Making the Grade:

Does CA Really Deserve a C+ for Lead Testing in Schools?  

Lead testing was in the mainstream news yet again this month after a report gave California a “C+” for its policies to protect children from lead in drinking water at school. In fairness to California, it was one of the only states to receive a “passing” grade, as 22 of the 32 states analyzed received an “F” grade. If you’re a parent like me, however, you probably feel like a C+ report card is hardly worth celebrating—quite the opposite, in fact, if it concerns protecting my children’s health.

But what exactly did the report base its assessment on? According to the creators of the report, the Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund, “more than 400 schools in California have found lead in the water at concentrations of 5 parts per billion (ppb) or greater.” Despite the fact that the EPA Action Level (AL) for lead in drinking water is 15 ppb, the report argued that this AL is not low enough, citing pediatric recommendations of 1ppb. Other areas where California lost significant points included so-called “get the lead out” steps and testing protocols, though the state did receive some bonus points for its proactive removal of lead service lines system wide.

What may be a more apt assessment of our state’s protection of school children, however, is our progress with the lead policies currently in place. In January of 2017, the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water (DDW) announced its lead testing program... (read more)

Pulling Water Out of Thin Air:

Solution to the Global Water Crisis?

March 22nd marked World Water Day, an annual United Nations observance aimed at tackling the global water crisis. This year’s theme, “leaving no one behind,” focused specifically on U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 6: access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.

Is there really a global water crisis? Yes. California can certainly attest to it, along with over 40 countries currently experiencing increased water stress and risk of source depletion. According to the U.N., “by 2050, it is projected that at least one in four people will be affected by recurring water shortages.” To prevent one fourth of the world’s population from this horrific fate, the U.N. has identified the need to invest in water infrastructure, sanitation facilities, and proper hygiene education, as well as protect and restore water-related ecosystems. More developed countries have also identified the key role water technology and innovation must play in this global mission.

With the wide-spread scarcity of safe drinking water supplies, one might wish it were possible to pull water out of thin air—and that’s exactly what one company has done. (read more) 

Sustainability Spotlight:

Cities Leading the Way on Water Reuse

From the desert to the sea, California cities are tackling the problem of limited water supply with recycling and reuse solutions.

In San Diego County, the City of Oceanside will break ground this Fall on a new facility that will “purify recycled water to create a new, local source of high-quality drinking water that is clean, safe, drought-proof, and environmentally sound,” according to the City’s website. The facility, which will sit next to the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility, will use “state-of-the-art water purification steps that replicate and accelerate nature’s natural recycling processes” to generate between 3 and 5 million gallons of water per day, according to ABC 10 News . The City believes this move will be monumental in helping Oceanside control its own water destiny.

With similar intentions to control its own destiny, the mountainous City of Tehachapi in Kern County is... (read more) 

In Case You Missed It:

On Tap in CA: PFAS Liability & Regulation (read more)

CA Snowpack Packs a Punch (read more)

Who Suffers from a Shutdown? (read more)

The Future Looks Bright: SISTERS Visit Babcock Labs (read more)

Year in Review: Key Issues of 2018 (read more)

When the Smoke Clears: Aftereffects of Wildfires on Communities' Water Quality (read more)

Babcock Labs is a 2018 Top Workplace! (read more

Babcock Labs Now Women-Owned ESOP! (read more)

EPA Awards Babcock Labs UCMR 4 Small Systems Contract (read more)

Babcock Labs is
CA ELAP accredited
to perform all 14 analytes for
EPA Method 537 Rev 1.1

Please note that Babcock Labs strictly adheres to sample acceptance criteria, pursuant to Standard Methods and regulatory requirements.
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Industry Events

View our events calendar 
  

April
4/4-5 California Water Policy Conference - San Diego, CA
4/9-12 CWEA Annual Conference - Palm Springs, CA** Booth 925 May
5/7-10 ACWA Spring Conference - Monterey, CA