The Stream, September 13: Nevada Commission Endorses Major Pipeline Project

Urban Water Supply
The Colorado River Commission of Nevada endorsed a plan to pump and pipe groundwater from counties north of the Las Vegas Valley to southern Nevada. The plan, with a cost estimated in the billions, would relieve some of the pressure from dropping water levels in Lake Mead, the Las Vegas Sun reported.

Sanaa, Yemen’s capital city, could soon run out of drinking water. Rapid population growth, demand for a narcotic leaf, and climate change may drain the area of water by 2020, Foreign Policy reported, citing a 2010 McKinsey consulting company forecast.

Portland, Oregon’s City Council approved a plan to fluoridate the city’s water by 2014, a proposal that’s been hotly debated. Opponents, the Associated Press reported, plan to collect enough signatures to force a referendum in May 2014.

Great Lakes
The updated Great Lakes environmental accord aims to bolster ongoing cleanup efforts while focusing on new problems, The New York Times Green Blog reported. Among the prioritized initiatives: phosphorus reductions in Lake Erie, invasive species defense through ballast water, and climate change effect management.

Desalination Investment
Desalination is set to become a $US 17 billion business by 2017, according to a forecast by industry consultant Global Water Intelligence. Breakthroughs in energy savings and city and industry demand, Bloomberg reported, will drive desalination equipment orders to record highs above their current $US 8.9 billion total.

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