Archive for the Policy & Politics Category
Supreme Court Halts “Smeltdown in the Delta”
This month, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ruling that limits water withdrawals from sensitive ecosystems in Northern California. The Court rejected a new challenge by a consortium of California farmers and local water management agencies hoping to import more water from an area that serves as home to the critically endangered Delta Smelt Fish. Siting the Endangered Species Act, this latest ruling reinforces which side the federal government is on when it comes to wildlife conservation. The foundation for the government’s case came from a 2008 report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The report recommend reductions in […]
From the EPA: Water Recycling and Reuse – The Environmental Benefits
As our Pacific Southwest, and other drought-prone regions of our country, struggle with the regulatory challenges of safely guiding water reuse, the EPA has published a great deal of information on their website. A recent article, which can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/recycling/ aims to familiarize users and treatment providers with basic information to help them determine if and how water reuse could help solve their facility or community issues.
The five biggest water challenges facing cities
Cities, as a concept, are not water friendly. They disrupt the natural water process of replenishing groundwater, serving natural habitats, and supporting local ecosystems. Gathering large amounts of humans in a small place throws off nature’s built-in balances, which is why man-made water infrastructure is necessary to support a healthy, urban lifestyle, and which allows humans to continue being city-dwellers. But as resources dwindle and cities continue growing, the relationship between water and cities is quickly becoming more taxed. A conversation with Organica’s Environment and Technology Specialist, Peter Varga, lays out the five biggest water challenges for cities and suggestions […]