The Stream, May 8: Environmental Groups Sue California Over Oil Industry Waste Water Injection

The Global Rundown

Sugarcane farmers in India have been asked to irrigate more efficiently. Australian almond farmers are upping production as Californian competitors are weakened by drought and Asian demand rises. Speaking of California, the state is trying to monitor groundwater from the sky, and is also being sued by environmental groups for allowing the oil industry to inject waste water into the ground.

“It’s inexcusable that state regulators are letting oil companies dump toxic waste fluid into California’s water supplies during the worst drought in 1,200 years.” — Hollin Kretzman, staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, on a lawsuit her organization recently filed with Earthjustice and the Sierra Club against California’s oil drilling regulator, the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources. (Reuters)

By The Numbers

90 percent – Increase in Australian almond production in the last four years. Australia is working on meeting growing Asian demand for the nuts, and also taking advantage of the gap left by Californian almond farmers who are struggling with drought. Business Standard

Science, Studies, And Reports

The California Department of Water Resources is asking for NASA’s help in monitoring the state’s groundwater resources. A technology called interferometric synthetic aperture radar, or InSAR, allows satellites to measure changes in the earth’s ground surface. These changes can be used to ascertain how much groundwater has been depleted in a particular location. California hopes to use this technology for long-term monitoring of its groundwater resources during the drought. Wired

On The Radar

Sugarcane farmers in the Indian state of Maharashtra will be asked to use only drip irrigation by the end of this year. The irrigation method has the potential for water savings of up to 60 percent.  Zee News