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The latest news on this change — carefully culled from the world wide web by our change agents. They do the surfing, so you don't have to!

Washed Up

No it's not a cool party trick, and Jessica Ernst isn't some kind of modern day alchemist. However, she can light her tap water on fire.

Ernst is one of the 100 residents of a Canadian village called Rosebud. In 2003 a natural gas manufacturer called EnCana opened a compressor station less than a mile from her house. Two years later Ernst noticed that her dog refused to drink water from her well. After she discovered its combustibility, tests revealed methane, ethane and several other fossil fuels in her ground water.

"It still scares me," she tells Canadian news magazine Fast Forward Weekly. "You never know what the water is going to do."
If you happen to live in one of the multitude of U.S. cities where the water coming out of your faucet isn't flammable, consider how lucky you are and take advantage. You can chuck your bottled water habit without worry. However, if you notice your dog losing enthusiasm for the toilet bowl, it's probably time to have the pipes checked.

Posted: 7/23/08