Morning Jo(k)e
Two muffins are in an oven. One says "Jeez, it's getting hot in here", and the other says "Oh my god, a talking muffin!"
Greening Pastures
The Mahoning River extends over 113 miles throughout the Northeastern corner of Ohio and slightly into Pennsylvania. Historically, the communities along the river relied on the steel industry until the 1970’s when steel began to decline. The steel mills, combined with byproducts from the local municipalities (sewer overflows, wastewater, etc.), dumped heavy metals and other harmful chemicals into the river, pushing the river’s ecosystem to the extremes of biological degradation which persist in the sediment to this day. Since the industry’s decline, the river has slowly started to recover, but low-head dams (imagine a cement parking block that slightly elevates the water level) have trapped the contaminated sediment.
Aside from trapping sediment, dams, even small low-head dams, degrade rivers and their ecosystems in many other ways. They obstruct fish migration, increase water temperature and evaporation, and decrease the rate of groundwater recharge (think refilling a well). Further, low-head dams are extremely dangerous for recreational water users, who can easily get trapped under the water and drown.
After conducting a study of the river, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deemed the nine low-head dams on the Mahoning unnecessary and a hazard, recommending they be removed to improve water quality, recreational usage, and biological stability.
You, like the communities along the river, might be thinking (“Wow, this is such a talented young writer. Somebody get him a Pulitzer!”) about potential concerns regarding flooding and health issues due to the dam removal. However, despite what you might think, low-head dams don’t actually provide any flood control. Their only function is to increase the water level. Also, with lower water levels, the river will be moving faster, decreasing stagnation and improving the water quality which lowers health risks. The only health concern pertains to the contaminated sediment. However, toxicity levels have been decreasing in the sediment since the decline of the steel industries, although it has and will continue to be monitored.
After years of finagling money, the first dam in Lowellville saw its removal in 2020 (hold for applause). The second dam, located in Struthers, recently began removal in 2021. Following suit, the three dams in Youngstown and one in Warren have been slated for removal in 2022 with the money already secured. Additionally, the Leavittsburg dam has been approved (unanimously) for removal, although it is currently waiting for money to be secured and a date to be set.
Of course, nothing is ever so easy to accomplish. The steel mills still using a couple of dams along the river pushed back (cue thunder crack and screeching violins), citing concerns over adequate water supply during droughts. Fortunately, a subsequent study confirmed the mills would be sufficiently supplied if additional measures were taken during removal to provide them with such. With two dams removed, five confirmed, and zero excuses, it is only a matter of time before the final two are committed to being removed as well.
Not surprisingly, the success of the dam removal can already be seen in Lowellville. The mayor has been quoted saying the city has seen a dramatic increase in recreational usage of the river (insert hang loose wave here). This is a huge benefit for the city who could use this as a potential tourist attraction (that means $$) from those who want to canoe without fear of dying from a dangerous low-head dam.
While the dam removals are a considerable accomplishment for the state, it is only the beginning. The removal was just the first of a three phase restoration plan for the watershed. The rest focuses on fostering a connection between the river and communities who use it, improving trail systems, restoring wetlands (which ACTUALLY buffer floods), and uniting the region. This is a major win and, what I can imagine, is a great source of pride for our environmentalist Ohioans out there. Congratulations.
Budding Hope
A recent and promising new development has just been made with one of the biggest threats to climate change. Methane, a greenhouse gas which has about 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide (cut to cartoon eyes bulging and the *Aahoooguuhh* noise), is the primary component of natural gas. After recent discoveries of leaks in gas processing plants, we are starting to find the serious risk methane poses to our warming climate extends beyond gassy cows.
Luckily, methane can be converted into the much less threatening and much more useful chemical methanol. For those who remember chemistry class, methanol is the simplest alcohol, and, for those who don’t remember chemistry, it’s just a simple chemical which is used in fuel, antifreeze, plastics, and much more.
On top of being a useful chemical, methanol isn’t as much of a looming threat to climate change as methane. Plus, since it can be stored as a liquid, methanol is transported much more easily.
Unfortunately, converting methane into methanol is quite an intensive process, involving high pressure and temperatures of over 1800 degrees fahrenheit (982 Celsius). That’s a lot of energy (which is probably not coming from renewable energy sources).
Enter science. A research team from Stanford University and University of Leuven in Belgium have uncovered a potentially significant step in changing the traditional method of conversion. The process involves iron zeolites which, as it turns out, is not a Star Trek term. Iron zeolites are common crystals which can convert methane into methanol at room temperature.
Obviously, there’s a catch. Like many of us, iron zeolites have performance issues. As they are used, iron zeolites quickly deactivate (“lock up”/ stop working) and cannot process a large amount of methane. In order to overcome this, the team of researchers searched for a magic blue pill… so to speak. And they found one.
Using nifty science tools (spectroscopy), the team was able to understand the crystal’s structure. They discovered each crystal had pores, and, more importantly, the size of the pores varied between crystals. As it turns out, the beauty industry’s toxic standards also extend into iron zeolite crystals. The team found those with smaller pores (what I like to think of as the Naomi Cambells of iron zeolites) were able to produce methanol without deactivating right away (reactivated 40% of deactivated sites repeatedly), which is a major advancement towards a useful scale of this process.
While this probably doesn’t seem exciting to you, the implications may be. If this process advances to the point of commercial-scale, it could have major benefits for climate change. Not only would the energy intensive process of conversion be reduced and scientists would be able to borrow this insight for advancements in other areas, methane emissions could be significantly curbed. That could mean a significant decrease in greenhouse gases and an important step towards a safer world.
Feeling Inspired?
Recently, a bill which addresses dam safety and removal was introduced in Congress. The Twenty-First Century Dams Act proposes to spend $21 billion to remove, repair, and retrofit the nation’s 90,000 dams. Key elements include improving dam safety, using tax credits to incentivize dam improvements/removal, creating a public source of funding for dam removal, and investing in existing dams to increase power generation and accelerate decarbonization.
If you are feeling particularly inspired today, I encourage you to contact your elected officials and urge them to support this bill for the safety and future of our environmental health.
The bill is supported by: The Nature Conservancy, American Society of Civil Engineers, Low Impact Hydropower Institute, American Rivers, Association of State Dam Safety Officials, Hydropower Reform Coalition, National Hydropower Association, World Wildlife Fund, Hydropower Foundation, Rye Development, Hydropower Reform Coalition, Union of Concerned Scientists and Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Branch Out
“Cigarette Trees” by The Local Honeys
A song about the coal industry in Eastern Kentucky as told by two Eastern Kentuckians.
Funny, intelligent, and enlightening! I will definitely be looking for the next edition and signing up for is witty newsletter!
Your newsletter is informative, humorous ... and NECESSARY - BRAVO!