Water

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    MedicalNewsToday: Water Quality

  • World Summit On Food Security Wraps Up

    20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    The U.N. World Summit on Food Security ended Wednesday in Rome with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) head Jacques Diouf calling for the global community to shift the fight against global hunger from "words to action," Agence France-Press reports.

  • For World Toilet Day, News Outlets Examine Poor Sanitation Conditions Around World

    20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    In light of World Toilet Day Thursday, several news outlets examine the impact of poor sanitation on health. Reuters examines the challenges of poor sanitation in Mumbai, India, "where more than half its 18 million residents live in slums and where the average ratio of people to toilets is 81:1.

  • Op-Eds: HIV Travel Ban; Improving Sanitation; Counterfeit Drugs

    20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    'Blot' On U.S. HIV/AIDS Leadership Removed A "blot" on U.S. HIV/AIDS leadership "ended last month when President [Barack] Obama lifted the prohibition" that kept HIV-positive foreigners from visiting the U.S. or seeking residency, according to a

  • Also In Global Health News: HIV/AIDS Grants; Africa's Water Resources; Sex Workers In Malawi

    20 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    Report Examines HIV/AIDS Grant Funding HIV/AIDS program grants made by U.S.-based foundations totaled $618 billion in 2008, an 11 percent increase from the previous year, according to a new report by Funders Concerned About AIDS, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.

  • American Nurses Association Backs New Report Describing Effects Of Coal Pollution On Health

    20 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    The American Nurses Association (ANA) joined other health care groups to support the Physicians for Social Responsibility's (PSR) newly-released report, "Coal's Assault on Human Health." Registered nurses see the effects of coal-generated pollution on the health of newborns who have elevated mercury levels and on patients with lung or cardiac disease. The PSR report concludes that coal contributes to four of the top five causes of mortality in the U.S.
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    Circle of Blue

  • The Middle East and Midwest Come Together in Water Tech Partnerships

    Steve Kellman
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:59 am
    The Mideast is proving to be a popular destination for Midwestern political officials to pitch water technology trade deals. Both Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry have been touting the freshwater potential of their states to businessmen in Israel to promote economic growth in the burgeoning field of water technology. On Tuesday, Doyle announced that he had signed a bilateral trade agreement between Israel and Wisconsin. The agreement, co-signed by the Israeli Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, aims to foster a strong working relationship…

  • Food Security Summit Calls for National Governments to Act Now

    Brett Walton
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:14 pm
    Only national solutions can solve food security problems, UN director says. The World Summit on Food Security was a forum for raising awareness and encouraging international action, said Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, at the end of the event. “The responsibility for ensuring food security, agricultural and rural development is the responsibility of each government and its people,” Diouf said during the closing press conference today. “It’s not the responsibility of the FAO and certainly not the responsibility of a…

  • Texas Legislators Raise Awareness About State’s Water Woes

    Aubrey Parker
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:54 am
    A booming population and climate change are further jeopardizing Texas’ limited water supply, officials warn. More than 600 Texas lawmakers and water policy experts came together in Fort Worth this week for The Water Event conference to raise awareness about the state’s water crisis. The two-day forum called attention to legislation that aims to confront the state’s depleting water resources while its population swells. Texas’ population is slated to nearly double, from 24.3 million inhabitants to 45.5 million, over the next 50 years, according to the Associated…

  • Water Scarcity, Food Security Concerns Prompt Global Land Grab

    Andrea Hart
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:59 pm
    Area nearly the size of France has been purchased, leased for food production around the world while Africa, South America, parts of Europe are targeted by cash-rich, food-poor nations. In the early 2000s the economic collapse in Argentina sparked private investment in farmland because of falling land prices. At first businessmen from the region were investing in farmland in Uruguay (pictured), Argentina and Brazil, but now inquiries have been made by foreign governments. By Andrea Hart and Brett Walton Circle of Blue Last August Hassad Food, a year-old agricultural finance company owned by…

  • Regulations for Farmland Acquisitions Are Years Away, UN officials say

    Brett Walton
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:14 pm
    An indigenous women harvests coffee. The IFAD’s objectives are to promote equitable access to land by poor people. A strong set of guidelines for land acquisitions abroad could take years, but is necessary for protecting the interests of small farmers, political leaders said. The process for establishing international regulations for farmland acquisitions could take up to three years, based on the timetable for similar negotiations, according to Jean-Philippe Audinet, the Acting Director of the Policy Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Without detailed…
 
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    Google News: Water

  • City closes water system to avoid contamination - Water Technology Online

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pm
    Irish TimesCity closes water system to avoid contaminationWater Technology OnlineThe Cork City Council shut down the entire central-city drinking water system to prevent damage to the pumping station that could cause contamination to Flood-hit communities braced for more downpoursIreland OnlineFlooding: worst affected areasIrish TimesDefence Forces step up deploymentRTE.ieHerald.ie -The Press Association -Irish Timesall 84 news articles »

  • Searchers wade through waist-deep water before finding North Fort Myers hunter - The News-Press

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:35 pm
    Searchers wade through waist-deep water before finding North Fort Myers hunterThe News-PressA team of five emergency responders and searchers waded through waist- and thigh-deep water for four-hours today to find missing hunter Jamey Mosch. and more »

  • UPDATE 2-Pennsylvania residents sue over gas drilling - Reuters

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:02 pm
    WBNG-TVUPDATE 2-Pennsylvania residents sue over gas drillingReutersN) on Friday, claiming the company's natural-gas drilling has contaminated their water wells with toxic chemicals, caused sickness and reduced their PA residents sue energy co. over water contaminationWater Technology OnlinePA Residents Sue Gas Driller for Contamination, Health ConcernsProPublicaPa. residents sue gas driller over polluted wellsPhiladelphia InquirerPike County Courier -WBNG-TV -Trading Markets (press release)all 65 news articles »

  • SEQ mayors accept water challenge - Brisbane Times

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:01 am
    Brisbane TimesSEQ mayors accept water challengeBrisbane TimesThree South-East Queensland mayors, whose communities are about to face tough new water usage limits, say residents are up to the challenge. Why Bligh wants us to slash water usageSunshine Coast Daily50 year SEQ Water Strategy: Bligh Government paves the way for water securityMy Sunshine Coast (press release)Water restrictions in south-east Qld to stayABC OnlineCourier Mail -Sydney Morning Herald -NEWS.com.auall 44 news articles »

  • White House Throws Cold Water On Climate 'Plan B' - Wall Street Journal

    20 Nov 2009 | 10:55 am
    White House Throws Cold Water On Climate 'Plan B'Wall Street JournalWASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Obama administration's top climate adviser on Friday threw cold water on the idea of a and more »
 
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    WaterConserve.info

  • Vietnam: Water, Water All Around—Plus All the Risks It Brings

    19 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    Inter Press Service: As Vietnam's big cities are increasingly deluged by floods, the infrastructure cannot keep up. At the end of October last year Hanoi suffered the worst floods in over 50 years. Some streets were under more than two metres of water, resulting in a death toll of 20, many as a result of electrocution from makeshift wiring; others from drowning. Photos of people fishing in the streets made headlines, but after the waters receded, people began to question their city's underperforming ...

  • Australia: Heatwave 'connected to climate change'

    19 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    Special Broadcasting Service: There's a 'high chance' a heatwave sweeping Australia's southern and eastern states is related to climate change, a scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology says. Climate Meteorologist Harvey Stern says the scorching weather effecting parts of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales at this time of the year is rare. "This (the heatwave) is a truly extreme event," Dr Stern says. "Many places have established all-time records for the first half of November." The ...

  • Wildfires Spreading as Temperatures Rise

    19 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    Inter Press Service: Future firefighters have their work cut out for them. Perhaps nowhere does this hit home harder than in Australia, where in early 2009 a persistent drought, high winds, and record high temperatures set the stage for the worst wildfire in the country's history. On Feb. 9, now known as "Black Saturday", the mercury in Melbourne topped 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.4 degrees Celsius) as fires burned over one million acres in the state of Victoria - destroying more than 2,000 homes and ...

  • Australian heatwave in carbon trade battle

    19 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    Reuters: Australia's government demanded on Thursday that conservative rivals stop opposing carbon trade laws, citing a heatwave searing the country's biggest cities as evidence of Australia's vulnerability to climate change. With Australia on bushfire alert, the government said record temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) across three states this week showed the need to act urgently against climate change. "November this year has seen a long and intense heatwave across ...

  • Australia: Bushfires rage as country swelters through heatwave

    19 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    Herald Sun:
 
 
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    ScienceDaily: Water Conservation

  • Spotting evidence of directed percolation

    20 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm
    Convincing experimental evidence has finally been found for directed percolation, a phenomenon that turns up in computer models of the ways diseases spread through a population or how water soaks through loose soil.

  • New method to measure snow, vegetation moisture with GPS may benefit farmers, meteorologists

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Scientists have found a clever way to use traditional GPS satellite signals to measure snow depth as well as soil and vegetation moisture, a technique expected to benefit meteorologists, water resource managers, climate modelers and farmers.

  • Origin of life: Generating RNA molecules in water

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    A key question in the origin of biological molecules like RNA and DNA is how they first came together billions of years ago from simple precursors. Now, researchers have reconstructed one of the earliest evolutionary steps yet: generating long chains of RNA from individual subunits using nothing but warm water.

  • Cousins of prehistoric supercrocodile inhabit lost world of Sahara

    19 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm
    Fossils of five ancient crocs, including one with teeth like boar tusks and another with a snout like a duck's bill, have been discovered in the Sahara. The five crocs, three of them newly named species, were part of the bizarre world of crocs that inhabited the southern land mass known as Gondwana some 100 million years ago.

  • SMOS satellite instrument comes alive

    18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    The MIRAS instrument on ESA's SMOS satellite, launched earlier this month, has been switched on and is operating normally. MIRAS will map soil moisture and ocean salinity to improve our understanding of the role these two key variables play in regulating Earth’s water cycle.
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    Water SISWEB

  • Hydrogeoecology and Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:24 am
    This is a special issue of Hydrogeology Journal. It seems that free access is available to all articles of this issue within the next four weeks. So, don't miss this opportunity!8 Vote(s)

  • COP15:What If the Water Wins?

    20 Nov 2009 | 2:33 am
    Just downstream from the Dutch Port of Rotterdam, a storm-surge barrier waits for the seas to rise. Twin latticework arms, each as long as the Eiffel Tower and twice as heavy, stand ready to swing together to shield the city from the wind-whipped waves. Together, they form one of the longest moving structures in the world. The Maeslant Barrier, or Maeslantkering, is the culmination of an effor8 Vote(s)

  • Should Obama Attend the Copenhagen Climate Summit?

    19 Nov 2009 | 7:39 pm
    The last time President Barack Obama made a trip to Copenhagen was in October - his sudden, last-minute effort to promote Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid - only to see his home city fail to even make the first cut. So, you couldn't blame the President if he decided to say farvel ("farewell" in Danish) to Copenhagen for the rest of his time in office. He may not have a choice, though. The delightful9 Vote(s)

  • Floods and Droughts: How Climate Change is Impacting Africa

    19 Nov 2009 | 4:57 pm
    When one enters the northern Kenyan village of Kalotum, the overwhelming impression is one of things missing. There are a dozen conical thatched huts and a clutch of spindly thorn trees. But there are no crops, animals or water. A quick look around reveals no men, either. "They all left," says villager Mary Atabo. She says just three of her family's 100 goats have survived a decade-long drought. 8 Vote(s)

  • Yangtze to Prepare for more Droughts and Floods

    19 Nov 2009 | 3:57 pm
    Temperatures across the Yangtze River Basin could increase by 1.5-2 degrees over the next 50 years. Extreme weather events will also become more frequent, according to the largest river basin climate vulnerability assessment carried out to date. The Yangtze River Basin Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Report, released in Beijing last week, not only describes the impact of climate chang8 Vote(s)
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    On Water

  • Dam news: 20 November

    Paul
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:16 am
    Visit CDRI for more on dams and dam removal.California Tribes Slam Water Legislation, Peripheral Canal at Summit Bay Area Indymedia Besides discussing a myriad of topics regarding water rights, river restoration, dam removal and drinking water, the conference participants recommended Related blog posts:Finesville Dam removal - 2nd public mtg. 12/1 - North Eastern Fly By Rusty Spinner Looking for strong support from the trout angling community for the public meeting regarding the environmental assessment we (Musconetcong River. North Eastern Fly Fishing Forums -…

  • Dam news: 19 November

    Paul
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:17 am
    Visit CDRI for more on dams and dam removal. Dam's removal called unlikely Wicked Local Stow “We would be opposed to removal of the dam and removal of the canals and removal of the Mill Pond.” So, even though the Army Corps of Engineers has Officials say consensus needed for projects in $9 million PCB settlement Anderson Independent Mail At the meeting Tuesday, however, Self said of the dam removal plan that “it would be a stretch to think it would have significant fishing benefits. Residents have support for binding vote on dam Ozaukee Press The delay in a Village Board…

  • On Water news: 19 November

    Paul
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:14 am
    Army Corps of Engineers blamed for Hurricane Katrina levee breacheshttp://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-katrina-flooding19-2009nov19,0,3370102.storyL.A. Times / By Richard FaussetCalifornia voters want a no-pork diet: The water bond proposal written and passed by the Legislature needs a major rewrite, with an emphasis on de-larding ithttp://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap19-2009nov19,0,5259943.columnL.A. Times / By George Skelton (Opinion)Oppose Water Bond, C-WIN Board Sayshttp://www.c-win.org/content/oppose-water-bond-c-win-board-says.htmlCalifornia Water Impact…

  • On Water news: 18 November

    jfridy
    18 Nov 2009 | 1:45 pm
    Proposed water bond is laden with sweeteners for lawmakersL.A. Times / by Patrick McGreevyNo perks for Monterey in big water packageMonterey County HeraldOpinion: Water deal is a disaster for Delta countiesSacramento Bee / by Alyson HuberOpinion: Delta fix demands sacrifices from allSacramento Bee / by Phil IsenbergOpinion: California can't afford for Delta bond vote to failSacramento Bee / by Dave Cogdill Incentives encourage conservationStockton Record / by Alex BreitlerHuffman earns praise for state water 'breakthrough'Marin Independent Journal / by Brad BreithauptFeds designate Lassen…

  • FREE Delta & California Water Forum

    jfridy
    18 Nov 2009 | 12:55 pm
    The New Delta & California Water Legislation: How will it affect the Bay Area?Oakland Marriott at City CenterThursday, December 10, 20099:00 am to 3:00 pmConcerned about the future of the San Francisco Bay Delta, the linchpin of the state’s water system? Wondering what the new package of water bills will mean for the Bay Area?  Come to a free forum on December 10, 2009, at the downtown Oakland Marriott, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The forum is sponsored by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership to help decipher the latest Delta- and water-management-related legislation and proposed…
 
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    WEF Water Blog

  • Biosolids Recycling Works for Us

    16 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    By Chris Peot, P.E.Biosolids ManagerDistrict of Columbia Water and Sewer AuthorityThe District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC WASA) Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Washington, DC, recycles 1,200 tons per day of biosolids to agriculture, restoration projects, and composting production in Virginia and Maryland. Rather than sending biosolids to a landfill, recycling the nutrient-rich material to land in need of nutrients aids the environment. We, along with our colleagues in this profession, work hard every day to examine issues, conduct research, and improve…

  • The Color Purple: Protecting Against Cross-Connections from Wastewater

    2 Nov 2009 | 10:31 am
    By Don Vandertulip, P.E.Principal, CDMMany individuals who follow industry developments are aware of revisions to the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) (see my 12.08 blog for background) that now require use of purple pipe on private property plumbing to convey any non-potable water. The International Plumbing Code (IPC) distributed by the International Code Council (ICC) has similar requirements. WEF’s primary objection to use of purple pipe for onsite non-potable water is the risk to the public through…

  • Time to Reinvent the Clean Water Act?

    19 Oct 2009 | 6:19 am
    By Paul Freedman, 2009-2010 President of WEFAlmost 4 decades ago I decided to become a water quality professional, inspired by my personal experiences growing up in Cleveland. There the Cuyahoga River often caught fire and Lake Erie was truly eerie, not blue as you would expect of a Great Lake but rather turbid brown, with green swirls and dead floating fish. In 1972 the Clean Water Act was passed to address the main cause--pollution from poorly treated wastewater. Since then we as a profession have worked hard to successfully eliminate this pollution and improve national water quality. In…

  • WEFTEC.09: Can’t Hide the Excitement!

    12 Oct 2009 | 12:00 am
    By Paul Bowen, Ph.D.As I conclude my last year as chair of the WEFTEC Program Committee, I am—-as always—-truly excited by the meeting’s technical program. Here at WEFTEC.09, our comprehensive program highlights new and innovative research as well as featuring fresh approaches to proven programs and operations. And this year’s high-quality workshops are in a class by themselves--it’s really exciting to see how everything has come together!WEFTEC is where you can meet and learn from some of the best and brightest minds in our field. They attend WEFTEC by the thousands and include my…

  • Thanks for the Opportunities and the Memories

    28 Sep 2009 | 12:00 am
    By Rebecca West, 2008-2009 WEF PresidentWell I’m getting close to the end of my term, and I've got to say that it’s been an awesome ride! Like probably every other WEF President, I’m hoping to leave the Federation just a little bit further down the road in terms of providing the world’s best technical knowledge and training in water. To that end, I’m happy to report that Stormwater and Nutrients are two areas the Federation has targeted for resource development. And hot topics like these will be considered as a part of WEF’s latest efforts to “globalize” programming and…
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    Water - Use It Wisely

  • Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-20

    Park
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm
    Please join the H2O social media network to discuss all things conservation and social media - http://h2osocialmedia.ning.com/ #

  • Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-13

    Park
    13 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm
    Great place to learn, have conversation on social media and water conservation here - http://h2osocialmedia.ning.com/ #

  • New Ning Network Helps Water Conservation Marketers Launch Social Media Campaigns

    Park
    11 Nov 2009 | 1:49 pm
    Click on the image to join our Ning network and learn about how to leverage social media for water conservation I’ve been on the water conservation circuit lately expounding on the benefits of using social media to help save water. I just returned from working with the gracious folks at the North Texas Regional Water Symposium, sponsored by Dallas Water, North Texas Municipal Water District. and Tarrant Regional Water District. It was an engaged crowd of nearly 200 water professionals, and they were a pleasure to work with. My social media presentation, “Giving Your Consumers a…

  • U.S. uses less water in 2005 than 1975 despite population increase. Good news right?

    Ryan
    3 Nov 2009 | 2:12 pm
    Technically, the nation is using less water in 2005 than it did in 1975 despite a 30 percent population increase over that same time. Good news right? Of course. But, according to the same Geological Survey report, human consumption has also steadily increased over that time. That can be expected considering the population increase, and Andrew Nusca and Larry Dignan of “Smart Planet” do a great job of breaking down the survey here. The bottom line is the downturn in water-use has stemmed from more effecient technologies in irrigation systems and power plants. This, of course, is…

  • Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-10-23

    Park
    23 Oct 2009 | 2:00 pm
    Water - Use It Wisely debuts new video series, “Tinkling with Ryan” - http://tinyurl.com/yzs7dqr #
 
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    AWRA Water Blog

  • Water Advocates’ NYT Ad: Link Between Disease and WASH

    Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
    10 Nov 2009 | 5:54 pm
    Yesterday  the wonderful folks at Water Advocates placed a full-page ad in the New York Times that emphatically illustrated the connection between disease and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Download Water Advocates New York Times Ad 2009 Final Please download and read the ad; it won’t take you very long. Here are the sources for the facts cited in [...] Related posts:CSIS Report on USA Leadership on Drinking Water & Sanitation: Telling It Like It Should Be The Center for Strategic and International Studies just released the following...The Time Has Come For a Human Right…

  • Westlands Water District: Your Tax Dollars At Work

    Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
    6 Nov 2009 | 1:37 pm
    Lloyd G. Carter just published this provocative article in the Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal. Here are the first few paragraphs of Reaping Riches in a Wretched Region: Subsidized Industrial Farming and Its Link to Perpetual Poverty:  In the last few decades, well over a billion dollars in taxpayer aid has been provided to a [...] Related posts:Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Climate Change Portal Bob Teeter, the librarian at the SCV Water District, just...Putting the Civil Rights Act to Work for Environmental Justice Noah Hall’s excellent Great Lakes Law…

  • A Nobel Laureate for Us Common WaterWonks

    Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
    22 Oct 2009 | 7:49 pm
    It is not too often that those of us in the water community can claim some disciplinary kinship with a Nobel Laureate, especially one from the economics realm. But this year we can take pride in seeing Elinor (Lin) Ostrom of Indiana University share the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. She is the first woman to win [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

  • New Hydrophilanthropy: SafeWater4Kids

    Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
    14 Oct 2009 | 3:17 pm
    I just learned of a new organization, SafeWater4Kids (SW4Ks). Its mission is to provide sustainable safe drinking water to children and families in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Read more here. Laura R. Brunson, whom I met a few years ago at the University of Oklahoma’s WaTER Center, is the Director of Marketing and Development. [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

  • Water Alternatives Issue – Hydraulic Bureaucracies: Flows of Water, Flows of Power

    Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
    9 Oct 2009 | 8:13 am
    Most of the current (October 2009) issue of the open-access journal Water Alternatives is devoted to Hydraulic Bureaucracies: Flows of Water, Flows of Power. There are some great articles here, including one by Aguanomics czar David Zetland: The end of abundance: How water bureaucrats created and destroyed the southern California oasis Download Zetland Art2-3-4  You can download the [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
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    On the Water Front

  • Tom's recollections from "Acorn Days"

    Spreck Rosekrans
    18 Nov 2009 | 1:20 pm
    Tom Graff passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. The following is his account of opening up EDF's California office in 1971, as described in "Acorn Days (1990)". It was sometime in mid-April of 1971, still considerably less than a year after I had ripped up my East Coast roots and taken up residence in a dynamic and pleasant-enough San Francisco law firm, that I received a letter that permanently changed my life. The letter itself was straight-forward and brief. William A. Butler, Washington, D.C., counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund, had been given my…

  • In Memory of Tom Graff

    Spreck Rosekrans
    12 Nov 2009 | 11:10 am
    All of us at the Environmental Defense Fund mourn the passing of Tom Graff, our leader in California for more than 35 years. A public celebration of his life will take place in about a month. The following account of Tom’s professional life was written by longtime friend and colleague Tom Philp. Readers are invited to share memories of Tom in the comment space below. Thomas J. Graff Thomas J. Graff, a Harvard-educated attorney whom California Lawyer once dubbed “The Godfather” for transforming the politics and policies of California water and power through a unique style of litigation…

  • No Slam Dunk for the Peripheral Canal

    Ann Hayden
    11 Nov 2009 | 4:36 pm
     Ann Hayden is a Senior Water Resource Analyst at EDF. As our recent blog highlights , there are many reasons to be pleased about the recent passage of the water policy reform package[1].  As a member of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan Steering Committee, I think it’s also worth enumerating how the legislation provides significant environmental safeguards for this process.  After all, the BDCP is where new conveyance around the Delta, (otherwise known as the peripheral canal) is being analyzed as part of a habitat conservation plan with the aim of ensuring both water supply reliability…

  • Water policy reform package is good for California

    Spreck Rosekrans
    4 Nov 2009 | 12:33 pm
    Laura Harnish is the California Regional Director. Spreck Rosekrans is an Economic Analyst at EDF. Environmental Defense Fund is delighted that the package of water policy reform bills has passed both houses of California’s legislature and will be sent to Governor Schwarzenegger for his signature. We believe this package provides a foundation that will guide environmental protection and sustainable water supply management for many years to come. And we expect that as a result, California’s farms and cities, as well as fisheries in the Bay Delta and Central Valley watershed, will be better…

  • Sausage Making and California Water Legislation

    Cynthia Koehler
    28 Oct 2009 | 5:13 pm
    Cynthia Koehler is Senior Consulting Attorney for EDF. The California Legislature is on the cusp of voting for an historic water deal. The Senate could vote within the next few days. And as the famous saying goes, there are two things that you don’t want to watch: sausage making and the legislative process. The latest attempted additive to the sausage: an amendment that would jeopardize the long-standing and foundational water law premise that requires that all water use in California be “reasonable” and not wasteful. For the better part of a century, California–like most of the…
 
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    We All Live Downstream

  • Connecting the Dots Between Environment and Health Care Reform

    jdecock
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:05 pm
    What makes us sick?  Who makes us sick? If we pass laws to protect ourselves from disease and illness caused by human activity, is it up to us, as individuals, to pay for the consequences when those laws fail due to a lack of compliance or a failure of the government to enforce. If we are stricken with mercury poisoning, cancer, heart disease, retardation, birth defects, lung disease, asthma or any of the hundreds of other illnesses caused by toxics in our environment, should we have to go bankrupt or decline treatment because there is no health care available to us? If we live in poverty…

  • Big Stone II – Stopping the Coal Fired Power Plant That Couldn’t Be Stopped

    jdecock
    4 Nov 2009 | 9:54 am
    When an expansion of the Big Stone coal-fired power plant was announced, conventional wisdom said that it couldn’t be stopped. Utilities across the country forecast the need for large numbers of new plants to satisfy our insatiable demand for more and more electricity. Big Stone II, as the project became known, seemed like one of an inevitable wave of new coal-fire power plants sweeping the nation. Mary Jo Stueve, Clean Water Action organizer in South Dakota, wasn’t buying it. Mary Jo turned on the full power of grassroots and began organizing South Dakotans around the impacts of…

  • Want to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint? Reduce Your Trash Footprint!

    jdecock
    23 Oct 2009 | 1:17 pm
    The Product Policy Institute has recently released two new reports that confirm product and packaging waste contribute forty-four percent of U.S. Greenhouse gas emissions. The reports, produced by the U.S. EPA and the Product Policy Institute, look at both products produced within the U.S. and those that are imported into the U.S. These reports help make the connection between EPR and reducing GHG emissions. Our appetite for trash is an all-consuming force in our lives.  Most people, given any kind of choice, would not opt for heavy plastic blister-packs to protect their purchases.  Most…

  • The Clean Water Act Birthday Celebration Continues

    jdecock
    21 Oct 2009 | 12:03 pm
    –From Guest Blogger Lynn Thorp– The Environmental Protection’s Agency (EPA) has invoked a little-used Clean Water Act authority to review a previously-issued permit for a mountaintop removal project in West Virginia.  Acting Region 3 Administrator William Early announced the permit review in an October 16 letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  This is a good start in EPA’s stated intent to review numerous mountaintop removal coal mining projects. There’s plenty of background on section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act and on why EPA believes this action is warranted due…

  • 37 Years of the Clean Water Act Thanks To Clean Water Action

    jdecock
    18 Oct 2009 | 8:35 pm
    Today’s Guest Blogger is Lynn Thorp, National Programs Director for Clean Water Action.  Lynn and our team of water warriors are leading the battle to restore the integrity and effectiveness of the Clean Water Act, a landmark piece of legislation that was born from the vision of our organization and damaged by administrative assaults and poorly rendered supreme court decisions during the tenure of George W. Bush.   We are going to repair this damage with the passion and energy we brought to the original fight. Clean Water Action was founded in 1971 to push for passage of a visionary…
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    WesternWater Blog

  • Schwarzenegger signs water conservation bill in San Jose

    Matthew Cunningham
    11 Nov 2009 | 8:03 am
    By Paul Rogers - progers@mercurynews.com SAN JOSE, CA - NOVEMBER 10: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs With willow trees, migrating geese and local politicians as his backdrop, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday visited San Jose to sign a new water conservation law that aims to reduce urban use 20 percent statewide by 2020. Schwarzenegger signed the bill, SBX7-7, at a ceremony at the Santa Clara Valley Water District headquarters in Almaden Valley. The bill, authored by Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, is the fourth of five water measures Schwarzenegger has signed around…

  • Pork, water policy don't mix

    Matthew Cunningham
    8 Nov 2009 | 12:17 pm
    By Steven GreenhutDirector of the Pacific Research Institute's Journalism Center in Sacramento SACRAMENTO Advocates for government "solutions" for everything from health care to education argue that some aspects of life are just so darn complicated that only a centralized authority with taxing and spending power can handle such matters. Yet whenever we look at those areas of life dominated by the government, we find nothing but convoluted messes, political corruption and mismanagement. And so in Sacramento last week, state legislators passed a water deal that will ultimately…

  • My View: Chromium 6 still threatens California's drinking water

    Matthew Cunningham
    26 Oct 2009 | 9:46 am
    By Erin Brockovich  - Special to The Sacramento Bee Polluters who contaminate drinking water and make people sick shouldn't get off easy. That has been the focus of my work for two decades, and I'm not planning to stop now. My work focused the attention of the world on a carcinogen called hexavalent chromium (hex chrome). In 1996, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. – a multibillion-dollar corporation – paid $333 million in damages to the people of Hinkley for contaminating their drinking water and covering up the problem for decades while people got sick and died. This victory was…

  • Editorial: Water reform package is worth saving

    Matthew Cunningham
    20 Sep 2009 | 7:24 am
    Sacramento Bee  - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers came very close earlier this month to a historic pact aimed at restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and ensuring the future of California's water supply. They should get back to work and close that deal. The package that died at the end of the legislative session was like a glass half full. It was missing some crucial elixers – the result of some hasty, last-minute bartending. But now there is time to finish the job and give the proposals the public vetting they deserve. Why wait? This package included some…

  • As California Legislative Session Ends, Lawmakers Push for Water Package

    Matthew Cunningham
    10 Sep 2009 | 6:31 am
    By Jack Phillips Water pours into an irrigation canal on April 17, 2009 near Firebaugh, California. California's State Legislature will close this Friday after a nine-month session which has been largely bogged down by the budget crisis. Issues ranging from the ailing prison system to the water crisis have now been pushed to the forefront. Lawmakers hope to make some crucial breakthroughs by the end of the week. The state's water issues are taking precedent, with a special committee meeting last Tuesday, which included representatives from both the Republican and Democratic parties.
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    Water News Update

  • Thursday’s Water News: Water Main Replacement in North Cumberland County (Penn.)

    bradhannon
    19 Nov 2009 | 1:35 pm
    People who live and work on Packers Island in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania  may finally be able to look forward to reliable water service. A water main that caused trouble last year is being replaced underneath the Susquehanna River bed. The $700,000 project will replace the existing main that supplies water from the Milton water treatment plant to about 130 homes and business on Packers Island. Headlines A water main break caused traffic delays in Santa Cruz, California after a ruptured water main swamped Highway 9, trapping motorists on Wednesday. A water main break sent hundreds of…

  • Wednesday’s Water News: $1.8 Million Project to Begin in Wilmington, N.C.

    bradhannon
    18 Nov 2009 | 10:15 am
    Work will begin soon in Wilmington, North Carolina on a $1.8 million  project downtown which includes the replacement of sewer and water pipes and storm drains, as well as a new road, sidewalks and traffic signals. Headlines The city of Aurora, Ohio has moved one step closer to securing $830,000 in state funds for the cleaning and relining of four water mains. The city’s share for the cost of the project is $800,000 and is expected to take about six months to complete A water main break in Hackensack, New Jersey flooded a local street washing mud onto the road and causing a 20-foot…

  • Tuesday’s Water News: Water Main Break Floods Homes in Oregon Community

    bradhannon
    17 Nov 2009 | 8:05 pm
    A broken water main in a Roseburg, Oregon neighborhood caused flooding and damaged some area homes. The force of the water was so strong, it caused the street to bubble up and crews had to take out that section of road and make repairs.  Headlines Two major intersections in Warner Robbins, Georgia were closed this evening as crews tried to repair a massive water main break that flooded businesses and stopped traffic throughout the afternoon. The rash of water main breaks that have flooded streets, homes and business and snarled traffic across Los Angeles over the last few months might…

  • Monday’s Water News: Billion Gallons of Sewer Overflows into the Hudson River

    bengann
    16 Nov 2009 | 5:48 pm
    Aging sewer systems in New York’s Capital Region are dumping 1.2 billion gallons of watered-down, untreated sewage into the Hudson River each year, according to a new report issued by the Capital District Regional Planning Commission. Headlines Authorities in La Mesa, California were trying to determine today what caused a 6-inch cast-iron water main to rupture, leaving 32 residences without water. Last week heavy rains and high tides contributed to a sanitary sewer overflow at the wastewater facility in Solomons, Maryland. A water main break in Indianapolis disrupted morning rush…

  • Friday’s Water News: Philadelphia Proposes Stormwater Plan

    bradhannon
    13 Nov 2009 | 1:56 pm
    Philadelphia’s proposal for an ambitious stormwater plan comes with a catch. The cost to taxpayers would be at or above the upper limit of EPA’s affordability criteria because residents could see their yearly wastewater bill increase 230% over the next 20 years. Philadelphia is required  by the EPA to reduce combined sewer overflows by 85% — or face hefty fines for non-compliance. Headlines North Dakota’s state Water Commission is moving forward with plans for a $15.3 million upgrade to the system of canals and pipes that drains Devils Lake floodwaters into the Sheyenne…
 
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    WaterWired

  • Ted Hullar's 1996 White Paper - Water and NASULGC: Challenge and Opportunity, Take Hold or Not?

    Aquadoc
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:22 am
    NASULGC? Is that a new nasal spray? Nope - read on! While rummaging through some electronic files I ran across a white paper written by Dr. Theodore L. "Ted" Hullar in 1996. It was presented to an organization then  known as the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC), now known as the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Hullar was a distinguished academic researcher (biochemist) and administrator - chancellor of UC-Riverside and UC-Davis - who is now a consultant. In his paper, he implored NASULGC to give…

  • Why We Need World Toilet Day

    Aquadoc
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:49 am
    Yes, you've got that right - today is World Toilet Day! Check out the day's events. Donate here. No sophomoric humor from yours truly today. This is serious business. So why do we need WTD? From the WTD site: 1) Because 2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation, which risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people, mostly children, a year. 2) Because even the world's wealthiest people still have toilet problems - from unhygienic public toilets to sewage disposal that destroys our waterways. Also (from Water Advocates): In the…

  • Southern Nevada Water Agonistes (SNWA), Part 2

    Aquadoc
    18 Nov 2009 | 12:30 am
    This is Part 2 because I already did Part 1 almost 18 months ago. The ever-perspicacious Emily Green posts about the upcoming Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) board meeting on 19 November, which happens to coincide with World Toilet Day. She specifically reports on Item 5, which calls for the SNWA directors to take the recent ruling by Judge Norman C. Robison to the State Supreme Court: 5. Authorize the General Counsel to file an appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court in Case No. CV-0830008 of the Seventh Judicial Court, Carter-Griffin, Inc., et al. vs.

  • Abby Brown: Gandhian Thoughts on Gender, Water, and Sanitation

    Aquadoc
    17 Nov 2009 | 12:15 am
    Abby Brown, who's spending a few months in India on an internship with Arghyam, just posted this item on her Water for the Ages blog. Here's about half her post: An eight-hour overnight train journey leaves me waking up just before arrival to Dindigul Junction as the engine rumbles to a stop. For my final field visit in South India, I have come to Gandhigram Trust to see how their recent water and sanitation interventions, funded by Arghyam, have affected women and men in rural villages as part of my studies on gender, water, and sanitation. Gandhigram began with the…

  • Barbara Rose Johnston Lecture: Dam Legacies, Damned Consequences

    Aquadoc
    16 Nov 2009 | 12:55 am
    Dr. Barbara Rose Johnston of the Center for Political Ecology in Santa Cruz, CA,  presented the lecture 'Dam Legacies, Damned Consequences' at Oregon State University on 11 November 2009. "Never give up; for even rivers someday wash dams away." -- Arthur Golden 
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    Water For The Ages

  • World Toilet Day – 2009

    waterfortheages
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:40 am
    Today is World Toilet Day. And – if you giggle at this funny-sounding name – you might not realize the vital importance of proper sanitation. Over 2.5 billion (about 40 percent of the world population) urinate and defecate outside. Open defecation, or OD as it is commonly known, spreads diseases and results in the poor health or DEATH of many people. Around 2 million children die each year from sanitation-related illnesses (more than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined). But it’s difficult for numbers to tell the true story. During visits to villages in South India with Arghyam,…

  • Gandhian Thoughts on Gender, Water, and Sanitation

    waterfortheages
    15 Nov 2009 | 11:50 pm
    An eight-hour overnight train journey leaves me waking up just before arrival to Dindigul Junction as the engine rumbles to a stop. For my final field visit in South India, I have come to Gandhigram Trust to see how their recent water and sanitation interventions, funded by Arghyam, have affected women and men in rural villages as part of my studies on gender, water, and sanitation. Gandhigram began with the encouragement of Mahatma Gandhi. He supported his two friends, Dr. Soundram and Dr. Ramachandran, in starting an organization for local development in rural areas. Since 1947, Gandhigram…

  • Guest Post: Photo essay on water loss due to leaks

    waterfortheages
    25 Oct 2009 | 11:41 pm
    A guest blog post originally published on the India Water Portal (IWP) by my friend and colleague Praveena Sridhar. She has given me permission to re-publish her beautiful pictures and insightful post about water leakage in India. As I had been waking up to a leaky tap in my new house for quite some time, I thought it would be interesting to look at the different ways water gets wasted. In this post, I attempt to do a photo blog from my past photo collections on this subject from different parts of the country. This is an image of a leaking pipe from a tanker used by Municipality to provide…

  • Kids and Songs for Safe Water and Good Hygiene in Tamil Nadu

    waterfortheages
    12 Oct 2009 | 10:50 pm
    About 6,000 children die EACH DAY from water- and sanitation-related illnesses. But, did you know, songs can save lives. One NGO in rural Tamil Nadu is teaching songs to children about the importance of safe water and good hygiene practices to help them and their families lead longer and healthier lives. Around 2.6 billion people worldwide lack access to proper sanitation facilities. Poor water and sanitation conditions lead to illnesses such as diarrhea, parasites, and malaria. Young children have weaker immune systems unable to protect them from these sicknesses. Simple actions like washing…

  • The New and Improved India Water Portal

    waterfortheages
    23 Sep 2009 | 6:46 am
    An updated India Water Portal was just released, and my internship is at the same place as the people that designed this great website. Here is what they have to say about the remade site: India Water Portal (http://indiawaterportal.org) is a knowledge and social portal for exchanging knowledge, experiences and ideas on the water situation in India. Over the past few months, we have been working to transform the website into a much more user-friendly, participative and fun resource. The new website is now released and we encourage you to visit it now! They have flickr, facebook, Twitter, and…
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    Akvo

  • Akvo Platform, part 2. Progress with Akvo RSR.

    Thomas Bjelkeman-Pettersson
    11 Nov 2009 | 10:54 am
    To read the first instalment in this series, please see Akvo Platform, part 1. What it is. Most of the development seen so far for the Akvo Platform has been in Akvo RSR. So before we go into discussing extending the Akvo Platform we will have a look at what is next for Akvo RSR. Akvo RSR development, summer to autumn 2009 First a quick recap. What have we been working on in the autumn of 2009? The Akvo RSR roadmap tell us that we have been working on: Sponsor partner landing page Akvo RSR new look and new features Akvo Widgets Workflow engine SMS / MMS PayPal integration and project funds…

  • The Akvo Platform, part 1. What it is

    Thomas Bjelkeman-Pettersson
    9 Nov 2009 | 6:57 am
    Photo: The Akvo software development team discuss system architecture at the 2009 Akvo RSR sprint, near Stockholm, Sweden. At Akvo we create and share internet tools which make it easier for people to implement water and sanitation development aid projects in an effective and transparent way. Akvo.org runs open source software that we call the Akvo Platform. The Akvo Platform consists mostly of components that we have not built, such as Wordpress for the blog or MediaWiki for the Akvopedia. But what people really seem to get excited about are our contributions, which consist of the Akvo…

  • Handwashing made simple — the Tippy Tap

    Mark Tiele Westra
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:03 pm
    If you don’t have a tap, washing your hands in a hygienic way isn’t easy. You could place a bowl of water on a table, but then you would be washing your hands in the dirty water other people left behind. You could walk to the hand pump and ask somebody else to pump while you wash your hands. But that needs two people and wastes a lot of water. Can we do better? Enter the Tippy Tap. A plastic container with a small hole near the lid is suspended on a stick through the handle, which can be tipped by a piece of wire or string attached to the lid. The string is attached to a piece of wood on…

  • Dutch Schoolkids Walk for Water. Raise €1m. And now it can happen anywhere

    Kathelyne van den Berg
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:09 am
    Walking for Water is a fundraising and awareness-raising concept where school children aged 10-13 walk 6 kilometres, carrying 6 litres of water in a backpack. This event is held during the week of World Water Day March 22nd. Funds are raised by the kids themselves, mainly as donations from friends and family. It’s a perfect community initiative to build excitement and engage our youngest generation in the month immediately before Live Earth’s global Run for Water. Here you can see how Live Earth is promoting the concept on their website The money raised is used to finance water…

  • PVC against poverty

    Mark Tiele Westra
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:05 am
    In the field of water supply, there is hardly a subject on which opinions very so widely, and on which temperaments flare so easily, as on the subject of hand pumps. Basically, you can divide proponents of different types of hand pumps into two camps, which I will call ‘no-repairs-needed’, and ‘repairable’. I am firmly in the ‘repairable’ camp. For people in the no-repairs-needed camp, the goal is to make a hand pump that is of such a good quality, that it does not need any maintenance, and will never break down. To the ‘repairable’ camp, on the other hand, I count people that…
 
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    Watercrunch

  • Top 10 Potential Lunar Bottled Water Slogans

    16 Nov 2009 | 3:10 am
    Last week, NASA said they had found "significant amounts" of water on the moon. One day in the not too distant future a bottled water company may set up shop on the moon and sell bottled water back to us on Earth. To assist with this effort, I have come up with some potential slogans this morning.1. Its your world. Do your own moonwalk.2. Make it a Full Moon everyday3. Drink the most natural water out of this world4. The antidote for sustainability5. Drink and take one large step for mankind everyday6. Howl with the Moon7. Born out of this World.8. Blasted, but never filtered. Moonwater.9.

  • Toccoa Falls Dam Failure Anniversary

    6 Nov 2009 | 4:19 am
    Just after midnight 32 years ago today on November 6, 1977, the Kelly Barnes Dam failed, releasing 176 million gallons of water just above Toccoa Falls College campus in northern Georgia. Thirty-nine people lost their lives.I wrote a series of blog posts about this incident a couple years ago.Part I - Unseen DangerPart II - A Wall of Water, Get Out!Part III - After the FloodHere is a video I also made with the series.

  • The Single Most Important Day to Learn About Water

    4 Nov 2009 | 3:22 am
    I think we have topped ourselves from last year. Although I am a bit biased, we have lined up some impressive speakers this year. This one-day water resource workshop will be held in Columbia, SC on December 2, 2009. Registration is now open. You can register here. Take a look the flyer below (I had fun creating it!).South Carolina Water Resource Workshop

  • The Miracle Behind the World's Biggest Cruise Ship

    2 Nov 2009 | 3:11 am
    Hook, line, and sinker. I am a sucker for the big-isms when explaining something that is the world's biggest. I was hooked when I read last week about Royal Caribean's newest cruise ship.Let me uncork these -isms so I can share the cool construction pictures: Right off the bat, this ship is longer, taller, and wider than any other passenger ship ever built. The smokestack had to be retracted this weekend just so it could squeeze under a bridge in Denmark and make it to the Atlantic and on to its home port, Port Everglades in Florida. Amazingly it had less than a 2-foot gap between the bridge…

  • 7 Engaging Videos about Hurricane Hugo : 20 Years Later

    21 Sep 2009 | 4:22 am
    I was a freshman at Clemson when twenty years ago this Category 5 hurricane struck Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, South Carolina and North Carolina in September of 1989, killing 82 people.Some quick facts:Hugo's toll in dollars was greater than the total insured losses of the 10 most costly hurricanes prior to it. In South Carolina, there was one insurance claim for every four households.Duke Energy (then Duke Power) used or replaced 8,800 poles, 700 miles of cable and wire, 6,300 transformers, 165,000 automatic splices, 37,500 meter sockets, 17,000 electric meters, 600…
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    Stormwater Authority

  • EPA, Florida Agree to Limit Fertilizer, Animal Waste in State Waters

    18 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    TALLAHASSEE, Florida, November 19, 2009 (ENS) - In a decision with national relevance, a federal judge in Tallahassee Monday approved a consent decree that requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set legal limits on excess nutrients that trigger harmful algae blooms in Florida waters. The EPA agreed to establish numeric water quality criteria for Florida' lakes and flowing waters by January 14, 2010. The agency has until January 14, 2011, to establish numeric water qual

  • City of Akron Must Spend Millions to Stop Sewage Overflows

    15 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    AKRON, Ohio, November 16, 2009 (ENS) - The City of Akron, Ohio, has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer system to reduce or eliminate sewage overflows that have long polluted the Cuyahoga River and its tributaries, the Justice Department, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state of Ohio announced Friday. Akron’s sewer system, like those in most older U.S. cities, combines storm sewers - often flooded after heavy rains - with sanitary sewers.

  • Southeast Homebuilder Hit With $350,000 Stormwater Fine

    11 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    ATLANTA, Georgia, November 12, 2009 (ENS) - Two related home building companies based in Atlanta have agreed to pay a $350,000 civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Water Act, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday. In addition to the civil penalty, John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods Inc., and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods of the Carolinas Inc. have also agreed to implement company-wide stormwater compliance pro

  • Economic Stimulus Funds Get 11 Massachusetts Stormwater Projects Moving

    8 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    BOSTON, Massachusetts, November 9, 2009 (ENS) - As part of the Massachusetts Recovery Plan to secure the state's economic future, the Patrick administration has awarded $750,266 in grants to 11 communities for projects to conduct watershed nonpoint source pollution assessment and planning work to address water quality impairments. These grants are funded under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and Section 604b of the U.S. Clean Water Act. "A strong water sup

  • Chesapeake Bay Gets Clean Water Funding; $1.5B More for Stormwater Proposed

    4 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    WASHINGTON, DC, November 5, 2009 (ENS) - To pay for better clean water accountability and regulatory enforcement in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Congress has authorized new funding to reduce pollution in local rivers and streams flowing into the bay. Legislation passed by the House and Senate contains a record $50 million for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Bay cleanup efforts, with $19 million in new funding for regulatory enforcement and accountability. "Congress has c
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    NUPRANA

  • Missouri Pours Money on Water Projects

    JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday announced $146 million in federal stimulus funds to speed infrastructure construction across Missouri. The grants, in conjunction with $120 million in low-interest loans provided by the state, will pay for more than 50 wastewater- and drinking-water system improvements statewide, including projects in and ...

  • Connecticut’s Experiment with Bottled Water Deposits

    By Gregory B. Hladky, Fairfield County Weekly Starting last week, the soft gurgling of the estimated 561 million bottles of water sold every year in Connecticut was supposed to translate into the sweet clink of millions upon millions of nickels rolling into the threadbare pockets of state government. Oct. 1 was the ...

  • Water: The World’s #1 Security and Health Concern

    By Zachary Shahan, Ecoworldly Water scarcity resulting from climate change is the number one issue the world will have to grapple with in the future, according to chief climate scientist and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri. On the one hand, we will have more water around us with sea level ...

  • Dangerous Toxins Taint Drinking Water in Schools

    The Associated Press (AP) is breaking with news that not only has the drinking water at thousands of schools nationwide been found to contain a variety of dangerous toxins, but its investigation found these contaminants to be present in schools in every state. Unsafe and dangerous levels of pesticides, leads, and ...

  • Alternative Energy vs Water?

    By Todd Woody, New York Times AMARGOSA VALLEY, Nev. — In a rural corner of Nevada reeling from the recession, a bit of salvation seemed to arrive last year. A German developer, Solar Millennium, announced plans to build two large solar farms here that would harness the sun to generate electricity, ...
 
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    Water News Portal

  • Aqua Pennsylvania solar farm powers Mill Water Treatment Plant

    13 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc.managers have celebrate the start of construction of a 1.1 megawatt photovoltaic solar farm at Aqua's Ingram's Mill Water Treatment Plant in East Bradford Township, which serves drinking water to the West Chester, Pennsylvania area. The 1.1 MW solar farm, to be constructed by the Conergy Group, will provide a direct benefit to the water treatment plant by providing renewa ... [more]

  • GE summit focusses on industrial and municipal water reclamation and reuse

    12 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    Exploring ways to better protect water natural resource is the goal of a GE Leadership Summit on Water Reuse Solutions, "From Used to Useful." Leaders from industry, government and academia have gathered at GE's learning center in Crotonville, N.Y., to discuss the role of water reuse, or recycling, in securing a sustainable water supply for the future. The United Nations has projected that by 2 ... [more]

  • Green infrastructure in action

    12 Nov 2009 | 7:55 am
    Figures produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers for CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment), the Government's advisor on urban design show how a shift in spending from grey to green of just 0.5% in some local authorities could increase investment in urban green space by 141%. Switching public spending from 'grey' projects like road building and heavy engineering projects to 'green' ... [more]

  • Small changes to cut down on water waste

    11 Nov 2009 | 8:28 am
    The average person in the UK uses around 150 litres of water every day and of this around one third is wasted. However, according to recent research released by Defra, many of us don't think we waste water. Indeed even when people do have some awareness that a behaviour is wasteful they have little connection to the impact of that wastefulness. In support of the Energy Saving Trust's Energ ... [more]

  • Eco-Logic Living helps householders and businesses in Cumbria reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint

    6 Nov 2009 | 9:03 am
    Eco-Logic Living is helping local householders and businesses reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint. The company offers everything from property assessment, grant advice, system design and installation through to servicing and after care. Judy and Islam Pearson decided to set up Eco-Logic Living after their experiences in property development. "By choosing renewable energy sources hous ... [more]
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    Aguanomics

  • Speed Blogging

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:26 pm
    Dam Down: Rogue River flows again Nice iceberg photos like this --> "A Regional Finance Strategy to Restore the Health of the Great Lakes" [PDF] can perhaps give some good ideas to people trying to save the Delta. Biofuels and water (yes, still a big mistake) Five economists talk sense on financial market regulatory reform Coyote and others discuss hacking low-flow shower heads. Very funny and creative. The WSJ notes the battle between regulators who want low-flow and the customers who want more more more, but fails to note that higher prices are much more efficient in promoting…

  • Poseidon's Carlsbad project cost is $700 million

    20 Nov 2009 | 12:43 pm
    Global Water Intelligence is an expensive (but worth it) source of timely and excellent analysis. This piece [$] caught my eye, and I quote heavily because it's gated for subscribers: Poseidon Resources’ decision to apply for an extra $50 million of private activity bonds [see this post] caught my eye. It also seems to have captured the imagination of California’s media, but for quite different reasons. I was interested primarily because I am intrigued by how Poseidon is going to make a return that justifies the fantastic risks it has had to take on in order to get the Carlsbad project…

  • Carbon Offsets = BS

    20 Nov 2009 | 10:30 am
    Yet again, the NY Times is following on my lead :) In this 25 Oct post, I asked Should I offset my "carbon footprint" if I fly in an airplane that's 1/2 full (and would have flown without me anyway)? In this 18 Nov story, we read: In 2002 Responsible Travel became one of the first travel companies to offer customers the option of buying so-called carbon offsets to counter the planet-warming emissions generated by their airline flights. But last month Responsible Travel canceled the program, saying that while it might help travelers feel virtuous, it was not helping to reduce global emissions.

  • THIS is how you get people to use less water

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:31 am
    Aquacue is working with AQUAholics Anonymous to get UCSD students in dorms to use less water. The strategy has three prongs: Dormies can see their daily consumption. That's fast feedback. (That link will disappear at the end of the month, so look now!) Residents can compare their current consumption to their numbers from the day or year before (click on the name of a hall to see the graphics). That creates an incentive to improve personal (or in-group) performance. Residents can compare consumption to others in other halls, to see who is at the top of the league table. That comparison creates…

  • Why should I be an AWWA member?

    19 Nov 2009 | 1:17 pm
    I joined the American Water Works Association to participate in the water community. The "benefits of membership" have been disappointing to me: Although I have spoken at a few AWWA conferences, I find them to be directed at selling pumps and water treatment devices, not at improving water management.* Their webcasts are also more about money than spreading information. I applied to serve on the water rates committee, but they never responded (let alone said yes or no). I wanted to share articles from the AWWA, but they told me to take them down. With one exception, the AWWA is the only…
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    Water and Wastewater Blog

  • Use Innovation to Turbo-Charge Your Organization

    Don Dunnington
    6 Nov 2009 | 11:43 am
    In "3 Tips for Becoming an Energizing Team Member" I discussed Rosabeth Moss Kanter's take on how the best leaders lead with positive energy. I recently came across research that suggests creativity and innovation may be an organization's most important source of positive energy. Harvard Business Review contributing editor Bronwyn Fryer posted this interview "How Do Innovators Think? " with Professors Jeff Dyer and Hal Gregersen. In the Q&A interview the professors discuss the results of a six-year study in which they surveyed 3,000 creative executives and…

  • 3 Tips for Becoming an Energizing Team Member

    Don Dunnington
    30 Sep 2009 | 1:10 pm
    It's not just the Energizer Bunny that needs to keep things going with its never-quit energy. According to Harvard's business professor and chronicler of leadership and innovation, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, becoming an energizer (Harvard Business Blog) is an essential leadership skill. Kanter's article on leadership and personal effectiveness is aimed at organization leaders, but the benefits of positive energy apply equally to anyone who has a role on a group or team. That covers just about all of us, and I think it applies particularly well to those on engineering teams or…

  • Make Your Nominations Here for Water and Waste Water's Engineering Rock Stars

    Don Dunnington
    13 Aug 2009 | 8:21 am
    Last night I saw Ajay Bhatt on TV for the first time. He's Intel's latest "rock star" in their "Sponsors of Tomorrow" marketing campaign. You can see Bhatt's rock idol video here. He is an Intel fellow and the co-inventor of USB, today's standard for connecting devices to computers. Bhatt is a good sport in playing what must have been an uncomfortable video role. But this send up of modern fan adulation does more than bring attention to one of Intel's many stellar engineers. Intel's rock star video serves as a reminder that real people make the things that make the world a…

  • Water-security: Should urban water use, like rural water use, be capped?

    Joseph Taylor
    23 Jul 2009 | 10:18 pm
    “What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander" – a proverb of unknown origin. The so-called cap on surface water use in the Murray-Darling Basin is widely acclaimed as a success.  This cap is dynamic and designed to limit the amount of surface water that may be taken from rivers in the each part of the Basin. The cap’s main purpose is to keep water use and development within an agreed limit and maintain a degree of supply reliability at the individual level.  If someone wants access to more water than is currently allocated to them, someone else…

  • Will Investors Find Gold in Water Incorporated?

    Don Dunnington
    16 Jun 2009 | 6:22 pm
    Steve Hoffmann, founder of WaterTech Capital, a private investment company focused on the water industry, is betting water will become the world's most precious resource in the near future. You can read all about his rationale for investing in what you might call "Water Incorporated" in his new book, Planet Water: Investing in the World's Most Valuable Resource. The book was reviewed recently in The Wall Street Journal (May 27, 2009) by Roger Bate, who concedes Hoffmann is "a financier, not a writer" but reading the book "might well guide [you to] some very…
 
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    CO Water Information Program

  • November 19, 2009--Grant helps Mayflower hydropower project (Silverton Standard)

    denise
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:37 am
    Telluride Energy has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the USDA Rural Development Renewable Energy for America Program to install an 8-kilowatt micro-hydro turbine at the Mayflower Mill near Silverton. The San Juan County Historical Society is in the process of developing the small power plant.read more

  • November 19, 2009--Dryside residents hear options for drinking water (Durango Herald)

    denise
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:12 am
    The foundation has been laid to provide drinking water to the dry western side of La Plata County, but the building blocks needed to complete the system are many, varied and expensive. A couple of dozen skeptical Dryside residents heard the assessment Tuesday evening from La Plata West Water Authority board members Roy Horvath, Tom Brossia, Mae Morley and Kirk Peine.read more

  • November 19, 2009--More Colorado drinking-water systems using chlorine (Sky-Hi Daily News)

    denise
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:10 am
    More drinking-water systems across Colorado are treating their water with chlorine following the deadly salmonella outbreak in Alamosa last year. State health officials announced Wednesday that animal waste that seeped into an underground storage tank likely caused the outbreak. The report said that the bacteria may not have grown had Alamosa used chlorine to disinfect its water supply.read more

  • November 19, 2009--Uranium company protests mining rules and input (Greeley Tribume)

    denise
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:27 pm
    A company that wants to mine uranium in Weld County claims that proposed state rules on protecting groundwater might be illegal. Powertech USA also questions the legality of allowing public comments on setting rules that cover issues such as groundwater quality and mine reclamation. The company argues the proposed rules are too broad.read more

  • November 19, 2009--Super Ditch announces first water leasing deal struck (La Junta Democrat)

    denise
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:16 pm
    John Schweizer, chairman of the Super Ditch consortium, announced Wednesday the group has worked out an agreement with Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority to lease 2,000 acre feet of water to seven Colorado Springs-area entities. The leasing of irrigation water rights held by farmers working under seven canal companies in Southeastern Colorado would begin in 2011, Schweizer said.read more
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    WordPress Tag: Water

  • water

    conservewaterknow
    12 Nov 2009 | 7:04 am
    Water conservation Water conservation refers to reducing the usage of water. Water conservation may also mean recycling of water for more use like domestic and agriculture.  Agricultural conservation and […]

  • What is water?

    robertsonwork
    5 Oct 2009 | 7:14 am
    What is water? Why is most of the Earth's surface covered in water, not land? Shouldn't this be called Planet Water? Why is the human body mostly water? […]

  • Body Water

    kimada
    4 Jul 2009 | 10:41 pm
    The body is 60% water. The body is water. The body is a body of water. The water is body. The water is body water. The water is water. The water is a water […]

  • Water

    disnakalhari
    26 Jun 2009 | 10:02 pm
    All  people and  animals  want to existance.Water is used for various ideas by people.We used water for drinking,bathing and washing. Even some engings and factories want water. Every […]

  • water

    vishesh unni raghunathan
    14 Jun 2008 | 10:21 pm
    Smoke on the water, reflections in the water. world is directed towards water, everything needs water. If water ceased to exist, everything on earth will perish. if water dries out, there will be no more […]
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    Google Blog Search: Water

  • Switchboard, from NRDC :: Barry Nelson's Blog :: A Water Agency ...

    Barry Nelson
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:26 am
    To the non-water wonk, a long-range planning process within the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (known as Met) might appear as exciting as drying paint. But for those of us within the water community, ...

  • Henry Henderson: The Value of Water

    Henry Henderson
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:42 am
    We have been awash with an array of unhappy water stories in this region of late. On the surface they are unrelated...scary fish...E. coli contamination...improperly regulated pesticides...intentionally poisoned waterways...

  • CDP Launches Water Disclosure Project · Environmental Leader ...

    Environmental Leader
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:41 am
    The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has launched a global water disclosure project to help businesses and institutional investors understand the risks and opportunities associated with water scarcity and other water-related issues, ...

  • New publication: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Standards for ...

    dietvorst
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:40 am
    Guidelines on water, sanitation and hygiene in schools are widely available, but additional guidance and standards for low-cost settings are needed. The development and implementation of national policies, guidelines for safe practices, ...

  • Whirlpool Cuts Water Use by Nearly 22% from 2004 to 2008 ...

    Environmental Leader
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:34 am
    Whirlpool Corp. is on track to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 6.6 percent by 2012, according to the company's first global sustainability report.
 
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    Water Conservation Blog

  • Helping Old Forests Stabilize Climate 2009: Ecological Internet $75,000 Year-End Fund-Raiser

    18 Nov 2009 | 10:03 pm
    Please support EI's proven Internet-based global advocacy to achieve ecological science-based ecosystem protection and restoration - http://www.climateark.org/shared/donate/ Dear Earth colleagues, I have just come from the rainforest, and things are not looking good. Old forests continue to needlessly fall, even as abrupt runaway climate change appears imminent. Today Ecological Internet launches our biannual fund-raiser to support our ten year old unique brand of Internet mediated global ecological advocacy to address the twin crises of forest degradation and climate change. Simply no one…

  • ALERT! No to Copenhagen 'Carbon Logging': GOOD REDD Fully Protects and Restores Old Forests as a Global Climatic Imperative

    4 Nov 2009 | 10:56 am
    By Ecological Internet's Climate Ark Climate Change Portal TAKE ACTION HERE NOW! Copenhagen climate talks [search] must not provide Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) carbon market funds for old, natural forest logging, or for conversion of natural or semi-natural forests and other ecosystems to plantations. Ending deforestation and degradation of old and relatively ecologically intact primary and old growth forest ecosystems, and the ecological restoration of late-successional old growth forests, are keystone responses to maintaining the global climatic system. TAKE…

  • ALERT! Madagascar's Protected Rainforest Hardwoods Continue to be Selectively Logged

    27 Oct 2009 | 11:54 am
    TAKE ACTION! Loggers and wildlife traders continue to violate Madagascar's biodiversity [search] rich rainforests including protected areas. In March of this year controversy surrounding leasing of agricultural land resulted in a military coup. In the chaos that ensued, armed gangs funded by Chinese traders entered Madagascar’s Marojejy and Masoala National Parks, two world-renowned World Heritage Sites, and logged rosewood, ebonies, and other valuable hardwoods. NGOs operating in Madagascar report continued armed, open and organized plundering of precious wood from several natural forests,…

  • New York City Activists Unfurl 35-foot Banner on High Line to Protest Park's Use of FSC-Certified Amazon Wood

    24 Sep 2009 | 7:21 pm
    From Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI) Contact: Tim Doody: rainforestsny@gmail.com Simon Counsell: info@fsc-watch.org Dr. Glen Barry: glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org PHOTOS AND VIDEO OF BANNER: http://RFNY.org http://www.flickr.com/photos/32461153@N08/ September 24th, New York: This morning, environmental activists unfurled a 35-foot banner blocking the iconic view of 10th Avenue from the High Line park to protest the Amazon wood [search] used in the park for bleachers, benches and decking. The banner read, "High Crime on the High Line! FSC Lies: Amazon Wood Is Not…

  • EARTH MEANDERS: Ecological Overshoot: Climate, Inequity and Corruption

    19 Sep 2009 | 3:25 pm
    By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet Earth Meanders come from Earth's Newsdesk A call for reluctant Earth revolutionaries to unite and slay the economic growth machine consuming ecological being. A disease is ravaging Earth as ever more people, consume ever more, destroying natural ecosystems that are our shared habitat. In a few short centuries the violent, expansionist and deeply ecologically unsustainable Western mindset has become virtually universally accepted. The meaning of life is more, ever more of everything, at the expense of a finite biosphere. The emptiness of such a vacuous…
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    Water Conservation News

  • Water Conservation tips from FEMA

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:08 pm
    Earlier this year, FEMA posted a list of tips on water conservation. I thought I'd post it here as a valuable resource for our customers and readers!Indoor Water Conservation TipsGeneral * Never pour water down the drain when there may be another use for it. Use it to water your indoor plants or garden. * Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. One drop per second wastes 2, 700 gallons of water per year! * Check all plumbing for leaks. Have leaks repaired by a plumber. * Retrofit all household faucets by installing aerators with flow restrictors. * Install an instant hot water heater on…

  • How much does 1000 gallons of water cost you?

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:06 pm
    1000 gallons sounds like a big number, and it is. To give you and idea how big that is, consider it in terms of fish tanks. Most home fish tanks are 20 to 30 gallon. That's 30-50 of those tanks stacked together. If you think of larger aquariums, those are about 100 gallons. That's 10 large aquariums worth of water!Why am I bringing up 1000 gallons as being an important number?Because cutting your showers down to just 5 minutes/day will save up to 1000 gallons per month. That's a huge savings both in your water bill and your electric or gas bill (from heating the water).We've designed a poster…

  • Leaks

    17 Nov 2009 | 5:46 am
    Water conservation not only saves water, but also saves energy— energy needed to heat water and to run appliances.A slow drip can add up to 15 or 20 gallons a day, while a 1/16-inch faucet leak wastes 100 gallons in 24 hours! Most leaks, aside from toilets, are in faucets and are most commonly caused by worn washers. Make it a point to check all faucets in the house and office once or twice a year.A good hardware or plumbing supply store will have necessary replacement parts.Many different kinds of water-saving devices and fixtures are on the market, ranging from special reduced-flow shower…

  • Catching water

    13 Nov 2009 | 2:09 pm
    Conserving water could be something you do on a daily basis. The next time you shave or brush your teeth, rather than letting the water run, catch it with a glass of water (or two!!). That "saved" water can become useful for other things around the house.Water conservation postersWater conservation decals

  • Ways to Conserve Water During Warmer Months

    17 Jun 2009 | 1:13 pm
    With summer just around the corner, there are many ways that people can waste water if they are not careful. Here are some helpful tips to conserve water during spring/summer-related activities:1. Plant during the spring or fall when the watering requirements are lower.2. Position sprinklers so that water lands on the lawn or garden, not in areas where it is not needed.3. Use a cistern or rain barrel to collect rainwater - Store collected water and siphon it off to water garden areas or flower beds.4. Reduce your outside monthly water use by 10%.5. Landscape with plants that require less…
 
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    Living in Actively Moving Water

  • changing water mitigation into water marketing

    chris corbin
    17 Nov 2009 | 7:58 am
    As you probably already know, I'm intrigued by mitigation and by capturing value of water resource assets. AKA, turning blue into green. My time at the AWRA conference strengthened my belief that the two (mitigation and water assets) go hand in hand. I saw a number of presentations that detailed great mitigation design and execution. The projects ranged from aquifer recharge, to ASR, to nutrients, to water quantity, etc. The overarching goal of these mitigation projects were similar: provide adequate regulatory means of mitigation. In other words, mitigation is a liability, how can we…

  • water bank presentation (revisited)

    chris corbin
    9 Nov 2009 | 2:32 pm
    I am presenting on water banking this Thursday 11/12/09 at the 2009 AWRA Annual Water Resources Conference. My abstract is summarized below. The final version has changed from my original submission. If you want to conduct some homework on water banks for my presentation, I'd recommend the Analysis of Water Banks in Western States. This paper will provide a general background and understanding of the vague term: water bank. I'm exploring specific private market opportunities that utilize water banks to mitigate future groundwater development.YOU CAN BANK ON IT: UTILIZING PRIVATE WATER BANKS…

  • turning blue into green

    chris corbin
    2 Nov 2009 | 7:49 pm
    Lotic has implemented a new mantra for our work:"Turning Blue in Green." What does this mean? Water rights have historically been one dimensional- the claimed use and appropriation. We call this monolithic view of water BLUE. In contrast, Lotic is pursing opportunities associated with GREEN. Green represents wealth, efficiency, sustainability, and future management. Rather than taking a static view of water, the company focuses on the new market opportunities associated with change. Our business is turning blue into green.Montana Associated Technology Roundtables recently posted a write-up on…

  • the lotic story

    chris corbin
    28 Oct 2009 | 10:54 am
    the lotic storyView more presentations from Lotc Water Marketing .

  • environmental water marketing - interview with brandon scarborough

    chris corbin
    27 Oct 2009 | 8:30 pm
    The following summarizes an interview with environmental water market prodigy, Brandon Scarborough. Yes, I just called Brandon a prodigy. Included is interesting observations on market development, transactions, the regulatory process, water banking, and the future. Granted a longer post than normal, but it is well worth the read.Brandon Scarborough is a research fellow at PERC currently focused on the use of water markets in the West to restore stream flows for wildlife, fish and other environmental amenities.He is the co-author of Saving Our Streams: Harnessing Water Markets and is…
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    Thirsty in Suburbia

  • I’m Holding My Breath for this New Museum

    Gayle Leonard
    19 Nov 2009 | 8:42 pm
    Jason deCaires Taylor (via www.underwatersculpture.com) Soon, Cancun may be noted for something more than Spring break underage drinkers. A national park in Cancun will soon feature sculptures of human figures situated in the seabed, with the first four “going down” this month. These are the beginning of what will eventually be hundreds of figures in “the worlds largest underwater museum.” From BBC News on November 19th, According to the park’s director Jaime Gonzalez, one of the aims is to reduce the pressure on the natural habitat in other areas of the park…

  • Ready to Rinse Away Your Plastic Waste?

    Gayle Leonard
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:22 pm
    Is this beginning of a new class of “something in the water?” The Harmless-Dissolve bag is a new approach to eco-packaging, a biodegradable, compostable water-dissolvable bag that almost disappears before your very eyes. (Shown here: the November, 2009 issue of CR Creative Review, which incorporated the new packaging.) According to the harmlesspackaging.co.uk website, it is a… …water soluble polymer which completely biodegrades in a composting environment, in a dishwasher or in a washing machine. It has no harmful residues and will biodegrade into naturally occuring…

  • Would-Be Inventors, P&G Wants Your Idea!

    Gayle Leonard
    16 Nov 2009 | 7:57 pm
    You know that great idea you had for purifying water? Boy, if only you had some way to get that to market, why, you’d be rich! Actually, your timing might be perfect! Since you live in the age of open collaboration and “crowdsourcing“, maybe, just maybe, your idea is just right for Procter & Gamble, the 8th largest corporation in the world by market capitalization and 14th largest US company by profit. (And supposedly, the folks behind game-changing business innovations such as modern “brand management,” soap operas and Pringles faux chips!) P&G’s…

  • Another Reason I’m an Anglophile

    Gayle Leonard
    13 Nov 2009 | 1:46 pm
    Just when we think our crush on the country, culture and people of England was getting out of hand, along comes a note from Ferrers (aka The Pie Man) to further stoke our Anglophile tendencies. He pointed us to the delightful BWTAS -  the British Water Tower Appreciation Society. The group “exists to connect enthusiasts of water towers to share their enjoyment of their artistic, cultural, architectural, historical, social and engineering significance.” We’re in favor of that! But the best part of their “about us” statement is this “It is a society that…

  • Me want cookie, me drink cookie?

    Gayle Leonard
    12 Nov 2009 | 6:33 pm
    Om nom nom nom! Don’t we wish we lived in Washington State, where researchers have found traces of spices and food flavorings in the waters of Puget Sound. Via WaterTechOnline.com, National Geographic News has reported this delicious water gossip in a November 12th segment of a new series exploring the global water crisis. University of Washington associate professor Richard Keil said the spices and flavorings vary depending on the time of the year. For example, around Thanksgiving, researchers have detected a spike in thyme and sage; around the Fourth of July, waffle-cone and…
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    Blue Living Ideas

  • Will Smart Water Grids Become a $16.3 Billion Industry by 2020?

    Scott James
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    If you read this site you know that water is a major issue and how we relate to and manage our water could be the defining issue of the 21st century. Water innovation is just now starting to build buzz and attract investors, with venture capital still not flush and technologies very [...][Will Smart Water Grids Become a $16.3 Billion Industry by 2020? from Blue Living Ideas]

  • 26 Gallons of Water Discovered on the Moon

    Jennifer Lance
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:50 am
    A “significant amount” of water has been discovered on the Moon by NASA scientists. The news follows last month’s lunar crash involving the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (Lcross), which many referred to as NASA’s mission to “bomb the Moon“. The whole purpose of this mission was to see if [...][26 Gallons of Water Discovered on the Moon from Blue Living Ideas]

  • Norwegian Fjords Top National Geo’s Sustainable Destination List Again

    Jennifer Lance
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:43 am
    National Geographic’s Traveler magazine has rated 133 travel destinations for sustainability. In the sixth annual survey, 437 panelists evaluated tourism spots around the globe taking into consideration “a mix of what local governments, residents, and businesses can control—pollution, cultural quality and authenticity, tourism management—and what they can’t, such as natural disasters and [...][Norwegian Fjords Top National Geo’s Sustainable Destination List Again from Blue Living Ideas]

  • Tracking Water Changes From Space

    Scott James
    16 Nov 2009 | 6:31 am
    If you see a three pointed star moving along the sky next time you look up, it may be measuring the moisture content of the soil you’re standing on. In early November the European Space Agency (ESA) launched a Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite to monitor water conditions from space. [...][Tracking Water Changes From Space from Blue Living Ideas]

  • Lake Mead Poisoned by Invasive Quagga Mussels

    Derek Markham
    13 Nov 2009 | 7:25 am
    An invasive species, the quagga mussel, is to blame for a slew of environmental damages in Lake Mead, Nevada, ranging from clogging the Hoover dam’s cooling pipes to starving local fish populations and poisoning the water with concentrated toxins and heavy metals. The mussels are also creating an ideal habitat for deadly [...][Lake Mead Poisoned by Invasive Quagga Mussels from Blue Living Ideas]
 
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    Water Blog

  • Thirst for Water

    31 Dec 1969 | 4:00 pm

  • 26 Gallons of Water Found on the Moon

    31 Dec 1969 | 4:00 pm
    Last week, NASA announced that they have unequivocal evidence that there is water on the moon. And they do. One of their satellites crashed into a crater on the Moon's south pole, causing a giant hole which produced at least 26 gallons of water.       The finding is obviously quite significant for many reasons but one in particular caught my attention. Water on the moon could potentially provide drinking water for visiting astronauts.   Slate.com discussed this interesting question in response to the water finding.   "Should you drink it?" they asked.  …

  • The Gift...Don't Give Yours Out

    31 Dec 1969 | 4:00 pm
    All government agencies are being asked to support efforts in getting the word out about preventing H1N1.    So, in the spirit of collaboration, I present to you... The Gift! (It's actually pretty funny!)     Jennie Day-Burget Public Information Officer

  • Groundwater 101 - An Expose!

    31 Dec 1969 | 4:00 pm
    Thirty-one people came bright and early this past Saturday to Blue Lake Park in Fairview for a free Groundwater 101 workshop offered every November by the Portland Water Bureau and the Columbia Slough Watershed Council.   Participants heard from a variety of Portland Water Bureau staffers about varying groundwater related topics:   • Jody Burlin (Water Resources Educator) explained that while most of the water flowing out of Portland’s taps comes from the Bull Run watershed, our drinking water supply is sometimes supplemented with groundwater.   • Randy…

  • YOU Can Fix-It!

    31 Dec 1969 | 4:00 pm
    Have you been meaning to make some home improvements? Save energy or water? Plant that new garden? We're all busy and sometimes these things get pushed down the list of priorities. But if you have time this upcoming Saturday Nov. 21, we can help you check these goals off your list!   This winter the 23nd annual Fix-it Fair season, hosted by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, is taking place at local schools. The first of 3 fairs will be held this weekend at Roosevelt High School. Over 30 vendor organizations will host exhibits and workshops designed to help you save money,…
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    Washlink

  • World Toilet Day MondayNovember 19th

    washlink
    10 Nov 2009 | 7:19 pm
    Because 2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation, which risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people, mostly children, a year. for those 2.5 billion people who don't have access to toilets and proper sanitation Because even the world’s wealthiest people still have toilet problems – from unhygienic public toilets to sewage disposal that destroys our waterways. to find out more click on Logo click me Categories: The World Toilet Organization, WASH, Wat

  • EcoSan video focusing on Urine as Fertilizer

    washlink
    18 Oct 2009 | 7:05 pm
    Here is great video showing  how the EcoSan toilet works, stressing: 1 You don’t need water to us  an EcoSan toilet, saving a precious resource 2  There is a huge benefit to use urine as a fertilizer The video the workings of toilet itself. What I find wonderful is  that  this video  explains  & shows the full sequence of steps taken to  after urination to get the urine onto the the field as fertilizer. This is followed by a wonderful comparison of crop yields comparing side by side  fields, on fertilized with urine the other fertilized with commercial fertilizer.  The…

  • WHO’s new report: “Diarrhoea: why children are still dying and what can be done”

    washlink
    15 Oct 2009 | 6:18 pm
    While this is being covered everywhere , I thought it is worth  mentioning.  It seems important that in this report  WHO is stressing Zink tablets in conjunction   the oral rehydration solution (ORS)  The tables and charts provide excellent statistic for fundraisers and agencies wanting to bring help and awareness. For those in the field there are important points to note but ones  in the field may ask  “tell us something we don’t know” Recognition  of the reality that “WASH/WATSAN”  address seems to be following the same slow path of   Global Warming…

  • Commercial Launch of HYLENEX for use in Pediatric Rehydration anounced by Baxter

    washlink
    11 Oct 2009 | 4:08 pm
    a new drug for use in Pediatric Rehydration the question is  with all drug  how long must the clock tick before it becomes available in the most neediest of places, at a price point that makes it  affordable to be subsidized by agencies. Perhaps we should have a site that is a  virtual wall of  timers each labeled with a drug count the years before the neediest op people are able to benefit. excerpt  from from the press release found in  press room room of BAXTER HYLENEX BOSTON – October 5, 2009— Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) today announced the commercial launch of…

  • NAPO pushes Crofelemer for Pediatric Populations

    washlink
    7 Oct 2009 | 6:43 pm
    Excerpt From Napo press release: SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Napo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Napo) recently hosted an educational panel to address the impact of the lack of access to clean water and enteric disease on global health, the environment, and human rights. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Napo’s Environmental Advisor, discussed the negative consequences of non-sustainable development on indigenous peoples and the environment. Other speakers included E. Benjamin Skinner, who has written about the connection between the war on diarrhea and modern-day slavery in his…
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    Hydro-Logic

  • Happy (?) World Toilet Day!

    M. Garcia
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:52 am
    Well, I guess that depends on what part of the world you were born into. It's estimated that 20% of the global population lives without adequate clean water and sanitation facilities. Projections suggest that, though the percentage of the population without access to such rich-world basics as a toilet should decrease slightly in the next ten years or so, because of rapid population growth in many of the areas where this occurs the absolute number of people without adequate sanitation will remain fairly constant. You'll note that the UN Millennium Development Goals (7.3) only suggest reducing…

  • SMOS is up!

    M. Garcia
    2 Nov 2009 | 2:10 pm
    As I discussed quite a while ago in a post on ESA's Earth Observation Missions, the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission was successfully launched on Sunday (U.S. time) from a site in northern Russia. With the satellite in a sun-synchronous, nearly circular orbit at about 760 km, mission parameters call for a check-out period of six months followed by an operational period of 2.5-4.5 years. The new science satellite will have a repeat-time of about 23 days but, with its coverage swath, will generate maps of ocean salinity at a resolution of about 200 km (due to spatial averaging)…

  • Working on things...

    M. Garcia
    27 Oct 2009 | 3:14 pm
    With apologies to my readers, I am indeed still working on writing for my blog here. I have a few items in process, including a short series on the ''Water-Energy nexus'' in the American southwest and a commentary on the recent Nobel Prize in Economics awarded to Elinor Ostrom of Indiana University for her work on extra-market dynamics in the commons. Then there's the things I have that I want to get posted from prior work, including a collaborative submission to the Google 10^100 contest that may be worth reading for some of you, and recent grant proposal submissions that I'm still waiting…

  • Water for People $1M Challenge

    M. Garcia
    16 Sep 2009 | 1:26 pm
    The organization Water for People has recently announced their second, seemingly annual Rosenthal Million Dollar Challenge Grant. Between 15 September and 15 November 2009, if WFP raises $500,000 through donations from people like you and me, Stephen and Sandy Rosenthal of New Orleans will match it for a total of $1M in new funding for WFP. They did this last year and succeeded greatly, so WFP is eager to see it happen again. In addition to ongoing efforts at proving clean water and sanitation facilities in many countries of Central and South America and Africa, WFP has recently expanded its…

  • New CNA report links energy issues with climate change

    M. Garcia
    3 Aug 2009 | 8:37 pm
    It was quite a while ago that I referred a new report by the CNA Corporation entitled "National Security and the Threat of Climate Change" to fellow blogger Tom Barnett in the hopes that he might put forth serious consideration to the idea that climate change impacts can indeed become drivers of conflict on regional scales. Issues in Darfur were heating up, and for the most part that was explained away as a conflict between the agricultural black Africans and pastoralist Arabs over simple matters of territory and access. That explanation barely scratches the surface of the issues, however, so…
 
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