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January 31, 2008
Scientists Predict Global Water Shortages
Writing in Science Magazine, a group of prominent hydrologists and climatologists has predicted greater water supply problems world-wide due to climate change.
"Our best current estimates are that water availability will increase substantially in northern Eurasia, Alaska, Canada and some tropical regions, and decrease substantially in southern Europe, the Middle East, southern Africa and southwestern North America," said lead author Christopher Milly, a research hydrologist with the US Geological Survey.
"Historically, looking back at past observations has been a good way to estimate future conditions," Milly said. "But climate change magnifies the possibility that the future will bring droughts or floods you never saw in your old measurements."
"Even with aggressive mitigation, continued warming is very likely given the residence time of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the thermal inertia of the Earth system," according to the authors.
Rising sea levels will "heighten risk of contamination of coastal freshwater supplies" while a "poleward expansion of the subtropic dry zone" is reducing water runoff levels, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP)
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January 30, 2008
EPA Orders Greka Oil to Clean up Zaca Creek Tributary in California
The EPA has ordered Greka Oil and Gas, Inc. to clean up recent releases, into a tributary of Zaca Creek, of oil and other hazardous substances from Greka's Central California facilities including a January 5th spill of 50,000 gallons of crude oil.
"This order ensures Greka will fully comply with all federal requirements, or face steep penalties," said Daniel Meer, Chief of the Response, Planning and Assessment Branch for the Superfund Division in the EPA's Pacific Southwest region. "Failure to cooperate will result in serious consequences for this
company."
Zaca Creek flows into the Santa Ynez River (pictured, and on to the Pacific Ocean so this violation is a serious threat to the water environment.
The EPA is working in cooperation with the California Department of
Fish and Game, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the U.S. Coast Guard's Pacific Strike Team, and Greka Oil and Gas,the responsible party to clean up these contaminations and protect the environment from further damage, as reported by the EPA.
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January 29, 2008
Ethiopian Dry Season brings Water Shortages
With the long dry season in Ethiopia getting underway, there is great concern as to if there is enough water to support both human and livestock consumption.
The Regional Water Bureau has also identified hotspot areas for undertaking water schemes rehabilitation activities
The Regional DPPB has asked UNICEF for funds for water tanker deliveries in the Warder, Liben, Gode, Afder, Fik and Korahe zones.
The Oromiya Pastoralist Commission in the Borena zone identified priority intervention requirements for livestock including animal feed, vaccination and treatment, rehabilitation of water points and water tanker deliveries, as reported by the United Nations Office for the Cooperation of Humanitarian Affairs.
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January 28, 2008
Heavy Rains in San Francisco Area Bringing Needed Drinking Water
While many residents of the San Francisco Bay area are getting tired of the seemingly endless rain that has beset this region lately, they should be happy that this spate of weather has brought levels at the 10 reservoirs and underground basins in Santa Clara County up so far 5 percent.
The more rain that falls, the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) won't have to impose mandatory water restrictions it has been considering for this coming summer.
"If you look at the total numbers right now, we've already received double the amount of rain that we received all of last season," said SCVWD spokeswoman Susan Siravo. "So we're doing pretty good in 2008, so far."
So, just all those who are unhappy it is raining, remember that if you do not want water rationing in your future, you need all the rain water days you can get, as reported by KNTV-TV Bay Area and published by MSNBC.
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January 24, 2008
UN Chief Calls for Water Priority at the World Economic Forum
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland today, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the world to put the coming water shortages to be the primary focus of the global agenda, and to prevent conflicts over scarce supplies of water.
"Too often, where we need water we find guns instead," Ban said.
"Population growth will make the problem worse. So will climate change. As the global economy grows, so will its thirst. Many more conflicts lie just over the horizon."
We need to adapt to this reality, just as we do to climate change," he said. "There is still enough water for all of us - but only so long as we can keep it clean, use it more wisely, and share it fairly,"Ban said.
"We must mobilize world opinion and focus political will,"he said. "What we did for climate change last year, we want to do for water and development in 2008."
"Water is today's issue," said Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical Co. (DOW), the world's second-largest chemical company. "It is the oil of this century, not a question."
E. Neville Isdell, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Co. (KO), said "this is an issue which ranks next to climate change. ... However, water has got lost as part of the climate change debate."
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman and CEO of Nestle SA (NSRGY), the world's largest food and drink company, said "time is still on our side but time is running out, just like water is running out," as reported by the Associated Press, and published by CNN Money.com
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January 23, 2008
Texas County Seeking Drinking Water Sources for Future Growth
Montgomery County, TX has put water suppliers on notice that they must submit alternative drinking water sources for the future.
The Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District has notified water suppliers that they must reduce their use of the county aquifer system by 30 percent by 2015, with a concern for anticipated growth in their areas through 2045 and preliminary plans for an alternative water source.
"Everyone needs to be planning ahead," said Brian Sledge, an attorney for the water district.
The San Jacinto River Authority plans to get their water in the future from Lake Conroe. Other potential water providers could include the city of Houston, the North Houston Regional Water Authority, the Trinity River Water Authority and the Brazos River Water Authority.
Problems with a deadline though have been expressed.
"If I had 30 hours in a day, I wouldn't have enough time to do what you are asking," said Mitchell Martin Jr. of the Consumer Water and Patton Village Water Authority. "We want to be as proactive as possible in identifying those water sources that will be available, but don't throw us in to sink or swim."
"There is nothing in the document that supports conservation," said Jackie Chance of the Montgomery County Water Control and Improvement District.
Still, I think you have say this County is smart to address potential water shortages now than in the future when it is too late , as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
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January 22, 2008
Pepsico to Fund Global Clean Water Initiatives
Pepsico, at its Purchase, NY headquarters, announced today that the Pepsico Foundation is to issue grants to the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and partner with H2O Africa, to drive sustainable water practices.
"For PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation, these commitments begin with a desire to address the worldwide water crisis. Water sits at the nexus of so many challenges -- global health through disease transmission, increasing hunger through poor agricultural practices, and even education as children in water-scarce economies are often charged with walking miles to collect water from a distant well instead of attending school. Without clean water, none of the other fundamentals leading to a healthy and prosperous life are possible," said Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo chairman and chief executive officer and PepsiCo Foundation chairman.
"The world's governments have identified access to clean water as one of the key building blocks to ending global poverty. Without it, none of the Millennium Development Goals will be met," added Nooyi. "We believe that the world water crisis is one of the most pressing challenges of our age. As a global food and beverage company, our success depends on being responsible stewards of this limited resource," as reported by the PR Newswire, and published by the San Francisco Examiner.
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January 17, 2008
First Ever Water Ristrictions in Florida Water District
The Suwannee River Water Management District board has, for the first time ever, a authorized Phase II Water Shortage Order effective now through April 7th, when the restrictions will become mandatory.
This action was taken due to extremely low groundwater levels throughout the 15 county region during the current drought and the predictions that the drought will only get worse during the next several months.
"Even before the mandatory restrictions go into effect, we urge all citizens to continue to voluntarily conserve water," said David Still, District deputy executive director.
The District is suffering its eighth-driest 24-month period since 1932, with a rainfall deficit of 28.7 inches. Forty-nine wells set new December lows and 17 wells set new historic lows. Twenty-three emergency permits for dry wells were issued in December, for a total of 157 issued between April 1 and Dec. 31, as reported by the Suwannee Democrat.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 12:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 16, 2008
Some Bottled Water Facts for Thought
Here are some bottle water facts to consider based on 2006 figures gleaned from Waste Management World and The Pacific Institute:
More than 25.5 billion plastic water bottles are sold each year in the US.
More than 17 million barrels of oil (not including fuel for transportation) were used in plastic bottle production.
Bottling water produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide.
It takes approximately 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water.
The total amount of energy used to produce, transport, refrigerate, and dispose of a plastic bottle of water may be as high as the equivalent of filling a 1 liter bottle one-quarter full of oil.
All this plus "considering that an equal amount of municipal water costs about 1/2000th the price of bottled water, it's a very foolish expenditure," says Neva Goodwin, co-director of the Global Development and Environment Institute, a Medford, MA based research institute, as reported by The Christian Science Monitor.
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January 14, 2008
Debate Over Water Plan for North & Central Florida
North and central Florida are debating the merits of a plan to provide water from the northern St. Johns (pictured) and Ocklawaha rivers to central Florida's ever growing central region.
"It is madness. We do not believe there is surplus water in the river," said Neil Armingeon, a St. Johns riverkeeper. "We are not going to stand by and let the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers be degraded."
John Cirello, director of environmental services for Seminole County near Orlando in central Florida, said, "I think they are misled," referring to those in in the north.
"Withdrawing water from the rivers and treating it is less expensive than desalinating sea water, which could cost five times as much as getting water from wells", said Hal Wilkening, director of the water management district's resource management department. The district also wants to reuse treated sewage water for irrigation.
Cynthia Barnett, author of "Mirage," a book on Florida's water, said "There is a great deal of efficiency to be made up before you begin tapping the river," as reported by the Associated Press and published by the Detroit Free Press.
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January 10, 2008
Massachusetts' Aging Water Pipes
According to the advocacy group Clean Water Action, it estimates Massachusetts needs to spend $8 billion over the next two decades to repair or replace drinking water infrastructure, including water mains, storage tanks and treatment plants in the state.
The group is trying to get a bill put though the state legislature to create a drinking water finance commission, which would then have to find a way to fund the project.
Obviously, ignoring this problem will only result in additional pipe breaks. As it stands now, in 2006, water departments across the Massachusetts reported nearly 2,000 leaks that lost more than 250 million gallons of water.
No doubt Massachusetts is not alone with the problem of aging drinking water infrastructure as the whole country should be dealing with a similar situation, as reported by the Associated Press and published by WPRI.com Eyewitness News.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 09, 2008
SNWA Finalizes Water Rights with Federal Agencies
The Southern Nevada Water Authority
(SNWA)has reached agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Park Service concerning the water rights covering untapped groundwater supplies within Cave, Delamar and Dry Lake valleys in Lincoln County, Nevada.
"We have worked together to develop a monitoring system that will be
able to identify potential changes in the groundwater table, effectively providing an 'early warning' system that helps protect water-dependent ecosystems and the sensitive wildlife species they support," said SNWA Deputy General Manager Kay Brothers.
"We recognize that our efforts to reduce Southern Nevada's reliance
upon the drought-plagued Colorado River cannot come at the expense of Nevada's environment,"Brothers said. "This agreement assures that our use of Nevada's untapped water resources will be conducted in an
environmentally responsible manner," as reported by the PR Newswire.
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January 08, 2008
Saudi Arabia to Curtail Wheat Production to Save Water
Saudi Arabia has decided to phase out, at a rate of 12.5 percent per year, of its original 30 year plan of self-sufficiency of wheat production due to scarce water supplies in this desert region. The new plan is to rely entirely on imports by 2016.
Samir Qabbani, deputy chairman of the National Committee of Agriculture, said, "It is possible to save 1,300-1,500 cubic meters of water for every ton of wheat produced."
"The drought problem is crucial for Saudi Arabia but it is also more and more frequent in other dry countries such as Australia," a European trader said, as reported by Middle East Online.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 02:13 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 07, 2008
Portsmouth Water Fined for Water Pollution
Portsmouth Water Ltd. was fined the equivalent of almost $20,000 for polluting a tributary of the Itchen River which, if had not been discovered early, would have affected local drinking water.
Apparently, what Portsmouth Water Ltd did was to allow effluent from water it was treating to flow into the watercourse instead of into the sewerage system at Gates Mill in Allington Lane, West End, Southampton, England.
The company pleaded guilty to polluting the tributary at New Forest Magistrates' Court, where testimony was heard today that the water turned a milky white color, due to the presence of polyaluminium chloride, and led to fish to suffocate, as reported by The Daily Echo.
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January 03, 2008
Alamogordo Water Rights Settlement Eminent
A settlement agreement for water rights between the city of Alomogordo, NM and HFR Corp. and Three Rivers Cattle Co. will bring closer the construction of a new a desalination plant as part of the the city's Regional Water Supply Project to secure water for city residents and businesses over the next 40 years.
City Manager Pat McCourt said, "The theory behind it is, in the state of New Mexico, the water is for everybody to use," he said. On the other hand, given the scarcity of water, the state weighs potential use and benefit when deciding water rights issues.
"Whoever claims the water first, and puts it to use, gets it."
"We've been reluctant to build pipelines and commit infrastructure while we had these legal issues unresolved," McCourt said.
"We may not need this water for a long time," the city manager said. "But eventually, we will need it," a reported by the Alamogordo Daily News.
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January 02, 2008
Support Our Environment for the New Year
I have a few suggestions on how we all can support our environment in 2008.
Lets stop buying bottled water! The water that is in the bottle, which primarily comes from a tap somewhere, is mainly treated with reverse osmosis, so that the result is "dead water", which fish, for example, cannot survive. The bottling plants for bottled water use up the valuable water aquifers of the communities where they are located.
Moreover, the bottle itself is made from polycarbonate plastic which is in no way biodegradable, and when disposed, will be in our landfills for ages. Put tap water in your own water bottle if you need to carry water, and save our land fills!
Forgive me for suggesting it, but buying a water filter, particularly a maintenance free one, will rid your tap water of the EPA mandated chlorine taste and oder, and eliminate the need for replacement cartridges and bottle water.
Do these things and make a new years resolution to do more for our ever stressed environment.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack