Water
London Literally Stank In The Summer Of 1858 β Just Ask Dickens And Darwin
"Londoners may feel hot this summer, but historian Rosemary Ashton says it's nothing compared to what the city endured in 1858. That was the year of "The Great Stink" β when the Thames River, hot and filled with sewage, made life miserable for the residents of the city."
The 14-Year-Old Who Convinced People to Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide
"The compound can corrode and rust metal and cause severe burns, the paper correctly argued. If you consume it, it can cause bloating and excessive urination and sweating. Thousands of people in the U.S. die from its accidental ingestion every year. If you are dependent on it, going through withdrawal can kill you. Itβs found in significant quantities in acid rain, tumors, and more. Armed with this information and asked what the world should do about the threat of DHMO, 43 of Zohnerβs classmates voted to ban the compound, citing its deadly nature. Lucky for them, no lawmaker would agree: DHMO is the chemical formula for water."
Toxic blue-green algae blooms could ‘explode’ soon in Upstate NY
"Three ingredients are necessary for the blooms: nitrogen and phosphorous flowing into lakes, lots of sun and heat, and lack of wind."
"The wet spring has flushed plenty of nitrogen and phosphorous into lakes, said Boyer, whose lab conducts tests on toxic algae from samples around the state."
Popsicles Made From 100 Different Polluted Water Sources Grab Worldβs Attention
"These popsicles might look like the sort of thing youβd expect to find being served from a quirky organic artisanal food truck, but one bite could leave you very ill indeed, because theyβre actually made from sewage found in the polluted waters of Taiwan."
"They were made by three design students for the Polluted Water Popsicles project, which aims to raise awareness about rising water pollution due to rapid economic growth and urbanization. Water was taken from 100 different water sources in Taiwan and turned into frozen toxic popsicles before Hung I-chen, Guo Yi-hui, and Cheng Yu-ti from the National Taiwan University of Arts recreated them using transparent polyester resin. They even made wrappers for them that represented the different regions from which the polluted water samples were taken. While the trash in the water was varied, about 90 percent of it was plastic, and the popsicles contain everything from bottle caps and plastic bags to bottles and chopstick wrappers. Itβs a simple yet effective way of getting us to think about water pollution from a totally different perspective. Popsicle anyone?"
Colchester woman wants ‘deadbeat’ dam gone
"The sight and sounds of an old stone dam on her property have utterly charmed Colchester resident Kim Scofield.
"Nonetheless, she wants the dam torn down."
"She made up her mind about a year after moving into the old house above Indian Brook."
"That was time enough for Scofield to determine that Mill Pond Dam is too expensive, too hazardous and too disruptive to wildlife passage up- and downstream."
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment is one of the most expensive and energy intensive services that local governments provide, but also one of the most important. Most sewage treatment is a mixture of mechanical and biological processes - relatively few chemicals are used. This Wikipedia article explains how sewage treatment works - check out also their article on how septic tanks in rural areas work.