September 5, 2026
This week’s photo is courtesy of Roscoe Moss Company- Los Angeles, CA
Health Focus
Part 2 of 2: Your Bones
Yesterday we made the case that your bones are worth paying attention to. Today, we follow that up by covering what you can do to improve bone health. The good news: bone responds to how you treat it, at any age.
Load your bones on purpose. Bone gets stronger when you make it work against resistance. Physical work keeps you moving, but it is not the same as deliberate exercise: weight-bearing activity and muscle-strengthening work, plus a couple of strength sessions a week, do more, and they hold the muscle that keeps you steady on your feet. That balance and strength is also your best defense against the fall in the first place.
Feed the frame. Most adult men need 1,000 mg of calcium and 600 IU of vitamin D a day, rising to 1,200 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D after age 70. Vitamin D helps your body absorb the calcium. Food first: dairy, canned fish with edible bones, leafy greens, and fortified products. One honest note on supplements: in the VITAL trial, 2,000 IU a day of vitamin D did not lower fracture risk in generally healthy older adults who were not selected for vitamin D deficiency, low bone mass, or osteoporosis. That does not mean vitamin D never matters. It means a supplement is not a cure-all, and megadosing on your own is not the answer. Whether testing or a supplement makes sense for you is a question for your clinician.
Cut what steals bone. Smoking and drinking too much alcohol are both osteoporosis risk factors. Cutting back or quitting is worth talking through as part of your overall health plan.
Know where you stand. A DXA scan is the most common bone-density test. It is quick, painless, and noninvasive. Ask your doctor whether one makes sense for you, especially if you are older, have broken a bone after 50, have lost height, or carry the risk factors we covered yesterday.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Your doctor can tell you what your numbers are and what to do about them. But the direction is simple: work your bones, feed them, cut what steals them, and get checked. Better bone health lowers the odds that a fall becomes a fracture and a long recovery.
Key Takeaways
• Weight-bearing, strengthening, and balance activity all support bone health and help lower fall risk.
• Most adult men need 1,000 mg calcium and 600 IU vitamin D daily, rising to 1,200 mg and 800 IU after 70; food first, and supplements are not a cure-all.
• Smoking and drinking too much are osteoporosis risk factors worth cutting back.
• A DXA scan is a quick, painless bone-density test; ask your doctor whether it is right for your age, fracture history, and risk factors.
Sources:
• NIAMS (NIH): Osteoporosis in Men
• NIAMS (NIH): Calcium and Vitamin D: Important for Bone Health
Industry Updates
Pennsylvania eases drought in several counties, but groundwater still lags
After the Commonwealth Drought Task Force met on August 24, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection returned four counties, Adams, Delaware, Perry, and York, to normal status, and moved five more, Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, and Lancaster, from drought warning to drought watch. DEP was direct about why several counties are not improving faster: widespread rainfall has lifted the surface-water and precipitation indicators, but groundwater remains slow to recover. It pointed to growing-season evapotranspiration and plant uptake, and to intense storms that run off fast instead of soaking in.
Why it matters: This is the split that private-well country lives with. Surface conditions can look better on paper while the aquifer underneath is still drawn down. For well owners and water systems, better rainfall and streamflow do not automatically mean aquifer levels or well yields have recovered. Streamflow recovery and aquifer recovery are not on the same clock, a point that lands the same way in any drought-stressed region.
NGWA presses for updated virus science in aquifer recharge rules
The National Ground Water Association published a position paper urging states to build the best available science on subsurface virus attenuation into the rules that govern managed aquifer recharge, or MAR, the practice of putting water into an aquifer for later recovery. NGWA argues that conservative virus-reduction requirements, written without the latest understanding of how soil and aquifer material actually remove pathogens, have limited MAR use and driven up costs, delays, and cancellations. It points to risk-based frameworks in Europe and Australia that have used aquifer attenuation zones, supported by confirmatory monitoring, for decades. This is NGWA's policy position, developed by a member work group.
Why it matters: MAR is drilling and pump work. Recharge, recovery, and monitoring wells all have to be built, tested, and maintained, so the regulatory ground rules for these projects shape whether the work happens. As drought pushes more communities to store water underground, the standards governing recharge are worth tracking.
Federal court upholds EPA's PFOA and PFOS hazardous-substance designation
On August 18, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied every industry petition challenging EPA's 2024 rule designating the two most common forever chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, as hazardous substances under CERCLA, the federal Superfund law. The case is Chamber of Commerce of the United States v. EPA, No. 24-1193. The designation stays in place, which means releases of one pound or more of either compound in a 24-hour period must be reported, and it keeps cleanup and cost-recovery liability under CERCLA on the table.
Why it matters: PFAS is steadily moving from a testing story to a cleanup story. For groundwater professionals working on contaminated sites, hazardous-substance status raises the stakes on site investigation, documentation, and property transfers, and it puts a premium on coordinating with qualified environmental and legal professionals where PFAS may be involved. This ruling tightens regulatory pressure rather than easing it.
Industry Events
Event Highlight: NRWA WaterPro Conference
September 14 to 16, 2026; Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ
The National Rural Water Association's WaterPro Conference is the association's flagship annual event. It draws water and wastewater professionals from across the country: utility managers, operators, board members, engineers, and suppliers. Expect three days of educational sessions on the operational, regulatory, and technical challenges facing rural and municipal water systems, plus a large exhibit hall. For well and pump professionals who serve rural systems, it is a strong week of training, networking, and a read on where the rural water business is headed.
Information and Registration: NRWA WaterPro Conference
National Drilling Association: Drill Expo 2026
September 17 to 18, 2026; Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, TN
Information and Registration: NDA Drill Expo 2026
International Association of Hydrogeologists: 53rd World Groundwater Congress
September 14 to 18, 2026; Budapest Congress Center, Budapest, Hungary
Information and Registration: IAH 2026 World Groundwater Congress
California Groundwater Association: Annual Conference and Trade Show
October 6 to 8, 2026; Atlantis Resort and Casino, Reno, NV
Information and Registration: CGA 2026 Annual Conference and Trade Show
National Ground Water Association: Groundwater Week 2026
December 8 to 10, 2026; Las Vegas, NV
Information and Registration: Groundwater Week 2026
If you have a conference, symposium, workshop, or water well related event that you would like mentioned, contact us at [email protected]
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