Valley Voice Newspaper (original) (raw)

Water Safety Concerns � Estrogen in our Water?

By Carole Firstman

We use chemicals every day, and for a variety of reasons. We use chemicals to lighten our hair, whiten our teeth, stave off disease, combat the effects of middle age, and to de-stress. Chemicals in their many forms, from cosmetics to pharmaceuticals, are a big business commodities in modern America.

But how are these chemicals affecting our water supply? According to environmental studies, our increased use of such products is reflected in the nation�s wastewater, and this could have significant consequences on fresh water supplies. Surveys have revealed that several new classes of chemical contaminants are showing up in the flesh and organs of fish that live near wastewater treatment plants.

Are hormones and prescription drugs contaminating our drinking water supply? That is the very question at hand in several environmental studies currently ongoing.

Down the Drain

Many of these chemicals are washed down our drains and toilets, and much of that is coming from the urine of pharmaceutical users. From there, many compounds are passing through wastewater treatment plants and into rivers, lakes and aquifers, many of which serve as public drinking sources.

While treatment plants are equipped to remove most solid waste and many chemicals before wastewater is released into surface water, they are not equipped to remove them all.

Among the contaminants that are not easily removed are antibiotics, antidepressants, and estrogen replacement drugs.

A Sip of Estrogen, Anyone?

More than eight million women in the United States take estrogen replacement drugs to treat the symptoms of menopause and osteoporosis. Synthetic estrogen is a common ingredient in oral contraceptives.

So what happens when estrogen is consumed, flushed down the toilet as urine, and then not filtered out in the wastewater treatment facility? As wastewater becomes "usable" again, as it seeps into the ground and is eventually assimilated into groundwater, this useable water may have significant levels of estrogen (and a variety of other chemicals).

It is feared that estrogen contaminated water is causing deformalities within the reproductive systems of fish. Studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and UC Davis show a strong correlation between internal estrogen levels of male fish and the amount of estrogen found in water habitats.

Estrogen Studies

Startling new information was presented in May of 2004 at the Northern California Regional Center of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Annual Meeting in Davis. Evidence has shown that estrogen is indeed slipping through our current water treatment plants. The result is that estrogen is making its way into the underground waterways.

Scientists Robert Holmes of the Sacramento River Watershed Unit and Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board and Dr. Victor de Vlaming of UC Davis Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory are involved in studies that target estrogen in water supplies. These California-based organizations are currently collaborating with the US EPA to look into the ramifications this may have for California. There are some concerns about wastewater that is being recycled back into the environment, particularly in desert areas, where there is a greater chance of it mixing with water that could be used for drinking.

As the estrogen issue draws the attention of scientists and environmental specialists up and down the western coast, and there are differing degrees of concern. In a report released by the Seattle Post-Intelligence, Kaitlin Lovell, a salmon-policy coordinator for Trout Unlimited in Portland, Oregon states, "It is disturbing in the extreme." The report concludes that man-made compounds are indeed showing up in waterways -- pumped into rivers, lakes and Puget Sound with water from sewage-treatment plants. How the areas' struggling salmon populations are being affected is under question.

An official with Washington's King County, on the other hand, said there is little cause for concern about human risks.

Studies at UC Davis, however, show that increased estrogen has had an effect on surrounding fish life. Fish populations are showing significant statistical changes, with male fish undergoing biological changes -- essentially becoming "feminized,� thus hindering normal reproduction.

Long term exposure to estrogenized water has shown several effects on rainbow trout and fathead minnow populations, including lower sperm production in resulting offspring and perhaps overall body weight and size.

This information poses many questions. How much estrogen is leaking into our drinking water supply? If estrogen has a feminizing effect on fish, what the about humans who consume either the fish or the drinking water? How much estrogen are we inadvertently consuming?

As Lovell reported on the Portland situation, "If anything, these problems are only going to get worse before they get better.�

Dogs, Students Work Well Together

By Miles Shuper

Woodlake - With barely one year under its collar, a unique program at a 100-year-old schoolhouse in Woodlake has lots of people sitting up and taking notice.

With the new school year fast approaching, the Woodlake Union High School District and the Assistance Service Dog Educational Center have high hopes based on a extremely successful first year.

For Gerald and Donna Whittaker, it has been a labor of love. The labor has been continuous and supported by a groundswell of volunteer help, contributions and public exposure. The love is evident in many ways.

From the beginning, the purpose of the center has been two-fold: the training of dogs to assist persons suffering from various disabilities to a learning experience for high school students most of who are in continuation or court-ordered schools.

Other school districts are looking at the pilot program in Woodlake as a possible course of study for alternative school students.

As the program enters its second year, the dogs have learned nearly all the required 90 commands and assignments required for certification and the students have performed well above expectations.

Nine students started the program and each was assigned with his or her dog. The students, who are bused to the remodeled St. Johns School just outside Woodlake, spend the first two periods of their school day there grooming, caring for and training their animals. Donna Whittaker, who achieved her assistance dog trainer certification during an intensive course in Northern California last summer, supervises the training.

Although the concept of service dogs is not new, there is a severe shortage with a several year waiting list of disabled persons waiting for certified dogs. The Woodlake Center is a non-profit organization with a board of directors. Long-term plans call for expansions to other sites.

Although the cost of a trainer and certified service dog is in the thousands of dollars, some funding is available to the disabled. The Whittakers, both retired and active in community support, hope to eventually pass the center to others dedicated to the program.

Steve Katz, a school district counselor is the teacher of record, allowing the students to earn credits.

His report at the end of the school year is testimony to the success the program has had with the students, several of whom returned to regular Woodlake High School classes. His report cites the fact that participating students have: improved school attendance, increased self esteem, decreased referrals for behavioral problems and increased the grade point average scores. In one semester, students brought their grades up to Bs and Cs. That�s a substantial climb from the Ds and Fs some were getting.

Dr. Steve Tietjen, Woodlake Schools Superintendent, admits to be taken aback by the success of the students. �To see them motivated to be at class and to see the degree of confidence and self esteem is just fantastic,� he said.

He also was greatly impressed with how the students cared for their assigned dogs, performing daily grooming, including brushing the animals� teeth. �The bonding between the teens and the dogs also is something which is impressive,� Tietjen said.

Following the grooming the students put their charges through their paces. Each animal must master 90 commands, on which their eventual owners will depend. Those commands include such things as turning light switches off and on, remove clothing from the dryer, open cupboards, removing gloves and socks, bringing in the newspaper and bringing a bottle from the refrigerator.

One of the last tasks the dogs must master is the ability to pull a wheel chair, a job which isn�t taught until the dog is old enough and has acquired the required strength.

But the training deals with much more than teaching dogs skills, grooming them and results in perhaps the most impressive reward. That�s the part of the training which includes dog and people sociology and psychology, awareness of disabilities, anger management and �learning how to learn.�

erald, who retired from the U.S. Corp of Engineers where he was assigned for many years as the dam tender at Kaweah Lake, admits to getting teary eyed when he sees students displaying their newly acquired self esteem. He has a list of numerous instances where once shy and withdrawn students have �blossomed� when faced with unfamiliar circumstances. He likes to tell about this year�s Woodlake Lions Woodlake Rodeo parade, an annual event which nearly all the participating students had not attended, let alone been a part off. They and their dogs rode on a float and were well received by the large crowd which gathers for the Mother�s Day weekend event.

Or when a television crew filmed a story on the center and a rather shy student expressed a desire to be interviewed but admitted he didn�t think he had the courage to speak to the camera.

�He did an outstanding job,� Whittaker said, adding that when being given a ride home, the student got out of the vehicle at his home, shook Gerald�s hand, hesitated a few seconds �and leaned in and gave me a hug.�

�Something like that just makes all the time and effort of this project so rewarding,�

The Whittakers, who lease the old school for $1 a year, have spent thousands of hours but have been overwhelmed with the amount of help received from individuals. businesses and organizations, including the Visalia Rotary Foundation which helped fund the initial purchase of dogs with a grant. The Food Depot and Nutro dog food donates a pallet of dog food per month, amounting to thousands of dollars. The center has received help form the Tulare County Sheriff�s Department inmate labor program as well as donations of funds, building materials, equipment, tools and other means of support.

Speaking to groups and orgaizations has had a snowball effect on the center, keeping the Whittakers, the students and the dogs on a fast track. Although not required, most all the students have logged considerable time giving talks and demonstrations outside regular school hours.

In the past couple of months the students and their dogs had been to the movies, malls, restaurants, and numerous other public places.

Service dogs are exempt from restrictions of animals in public places. Wherever they go, they draw attention, a factor which provides important training.

The 2003-2004 Tulare County Grand Jury visited the center to study ldfy program�s potential program for other schools.

In its final report, the Grand Jury noted that the committee members who visited the center �were impressed with the program and the enthusiasm of the students, and with the commitment of the Center�s founders. These visionaries saw a need; animals to become the eyes and ears and, often, the lifeline of a disabled person. This need is being accomplished with the assistance, dedication and talent of these young people.�

Smart Growth for Visalia

By Carole Firstman

Visalia - It�s no secret that the City of Visalia is looking to improve and expand Visalia�s east downtown area. Planning sessions have been open to the public, and last month the Visalia City Council and Planning Commission members heard suggestions on ways to improve and develop an area that has been largely an industrial district until now. Consultant Bruce Race outlined the public workshop results at the July 19 City Council meeting.

According to the workshop results, it seems that a large group of proactive Visalians have specific goals they�d like to accomplish over the next 20 years:

�Transform Mill Creek into a park that connects downtown Visalia to a future civic center.

�The creek could acquire running water year round, or be transformed into pedestrian or bike paths.

�Turning East Main Street into a mixed-use zone with street-level retail shops and residential housing.

Smart Growth Principles

The terms that keep cropping up at City Council meetings, Planning Commission meetings, and public workshops are things like "walkable neighborhoods, public space and parks, mixed-use, connectedness, urban growth boundaries, historic preservation, circulation patterns, land use, redevelopment, financial feasability, and public amenities," among others.

Visalia is not alone in thinking of our city�s development in this way, and these concepts are not new. In communities across the nation, there is a growing concern that current development patterns � dominated by what some call "sprawl" � are no longer in the long-term interest of our cities, existing suburbs, small towns, rural communities or wilderness areas. Though supportive of growth, communities are questioning the economic costs of abandoning infrastructure in the city, only to rebuild it further out. Spurring the smart growth movements are demographic shifts, a strong environmental ethic, increased fiscal concerns, and more nuanced views of growth. The result is both a new demand and a new opportunity for smart growth.

Many of these growth principles are summed up and analyzed in the book, Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck. The authors are among America�s most noted and celebrated town planners, and they have been proposing an alternative model for community design for a number of years.

According to these experts, it seems there is a growing movement in North America to temper a suburban sprawl and to replace the automobile-based settlement patterns of the past fifty years with a return to more traditional, pedestrian-oriented planning principles. Enthusiasts feel that the sprawl is ultimately ecologically and economically unsustainable, and that the victims of the sprawl get trapped by the resulting environment: children, dependent on parental transportation if they wish to venture beyond the all-inclusive cul-de-sac; the elderly, stranded at home once they are no longer able to drive; the creative class, unable to relate to strip mall developments devoid of authentic cultural opportunities.

Collaborative Planning with VUSD

There is evidence that Visalians are taking a critical look at the future of our own area. At a joint meeting with Visalia City Council and Visalia Unified School District trustees on July 26, public discussions of long range planning included the development of housing, schools, and parks. Finding optimal spots for new schools was of major concern.

"We want kids to be able to walk to school," said Council Member Greg Kirkpatrick. "We don�t want kids to have to walk across an arterial to get to school."

Visalia Unified School District Superintendent Stan Carrizosa said the district includes city planners on its own property and school facilities committees, which increases communication between city and school district planners. "There�s a positive cause and effect relationship," Carrizosa said. "This is efficient in terms of not only cost, but also community development."

"We have come a long way," said City Manager Steve Salomon. He said that the city and school district are now ahead of the curve on planning for new schools, which hasn�t always been the case before. "We are no longer catching up to the past, but planning for the future."

Is Everybody on Board?

While the past workshops, city council meetings and public discussions show evidence of smart growth enthusiasm, there are still indicators of reluctance or apathy. At the Council meeting of July 20, for example, following a lengthy presentation by Race regarding east downtown Visalia and the implications of smart growth, one of the subsequent agenda items of the evening was an annexation proposal for an 80-acre residential development located east of McAuliff Street, on the north and south sides of Highway 198.

The proposed development follows none of the smart growth policies championed earlier in the evening by each of the council members. While mayor Bob Link and Council Member Kirkpatrick raised questions regarding the amenities the development would offer, the answers offered by city staff members made it clear that this development is what Visalia is used to, rather than what public workshops indicate Visalia wants.

The 80-acre development has only one small pocket park; streets are cul-de-sac in nature, meaning that most people will opt to drive to the park rather than walk. The nearest commercial development is Mary�s Vineyard, which is not within walking distance.

The questions posed that night included terms such as "connectivity, park space, walkable, commercial amenities." The annexation was approved by the Council, 3 to 2, despite concerns regarding the project�s apparent smart growth shortfalls.

Affordable Living Project Proposed

Visalia - Visalia�s Community Redevelopment Agency will hold a meeting on Tuesday September 7th to discuss the Mill Creek Parkway Town Housing Project.

The purpose of the meeting is to allow the Board to review, discuss, and possibly act on a request from Kaweah Management Company to authorize the development of an affordable living housing project.

The agency plans to purchase approximately 70 covenants at a site near Lovers Lane and Mill Creek Parkway, which is already zoned for multifamily housing, utilizing about $30 million of its Low and Moderate-Income Housing Fund. The fund is required by statute to be used for the purposes of increasing, improving, and preserving the community�s supply of low and moderate income housing.

Some members of the surrounding area are concerned about the proposed apartment project, while others are supportive.

Resident Mike Lane says he will encourage Visalia City Council to move ahead on the project. "The townhouse design is attractive and will blend in with the surrounding neighborhoods," he says. "Families earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income will qualify to live in the units and the rents are nearly market-rate."

Lane says that according to the State Department of Housing and Community Development, the City�s Housing Element, which is part of the General Plan, is out of compliance because it fails to meet the housing needs of low and moderate income families. He also believes that as quality senior housing for Visalia has been made available, Visalians also deserve support for units that will not be age-restricted.

"The bottom line is that this is a good development that will help meet the housing needs of working families, contribute to concentric growth and maintain high standards for aesthetic appeal," he says. "It is both the rational and moral thing to do.�

World War II Mural Put on Hold

Visalia - The Visalia City Council voted 4-1 to postpone discussion of a proposed WWII memorial mural until September. Several community members participated in a public debate at the August 2 City Council Meeting, held at El Diamante High School.

The mural is being proposed by the Visalia Veterans Day Committee. Members of the committee say they were surprised by the concerns voiced, but are willing to work with the Visalia Mural Panel to revise the design.

The Visalia Mural Panel recommended that the Council not accept the mural as proposed, as it does not comply with guidelines recently adopted by the Visalia City Council. If eventually approved, this will be the third war memorial mural for Visalia.

The Visalia Veterans Day Committee had the 2002 Korean Veterans Mural at Main Street and Willis painted, as well as the 2003 Vietnam Veteran�s Mural at the Visalia Convention Center.

The proposed WWII mural would cover the west wall of Buckman-Mitchell Insurance building on Main Street. It will be approximately 20 feet high and 72 feet wide. It will be a montage of images, representing the onset of the war with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the end of the war with the bombing of Japan, with numerous significant events pictured in between the two.

Artist Glen Hill, who works from The Rocks studio on Main Street, was chosen by the veteran�s group from a group of five juried artists. Hill has been researching the topic and working closely with the group to come up with the proposed design. A row of uniformed soldiers lines the top of the sketch, with a tank, planes, and battleships mixed among the other images. Hill says that the images all come from historical reference material, and he has been careful to be accurate in his renditions.

"There are no guns blazing," he says, but rather military arsenals mixed among the faces of everyday people. Hill describes one of the scenes, a mother in tears, greeting her returning son at a homecoming.

"We want to represent all branches of the time," says committee co-chair Bob McNabb. He says the design includes men, women, and people of all ethnic backgrounds.

At the city�s request, a mural panel was formed earlier this year, with the purpose of developing guidelines for groups or individuals wishing to install murals in public places. "The City of Visalia understands the importance of art in public places and the role that murals play in preserving the culture and conveying the history of our community," the resulting guideline document states.

According to the new policies, Visalia murals are to represent the history, geography, flora, fauna, culture or heritage of Visalia or Tulare County.

Although the panel says it recognizes the significance of the proposed subject matter and the importance of honoring the brave men and women who fought in WWII, the panel has concerns regarding the mural�s content.

"It is important to honor the sacrifices our armed forces have made for the sake of freedom," says artist and panel member Thora Guthrie. "But Visalia already has two murals that memorialize foreign wars. Murals and other public art can bring a great deal to a community � local pride, economic growth, and increased tourism � especially if the art reflects the nature, culture and history of the area."

The panel�s recommendation to the Council stated that the mural design should be revised to reflect a more local theme, depicting images that are unique to Visalia or Tulare County.

Members of the public also voiced concerns at the Council meeting, stating that the proposed montage of images conveys a mood that glorifies war. Rather than depicting images of destruction and violence, some said that it would be more appropriate to focus on positive aspects, such as homecomings or humanitarian connections.

Hill says he is already at work to include design elements that will give the mural more specific connections to the people of Tulare County. "Visalian Alejandro R. Ruiz is a metal of honor recipient," Hill says, and he is planning to include Ruiz in the design.

Hill is also conducting research to include a scene of Sequoia Field, which was located where the Visalia airport is now.

"I've put out a call to locals, relatives and friends, asking for their photos." Hill says he welcomes input from the community.