The Stream, June 27: Spanish Town Adopts Toilet-to-Tank Water Concept

Development
Spanish resort town Chiclana de la Frontera is piloting the first global plant to convert waste water to usable energy, Reuters reported. Named “All-gas”, the plant uses carbon dioxide to produce algae biomass, which by 2015 will to be able to power 200 cars for a year.

During a spending panel Wednesday, Baltimore residents objected to a pending water bill increase of nearly 42 percent over the next three years, postponing a vote on the measure until next week, the Baltimore Sun reported. The opposition will face off against the city’s Bureau of Water and Wastewater, which claims that the system has a “dire need of repair and reinvestment” and a rate “lower than other major cities along the East Coast.”

With the heaviest monsoon rains in 80 years, India and its neighbors are forced to seriously consider disaster response mechanisms, UN News Centre reported. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimates that 250 million people are impacted by floods annually, largely due to poor urban planning.

Water Contamination
The United States Environmental Protection Agency should increase beach regulations to stop polluted stormwater runoff from reaching the ocean, a recent report by the Natural Resources Defense Council recommends. The council urges the public to “demand effective standards,” citing that the EPA currently deems acceptable a gastrointestinal risk of 36 illnesses for every 1000 beachgoers.