Entries by Brett Walton

Great Lakes Map Shows Greatest Ecosystem Stress in Lakes Erie and Ontario

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Researchers hope the map is used to plan restoration projects that provide the greatest human benefits. Great Lakes Environmental Assessment and Mapping Project This map shows the cumulative environmental stress in the Great Lakes from 34 factors, including climate change, invasive species, and coastal development.Click image to enlarge. Brett Walton Circle of Blue A first-of-its-kind […]

Federal Water Tap, December 17: The Water-Food-Energy Megatrend

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The increasing demand for water, food, and energy is one of four “megatrends” that will shape the next 15 to 20 years, according to a National Intelligence Council report that looks at the forces creating “tectonic shifts” in how the world works. Many countries will not be able to avoid food and water shortages without […]

Major Federal Study Sets Foundation for Colorado River Basin’s Future

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Climate change and population growth will force the basin to add new supplies, harness demand, and change operational agreements, officials say. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue ‘A lot of people don’t have a realization of the energy it takes to move their water.’ -Doug Bennett, conservation manager of Southern Nevada Water […]

Federal Water Tap, December 10: Federal Courts Hear Water Cases

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The Supreme Court seemed ready on Tuesday to overturn a lower court’s ruling in a case about stormwater pollution in the Los Angeles area, the Associated Press reports. Environmental groups had prevailed in an appellate court in their attempt to lay responsibility for polluted runoff at the hands of the county flood control district. Carp […]

Western U.S. Governors Say Water Transfers Vital But Need to Protect Rural Economies

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Better data is needed too. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue The voluntary transfer of water from farms to cities and industry will be an important tool for ensuring that water can be put to its highest valued use in the U.S. West, but the transactions should happen in a way that does not harm […]

To Drought-proof City’s Water Supply, Sydney Proposes a Second Set of Pipes

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Australia’s largest urban economy wants to build a parallel water system to deliver non-potable supplies.

Federal Water Tap, December 3: Time is Running Out for the 112th Congress

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Because of the scant days left in the legislative session, a bill to reauthorize a national drought information system will most likely not be acted on, Zachary Kurz, the communications director for the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology told Circle of Blue. The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) was created by Congress […]

Senate Committee Continues to Discuss Sandy, Climate Change and Infrastructure

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Sandy has brought new urgency to a water resources bill. Two weeks after talking at length about how to respond to the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy, the Senate committee in charge of flood control and water resources returned to the topic yesterday, this time inviting Congressional colleagues to testify about the storm’s effects in […]

After Superstorm Sandy, Leaders Assess Disaster Plans and Mull Climate Change Adaptation

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Water utilities prepare for bigger storms and rising seas. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers works to repair a levee breach caused by Hurricane Sandy in Montoloking, New Jersey. Brett Walton Circle of Blue In the nearly $US 80 billion wake of Superstorm Sandy, the second-most expensive […]

EU Climate Forecast Points to a Drier Future

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The pain, again, is in Spain — and in much of southern Europe. European Environment Agency The projected change in water availability across southern Europe from 1961-1990 baseline to 2071-2100, using the A1B emissions scenario of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This scenario envisions economic growth, a global population peak at mid-century, and energy-efficient […]

U.S. and Mexico Sign Major Deal on Colorado River Issues: Delta Restoration, Infrastructure, Water Sharing

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The agreement marks a turn in Colorado River management. Senior officials from the United States and Mexico signed a broad five-year agreement on Tuesday that marks renewed cooperation over the Colorado River, a desert lifeline that provides water to at least 30 million people, irrigation to top agricultural counties, and electricity to millions — despite […]

Federal Water Tap, November 26: USDA Research on Nitrogen Use, Direct Farm Payments

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A U.S. Department of Agriculture research branch published reports on the consequence to farm income of eliminating direct payments and on trends in nitrogen used for corn. One of the debate points for the farm bill is whether to reduce “direct” payments — cash given to farmers based on fixed per-acre rates. The federal government […]