July, 2021
Hello,
We have curated several informative and entertaining news stories from the stormwater industry, as well as a few other items of interest. We appreciate you taking the time to read our ezine and hope that you find this stormwater related information as interesting and informative as we do.
Until next month, please work safe and stay well.
Sincerely,
The Construction EcoServices Staff
STORMWATER NEWS
AP Interview: EPA Water Chief on Clean Water Protections
apnews.com
To finally determine a lasting definition of waterways that qualify for federal protection under the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency’s new water director says everyone with a stake in the issue will need to be engaged. Radhika Fox recently spoke to The Associated Press about the Biden administration’s plan to rewrite the regulation, also called Waters of the United States. The contentious rule was scaled back by the Trump administration after being expanded under President Barack Obama.
Global Supply Chain Delays and Rising Shipping Prices
wsj.com
The average price world-wide to ship a 40-foot container overseas reached $8,795.77 as of July 8, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants, which is up 333% from a year earlier. Once that container comes off the ship, there are additional shipping costs, and they, too, are rising. In June, prices for transporting goods by truck were up 15% from a year earlier, according to the Labor Department, while prices at freight forwarders, customs brokers and other businesses that arrange freight and cargo for transportation were up 58%.
Bad Weather – Another Concern For A Stressed Global Supply Chain
forbes.com
Global supply chains are stressed right now with an increased demand for goods, Covid-related labor shortages, and a scarcity of raw materials to name a few among many factors. All of this is placing a significant demand on supply chains, impacting both international shipping and domestic transportation systems. Starting with bottlenecks at international shipping terminals, the issues reverberate through the supply chain, all the way down to warehouses and distribution centers. Given these overwhelmed systems, any extreme weather event—or even a weather anomaly—could have significant impact further contributing to supply chain congestion.
High-Tide Flood Risk is Accelerating, Putting Coastal Economies at Risk
myjournalcourier.com
As sea level rises, it can be easy to miss the subtlety of higher water. It’s much harder to overlook saltwater more frequently flooding streets, impeding daily life and making existing problems worse. The frequency of high-tide flooding along the U.S. coasts has doubled since 2000, and it’s expected to increase five to 15 times more in the next 30 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warns in a new report released July 14, 2021.
Harris County Turns to Toll Road Money to Help Mitigate Flooding
abc13.com
The next time you pay a toll in Harris County, you could be helping out residents during severe floods. Last month, Harris County leaders approved allocating millions of toll road money to help with more than 160 flood mitigation projects across the county.
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PAST ISSUES
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SHOCKING STATS
- When averaged over all of the world’s oceans, absolute sea level has risen at an average rate of 0.06 inches per year from 1880 to 2013. Since 1993, however, average sea level has risen at a rate of 0.12 to 0.14 inches per year—roughly twice as fast as the long-term trend.
- The most damage ever caused by a thunderstorm was in 1995, when hailstones bigger than cricket balls fell in Texas, USA.
- Despite a late-year La Niña event that cooled a wide swath of the tropical Pacific Ocean, 2020 came just 0.04˚ Fahrenheit (0.02˚Celsius) shy of tying 2016 for warmest year on record.
- Earth’s temperature has risen by 0.14° F (0.08° C) per decade since 1880, and the rate of warming over the past 40 years is more than twice that: 0.32° F (0.18° C) per decade since 1981.
- The 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2005.
- 785 million people lack access to clean water. That’s one in 10 people on the plane
EVENTS
2021 EPA Region 6 Stormwater Conference – Weathering the Storm: Resiliency & Protection Through Design
August 8-12
EPA Region 6, in partnership with, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, the City of New Orleans, the State of Louisiana Jefferson Parish, and the Sewage & Water Board of New Orleans, are hosting the 23rd Annual EPA Region 6 Stormwater Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. This conference enables knowledge sharing, education and discussion on Municipal, Construction & Industrial Stormwater Management, Watershed Protection Planning & Implementation, and Advancing Resiliency in Water Infrastructure, Special Water Programs, and other innovative stormwater management topics.
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