WHO CARES?

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind. Thou art not so unkind as man's ingratitude."

Shakespeare's King Lear


More than 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with water. How did all this water get here?

According to a recently published report, scientists assert that all this water was delivered to Earth from rocks arriving from outer space--ice-infused asteroids and/or meteorites from an asteroid called Vesta.* ""This bombardment of asteroids a few million years after the start of the solar system could have easily delivered enough ice--locked inside the rocks, safe from the sun's heat--to account for the Earth's oceans, computer simulations indicate."** These conclusions are based upon comparisons of the Deuterium/Hydrogen ratios of the Earth water with water found in the space rocks.

It is not clear how the asteroids that hit the earth or Vesta got their water in the first place. So perhaps the issue of original water source is pushed back to an earlier time period and more computer simulations.

Of course, there can be another explanation for water on Earth: God or so-called "intelligent design". Under the "Anthropic Principle", the Earth as well as the entire universe evidence having been designed for the purpose of sustaining life, including human life. Physicist Arno Penzias is quoted as having said "Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the right conditions required to permit life, and one which has an underlying, one might say 'supernatural', plan"*** Water, then, could be viewed as an ingredient placed on Earth for the specific purpose of enabling and sustaining life.

However, perhaps the more important question is not where water came from but where is water going. Earth's water controls climate and weather, molds the land, and enables life. In particular, clean water is essential for human life. How humanity respects water really has become the issue for now and the future.

Waste of water resources has the potential to upend the "delicate balance" Penzias referenced. Waste can take many forms, such as excessive usage, diversion to lesser or non-essential uses, overpopulation or over irrigation of areas with limited local water sources, and pollution of surface and ground water.

Perhaps it is best that we express our gratitude for water, regardless how it got here; because without it, we never would be here.
__________________________________________
*Crockett."Water, Water Everywhere",
Science News, May 16,2015, p.18

**Id. at p. 20

***Paper,"God and Science", Dr.Josh Moody

WILL THE RIVERS CLAP THEIR HANDS?

Rivers are a primary source of supply for many water utility systems. Such utilities are responsible to treat river water in compliance with applicable safe drinking water regulations. As rivers and their tributaries meander through agricultural land, they are susceptible to farm field soil erosion and fertilizer runoff. Perhaps the most troublesome constituents of such runoff are the nitrates. In the United States, there are strict limits on the permitted levels of nitrates in drinking water, which impose in many cases costly treatment protocols.

For example, in its 2014 annual report, the Minnesota Department of Health indicates that agricultural related nitrate pollution is a growing threat to the state's drinking water from all sources. The report states: "Roughly half of Minnesota's land is in agricultural production, primarily in the southern and western parts of the state. Up to 20 million acres of Minnesota is in row crop production annually. Row crops, which include corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and potatoes, are a major contributor to Minnesota's economy. However, since soils in row-crop production can lose nitrate during the non-growing season, these lands are the biggest influence on Minnesota's ground and surface water nitrate levels." (p.7)

Farm soil erosion is another issue for rivers. According to a published report, to mitigate erosion, farmers are switching to no till farming, a practice of planting crops without tillage of the soil. Stubble from prior crops is left on the ground. The new crop is planted by drilling seed into the soil without disturbing the ground by tilling. Accordingly, this practice tends to hold soil in place.*

So, could no till farming be the answer for both erosion and runoff control? Maybe not, according to another published report. It states that researchers have found that fields managed by conventional and turbo-tillage practices can produce lower concentrations of pollutants in runoff than those managed by no till practices.**

Maybe further research will conclude that both new seed and fertilizer could be drilled into the soil, leaving the surface otherwise undisturbed. This approach, of course, could cause increased costs for agricultural interests. But it also could assign costs to the cost causers and reduce treatment costs for utilities and their customers. Perhaps, an alternative approach could be no till practices for erosion control and more modest and efficient application of fertilizers. Whatever, with further research, maybe some day rivers will have less concern over erosion and runoff, and will clap their hands.

______________________________________________

*Lutey, Billings Gazette, republished in
Rapid City Journal, April 27,2015,p.A8

**Environmental Science & Technology,
November 20, 2012

YIKES! BLOB ATTACKS LONDON SEWERS!

One of my favorite science fiction films is the 1958 movie called The Blob, starring Steve McQueen. An amorphous jelly-like ball of material invades Earth from outer space and grows huge by eating and dissolving people into its mass. Perhaps the most dramatic scene is when patrons run out of a movie theater as the Blob digests its victims.

Well, it appears that the Blob may have attacked again. In late April of this year, the Guardian reported that a 10 ton blob of fat was removed from a sewer in the Chelsea area of London. Called a "fatberg", the blob was said to be 40 meters long and was so huge and heavy that it broke the sewer, necessitating costly repairs.

This was not the first time that a fatberg was encountered in London sewers. In 2013, a 15 ton fat blob was removed from a sewer in the Kingston area of London after residents complained that toilets would not flush. Again, damage to the sewer had to be repaired. Interestingly, after the blob was removed, it was dewatered and the remaining fats and oils were recycled into soap and fuel. Perhaps the soap later wound up back in the same sewer.

One wonders from where does the fat come that feeds a sewer blob. One source could be the kinds of fatty foods that Brits may have been eating. Putting aside such items as bacon rolls, one example may be the so-called full English breakfast, a quintessential "fry-up." Consider the ingredients, all of which are fried: pork sausage, bacon, beans, tomato, bread, mushrooms,eggs, black pudding and maybe kidneys, kippers and potatoes.

It is no surprise that media report Brits are getting fatter. Maybe it all began with Britain's first obese man, Daniel Lambert. At around 1800, he probably qualified as a blob, as he weighed 53 stone or about 740 pounds. He charged people a shilling to come and see him, and he is said to have made a fortune. Unfortunately, he died young.

According to published reports, Brits on average weigh 3 stones (42 pounds) more than they did in the 1960s. However, they still have a way to go to match the average American adult as the heaviest in the world. British adults are said to weigh 30 pounds more than the average globally, whereas Americana adults are 40 pounds more than the global average. Last year, the Telegraph reported that British women are the fattest in Europe, and pointed out that some believe that being fat can be a positive thing. On the other hand, as people become fatter, they also eat more, which can place more stress on world food production and related resources such as energy and water.

Is there any defense to the fat blob attacks against sewer systems? Perhaps an action plan to auger well could include:

1. Eating less
2. Eating healthier
3. Refraining from pouring cooking oils, fatty food debris and other nasties into drains
4. Frequent inspection and maintenance of sewers by the local utility

In the movie, the Blob eventually was captured and removed to polar isolation. But lingering doubts left an opening for a sequel or remake. Beware of a possible Return of the Fatberg Blob.