Entries by Codi Kozacek

The Stream, October 9: Millions More Will Face Water Scarcity from Climate Change

/in /by

Water Scarcity Between Water shortages are increasingly affecting power generation in the United States, where the majority of power plants use water to create steam and cool their systems, The New York Times reported, citing an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The analysis suggests that the industry will need to turn to water […]

The Stream, October 8: Curing Leaky Urban Water Systems

/in /by

Urban Water A pilot project in the United Kingdom is testing a new way to find and automatically stop leaks in urban water pipes without digging them up, Phys.org reported. The project, called LEAKCURE, could vastly reduce the amount of water lost to leaks in Europe and elsewhere. The World Bank should not be investing […]

The Stream, October 4: Tourism Exacts Toll on Water in a Silk Road City

/in /by

Water Scarcity Water demand fueled by a booming tourism industry in Dunhuang, China, is outstripping both surface and groundwater supplies in the arid city, which was once an important stop along the Silk Road trading route, Xinhua reported. Efforts are underway to restore forests upstream of the city’s reservoir and divert water from a nearby […]

The Stream, October 3: One Year Post-Drought, Global Food Prices at 3-Year Low

/in /by

Food Record grain harvests in some of the world’s biggest exporters this year have restocked global supplies, drawing down food prices that spiked following the 2012 drought to their lowest level in three years, AlertNet reported. Officials at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warned that global markets and prices are still […]

The Stream, October 2: Study Finds Elevated Levels of Radium in Pennsylvania River

/in /by

Water Contamination River sediments downstream of a Pennsylvania plant that treats and releases hydraulic fracturing wastewater contained 200 times the amount of radium found in sediments upstream of the plant, according to a new study published by Duke University researchers, USA Today reported. The study’s authors point to a lack of “enforced monitoring” as one […]

The Stream, October 1: European Environment Agency Urges Fair Prices for Water

/in /by

Water Prices Governments should begin charging users the true cost of drinking water, including the costs to treat it and transport it, and the costs to the environment, according to the European Environment Agency, EurActiv reported. Low water prices and flat fees do not reflect the value of water and encourage waste, the agency said. […]

Infographic: Wealth of the Nile — Basin’s Countries, Dams, and GDP per capita

/in , , /by

Controversy over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which will become the largest dam in Africa when it is completed in 2017, stems from a long history of disputes along the Nile River’s 10 countries.

The Stream, September 30: Demand Exceeds Supply in 10 Percent of U.S. Watersheds

/in /by

Water Supply Nearly 10 percent of surface watersheds in the United States do not contain enough usable water to keep up with demand, according to a new study that analyzed supply and demand trends over the past decade, CNBC reported. Many of these watersheds are located in the western U.S., and agriculture is one of […]

The Stream, September 27: Water Found on Mars

/in /by

Mars NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered that the surface soil on Mars contains at least 2 percent water, CBS News reported. Soil samples taken by the rover also contained oxygen and carbon dioxide, and researchers believe that future samples could yield organic compounds. Climate Change Curbing the effects of climate change would require the world […]

The Stream, September 26: Algal Blooms Cause Manatee Deaths in Florida Estuary

/in /by

Water Quality Large blooms of algae in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon have destroyed sea grass beds and forced manatees to eat poisonous macro algae that can kill them, NPR reported. The algal blooms are thought to be the result of nutrient-rich water releases from Lake Okeechobee and seeping septic systems. Australia’s government is requiring environmental […]

The Stream, September 25: Water Infrastructure Work Poses Lead Risk in Chicago

/in /by

Water Contamination Work to replace and upgrade Chicago’s aging water pipelines could cause levels of lead in the city’s drinking water to spike, the Chicago Tribune reported, citing a recent study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Many old pipelines connecting houses to the main water system are made out of lead, and disturbing them […]

The Stream, September 24: Water Quality and London’s “Super Sewer”

/in /by

Water Quality London’s Thames Tideway Tunnel—a proposed, $US 6.7 billion sewer meant to stop sewage overflows into the Thames River—is not the right solution to the water quality problem, according to a former chief water regulator in the United Kingdom, the Guardian reported. He argues that water utilities should instead be looking at smaller, more […]