The Stream, September 26: U.S. River Freight System Strained by Food and Energy Boom

Water, Energy, Food
Rising demand for trains and trucks to transport materials for the booming U.S. oil and gas industry is pushing more shipments of grain onto the nation’s river barges, Reuters reported. Record corn and soybean crops this fall are expected to further strain the river transport network, which is already under stress from a lack of infrastructure investment.

Water Supply
Fourteen California communities remain on a list indicating that they are at risk of running out of water within 60 days, the Los Angeles Times reported. The communities are mostly small and isolated, but officials say larger towns and cities could be facing the same challenge if the severe 3-year drought continues.

Approximately 8,000 homes were without water in Bristol, England, after a major water main ruptured and flooded neighborhoods, BBC News reported. Eighteen area schools have also been closed due to the break.

Water projects costing $US 603 million aim to help bridge the daily supply gap of 200,000 cubic meters of water in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, Bloomberg News reported. The projects will bring an additional 55,000 cubic meters of water a day to the 2 million people who live in the capital.

Science
Scientists have discovered that the some of the water on Earth and on the moon is older than our solar system, NBC News reported. The findings suggest that other solar systems are likely to have water and conditions suitable for life.

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