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About

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Member since 12/2006

Favorite Blogs

  • Authentically Wired
    Water and a lot more from Paul F. Miller.
  • AWRA
    The water resources blog of the American Water Resources Association.
  • Blue Marble Earth
    An articulate Earth scientist with an MS in Geography from Oregon State University, Courtney van Stolk explores the 'whys' of this fantastic planet.
  • California Water Blog
    A biologist, economist, engineer and geologist walk onto a bar…From the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC-Davis.
  • Campanastan
    That's 'Campana-stan', or 'Place of Campana', formerly 'Aquablog'. Michael Campana's personal blog, promulgating his Weltanschauung.
  • Chance of Rain
    Journalist Emily Green's take on water and related issues.
  • Dr. Anne Jefferson's Watershed Hydrology Lab
    Anne blogs from Kent State University on a variety of earth science topics.
  • Great Lakes Law
    Noah Hall's blog about - what else - all things wet and legal in the Great Lakes region!
  • International Water Law Project
    Gabriel Eckstein, Professor of Law at Texas A&M University School of Law, comments on international and transboundary water law and policy.
  • John Fleck
    Former science writer @ Albuquerque Journal and current director of the Water Resources Program at U of NM. Topics: Colorado River basin, Western USA water, more!
  • Legal Planet: Environmental Law and Policy
    From the UC-Berkeley and UCLA law schools, it highlights the latest legal and policy initiatives and examines their implications.
  • Maven's Notebook
    A water, science, and environmental policy blog by Chris Austin, aka 'Maven'. Focus is on California.
  • On The Public Record
    A 'low level civil servant who reads a lot of government reports writes about California water and related topics.
  • Wettit - the water reddit
    Water blog with tons of news items, other blogs, etc.
  • Texas Agriculture Law Blog
    Don't let the name fool you - there are lots of water issues in agriculture and Tiffany Dowell of Texas A&M University does a fabulous job with this important Internet resource. Give it a read - I do every day!
  • The Water Blog
    From the Portland, OR, Water Bureau.
  • The Way of Water
    Dr. Jennifer Veilleux records her fieldwork, research, and thoughts about water resources development and management, indigenous rights, ethics, and a host of other issues.
  • Thirsty in Suburbia
    Gayle Leonard documents things from the world of water that make us smile: particularly funny, amusing and weird items on bottled water, water towers, water marketing, recycling, the art-water nexus and working.
  • This Day in Water History
    Michael J. 'Mike' McGuire, engineer extraordinaire, NAE member, and author of 'The Chlorine Revolution', blogs about historical happenings in the fields of drinking water and wastewater keyed to calendar dates.
  • WaSH Resources
    New publications, web sites and multi-media on water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH).
  • Waste, Water, Whatever
    Elizabeth Royte's ('Bottlemania', 'Garbage Land') notes on waste, water, whatever.
  • Water Matters
    News from the Columbia University Water Center.
  • Watershed Moments: Thoughts from the Hydrosphere
    From Sarah Boon - rediscovering her writing and editing roots after 13 years, primarily as an environmental scientist. Her writing centres around creative non-fiction, specifically memoir and nature writing. The landscapes of western Canada are her main inspiration.
  • WaterWired
    All things freshwater: news, comment, publications and analysis from hydrogeologist Michael E. Campana, Professor at Oregon State University and Technical Director of the AWRA.

Monday, 17 January 2022

Elaine J. Hanford's Bulletin Boards: 1) Geoscience; 2) Environmental Science; 3) Coastal Zone Management - 17 January 2022

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Do you know of a colleague and/or student who would be interested in receiving these Bulletin Board listings? Please forward this to them. A quick email to Geosciences-BBoard@att.net with the word “subscribe” in the subject line and the email address will be added to the weekly distribution. 

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Here are Elaine's BBs as PDF and Word documents:

PDF: Download EJH_Bulletin_Boards_WW_17Jan2022

Word: Download EJH_Bulletin_Boards_WW_17Jan2022

Note: If a link does not work, try pasting the URL into your browser. Elaine

The articles displayed herein are selected by Dr. Elaine J. Hanford. I do not necessarily agree with the viewpoints expressed and the article descriptions that precede each link.

Geoscience Bulletin Board – 17 January 2022 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

Wanting to extinguish the “Gates of Hell” in Turkmenistan

The drought in California will not be counter-balanced by the recent winter storms

Collapse of rock face section at Lake Furnas in Brazil causes seiche, fatalities & injuries

Aurora borealis lights up the Lapland sky in shades of green

Book Review:  Geomythology:  How Common Stories Reflect Earth Events – dinosaur bones became griffins, volcanic eruptions were gods fighting

Part I of two-part series on the geology of the Adirondacks

The “Monitor Lineament” in Monroe County, West Virginia

“Insurmountable technical problems” force work halt on QD-2 well in Kurdistan

The tilt of the Earth axis and seasonal climate

The challenges of ocean data uncertainty – quantifying error vs quantifying uncertainty

Charles Darwin, Charles Lyell, uniformitarianism, catastrophism & Principles of Geology

Diurnal oxidation of manganese in the Arctic Ocean

Lessons finally learned from rerouting Alaskan river to mine for gold

Simulations reflect influence of reduced and enhanced wind stress on AMOC

Intense day of weather in the US on 15 December 2021 – hyped by NWS as “never-before-seen storm outlook”

Why southern US is prone to tornadic storms in December

Asteroid (7482) 1994 PC1 will pass within 1,231,184 miles of Earth – it is not Armageddon

Earth observation is big business – revenues to grow to $76.1B by 2030

Research suggests shark attacks are related to lunar phases

Arctic coasts are in state of perpetual change

Late Devonian mass extinction occurred in two “pulses”

Temnodontosaurus trigonodont – huge Jurassic ichthyosaur fossil found in near Rutland in UK

New discoveries of “megaripple” grain composition in windswept sand waves

Compound flooding from hurricanes must be assessed in multiple directions

Potential “twin triggers” of Triassic extinction event

“Curse of Oak Island” is just another ‘reality’ TV show that gets the science wrong

Geology of Fort Rock, Oregon

Cari Corrigan is a geologist who collects meteorites in Antarctica

Coastal erosion and an evolving climate

Update:  Perspective on missing geologist – Daniel Robinson

Bunker Hill geophysical survey detects large-scale near-surface anomalies south of existing mine

North Pole solar eclipse excited auroras in both Northern & Southern Hemispheres

Two workers trapped when Powell trench collapsed – unstable soils

Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 17 January 2022 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

US recorded 5 deaths due to rabies in 2021 – 4 due to bats and one to rabid dog

Understanding the impact of the population demographics on the labor force

As public comment closes, proposed geothermal project near Gerlach, Nevada, & the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area is opposed by local residents and Burning Man devotees

Slide show:  animals with the longest gestation

Habitat fragmentation may result in inbreeding in mountain lions in Southern California

CRS Report R45793:  PFAS & Drinking Water – Selected EPA & Congressional Actions

“Preemption” legislation in Florida prevents residents from opposing proposed solar farms – a question of social & economic justice

Glyphosate can cause cancer but still being liberally used across the world

Game wardens still investigating shooting deaths of endangered whooping cranes in Oklahoma

Komatsu apologizes for poor communication after spilling 400 gallons of oil into Menomonee River

Grizzly Bear hunts with wolf pack in Yellowstone National Park & then takes kill

Asiatic cheetahs on brink of extinction in Iran – 12 individuals remain

New report on declining Colorado River – States exceeding legal allocations

Recycling fraud costs California estimated $200M each year

California governor wants state to pay for health coverage for illegal immigrants

Havasupai Falls will remain closed at least until June

During drought in the West, Nebraska announces $500M plan under 1923 compact to divert water from South Platte River in Colorado – Colorado to protect water rights in opposition

Hundreds of millions of dollars to be spent on bridges & widening freeways in Southern California

UK orders developers to bear costs of removing aluminum composite cladding from buildings – consequence of deadly 2017 Grenfell Tower high-rise fire

US EPA begins to take action against coal ash ponds

Lead poisoning remains major threat to endangered California Condors at Big Sur

The Renewable Fuel Standard – competing interests over dubious program

“Renewable” gas is not viable path to cutting pollution from buildings

US EPA to undertake accelerated cleanup of 49 Superfund sites – $1B won’t go very far

Design flaws caused turbine collapse at New Brunswick wind farm – will replace foundations

Community groups & environmentalists asking New Jersey Governor to stop plan to build $180M gas-fired power plant along Passaic River – Governor complies

Illegal pot farms in southern Oregon controlled by crime syndicates from Eastern Europe, China & Mexico – depleting aquifers, stealing farm equipment, threats to environmental health

US Steel Corp. announced new $3B EAF state-of-the-art steel mill near Osceola, Arkansas

FEMA announces intent to focus on climate resilience in multi-year strategic plan

US Army COE to hold session on impacts of Willamette Valley dam system

More fraud in California – insurance company sold unauthorized health plans & collected $Ms

How to ferret out fraudulent medical trials reported in scientific literature?

Fishers are returning to Olympic National Park

Cultural impacts of the 19th Century sugar plantations in Louisiana

You are what you eat:  impacts of excess sugar on brain development – on average, Americans consume 8 pounds of candy in a year

Questions of ethics and surgical technology of xenotransplantation – gene-edited pig heart transplanted into human who stabbed man 7 times and left him paralyzed

Give Hollywood an “A” for effort – but has produced another awful climate change movie

Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are unique among scavenging mammals

2021 “climate disasters” – As Gilbert White said, natural events are acts of God, disasters are acts of man – more humans living & building more expensive structures in disaster-prone areas

“Wishcycling” is hoping & praying that what is dumped into recycle bin is actually recycled

Gene that makes bacteria resistant to colistin antibiotic found in sewage water in Georgia

Geopolitics of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Europe

Federal government acknowledged shipping 13,625 cubic meters (5+ Olympic-sized swimming pools) of mixed radioactive waste from Idaho National Lab cleanup site to Nevada NSS

Phoenixville PA to build first hydrothermal carbonization plant at wastewater treatment center

Need to assess how much groundwater exists in rural New Mexico – old data painted over

Director of Washington DFW is accused of poaching big game

Net-zero project in Japan will use more energy than it produces

SCOTUS heard arguments on vaccine mandates to determine if lawful – halts mandates for businesses

Menstrual cycles at least temporarily altered following vaccinations

CDC will not change definition of “fully vaccinated” – one or two shots depending on vaccine

Anticipating “precipitous decline” in number of ‘cases’ of omicron in the US

Condom manufacturer has poor economic outcome during plandemic – sales dropped over 40%

Government ordering insurance companies to cover OTC at-home tests per person per month – premiums will likely skyrocket

Too many booster shots could suppress immune system

36% of vaxxed say they became infected with breakthrough case(s)

Virus loses 90% of infectiousness within minutes of being airborne

Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 17 January 2022 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

Texas P&W closes section of Aransas Bay to oyster harvesting – low abundance of legal-sized oysters

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-parks-wildlife-department-closing-172332032.html

Indonesia releases 33 Chelonia mydas sea turtles seized from poachers

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/indonesia-releases-33-sea-turtles-171132335.html

Crime prompts San Diego to propose night-time closures at nearly a dozen coastal areas

• https://www.lajollalight.com/news/story/2022-01-07/crime-concerns-prompt-san-diego-topropose-nighttime-closures-at-several-coastal-parks-including-in-la-jolla

Lower Neuse River adapted to and recovered from effects of Hurricane Florence

• https://coastalreview.org/2022/01/lower-neuse-river-adapted-recovered-from-florence-study/

• Abstract: https://geography.as.uky.edu/blogs/jdp/florentine-floods-new-normal

• Paper: https://geography.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Florence.pdf

“jug handle” bridge is practical solution for transportation corridor & access to wildlife refuge on Pea Island

• https://coastalreview.org/2022/01/bridge-will-bypass-pea-island-but-refuge-access-to-remain/

Wildlife photography captures rich biodiversity of coastal wildlife of Mumbai

• https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mumbai-wildlife

US Navy will drain tanks that leaked at Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility in Pearl Harbor

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/navy-drain-hawaii-tank-system-190028183.html

• https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-honolulu-harbors-us-navya1c4ffa104eddaf8a942ee3793822f9f

Protection of historic wetlands of the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary – permanent conservation

• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/north-carolina-coastal-land-trust-153013653.html

Ghost forests may provide refuge for marsh birds as coastal habitat disappears

• https://www.audubon.org/news/ghost-forests-could-provide-respite-marsh-birds-coastalhabitat-disappears

Invasive species are “hitchhiking” on ships to Antarctica

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/antarctica-invasive-species-hitchhiking-ships-233757233.html

Spain making progress on platforms for largest floating offshore wind farm in the world

• https://www.windsystemsmag.com/news/mammoet-completes-wind-farm-load-out-in-spain/

Corpus Christi awarded $4.75M by Texas Water Development Board to improve stormwater system

• https://www.ccbiznews.com/news/corpus-christi-gets-funding-for-stormwater-systemupgrades

Marine & freshwater quality continues to degrade on Cape Cod

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/things-worse-cape-cod-water-102332941.html

• Report: https://capecodwaters.org/overview/#results

300,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from corroded pipeline near New Orleans

• https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-new-orleans-environment-0d62cab0f0b131e48b77b97017766c3f

Perspective: Florida must warn the public of sewage-tainted waterfronts

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/florida-must-warn-public-sewage-120219187.html

Report: Harmful Algal Blooms

• https://www.whoi.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022WHOI-HarmfulAlgalBlooms-Report.pdf

California budget plans $2.3B for seaport improvements – ostensibly to “improve supply chain resiliency”

• https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/california-plans-to-spend-2-3-billion-on-ports

Suggestions to promote adaptations to build climate resilience for coastal cities – MIT Water Summit

• https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/how-coastal-cities-can-build-climate-resilienceclock-ticks

Padre Island National Seashore receives $300,000 for research on endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles

• https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/01/padre-island-national-seashore-lands-300000-sea-turtle-research

Seagrass wasting disease of intertidal meadows in the Pacific Northwest

• https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=304215&org=GEO&from=news

Massive plastic debris problem in Mausund and the Froan Nature Reserve in Trøndelag along Norweigian coast

• https://phys.org/news/2022-01-natural-gem-plastic.html

• Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969721026188?via%3Dihub

NOAA designates Connecticut estuaries as 30th National Estuarine Research Reserve

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/connecticut-estuaries-designated-livinglaboratories-by-noaa/ar-AASN3cx

"I believe that we can transform dark yesterdays of injustice into bright tomorrows of justice and humanity." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted on Monday, 17 January 2022 at 12:38 PM in Blogs, Twitters, WWW sites, e-Newsletters, & Lists, Elaine Hanford's Bulletin Boards, Readings, Journals, Videos, Films & Visuals | | Comments (0)

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Sunday, 16 January 2022

My Ten Cents: Lake Abert Redux - Who Cares?

The Old Days
On 9 July 2014 I wrote a blog post entitled, Lake Abert's Desiccation: Natural or Not? Why Not Find Out?. It was a response to an earlier excellent article by The Oregonian's Rob Davis: Oregon’s only saltwater lake is disappearing, and scientists don't know why. Davis also wrote: 5 things you should know about Lake Abert, Oregon's disappearing salt lake.   

So?  

The Present Day
Imagine my surprise this morning when a picture of a desiccated Lake Abert graced the front page (above the fold) of The Sunday Oregonian, with the headline What killed Lake Abert? Once again, Rob Davis was the reporter.

Screen Shot 2022-01-17 at 8.49.19 AM

The story picked up where the 2014 article ended. It related the work of Amy Simpson, then a Oregon Department of Environment Quality engineer who decided, on her own (can you spell i-n-i-a-t-i-v-e?), to get to the bottom of Lake Abert's lack of water.

At this juncture, let me note the motto on ODEQ's homepage:

Screen Shot 2022-01-17 at 9.00.54 AM
Uh-huh.

From the article:

Simpson estimated that the River’s End Reservoir, constructed in 1994 with government subsidies immediately upstream from Lake Abert, had kept billions of gallons of water from reaching the lake. In a dry year like 2014, the difference was a death blow.

She shared those preliminary findings with her manager and others inside the department and proposed asking another state agency to require the reservoir to release water. But Simpson said her manager, Steve Mrazik, called her into his office and abruptly halted her efforts after a summer 2015 meeting of high-ranking officials from five state agencies, including the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, which helped build the reservoir.

“I stopped working on this project because my manager told me to stop working on it,” Simpson, an engineer who left the environmental agency in 2018, told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “I asked why, but was told it was a managerial decision and was not given a reason.”

Simpson said she asked to finish analyzing the reservoir’s impact on the lake but was told by Mrazik “all work must stop.”

Mrazik didn’t respond to questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive. A Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson, Harry Esteve, said in an email the agency decided “at the time that there was no significant action we could take.”

More:

The reservoir isn’t solely responsible for Lake Abert’s decline. The precipitation that feeds the lake has dwindled. Last year was the driest since at least 1979. Ranches upstream long ago laid claim to river water that would reach the lake to instead irrigate crops like alfalfa. Still, scientists who study the lake say the reservoir has harmed Lake Abert and should release more water to it.

So what should be done?

My Ten Cents
1) ODEQ should immediately resurrect the Simpson report (hire her as a consultant if need be) and get other relevant agencies (ODFW, OWRD, USFWS, BLM, USGS, et al.) and some academics/consultants to comment.

2) Support the legislation proposed by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) to provide research funding. I would like to see the funding to include others beside the USGS - some academics would be appropriate. 

3) If (2) doesn't fly, try to cobble together some funds to induce some academics to perform the research.

4) Investigate the effects of PacificCorp's proposed pumped-storage facilities on Lake Abert. This project would require four new reservoirs.

5) Investigate the concept of water rights for Lake Abert.  

6) Try to assess the steady-state size/volume of Lake Abert (see below)

 It should be noted that Lake Abert and nearby Summer Lake are all that remain of Lake Chewaucan, a huge freshwater lake that existed over 15,000 years ago along with Lake Bonneville (Great Salt Lake) and Lake Lahontan (Pyramid Lake and others). So Lake Abert is much smaller than it once was and is likely seeking an equilibrium of some sort after beig in decline for c. 15,000 years

Screen Shot 2022-01-17 at 9.43.55 AM
   Graphic from this report.

Shout-out to Rob Davis.

"Those agencies, all they need is the slimmest excuse not to show interest in natural resources that are being impacted. East of the Cascades, it’s still the Wild West. People do what they want to do with the environment and the agencies just turn their back.” - Ron Larson, retired USFWS biologist (quoted in the article)

Posted on Sunday, 16 January 2022 at 09:51 PM in Bullshit and Crap Detection, Pacific Northwest USA, Water Quantity & Availability, Western USA | | Comments (2)

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Saturday, 15 January 2022

CRS InFocus Report: 'Climate and Security in the Middle East and North Africa'

Jeremy M. Sharp, Nicole T. Carter and Kezee Procita have updated (12 January 2022) this CRS InFocus report: 'Climate and Security in the Middle East and North Africa'.

I have pasted the entire two-pager.

Download CRS_InFocus_Rpt_Climate_Security_MENA_12Jan2022

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is among the world’s most water-stressed and vulnerable to climate change impacts. Policymakers’ concerns about a changing MENA climate include not only physical and economic impacts but also the potential implications for political stability and security in a volatile region.

A Dry Region Under Stress
Projections of various effects of climate change on the largely arid and semi-arid MENA region are available, although regional analyses are often constrained by limited data for MENA and downscaling from global models. Given MENA’s geographic span—from Morocco to Iran— and topographic variation (e.g., mountains, deserts, and deltas), local effects may differ from regional trends.

Heat. Temperatures in the MENA region have increased for decades and are projected to continue increasing through the end of the century. Figure 1 shows one projection of hottest day temperature increases by 2040. Some research suggests intensification of warm-season heat extremes in the region (e.g., Zittis et al. in Climate and Atmospheric Science, 2021). Hotter conditions generally increase energy demand for cooling and may negatively affect health, labor, and agricultural productivity.

Water. Both droughts and floods occur in MENA, with variability over time and place. Several studies project increasingly lengthy droughts in some parts of MENA, including annual dry spells projected to last longer by 2040 (Figure 1). Many (but not all) studies project less precipitation along MENA’s Mediterranean coast through this century; less agreement exists regarding whether precipitation may increase or decrease in other parts of the MENA region (e.g., Arabian Peninsula, Sahara portion of various North Africa countries). Regarding precipitation extremes, some studies (e.g., Ozturk et al. in Atmosphere, 2021) project an increase in precipitation amounts on very wet days for the end of this century for much of the region, which may contribute to flooding.

Screen Shot 2022-01-15 at 11.12.47 AM

Rising sea levels are encroaching on MENA coastlines and communities, thereby contributing to more frequent flooding and more extensive coastal storm flooding. According to some researchers, by 2050, portions of Iraq’s second-largest city of Basra and other southern Iraqi areas could experience chronic coastal flooding. Alexandria, Egypt, one of the most populous coastal cities in the Middle East, also could be regularly flooded by rising sea levels.

Agriculture and Food. Much of MENA’s agriculture and food production is rain-fed or consists of livestock. Production and many rural agricultural livelihoods are sensitive to changes in heat, drought, and precipitation patterns. Additionally, some production in the region relies on irrigation, which can be sensitive to surface water availability and can contribute to overuse of aquifers. Limited arable land, water scarcity, and other resource and environmental constraints limit regional agricultural production. The region has coped with population growth and urbanization by importing food. Reliance on food imports is anticipated to persist, with demographic and diet trends and changing agricultural growing conditions (e.g., potential productivity losses) as contributing factors.

How Climate May Interact with Security
U.S. national security assessments have described climate change as a threat multiplier that may exacerbate existing tensions in regions facing other challenges, such as intrastate conflict, rapid population growth, urbanization, or poor governance. The chain of linkages from climate and weather events to political stability is complex, with intervening critical factors such as social schisms and governance. In the MENA region, where several countries (e.g., Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon) are divided along ethnic/sectarian lines, armed substate actors and terrorist groups could broaden their appeal to sectors of the population disaffected by physical hardships wrought by climate change.

Various examples illustrate how climate conditions and weather events, such as droughts and heatwaves, could affect MENA’s future in terms of political unrest, violent conflicts, and the well-being of its people. For instance, rising or spiking food prices or water shortages previously have triggered urban unrest in the region. Reliance on food imports links MENA’s internal stability to agricultural conditions in exporting nations. Poor conditions in agricultural exporting countries contributed to reduced MENA food imports and associated food shortages in 2010-2011. In the case of Syria, decades of land and groundwater overuse in the nation’s breadbasket, combined with a 2006-2010 drought and periods of spiking global oil and food prices, played a part in agricultural workers migrating to cities, where many were unable to find employment. When Syria’s uprising began in 2011, disaffected rural migrants formed the base of opposition against the regime of President Bashar al Asad. In North Africa, local protests about water shortages reportedly occurred in 2017-2018. In Iraq, observers identified droughts as undermining rural Sunni livelihoods, which some argue may have helped fuel Islamic State recruitment. 

Screen Shot 2022-01-15 at 11.17.17 AM

Climate change is anticipated to challenge the capacities to adapt of poorer countries and politically unstable governments. For example, in Iraq, rising daily temperatures and more frequent heat extremes since the 1970s contribute to the demand for air conditioning. Peak summer electricity demand has exceeded generation capacity in Iraq’s electricity sector, which has been affected by decades of war, corruption, and government mismanagement. Some public protests have expressed frustration over power shortages, as many Iraqis cannot afford private generators to cope with summer heat. Studies for the World Bank project that reduced water availability in the region may contribute to a decrease in gross domestic product over time.

Variations across MENA in national wealth and state capacity to respond to climate and weather events may lead to different efforts toward adaptation, such as improving regional drought monitoring, investing in water conservation and efficiency (e.g., Israel’s water reuse), and shifting to more heat-resilient crop varieties. Regional water and energy cooperation also may expand. In November 2021, Israel, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to a plan in which the UAE will finance the construction of solar power capacity in Jordan for electricity export to Israel in exchange for Israel supplying desalinated water to water-stressed Jordan.

Energy and Emissions Policies
Some oil-rich members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC, composed of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain) have undertaken efforts to diversify their economies. In 2021, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud announced that Saudi Arabia, the world’s second-largest oil producer, seeks to generate half of its domestic energy from renewable sources by 2030; this target is part of the Crown Prince’s “Vision 2030” to diversify the kingdom’s economy away from hydrocarbons. However, these types of pledges haveengendered some skepticism. If the United States and Europe reduce their hydrocarbon dependency and domestic production, GCC state-owned oil companies may increase production to meet rising energy demands from China, India, and elsewhere.

Other MENA countries that are net hydrocarbon importers are adjusting or may adjust their energy policies. For example, Morocco has attempted to reduce its dependence on fossil fuel imports and aims to generate over half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 (e.g., by building concentrated solar power capacity). Morocco’s government announced in 2019 that renewable sources composed an estimated 35% of its electricity production the prior year.

The November 2021 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP26) yielded a series of global discussions and agreements focused on greenhouse-gas emissions reductions and other topics. Most countries—including many MENA countries—updated their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2021. NDCs represent each country’s commitment to meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement (PA), a UNFCCC agreement intended to reduce the effects of climate change. In addition to NDCs, some countries have pledged to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century, including Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain. Stakeholders have expressed that even these updated commitments may be insufficient for lessening all of the potential impacts of climate change. Egypt is the host country for COP27 in 2022. Egypt has not submitted an updated NDC; however; at COP 26, the country announced its National Climate Change Strategy 2050 and signaled interest in enhancing attention to climate change’s water impacts at COP27.

Recent Related U.S. Efforts and Policies
In April 2021, President Biden hosted a summit on climate for 40 world leaders, including some leaders from the MENA region. At the summit, the Biden Administration committed to exerting U.S. leadership in addressing climate change. The Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development are to coordinate “U.S. government efforts to support countries around the world to enhance and meet their climate goals in ways that further their national development priorities.” The White House also announced a “Net-Zero Producers Forum,” composed of the United States, Canada, Norway, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, for developing ideas to reduce energy-related emissions. At COP26, the United States and the UAE launched the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate to support innovation and research to enhance climate resiliency and reduce emissions in the global agriculture sector. The Biden Administration has signaled a role in MENA for the Build Back Better World initiative, a G7-partnership for investment in developing countries’ large-scale infrastructure projects, with climate change mitigation and adaptation among the initiative’s objectives.

Enjoy!

“Preservation of our environment is not a liberal or conservative challenge, it's common sense.” - Ronald Reagan

Posted on Saturday, 15 January 2022 at 12:02 PM in Climate Change, Climate & Meteorology, Conflict, Cooperation, Vulnerability & Security, CRS, FMSO & GAO Reports, Energy & Water, Extremes: Droughts, Floods, etc. | | Comments (0)

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Friday, 14 January 2022

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 8 - 14 January 2022

51QuumfE8KL._SX351_BO1 204 203 200_Friend, colleague and hydrogeologist extraordinaire W. Todd Jarvis and his former student Jakob Wiley have published a new book, Collective Aquifer Governance: Dispute Prevention for Groundwater and Aquifers through Unitization.

Here is the PDF (see 20% discount information): 

Download 9781107172081_Collective Aquifer Governance_Flyer

 Here's the blurb:

Current models of groundwater governance focus principally on the allocation of water, rather than taking a holistic approach incorporating valuable storage space in the aquifer, as well as the transformative changes in managed recharge of manufactured water, storm water, and carbon. Effective implementation of a more modern approach now calls for rethink of both scale and jurisdictional boundaries. This involves linking public and private aspects of water quantity, water quality, geothermal regulation, property rights, subsurface storage rights, water marketing, water banking, legal jurisdictions, and other components into a single governance document. This style of agreement stands in contrast to the siloed approach currently applied to aquifer resources. Using case studies, and an activity inspired by gaming concepts to explore the incentives, and challenges to aquifer governance approaches, this book demonstrates how application of the principles of unitization agreements to aquifers could provide a new approach to aquifer governance models.

Looks great. Enjoy!

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The links below represent the week's water news as represented by my Tweets. I do not pretend that this survey is a comprehensive survey of the water news; it's my attempt to keep my readers informed to the best of my ability and available time.

Scroll down to 'Positions Open' and 'Previous Weeks' Positions Open' to see the jobs. All my individual job Tweets are archived at #JobWaWi. Previous weekly summaries are archived at:  #WaWiNews or click here. If a link does not work, paste the URL into your browser.
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Top Twenty-Five (More or Less)
CRS Report: 'Regulating Contaminants Under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)' bit.ly/3FmiNgx

CRS Report: 'PFAS and Drinking Water - Selected EPA and Congressional Actions' bit.ly/33ekdN0

From @AGU_Eos: 'Buzz' Newsletter 14 January 2022. - The latest science news from @theAGU! bit.ly/3Fp1ews #scicomm

From @WaterEdFdn: As the Colorado River Shrinks, Can the Basin Find an Equitable Solution in Sharing the River’s Waters? bit.ly/3tua5up #cawater #cowater

FREE! @AWRAHQ #WebinarWednesday 19 January 2022: Dr. Rick Koehler 'Using A Temporal-based Approach to Quantify Streamflow Properties' 10-11 AM PST tinyurl.com/zn2zypu5

It's H2Oregon Newsletter - February 2022. bit.ly/3I7dsM8 #PDXwater #scicomm

In @nevadaappeal Carson River watershed video offers scoop on dog poop. tinyurl.com/u889pp7z #scicom

From @USATODAY: Climate Point - 13 January 2022. 2021 among the warmest, most disastrous years on record; Plus: Tornadoes in Cape Cod and coal ash pits in Indiana. More! tinyurl.com/h36nea2e

From @nbcbayarea: @UCBerkeley Study Finds Safe Drinking Water Remains Out of Reach for Many Californians tinyurl.com/yc2746vz

Guest Commentary in @gunnisontimes: Can the Law of the Colorado River adapt to an increasingly drier hydrology? bit.ly/33cgIaf #cowater 

Filling the Biggest Data Gap in Water Management openetdata.org 

From @KUER A storm is brewing over the future of Utah Lake tinyurl.com/5fzacsc6 #SWUSwater 

In @HaysDaily: As western Kansas dries up, Legislature revisits water policy bit.ly/3GoUHD9

Water, Volume 14, Issue 1 (January-1 2022) - 133 Articles bit.ly/3zRkt0H

ICYMI @egies in @SciAm : 'The Radical Groundwater Storage Test' New tactics for capturing floods and surviving droughts could help communities across California and the world tinyurl.com/2aa8ep44 #cawater

In @PLOS: Contest models highlight inherent inefficiencies of scientific funding competitions bit.ly/3rdBHS1 #scicomm

Elaine J. Hanford's Bulletin Boards: 1) Geoscience; 2) Environmental Science; 3) Coastal Zone Management - 10 January 2022 bit.ly/3FcDifx

From @OPB The Western megadrought is revealing America's 'lost national park' n.pr/3r43J1X #SWUSwater

From @UCDavisWater by @JayLund113: Continued drought early in a possibly wet year. bit.ly/3HFxgWC #cawater

Placer County and North American Subbasin Groundwater Update. tinyurl.com/2wk9sf9j #cawater

In @FencePostNews Trends in U.S. irrigated agriculture: Increasing resilience under water supply scarcity. tinyurl.com/yc4z92j8

From @OPB: Oregon demands quick fix to high lead levels in Portland’s water. Prof. Marc Edwards of @virginia_tech: 'This is worse than Flint.' bit.ly/3GaEqBS #PDXwater

Books, Reviews and Related
New: 'Collective Aquifer Governance: Dispute Prevention for Groundwater and Aquifers through Unitization' by Todd Jarvis (@OregonState) & Jakob Wiley (@uoregon) bit.ly/34SdCbQ 

Bottled Water, Beer, Drinking Water/TapWater
From @nbcbayarea: @UCBerkeley Study Finds Safe Drinking Water Remains Out of Reach for Many Californians tinyurl.com/yc2746vz

CRS Report: 'PFAS and Drinking Water - Selected EPA and Congressional Actions' bit.ly/33ekdN0

From @wxyzdetroit: City says water supplied by Detroit is safe for drinking, does not contain lead tinyurl.com/5n6dhwut #NEWater

From @OPB: Oregon demands quick fix to high lead levels in Portland’s water. Prof. Marc Edwards of @virginia_tech: 'This is worse than Flint.' bit.ly/3GaEqBS #PDXwater

Bullshit and Crap Detection
In @PLOS: Contest models highlight inherent inefficiencies of scientific funding competitions bit.ly/3rdBHS1 #scicomm

California
From @nbcbayarea: @UCBerkeley Study Finds Safe Drinking Water Remains Out of Reach for Many Californians tinyurl.com/yc2746vz

From @WaterEdFdn: As the Colorado River Shrinks, Can the Basin Find an Equitable Solution in Sharing the River’s Waters? bit.ly/3tua5up #cawater #cowater

From @sfchronicle: Satellite imaages show Mt. Shasta's transformation after an exceptionally dry summer. tinyurl.com/3whu4687 #cawater

From @kron4news: Santa Clara County adopts initiative to address concerns over rising sea level bit.ly/3I0qgne #cawater

ICYMI @egies in @SciAm : 'The Radical Groundwater Storage Test' New tactics for capturing floods and surviving droughts could help communities across California and the world tinyurl.com/2aa8ep44 #cawater

Opinion in @sdut: To fight climate change, we must redesign San Diego communities. bit.ly/3tk53AO #cawater

In @sdut: Rancho Guejito tapped groundwater deep in San Pasqual Valley. Some farmers aren't happy about it. bit.ly/3GqjaIc #cawater

From @UCDavisWater by @JayLund113: Continued drought early in a possibly wet year. bit.ly/3HFxgWC #cawater

Placer County and North American Subbasin Groundwater Update. tinyurl.com/2wk9sf9j #cawater

In @AllDailyRepNews CalMatters Commentary: Let’s consider importance of California’s agricultural water supplies tinyurl.com/2p9f7sh5 #cawater

Canada
From @CanadianWater: 'The Droplet' Newsletter - 10 January 2022. The emerging concern with PFAS compounds; BlackBerry Ltd & Water Institute to address water challenges; 15-year study shows promising data on reducing mercury levels in fish; More! bit.ly/3HRtx8y #cdnwater

Climate, Climate Change, and Meteorology
From @USATODAY: Climate Point - 13 January 2022. 2021 among the warmest, most disastrous years on record; Plus: Tornadoes in Cape Cod and coal ash pits in Indiana. More! tinyurl.com/h36nea2e

From @sfchronicle: Satellite imaages show Mt. Shasta's transformation after an exceptionally dry summer. tinyurl.com/3whu4687 #cawater

Opinion in @sdut: To fight climate change, we must redesign San Diego communities. bit.ly/3tk53AO #cawater

Colorado
Guest Commentary in @gunnisontimes: Can the Law of the Colorado River adapt to an increasingly drier hydrology? bit.ly/33cgIaf #cowater 

From @WaterEdFdn: As the Colorado River Shrinks, Can the Basin Find an Equitable Solution in Sharing the River’s Waters? bit.ly/3tua5up #cawater #cowater

Conferences,Webinars, Workshops and Calls for Abstracts/Paper
FREE! @AWRAHQ #WebinarWednesday 19 January 2022: Dr. Rick Koehler 'Using A Temporal-based Approach to Quantify Streamflow Properties' 10-11 AM PST tinyurl.com/zn2zypu5

Conflict, Cooperation, and Security
From @WOWT6News: Nebraska, Colorado governors spar over water rights. tinyurl.com/ncys68c8 #cowater

From @KUER A storm is brewing over the future of Utah Lake tinyurl.com/5fzacsc6 #SWUSwater 

Disasters: Droughts, Floods, Wildfires and More
In @elpasotimes: When the well runs dry: How much water does New Mexico have? bit.ly/3fn43nh #SWUSwater

From @kron4news: Santa Clara County adopts initiative to address concerns over rising sea level bit.ly/3I0qgne #cawater

From @winknews: @FGCU using its campus to study floodwaters and how to protect against them. bit.ly/3fb631T #FLwater

From @OPB The Western megadrought is revealing America's 'lost national park' n.pr/3r43J1X #SWUSwater

From @UCDavisWater by @JayLund113: Continued drought early in a possibly wet year. bit.ly/3HFxgWC #cawater

Daily Water Newsletters
California Water News Daily
California Water News Daily - 14 January 2022. bit.ly/3rmcowS #cawater 

California Water News Daily - 13 January 2022. tinyurl.com/bdz4vbm9 #cawater
 
California Water News Daily - 12 January 2022. bit.ly/3A0mxn6 #cawater
 
California Water News Daily - 11 January 2022. bit.ly/3nhCU9M #cawater  
 
California Water News Daily - 10 January 2022. bit.ly/3f8sXqr #cawater
 
California Water News Daily - 9 January 2022. tinyurl.com/mr2jr3bw #cawater
 
California Water News Daily - 8 January 2022. tinyurl.com/2zuyrjcu #cawater

Colorado Water News Daily
Colorado Water News Daily - 14 January 2022. bit.ly/3nrvBw7 #cowater

Colorado Water News Daily - 13 January 2022. bit.ly/3FpMHRi #cowater

Colorado Water News Daily - 12 January 2022. bit.ly/3GmkfRj #cowater

Colorado Water News Daily - 11 January 2022 bit.ly/3nhlzxH #cowater

Colorado Water News Daily - 10 January 2022. bit.ly/3teQdeW #cowater

Colorado Water News Daily - 9 January 2022. bit.ly/31Exa22 #cowater

Colorado Water News Daily - 8 January 2022. bit.ly/3HHiq1C #cowater

Florida Water News Daily
Florida Water News Daily - 14 January 2022, bit.ly/3fri57a #FLwater

Florida Water News Daily - 13 January 2022. tinyurl.com/dtprr2u #FLwater

Florida Water News Daily - 12 January 2022. bit.ly/3tjIb4n #FLwater

Florida Water News Daily - 11 January 2022. bit.ly/3qgLTJW #FLwater

Florida Water News Daily - 10 January 2022. bit.ly/32XDfaF #FLwater

Florida Water News Daily - 8 January 2022. bit.ly/3GcxgNn #FLwater

Idaho Water News Daily
Idaho Water News Daily - 14 January 2022. bit.ly/3I8G8V4 #IDwater

Idaho Water News Daily - 13 January 2022. tinyurl.com/5xsre5md #IDwater

Idaho Water News Daily - 12 January 2022. bit.ly/3nk35fT #IDwater

Idaho Water News Daily - 11 January 2022. tinyurl.com/yck96hbd #IDwater

Idaho Water News Daily - 9 January 2022. bit.ly/3JOdkCR #IDwater

Northeast US Water News Daily
Northeast US Water News Daily - 14 January 2202. bit.ly/3rivowv #NEWater

Northeast US Water News Daily - 13 January 2022. tinyurl.com/ubvc3cmb #NEWater

Northeast US Water News Daily - 12 January 2022. bit.ly/3Gp7OnQ #NEWater

Northeast US Water News Daily - 11 January 2022. bit.ly/3GlLR9g #NEWater

Northeast US Water News Daily - 10 Januuary 2022. tinyurl.com/4a9ce8e6 #NEWater

Northeast US Water News Daily - 9 January 2022. tinyurl.com/2p8ee8xk #NEWater

Northeast US Water News daily - 8 January 2022. tinyurl.com/4r8wtvn8 #NEWater

Pacific Northwest Water News Daily
Pacific Northwest Water News Daily - 14 January 2022. tinyurl.com/2p87vz3e #PDXwater

Pacific Northwest Water News Daily - 13 January 2022. tinyurl.com/2p9ymc5e #PNWater

Pacific Northwest Water News Daily - 12 Janaury 2O22. tinyurl.com/n99b8a96 #PNWater

Pacific Northwest Water News Daily - 11 January 2022. bit.ly/3Fja7rh #PNWater

Pacific Northwest Water News Daily - 10 January 2022. tinyurl.com/yusj3sfa #PNWater

Pacific Northwest Water News Daily - 9 January 2022. tinyurl.com/3smyz7a5 #PNWater

Pacific Northwest Water News Daily - 8 January 2022. tinyurl.com/4nj8ywhx #PNWater

Portland (OR) Water News Daily
Portland (OR) - Water News Daily - 14 January 2022. bit.ly/3ttkiaz #PDXwater

Portland (OR) Water News Daily - 13 January 2022. tinyurl.com/32veatrf #PDXwater

Portland (OR) Water News Daily - 12 January 2022. bit.ly/31PTKoq #PDXwater

Portland (OR) Water News Daily - 11 January 2022. bit.ly/33pEwqA #PDXwater

Portland (OR) Water News Daily - 10 January 2022. bit.ly/3K9mg63 #PDXwater

Portland (OR) Water News Daily - 9 January 2022. bit.ly/3zJ4bqn #PDXwater

Portland (OR) Water News Daily - 8 January 2022. bit.ly/3tapJuT #PDXwater

Eugene Water News Weekly - 10 January 2022. bit.ly/33k2HXw #EUGwater

Southwest US Water News Daily
Southwest US Water News Daily - 14 January 2022. bit.ly/3ntNdaN #SWUSwater

Southwest US Water News Daily - 13 January 2022. tinyurl.com/33dd625p #SWUSwater

Southwest US Water News Daily - 12 January 2022. bit.ly/3fh2Ptx #SWUSwater

Southwest US Water News Daily - 11January 2022.bit.ly/3tyu8Ir #SWUSwater

Southwest US Water News Daily - 10 January 2022. bit.ly/3teyYdl #SWUSwater

Southwest US Water Daily - 9 January 2022. bit.ly/3qblf56 #SWUSwater

Southwest US Water News Daily - 8 January 2022. bit.ly/3f26pb1 #SWUSwater

Texas Water News Daily
Texas Water News Daily - 14 January 2022. bit.ly/3toD42R #txwater

Texas Water News Daily - 13 January 2022. tinyurl.com/2n6xphtk #txwater

Texas Water News Daily - 12 January 2022. bit.ly/3qnDpRe #txwater

Texas Water News Daily - 11 January 2022. bit.ly/3zPT6E1 #txwater

Texas Water News Daily - 10 January 2022. bit.ly/3tdyTGR #txwater

Texas Water News Daily - 9 January 2022. bit.ly/336F4lo #txwater

Texas Water News Daily - 8 January 2022. bit.ly/34yvcBv #txwater

Education, Events, and Opportunities
In @the_citizen: OWLA - Teaching about water quality to Auburn classrooms. tinyurl.com/2p8ru8zs #NEWater

"The three major administrative problems on a campus are sex for the students, athletics for the alumni, and parking for the faculty." - Robert Maynard Hutchins (former president @UChicago) #scicomm

From @OSUCEOAS: 'On the Horizon' Newsletter - 14 January 2022. bit.ly/3GxpD4r #PNWater

E-Newsletters and E-Newspapers
It's @Nature Briefing - 14 January 2022. An imbalance in the fossil record; Omicron thwarts inactivated-virus vaccines; Africa’s giraffes are rebounding; You can go back to academia; Futures: The lucky ones; Hear the lost sounds of spring bit.ly/3rnQMAx #scicomm

It's @Nature Briefing - 13 January 2022. During pregnancy, vaccines are the safe choice: Nature Methods method of the year; First comes fire. Then comes mud: When life got loud. More! bit.ly/3GrkuLh #scicomm

It's @Nature Briefing - 11 January 2022. A person has received the first transplant of a genetically altered pig heart; ‘If it’s not on arXiv, it doesn’t exist'; E. O. Wilson: from ants to the whole world; There are no ‘natural’ disasters; More! bit.ly/3tyu8Ir #scicomm

It's @Nature Briefing - 10 January 2022. Webb Space Telescope deploys flawlessly; Timing is key for some Omicron immunity; Ichthyosaur is one of UK’s ‘greatest finds’; Why scientists become spies; More! bit.ly/3zL9EgE #scicomm

From @AGU_Eos: 'Buzz' Newsletter 14 January 2022. - The latest science news from @theAGU! bit.ly/3Fp1ews #scicomm

The @WaterNetwork1 Newsletter - 14 January 2022. Essential Industry Trending Technology~Editor's Choice~Articles & Knowledge Exchange~Featured Jobs~Online Course~Events~More! bit.ly/3ntJoCl #scicomm

From @AZWRRC: 'Weekly Wave' Newsletter - 14 January 2022. In This Issue: Chocolate Fest, 104(b), NCA5, CE Director Search, ADWR. More! tinyurl.com/3nbjnbv8 #SWUSwater

It's H2Oregon Newsletter - February 2022. bit.ly/3I7dsM8 #PDXwater #scicomm

From @USATODAY: Climate Point - 13 January 2022. 2021 among the warmest, most disastrous years on record; Plus: Tornadoes in Cape Cod and coal ash pits in Indiana. More! tinyurl.com/h36nea2e

From @CanadianWater: 'The Droplet' Newsletter - 10 January 2022. The emerging concern with PFAS compounds; BlackBerry Ltd & Water Institute to address water challenges; 15-year study shows promising data on reducing mercury levels in fish; More! bit.ly/3HRtx8y #cdnwater

Elaine J. Hanford's Bulletin Boards: 1) Geoscience; 2) Environmental Science; 3) Coastal Zone Management - 10 January 2022 bit.ly/3FcDifx

From @OSUCEOAS: 'On the Horizon' Newsletter - 14 January 2022. bit.ly/3GxpD4r #PNWater

Ethics, Gender, Indigenous People, Rights
Support Women in Water Scholarship Fund-Donate Now! bit.ly/2S63TVr

From @WOWT6News: Nebraska, Colorado governors spar over water rights. tinyurl.com/ncys68c8 #cowater

In Char-Koosta News: The water flows back to the Flathead Nation bit.ly/3zMvJuY #PNWater

Florida Water
Opinion in @gainesvillesun Do the records of elected officials match their rhetoric on springs? bit.ly/3flWNbg #FLwater

Guest opinion in @thenewspress: Climate change Is threatening Lee County; the new infrastructure bill will help tinyurl.com/2p868uuf #FLwater

From @winknews: @FGCU using its campus to study floodwaters and how to protect against them. bit.ly/3fb631T #FLwater

From @WUSF: Here's how @NikkiFriedFL plans to fight nutrients in Florida's waterways bit.ly/3taOkQo #FLwater

Global Water
Opinion in @gainesvillesun Do the records of elected officials match their rhetoric on springs? bit.ly/3flWNbg #FLwater

Groundwater and Hydrogeology
ICYMI @egies in @SciAm : 'The Radical Groundwater Storage Test' New tactics for capturing floods and surviving droughts could help communities across California and the world tinyurl.com/2aa8ep44 #cawater

In @sdut: Rancho Guejito tapped groundwater deep in San Pasqual Valley. Some farmers aren't happy about it. bit.ly/3GqjaIc #cawater

Placer County and North American Subbasin Groundwater Update. tinyurl.com/2wk9sf9j #cawater

New: 'Collective Aquifer Governance: Dispute Prevention for Groundwater and Aquifers through Unitization' by Todd Jarvis (@OregonState) & Jakob Wiley (@uoregon) bit.ly/34SdCbQ 

Hydrofracking, Shale Gas, and Energy
From @WYPublicRadio: The CarbonSAFE Project in Campbell County hopes to provide a future for coal. bit.ly/3fkWY6N #scicomm

NE Water
In @the_citizen: OWLA - Teaching about water quality to Auburn classrooms. tinyurl.com/2p8ru8zs #NEWater

In @SullCoDemocrat Next generation of environmentalists learn about New York’s shared water resources through art and poetry contest. tinyurl.com/2p9efz8s #NEWater

Personal, People, Interviews, and Quotes
“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” - Abraham Maslow

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." - Nelson Mandela

“By polluting clear water with slime you will never find good drinking water.” - Aeschylus

“Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching - even when doing the wrong thing is legal.” - Aldo Leopold

"The art of teaching consists in large part of interesting people in things that ought to interest them, but do not.”  - Robert Maynard Hutchins

"The three major administrative problems on a campus are sex for the students, athletics for the alumni, and parking for the faculty." - Robert Maynard Hutchins (former president @UChicago) #scicomm

PNW Water
It's H2Oregon Newsletter - February 2022. bit.ly/3I7dsM8 #PDXwater #scicomm

From @OPB: Oregon demands quick fix to high lead levels in Portland’s water. Prof. Marc Edwards of @virginia_tech: 'This is worse than Flint.' bit.ly/3GaEqBS #PDXwater

From @OSUCEOAS: 'On the Horizon' Newsletter - 14 January 2022. bit.ly/3GxpD4r #PNWater

In @registerguard: @PortlandCorps looks at possible environmental impacts of Willamette Valley dams project. tinyurl.com/yh7e6y7v #EUGwater #PNWater

Policy, Planning, Law, Governance, Economics, IWRM, and Management
In @HaysDaily: As western Kansas dries up, Legislature revisits water policy bit.ly/3GoUHD9

Positions Open    
Josh's Water Jobs and More! 11 January 2022 bit.ly/3qcKKDe

Previous Weeks' Positions Open    
Josh's Water Jobs: 6 January 2022 (PhD List - Another 80!- listed by country) bit.ly/3f13Ci5

Josh's Water Jobs and More! 4 January 2022 bit.ly/3JQh86H

Previous Weekly Water Summaries - Go To #WaWiNews
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 8-14 January 2022 bit.ly/3I3Aof2

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 1 - 7 January 2022 15 Years! bit.ly/3n1G2Gz #globalwater

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 25 - 31 December 2021 bit.ly/3zshYSl

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 18 - 24 December 2021 bit.ly/3Epul2k

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 11 - 17 December 2021 bit.ly/30Fj3sU

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 4-10 Dec 2021 bit.ly/3rW28xp

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 27 November - 3 December 2021 bit.ly/31iVLtj 

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 20 - 26 November 2021 bit.ly/3E09mU7

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 13 - 19 November 2021 bit.ly/3FwYj5h

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 6 - 12 November 2021 bit.ly/3Daii98

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 30 October - 5 November 2021 bit.ly/3BS1jXA

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 23 - 29 October 2021 bit.ly/3Eqluh4

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 16 - 22 October 2021 bit.ly/3Ga3dq2

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 9 - 15 October 2021 bit.ly/3FV0ktg

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 2-8 October 2021 bit.ly/3mxxeqE

TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary 25 September - 1 October 2021 bit.ly/3a3MZ2Z

Reports, Publications, and Journals
CRS Report: 'Regulating Contaminants Under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)' bit.ly/3FmiNgx

CRS Report: 'PFAS and Drinking Water - Selected EPA and Congressional Actions' bit.ly/33ekdN0

Water, Volume 14, Issue 1 (January-1 2022) - 133 Articles bit.ly/3zRkt0H

Science, Medicine, Health, and Technology
It's @Nature Briefing - 14 January 2022. An imbalance in the fossil record; Omicron thwarts inactivated-virus vaccines; Africa’s giraffes are rebounding; You can go back to academia; Futures: The lucky ones; Hear the lost sounds of spring bit.ly/3rnQMAx #scicomm

It's @Nature Briefing - 13 January 2022. During pregnancy, vaccines are the safe choice: Nature Methods method of the year; First comes fire. Then comes mud: When life got loud. More! bit.ly/3GrkuLh #scicomm

It's @Nature Briefing - 11 January 2022. A person has received the first transplant of a genetically altered pig heart; ‘If it’s not on arXiv, it doesn’t exist'; E. O. Wilson: from ants to the whole world; There are no ‘natural’ disasters; More! bit.ly/3tyu8Ir #scicomm

It's @Nature Briefing - 10 January 2022. Webb Space Telescope deploys flawlessly; Timing is key for some Omicron immunity; Ichthyosaur is one of UK’s ‘greatest finds’; Why scientists become spies; More! bit.ly/3zL9EgE #scicomm

In @PLOS: Contest models highlight inherent inefficiencies of scientific funding competitions bit.ly/3rdBHS1 #scicomm

It's H2Oregon Newsletter - February 2022. bit.ly/3I7dsM8 #PDXwater #scicomm

Elaine J. Hanford's Bulletin Boards: 1) Geoscience; 2) Environmental Science; 3) Coastal Zone Management - 10 January 2022 bit.ly/3FcDifx

From @AGU_Eos: 'Buzz' Newsletter 14 January 2022. - The latest science news from @theAGU! bit.ly/3Fp1ews #scicomm

Southwest Water  #SWUSwater
From @AZWRRC: 'Weekly Wave' Newsletter - 14 January 2022. In This Issue: Chocolate Fest, 104(b), NCA5, CE Director Search, ADWR. More! tinyurl.com/3nbjnbv8 #SWUSwater

In @elpasotimes: When the well runs dry: How much water does New Mexico have? bit.ly/3fn43nh #SWUSwater

From @OPB The Western megadrought is revealing America's 'lost national park' n.pr/3r43J1X #SWUSwater

From @KUNMnews: @Intel to pay $32 million for water pipeline construction to factory. bit.ly/3f8FSsB #SWUSwater

In @FencePostNews Trends in U.S. irrigated agriculture: Increasing resilience under water supply scarcity. tinyurl.com/yc4z92j8

Streams, Wetlands, Dams, Lakes, and Ecosystems
In @registerguard: @PortlandCorps looks at possible environmental impacts of Willamette Valley dams project. tinyurl.com/yh7e6y7v #EUGwater #PNWater

From @KUER A storm is brewing over the future of Utah Lake tinyurl.com/5fzacsc6 #SWUSwater 

The @waterloop podcast #127: 'A Battleship Lives with Water' bit.ly/3zPtdV0 #globalwater

Texas   #txwater
The @TxWaterJournal Staff, Editors & Board, want to thank all of our readers for a great 2021. Our 12th year of publishing was a year of milestones for TWJ. #Texaswater #txwater

After a productive year, the @TxWRI communications team has put together a list of the top 10 most-read articles, including many from the winter 2021 issue of txH2O, which focused on binational water challenges along the Rio Grande. Read more:  bit.ly/3JQ3AI2 #txwater

Visuals, Audios, Podcasts and Infographics
The @waterloop podcast #127: 'A Battleship Lives with Water' bit.ly/3zPtdV0 #globalwater

Water/Land Quality and Contamination
CRS Report: 'Regulating Contaminants Under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)' bit.ly/3FmiNgx

In @nevadaappeal Carson River watershed video offers scoop on dog poop. tinyurl.com/u889pp7z #scicom

In @the_citizen: OWLA - Teaching about water quality to Auburn classrooms. tinyurl.com/2p8ru8zs #NEWater

From @WUSF: Here's how @NikkiFriedFL plans to fight nutrients in Florida's waterways bit.ly/3taOkQo #FLwater

Water Supply, Quantity, Reuse, Conservation, Infrastructure
Guest opinion in @thenewspress: Climate change Is threatening Lee County; the new infrastructure bill will help tinyurl.com/2p868uuf #FLwater

From @KUNMnews: @Intel to pay $32 million for water pipeline construction to factory. bit.ly/3f8FSsB #SWUSwater

In @FencePostNews Trends in U.S. irrigated agriculture: Increasing resilience under water supply scarcity. tinyurl.com/yc4z92j8

WTF?
In @nevadaappeal Carson River watershed video offers scoop on dog poop. tinyurl.com/u889pp7z #scicom

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." - Nelson Mandela

Posted on Friday, 14 January 2022 at 03:35 PM in Blogs, Twitters, WWW sites, e-Newsletters, & Lists, Readings, Journals, Videos, Films & Visuals, Tweets Galore It's Friday!, World Water | | Comments (0)

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Thursday, 13 January 2022

CRS Report: 'Regulating Contaminants Under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)'

From Elena H. Humphreys comes another water quality/contaminant CRS report (5 January 2022): 'Regulating Contaminants Under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)'

Download CRS_Report_Reg_Contaminants_SDWA_5Jan2022 

Summary
Concerns about drinking water quality have resulted in congressional attention to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), particularly on the process for evaluating contaminants for potential regulation. Detections of unregulated contaminants in public water supplies in numerous states have raised concerns about the quality of drinking water and increased congressional interest in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) response to such detections. Additionally, concerns about the detection of regulated contaminants, such as lead, have raised concerns about the effectiveness of certain existing regulations.

SDWA is the key federal law that authorizes EPA to promulgate regulations to control contaminants in public water supplies. Since enactment of the act in 1974, EPA has issued drinking water regulations for over 90 contaminants. Congress has twice revised the act’s process for evaluating contaminants and developing drinking water regulations (in 1986 and 1996). In 1986, Congress directed EPA to develop regulations for 83 contaminants within 3 years, and adopt regulations, every 3 years, for at least 25 new contaminants. When this regulatory schedule proved unworkable, Congress amended SDWA in 1996 to establish a risk-based process that prioritizes contaminants for regulation based on the contaminant’s health effects and occurrence.

Under SDWA, EPA follows a multistep process to evaluate and prioritize contaminants for regulation. This process includes identifying contaminants of potential concern, assessing health risks, collecting national occurrence data (and developing reliable and field tested analytical methods necessary to do so), and making determinations as to whether a contaminant warrants regulation. Since 1996, EPA has screened over 7,500 contaminants for potential regulation, revised existing regulations, and established new regulations and standards for several contaminants.

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When EPA determines that a contaminant warrants regulation, SDWA directs EPA to propose a “national primary drinking water regulation” and request public comment within 24 months. Within 18 months of the proposal, EPA is required to promulgate a final rule. As a part of the proposal, EPA is required to establish a nonenforceable maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse health effects occur and allowing for an adequate margin of safety. Drinking water regulations generally specify a maximum contaminant level (MCL)—an enforceable limit for a contaminant in public water supplies. SDWA requires EPA to set the MCL as close to the MCLG as “feasible,” taking treatment costs into consideration. Concurrent with proposing a regulation, SDWA requires EPA to publish a “health risk reduction and cost analysis” for each contaminant covered by the proposed regulation and make a determination whether or not the benefits of regulation outweigh the compliance costs.

Regulations generally take effect three years after promulgation. SDWA requires EPA to review—and, if necessary, revise—each existing national primary drinking water regulation every six years. SDWA also requires that any revisions to drinking water regulations maintain or provide greater health protection.

Under the current statutory framework, evaluating and developing regulations for contaminants requires data, including peer-reviewed scientific studies on potential health effects and nationally representative occurrence data. For some contaminants, the availability or development of (1) such data, (2) analytical methods to detect contaminants in drinking water, and (3) treatment technologies pose technical and resource issues.

Congressional attention has centered on EPA’s implementation of SDWA regulatory development provisions, as well as the functionality of the current process established in SDWA. In the 116th Congress, legislation was introduced to prompt EPA to regulate certain contaminants or contaminant groups within specific timeframes or to amend SDWA contaminant regulation provisions. Representatives of water systems have supported EPA’s commitment to following the statutory process for regulating contaminants in drinking water that prioritizes reducing health risks. In some cases, state drinking water administrators have urged EPA to issue regulations for specific contaminants to establish uniformity among the states. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, held an oversight hearing in July 2020 regarding EPA’s implementation of SDWA contaminant regulation provisions. In his opening remarks, Chairman Frank Pallone stated that the hearing would contribute to the subcommittee’s efforts to revise SDWA regulatory development provisions. Congressional interest in drinking water contaminant regulation under SDWA is likely to continue.

Enjoy!

“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” - Abraham Maslow

Posted on Thursday, 13 January 2022 at 08:56 PM in Bottled Water and Tap/Drinking Water, CRS, FMSO & GAO Reports, WaSH, Water Quality, Health & Ecosystems | | Comments (0)

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