Category: News

by guest author Ayah Haimor

Butterflies are amazing creatures. They do so much for the earth. Today I will be telling you about Monarch butterflies. Let’s get started! 

First I will tell you about one type, or species, of butterfly. There are many different kinds of  butterflies, but today I’ll tell you about the monarch butterfly. Monarch butterflies are so cool. They have cool designs and patterns on their wings.

Today, I will tell you about their life cycle. There are 4  steps. First, a monarch butterfly lays an egg on a milkweed leaf. Second, the monarch butterfly’s egg hatches into a caterpillar, which then eats the milkweed leaves of the plant that it’s on. Third, after it gets big enough, it comes out .  And it’s a beautiful butterfly! 

But wait, the wings on the butterfly are still wet! The moisture comes from the butterfly dries its wings in the sun. When the wings are done drying the butterfly flies away and goes to collect nectar from flowers. If you go close to a butterfly it will fly away. Fun fact you can get a monarch butterfly to come to your backyard if you plant a lot of flowers. Monarch  butterflies can’t fly that high like, for example a monarch butterfly  could not fly to space because  the monarch butterfly’s wings would freeze and it wouldn’t be able to fly because it’s freezing  up there.

I hope you enjoyed learning about butterflies! Bye!

by Lucas David

Last week, I flew to Texas to see the total solar eclipse, only to find the sky obstructed by heavy clouds that blanketed most of Texas. The forecast showed the possibility of blue sky in a couple different directions, hours away from us, but we couldn’t know for sure which of them (if any) would have a clear view of the eclipse. So that morning, my family and I picked one at random, and got very lucky. Only two or three clouds thick enough to obscure the sun actually passed over it during the eclipse, and none of them during totality. As the moon covered more and more of the sun, the sky darkened as though there was a sunset on all horizons, and the dazed and confused crickets began to chirp. 

Once the sun was completely obscured, we could take off our protective glasses and see the eclipse without any layers of separation. The sun was blotted from the sky, the dark cavity in its place haloed by the sun’s corona. The corona itself looked about two and a half times the diameter of the sun (864,575 miles) in length, which means that that halo was really about 2,161,439 miles of plasma flying from a ball of gas 333,000 times the size of the earth and into an endless void. 

Having tasted a total eclipse once, I’ve concluded that I’ll have no choice but to go to Egypt in seven years to witness the next one, hopefully with a recording device capable of giving a detailed view of the eclipse this time. 

by Layal Hilal

Have you ever seen a solar eclipse? Solar eclipses are amazing phenomena and are once-in-a-lifetime experiences…or twice-in-a-lifetime! In fact, during a time period of about four minutes, a solar eclipse will occur on April 8th, 2024. And in order to properly prepare for this eclipse, I will be sharing some facts about solar eclipses and warnings in general, and some specifically about the solar eclipse happening in April. 

• There are two types of eclipses; lunar, which occur when the earth is positioned between the sun and moon and it gives the moon a reddish tint. Lunar eclipses are also known as “blood moons” and, honestly, the name definitely makes sense. The other type of eclipses are solar, which occur when the moon comes close to the earth and it completely or partially locks the sun from view for a few moments. 

• Solar and lunar eclipses follow a “path of totality”, and the only way to see a total eclipse is if you are along the path of totality. This year, the path of totality in America is in Texas, Mexico, and several states in the far eastern side of the U.S. The eclipse will still be viewable from states such as California, Oregon, Colorado, and Nevada, but it will only be viewable as a partial eclipse.

• Although eclipses are beautiful and amazing, they are, like most things are, dangerous. Never look at a solar or lunar eclipse without special eclipse glasses unless the eclipse has entered the totality phase. If you do look at an eclipse that is not in totality with a naked eye, you may injure your eyes really badly. Make sure to be very careful!

• In general, eclipses are pretty rare. But for a total solar eclipse to happen for a full four minutes? It is going to be amazing and you do not want to miss it. If you can’t visit a place that is in the path of totality, make sure you still get a good view of the eclipse from wherever you will be, and don’t forget to get solar eclipse glasses. Remember to only look at an eclipse with your naked eye if it has reached totality.

• I’m pretty sure that by now, you’re wondering “What is a solar eclipse exactly and why is it so special?” Well, solar eclipses only occur when the moon’s orbit carries it close to the earth, so close that the moon actually seems to block the sun from view and it casts a shadow on a certain part of the earth.

• Usually, the shadow—from the eclipse—falls onto an ocean, and, naturally, it is extremely difficult to get out onto the ocean to see an eclipse. So when an eclipse does fall onto land, it is very special. 

I hope you can see the eclipse, wherever you are, and I really hope you don’t look at the eclipse before it’s in totality! Remember, the solar eclipse is viewable all over the U.S., but only in totality from a few places. It occurs April 8th, and don’t forget to get some eclipse glasses. Have fun!

by Ava Salado

To shed some light on what pollutants exist in the San Francisco Bay area we have to take into consideration both the air and the water. Pollution such as home chemicals, gasoline, pesticides, fertilizers, rubbish, and legacy harmful pollutants are washed into the Bay untreated or unfiltered when it rains. Rainwater is directed into gutters and storm drains by paved concrete and asphalt surfaces found on buildings, parking lots, roads, roadways, and rooftops. This storm water is then discharged into creeks and sloughs that run into the Bay itself, carrying all the pollutants it gathers along the route. Rainfall in the Bay Area causes rainwater to overflow into the bay, carrying three primary forms of pollution: runoff from cities, sewage spills, and industrial discharges. More than 1,600 industrial sites are covered with water that conveys harmful chemicals into storm drains that go into the Bay and waterways. 

Trash, construction debris, automobile fluids, industrial waste, petroleum residue, coal dust, soot, fertilizer, pesticides, and other materials that accumulate in cities and industrial facilities all combine to form stormwater runoff, a toxic mixture that flows into the Bay every time it rains, typically with little to no treatment.

On the other hand, a portion of the air pollution in the Bay Area is caused by industrial sources including power plants and refineries. However, a larger portion of dangerous air pollution originates from motor vehicles such as automobiles, trucks, and construction equipment.

In addition, smoke from neighboring wildfires has a significant influence on the Bay Area’s air quality during the fire season. It frequently results in dangerously high particle pollution levels and air quality advisories, such as Spare the Air alerts. The Bay Area air set a record in 2020 when it issued over 50 alerts, 46 of which had to do with wildfires.

San Francisco is ranked 101st out of all major cities by IQAirs Live. According to the American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” assessment, 11 of the 25 most polluted cities in America are located in California. Out of 200 cities nationwide, the Bay Area (San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland region) was placed fourth for “Year Round Particle Pollution” and “Short-Term Particle Pollution.”) Based on a recent research by the American Lung Association, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield are among the worst air-polluted urban regions in the country.

Overall, since the Clean Air Act was amended in 1990, the Bay Area’s air pollution has decreased dramatically over the past 30 years, despite the region’s expanding population and industry. Regulations against industrial activity and associated pollution sources are going to get stricter. The foundation of sustainability is a straightforward idea: everything we require for life depends on the natural world, either directly or indirectly, for our survival and well-being. The goal of sustainability is to establish and preserve the circumstances that allow nature and people to coexist peacefully and productively for the benefit of both the present and the future generations. This long-term objective is supported by sustainable development, which puts structures and mechanisms in place and receives backing from international, national, and local organizations. To be sustainable means to meet the demands of the present without sacrificing those of future generations and to maintain a balance between social progress, environmental preservation, and economic expansion. The ability of a civilization to grow and prosper without exhausting all of the natural resources required for future generations to thrive is known as sustainability. Although the times we live in may look bleak, there are people striving for a brighter future. Could that person be you?

by Meru S.

Take a drink of water from your kitchen faucet. Have you ever wondered where that water is coming from? Clean water is essential for our everyday lives. We use it for drinking, showering, watering our gardens, cleaning our clothes, washing our dishes, and for many other daily tasks. 

Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) serves cities in central and eastern parts of Contra Costa County, particularly Concord, Port Costa, Clyde, Clayton, Brentwood, Pacheco, and certain parts of Martinez, Walnut Creek, and Pleasant Hill. CCWD draws water from areas in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which contain water originally from the snow melts of the Sierra mountain range.

The Process

The process of treating the water takes many steps but is completed within one and a half hours. 

First, strong pumps draw just the top of the Delta water, which is the cleanest part, since most of the dirt sinks to the bottom. Liquid alum is then slowly poured in and mixed using ceiling fan-like machines that spin underwater at about six hundred miles per hour, gradually slowing down until they are almost still. 

Then, the sludge and floc (minuscule bits of dirt bound together into small clumps by the alum) are removed.

The water now looks clear and almost ready to drink, but there are still bacteria and germs that are invisible to the naked eye. These are killed by combining ozone with the water. Next, it goes through a layered filtration system that consists of granulated carbon at the top, coarse sand in the middle, and finally small rocks.

Lastly, fluoride is added to prevent tooth decay, and ammonia to preserve it when it travels through pipes to thousands of homes.

The History

Contra Costa Water District was incorporated on May 9, 1936, and the construction of the Contra Costa Canal (a 48-mile-long canal which transports water to Clyde, Martinez, and Walnut Creek) started on October 19, 1937. The building of the Ralph D. Bollman Water Treatment Plant, CCWD’s first plant, began in 1966. It is named after one of CCWD’s first directors, and is located on Bates Ave, Concord. CCWD’s second plant was built in Oakley in 1992. Both of these water treatment facilities are still used today. During the winter months one facility is shut down for cleaning and repairs while the other takes over the treatment process for the county.

There are specific chemicals and gasses used in the process of water treatment. They are stored in tanks at CCWD’s water treatment plants. In the case of an emergency, responders refer to signs on the tanks for information on the chemical. You may have seen these signs on large trucks or tankers. Here is what they mean—

On a scale of 0-4 (0 being extremely low and 4 being very high), the blue diamond is the health hazard, the red is the fire hazard, the yellow is the reactivity hazard, and the white is the type of chemical or gas. In this case, the chemical is liquid oxygen, the health and reactivity hazards are very high, and the flammability is very low.

Though the water treatment itself is done by machinery, numerous people work at these water treatment plants. A number of staff members are always on-site 24/7 to monitor the various processes such as water pH levels and to be prepared in the event of an emergency.

The next time you enjoy a warm shower or a glass of cool water, remember and appreciate its journey from the mountains, through rivers, canals, treatment machinery, pipes, and to your faucets! 

For further information, please visit Contra Costa Water District’s website—

https://www.ccwater.com/