Entries by Brett Walton

The Stream, April 8: Street Battles and Bacterial Nightmares

Cote d’Ivoire IRIN News reports that the fighting in Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire, has cut people off from their water supply, forcing residents to collect water from a polluted lagoon in the city. Superbug! British scientists found bacteria with a gene highly resistant to antibiotics in samples of drinking water and seepage ponds […]

Australia Builds Desalination Plants and Pipelines to Bring Water to Mines

To feed water-hungry mining industries, similar plans are in the works to supply drought-ridden regions of Australia and China.

Federal Water Tap, April 4: Water Visions from Legislators, Administrators and Scientists

Crossed Lines in the Senate Energy Committee A water-energy bill that was introduced but not passed in the last Congress was the subject of a Senate committee hearing last week. Introduced in 2009 by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), the bill included provisions for several water-energy studies (one by the National Academy of Sciences, another by […]

Federal Water Tap, March 28: Clean Water

USAID Newsletter The U.S. Agency for International Development published its bi-monthly newsletter last week. In this edition of “Global Waters”, read about the agency’s work with wastewater treatment in the Philippines, urban water provision in Africa, and a partnership with Coca-Cola. US, World Bank Say ‘We Do’ At a ceremony held on World Water Day, […]

2011 Stockholm Water Prize Awarded to Stephen Carpenter — American Professor Working On Lake Ecosystems

University of Wisconsin-Madison professor earns global recognition.

Federal Water Tap, March 21: Committee Hearings, Cabinet Talks

Water Talks In recognition of World Water Day (observed on March 22), the State Department will be hosting a discussion on global water issues today, March 21, at 4:00 pm EDT. The conversation between Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero and Harriet Babbitt, co-chair of the Global Water Challenge, will […]

After Earthquake, Millions in Japan Without Water—Extent of Damage to Water Infrastructure Unknown

Myriad obstacles, from roads to snow to a nuclear crisis, hamstring rescue and recovery missions.

Federal Water Tap, March 14, Part II: Lawsuits and Settlements

Atlanta vs. Alabama and Florida A court case over the fate of Atlanta’s water supply seems to be heading for a ruling in the city’s favor, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. During arguments Wednesday in Atlanta, a three-judge panel for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals indicated that they would overturn a lower court’s decision […]

Federal Water Tap, March 14, Part I: I’m Just a Bill, Sitting in Committee

A few of the water-related bills introduced so far in the 112th Congress: Stop Asian Carp Act: H.R. 892/S. 471 Introduced by Rep. David Camp (R-Mich.), the bill, which has bi-partisan support, would require the Army Corps of Engineers to study the feasibility of separating the watersheds of the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes […]

Digital Controls Improve Energy Efficiency at Colorado River Dams: Davis, Hoover, Parker

Mechanical parts from the 1950s are being replaced with digital controls at three dams.

Federal Water Tap, March 7: Spending Bills and Rule-Making

What About the Kitchen Sink? In February, the Republican-majority U.S. House of Representatives voted to cut $61 billion from the federal budget for the remaining seven months of fiscal year 2011. Among the cuts were a 56 percent reduction in funding for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which provides low-interest loans […]

Federal Water Tap, March 2: Floods, Dust and Pipelines

Healthy Forests, Healthy Waters The National Forest Service was created, in part, to safeguard the wooded areas supplying most of the nation’s drinking water. An ongoing rules review will put greater emphasis on watershed protection and restoration. On February 10, the NFS proposed a new forest planning rule, the agency’s first comprehensive rules revision since […]