The Ogallala aquiferof the Texas high plains: A race against time
Posted by: Maven on January 20, 2012 at 7:15 amFrom SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education), hat tip to the Water Sisweb:
“As the drought in the Texas High Plains continues to intensify, a unique partnership of producers and researchers is working diligently to find economically viable alternatives to the region’s irrigation-dependent crop monocultures. The single source of irrigation water for the region is the massive, underground aquifer known as the Ogallala, one of the largest fresh-water aquifers in the world. It was formed millions of years ago from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains and now traverses through portions of eight states—Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming—providing 30 percent of the United States’ irrigation, and contributing to an astounding 20 percent of the country’s entire agricultural output.
In the West Texas High Plains, an area that receives only 18 inches of rainfall annually in an average year, the Ogallala is a crucial, but finite resource. Even before the recent drought, it was clear that the area’s increasing number of irrigation wells, and a lack of adequate recharge, was bringing High Plains agriculture to a crisis point. … “
Continue reading from SARE by clicking here.
USGS on YouTube: Water in the 21st century: The National Water Census
Posted by: Maven on December 21, 2011 at 7:40 amFrom the USGS, posted at YouTube:
“Eric Evenson, coordinator of the National Water Census discuses a new set of water resource challenges brought on by the 21st century. Even in normal water years, water shortages and use conflicts have become commonplace in many areas of the United States — especially competition among crop irrigation, growing cities and communities, and energy production. Over the next 10 years, the USGS plans to conduct a new assessment of water availability and use. This national Water Census will address critical aspects of recent Federal legislation, including the need to establish a national water assessment program.”
$53 Billion needed for Texas water projects
Posted by: Maven on December 17, 2011 at 7:13 amNow if you think California officials want a lot of money for water infrastructure, just take a look at Texas … From Bloomberg Business News:
“Texas approved a somberly worded plan on Thursday that lays out where the state should spend $53 billion to cope with its water needs over the next half century, and warns that future droughts may mean not enough supply to keep up with growing demand.
The 295-page report by the Texas Water Development Board says that to avoid a potentially thirsty future, the state should implement 562 infrastructure and conservation projects that include building 26 new reservoirs as well as numerous dams, pipelines and wells — but it provides little guidance on how to pay for such infrastructure. … “
Continue reading from Bloomberg Business Week by clicking here.
Peter Gleick’s Senate testimony calls for fundamental changes to U.S. water policy
Posted by: Maven on December 8, 2011 at 7:50 amFrom the Western Farm Press:
“Pacific Institute President Dr. Peter Gleick presented a set of recommendations to Congress on for a more effective and sustainable 21st-century national water policy. Dr. Gleick, one of the world’s leading experts on freshwater issues, testified before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that coordinated federal planning for water is needed in the face of new water challenges such as climate change, unregulated or inadequately regulated pollutants, and decaying physical water infrastructure.
“Growing human populations and demands for water, unacceptable water quality in many areas, weak or inadequate water data collection and regulation, and growing threats to the timing and reliability of water supply from climate change call for fundamental changes in federal policy,” said Dr. Gleick. “The water crisis around the nation and around the world is growing, presenting new direct threats to our economy and environment – but it also offers opportunities for better and coordinated responses.” … “
Continue reading from the Western Farm Press by clicking here.
Water Wired blog: The State Department’s Senate testimony by Dr. Aaron Salzberg: The global water challenge
Posted by: Maven on December 8, 2011 at 7:47 amFrom the Water Wired blog:
“The State Department’s Dr. Aaron Salzberg, Special Coordinator on Water Resources, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs … , testifies today before the U.S. Senate’s Subcommittee on Water and Power, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on The Global Water Challenge.
Here is his testimony … “
Added bonus: Find out what Hilary Clinton has to say about water. Continue reading from the Water Wired blog by clicking here.
‘Water witcher’ is in high demand in Texas
Posted by: Maven on October 17, 2011 at 5:49 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“Spencer Powell and his drilling crew assembled behind the Living Word Harvester Church at a spot where, according to Powell’s ancient craft, they would find water.
Powell, 59, learned to dowse for water more than 40 years ago from an old “water witcher” known simply as Mr. Ray. Now Powell runs a dowsing and drilling business, Diversified Water Well Drilling, and carries a notebook filled with the lengthening list of those seeking his services. Demand has skyrocketed in recent months here, about 180 miles west of Dallas, and statewide, fueled by the ongoing drought, heat wave and a boom in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a type of oil drilling that requires lots of water. … “
Continue reading from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Colorado empties popular lake to pay its water bill
Posted by: Maven on October 10, 2011 at 7:08 amFrom the Telegraph:
“Bonny Reservoir, a much-loved tourist spot in eastern Colorado, is being drained after the state exceeded its allowance under a 1942 agreement with its neighbours on sharing the Republican River.
The case has highlighted growing tensions over the security of the water supply to the west of the US, which in recent years has suffered repeated droughts, prompting warnings of disaster.
“It is a tragedy,” said Alexandra Davis, the assistant director of water at the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “We are facing a huge loss.
But it is the best of a number of bad options.” … “
Continue reading from the Telegraph by clicking here.
(Not a California story, I know, but an interesting one ….)
Texas plans for water needs, but slow to implement
Posted by: Maven on September 23, 2011 at 7:29 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“On paper, at least, Texas is well-prepared to meet the water needs of its rapidly expanding population—even when Mother Nature lays down a harsh and lengthy drought.
The price tag on the plan: $53 billion. State money allocated: $1.4 billion.
If there were funds, Texas would be able to build the dams, reservoirs, pipelines, wells and other infrastructure that would ideally avoid tight water-use restrictions imposed on residents, farmers and ranchers during times of drought while also guaranteeing there would be enough water for the state’s rapidly growing population—even in 2060. … “
Continue reading from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
NOAA announces contract to construct National Water Center: Alabama facility will improve river and flood forecasting
Posted by: Maven on September 23, 2011 at 7:28 amFrom the NOAA:
“NOAA today announced the award of a contract to Triune-Beck, Joint Venture V of Dallas to build the new NOAA National Water Center on the campus of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.
Amid growing economic and societal demands for more integrated and expansive water resources information, the center will integrate and combine the capabilities of multiple federal water partners to expand and improve river and flood forecasting, enhance water resource management, accelerate the application of research to real world uses and provide a single portal for water resources information.
The $18,881,500 award to construct the center will create a first-of-its-kind facility that will combine hydrological forecasting operations and research under one roof to support field operations, improve joint agency coordination and address emerging stakeholder needs. … “
Continue reading from NOAA by clicking here.
Water proposal could devastate Texas rice industry
Posted by: Maven on September 21, 2011 at 7:15 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“One of the worst droughts in Texas history has officials pondering whether to cut off water from a river that many farmers depend on for rice and other crops.
The Lower Colorado River Authority could vote Wednesday to cut off water to about 250 farmers in the state’s three biggest rice-producing counties. Officials say it’s an emergency measure to protect the water that’s left for drinking and other utilities. … “
Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Elwha Dam removal begins, and soon the fish will flow
Posted by: Maven on September 18, 2011 at 7:15 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“Reporting from Port Angeles, Wash.— In a deep turquoise pool in a gorge of steep granite and thick Douglas fir, dozens of salmon swam fitfully. Swirling and slow, they made their way up one side of the riverbed, only to run into the steep concrete face of Elwha Dam — the formidable barrier that for nearly 100 years has cut off most of the Elwha River from the salmon that traditionally populated it.
Some primordial genetic imprint makes these fish keep trying. Nurtured in hatcheries for years, supplemented by the few wild fish that managed to spawn in the limited five-mile stretch of river left below the dam, these 20-pound chinook still fling themselves up the river.
Or try to. Soon, they’ll be able to continue on the journey that nature compels them to make. … “
Continue reading from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
RELATED: Getting rid of the sediment behind the dam will be the real challenge, reports the Seattle Times
Christian Science Monitor editorial: Texas toasts but will it conserve? The Lone Star State is breaking heat and drought records this summer, with no end in sight, but it’s record on conserving water is so-so at best
Posted by: Maven on August 11, 2011 at 8:15 amFrom the Christian Science Monitor, this editorial:
“How hot is Texas? Really hot. Hot enough to bake chocolate-chip cookies on your Chevy’s dashboard.
Dallas is expected to hit 106 degrees today, a record. The city’s 10-day forecast reads like this: 106, 106, 105, 103, 103, 104, 103, 103, 103, 104. “Big D” has had 39 straight days of temperatures over 100 degrees. The state’s largest city will burn past its all-time record for 100-plus degree days in a row (42) this Friday.
But it’s not just the heat, it’s the dry that’s producing the biggest worries. … “
Continue reading from the Christian Science Monitor by clicking here.
Salty water may flow on Mars, images suggest
Posted by: Susan Lauer on August 5, 2011 at 8:00 amFrom the Los Angeles Times
Salty water may flow on Mars in the form of strange, dark lines on the terrain that grow and fade with the seasons, according to recent images. The findings, reported in the journal Science, provide a new line of evidence that life could exist on the Red Planet.
Continue reading from the LA Times by clicking here.
West Palm Beach’s big water users get flak in drought; Calls for surcharges as vast amounts consumed by wealthy residents draw ire of neighbors
Posted by: Maven on July 11, 2011 at 7:12 amFrom the Wall Street Journal:
“A record dry season left West Palm Beach, Fla., with just 22 days worth of fresh water last month, prompting new rules restricting residents to once-a-week watering schedules for lawns and plants.
But with a 2.6-acre estate in neighboring Palm Beach that features a 37,000-square-foot home, a pool and lush tropical landscaping, Terry Allen Kramer is accustomed to using more than 120 times the amount of water consumed by the average customer in the region.
And she isn’t alone.
Some of her neighbors in this tony island enclave—whose water is supplied by West Palm Beach—use more than one million gallons of water a month to keep their properties green. … “
Continue reading from the Wall Street Journal by clicking here.
Note: No, I haven’t got my geography messed up. I found this story amusing … lady has 19 bathrooms (!), rather than reduce her excess usage (13 million gallons per year), she thinks they should ‘just build a desal plant’ … Since there isn’t much to post today, this is posted here merely for your amusement.
How likely is the fear the West could steal Great Lakes water?
Posted by: Maven on June 23, 2011 at 8:27 amFrom WBEZ 91.5:
“Part of living in the Great Lakes, one of the richest sources of fresh water in the world, is living with a little undercurrent of worry that someone out West or around the world is coveting our water.
That fear isn’t based on nothing – there have been schemes floated out there to load water into tankers and ship it to Asia, and trial balloons floated over the years.
Consider Bill Richardson’s unsuccessful run for president:
“One of the famous moments of the 2008 campaign was Bill Richardson telling people in the Great Lakes we need a national water policy, which to any Great Laker is code for we’re going to take your water halfway across the country,” said Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. … “
Continue reading from WBEZ 91.5 by clicking here.
Amid Texas drought, high-stakes battle over water
Posted by: Maven on June 19, 2011 at 6:32 am
From the New York Times:
“On the cliffs surrounding Lake Buchanan in Central Texas, a white ring extends some 13 feet above the shoreline, marking where the water reaches when the lake is full. At nearby Lake Travis, staircases that once led to the water’s edge now end well above it.
These two lakes serve as key water sources for dozens of cities and hundreds of farmers, as well as for several power plants. With Texas gripped by drought, water levels have fallen sharply. Combined, the two lakes now hold 28 percent less water than their long-term average. … “
Continue reading from the New York Times by clicking here.
Photo of drought in Texas by flickr photographer dasroofless.
A city built on oil discovers how precious its water can be
Posted by: Maven on April 23, 2011 at 7:48 amDrought isn’t really our issue anymore, but still other parts of the country are suffering, especially Texas. From the New York Times:
“The oil business is booming, but there is something more precious in Midland right now: water.
Since the beginning of October, barely one-tenth of an inch of rain has fallen on the city, the oil and gas capital of West Texas. Two of the three reservoirs that Midland and other Permian Basin cities rely on for most of their water are getting close to empty. The third is below 30 percent of capacity.
This month, for the first time, Midland imposed water restrictions, forcing homeowners to water their lawns less, and schools to let their football fields grow scrubby. … “
Continue reading from the New York Times by clicking here.
Drought hits southern U.S. pretty hard; Oklahoma sees driest 4 months since Dust Bowl
Posted by: Maven on April 7, 2011 at 7:27 am
The drought may be over for us here in California, but it certainly isn’t that way for the rest of the southern U.S., says the USA Today:
“”We need rain.”
Those three words from Lyle Zoeller, an agricultural extension agent who works with farmers in Coryell County, Texas, likely echo the thoughts and prayers of farmers and residents across the parched southern USA.
The drought may be over in California, but large portions of the Southwest, southern Plains, Florida and the Southeast are all still enduring severe to extreme drought conditions.
“The biggest drought concern now is the southern tier of the U.S.,” says climatologist Brian Fuchs of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Neb.
And no real relief is in sight for the spring and summer … “
Continue reading from the USA Today by clicking here.
From the Capital Press, things are particularly bad for Oklahoma, which is seeing drought conditions similar to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s:
“In most years, the dark clouds over western Oklahoma in the spring would be bringing rain. This year, they’re more likely to be smoke from wildfires that have burned thousands of acres in the past month as the state and its farmers struggle with a severe drought.
Oklahoma was drier in the four months following Thanksgiving than it has been in any similar period since 1921. That’s saying a lot in the state known for the 1930s Dust Bowl, when drought and high winds generated severe dust storms that stripped the land of its topsoil. … “
Continue reading from the Capital Press by clicking here.
Sea lions’ appetite for salmon has lawmakers out for blood
Posted by: Maven on April 5, 2011 at 6:59 amFrom McClatchy News:
“The California sea lions were unwelcome visitors from the very beginning, greeted with yells, rubber bullets and firecrackers when they swam up the Columbia River to gobble up thousands of endangered salmon at the Bonneville Dam.
When the harassment wouldn’t scare them away, fishery managers turned to deadly force. They used traps and euthanasia, giving lethal injections to 30 sea lions from 2008 to 2010.
This spring, the sea lions have found safe harbor at the dam, about 50 miles east of Portland, Ore., after an appellate court in San Francisco ruled that states and the National Marine Fisheries Service had to stop the killings. … “
Now it appears Congress may intervene. Continue reading from McClatchy News by clicking here.
Atlanta: Appeals court to consider tri-state water dispute
Posted by: Maven on March 8, 2011 at 7:01 amFrom the Miami Herald:
“A tri-state dispute threatening the water supply of roughly 3 million people in metro Atlanta is headed to an appeals court Wednesday, although some involved in the case expect that negotiations – not a court order – will bring a resolution.
Lawyers representing Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal’s administration and metro Atlanta communities will ask the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a 2009 ruling by District Court Judge Paul Magnuson that found Atlanta has little legal right to take water from Lake Lanier on the Chattahoochee River. The judge’s order would cut water withdrawals from the lake to levels last seen in the 1970s, when the city was a fraction of its present size. It takes effect in July unless Georgia strikes a political settlement with neighboring Alabama and Florida.
In his own ruling, Magnuson acknowledged his decision would have a “draconian” result, though the judge considered it the only way to resolve the problem. … “
Continue reading from the Miami Herald by clicking here.
RELATED: Fighting for Atlanta’s water: what was it I was saying about lawyers?, from the Inkstain blog
Midwestern farmers fear the return of the Dust Bowl: For years the Ogallala Aquifer, the world’s largest underground body of fresh water, has irrigated thousands of square miles of American farmland; Now it is running dry
Posted by: Maven on March 7, 2011 at 7:32 am
From the Telegraph:
“There is not much to be happy about these days in Happy, Texas. Main Street is shuttered but for the Happy National Bank, slowly but inexorably disappearing into a High Plains wind that turns all to dust. The old Picture House, the cinema, has closed. Tumbleweed rolls into the still corners behind the grain elevators, soaring prairie cathedrals that spoke of prosperity before they were abandoned for lack of business.
Happy’s problem is that it has run out of water for its farms. Its population, dropping 10 per cent a year, is down to 595. The name, which brings a smile for miles around and plays in faded paint on the fronts of every shuttered business – Happy Grain Inc, Happy Game Room – has become irony tinged with bitterness. It goes back to the cowboy days of the 19th century. A cattle drive north through the Texas Panhandle to the rail heads beyond had been running out of water, steers dying on the hoof, when its cowboys stumbled on a watering hole. They named the spot Happy Draw, for the water. Now Happy is the harbinger of a potential Dust Bowl unseen in America since the Great Depression. … “
Continue reading from the Telegraph by clicking here.
Photo of Happy, Texas, by flickr photographer Don Barnett.
Cranberry farmer, EPA still nose to nose in 20-year-old wetlands fill case
Posted by: Maven on February 10, 2011 at 8:33 amFrom the New York Times, the second part in a three-part series on the Clean Water Act:
“Seventy-nine-year-old Charles Johnson has seen nine grandchildren born in the time that he’s been battling U.S. EPA over a soggy 50 acres on his cranberry farm in Carver, Mass. He estimates that he’s spent $2 million on the case since the early 1990s — and he admits he has hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid legal bills.
The case, which tests the scope of the federal government’s authority to regulate wetlands, is set to be heard in U.S. District Court — for the second time — in April. But after fighting for so long, Johnson has finally run out of money, and now he is worried that he will be forced to settle his case before he can head back to a courtroom.
It is a thought that gnaws at the stubborn Korean War veteran who works cranberry fields that his father once oversaw as a farm foreman.
“To have to concede to these bastards, that’s an awful tough pill to swallow,” Johnson said in a telephone interview last week. “It’s not my nature to succumb to something that in my judgment is not right.” … “
Continue reading from the New York Times by clicking here.
Supreme Court’s murky Clean Water Act ruling created legal quagmire
Posted by: Maven on February 8, 2011 at 8:07 amFrom the New York Times:
“Lawyers rarely agree on anything, but here’s an exception: They all say the Supreme Court bungled Rapanos v. United States, a major wetlands case, almost five years ago.
Attorneys representing all interested parties say lower court judges, regulators, the business community and individual landowners continue to suffer as a result of the confusion sown by the justices whose main job is to provide clarity in the law.
The case concerned the efforts of Michigan landowner John Rapanos to develop a property that, much to his dismay, was designated as a wetland. He hadn’t applied for a permit and was subsequently the target of U.S. EPA civil and criminal enforcement actions. … “
Continue reading from the New York Times by clicking here.
Budget proposals call for elimination of Bureau of Reclamation, $500 billion cuts proposed
Posted by: Maven on February 2, 2011 at 8:58 amFrom ACWA’s Water News:
“Now that the State of the Union address is over with, serious federal budget maneuvering has begun, especially in the House of Representatives. With President Obama expected to release his Fiscal Year 2012 budget request in mid-February, and with Washington insiders predicting it will contain ten to twenty percent across the board spending reductions, several competing proposals have already been voted on or are circulating around Washington, DC. … “
Chance of Rain blog: The Week That Was, 12/26/2010 – 1/1/2011
Posted by: Maven on January 3, 2011 at 4:41 amThe Chance of Rain blog has posted its weekly wrap-up of water news from around the nation and the world:
Click here for the Chance of Rain’s ‘The Week That Was 12/26/2010 – 1/1/2011′.
Chance of Rain blog: The week that was, 12/19-25/2010
Posted by: Maven on December 27, 2010 at 7:42 amEmily Green recaps the week’s water news from around the state, nation, and the globe in this week’s installment of “The Week That Was”.
Click here for “The Week That Was 12/19-25/2010″ from the Chance of Rain blog.
Water challenges no longer just in Western U.S.
Posted by: Maven on December 16, 2010 at 8:10 amGood to know we are not alone. From the Western Farm Press:
“Water scarcity in the Western U.S. has long been an issue of concern. Now, a team of researchers studying freshwater sustainability in the U.S. have found that the Southeast, with the exception of Florida, does not have enough water capacity to meet its own needs.
Twenty-five years ago, environmentalist Marc Reisner published Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, which predicted that water resources in the West would be unable to support the growing demand of cities, agriculture and industry. A paper co-authored by a University of Georgia researcher and just published in a special issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers new support for most of Reisner’s conclusions, using data and methods unavailable to him in 1986.
Although the paper focuses on freshwater sustainability in the Southwest, co-authors Tushar Sinha, a postdoctoral scientist at North Carolina State University; John Kominoski, a postdoctoral associate at the UGA Odum School of Ecology; and William Graf, a professor of geography at the University of South Carolina, said that the findings have important implications for the Southeast as well. “It turns out that the Southeast has a relatively low capacity for water storage,” said Graf. … “
Continue reading from the Western Farm Press by clicking here.
Chance of Rain blog: The week that was, 12/5-11/2010
Posted by: Maven on December 13, 2010 at 8:14 amFor a wrap-up of water news from the nation and the world, check out this week’s edition of the Chance of Rain blog’s “The week that was”.
Chance of Rain blog: The week that was, 11/28-12/4/2010
Posted by: Maven on December 6, 2010 at 8:13 amEmily Green at the Chance of Rain blog recaps the last week’s water news:
“Coastal wetlands provide critical services such as absorbing energy from coastal storms, preserving shorelines, protecting human populations and infrastructure, supporting commercial seafood harvests, absorbing pollutants and serving as critical habitat for migratory bird populations. — Many coastal wetlands likely to disappear this century, US Geological Survey press release about Limits on the adaptability of coastal marshes to rising sea level, a newly published report on climate change modeling in Geophysical Research Letters, December 1, 2010
The bottled-drink company on Monday said it closed its operations in the South Pacific country that is the source of the company’s name and its sole product … “
The 10 biggest American cities that are running out of water
Posted by: Maven on November 1, 2010 at 7:38 am24/7 Wall Street has analyzed several recent reports and has come up with a list of the top 10 American cities at risk of running out of water:
” … The analysis allowed us to choose ten cities which are likely to face severe shortages in the relatively near-term future. Some of these are likely to be obvious to the reader. The area around Los Angeles was once too dry to sustain the population of a huge city. But, infrastructure was built that allowed water to be pumped in from east of the region. Las Vegas had similar problems. It was part of a great desert until Lake Meade was created by the Hoover dam built on the Colorado river.
Severe droughts that could affect large cities are first a human problem. The competition for water could make life in some of America’s largest cities nearly unbearable for residents. A number of industries rely on regular access to water. Some people would be out of work if these industries had poor prospects for continued operation. The other important trouble that very low water supplies creates is that cities have sold bonds based on their needs for infrastructure to move, clean, and supply water. Credit ratings agencies may not have taken drought issues into account at the level that they should. Extreme disruptions of the water supply of any city would have severe financial consequences. … “
Thursday’s top of the scroll: Army Corps new report, “Building Strong Collaborative Relationships for a Sustainable Water Resources Future”
Posted by: Maven on October 7, 2010 at 8:50 amFrom the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, a report titled “Responding to National Water
Resources Challenges: Building Strong Collaborative Relationships for a
Sustainable Water Resources Future”:
“As important as water is to life, livelihood, and leisure, water is a resource that is often taken for granted until too much of it appears or too little is available to satisfy basic societal needs.
Managing water resources as a collaborative endeavor is becoming increasingly crucial as society faces demographic, economic, institutional and climate changes manifesting across the U.S. and around the globe. These changes portend a different understanding of the risks associated with the occurrence, location, intensity and impacts of extreme events—including floods and droughts.
Such changes will inevitably aggravate the competition for water in already stressed regions or emanating from population shifts to arid and semi-arid regions, and along our lakes, rivers and coastlines. Change will also affect water quality by stimulating sea level variations and, from different patterns in the movement of sediments, lead to intrusion of chemicals, other contaminants, and invasive species into water bodies and related land resources. Such change will accelerate the loss of wetlands and sensitive habitats, threaten species and reduce ecosystem services.
The resulting challenges facing the Federal government, the states, and interstate and local governments in our management—our collective stewardship—of public water resources come into focus as a shared responsibility for which collaboration is an imperative, not an elective choice. … “
You can download the full report by clicking here. And more information about the project is available by clicking here. Hat tip to the Water Wired blog!
Asian Carp: “I was like fish, fish! People wouldn’t believe a fish could do that to you.”
Posted by: Maven on September 24, 2010 at 8:19 amFrom the NRDC Switchboard blog:
“With all the ecosystem concerns brought on by America’s invasive species poster child, the Asian carp, we sometimes forget these critters pose a serious public safety threat. A recent near-drowning in Mississippi’s Lake Tunica paints a clear picture of the impact an infestation of silver carp can have on a community’s quality of life. In this case, a woman inner-tubing behind a boat was swamped by leaping fish that broke her collarbone and knocked her unconscious. Ugh, what an ignominious way to go—here are some choice quotes from her harrowing tale:
All of a sudden we got to one area of the lake when hundreds of fish started jumping out the water everywhere.
It was unbelievable. It was like fish, fish! People wouldn’t believe a fish could do that to you.
I remember going under water and trying to get back to the top to get a breath and I couldn’t get to the top. The fish kept me under water and I remember thinking this is it. This is my last breath. … “
Wow. A broken collarbone & knocked unconscious by a fish! Find out more and check out the news broadcast at the NRDC Switchboard blog by clicking here.
North Dakota lake swallows land and buildings
Posted by: Maven on September 23, 2010 at 8:30 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“It’s been called a slow-growing monster: a huge lake that has steadily expanded over the last 20 years, swallowing up thousands of acres, hundreds of buildings and at least two towns in its rising waters.
Devils Lake keeps getting larger because it has no natural river or stream to carry away excess rain and snowmelt. Now it has climbed within 6 feet of overflowing, raising fears that some downstream communities could be washed away if the water level isn’t reduced.
And those worries are compounded by another problem: Scientists believe the pattern of heavy rain and snow that filled the basin is likely to continue for at least another decade. … “
Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Chattahoochee blues: Are Georgia, Alabama and Florida fighting over water or over growth?
Posted by: Maven on September 17, 2010 at 7:56 amFrom the Economist:
“For Americans from the parched western states, the notion of Alabama, Georgia and Florida battling over water must seem as daft as three fat people fighting for a grape at a lavish banquet. Average yearly rainfall in all three states exceeds 40 inches (just over a metre). Georgia and Alabama abound in lakes and rivers. Florida has almost 1,200 miles (1,900km) of coastline. But rapid growth in the region, particularly in and around Atlanta, has put pressure on its water supply. So now the three states are engaged in a protracted battle over water from two big river basins, the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT), the outcome of which may shape the area’s development for decades. … “
Continue reading from The Economist by clicking here.
Hat tip to the Inkstain blog and this blog post: Water Wars, Southeastern Style
Charting new waters: A call to action to address U.S. freshwater challenges
Posted by: Maven on September 17, 2010 at 7:52 amFrom the Johnson Foundation:
“Citing a looming freshwater crisis that could affect the nation’s economy, the livability of our communities and the health of our ecosystems, a diverse coalition of businesses, farmers, environmental not-for-profits and government agencies issued a landmark call to action aimed at heading off a national crisis in water quality and supply. “Charting New Waters: A Call to Action to Address U.S. Freshwater Challenges,” is the culmination of an intensive two-year collaboration exploring solutions to U.S. freshwater challenges. … “
For more information and to download the report, click here.
Commentary: National water policy for a sustainable future
Posted by: Maven on September 16, 2010 at 8:48 amFrom Water World, this commentary by Dick Champion of the Clean Water Alliance:
” … As water leaders, we sit at the crossroads of transformational change. The use of 19th century platforms with 20th century laws won’t solve 21st century problems. Challenges posed by growing populations, economic pressures and regulations require a more holistic approach. Managing drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, groundwater, and reused water as “One Water” is critical to ensuring water supply and quality. The resiliency of green infrastructure becomes essential as we adapt to climate change and its enhanced hydrologic cycle. Collaboration becomes imperative between stakeholders to implement integrated watershed management systems that balance our commitment to social, environmental, and economic needs. … “
Read the full text of his commentary at the Water World website by clicking here.
Where dams once stood, prospectors spur anger
Posted by: Maven on September 8, 2010 at 8:47 amFrom the New York Times:
“GOLD HILL, Ore. — When four dams on the Rogue River here were scheduled for removal, environmentalists predicted many benefits: more salmon and steelhead swimming upriver to spawn; more gravel carried downriver to replenish the riverbed; more rafters bobbing along 57 miles of newly opened water.
What they did not bargain for was the arrival this summer of a clutch of people, eager to sift through the tons of gravel for flakes of gold once hidden behind the dams.
Prospectors cluster slightly downriver from where the dams used to be. Their suction dredges blare together, in a discordant fanfare louder than lawnmowers.
Resentment now flows as freely as the river. … “
Continue reading from the New York Times by clicking here.
Asian carp the new bullies of America’s waterways
Posted by: Maven on September 2, 2010 at 8:53 amFrom the San Luis Obispo Tribune:
“Cold-blooded. Spawning faster than rabbits. Leaping boats in a single swish. Leaving in their wake, dozens of slack-jawed (and several cases of tooth-loosened) fishermen, kayakers, water skiers and anyone else who dares to trespass through their watery world.
Asian silver carp are becoming the new bullies in America’s waterways, said a Missouri fish biologist.
“They’re here, they’re a problem, they’re not going away soon. And they could potentially be life-threatening,” said Duane Chapman, a research fish biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey and national expert on invasive carp species. … “
Continue reading from the San Luis Obispo Tribune by clicking here.
Water Wired blog: No captain, no rudder: Walter A. Lyon on water governance in the U.S.
Posted by: Maven on July 27, 2010 at 7:56 amFrom the Water Wired blog:
“Several weeks ago I learned that my AWRA colleague, Walter A. Lyon, had written an article on water governance in the United States. Since the article had not been published I offered to post it on WaterWired and Lyon agreed. You will find it provocative and thought-provoking.
I am presenting the article in its entirety, with the usual disclaimer that the opinions expressed within it are those of Lyon alone. Any edits were of the minor variety (i.e., typos, etc.). … “
Read more from the Water Wired blog by clicking here.
Lake Superior, a huge natural climate change gauge, is running a fever
Posted by: Maven on July 19, 2010 at 6:23 am
From the New York Times:
“The Great Lakes are feeling the heat from climate change.
As the world’s largest freshwater system warms, it is poised to systematically alter life for local wildlife and the tribes that depend on it, according to regional experts. And the warming could also provide a glimpse of what is happening on a more global level, they say.
“The Great Lakes in a lot of ways have always been a canary in the coal mine,” Cameron Davis, the senior adviser to the U.S. EPA on the Great Lakes, said last week. “Not just for the region or this country, but for the rest of the world.”
And it seems the canary’s song is growing ever more halting.
Lake Superior, which is the largest, deepest and coldest of the five lakes, is serving as the “canary for the canary,” Davis said at a public meeting of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force last week, pointing to recent data trends. … “
Continue reading from the New York Times by clicking here.
Photo of Lake Superior by flickr photographer jpocali.
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