Press Contact:
Mary Ann Thyken
Community Television of Santa Cruz County
831.425.8848
Leftover Drugs a Prescription for Trouble in Water Sources:
Local Partnership Promotes Solutions
Santa Cruz, Calif.— Wednesday, March 12, 2008— Community Television of Santa Cruz County (CTV) announced a partnership with Santa Cruz Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) that has produced a public service announcement video that promotes public use of an innovative drug disposal program, in which citizens can drop off unwanted prescription drugs and used syringes.
The drinking water for at least 41 million U.S. residents contains small amounts of a "vast array of pharmaceuticals," according to a five-month investigation of the 50 largest U.S. cities conducted by the Associated Press, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports. The report also states that an increased amount of un-metabolized or unused medications is "flushed down the toilet," and, although "wastewater is treated before it is discharged" into water supplies, "most treatments do not remove all drug residue" (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 3/10).
Current wastewater treatment processes were not designed to and do not effectively remove many of these compounds (medicines). “The compounds are very difficult to measure in wastewater, so you might not be able to measure the effectiveness of any treatment strategies reliably,” said Akin Babatola Lab/Environmental Compliance Manager, Santa Cruz Wastewater Treatment Facility.
“Secondly, because the impacts are so very subtle at such low concentrations, the effects of these drugs on organisms in waters across the country are only now visible and measurable after continuous multi-generational exposures.”
With the active leadership of the Santa Cruz City management, staff and management of the WWTF and others in Public Works decided to create a PSA to help promote effective solutions to this problem, by alerting the public to safe, legal and responsible disposal options.
Babatola said that WWTF chose Community Television, because of the combination of high quality production, very low costs, and their ability to saturate the local community with this valuable information.
The educational video is being aired on the public access, educational and government television channels of Community Television of Santa Cruz County and can be viewed on 25, 26, and 27 for Comcast subscribers and on 71, 72, and 73 for Charter subscribers. The video is also featured online at www.community tv.org.
“Community Television enjoyed this collaboration with the Santa Cruz Waste Water Treatment Facility to help promote solutions to environmental problems like removing prescription drug waste disposal out of local water sources,” said John Patterson, executive director at Community Television of Santa Cruz County. “We are currently airing the piece on our television channels and online, reaching over 71,000 households in Santa Cruz County."
About Community Television
As a non-profit organization, Community Television of Santa Cruz County's (CTV) mission is to foster community dialogue and individual self-expression through television, the internet, and other electronic media.
Community Television provides locally produced cable programming that connects local people to local resources and information through live and taped coverage of local government meetings, community events, education, entertainment and news.
These programs air on three local television channels categorized as education, government and free speech/public access channels throughout the county on Comcast (25, 26, 27) and Charter (71, 72, 73). Many CTV shows can now be viewed online at http://www.communitytv.org.
A low-cost annual membership offers any county resident access to Community Television. Members can take classes in video production, camera use in studio or field, lighting, Final Cut Pro and iMovie. Certified members can check out equipment and use the editing and studio facilities at Community Television or sign up to create their own television show to be aired on the free speech/public access channels.
For more information about Community Television, contact 831.425.8848; http://www.communitytv.org.
