December 12, 2018
This article reviews the legal cases where courts have examined the question: If a pollutant is discharged into groundwater, and that groundwater is hydrologically connected to a “Water of the United States” (WOTUS) such that the pollutant eventually reaches the WOTUS, does the Clean Water Act (CWA) apply to that discharge? Interestingly, in some cases, the court […]
December 11, 2018
The Trump administration is planning to roll back Clean Water Act protections created under the Waters of the United States rule put in place by the Obama administration. The rule affects millions of acres of waterways and wetlands, and in California in particular it includes up to two-thirds of California’s inland streams. The rule angered […]
December 5, 2018
Sometimes, one little [big] drought is all it takes… The Almond Board of California – an industry trade group – is trying to improve the image of ‘big almond’ with its recent announcement of the details of their initiative called “Almond Orchard Goals 2025. The industry pledged to cut water use by 20 percent, among […]
December 5, 2018
In order to feed the 10 billion people expected to inhabit the planet by 2050 without also completely trashing it, several issues will have to be addressed in order to close the food, land and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions gaps that prevent sustainability. A new report from the World Resources Institute (WRI) has identified 22 solutions […]
November 27, 2018
Last week the US federal government released the important National Climate Assessment, which stated that human health, life and economies are endangered as reliable clean water for agriculture, urban areas, industry and ecosystems are “increasingly in jeopardy.” Mandated by Congress, the National Climate Assessment is a mammoth and comprehensive report that involves more than 300 […]
November 26, 2018
Climate change is setting the stage so that by the end of this century some parts of the world could face as many as six climate-related crises at the same time, according to a new paper in Nature Climate Change. The paper shows the effects of climate change across a broad spectrum of problems, including […]
November 20, 2018
Thanksgiving and other holidays are the perfect time to consider just how egregious food waste is in America. A new study by two Texas A&M researchers focused on how people react to wasted food at organizations like supermarkets, retail stores, cafeterias and restaurants. The study found that people who cared more about the resources needed […]
November 19, 2018
The American Water Resources Association held its third National Leadership Institute (NLI) Workshop for State Officials. The workshop resulted in the production of a report that presents state water plans. Seventeen states participated. Contributors followed a common format, providing an elevator pitch that succinctly described each plan. They provided the statutory underpinnings, the planning horizons, […]
November 16, 2018
Violent protests erupted in Basra this summer in response to the deterioration of public services. At the center is a water supply crisis brought about by mismanagement and overuse of water resources for energy and water, as well as a lack of investments in water treatment systems that left water undrinkable. Basra city was famous […]