Winners in harsh
battle for Klamath River water claim their rights
12th June 2013
Some southern Oregon ranchers will have to reduce or completely
shut down irrigation in the parched Upper Klamath Basin this summer
as a result of a historic assertion of water rights by other users
in the region. On Monday, several groups, including the Klamath
Tribes and irrigators in the federal Klamath Project, made formal
calls for water, asking Oregon to enforce rights they won earlier
this year. "Nobody should be surprised by the tribes making
a call," said Jeff Mitchell of the Klamath Tribal Water Team.
"Everyone's seen this day coming for a long, long time." Read
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California plan to overhaul
water system hub to cost $25 billion
The state plan to overhaul the hub of California's water system
will cost nearly $25 billion to build and operate, according to
preliminary figures released Wednesday. The proposal calls for
habitat restoration and two tunnels to divert water from the Sacramento
River under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to southbound pumps.
Read
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Southern U.S. groundwater dips to record
low levels, NASA map shows
Using groundwater calculations based on satellite observations
and other meteorological data, scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space
Flight Center and the University of Nebraska have shown that ground
moisture in some regions of the U.S. — including much of Texas
— has dipped to levels significantly lower than the long-term
average since 1948, when levels of soil moisture and groundwater
were first recorded Read
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Appeals filed over Las Vegas water
permits
A ruling that granted Southern Nevada Water Authority approval
to pump billions of gallons of water from rural areas along the
Nevada-Utah line will head back to court after appeals were filed
by environmental groups, local governments, Indian tribes, ranchers
and others. Read
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US water bills to creep
up, debt rise as supplies shrink
The Southern Nevada Water Authority, which plans to issue a $360
million bond in July to upgrade old facilities and build new ones,
is a good example. "We already raised tariffs twice, $2 each
year in 2010 and 2011 for residential customers," said William
Fox, chief financial officer at the Las Vegas Valley Water District,
adding that he does not anticipate further rate hikes until 2014.
Other utilities, which might have not yet done so, will have to
follow suit. Read
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Alaska’s Pebble Mine: Fish Versus Gold
by bill sherwonit
With the support of Gov. Sarah Palin, mining interests have defeated
an Alaska ballot measure that could have blocked a huge proposed
mining project. Now, plans are moving forward to exploit the massive
gold and copper deposit at Bristol Bay, home of one of the world’s
greatest salmon runs. Read
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Unicef dirty water source
UNICEF - US
Guided by a commitment to build a world fit for children, the
U.S. Fund for UNICEF -- in partnership with individuals, non-governmental
organizations, foundations and corporations -- works to advocate
for the worlds children, increase awareness among the U.S. public
of childrens needs and raise funds in support of UNICEFs work.
Pollution in Mississippi River,
other waterways targeted
Minnesota will be the nation's first test site for a federal program
designed to stem the flow of agricultural pollution strangling
some of the country's great bodies of water, including the Chesapeake
Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River.
The government is promoting a pilot project as the start of an
ambitious federal strategy that, in essence, would give farmers
a green seal of approval if they voluntarily choose to put land
conservation and water quality ahead of crop yields.
Behind the new strategy is a combination of political and fiscal
realities.
The public is increasingly concerned about clean water. But imposing
environmental rules on farmers faces insurmountable political
hurdles. At the same time, funding for longstanding farm conservation
programs is facing major cutbacks in the upcoming farm bill, victim
of both the federal budget crunch and the anti-regulatory fervor
in Washington.
Farmers who participate would agree to follow land management
practices that slow soil erosion and runoff of fertilizers, pesticides
and manure into streams and groundwater. In exchange, they would
get financial and technical support and be protected against new
environmental requirements during the life of their agreement,
perhaps as long as 10 years.
Participating farmers would also be certified through the new
Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, a seal of approval
that could be used as a marketing tool and, eventually, on consumer
products.
But the plan is generating sharp criticism from some conservation
and water-quality advocates. They say 40 years of voluntary efforts
have been insufficient to reduce farm runoff that dumps sediment,
bacteria and other pollutants into rivers and streams -- despite
the 1970s-era federal Clean Water Act's requirements to clearly
identify specific sources of water pollution.
