water crisis
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Western states look into building new dams
Concerned about climate-caused drought, officials in at least six Western states are looking into building new dams to create rain-capturing reservoirs — even as dams across the country are being torn down over environmental concerns.
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Air doing OK, say officials; water, perhaps not so much
Beijing officials were recently accused of falsifying statistics and manipulating data to make the city’s air pollution seems less of a problem in the run-up to the Summer Olympics. Unsurprisingly, a spokesperson for the city’s Environmental Protection Bureau refutes the accusation, insisting, “We will honor all the environmentally related pledges made during the Olympic bid. […]
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Large water utilities form climate alliance
Eight of the largest water agencies in the U.S. have formed the Water Utility Climate Alliance to strategize about dealing with climate change. Together, the eight members provide water to more than 36 million people, whose slaked thirst is endangered by “diminishing snowpack, bigger storms, more frequent drought, and rising sea levels,” according to WUCA […]
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In North Carolina’s Triangle, a severe drought has leaders stumped
North Carolina’s Triangle — Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh — counts as the state’s economic, educational, and political engine. It’s also very quickly running out of water, parched by a severe drought. Are the area’s leaders doing anything constructive to respond to the situation? So far, the signs aren’t encouraging. I’ve been following the story […]
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Science says we are turning the West into a desert
A major new study in Science by a dozen water experts, concluded humans are the primary cause of changes in Western river flow, winter air temperature and snow pack in the past 50 years -- and things will only get worse if we don't act soon. The abstract of the study, "Human-Induced Changes in the Hydrology of the Western United States" (subs. req'd), led by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, states:
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Water wars!
The Georgia legislature, perhaps driven slightly around the bend by the drought battering its state, is attempting to claim part of the Tennessee River, which it claims is rightly Georgia’s based on the original border drawn between the states in 1818. Chattanooga, Tenn., says, um, no, we’ll keep the river, thanks. Can a shooting war […]
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Campaign will let restaurant patrons donate to drinking-water project
Mark your calendars for the week of March 16, when diners at participating restaurants can choose to drink local tap water instead of bottled water and donate $1 to the Tap Project. Proceeds from the project benefit Unicef’s efforts to provide clean drinking water to children in developing countries. The Tap Project was started pro […]
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And you thought the subprime mess was bad for the homebuilding industry
Well, this is certainly bad news for anyone in the Phoenix real estate market.
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Lake Mead could run out of water by 2021, says study
There’s a 50-50 chance that the Arizona- and Nevada-bordering, human-made Lake Mead will become Dry Ditch Mead by 2021, according to a study to be published in the journal Water Resources Research. Oh, and that’s a conservative estimate, say the study authors, as is this one: By 2017, there’s an equally good chance that water […]