Please visit our new Blog on the Tangent Environmental Technologies website at: www.tangentet.com/blog. We look forward to continuing our posts on the environment, technology and of course, water!

Thank you for following us!

Waste Water System Reduces Liability, Costs and Contamination!

Calgary, Alberta (2009) -  The Cascade Waste Water System is a waste water processing system that allows companies that use water to retrieve contaminates such as hydrocarbons from water before disposal. Contaminated water is filtered through the system to remove NORMS, detergents and hydrocarbons. Once the water has travelled through the system, the remaining product is left clean with a 99.7% removal rate, and is ready for re-use.

The portable Cascade Waste Water System was designed to decrease liability, recover hydrocarbons, remove NORMS, detergents, salt, sand, and to provide a solution for waste water disposal. This system is currently being used world-wide and will provide a fast response time because of the size and portability of the unit. Please view the Environment Matters video link below to learn more about the Cascade Waste Water System.

Environment Matters Video Link:

The Cascade Waste Water System Product Highlights:

-The system will remove both solid and liquid contaminants and can recover up to seven metric tons per hour of hydrocarbons from contaminated surface waste water.
-The system also removes solvents, detergents, NORMS as well as solids from a maximum of one hundred (100) microns to as low as one (1) micron.
-The system recycles contaminated water and returns the recycled water back to the original source or the recycled water can be disposed of through evaporation if needed.
-Integrated filter cleaning technology for reduced outsourcing time, costs and liability from filter utilization.

For more information about The Cascade Waste Water System please visit the Tangent Environmental Technologies website www.tangentet.com.

###

The following is a report conducted by the “Agricultural Water Measurement” on efficient Water Management – irrigation district achievements: The Council released the results of the 2007 Efficient Water Management Practices survey. The survey sampled more than 40% or 3.27 million irrigated acres in California. Data represents districts of varying size from less than 5,500 irrigated acres to over 450,000 irrigated acres. The report details the activities and achievements in farm water management that irrigation districts have accomplished implementing the Council’s EWMPs. This report shows what has been accomplished and can be used to guide future investment into new water management projects.

Almost 90% of the irrigated acreage represented in the survey receives water that is measured at the farm gate.

Approximately 2/3 of the irrigated acreage represented in the survey is investigating ways to improve water measurement technology.

*In December 2008, the Council released a report that represents over 40% of the State’s total irrigated acreage.
Download a copy of the report here.

Seemingly simple, agricultural water measurement is deceptively intricate. Many factors add to the complexity of accurately measuring agricultural water deliveries and water use, beginning with the frequent reuse of agricultural water. Unlike urban sttings where water is tradionally only used once, agricultural water is commonly recaptured from a field or neighboring farm and reapplied for a second or third application.

Within any given farm, field size, crops and irrigation methods are often different from field to field, making the needs at each irrigation turout unique. Water deliveries may vary even on a given field from one irrigation to another because of plant maturity or cultural practices. Flow rate changes are even possible during an irrigation event due to irrigation management actions or changes in the district’s delivery system.

While most agricultural water measurement is within 10 percent accuracy, most districts are researching ways to further improve the accuracy of their measurements. Using technology, such as SCADA, inproved nmeasuremt devices and GIS mapping, irrigation districts are adopting new technology as it becomes available and affordable. One of the main impediments to improved water measurement is cost. Advancing technology makes improved water measuement feasible but the cost to achieve accuracy better than what currently exists is often not locally cost effective.

Conjunctive Use of Surface and Groundwater Supplies

Where conjunctive use is appropriate, approximately 70% of the irrigaed acreage represented in the survey is actively engaged in a conjunctive use program.

*In December 2008 the Council released a report representing over 40% of the State’s total irrigated acreage.
Download a copy of the report here.

Conjunctive use is the coordinated management of surface and groundwater. Surface and groundwater are closely connected. Management changes to either supply affect the conditions of the other.

Conjunctive use and recharge programs have grown substantially in California as groundwater levels in some areas began to decline and surface water supplies grow increasingly scarce.

Conjunctive Use Methods to Recharge Groundwater:

-unlined canals
-irrigation activities
-natural streams or wetlands
-in-lieu recharge recharge ponds
-out-of district groundwater banking

Article Source: AWMC

The following article written by Keith Schneider for Circle of Blue explains the U.S. water shortage and how communities are being affected by the shortage.

Article by: Keith Schneider for Circle of Blue

Just as diminishing supplies of oil and natural gas are wrenching the economy and producing changes in lifestyles built on the principle of plenty, states and communities across the country are confronting another significant impediment to the American way of life: increased competition for scarce water.

Scientists and resource specialists say freshwater scarcity, even in unexpected places, threatens farm productivity, limits growth, increases business expenses, and drains local treasuries.

In May, for example, Brockton, Massachusetts, inaugurated a brand-new, $60 million reverse osmosis desalinization plant to supply a portion of its drinking water. The Atlantic coast city, which receives four feet of rain annually, was nevertheless so short of freshwater that it was converting brackish water into water people actually could drink.

Builders in the Southeast are confronting limits to planting gardens and lawns for new houses as a result of local water restrictions prompted by a continuing drought. The Ogallala Aquifer, the vast underground reservoir beneath the Great Plains, is steadily being depleted. California experienced the driest spring on record this year.

And scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego forecast that within 13 years Lake Mead and Lake Powell along the Colorado River, the two largest reservoirs in the southwest United States, could become “dead pool” mud puddles.

…we don’t have anybody thinking long range, at the big picture…“The whole picture is not pretty, and I don’t think that anyone has looked at the subject with the point of view of what’s sustainable,” said Tim Barnett, a research marine geophysicist at Scripps and co-author of the the study. “We don’t have anybody thinking long range, at the big picture that would put the clamps on large-scale development.”

Era of Water Scarcity

“I truly believe we’re moving into an era of water scarcity throughout the United States,” said Peter Gleick, science advisor to Circle of Blue and president of the Pacific Institute, a think tank specializing in water issues based in Oakland, California. “That by itself is going to force us to adopt more efficient management techniques.”

The U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly online report produced by the Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, shows that severe drought still grips much of the American Southeast, is spreading east from California across the Rocky Mountains, and has also settled in the Texas Panhandle and parts of Oklahoma and Colorado.

… To read the ful article, please visit Circle Of Blue.

“New Collaboration Tool Allows for Seamless Integration of Water Data from Around the World

 

 

 

 

by Aubrey Parker
Circle of Blue

With all the power of 21st century collaboration technology, nothing to date has tamed the massive amounts of disparate water information locked away in diverse database systems. But that may have changed last week when Google Labs launched Fusion Tables, a powerful new online research and data organizing tool that makes it much easier to share and navigate the world’s digital science and technical archives.

Fusion Tables, which was developed by Google engineers using sample research data about the global fresh water crisis provided by the Pacific Institute and Circle of Blue, is specifically designed to unlock a treasure trove of facts, trends, and scientific findings that until now have been sequestered in databases and spreadsheets not easily shared.

The new Google technology provides users a rare opportunity to share critical data, probe them, organize pertinent information and generate design elements — charts and graphs — that translate complex information into much more digestible trends. The intent is to enable online collaborators to study and understand in new dimensions the world’s complex problems — the fresh water crisis among them — discern the salient details and organize those scientifically confirmed facts. They can be used to tell stories, offer insights, and propose solutions that heretofore were largely the purview of scholars and scientific experts.”

Article Source: Aubrey Parker/Circle of Blue

The following article, from the Calgary Herald, outlines a solution for oil compaines  in regards to their waste water disposal.

Startups target oilpatch with environmental systems

“Jason Snydmiller is among a growing number of oilpatch veterans who are working to make Alberta a leader in environmental technology related to the energy sector, although his ambitions are global.

“I see Alberta as one of the leaders globally for water technology,” says Snydmiller, president of a modest startup called Tangent Environmental Technologies with a staff of six.

After spending years working his way up from his early days as roughneck on drilling rigs, he began to focus on the waste management side of the business and developed his firm’s Cascade Waste Water System, which is able to recover hydrocarbons, remove harmful contaminants and send clean, treated water back to the source for repeated use on the wells.

He’s already selling the system into his backyard, with companies such as Talisman Energy Inc. testing it, and he’s in negotiations with energy companies in the U. S., Mexico, Venezuela, Nigeria and others around the world.

Snydmiller is tapping into a potential gold mine, if his venture is successful, and all signs are favourable, at this point.

The Energy Resources Conservation Board met him recently to make sure his existing and planned technologies fit into new proposed rules for water use in the oilsands. The ERCB’s proposed rules call for in situ operators– which use water and steam to push deep bitumen deposits to the surface–to reduce the amount of water used in the extraction process.

The regulator wants to cut the 88.2 million barrels of fresh water in situ operators use each year in Alberta by an average of 22 million barrels per year over 10 years, for a total of 220 million barrels.

The new rules, if implemented, position companies like Snydmiller’s in an enviable position to exploit stricter water regulations in the province, homegrown technology that can be exported internationally.

“Alberta is under the magnifying glass on an international basis because of the simple fact that there is so much emphasis on (water use),” he says.

“It’s up to us and we do have the opportunity to shine right now, with the world looking at us, to develop technology that puts us in the forefront of the industry.”

There is the added benefit of creating a whole new category of green jobs using existing expertise from the oilpatch as tighter regulations force companies to invest in environmental technology for their operations.

Snydmiller says he’s got people waiting in the wings for him to grow his team as the company expands.

“We’ve got a lineup of people that are waiting for us to secure the contracts because they like the idea and the concepts of what we’re doing with our current technology (and) further technologies,” he says.

There is growing pool of expertise in a wide range of environmental technologies, including areas such as carbon capture and sequestration, among others.

“Those pilot projects have potential to export that technology to Europe . . . and anywhere in the world,” says Grant Trump, president of the Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) Canada.

His organization tracks demand for environmental workers in the province and he says it’s increasing every year, bolstered by a surge in demand from the oil and gas industry.

Some progressive companies in Alberta are leading the charge toward new environmental solutions in many areas.

Enmax Corp., which was named to this year’s list of Canada’s Greenest Employers by Mediacorp., was recognized for its efforts to invest in wind and solar power.

It has also started tracking its greenhouse gas emissions since 2004 and implemented a wide range of awareness campaigns to reduce vehicle emissions and get employees involved; 87 per cent signed a pledge to reduce their environmental footprint at home and work.

Snydmiller, meanwhile, remains focused on marketing his Alberta-grown technology to the world to do his part in making the planet a little greener.

“Right now, with so much emphasis on water, being able to recycle water to use it over and over is definitely the way of the future,” he says. “It’s definitely a step forward.”"

Article Source: Derek Sankey, The Calgary Herald

“GARBATULLA , (IRIN) – An acute water shortage in parts of eastern and northeastern Kenya is fuelling the spread of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) and cholera, with deaths from new cases being reported, a senior health official has said.

“People are resorting to drinking water from anywhere because of the shortage,” Shahnaaz Sharif, director of public health in the Ministry of Public Health, told IRIN. “

Recently, four deaths have been reported in Garbatulla [District] where about 280 AWD cases have been reported in the last three weeks,” Sharif said, adding that samples from those affected had been collected for laboratory testing.

Three new cholera cases have also been reported in Laisamis District and two in Moyale District.

“In total, 24 cholera deaths and 1,452 cases of diarrhoea have been recorded since January,” he said. Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness. Although infection is often mild, death can occur within hours without treatment, due to dehydration.

According to a resident of Laisamis, Mohamed Kochalle, some of those affected are self-medicating using traditional herbs, as they cannot access health facilities.

[...]

“A half litre [bottle] of water is selling at Ksh.100 [about US$1.3]… even higher than petrol.” “

Article Source: IRIN

In an attempt to save the Earth, Australians have voted to ban bottled water. The following article is from the Huffington Post – Australia Bans Bottled Water.

“Sydney – Residents of a rural Australian town hoping to protect the earth and their wallets have voted to ban the sale of bottled water, the first community in the country _ and possibly the world _ to take such a drastic step in the growing backlash against the industry.

Residents of Bundanoon cheered after their near-unanimous approval of the measure at a town meeting Wednesday. It was the second blow to Australia’s beverage industry in one day: Hours earlier, the New South Wales state premier banned all state departments and agencies from buying bottled water, calling it a waste of money and natural resources.

“I have never seen 350 Australians in the same room all agreeing to something,” said Jon Dee, who helped spearhead the “Bundy on Tap” campaign in Bundanoon, a town of 2,500 about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Sydney. “It’s time for people to realize they’re being conned by the bottled water industry.”

First popularized in the 1980s as a convenient, healthy alternative to sugary drinks, bottled water today is often criticized as an environmental menace, with bottles cluttering landfills and requiring large amounts of energy to produce and transport.

Over the past few years, at least 60 cities in the United States and a handful of others in Canada and the United Kingdom have agreed to stop spending taxpayer dollars on bottled water, which is often consumed during city meetings, said Deborah Lapidus, organizer of Corporate Accountability International’s “Think Outside the Bottle” campaign in the U.S.

But the Boston-based nonprofit corporate watchdog has never heard of a community banning the sale of bottled water, she said.

“I think what this town is doing is taking it one step further and recognizing that there’s safe drinking water coming out of our taps,” she said.

Bundanoon’s battle against the bottle has been brewing for years, ever since a Sydney-based beverage company announced plans to build a water extraction plant in the town. Residents were furious over the prospect of an outsider taking their water, trucking it up to Sydney for processing and then selling it back to them. The town is still fighting the company’s proposal in court.

Then in March, Huw Kingston, who owns the town’s combination cafe and bike shop, had a thought: If the town was so against hosting a water bottling company, why not ban the end product?

To prevent lost profit in the 10-or-so town businesses that sell bottled water, Kingston suggested they instead sell reusable bottles for about the same price. Residents will be able to fill the bottles for free at public water fountains, or pay a small fee to fill them with filtered water kept in the stores.

The measure will not impose penalties on those who don’t comply when it goes into effect in September. Still, all the business owners voluntarily agreed to follow it, recognizing the financial and environmental drawbacks of bottled water, Kingston said.

On Wednesday, 356 people turned up for a vote _ the biggest turnout ever at a town meeting.

Only two people voted no. One said he was worried banning bottled water would encourage people to drink sugary drinks. The other was Geoff Parker, director of the Australasian Bottled Water Institute _ which represents the bottled water industry.

Australians spent 500 million Australian dollars ($390 million) on bottled water in 2008 _ a hefty sum for a country of just under 22 million people.

On Thursday, Parker blasted the ban as unfair, misguided and ineffective.

He said the bottled water industry is a leader in researching ways to minimize bottled beverage impact on the environment. Plus, he said, the ban removes consumer choice.

“To take away someone’s right to choose possibly the healthiest option in a shop fridge or a vending machine we think doesn’t embrace common sense,” he said.

But tap water is just as good as the stuff you find encased in plastic, said campaign organizer Dee, who also serves as director of the Australian environment group Do Something!

“We’re hoping it will act as a catalyst to people’s memories to remember the days when we did not have bottled water,” he said. “What is ‘Evian’ spelled backwards? ‘Naive.’” “

Original Post Source: Australians Ban Bottled Water 

The following article from BBC News digs into the recent events happening in Mumbai. Facing the worst water shortage n its history, Mumbai authorities have reduced the water supply by 30%.

“The cuts will affect supplies to hundreds of thousands of households as well as hospitals and hotels.

Most lakes that supply water to Indian cities are heavily dependent on monsoon rainfall which this year has been intermittent, officials say.

Mumbai is India’s most populated city and its commercial and film-making hub.

But now correspondents say its 20 million inhabitants face an acute water shortage for the first time in living memory.

The drought in Maharashtra in the west comes as half a million people have been stranded as rivers burst their banks due to flooding in the north-eastern state of Assam.

Alarming

If more rain does not arrive soon, the lakes which supply Mumbai will recede still further.

The BBC’s Prachi Pinglay in Mumbai says that rainfall figures are alarming compared with last year. In many areas of the state of Maharashtra and its capital, there has been only 25% of the rainfall received by this time last year.

Residents in several areas of Mumbai are now concerned about having to buy water from private water supply tankers as the five main lakes which supply the city now have levels between four to 10 metres lower than at this time last year.

The city corporation has urged citizens to save water and use it sparingly. They say one lake has enough water to last for the next three weeks, while two others have reserves for about two months.

Jayshree Ranade, a resident of Girgaum, south Mumbai, says that her household barely gets 45 minutes of water supply a day.

“We get water at about 4.45 am and it’s gone before 5.45 am. Earlier we used to get water for more than two hours,” she told the BBC.

“In my building all the families wake up at 4.30 am and everyone has to have a shower, wash clothes, utensils and fill up the water tank – all before 5.45 am. It’s a mad rush. Children wake up, get ready and go back to sleep.”

The authorities now say they are also considering seeding clouds to generate artificial rainfall.

The civic corporation has also reduced water supplies to swimming pools in five-star hotels and clubs.

Officials say that there are two ways to impose a water cut – one by reducing the number of hours of water supply and, second, to cut the supply at source.

India’s capital, Delhi, is also reeling from depleted water supplies, while many towns and villages across the country still have woefully inadequate safe drinking water facilities.

They depend largely on bore wells, which have seriously depleted the country’s water table.

The BBC’s Zubair Ahmed in Mumbai says farm produce is also likely to be badly affected if the full monsoon does not arrive soon.”

Article Source: Mumbai faces acute water shortage

3zru6s8ive

The following excerpt from an article written by Bill Graveland (The Canadian Press) touched base on some of Calgary’s companies that are looking for some opportunities outside of Canada for their technologies. This is exactly what one Calgary company has done developing projects in many areas of the world while providing Albertans with jobs in Alberta and abroad.

We all know that we are in the worst economic down turn in years, with oil patch workers taking a huge loss in respect to their jobs. However, there is great potential for the creation of new jobs within the environmental sector from Alberta based companies. Although the new technology contracts will be based out of different countries, the majority of the workers developing and implementing these technologies will be Alberta based. With the arrival of the Saudi Aramco official to Calgary, this could potentially open the door for many new jobs in Alberta. If more companies jump on board this could help alleviate some of the job loss issues we are currently facing and place Alberta as a global leader in environmental technologies.

“With a worldwide recession continuing to deepen and large multinational energy companies continuing to scale back, there might be “billions of dollars” in opportunities for Canadian businesses possessing environmental technology.An official with Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company by production and reserves, is spending the next few days in Calgary on a drive to recruit companies that might be willing to invest their environmental technology know-how in Saudi Arabia.

“In the environmental area — the recession will never hit especially in a country like Saudi Arabia where the environment is essential,” said Ramzi Hejazi, general supervisor for the state-run oil giant’s environmental engineering division.
“We need to ensure our water is clean and if there is any contamination we need to clean it. Water, oil and soil those are essential things so the government has made sure that the environment will play role number one,” he added.

Hejazi, who made a presentation to about 20 business leaders yesterday, said there are 11 refineries in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Aramco has more than 100 facilities that need constant supervision.”

To read the full article please visit: Saudi oil giant recruiting green Calgary firms