Tag Archive for 'peakwater'

Texas Agency Likely to Cut Water to Rice Farms

Published on 02/22/2012 in agriculture, drought, hydrology, management, peak water, policy and water shortage. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Photo retrieved from: www.claimsjournal.com

“Thousands of farmers in Texas’ rice-producing region are likely to be affected by action taken in response to one of the most severe droughts in state history. With water management agencies implementing emergency plans never used before, the Lower Colorado River Authority is widely expected to announce March 1 that it will not release water to rice farmers in three counties.

“Texas usually produces about 5 percent of the nation’s rice. Production also is dropping this year in the other five major rice-growing states, including No. 1 Arkansas, as farmers are pressed by rising production costs and dropping prices.

“Many farmers in the region alternate between growing rice and ranching, but those with cattle sold off much of their livestock last year as the drought parched rangeland and pushed up hay prices. That leaves them with few alternatives now.

“To turn the tide in Texas, Mother Nature needs to dump 5 to 8 inches of rain in the Hill Country to produce about 32.6 billion gallons of runoff into the region’s lakes, LCRA meteorologist Bob Rose said. It’s possible, but Rose “wasn’t very optimistic” about it happening soon.”

Read more: Claims Journal

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Study: No Evidence Hydraulic Fracturing Pollutes Water

Published on 02/22/2012 in contaminated water, fracking, groundwater, hydrology, natural gas drilling and peak water. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Citizens march against fracking at the "Shale Gas Outrage Rally" in Philadelphia.

Photo retrieved from: www.voanews.com

“A new study finds no evidence that the controversial practice to extract natural gas known as hydraulic fracturing is contaminating ground water.
The report, “Separating Fact from Fiction in Shale Gas Development,” published by the University of Texas Energy Institute, attempts to allay fears that fracking poses a threat to public health and the environment.

According to Charles Groat, associate director of the institute, fracking, which injects water and chemicals into a well at high pressure to shatter the gas-bearing rock deep underground, is not to blame for polluted wells.

“University of Texas environmental engineer Danny Reible believes natural sources of gas leaks must also be considered.

“There are certainly examples of natural gas wells that have casing leaks and have led to natural gas moving into drinking water wells,” Reible says. “There are certainly examples of natural sources of gas both in the deep or subsurface as well as in the near subsurface that have also contaminated water supplies.”

Read more: Voice of America

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Farmers warn food prices could go up because of drought

Published on 02/22/2012 in agriculture, drought, hydrology, management, peak water, policy, water shortage, water technology and world water supply. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

A combine harvester making it's way along a field of wheat in East Norton in Leicestershire. Farm, agriculture, farming, drought, British farming

Photo retrieved from: The Telegraph

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Peter Kendall, President of the National Farmers Union, said ongoing drought in the South East and Anglia, the “bread basket of Britain”, will cut yields and force up prices.

“As sure as night follows day if it doesn’t rain, food prices will go up. I can guarantee you that,” he said. “If there is less water across bigger areas of northern Europe food will cost more money.”

Drought-afflicted areas need 120 per cent of normal rainfall between now and March to avoid drought but the Met Office is forecasting a dry period.

“Mr Kendall said in the past, when the UK relied on imported food, farmers were ignored during a drought. For example golf courses would continue to be watered – but farmers banned from irrigating crops.”

Read more: The Telegraph

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Viewpoints: $11 billion water bond should be repealed

Published on 02/19/2012 in greenwashing, management and water diversions. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Retrieved from: Sac bee

“The Bee’s Feb. 5 editorial, “Water bond will sink if it stays bloated,” was accurate when it described the $11.14 billion water bond as an albatross that voters need to put out of its misery. But there’s an even more efficient and practical course of action that would save taxpayers money and legislators embarrassment when the initiative fails miserably: legislative repeal of the bond before November.

“If you are a shipbuilder and you know your boat will sink as soon as it disembarks, would you let it set sail? Of course not. But instead of admitting that the water bond has been built to fail, Gov. Jerry Brown and some legislators would prefer to delay it instead of scrapping it once and for all and going back to the drawing board to develop sound state water policy.

“We’ve been led to believe that the water bond will provide the funding necessary to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and to ensure water supply reliability for Southern California, but the truth is that two of the nation’s biggest and most powerful agriculture operations stand to benefit most.Wetlkands Water District and Paramount Farms, both in the arid southwest corner of the Central Valley , were key players in drafting and lobbying for this water bond that would cost taxpayers $22 billion with interest over time. Combined, they hold more than 800,000 acres of land and seek the delivery of more than 1 million acre-feet of water from the Delta which, for perspective, is more water than San Fransisco and Los Angeles combined use each year.”

Read more: Sac bee

sammykayed

Can Coca-Cola Keep Growing?

Published on 02/09/2012 in aquatic ecosystems, bottled water, contaminated water, displacement of people, glaciers, greenwashing, groundwater, management, privatization and water shortage. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Retrieved from: Wikipedia

“Coca-Cola is a $156 billion nonalcoholic-beverage kingpin that sold more than $46 billion worth of drinks around the world in 2011. As if it needs underscoring, that’shuge. So when it comes to the future for Coca-Cola, is growth still possible?

“If you tuned into Coke’s fourth-quarter earnings release yesterday, you know that there was still growth to be had in the past year, at least. Comparable earnings per share — which adjusts the tally mainly for oddball adjustments from its bottler acquisition — increased 10% for the year to $3.84.

“There’s been no recession for Coke. In the chart below, you can see that earnings did dip in 2008, but when we consider the total earnings growth over the past five years, it’s clear that the Coca-Cola juggernaut is one that’s not easily knocked off course. 

anImageSource: S&P Capital IQ. 2010 earnings adjusted for gains from bottler acquisition. 

“If we break that total growth down to an average annual figure, we can say that Coke is still growing earnings at a clip of better than 11% per year. To deliver that kind of growth on a relatively consistent basis is no small matter no matter who you are, but it’s even more impressive when you’re a company the size of Coke.

“The company hasn’t been shy about deploying some of its ample cash flow to grow through acquisitions. Of note, in 2007 the company ponied up $4.2 billion to buy Vitaminwater maker Glaceau. More recently, the company took over the North American operations of bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises.”
Read more: Daily Finance
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US approves first new nuclear plant in a generation

Published on 02/09/2012 in aquatic ecosystems and nuclear power. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Retrieved from: Scientific American

“U.S. regulators on Thursday approved plans to build the first new nuclear power plant in more than 30 years, despite objections of the panel’s chairman who cited safety concerns stemming from Japan’s 2011 Fukushima disaster.

“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 4-1 to allow Atlanta-based Southern Co to build and operate two new nuclear power reactors at its existing Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia. The units will cost Southern and partners about $14 billion and enter service as soon as 2016 and 2017.

“The approval was cold comfort for nuclear industry officials who have touted a “renaissance” that has failed to materialize, undercut by high costs and the cheapest natural gas prices in about a decade.

“Further clouding future prospects, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko cast an extraordinary dissenting vote, citing the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in March 2011 that spurred the NRC to review whether existing and new U.S. reactors could withstand natural disasters like earthquakes and floods.

Read more: Reuters

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Grand Canyon to ban bottled water sales

Published on 02/08/2012 in aquatic ecosystems, bottled water and solutions and outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

The Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon on the Hualapai Indian Reservation near Peach Springs, Arizona May 6, 2011. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

Retrieved from: Reuters

“The Grand Canyon will soon ban the sale of bottled water, responding to concerns that empty plastic bottles scattered around the park are spoiling views of the natural wonder.

“The National Park Service has approved a plan that would eliminate the sale of bottled water within 30 days, after nearly $290,000 was spent to install 10 water stations inside the park. Visitors can use the stations to refill their own water bottles, which they can tote in from the outside.

“Park concessionaires, who can still sell other bottled beverages, chipped in with another three water stations.

“Our parks should set the standard for resource protection and sustainability,” John Wessels, the park service’s intermountain region director, said in a statement.

“Some 4.5 million tourists visit the Grand Canyon each year, and officials worry about litter found on the rim and inner canyon spoiling the park and marring its views. They estimate the disposable bottles account for 20 percent of the park’s waste and 30 percent of its recyclables.”

Read more: Reuters

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Water grid bosses back doubts over dam story

Published on 02/06/2012 in dams, floods and management. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Wivenhoe Dam strains to hold back flood water in January.

Retrieved from: Brisbane times

“The operators of Brisbane’s biggest dam may have waited two days longer than claimed to proceed to a key water release strategy in the lead-up to the city’s devastating flood, two senior water grid officials have told an inquiry.

“The flood commission, headed by Court of Appeal judge Catherine Holmes, is holding 11th hour hearings to test Seqwater’s assertions about when Wivenhoe Dam engineers moved to a “W3” strategy, which allows more rapid releases and prioritises the protection of urban areas such as Brisbane.

“Dam engineers have argued they moved directly from W1 – when low-lying rural bridges are prioritised – to W3 at 8am on Saturday, January 8, 2011, as required in the official dam manual.

“It is not in dispute that the most serious strategy, W4, was activated on Tuesday, January 11, when large amount of rainfall forced operators to massively ramp up releases from the dam.

“Thousands of homes were inundated when the Brisbane River flood peak occurred on the morning of Thursday, January 13.”

Read more: Brisbane times

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Clean-ups begin as some Qld floodwaters fall

Published on 02/06/2012 in displacement of people and floods. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh examines the swollen Maranoa River near the flood affected town of St George.

Retrieved from: SMH

“As the first of the floodwaters begin to fall in southwest Queensland, clean-ups have started in Roma and Mitchell, but people in Charleville are still waiting for the all clear to return home.

“Maranoa mayor Robert Loughnan says while people have begun work on their homes in Roma and Mitchell, the situation in both towns is still ‘‘pretty diabolical’’.

‘‘Mitchell is in really bad shape, it’s a dreadful place at the moment,’’ he said.

“Mr Loughnan said the bridge into the town, which provides the only access at the moment, was not in good shape.

‘‘Main Roads are doing their best to clear up all of the debris and replace the side rails which have been badly damaged.’’Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts says hundreds of homes have been damaged and an initial inspection is underway.

‘‘So very significant damage and very significant dislocation to those individuals.’’Weather bureau hydrologist Chris Leahy said gauges at Roma and Mitchell had been damaged and could not be repaired until after the floods had passed.”

Read more: SMH

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Giving an invasive water pest the bullet

Published on 02/03/2012 in invasive species, policy, water filtering and water technology. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

David Aldridge and a handful of zebra mussels

Photo retrieved from: BBC News

“An invasive species, the zebra mussel clogs up water works and systems across the UK, costing millions of pounds each year to remove.

“With each female zebra mussel able to produce up to a million eggs per year, serious infestations can quickly form.

“Thankfully a Cambridge-based company called Biobullets has come up with a much easier – and cheaper – means of removing them. A method that owes much to the ancient Greeks and their Trojan horse.

“The toxin in question, potassium chloride, is safe to use in the water supply system as anything that is not eaten by the zebra mussels degrades in less than three hours.”

Read more: BBC News

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