The following is a transcript of the Feb. 15, 2016 edition of the WaterWorld Weekly Newscast.
Hi, I'm Angela Godwin for WaterWorld magazine, bringing you water and wastewater news headlines for the week of February 15.
Coming up...
President's budget request includes cuts to SRF program
Flint mayor releases plan to replace lead pipes
Ex-Freedom Industries owner sentenced, fined
Water innovators compete for major UK prize
[story1]
Last week, President Obama released his 2017 $4.15 trillion budget request.
With regard to water, the budget focuses on two major priority areas: boosting water sustainability through water-efficiency and water-reuse; and promoting and investing in breakthrough research and development of water technologies.
To the disappointment of many in the water and wastewater sector, the budget includes a $257 million cut to the overall funding for State Revolving Funds for clean water and drinking water.
The budget requests just over $1 billion for the drinking water SRF -- up from $863 million in 2016; and $979.5 million for the clean water SRF -- down from $1.3 billion in 2016.
[story2]
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver has outlined an estimated $55 million public works project that aims to remove and replace Flint’s residential lead service lines as quickly as possible, with first priority given to high-risk households.
Mayor Weaver said her Fast Start plan will require extensive coordination between city, state and federal officials, as well as funding from the Michigan Legislature, the U.S. Congress, or both.
A preliminary project scope developed by the Lansing Board of Water & Light indicates that up to 15,000 lead pipes could be removed in one year under optimal conditions.
The Fast Start team is working on a detailed timeline for the project but has not yet determined when field work will start.
[story3]
Dennis Farrell, a former executive of Freedom Industries, will spend 30 days in jail and pay a $20,000 fine for his involvement in the January 2014 chemical spill that tainted the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians.
Four other former company officials have been sentenced to probation and ordered to pay fines.
Freedom Industries filed for bankruptcy eight days after the spill and has been fined $900,000.
The company's former president, Gary Southern, is scheduled to be sentenced this week.
[story4]
A new competition funded by Britain's Department for International Development is offering $1.8 million in prize money for innovative financing ideas to reduce water loss from leaky pipes, theft, or faulty meters in developing countries.
The competition, called Dreampipe, looks to incentivize solutions to the issue of non-revenue water across the developing world.
IMC Worldwide, the manager of the competition, said reducing non-revenue water losses lowers costs, increases revenue, supports more equitable distribution of water, and helps to conserve precious water resources.
Chris Shugart, the prize's manager, said the prize "will stimulate thinking on how to increase the provision of needed financing."
For more information about the competition, visit dreampipe.org.
[OUTRO]
For WaterWorld magazine, I'm Angela Godwin. Thanks for watching.
