via TriplePundit
Researchers at the University of California Davis Center for Watershed Sciences have attached a dollar estimate to the economic impact of the drought in California’s Central Valley. Their preliminary report, released earlier this week, estimates a total economic loss of $1.7 billion, along with “substantial long-term costs” of groundwater overdraft that will go unaccounted for.
Last year marked the driest year in California since records began in 1895, and in January Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought state of emergency. Seven of the state’s 12 main reservoirs are at or below 60 percent of the historical average, and a dry winter has left snowpack levels–an important source for replenishing water supplies–at just a fifth of historical levels, as of late April.
Read the complete article here: http://www.triplepundit.com/2014/05/california-drought-leaves-groundwater-reserves-vulnerable-cost-nears-2-billion/
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Monday, June 2, 2014
Friday, June 24, 2011
Federal Agencies Partner to Revitalize Urban Waterways
A new federal partnership aims to stimulate regional and local economies, create local jobs, improve quality of life, and protect Americans’ health by revitalizing urban waterways in under-served communities across the country.
Urban waters impact large populations in the adjacent, upstream, and downstream communities. Reconnecting people with urban waterways results in economic, environmental and social benefits to communities. Healthy and accessible urban waters have the potential to be treasured centerpieces of urban revival, help grow local businesses and enhance educational, recreational, and social opportunities in the communities through which they pass. Many urban waters provide drinking water to cities and towns, but because they may receive pollution from sources like parking lot and roadway runoff, they become vital to protecting the public and environmental health of those communities.
The Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP), an innovative federal union comprised of 11 agencies, will focus its initial efforts on seven pilot locations. UWFP is committed to working with local communities to restore waterways and reconnect people in underserved communities with their rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, estuaries, bays, and oceans. Specifically, UWFP aims to:
Urban waters impact large populations in the adjacent, upstream, and downstream communities. Reconnecting people with urban waterways results in economic, environmental and social benefits to communities. Healthy and accessible urban waters have the potential to be treasured centerpieces of urban revival, help grow local businesses and enhance educational, recreational, and social opportunities in the communities through which they pass. Many urban waters provide drinking water to cities and towns, but because they may receive pollution from sources like parking lot and roadway runoff, they become vital to protecting the public and environmental health of those communities.
The Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP), an innovative federal union comprised of 11 agencies, will focus its initial efforts on seven pilot locations. UWFP is committed to working with local communities to restore waterways and reconnect people in underserved communities with their rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, estuaries, bays, and oceans. Specifically, UWFP aims to:
- Break down federal program silos to promote more efficient and effective use of federal resources through better coordination and targeting of federal investments.
- Recognize and build on local efforts and leadership, by engaging and serving community partners.
- Work with local officials and effective community-based organizations to leverage area resources and stimulate local economies to create local jobs.
- Learn from early and visible victories to fuel long-term action.
- This partnership aligns with President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, which calls on agencies to support innovative community efforts to provide safe, healthy and accessible outdoor spaces.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Human Costs of Contaminated Drinking Water
Cost to clean contaminated water in San Joaquin Valley would be over $150M
Mark Grossi, Fresno Bee, March 16, 2011
A new study, The Human Costs of Nitrate-Contaminated Drinking Water in the San Joaquin Valley, a collaboration of the Pacific Institute, Community Water Center, Clean Water Fund, and California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, focuses on the household costs of avoiding nitrate-contaminated drinking water connected to community water systems and the costs to these systems of removing or avoiding nitrates.
The study reports that families in the San Joaquin Valley of California are paying more than $100 a month for both water service and bottled drinking water because local drinking water is often contaminated with nitrates and other harmful chemicals.
Tulare County, one of the most productive farming counties in the country, is the epicenter of the problem, the study says. The state tested 181 drinking water wells in 2006, finding more than 70 tainted with nitrates.
The study also suggests key policies and further research needed to better understand and resolve the situation.
Read the complete Fresno Bee article here.
Mark Grossi, Fresno Bee, March 16, 2011
A new study, The Human Costs of Nitrate-Contaminated Drinking Water in the San Joaquin Valley, a collaboration of the Pacific Institute, Community Water Center, Clean Water Fund, and California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, focuses on the household costs of avoiding nitrate-contaminated drinking water connected to community water systems and the costs to these systems of removing or avoiding nitrates.
The study reports that families in the San Joaquin Valley of California are paying more than $100 a month for both water service and bottled drinking water because local drinking water is often contaminated with nitrates and other harmful chemicals.
Tulare County, one of the most productive farming counties in the country, is the epicenter of the problem, the study says. The state tested 181 drinking water wells in 2006, finding more than 70 tainted with nitrates.
The study also suggests key policies and further research needed to better understand and resolve the situation.
Read the complete Fresno Bee article here.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
California Call for Hexavalent Chromium Drinking Water Standard
Bill calls for limiting carcinogen in California tap water
Lien Hoang, Associated Press, February 22, 2011
Assemblywoman Nora Campos, D-San Jose, introduced legislation that would require the state Department of Public Health to place limits on hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium 6, by January 1, 2013.
If the agency does not act in time, California would adopt a limit of 0.02 parts per billion, compared with the federal standard of 100 parts per billion.
In December, the Environmental Working Group found that drinking water in 31 of 35 cities nationwide had more than 0.02 parts per billion of hexavalent chromium. Riverside and San Jose were among the cities with the highest levels.
Read the complete story here.
Lien Hoang, Associated Press, February 22, 2011
Assemblywoman Nora Campos, D-San Jose, introduced legislation that would require the state Department of Public Health to place limits on hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium 6, by January 1, 2013.
If the agency does not act in time, California would adopt a limit of 0.02 parts per billion, compared with the federal standard of 100 parts per billion.
In December, the Environmental Working Group found that drinking water in 31 of 35 cities nationwide had more than 0.02 parts per billion of hexavalent chromium. Riverside and San Jose were among the cities with the highest levels.
Read the complete story here.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
EPA Moves to Revise Drinking Water Standards
The United Nations General Assembly designated March 22nd of each year as the World Day for Water, an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.
Perhaps it was coincidental that yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it is taking steps to overhaul US drinking water regulations.
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) that the agency is developing a broad new set of strategies to strengthen public health protection from contaminants in drinking water. Specifically, this shift in drinking water strategy is organized around four key principles:
There are ongoing efforts on 14 other drinking water standards, including potential revisions to the lead and copper rule, health risk assessments or information gathering for chromium, fluoride, arsenic, and atrazine, and ongoing consideration regarding the regulation of perchlorate.
Perhaps it was coincidental that yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it is taking steps to overhaul US drinking water regulations.
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) that the agency is developing a broad new set of strategies to strengthen public health protection from contaminants in drinking water. Specifically, this shift in drinking water strategy is organized around four key principles:
- Address contaminants as a group rather than one at a time so that enhancement of drinking water protection can be achieved cost-effectively.
- Foster development of new drinking water treatment technologies to address health risks posed by a broad array of contaminants.
- Use the authority of multiple statutes to help protect drinking water.
- Partner with states to share more complete data from monitoring at public water systems.
There are ongoing efforts on 14 other drinking water standards, including potential revisions to the lead and copper rule, health risk assessments or information gathering for chromium, fluoride, arsenic, and atrazine, and ongoing consideration regarding the regulation of perchlorate.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Santa Clara Valley Aims to Recycle More Water
Expanded use of recycled water on tap for Santa Clara County
Paul Rogers, San Jose Mercury News, February 22, 2009
The Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) will vote on a plan today to build a new $52 million recycled water facility at the San Jose-Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant in Alviso that will convert sewage water to high-quality water, producing up to 8 million gallons a day.
The water will be suitable for a wide variety of industrial and irrigation uses, such as watering golf course greens, or redwood trees, which can be sensitive to recycled water's higher salinity, and pure enough under state health laws to recharge aquifers used for drinking water supplies. But that use is not being considered at today's meeting.
"We're not in a hurry to do it. We want to make sure it's what the community wants. We'd need five to 10 years of study," said Keith Whitman, water supply manager for the SCVWD. "And we'll certainly learn from what Orange County did."
Two years ago, the Orange County Water District opened a $485 million recycled water facility using the same treatment method that the SCVWD is now pursuing. The largest such plant in the world, it turns sewage water into 70 million gallons a day of recycled water that is blended with Orange County's aquifers.
To address public squeamishness, the Orange County agency conducted nine years of public meetings and outreach, and got a long list of medical leaders to endorse the project. Other places, however, like San Diego, have seen such projects stall over public opposition.
Read the complete story here: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14450902
Paul Rogers, San Jose Mercury News, February 22, 2009
The Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) will vote on a plan today to build a new $52 million recycled water facility at the San Jose-Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant in Alviso that will convert sewage water to high-quality water, producing up to 8 million gallons a day.
The water will be suitable for a wide variety of industrial and irrigation uses, such as watering golf course greens, or redwood trees, which can be sensitive to recycled water's higher salinity, and pure enough under state health laws to recharge aquifers used for drinking water supplies. But that use is not being considered at today's meeting.
"We're not in a hurry to do it. We want to make sure it's what the community wants. We'd need five to 10 years of study," said Keith Whitman, water supply manager for the SCVWD. "And we'll certainly learn from what Orange County did."
Two years ago, the Orange County Water District opened a $485 million recycled water facility using the same treatment method that the SCVWD is now pursuing. The largest such plant in the world, it turns sewage water into 70 million gallons a day of recycled water that is blended with Orange County's aquifers.
To address public squeamishness, the Orange County agency conducted nine years of public meetings and outreach, and got a long list of medical leaders to endorse the project. Other places, however, like San Diego, have seen such projects stall over public opposition.
Read the complete story here: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14450902
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Mostly Good Intentions, Though...
Poll: Sometimes it isn't easy being green
H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press, November 17, 2009
A survey released today suggests people have largely embraced recycling and are inclined to turn down thermostats to save energy. But it also indicated that some paths toward a greener Earth aren't as easily undertaken.
The telephone poll, conducted for The Associated Press and NBC Universal, tries to gauge attitudes about the environment. It found that 60% of those surveyed felt either a "great deal" or "a lot" of personal responsibility to protect the environment, while 37% rarely, if ever, even thought about the environmental impact of their actions.
Other results:
Read the complete article here.
H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press, November 17, 2009
A survey released today suggests people have largely embraced recycling and are inclined to turn down thermostats to save energy. But it also indicated that some paths toward a greener Earth aren't as easily undertaken.
The telephone poll, conducted for The Associated Press and NBC Universal, tries to gauge attitudes about the environment. It found that 60% of those surveyed felt either a "great deal" or "a lot" of personal responsibility to protect the environment, while 37% rarely, if ever, even thought about the environmental impact of their actions.
Other results:
- 72% were very likely to recycle cans and bottles
- 63% were very likely to turn down thermostats
- 62% were very likely to buy energy-efficient appliances
- 59% were very likely to use cold water for clothes washing
- 59% were very likely to buy recycled paper products
- 65% said it's more difficult to use less energy than to use less water
- only 23% were very likely to eat less meat
Read the complete article here.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Looking for New Solutions in Water Efficiency
Imagine H2O, a national non-profit, hopes to inspire and empower people to solve water problems. Imagine H2O offers prize competitions and mentoring support to help innovators and entrepreneurs turn ideas into real-world solutions that ensure clean water and sanitation.
The inaugural Imagine H2O Prize Competition is accepting entries until November 16, 2009. The focus of this year’s competition is water efficiency — a timely topic considering that water scarcity is an urgent problem in the US and the world. Business plan entries may focus on the efficient use and supply of water in agriculture, commercial, industrial, or residential environments.
Participants will not only help solve a global issue, they will also receive assistance to bring their business idea to market. A total of $70,000 in cash prizes and in-kind services will be awarded, including legal, tax, and accounting services.
Imagine H2O’s incubator resources will provide winners with direct and ongoing assistance from leading water, business, and legal experts, including Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and the National Water Research Institute, who will help entrepreneurs develop their winning ideas into products or services that have commercial potential and social value.
The inaugural Imagine H2O Prize Competition is accepting entries until November 16, 2009. The focus of this year’s competition is water efficiency — a timely topic considering that water scarcity is an urgent problem in the US and the world. Business plan entries may focus on the efficient use and supply of water in agriculture, commercial, industrial, or residential environments.
Participants will not only help solve a global issue, they will also receive assistance to bring their business idea to market. A total of $70,000 in cash prizes and in-kind services will be awarded, including legal, tax, and accounting services.
Imagine H2O’s incubator resources will provide winners with direct and ongoing assistance from leading water, business, and legal experts, including Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and the National Water Research Institute, who will help entrepreneurs develop their winning ideas into products or services that have commercial potential and social value.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Legislature Passes $11B Water Package
Legislature passes water-system overhaul
Wyatt Buchanan and Marisa Lagos, San Francisco Chronicle, November 4, 2009
The California Legislature has passed a sweeping, multibillion-dollar overhaul of California's water system that will affect how Californians will receive and use water.
Legislative leaders have worked for weeks on the final deal, which includes an $11 billion bond measure that passed by slim margins in both the Senate and Assembly. The bond must go before the voters to win approval.
The water package consists of five major parts:
Read more in the Sacramento Bee and the Los Angeles Times.
Wyatt Buchanan and Marisa Lagos, San Francisco Chronicle, November 4, 2009
The California Legislature has passed a sweeping, multibillion-dollar overhaul of California's water system that will affect how Californians will receive and use water.
Legislative leaders have worked for weeks on the final deal, which includes an $11 billion bond measure that passed by slim margins in both the Senate and Assembly. The bond must go before the voters to win approval.
The water package consists of five major parts:
- A new seven-member board to oversee the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
- A 20% conservation mandate for urban areas, with credits for cities that have made significant conservation efforts. Agricultural entities will have to follow best practices for water use.
- New regulations to monitor groundwater levels throughout the state.
- Increased penalties for illegal water diversions.
- A $11.1 billion bond to pay for the overhaul, $3 billion of which would be set aside for new water storage, and more than $2 billion for restoration of the delta ecosystem.
Read more in the Sacramento Bee and the Los Angeles Times.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Laundry to Landscape
SF backs off on graywater permit requirement
Kelly Zito, San Francisco Chronicle, October 22, 2009
San Francisco's Building Inspection Commission says it will coordinate with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to develop a pilot program for residential graywater systems, backing away from a controversial proposal that would have required homeowners to obtain potentially costly permits for systems to recycle household water for use in backyards and gardens.
Commissioners are hopeful that this new tack strikes a balance between graywater proponents frustrated by San Francisco's attempt to alter state codes and city inspectors who feared the do-it-yourself systems would result in a plumbing free-for-all. Complicated graywater systems and those for multi-unit buildings would still require permits and detailed plans.
Read the complete story here.
Kelly Zito, San Francisco Chronicle, October 22, 2009
San Francisco's Building Inspection Commission says it will coordinate with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to develop a pilot program for residential graywater systems, backing away from a controversial proposal that would have required homeowners to obtain potentially costly permits for systems to recycle household water for use in backyards and gardens.
Commissioners are hopeful that this new tack strikes a balance between graywater proponents frustrated by San Francisco's attempt to alter state codes and city inspectors who feared the do-it-yourself systems would result in a plumbing free-for-all. Complicated graywater systems and those for multi-unit buildings would still require permits and detailed plans.
Read the complete story here.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Perhaps the World's Largest Dam Removal Project
Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement
Bettina Boxall, Los Angeles Times, September 30, 2009
PacifiCorp, a Portland, Oregon utility, has consented to the removal of four hydroelectric dams that for decades have been the subject of bitter feuding among farmers, fishermen, and tribal interests along the Klamath River.
The dams, which range in height from 33 feet to 173 feet and are spread across 65 miles of the Klamath, have impaired water quality and blocked a 300-mile migratory route for salmon for a century.
Removal won't begin until 2020, but is seen as vital to restoring California's dwindling salmon stocks.
Backers say the decommissioning -- which still must be approved by the federal government -- would be the nation's largest and most complex dam removal project. The tentative agreement was reached after a decade of negotiations among 28 parties.
Read the article here, and in the San Francisco Chronicle here.
Bettina Boxall, Los Angeles Times, September 30, 2009
PacifiCorp, a Portland, Oregon utility, has consented to the removal of four hydroelectric dams that for decades have been the subject of bitter feuding among farmers, fishermen, and tribal interests along the Klamath River.
The dams, which range in height from 33 feet to 173 feet and are spread across 65 miles of the Klamath, have impaired water quality and blocked a 300-mile migratory route for salmon for a century.
Removal won't begin until 2020, but is seen as vital to restoring California's dwindling salmon stocks.
Backers say the decommissioning -- which still must be approved by the federal government -- would be the nation's largest and most complex dam removal project. The tentative agreement was reached after a decade of negotiations among 28 parties.
Read the article here, and in the San Francisco Chronicle here.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Corporate Water Footprinting Conference
The 2nd annual Corporate Water Footprinting conference and exhibition will take place December 2-3, 2009 in San Francisco, California.
Corporate Water Footprinting will outline the risks and opportunities water poses to business and offer practical advice on mapping and reducing water consumption in products across the supply chain. As well as discussing new methodologies and standards for water footprinting the event will examine how companies are addressing water issues at a strategic level including: corporate engagement on water policy, collective action on water issues, unravelling the water-energy nexus, the development of water policy and regulation, the growing interest of water to the investment community, and corporate engagement with NGOs and activists on water issues.
The conference will include:
- Case studies from corporate leaders in water management and efficiency
- The latest methodologies and standards for water footprinting
- New water policy and regulation development, and how companies are getting involved
- Water stakeholder engagement strategies
- The potential impact of the "human right to water"
- Individual sessions on water market development, frameworks for strategic water management and the water-energy nexus
Expert speakers include:
- Robert Barbieri, Global Environmental Project Manager, Diageo
- Dan Bena, Director of Sustainability, Health, Safety and Environment, PepsiCo International
- Elissa Loughman, Environmental Analyst, Patagonia
- Matti Rihko, Chief Executive Officer, Raisio
- Kirstin Thorne, Corporate Advisor, Global Issues and Policy, Chevron
- Alex McIntosh, Director of Corporate Citizenship, Nestle Waters North America
- Tom Cooper, Corporate Water Programs Manager, Intel Corporation
- Debra Vernon, Manager, Corporate Responsibility, California American Water
- Jonah Schein, Marketing Specialist, WaterSense Program, EPA
- Kasey D. Schimke, Assistant Director, Legislative Affairs Office, California Department of Water Resources
- Adam Krantz, Managing Director, Government and Public Affairs, National Association of Clean Water Agencies
To download the full event brochure click here. To register click here.
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