10-10-2008
Grim water forecast for northern Victoria
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 Australia -
Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation released a dire forecast for future water supplies in the state of Victoria, especially in the north. CSIRO predicted a 42% drop in Murray River flows and a 48% drop in Goulburn River flows over the next 50 years. The state government also released a 50-year water plan for the north, with measures to include setting aside reserves to support irrigators in dry years, improving water-trading rules, using water banks to ease severe urban water restrictions, and focusing more heavily upon water conservation.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
ABC News Online by
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: water shortage, global warming, river, forecasting, water policy, water bank, water conservation
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10-07-2008
Bringing "Garden of Eden" to Africa under UN-sponsored nature restoration
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 Mali -
Inspired by their success in rehabilitating the Iraqi marshlands, which some believe were the site of the Biblical Garden of Eden, several initiatives led by the United Nations Environment Program are now targeting other major environmental rescue projects. Addressing the Fifth World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner spotlighted Lake Faguibine in Mali, a body of water linked with seasonal flooding of the Niger, Africa's third-largest river. The lake has been almost totally dry since the 1970s. Declining rainfall, increased evaporation, and changes in land use are some of the factors behind the lake's loss, according to a UNEP assessment. The rehabilitation project, expected to cost more than $12 million U.S., seeks to clear 2 million cubic meters of sand blocking feeder channels, promote less intensive land use, and implement more sensitive management of dams on the Niger.
- summary by Mike Babcock
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Source:
People's Daily Online by (taken from Xinhua News Agency)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: river, lake, dredging, dam, water policy, international aid
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10-07-2008
Water keeps getting more expensive: +32% since 2002
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 Italy -
Domestic water rates in Italy have jumped by a national average of 32% in the last six years, reported the Cittadinanzattiva consumers' group after studying water fees in the capitals of all the provinces. Agrigento, Sicily - located in the most arid province in Italy - has the highest rates. It's not surprising, since taps remain dry as much as 15 days per month and soldiers must guard water pipelines in order to prevent illegal taps. Milan is the least expensive provincial capital, with rates four times lower than those of Agrigento. Novara has had the highest increase (over 50%), followed by Verbania (45%) and Agrigento (38%). Along with rising costs, the consumers' group noted rising water losses: nationwide, an average of 35% of the available drinking water leaks out of pipes.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Corriere della Sera by
Original Language: Italian
Check for stories with: water rates, water pipeline, leak
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10-07-2008
As Colorado Heats Up, Water Supply Expected to Be at Risk, Says New Study
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 Colorado -
A study of the effects of climate change in the state of Colorado, released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at the University of Colorado in Boulder and Colorado State University, warned water managers to prepare for warmer temperatures and a shift in the timing of spring runoff. According to lead author Andrea Ray, "Temperature increases alone will reduce our water supply by mid-century, even with no change in precipitation." Colorado's average temperature rose by 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 30 years and computer models predict that it will jump by another 4 F by 2050. Earlier spring snowmelt, increased evaporation, and drier soils will reduce flows in most of the state's river basins by 5-20% within that period, concluded the report.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
PhysOrg.com by
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: global warming, rainfall, runoff, river, forecasting
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10-07-2008
Veolia's Mubadala Venture Will Ease Project Financing (Update1)
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 United Arab Emirates -
French-owned Veolia Environnement SA, the world's biggest water company, is committed to a joint venture with Mubadala Development Company, the investment arm of the United Arab Emirate of Abu Dhabi, to keep water projects on schedule as global credit tightens and stock markets falter. Veolia Water's Chief Executive Officer, Antoine Frerot, earlier signed an agreement for a joint venture with Mubadala that will include water and wastewater projects in the Middle East and North Africa. The utility will hold a 51% stake in the projects.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Bloomberg News byTara Patel
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: water service, privatization
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10-05-2008
AP Investigation: Ike environmental toll apparent
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 United States -
Hurricane Ike's winds and storm surges in the Gulf of Mexico destroyed oil platforms and damaged pipelines, leaking at least half a million gallons of crude oil into the sea and the coastal wetlands of Louisiana and Texas. At least 448 spills have been reported, especially around Houston and Port Arthur, Texas. About half of the crude oil was from a facility operated by St. Mary Land and Exploration Company on Goat Island, north of the Bolivar Peninsula in Texas. The Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, and state agencies have responded to more than 3000 pollution incidents, including many containers of hazardous wastes washed inland, sewage spills from broken pipes, and deposits of reeking mud from swamps.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Yahoo News byDina Cappiello, Frank Bass, and Cain Burdeau (taken from Associated Press)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: hurricane, oil pollution, ocean, wetland, chemical pollution, sewage pollution
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10-04-2008
Anticancer drugs in drinking water
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 Europe -
In two separate studies, scientists in London, UK and Berlin, Germany warned that residues of prescription drugs in drinking water had the potential to harm millions of Europeans. The most noticeable drugs out of a total of 50 found in samples from England's Thames River and Berlin's public reservoirs were anti-cancer medications. Experts say that most medicines are found in such tiny concentrations that they're unlikely to harm adults, but could be risky for fetuses. Furthermore, the chemotherapy drugs are easily dissolved in water and remain dangerous even at low levels. Conventional water-purification technology isn't equipped to eliminate trace drugs.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
Ta Nea by
Original Language: Greek
Check for stories with: drinking water standards, chemical pollution, water purification technology
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10-03-2008
Great Lakes Compact OK'd to prevent water diversion
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 Washington, D.C. -
In Washington, DC, President Bush signed the Great Lakes Compact into law. The bipartisan bill stipulates that water from the five lakes - which hold nearly 20% of the world's surface freshwater -- cannot be diverted to other regions of the United States or to other countries. The deal was negotiated by the eight states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) that share the lakes. The Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, which also share Great Lakes water rights, have already adopted similar legislation.
- summary by Louise Shaler
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Source:
CNN.com by (taken from Associated Press)
Original Language: English
Check for stories with: lake, water conservation, legislation, water policy
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