Latest news with #waterban
CTV News
7 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Fire danger and water use limits in effect across the Township of Springwater
Due to the extended period of hot and dry weather, the Township of Springwater has issued a temporary fire and water ban. The ban is effective immediately and will remain in place until further notice is provided by the town. In order to make sure there is enough water for unexpected emergencies, town officials ask all residents to avoid doing the following during this time: Do not: fill up swimming pools, water existing lawns, water trees, shrubs, flowers and gardens, wash vehicles, use water toys, waterslides and water sprinklers, wash paved driveways, wash siding and windows and water new lawns. According to Springwater, failure to comply with the current water ban will result in a minimum fine of $150, enforced by municipal law enforcement, as per the Water Restrictions By-law 2009-042. All outdoor burning is also prohibited during the time, all fire permits are void until the ban is lifted. This also includes the use of fireworks within the township. Anyone caught in contravention of the fire ban will be fined a minimum of $700, as outlined in By-law 2019-068, schedule C.
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Farmers are banned from watering their crops during Britain's sweltering heatwave as temperatures hit 33C
Farmers have been banned from watering their crops during Britain's sweltering heatwave as temperatures hit 33C. East Anglian growers have been slapped with the 'abstraction ban' until further notice - even though no other kinds of water usage in the area have been forbidden. It comes as parts of Britain sizzle in 30C heat again today, after a searing 33C was recorded yesterday, in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. This year's red-hot summer has already seen reservoirs across England run dry, hitting their lowest levels in a decade. Meanwhile, hosepipe bans were implemented this week for around six million householders across Yorkshire and the South East. But while a week's notice was given for these bans, East Anglian farmers saw crop irrigation forbidden by the Environment Agency (EA) without any warning at all. They have erupted into fury, fearing the move poses a serious risk to food security - especially as East Anglia is one of the country's major farming regions. Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), blasted the ban's implementation 'with no prior engagement', The Telegraph reports. 'It seems ridiculous', he added, when no drought or hosepipe ban is otherwise in place. Some 240 farmers in the Ely Ouse catchment, which stretches across parts of Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, were hit by the ban unawares on July 3. This Environment Agency management zone includes the cities of Cambridge and Ely, as well as market towns Saffron Walden, Bury St Edmund's and Newmarket. The government department's own website notes the area contains 'high-grade agricultural land' and is 'predominantly rural'. It has said it will review the indefinite ban on a daily basis. Tim Young, who owns the 182-hectare Grange Farm near the market town of Thetford, Norfolk, said the ban is a 'huge knock' to profitability and food production. It is especially galling, he added, while 'gardens and grass keep getting water to look nice'. He had expected the ban might only be applied four nights a week - so was shocked to discover irrigation had been completely forbidden. 'Normally, the EA works with farmers and the NFU to give some heads-up. This came out of the blue', he said. Mr Young said he was especially worried about the onions he grows - which easily wilt, rot and decay without regular irritation to beat the fusarium fungal disease. The farmer, who also grows sugar beet, wheat and rye, was devastated at the thought of losing one of the best crops he has ever grown. NFU vice-president Rachel Hallos called for more flexible abstraction rules - and support for farmers in managing increasingly extreme weather, for the sake of preserving food supply. The EA imposes abstraction bans, also known as Section 57 restrictions, when severe drought coincides with irrigation windows. Abstraction is the process of taking water from the environment, such as rivers, streams or springs, for use in agriculture, industry or the home. Section 57 was heavily used in the nineties in the east of England and again during the severe droughts of 2006 - but has rarely been invoked in the last decade. Farmers are rarely prosecuted for breaking the orders - but in 2020, one farm in Cambridgeshire had to pay £8,000 for abstracting water to irrigate potatoes. The breach by Dennis (Haddenham) Limited, based out of Willow Farm Hall, near Ely, came during the ban implemented amid months of dry weather in 2018. The firm then broke restrictions again less than a year later, despite already being under investigation. While breaking abstraction bans can see farmers hit with huge fines, most water companies have never prosecuted customers for breaching hosepipe bans. They can, in theory, be prosecuted and ordered to pay up to £1,000. But most firms rely on homeowners' fear they will be reported by a neighbour, as well as awareness-raising about reducing water usage generally. Growers are allowed to abstract with an EA licence - but breaching its terms can also lead to fines, as one Norfolk farmer saw last year. Brian Rutterford, 77, whose farm is in the village of Hockwold-cum-Wilton, had pay £4,300 after pleading guilty to abstracting three times more water than he was licensed to. It came during the record high summer temperatures of 2022, when East Anglia was in an official drought and many local water sources had run dry. His actions, the EA said, had affected the local community's water supply. The abstraction bans in East Anglia come as Yorkshire Water introduced hosepipe bans this week after the area saw its driest spring in a whopping 132 years. More than a million customers in Kent and Sussex have also been slapped with a hosepipe ban, announced by South East Water on Friday. Thames Water revealed on Thursday is would impose restrictions after 'ongoing dry weather and increased customer demand' unless the situation 'changes significantly'. Customers were urged by the company to use water sparingly given the region it serves has seen just half of its expected rainfall over the last three months. The EA has declared a state of 'prolonged dry weather' in large parts of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey - meaning a heightened risk of drought. Daily demand in Swindon and Oxfordshire peaked during the UK's last heatwave on June 30 at a level not seen since in the 2022 drought, Thames Water said. People are being encouraged to take shorter showers, turn the tap off while brushing teeth and letting their lawn go dry to help reduce big increases in demand. Bosses also warned that the extended warm weather was bringing 'increased risks of leaks and bursts due to pipe stress and shifting foundations in the ground'. Water companies are often hesitant to put hosepipe bans in place, fearing tanking customer satisfaction ratings. But it comes as the latest figures show reservoirs nationwide were only 76 per cent full in June. This is even lower than in the raging hot summer of 2022, when they were at 77 per cent at the same time of year. The mercury hitting such high levels and thus driving up water use, plus a dry spring and summer, are primarily behind the dramatic decline in reservoir levels. Proposals to build nine more reservoirs by 2050 were announced by the government and water companies last year. None have been completed in England since 1992 - just after the privatisation of the water sector. The hot weather has shown no sign of stopping this weekend, with Scotland yesterday recording its warmest day of the year, as Aviemore in the Highlands hit 32C. The hot weather has shown no sign of stopping this weekend, with Scotland yesterday recording its warmest day of the year, as Aviemore (pictured) in the Highlands hit 32C Meanwhile, areas like Belfast in Northern Ireland were as hot as they had been in almost three years. By this afternoon, temperatures in cities like London, Birmingham and Manchester look set to smash the 30C mark again as the relentless heat continues. Amber health alerts are in place for the Midlands and the south and east of England until 9am on Monday. They warn of a potential rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. The risk of wildfires in London is also currently rated at 'severe' by the Natural Hazards Partnership. Fire chiefs have warned of the increased risk of drowning as people try to cool off in water. And National Rail has also warned train passengers that the hot weather may continue to cause disruption today. On top of the amber alerts, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has yellow warnings in place until Monday for the north east, north west and Yorkshire and Humber. A spokesperson for Water UK said: 'Water companies do everything possible to avoid restrictions on customers, including by moving water around their region and surging activity on leakage. 'However, when government-mandated trigger levels are reached, then unfortunately, a temporary use ban needs to be imposed.' A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 'Rapid population growth, crumbling infrastructure and a warming climate mean that without urgent action, Britain could run out of drinking water. 'We have taken swift and decisive action to secure £104billion of private sector investment to build nine reservoirs and new pipes to cut leaks.' A Thames Water spokesman said: 'The ongoing dry weather and increased customer demand is impacting our water supplies across the Thames Valley. 'Unless the situation changes significantly, we will need to put usage restrictions, including a hosepipe ban, in place to ensure taps keep running for customers' essential use.'
CBS News
27-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Outdoor water ban in effect in Bridgewater, Massachusetts due to drought
After an intense heat wave earlier this week, officials from the Bridgewater water department have issued a full water ban on outdoor usage. "We are looking for cooperation. We don't want to interfere with people's lifestyle," said Azu Etoniru, the director of the town's Department of Public Works. "But it's just that we have an obligation." Right now, signs are in place informing residents of mandatory water restrictions. "We're asking them to hold off on the watering of their lawns, filling your pools and all the excessive use outdoors," Etoniru said. The ban is effective immediately and while one resident told WBZ, "It's bad for the lawns and people who have gardens," another added, "It's more important to preserve the water for what we need it for." According to Etoniru, it's being enforced because of a drought. "So, when we have high demand and high withdrawal and we can only pull so much out of the ground, it creates a problem," he said. Below average rain in June And while some may wonder how that's possible, with what seems like endless rain lately, "A friend of mine once told me years ago that 'One sunny day doesn't make a summer,'" Etoniru said. June has actually seen below average rain and Etoniru says it is drought conditions over the past year that have affected the town's groundwater and well levels. "So, we have had some good rain, but that hasn't been enough to build back our aquifer levels to the safe yield that we need," he said. Without safe water levels, residents worry the fire department won't have enough water in the hydrants. "And until we get to the point where we can safely meet that maximum demand, we hope and pray that people will understand," Etoniru said. To ensure that residents are abiding by the ban, officials from the water department will be periodically patrolling the area. Those in violation of the ban may receive a fine starting at $50.
Reuters
15-05-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Florida bans fluoride in public water systems, part of conservative push
May 15 (Reuters) - Florida became the second state to ban fluoride in its water supply on Thursday, as use of the mineral used to strengthen teeth increasingly comes under attack from Republicans. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill banning fluoride, saying at a signing event that "forcing it into the water supply is basically forced medication on people." The ban takes effect on July 1. Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in water, soil and air that has been demonstrated to prevent dental cavities and tooth decay. For decades, it has been added to community water supplies and dental products such as toothpaste. DeSantis, a Republican, was one of the most outspoken political leaders who pushed back against public health mandates during the pandemic, when he opposed forced masking, school closures and pressuring people to get the COVID vaccine. "Some of these people, they think that they know better for you than you do for yourself," DeSantis said just before signing the bill. "They think because they have medical training ... that they should just be able to decree how we live our lives. That proved disastrous during COVID." Utah, also led by a Republican governor, became in March the first U.S. state to ban fluoride in public water systems, a law that took effect this month. At the federal level, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said this week it was starting a process to remove fluoride supplements for children from the market. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has opposed adding the mineral to tap water. Kennedy and others opposed to the use of fluoride in water say it is associated with numerous health issues, including certain cancers and lower cognitive ability among children. The American Cancer Society on its website says the general consensus among scientific reviews examining possible links between fluoride and cancer shows no strong evidence connecting the two. However, the society says more studies are needed. About 63% of all Americans have fluoride in their community water systems, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, opens new tab as of 2022, the most recent data available. The American Dental Association strongly opposes the push to ban fluoride from water and in supplements, saying it greatly benefits dental health and has not conclusively been shown to have harmful effects. "More than ever, at this critical time in American health care policy, it is vital that we slow down to properly study the full implications of actions like this on the health of the nation," Brett Kessler, president of the association, wrote earlier this week in response to the FDA targeting ingestible fluoride supplements.
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Florida becomes second state to ban fluoride in tap water under DeSantis-backed law
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure Thursday prohibiting local governments from adding fluoride to their water systems, making it the second state in the country after Utah to implement a statewide ban on the mineral. DeSantis signed the bill at a public event in Dade City, northeast of Tampa, over the concerns of dentists and public health advocates. "We have other ways where people can get access to fluoride," DeSantis said at a public event earlier this month. "When you do this in the water supply, you're taking away a choice of someone who may not want to have overexposure to fluoride." Miami-Dade also moves to ban fluoride State lawmakers approved the bill last month, requiring the mineral and some other additives be removed from water sources across the state. Utah was the first state to ban fluoride in late March, and its prohibition went into effect last week, while Florida's provision is effective July 1. Some local governments in Florida have already voted to remove fluoride from their water, ahead of the statewide ban. Earlier this month, Miami-Dade County commissioners voted to override a veto by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and move forward with plans to remove fluoride from the county's drinking water. "Water fluoridation is a safe, effective, and efficient way to maintain dental health in our county – and halting it could have long-lasting health consequences, especially for our most vulnerable families," Levine Cava said in a statement defending her veto. Fluoride ban controversy Some Republican-led states have sought to impose bans following a push by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop fluoridating water. Earlier this month, DeSantis pledged to sign the bill and was flanked by the state's surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, who has attracted national scrutiny over his opposition to policies embraced by public health experts, including COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Fluoride is a mineral that has been added to drinking water for generations to strengthen teeth and reduce cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century. Excess fluoride intake has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth. And studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain development.
