The Stream, March 7: Australia Floods Stir Murray-Darling Debate

Extensive flooding in Australia makes the need to implement a new Murray-Darling Basin water management plan less urgent, argued the Water Minister of New South Wales, who called for delayed action on the reforms, according to The Australian.

Two billion people gained access to safer drinking water between 1990 and 2010, meeting an international Millennium Development Goal, Reuters reported. That leaves 11 percent of the world’s population without safe drinking water, while 37 percent are without access to improved sanitation.

The Keystone XL pipeline could be approved and built piece by piece, with construction on a segment from Oklahoma to Texas planned for June, the Associated Press reported. The proposed pipeline, which would carry crude oil from Canada’s tar sands to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico, was initially rejected by the United States government in January due to environmental concerns about its route through Nebraska’s Sandhills region.

A new commercial-scale project in Spain will use waste water to grow algae that will produce methane, biodiesel and electricity, according to the Guardian.

Pollution
EurActiv investigates the relationship between agriculture and water pollution,

The implementation of controversial new water pollution rules for Florida’s lakes and rivers will be postponed until July, the Miami Herald reported. The rules will put specific limits on nutrient levels allowed in the water.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek