The Stream, October 8: Curing Leaky Urban Water Systems
Urban Water
A pilot project in the United Kingdom is testing a new way to find and automatically stop leaks in urban water pipes without digging them up, Phys.org reported. The project, called LEAKCURE, could vastly reduce the amount of water lost to leaks in Europe and elsewhere.
The World Bank should not be investing in private water companies, according to advocacy groups that say private companies are not adequately serving the world’s poorest communities, the Guardian reported. Proponents of at least some water privatization, however, say that private companies generally improve the overall efficiency of water systems.
Antarctica
Large channels beneath Antarctic ice sheets are evidence of rivers of meltwater flowing into the ocean, according to new research published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the Daily Mail reported. The channels could be weakening the ice around them, but researchers say further studies are needed to determine if and how they are related to climate change.
Water Reading
This article from The New York Times reviews four new books about water. The titles include analyses of the history and future of clean drinking water supplies, the role water played in creating ancient societies, the formation of New York City’s water system, and how to reduce personal water footprints.
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.
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
It has been shown that privately owned water systems provide a much higher quality water than those that are public. This is because they have better water filtration systems, and have to make sure the people are happy to not try and turn it back to a public facility, and keep making profits. Most public water systems don’t even meet the drinking water quality standards, and yet they look away until something drastic comes along, where a privatized water system keeps theirs within limits.