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Sailors to navigate dirty water in 1st Rio test

By WTOP Staff

STEPHEN WADE
AP Sports Writer

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Sailors, coaches and the mayor of Rio de Janeiro acknowledge the problem: Guanabara Bay, the venue for sailing at the 2016 Olympics, is badly polluted. Some liken it to a sewer.

The water is filthy after years of untreated waste being poured into the enclosed bay, a mess officials say will take at least a decade to fix.

From a distance, the venue is picturesque, framed between Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christ the Redeemer statue. This is the image Rio organizers want the world to see.

Yes, the venue will make good television. The conditions for the athletes? That’s another story.

“A few days ago, one of the sailors had to jump in the water and the first thing he did after coming up was take a bottle of water and wash his mouth and face,” said Ivan Bulaja, a former Olympian who coaches the Austrian team. “When you feel this water on your face you feel uncomfortable. You have no idea what’s in it. I think no sailor is comfortable sailing here. I guess you can get seriously ill.”

But sail they will, starting Sunday with the first test event of the Rio Games. The weeklong regatta will feature all 10 Olympic classes, with 216 boats and 321 competitors from 34 nations.

Rio dumps almost 70 percent of its untreated sewage into the surrounding waters. Cleaning the bay was part of the pitch to land the Olympics, with officials pledging to cut the flow by 80 percent by 2016.

But Rio’s state environment secretary, Carlos Francisco Portinho, has acknowledged in a best-case scenario the reduction will be only 50 percent.

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes acknowledged two months ago that the problem would not be solved for the Olympics.

“I’m sorry that we did not use the games to get Guanabara Bay completely clean,” Paes said. But he added he was “not afraid for the health of any of the athletes. It’s going to be fine.”

A series of stopgap remedies are being put in place — rubbish boats to retrieve floating debris, and barriers to stop sofas, wooden chairs and plastic bags from entering the bay in the first place.

Rio state environment officials said in the first three months of the year, three boats retrieved 33 tons of solid waste. Ten will be operating for the test event.

The other problem is less visible: untreated human waste, which can’t be retrieved and leaves a stench all around the bay.

“At low tide, it smells like sewage water. It smells like a toilet,” said Austrian sailor Nikolaus Resch, who finished fourth at the London Olympics in the 49er class with teammate Nico Delle Karth. “You see people going for a swim. I would never — under free will — go in the water here.”

At a small regatta last year, sailors were seen using alcohol to clean their hands after leaving the brown-black water, often capped with green foam.

To allay fears, the International Sailing Federation and local organizers are encouraging teams to test the water around the course areas. Rio state environment officials describe these areas as “suitable for swimming.”

State environment officials say they monitor fecal coliforms monthly, but have been doing it every two weeks since June to prepare for the regatta.

Tides, shifting currents and rainfall mean parts of the heavily industrial bay are cleaner than others, and several race courses are located just outside the bay in the open Atlantic.

“A lot of people have been talking about pollution,” Alastair Fox, head of competitions for the sailing federation, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It would be nice not to be able to talk about that. But we all know that it’s there. We need to make sure that as much is done as possible to make a safe and healthy venue.”

Fox said the ISAF was making no health recommendations, although a physician contacted by AP said all sailors should be vaccinated for hepatitis A. Other waterborne diseases like diarrhea and gastroenteritis can be picked up in dirty water.

Fox said many sailors were more worried about floating furniture, submerged trash bags and streams of flotsam fouling their rudders, than they were about human waste.

“Presuming the water quality is OK, as in the sewage levels, for us it’s imperative we have a clean field of play,” Fox said. “We can’t have a field of play with any objects in it that impact on the sailors’ ability to race.”

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Stephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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