want to know. But if you're a glutton for punishment, Riverkeeper.org has the gory details.

Week of Bad News for Region's Water

Just about every day for the last week, the Washington Post has had a story about a threat to our region's water -- both in streams and in taps. The most worrisome report concerned levels of chlorine pollutants in DC's drinking water:

Toxic chlorine pollutants were found at unsafe levels in 40 percent of D.C. tap water samples tested this spring during the water utility's annual chlorine surge, according to a national environmental group's report to be released today.

The nonprofit Environmental Working Group conducted tests at 18 sites -- including private homes, an elementary school, the U.S. Capitol and the Environmental Protection Agency -- to measure the levels of chlorine toxins that could cause cancer, reproductive problems and developmental delays in children. In 90 percent of the samples, the tests found another class of chlorine toxin at levels that some epidemiological studies have associated with low birth weight and serious birth defects.

The findings suggest that the chemicals needed to help make Potomac River water potable could be creating a different risk to consumers. Chlorine is used to kill disease-causing microbes. Heavy use results in chemical compounds, called disinfection byproducts, that are formed when organic matter in the river water reacts with the chlorine.

You can read the full Environmental Working Group report here.

Also this week:

* A Smithsonian Institution researcher discovered an invasive species of Asian crab in the Chesapeake Bay.

* A joint study between the U.S. government and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation found ethanol production could damage the bay. How? More corn-based ethanol means more demand for corn, which means more farmers growing corn. It's yet another reason we should be looking at next-generation cellulosic or biomass ethanol instead of corn-based ethanol.

* Also from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a report discussing the impacts rising sea levels could have on the bay. The most disturbing passage:

[Smith Island minister Rick Edmund] said residents are hoping Congress will approve a $9.4 million plan, proposed by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), to build artificial breakwaters offshore.

But Edmund said island residents know that their problems will probably get worse.

"Climate change," he said in a telephone interview yesterday, "will get us in the long run."

* The final piece of news could be taken one of two ways. You could see it as, "The Potomac River is safe to swim in on some days!" Or you could see it as, "After all these years, on a lot of days the Potomac still isn't safe to swim in."

June 6-10: Potomac River Ramble

Just got an email about this event, heard it's worth checking out:

Sign up for the Potomac River Ramble!

Registration is open for the first Potomac River Ramble of the year to be held from June 6 - 10, 2007!

The 2007 Potomac River Ramble Series will begin with a four-day voyage from the National Conservation Training Center near Shepherdstown,W.Va., to the Tarara Winery near Leesburg, Va. The group will assemble in Shepherdstown on the evening of Wednesday, June 6, begin the following morning, and arrive at Tarara Winery on Sunday afternoon,June 10.

This Ramble's activities will include:

- Joining up with the Shenandoah Sojourn in Harper's Ferry
- Riparian tree ID and ecology
- Fish seining
- Riverside camping and cookouts
- Attending the Potomac River Family Fest in Brunswick, Md
- Meetings with local public officials
- Historical interpretive presentations
- Wine tasting at Tarara Winery
- Musicians
- And more!

Saturday: Join the Potomac River Watershed Cleanup!

Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment is hosting a volunteer event on Saturday as part of the Potomac River Watershed Cleanup! Here are the details:

Potomac River Watershed Cleanup
Saturday, March 31, 9:00 a.m. to noon. Join ACE, the Alice Ferguson Foundation, and the Potomac Conservancy for a Potomac River cleanup project. The meeting location is on the Virginia side of Chain Bridge, under the GW Parkway in the small parking lot at the intersection of Glebe Road and Chain Bridge Road. For directions and tips, see our Streamtips page. Register for the cleanup at 703-228-6406 or email us!

What Are the Conditions at Chain Bridge?
The terrain along the Potomac is a little rugged, so you should be prepared to hop on rocks and cross streams if you want to get down to the river. There are some less demanding spots too, so that shouldn't prevent anyone from coming.

What Are the Directions to Chain Bridge?
Chain Bridge is at the feet of Glebe Rd and Chain Bridge Rd. If you are going north on Glebe, as you descend into the Potomac valley, just as the road takes a sharp right turn toward the bridge, there is a parking lot on the left under the GW Parkway. That's our rendezvous. If you're coming from 495, Fairfax, etc. on Chain Bridge Rd, the road ends at a light. Turn right (instead of left onto the bridge) and the rendezvous is right in front of you. If you are familiar with the area, park above the area on Randolph Street and walk down the bike path. The area is accessible by bike from Military Road, crossing the overpass over Glebe Road, and proceeding down Randolph one block to the trail down into the valley.