#wastewater — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #wastewater, aggregated by home.social.
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Australian-first water recycling technology goes live in regional NSW
A new way of recycling wastewater that its inventor says uses less energy and works faster than conventional…
#Australia #AU #Austrlia #dubboregionalcouncil #environmentalscience #squadronenergy #troywarry #Wastewater #waterscarcity #watersecurity
https://www.europesays.com/australia/94167/ -
Australian-first water recycling technology goes live in regional NSW
A new way of recycling wastewater that its inventor says uses less energy and works faster than conventional…
#NewsBeep #News #Environment #AU #Australia #DubboRegionalCouncil #EnvironmentalScience #Science #SquadronEnergy #troywarry #wastewater #WaterScarcity #watersecurity
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/888698/ -
Australian-first water recycling technology goes live in regional NSW
A new way of recycling wastewater that its inventor says uses less energy and works faster than conventional…
#NewsBeep #News #Environment #AU #Australia #DubboRegionalCouncil #EnvironmentalScience #Science #SquadronEnergy #troywarry #wastewater #WaterScarcity #watersecurity
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/888698/ -
Australian-first water recycling technology goes live in regional NSW https://www.byteseu.com/2357769/ #Australia #DubboRegionalCouncil #EnvironmentalScience #SquadronEnergy #TroyWarry #wastewater #WaterScarcity #WaterSecurity
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#USA, #Wastewater Data for Avian #Influenza #H5 (US CDC, Sept. 11 '26), https://etidiohnew.blogspot.com/2026/09/usa-wastewater-data-for-avian-influenza_0708735375.html
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#KyodoNews:
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170,000 tons of Fukushima plant treated water released in 3 years
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".. completed its third year of releasing treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, with 172,700 tons released in 22 rounds so far."https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/82954
24.8.2026
#AKW #Atomkraft #Atomkraftwerk #Atommüll #Dilution #Fukushima #Japan #Kernenergie #NPP #NuclearPower #NuclearWaste #Pollution #TEPCO #Umweltverschmutzung #Verdünnung #Wastewater
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Northeastern University: Could the clean energy revolution be powered by wastewater?. “The researchers found that enough magnesium, lithium, uranium, titanium, fluorine and silicon could be recovered from wastewaters to meet at least one-tenth of each resource’s projected demand in the international clean energy sector.”
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/07/northeastern-university-could-the-clean-energy-revolution-be-powered-by-wastewater/ -
💁🏻♀️ TIL: 🚽🌱 #NASA is testing a mobile #wastewater system at the University of #NorthDakota that turns #astronaut #poop into water for #plants and drinking.
Three #bioreactors process different waste types and feed the treated #water into a vertical #garden – growing #lunar salad from human waste. Engineers are stress-testing the setup in a simulated moon habitat to support a planned lunar base by 2029.
👉 https://www.popsci.com/technology/nasa-wastewater-system-turns-poop-into-plant-food/
#moon #space #agriculture #recycling #science #engineering #food #nutrition
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From 2024: Locals Say #SpaceX Is #Polluting #SacredLand. This Project Aims to Preserve It.
“This wasn’t just something we wanted to do,” said 35-year-old Monica Sosa, who grew up in #BrownsvilleTX, a short drive from #BocaChica Beach. “We felt like we needed to do it.”
by Cat Cardenas October 30, 2024
"Among the #CarrizoComecrudo people of Texas, it is said that the state’s rivers are like ancestors. As they flow toward the sea, they bring their abundance, their beauty, and their knowledge with them. In South Texas, the place where these rivers meet and empty into the Gulf of Mexico is a sacred life source — the location they believe to be the birthplace of the first woman. Today, most Brownsville locals know it as #BocaChicaBeach — a public stretch of sand located at the end of #Highway4, along the southernmost edge of the Texas coast. But to many people outside of the #RioGrandeValley, that land, its name, and its history have largely been swallowed up by the operation of the #RocketLaunch facility just up the road: SpaceX’s #Starbase.
"Growing up a short drive from Boca Chica Beach in Brownsville, 35-year-old Monica Sosa told The Barbed Wire she still remembers it as an escape: a piece of unspoiled coastline that was free for everyone to enjoy. On lazy summer weekends, she and her siblings would hop into her mom’s blue Chevrolet Astro van. The back seats pulled down to make room for more passengers as they stopped to pick up more family. Once there, they’d look forward to hours and hours of endless sunshine, and a cooler packed full of ham and cheese sandwiches, sodas, Cheetos, and fruit.
"As an adult, many of those happy memories have turned bittersweet. The beach, while still free to the public, is frequently plagued by the closure of Highway 4 each time there’s a rocket launch or other 'space flight activities.' And even when it’s open, the construction has fundamentally changed the landscape: There’s a tall metal SpaceX launch and catch pad towering over the once-untouched sand dunes.
" 'Boca Chica was bliss,' Sosa said earlier this month. 'I came from a working class family, and being out there was one of the only times we would come together and play. We’d be in the water, sitting in the sun, running through the lomas (hills), or burying each other in sandcastles. You could spend the whole day out there. But now there’s someone who has the right and the ability to privatize a beach that people have used for decades and decades.'
"SpaceX’s operation in the Rio Grande Valley has been far from smooth. In recent years, they’ve been cited by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for multiple violations of #wastewater regulations and been the subject of multiple legal complaints. The company has disputed these claims as 'factually inaccurate' and has been allowed to continue their operations.
"In April of this year, multiple Valley-based environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department over a proposed land swap that would grant 43 acres of #BocaChicaStatePark to #SpaceX in exchange for land near Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. In addition to their concerns about #pollution, the groups also argued that the land proposed in the swap was sacred to the #CarrizoComecrudoTribe.
" 'SpaceX has always been polluting,' Christopher Basaldú, a member of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe told the Texas Tribune, which first reported on the allegations. 'And I think people are kind of brainwashed into thinking that rockets — constructing rockets, testing rockets and blowing up rockets — that somehow that’s not causing pollution.' "
#ProtectTheSacred #Colonialism
#CorporateColonialism #OccupySpaceX #TwoHeartedPeople #GarciaPasture #EndangeredSpecies #EnvironmentalRacism #AncestralLand #ElonSucks #StarbaseCity -
#Michigan - Oakland County #RainSmart program expected to keep millions of gallons of #water out of #sewer - here's how
By Amber Eikenberry
Published January 27, 2026 12:51pmOAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - "Two years of helping Oakland County residents install green infrastructure is expected to keep 1.4 million gallons of stormwater out of the sewer system annually.
"During the two-year RainSmart Rebates pilot program, residents located in the George W. Kuhn Drain Drainage District were able to receive money to install rain gardens, rain barrels, and native trees to their yards.
Participants were able to install one garden, up to two trees, and two rain barrels after an evaluation of their property to determine which infrastructure would work best.
By the numbers:
According to Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash, the second year of the program, which started in 2024 and just wrapped up, saw a 22% increase in participation from 2024.
This past year, 379 rain barrels, 199 native trees, and 105 rain gardens were installed.
In 2024, there were 159 rain barrels, 98 trees, and 49 rain gardens installed.
Since the pilot began, nearly 300 residents have participated. A total of more than $176,000 rebates were distributed, with the average participant receiving $500 for their projects.
Why it matters:
Flooding is a major issue in many parts of #MetroDetroit, especially in cities that are part of the #GeorgeWKuhnDrain Drainage District, including all or part of Berkley, Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Clawson, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Madison Heights, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Royal Oak Township, Southfield, and Troy,
This is because it is a combined sewer system. In a combined system, #wastewater and #stormwater both flow through the same pipes, known as gray infrastructure, and go to a wastewater treatment plant.
This means that during periods of intense rain like Metro Detroit has been seeing more frequently, the system can get overwhelmed. The result? Flooded streets and backups into homes.
Also, there is a greater likelihood of contaminants making it into the system. This is a concern even for homes not on a combined sewer system.
Rain barrels, trees, and native plant gardens all help reduce the amount of rainwater that makes it to the sewer system."
#SolarPunkSunday #WaterCollection #Rainbarrels #NativePlants #NativeTrees #RainGardens #TreePlanting
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Detection And Spatial Modelling Of Trends In UK Rainfall Frequency
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https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2026.2622458 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #extremeweather #rainfall #pluvial #frequency #trends #nonstationarity #extremevalue #model #modeling #monitoring #UnitedKingdom #UK #Britian #England #Scotland #Wales #precipitation #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #drainage #monitoring #planning #resilience #naturalhazards #flooding #flood #water #hydrology # #sewerage #sewage #wastewater #waterways #pollution #spills #releases #stormwater #erosion #massmovement #landslides #engineeringgeology #risk #hazard #climatic #covariates #raingauges #maximums #duration #winter #NorthernEngland #NorthAtlanticOscillation #NAO #index #metrics #annualmaximum #AMAX #seasonalmaximum #SMAX #peaksoverthreshold #POT #statistics #geostatistics #MetOffice #weather #climate -
A water-based spruce #bark extract functions as a potent, eco-friendly #biocide that effectively replaces toxic synthetic chemicals used to control harmful #bacterial growth in industrial paper milling and #wastewater systems.
#Biotechnology #Microbiology #AgriculturalScience #EcoFriendly #Environmental #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/02/btech02172601.html -
High tide for #Holtec
#Tritium dumped into #CapeCodBay will wash back onto community shores, says a new report
"The permanently closed Pilgrim nuclear power plant is now owned by Holtec, which wants to dump #RadioactiveWastewater into Cape Cod Bay. While waiting for a permit, so far denied, the company is quietly venting #tritium into the air."
by Linda Pentz Gunter, Posted on December 29, 2024
"Holtec, the company that has purchased a number of permanently closed #nuclear reactors in order to decommission them, has encountered yet another obstacle to its '#dilution is the solution to pollution' plans.
"One of the reactor sites Holtec has taken over is #PilgrimNuclearPlant in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on the Cape Cod Bay, which closed permanently in 2019. Holtec’s not-so-little problem there is what do with what started out as at least 1.1 million gallons of radioactively contaminated #wastewater stored at the site.
"The company first suggested it would simply release the wastewater into Cape Cod Bay, assuring residents and the immediately alarmed fishing community not to worry because (a) the wastewater isn’t dangerous anyway (b) everyone does this all the time at reactor sites and no one has gotten sick so far and (c) it would quickly disperse into the wider ocean. Holtec chose this disposal method for one reason alone: it is the cheapest.
"The proposal was vigorously fought by citizens, the state, and powerful Massachusetts Democrat, Senator Ed Markey. The state of Massachusetts effectively banned the discharge option, a decision Holtec is contesting.
"That Final Determination to Deny Application to Modify a Massachusetts Permit to Discharge Pollutants to Surface Waters was issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection [#MassDEP] Division of Watershed Management on July 18, 2024. A month later, Holtec launched its appeal to reverse the decision, something that could take months or longer to find its way to court.
"In the meantime, help has come from a new quarter in the form of an in-depth study by the prestigious Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution [#WHOI], also, as it happens, based on the Massachusetts shoreline, near Falmouth.
"The study — Model-Based Study of Near-Surface Transport in and around Cape Cod Bay, Its Seasonal Variability, and Response to Wind — found that contrary to Holtec’s claims, the wastewater would not immediately disperse into the ocean, but would linger potentially for months, and wash up on the shores of area communities.
“'We found virtually no out-of-the-Bay transport in winter and fall and slightly larger, but still low, probability of some of the plume exiting the Bay in spring and summer,' said Woods Hole study leader and physical oceanographer, Irina Rypina.
"The radioactively contaminated wastewater stored at Pilgrim is contaminated with what Holtec and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health have described as 'four gamma emitters — #Manganese54, #Cobalt60, #Zinc65 and #Cesium137 along with #Tritium, a beta radiation emitter'.
"While the Woods Hole Study did not look at the health outcomes of releasing the radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay — only at the plume pathway — there are plenty of data that demonstrate the harmful effects of these #radioisotopes on human health, especially women and children.
"After acquiring the Pilgrim reactor, Holtec’s President and CEO, Kris Singh, assured surrounding communities that,
'the decommissioning of Pilgrim will replicate the superb record of public health and safety and environmental protection that typified the plant’s 47 years of operations.'But since that acquisition, Markey observed, 'Holtec has fallen woefully short on this commitment.' He noted of the Woods Hole report that 'In light of these recent findings, I urge Holtec to develop a wastewater discharge plan that is informed and guided by scientific fact and community input.'
"Long-time #PilgrimWatch activist, #MaryLampert, welcomed the report’s initial findings and said that 'Holtec dumping Pilgrim’s radiological and chemically #contaminated wastewater into semi-enclosed CapeCod Bay is harmful to human health, the environment, and our marine economy.'
"In a handbook explaining Pilgrim’s decommissioning process on the Pilgrim Watch website, the authors note that 'Cape Cod Bay, #PlymouthBay, #DuxburyBay, and #KingstonBay are all protected #OceanSanctuaries. Cape Cod Bay is a critical habitat for right whales and other endangered or special species. Dumping this #radioactive and chemically contaminated wastewater into them would cause incalculable economic damage and would harm both the environment and public health.'
"Absent a liquid discharge permit, Holtec’s preferred solution since has been to quietly evaporate the wastewater into the air. It has done this, as revealed during a Pilgrim Nuclear Decommissioning Citizen Advisory Panel meeting, by installing submerged electric heaters to increase the plant’s ambient temperature, ostensibly in order to improve worker comfort and expedite the drying of plant components.
"But, as Markey noted in an April 30, 2024 letter to Singh, the consequence of installing the heaters in that location 'is an increased rate of wastewater evaporation above the pace at which it occurs naturally.' That 1.1 million gallons is now down to 880,000 gallons remain, according to Holtec’s own reports.
"As Lampert points out, 'Meteorology studies show 60% of winds blow offshore,' which means at least some of that evaporated wastewater is going to fall into the bay anyway.
"Under Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules, Holtec has four disposal options: liquid discharge, evaporation, storage onsite, and shipping to a licensed facility. None of them are good solutions.
"In August, Holtec filed an appeal against the state’s ban on liquid radioactive discharges, in part claiming that the decision on whether or not to allow the discharge falls under federal not state jurisdiction.
"This, argue some opponents of Holtec’s discharge plans, is a stall and a distraction while it quietly gets on with the gradual evaporation of all the wastewater.
"'They’re using the appeal to buy themselves time,' Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, told radio station WBUR. 'And what they buy themselves, with time, is the ability to continue to induce evaporation of the wastewater, so that ultimately it’s gone, at minimal cost to them.'
"Lampert agrees. 'Holtec can evaporate all the water to meet its schedule to dismantle the reactor building,' she said.
"In October, Lampert, along with other citizens representing the fishing, environmental, real estate and medical communities traveled to Boston to meet with staff in Massachusetts Governor Mary Healy’s office to demand that Healy’s administration call a halt to the evaporation.
"'There are laws on the books already that prohibit #AirbornePollution,' Diane Turco of #CapeDownwinders told the local NPR station after the Boston meeting. “And we’re asking our governor to immediately enforce those laws… She’s been very strong about no dumping in the bay. And we see this as a parallel assault on our communities,' Turco said.
"So far the governor has not taken action."
https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2024/12/29/high-tide-for-holtec/
#HoltecLies #PilgrimNuclear #NuclearPowerCorruptionAndLies #NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #NoRadioactiveDumping #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #RadioactiveWaterDumping #NewEngland #BeyondNuclearInternational -
As #coal dust #pollution from #CSX railroad terminal plagues health of local residents in #SouthBaltimore, enraged and beleaguered citizens, including largely low income residents and people of color, recently marched on the #Maryland state capitol, demanding action from Gov. Moore, the state's first African-American governor.
CSX , whose permitted polluting began in 2009, and eventually caused an explosion at the coal pier in December of 2021, is not the only urban polluter in South #Baltimore. The industrial areas near the #CurtisBay site also host #wastewater treatment, toxic chemical plants, open air landfills, and the country’s largest #MedicalWaste incinerator.
https://therealnews.com/csx-coal-terminal-curtis-bay-baltimore-residents-capitol
https://youtu.be/JJ8g9-0SzMo #RealNews #Environment #FossilFuels
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Good Afternoon SARS2PAians!
Once again, I am requesting you accept my apology for shifting some posts to Monday instead of Friday. The past few weeks were...somethin'.
And I hope you are enjoying your SUMMER! ☀️
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:ms_arrow_right: WastewaterNothing has really changed tho, wastewater numbers are going WAY UP nationally and kids aren't even back to school yet.: https://ibb.co/X555c7w
Wearing a quality respirator should be considered in crowds, in places of low ventilation AND in ANY close contact...even outside.
Controlling this stuff at the source (which is other people already infected) NOW will prevent LEARNING LOSS this winter.
We don't want LEARNING LOSS.....do we? 🤔
While regionally, our Northeast region is still doing much, much better than the rest of the country, and Chester is doing much better than a few weeks ago, Harrisburg is still AT THE TOP of wastewater results for our region. Please respirator-up and be aware of social contacts in H-burg!: https://ibb.co/bHXf3SP
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:ms_arrow_right: Other Pathogens🔴Mpox
There's....um...still quite a lot going on that's not SARS2.
Mpox has been declared a Public Health Emergency of international Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Org.
This is NOT...N O T the same beast as in 2022.
This is a different clade (Clade II) which is many times more deadly than the 2022 version.
Mpox Clade II has been separated out on WastewaterSCAN and you can see testing results for it there.: https://ibb.co/WDMzmjM
Yes there are some vaccines for it,: https://x.com/sailorrooscout/status/1824100811351244818
and they are both from smallpox as Mpox is in the same family and they are genetically similar enough to be cross-effective.
One is JYNNEOS (Imvanex, IMVAMUNE) which is non-replicating and pretty much safe for everyone. The ACTUAL smallpox vaccine is live virus which makes it...not really all that ideal because you have to be soooooo much more careful with it, but STILL effective for life as long as exposure remains low.
Mpox is not new and there are effective antivirals against it; however this clade is NEW and its high death rate is of concern.
We MUST ramp up vaccine production against this disease.
🔴H5N1
H5N1 is a version of Influenza A and is also separated out on WastewaterSCAN.: https://ibb.co/LZpj7pT
There are still new herds testing positive for H5N1 (Bird Flu/Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza/HPAI).
We MUST pull out all the stops and keep testing our food supply chain, especially pigs. Pigs are asymptomatic against H5N1 (which is like the woooooorst news I will probably learn this entire year) and yet they are the ideal mix of human-like and animal-like genomes that could trigger dangerous mutations.: https://ibb.co/HBNpXVW
DO NOT consume non-pasteurized dairy.
DO NOT consume undercooked meat and eggs (no dippy eggs, y'all!)
You might want to consider Ultra-Pasteurized dairy instead of "pasteurized" dairy and plant-based meat replacements.
🔴Cats have an especially VERY high death rate from H5N1, with end results similar to rabies (massive brain swelling and damage). Please keep your kitties indoors and away from dead birds.
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:ms_arrow_right: Fire/PM2.5So far so good with wildfire smoke over here in PA. While most of Canada is enveloped in lower air quality, we are so far not in the windpath of it.
Keep those Corsi-Rosenthal boxes handy in case the wind takes a turn for the worst for us. Keeping windows tightly closed is good for wildfire smoke but terrible for pathogen control. CR boxes can make up for this loss of filteration!
Honestly, everyone should have a CR box at home, and every classroom should have one. Especially this winter.
:coronavirus: This winter is going to be...somethin'...if we don't do some source control NOW.
:canparrot: We can do this with some empathy and a LOT of source control!
Please have a safe Summer and upcoming Fall! ☀️🍁☀️
#COVID19 #COVID #COVIDisNotOver #SARS2PA
#Pennsylvania #PA #KP3 #S31Del#WearAMask #CleanTheAir #WashHands
#VaccinesSaveLives #StayHomeIfSick ! -
#Virome #Sequencing Identifies #H5N1 Avian #Influenza in #Wastewater from Nine #Cities. MedRxIV, https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.05.10.24307179v1
19 of 23 monitored sites had at least one detection event, and H5N1 serotype became dominant over seasonal influenza over time. A variant analysis suggests avian or #bovine origin but other potential sources, especially humans, could not be excluded.
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Update for 5/6/2024!
Good Morning SARS2PAians!
Yes I have an update today aaaaand unfortunately that's kinda never a good thing. You DON'T want to hear from me here!
(I am asking you once again....to please make this hobby of mine obsolete 🙏😔 Filter the air, be aware of social contacts, wear a quality respirator, and wash hands for the gastro stuff.)
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VOCsWe are dealing with FLiRT now, but there are two groups of incoming variants that are becoming concerningly successful in other countires including right next door in Canada.: https://ibb.co/fkG3gpg
One is an earlier-new group consisting of JN.1.32 and KP.3.
Another, far off-new yet, is KW.1 and its child, KW.1.1.
All of these variants have been proven faster than FliRT in Australia, UK, etc. KP.3 is exceptionally fast.
🔴Due to antigenic drift, vaccines and previous infection are NOT as effective to protect you with these upcoming variants.
🔴This does NOT mean vaccines don't work, so do not go spreading that. (You should also be mightily shunned for spreading that.)
Again: Vaccines are safe and effective...but these incoming variants are starting to yet again DRIFT TOO FAR AWAY from the current XBB vaccines.
I've highlighted the upcoming concerning variants in teal, as opposed to the FLiRT group which is in pink. KW.1.1 isn't above the fold yet nationally at 0.16% so I made a note on the image so I remember to keep track of this number.
Nationally, JN.1.7 and JN.1 are a tthe top of the board. JN.1.32 at 2.23% and KP.3 also at 2.23%. KW.1 at a little under half a percent. These numbers might be higher in actual meatspace because there is not nearly enough labwork/sequencing available to make laser-focused predictions.: https://ibb.co/bRpvDP7
In PA, we do not have group 2 of the far-off variants yet here but we do have KP.2. Gotta watch this one.: https://ibb.co/3kPMBwM
In NY/NJ, whoa, KP.3 already clocking in at over 3%, in the top 10 of random sequencing already. I haven't been watching this one so when I have more time I'll go back and check this one out.: https://ibb.co/qM7C4CY
KP.2 already at over 10%. That's fast, and antigenic drift is absolutely not helping here as any protection we might have had against this new stuff is starting to slip away.
We might be in for a bump up in numbers this spring, as something similar last year happened too.
Just giving everyone a heads-up on what we might be in for this spring/summer.
We can keep it in control by practicing some very comon-sense, easy things!
Have a safe spring!! 💐💐💐
#covid #Covid19 #SARS2PA #CDC #CovidIsNotOver #Wastewater #Pennsylvania #PA #JN1 #FLiRT #F456L #R346T #spike_r346t #spike_f456l
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#MaineTribes and Leading #Environmental Organizations Join Forces To Oppose Proposed #Mine in Shadow of #Katahdin
Proposed #ZincMine at #PickettMountain being pursued by virtually unknown Canadian company
June 28, 2023
"Two Tribes in Maine today joined forces with leading environmental groups and a national public interest environmental law organization to oppose a proposed mine that would be located in the shadow of #BaxterStatePark and the #KatahdinWoods & Waters National Monument.
"The proposed zinc mine at Pickett Mountain is being pursued by a virtually unknown Canadian company, #WolfdenResources, that has never operated a mine before. A previous version of Wolfden’s request was widely opposed because the region holds enormous cultural and natural significance to #Wabanaki Tribes, outdoor recreation businesses, and Maine people.
"The #HoultonBandOfMaliseets, the #PenobscotNation, and the #NaturalResourcesCouncilOfMaine [#NRCM], represented by #Earthjustice and #Brann&Isaacson, joined the #ConservationLawFoundation in petitioning to intervene in the review of Wolfden’s permit application to the Land Use Planning Commission (#LUPC) to rezone the area for #industrial uses.
"'The Penobscot Nation strongly opposes the rezoning of this #ecologically important area. We share significant concerns over impacts to the #water quality and f#isheries of the area, which our members rely upon,' said #ChiefKirkFrancis of the Penobscot Nation. 'The West Branch of the #MattawamkeagRiver contains abundant, high-quality, cold-water fish habitat and Designated #CriticalHabitat for #endangered #AtlanticSalmon, identified as necessary for the recovery of Atlantic salmon in the Penobscot River. This mine would impact our traditional territories and forever alter our ability to maintain our relationship to this place.'
"The area Wolfden wants to mine is next to three State Heritage Fish Waters and is a centerpiece of the region’s growing outdoor economy. It contains the headwaters of the West Branch of the Mattawamkeag River, which is sacred to the Penobscot Nation and provides key, federally designated critical habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon.
"'The Katahdin region’s wild beauty and clean water are extraordinary. One look at this landscape demonstrates that this is no place to put a mine,' said Nick Bennett, staff scientist at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. 'Wolfden’s claims that it will treat #wastewater more effectively than any mining company on earth are not credible. This is too big a risk for #Maine.'
"'The legacy of metallic mineral #mining in Maine is one of empty promises of economic development, acid mine drainage #polluting waters and killing fish, and multi-million dollar c#leanups funded by taxpayers and not the fly-by-night mining companies like Wolfden,' said #SeanMahoney, vice-president and senior counsel at the Conservation Law Foundation. 'Rezoning this area to allow mining would fail to recognize the cultural and spiritual importance of the land to the #WabanakiTribes and threaten the natural resources and experiences valued by generations of Maine citizens.'
"After withdrawing its initial request because it was riddled with errors, Wolfden submitted a second rezoning petition in January that sparked another review by the LUPC. Comments by Wolfden’s CEO disrespecting Maine tribes and #MininLlaws have prompted outrage from the Penobscot Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, and #conservationists. The company has lost tens of millions of dollars over the past decade.
"'This is one of the absolute worst areas to rezone for a mine,' said Aaron Bloom, a senior attorney with Earthjustice. 'The region is known for its vast contiguous forest, pristine streams, high-quality lakes, and aquatic species like wild brook trout and landlocked salmon. Why would we risk that, along with the outdoor economy that depends on it, on a half-baked proposal from an unproven mining company? The Commission must put Maine’s unique natural resources, and the well-being of the people of Maine and Maine’s Wabanaki Tribes, before short-term industry profits.'
"More than 700 hundred Mainers and local businesses, including Bradford Camps, Chandler Lakes Camps and Lodge, and the #MaineWildernessGuidesOrganization, have spoken out against Wolfden’s plans. In May 2022, residents of #Pembroke voted overwhelmingly to ban industrial-scale metallic mineral mining in their town in response to Wolfden’s plans to develop a mine there."
#WaterIsLife #Maine #WabanakiNations #Environment #Mining #CorporateColonialism #NoMining
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U[pdate for 2/23/2024!
Good Morning SARS2PAians! ❄️❄️❄️
There's no new CDC stuff for today.
VOCs
JN.1 and its cousins/offspring continues to smash the leaderboard globally and in the US: https://ibb.co/xSW90JK
And here in PA: https://ibb.co/FX4VJgb
Lineage News
JN.1.11 has totally fizzled out (that's the difference between how it looks in a lab compared to actual infectivity) but there is a new variant that is being VERY closely scoured for by geneticists: JN.1.23 (that's JN One Dot Twenty-Three.)
This variant has an absolutely astounding ACE2Binding ability (which means it's easier to "stick" to lungs) + very good escape rate (which means it looks different than anything else before it and the body isn't sure how to react to it).: https://ibb.co/B45zX5B
It is definitely way beyond "uh-oh" at this point.: https://ibb.co/9T5pv5z
It has already been found on 3 continents (South America/Brazil, North America/California, and Asia/India) and also in Canada/Alberta. it's now being tracked on Rajnarayanan's Tableau chart for the US.: https://ibb.co/xMwRyyC
This also has so much binding ability, it has the most potential to even "spend" some of its infectivity on other mutations that will benefit its children, sacrificing it for more severity or more innate infectivity....which would be very bad.
The good news is that this variant has only 2 differences between it and what we're already dealing with. Despite the very good ACE2 binding, XBB.1.5 vaccines and prior infections with JN.1 should hold against it at least a little while.: https://ibb.co/42D30fZ
(Note: don't get infected to prevent infection. That's silly. There's NO sure way to know if you were infected with JN.1 unless you get your case sequenced. Get vaccinated and use source control. That's smart and NOT silly.)
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WastewaterWastewater SARS2 material is rising in the US again. Not a good sign.: https://ibb.co/DGx889k
Regionally, all regions except the West are starting to tick upwards again.: https://ibb.co/dtKpRsK
In PA, the 5 stations that report to Biobot are showing very volatile elves, but Chester, Lackawanna, Luzerne, and MontCo are handling it. :canparrot: GOOD GOING. Source control keeps those numbers down!!!: https://ibb.co/JxZX7YC
BucksCo is on an uptick, now above national averages. Please be cautious and keep working at it for Spring!!! 💐
The PA DoH Wastewater dashboard reflects these rising levels, with levels especially rising in Monroe County. PLEASE USE SOURCE CONTROL. Wear a quality respirator, clean the air with MERV-13 or HEPA filters, and STAY HOME if you are sick!: https://ibb.co/DwtcNgd
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Year-Over-YearWant to remind everyone that this year has the highest national wastewater numbers of all COVID years at this time.: https://ibb.co/WP98zxT
(I changed the color of the 2024 year because the original color used to represent it was...pretty unseeable.)
MORE people are getting infected/reinfected more quickly, and you can see the general trend is for the absolute baseline rising throughout the year.
This is in addition to, on WastewaterSCAN, high levels of other respiratory pathogens like RSV, FluA and FluB and the gastro-disturbing (and just gross) Norovirus.: https://ibb.co/ggyxfBt
Wash hands to prevent especially non SARS pathogens.
🌊👍🌊Wash fruits and veg too before you eat them!
🌊🍎🥒🌊Guys, this is us on our way to a high tide that will never drop IF we don't use source control.
But if we do, we can prevent life, learning, and financial loss going into spring and have a LOVELY and healthy new season soon! 💐
#covid #Covid19 #SARS2PA #CDC #CovidIsNotOver #Pennsylvania #PA #JN1 #JN1TwentyThree #JN123 #Norovirus #Influenza #InfluenzaB #Flu #FluB #WearAMask #CleanTheAir #VaccinesSaveLives #Wastewater #StayHomeIfSick #SourceControl #USESourceControl #COVIDSourceControl
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Good Morning SARS2PAians!!
Thankfully, there is not a whole lot new going on with COVID. There are still no upcoming variants that will overtake JN.1.x.y yet.
No new CDC maps.
The most important thing is some non-SARS2 wastewater stuff.
For SARS2/COVID, national wastewater is starting to level out after a (worrying for me) uptick at the beginning of the month.: https://ibb.co/8dt7jGg
Regionally, the Northeast still has by far the highest concentration but is clearly levelling off from a small uptick. Other regions are ever so slightly rising but are mostly steady.: https://ibb.co/DKqYBzm
In PA, some increases in Bucks which is making the levels go above national average. PLEASE use source control to keep this from getting worse.: https://ibb.co/M7mnNJ5
Also in ChesterCo, all systems I'm watching clearly shows a strong increase there. PLEASE practice SOURCE CONTROL.
You can see on the most recent PA Wastewater Dashboard that levels are increasing in major areas in PA (Pittsburgh, Chester, Monroe Cos.).: https://ibb.co/9tkbxnJ
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Non-COVID PathogensWastewaterSCAN currently shows the levels for ALL respiratory pathogens (SARS2, RSV, FluA, FluB) as HIGH in our region and also for Norovorus (the "24-hour stomach bug") as HIGH.: https://ibb.co/1nPBsBp
Looks like University Park's levels of RSV are almost going vertical.: https://ibb.co/jZCxwvR
ChesterCo is having strong increases of Influenza B.: https://ibb.co/TBMVhMD
Norovirus in ChesterCo is already crazy high AND on a VERY strong increase. (What's going on over there and in UPark?? College kiddos? Please tell your college kiddos to practice source control!): https://ibb.co/fFkbFMS
You can see there that the left vertical axis the numbers for Noro are bonkers (RSV range is from 0 to 280, Noro goes from 10,000 to 110,000 😳)
Read about Norovirus from the Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17703-norovirus
Norovirus is primarily a SANITARY but also CLOSE CONTACT issue.
WASH YOUR HANDS.
Do not eat off unclean dinnerware. Avoid oysters and other seafood during high outbreaks.
Wash off fruits and veggies before you eat them.
Do NOT prepare food if you are sick.
STAY HOME. The CDC is wrong.: https://mstdn.social/@erictopol/111924800740495932
STAY HOME.
Wear a quality respirator in large crowds!
If we can keep this stuff under control through the rest of the winter, first of all it will be a MUCH more pleasant Spring. Secondly, if a new COVID variant appears and is fast enough to go worldwide, we won't be worrying about five other pathogens.
I hope we can work together to make a FANTASTIC and healthy Spring!! 💐
#covid #Covid19 #SARS2PA #CDC #CovidIsNotOver #Pennsylvania #PA #JN1 #Norovirus #Influenza #InfluenzaB #Flu #FluB #WearAMask #CleanTheAir #VaccinesSaveLives #Wastewater #StayHomeIfSick
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#Fukushima #Nuclear Power Plant starts 3rd round of #wastewater release, potentially impacting #seafood quality in U.S.
By Belle Lewis - November 14, 2023
"The #FukushimaDachii nuclear plant started its third release of nuclear wastewater on Nov. 2 as scientists warn that seafood products from the #PacificOcean could be #contaminated
"Although the International Atomic Energy Agency approved the 30-year water release plan, scientists and civilians in nations bordering the Pacific Ocean have questioned the safety of the plan, especially as it relates to seafood.
"In a press release approving of the plan, the IAEA stated, 'the discharges of the treated water would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment.'
"#PaulDorfman, member of the Irish Government Environmental Protection Agency Radiation Protection Advisory Committee and chair of Nuclear Consulting Group, explained that some scientists have questioned IAEA’s approval of the water release.
"'I and others are concerned by IAEA’s attitude,' Dorfman said. 'Normally even low levels of radioactive pollution will find its way into local seafood, one way or another.'
"In 2020, #Japan exported 332,926 kilograms of frozen scallops to the U.S. Japan exports many fish products to the U.S.
"Samantha Valeriano, a psychology student from Hawaii, said she eats seafood about once a week. She does not often think about where her food comes from but wants to be more cautious following the nuclear water release.
"'I think I would be a little more cautious of what I ate, checking labels a little bit more,' Valeriano said. 'I would be conscious of what I ate and where it came from.'
"As the People’s Republic of #China has imposed bans of Japanese fish exports, the #USA has supported the Japanese market by increasing fish purchases.
"In a press release, the #UnitedStates Embassy and Consulate in Japan explained that military bases in Japan will carry Japanese seafood as a way to buoy up seafood markets and undermine the PRC’s ban.
"'United States elected representatives and senior government officials have stood in solidarity with Japan during this baseless ban,' the statement said. 'Another step to help provide additional sales to counter the ban was to start selling Japanese seafood at the U.S. military facilities in Japan, both through the commissaries and mess halls.'
"According to the statement, government officials like former speaker #KevinMcCarthy ate seafood from Japan as a testament to Japan’s safety standards.
However, other U.S. agencies, like the National Association of #MarineLaboratories question whether accurate research was conducted by the IAEA and Japanese Government to determine safety of seafood products."They explain that the lack of data on potential health impacts is a cause for serious concern.
"'Many of the #radionuclides contained in the #accumulated waste cooling water have half-lives ranging from #decades to #centuries, and their deleterious effects range from #DNADamage and #cellular stress to elevated #cancer risks in people who eat affected marine organisms, such as #clams, #oysters, #crabs, #lobster, #shrimp and fish,' the statement reads. [Not to mention all the critters that feed off them! Bioaccumulation works up the food chain!]
"Eve Nagareda, medical laboratory science major from Hawaii, shared she wants to avoid seafood from dumping grounds even if levels are considered safe.
"'I think I would try to go as far as possible from it,' Nagareda said.
"Kylee Wasano, pre-communications disorders student from Oahu, agreed. She explained she feels that she might already be consuming contaminated seafood.
"'I feel like I already am eating that, and I just don’t know,' Wasano said. 'Anything that could expose you to (radiation) you should be considerate about.'
"As organizations weigh safety concerns, scientists turn to the water release process to determine potential effects."
#WaterIsLife #NoDumping #Hormesis #TEPCOLies #Corruption #Bioaccumulation #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #NoNewNukes
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#ManMade #AlgaeBlooms called #RedTides are killing off #MarineLife and finally #California #wastewater districts are working together to clean & limit #fertilizing #Phosphorus #Nitrogen and #Nutrient rich sludge releases into the region's regulatory vacuum and sewer they call #SanFrancisco Bay. This month #Marin, #Alameda and #Berkeley Marina have all had #HarmfulAlgaeBlooms or #HAB occurrences monitored by #SanFranciscoBay Regional #WaterQuality Control Board and other agencies who are all largely powerless to stop the disgusting #discharges causing the #toxic conditions.
(#PayWall FREE subscriber gift link : https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/08/20/fighting-future-red-tides-in-san-francisco-bay/?share=uwnacfdttgchowc2aauo )
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@SkepticalEye Reverse osmosis produces several gallons of wastewater for every gallon of "pure" water it produces. It's incredibly wasteful.
The bottled water companies and those who sell RO sysyems know this and don't care. They end up getting their money.
#ReverseOsmosis #WaterPurifier #WaterFootprint #WasteWater #Conservation
