WATER NEWS
World Water Day – March 22
March 11th, 2013Cooperation is the theme for World Water Day 2013. World Water Day is held annually on March 22 as a means of ... More »
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The Future of Water
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World Water Day – March 22
Monday, March 11th, 2013
Cooperation is the theme for World Water Day 2013.World Water Day is held annually on March 22 as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. In 2013, in reflection of the International Year of Water Cooperation, World Water Day is also dedicated to the theme of cooperation around water.
An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.
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Workshops Answer Questions about Monitoring Radioactivity from Fukushima.
Monday, November 26th, 2012The immediate question on everyone’s mind regarding radioactivity is “have my water (and air) been affected by fallout from Fukushima?” The workshop on Nov 19, 2012 was about ‘Local Monitoring of Radioactivity in Relation to the Fukushima Daichii Incident’. The presenter of this workshop, Rudy Pante, is a nuclear chemist and also the water chemist in charge of testing Metro Vancouver’s drinking water. His opinions, expressed in his workshops, are his own and do not reflect those of Metro Vancouver. When asked if there is current cause for alarm about elevated radionuclide levels in our Metro Vancouver drinking water, his informed response was a definitive NO, that the levels are currently very, very low.
The next question, on the minds of those who are paying attention to the ongoing instability at Fukushima, is “what precautions are in place to monitor our local radionuclide levels in the event of a major destabilization at Fukushima or even the Hanford nuclear plant in Washington State?” Unfortunately, the position of Health Canada and local officials is complacent.Rudy Pante’s workshops are an attempt to shed some light on this topic of radionuclides and nuclear fallout. These workshops are not about risk levels. They are about understanding radioactivity and how to correctly detect and measure it.
The next workshop is entitled:
INTRODUCTION TO PRACTICAL GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETRY
Monday Dec 3, 2012
9:00-11:00 AMBCIT Burnaby Campus
3700 Willingdon Ave
Room 141, SE14 (Library)
Burnaby, BC
(best approached from Wayburne Drive)For registration and details contact:
rudyplaza51@yahoo.com -
Salmon Spawn in City Creek: First Time Back in 80 Years
Thursday, November 15th, 2012
Spawning salmon return to Still Creek in Vancouver
Word is spreading this week (Nov 15, 2012) that, for the first time in 70 – 80 years, spawning salmon have been spotted frolicking in one of Vancouver’s only three remaining creeks.
How wonderful that the salmon are returning, and that we humans are now moved by this kind of news! Our values and actions are definitely shifting to support the natural environment which sustains us.
Still Creek, which flows from Burnaby to Vancouver, was once the most polluted waterway in British Columbia. Due to extensive efforts by many concerned groups and individuals, this precious waterway has been cleaned up and is slowly coming back to life.
Spawning Chum salmon have been seen in Still Creek beside the Cornett Rd/Natal St intersection in Vancouver this week.
Much credit is due to the tireless work of Mark Angelo and the Rivers Institute at BCIT, true champions of fish habitats and the wild fresh waterways of British Columbia.
Some other groups working on stream daylighting and creek restoration in Metro Vancouver are…
http://www.falsecreekwatershed.org/
http://www.mappingwaters.seecechen.org/
http://www.bchydro.com/guides_tips/green_your_community/community_initiatives/uncover_your_streams.html
http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/restoring-streams.aspx
http://seatoskygreenguide.ca/infrastructure/thain_creek_daylighting
http://seatoskygreenguide.ca/infrastructure/spanish_bank_creek_daylighting
http://www.raincoastappliedecology.ca/ecodesign.html
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Hidden Streams of Vancouver
Thursday, November 15th, 2012
Vancouver’s Hidden Streams. The blue lines indicate small urban streams hidden under the Vancouver’s developed landscape. Source: Har¬ris (1987).
We discovered the map (above) in this paper:AN EXPLORATION OF STREAM DAYLIGHTING AND URBAN ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT
by Caitlin SinclairSome groups working on stream daylighting and creek restoration in Metro Vancouver are…http://commons.bcit.ca/riversinstitute/http://www.falsecreekwatershed.org/
http://www.mappingwaters.seecechen.org/
http://www.bchydro.com/guides_tips/green_your_community/community_initiatives/uncover_your_streams.html
http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/restoring-streams.aspx
http://seatoskygreenguide.ca/infrastructure/thain_creek_daylighting
http://seatoskygreenguide.ca/infrastructure/spanish_bank_creek_daylighting
http://www.raincoastappliedecology.ca/ecodesign.html
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Vancouver Workshop: Local Monitoring of Radioactivity from Fukushima
Tuesday, November 6th, 2012
This workshop (Nov 19) promises to be a unique opportunity for getting answers to lingering questions and concerns about the possible effects of radiation from Fukushima on Metro Vancouver’s water supply.The initiative for this event comes from one individual named Rudy Pante, who is the water quality chemist responsible for testing contaminant levels in Metro Vancouver’s drinking water.
Rudy Pante is an accredited expert* in radiological monitoring whose professional career has involved international experience at various nuclear power plants. He will deliver this workshop which may include informed and insightful comments on hot topics such as:
- Have the long-lived radioisotopes from Fukushima (such as Cs-137, Co-60) been detected in B.C.and on the west coast of North America?
- Have they been detected in drinking water sources in 2011 & 2012?
- If they have been detected, why have major media and government regulators been silent about them?
- Why are there different isotope regulatory limits in USA, Canada, & Europe?
Although parts of this workshop will undoubtedly be quite technical, it will also cater to those of us who are bewildered by nuclear isotopes and radiological calculations. Rudy is a wealth of expertise with a strong social conscience. He says: ‘The more questions from attendees that I can answer, the “happier” I will be.’ However, he also adds that his opinions are his own and do not reflect those of Metro Vancouver.
Date
19 November 2012
10am – 12 noonLocation
BCIT Burnaby Campus
3700 Willingdon Ave
Room 141, SE14 (Library)
Burnaby, BCRegistration
rudyplaza51@yahoo.comCost
$25Methods of payment
Cheque payable to: Plaza & Pante Consultants
15062 60 Ave
Surrey BC, V3S 5X6
PayPal: Rudy Pante
e-pay RBC Royal Bank: Rudy will send number upon email inquiry*Rudy Pante’s current position:
Water Quality Chemist, Water Quality Control Section-Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant & Coquitlam Ozonation Plant
Credentials: BS Chemistry & MS Chemistry-University of the Philippines-Diliman
Previous Work Experience:
Kelogg, Brown & Root
PNPP1 (Philippine Nuclear Power Plant)
PAEC (Philippine Atomic Energy Commission)
Trainings:
Westinghouse Advanced Reactor Centre, PA
Indian Point-3 Nuclear Power Plant, NY
CEGB (Central Electricity Generating Board), UK
Instructor: EOCP (Environmental Operators Certification Program)
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