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Farmers fear Prairie drought will kill cattle industry.
If mad cow disease wasn’t the death knell of the cattle industry, the latest drought might finish it off, some farmers say. Edmonton Journal, Canada. 4 July 2009.
Divisive Delta canal on fast track.
Chuck Baker grows pears on land his family has worked since 1851 and has a farmer's sensitivity to the plagues of modern agriculture — pesticide regulations, the threat to private property posed by wetlands restoration — and, most of all, the need for water. Contra Costa Times, California. 4 July 2009.
Regulating the water on farms?
There is concern among Santa Maria’s farmers about efforts by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to begin regulating tail water that drains into agricultural ditches. Santa Maria Times, California. 4 July 2009.
Feds: DEP does not properly oversee mining flood prevention.
West Virginia regulators and coal operators have not properly implemented state rules meant to keep strip mining from contributing to flooding during heavy rains over narrow mountain hollows, according to a new federal report. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia. 3 July 2009.
Severe drought conditions in western Saskatchewan.
Drought conditions in western Saskatchewan have left crop producers thinking they won't see any fruits of their many efforts this year and at least one expert pointing to billions in costs to Canada's economy. Regina Leader-Post, Canada. 3 July 2009.
Water rationing warning as drought bites.
Electrogaz, Rwanda's public utility, is considering water rationing due to shortages caused by a prolonged drought in parts of the country, officials said. UN IRIN. 3 July 2009.
Dry conditions have Prairie farmers worried.
Dwayne Marshman farms on the southeastern edge of a critically dry zone in Alberta, which has so far seen eight municipal districts and counties declare a drought disaster. Canwest News Service, Canada. 3 July 2009.
Rally for water rights hits downtown Fresno.
More than a dozen speakers, including Congressmen Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, and George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, blamed environmental protections along with a third dry year for the shortage of water for Valley farmers. Fresno Bee, California. 3 July 2009.
GOP ads link Dems to Valley water crisis.
Republican strategists are now roughing up San Joaquin Valley congressional Democrats with radio ads linking them to the region's water woes. Factually, the ad omits some crucial context. Fresno Bee, California. 3 July 2009.
Is climate change behind drought?
The current drought devastating Alberta's farm crops is part of a disturbing trend here that meshes with predictions from climatologists who fear we're headed into more and more climate trouble. Edmonton Journal, Canada. Editorial, 3 July 2009.
Climate change in the land of great drought.
Given that droughts represent a recurring reality, why does each new occurrence seem to be a surprise? Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario. Opinion, 3 July 2009.
Climate's smoky spectre.
Recent research suggests that lowly soot particles--black carbon-- could be responsible for a large fraction of Arctic warming. In SE Asia, studies suggest that it is choking the moisture supply for the Indian monsoons and contributing to the retreat of mountain glaciers that provide fresh water for more than a billion people. Nature. 2 July 2009.
Farmers start to write off year as drought parches Prairie land.
All across western Saskatchewan and southern Alberta, farmers are scanning crop-insurance policies and calculating how short they'll be on payments this year as one of the worst droughts on record parches their land and their bank accounts. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario. 2 July 2009.
Phantom fax just one obstacle to planning Oregon's water future.
The state's economy and welfare "have been seriously impaired and in danger of further impairment" because of inadequate water planning, a recently passed house bill states, and improving supplies and forecasts is "a matter of great concern." Portland Oregonian, Oregon. 2 July 2009.
Environmentalists decry bill giving state more control over water resources.
Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday signed a bill that, among other things, strips public access from state decisions about who controls Florida's precious water resources. The new law takes effect Wednesday. Palm Beach Post, Florida. 1 July 2009.
Will much of New Orleans be underwater by 2100?
Unless enormous amounts of soil are dumped onto the Mississippi River Delta, the region could lose up to 5,212 square miles of land to ocean and tidal marsh by 2100 – a result of sea-level rise and the land sinking, a Louisiana State University research study concluded. Christian Science Monitor. 1 July 2009.
Water activists to rally in Fresno.
Organizers of a second Rally for Water are expecting several hundred, if not thousands, to descend on downtown Fresno on Wednesday as they continue their fight for more water. Fresno Bee, California. 1 July 2009.
Report gives a sobering view of warming's impact on the U.S.
A new U.S. government report paints a disturbing picture of the current and future effects of climate change and offers a glimpse of what the nation's climate will be like by century's end. Yale Environment 360. Opinion, 1 July 2009.
Water companies to snoop on pool owners, as report calls for radical reforms.
Swimming pool owners, those with large gardens and those in areas prone to droughts should be moved onto water meters as a matter of urgency, with companies using satellite images from Google Earth and aerial photographs to ascertain heavy water users, a new report recommends. London Daily Telegraph, England. 30 June 2009.
The legalities of rainwater harvesting.
Proponents see rainwater harvesting as a common sense solution to water shortages and storm water runoff. Opponents argue that if rain or snowfall is captured, less water will flow to streams and aquifers where it is needed for wells and springs. New York Times. 30 June 2009.
It's not only fish vs. people.
The National Marine Fisheries Service has issued a wake-up call on the dangers facing the Central Valley's salmon and the water system they depend on that underscores the need for a major reassessment of state water policy. Sacramento Bee, California. Editorial, 30 June 2009.
At a loss.
Even under best-case scenarios of building massive engineering projects to restore Louisiana's dying coastline, the Mississippi River cannot possibly feed enough sediment into the marshes to prevent ongoing catastrophic land loss, a study published today concludes. New Orleans Times-Picayune, Louisiana. 29 June 2009.
It’s now legal to catch a raindrop in Colorado.
Precipitation was assigned ownership from the moment it fell in many Western states, making scofflaws of people who scooped rainfall from their own gutters. In some instances, the rights to that water were assigned a century or more ago. New York Times. 29 June 2009.
Saving species no longer a beauty contest.
The furry, the feathered, the famous and the edible have dominated government funding for protected species. In California, the charisma-less, inedible Delta smelt is testing the notion that ugly is in. Washington Post. 29 June 2009.
Crops face toxic timebomb in warmer world: study.
Staples such as cassava on which millions of people depend become more toxic and produce much smaller yields in a world with higher carbon dioxide levels and more drought, Australian scientists say. Reuters. 29 June 2009.
Losing Louisiana.
Residents of Louisiana, take note: If engineers don’t divert sediment-rich waters from the Mississippi River to help replenish a sinking river delta, about 10 percent of your state will slip beneath the waves by the end of this century. Science News. 29 June 2009.
Two key river projects left out in the cold.
While political leaders and citizens are demanding urgent measures to save our rivers, the government is sitting on two projects -- demarcation of four rivers and a four-lane bypass highway around the city -- which would ensure good water quality and flow, if implemented. Dhaka Daily Star, Bangladesh. 29 June 2009.
Full steam ahead for desalination plant.
Sydney's desalination plant will run flat out for the first two years of its operation even if dams are overflowing, Sydney Water's managing director says. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia. 29 June 2009.
Rainwater, IPhone help thirsty California farms.
As California heads into another year of drought, farmers are finding creative ways to adapt: idling acres, switching to crops that require less water, and harnessing technology to monitor underground moisture sensors. Morning Edition, NPR. 29 June 2009.
Acciona back to expand Adelaide desalination.
Spanish engineering firm Acciona announced plans this week to double the size of Adelaide's new desalination plant, making it the largest renewable energy-powered plant of its type in the world in a week where the viability of renewable energy projects was cast into doubt. ABC News, Australia. 28 June 2009.
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