Bottled Water

QUINCY, Pa. -- For two years, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been providing bottled water to 12 homes in Quincy Township, but the pending connection to a public water source promises to rid those families of a carcinogenic chemical found in their well water. A DEP spokeswoman said connecting to public water carries an estimated price tag of $2.9 million, a cost that will be shouldered by the state agency's hazardous sites cleanup program. "The specific water source has not been determined," Lauri Lebo said.

GREENCASTLE, PA. - The bottle of water sitting on Brian Denton's desk looked like a monument to health and wellness. Its white cap and rippled plastic carefully contained what appeared to be the epitome of pristine liquids. "Yeah, this looks pure, but it is not. It's full of leeching chemicals," Denton said while grabbing the bottle. "That's just part of why I created Project Earth H20. " In a proactive step toward reducing the environmental and economical footprint of plastic bottles, Denton, a native of Greencastle, began Project Earth H20 with the hope of giving convenience-minded consumers an alternative to what he called "toxic" water bottles.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- The bottle of water sitting on Brian Denton's desk looked like a monument to health and wellness. Its white cap and rippled plastic carefully contained what appeared to be the epitome of pristine liquids. "Yeah, this looks pure, but it is not. It's full of leeching chemicals," Denton said while grabbing the bottle. "That's just part of why I created Project Earth H20. " In a proactive step toward reducing the environmental and economical footprint of plastic bottles, Denton, a native of Greencastle, began Project Earth H20 with the hope of giving convenience-minded consumers an alternative to what he called "toxic" water bottles.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Sunday marked the second consecutive day of record-breaking heat in Hagerstown, according to a Web site maintained by local weather observer Greg Keefer. The temperature reached 95 degrees just before 4 p.m., topping the previous record of 94 degrees. Even with climbing temperatures, many area residents decided to spend the day outside. John Hudock and Gina Grumbine, both of Hagerstown, spent part of their day Sunday watching the Hagerstown Suns take on the Lake County Captains from Ohio.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Water from around the world was tasted by 10 judges Saturday at the 18th annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting at The Country Inn. The media panel judged municipal, bottled noncarbonated, sparkling and purified drinking water in the afternoon and evening. Jill Klein Rone, producer of the event, said there were 118 entries in this year's event, which was slightly more than last year. She said about 200 people attended the event. The judges were trained by water master Arthur von Wiesenberger, an international water expert from Santa Barbara, Calif.

With local grocery stores and convenience stores selling sodas and other drinks with questionable health value, you'd think bottled water would be dependably clean and safe.  This might not be the case. According to a 1999 report by the National Resources Defense Council, 20 percent of bottled water in America contains xylene and styrene ? two chemicals known or suspected to cause cancer. The report is online at the NRDC Web site at www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum.

Click here to view all 10 Landmarks Contest photos. Click here for printable entry form. Click here for the map Traditionally held in downtown Hagerstown, the boundaries for this year's contest are Hagerstown's Fairgrounds Park, which includes Reed Playground, the American Little League field across Valley Road and the Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex area. Fairgrounds Park is bordered by Mulberry Street, Cannon Avenue, Cleveland Avenue and Security Road.

"I'm commenting on the gas price in Europe. If everyone is riding bikes, mopeds or driving four-cylinder cars, why is their gas $6 a gallon now? It should be more like $1 if they're so smart. " "I am just curious how they make restaurant inspections and some service stations have no kitchens. The food is brought in to be sold from the owners' homes, or hard to tell where. How does the health department know what the conditions of these home(s) are and if they would pass inspection?"

BEAVER CREEK - Beaver Creek Country Club's clubhouse and kitchen will remain closed until at least next week as the club's water system is modified, Washington County Health Department Spokesman Rod MacRae said Tuesday. The modifications come two weeks after Beaver Creek Country Club was closed by the health department following a rash of gastrointestinal problems in people who had visited the club. MacRae said while the water system "has not been conclusively implicated" in the outbreak, structural issues were found that need to be fixed.

BEAVER CREEK - Health officials still are trying to determine whether a sewage problem at a local country club caused people to get sick. The Washington County Health Department received more than 80 calls last week from people having gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, department spokesman Rod MacRae said Friday. Many of those people recently had been to Beaver Creek Country Club, so the health department inspected the premises, MacRae said. The country club's clubhouse remains closed, but the course, driving range and pool are open, according to the club's Web site.