Entries by Circle of Blue

Dry orchards raise prices

/in /by

ISRAEL – Fruit growers are being forced to destroy roughly 10% of all fruit groves in Israel irrigated with potable water. Water allocations have been slashed by 40 million cubic meters, according to Ilan Eshel, director of the Organization of Fruit Growers in Israel. According to the organization calculations, the sector’s annual output could drop […]

After the quake, 21 lakes formed

/in , , , , /by

CHENGDU, China – In the wake of the 8.0 magnitude quake that hit China last week, 21 new lakes have formed in Sichuan provence where landslides blocked rivers. According to state media, the lakes don’t pose an immediate threat to the communities downstream. Plans are being made in the event that evacuations are necessary and […]

Dam Plan for Grand Coulee

/in , /by

SPOKANE, Washington – Washington’s Department of Ecology has released a new environmental study of an ambitious plan to make more Grand Coulee Dam water available for farms, towns and fish in Eastern Washington. The study of the largest new influx of water in three decades from Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir behind Grand Coulee in central […]

Wisconsin Passes Great Lakes Compact

/in , , , /by

MADISON, Wisconsin — Both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature overwhelmingly approved the Great Lakes Compact on May 15th, sending it to Governor Jim Doyle and putting pressure on the states that have not yet ratified it. Source :The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Circle of BlueCircle of Blue provides relevant, reliable, and actionable on-the-ground information about the […]

Bottling plans scaled back

/in , /by

SACRAMENTO – The Nestle company on Monday said it is significantly scaling back plans in Northern California to build what would have been the country’s largest water bottling plant. The announcement by Nestle Waters North America comes after years of opposition by environmentalists and a group of residents in the rural town of McCloud. Read […]

Subsidies not the solution

/in , /by

NEW SOUTH WALES – New figures released yesterday show more than 48 per cent of the state is drought-declared, up from 43 per cent last month. Another 24 per cent of the state is marginal. Opposition spokeswoman Pru Goward says drought subsidies and water restrictions are not long-term solutions. Read more here. Source: ABC News […]

Water – Another casualty of war in Iraq

/in , , , /by

BAGHDAD – Baghdad’s crumbling roads, burst sewage pipes and chronic water shortages are casualties of war that get little attention amid the daily litany of gunfights, bombs and bloodletting in Iraq. As summer approaches, the city is facing an acute shortage of drinking water despite the efforts of officials like Sadiq Shumari, its director of […]

Taking another look at flouride

/in /by

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – Grand Rapids has been fluoridating its tap water since 1945, but now some city officials say they’re studying the question because of increased concerns over the potential long-term effects of exposure to what some consider a toxic chemical. Corky Overmyer, the city’s director of sustainability, said officials are working with scientists […]

EPA hesitates to remove rocket fuel from water supply

/in , , /by

WASHINGTON D.C. – An EPA official said Tuesday there’s a “distinct possibility” the agency won’t take action to rid drinking water of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that has contaminated public water supplies around the country. Democratic senators called that unacceptable. They argued that states and local communities shouldn’t have to bear the expense of […]

Georgia: Let it flow

/in , , /by

ATLANTA – With lake levels rising and months of water conservation efforts paying off, the state Tuesday officially called off a 10 percent conservation order Gov. Sonny Perdue imposed last fall on water systems across North Georgia. While the directive actually expired on March 30, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division could have kept it in […]

London utility planning for water shortage

/in , /by

LONDON – The UK’s largest water supplier said demand from household consumption was set to rise steadily, and warned government aims to reduce daily water use to 130 litres per person by 2030 were unlikely to be met in the Thames area. Water use is around 12 litres per day above the national average of […]