WaterWired

Frozen Niagara Falls - 1911 Pictures

My friend Barney Popkin sent these photos. He got them from Dr. John E. Priest, an eminent civil engineer/economist. These were taken in 1911, obviously a year in which global warming was not a big concern.

Rainwater Harvesting: Water, Water Everywhere?

Water harvesting is starting to catch on, especially with concern about shifting patterns of precipitation and runoff because of global warming. It is a technique that has been around for thousands of years, and seems so simple that we often forget about it.

A recent (5 April 2007) issue of the Christian Science Monitor published an article (www.csmonitor.com/2007/0405/p09s02-coop.html?page=1) by Lisa Shipek, executive director of the Tucson-based non-profit Watershed Management Group, Inc. (www.watershedmg.org) in which she extolled the virtues of rainwater harvesting. When coupled with water conservation and gray water (water from bathroom sinks, showers, or washing machine) use, rainwater harvesting can be an effective means to increase household water supplies for things like outdoor watering.

Here in western Oregon, where we have lots of rainfall (> 40 inches annually) but with a distinct dry season, rainwater harvesting is being touted. Our local paper, the Corvallis Gazette-Times (www.gazettetimes.com), featured (8 April 2007) the story of a local man, Joe Spasaro of Lebanon, who has installed  an elaborate rainwater harvesting system for his home. He filters the water, treats it with UV radiation and could even use the water for drinking, but prefers not to.

Some places - Arizona, Texas, Albuquerque, NM, and Portland, OR, come to mind - give tax credits, rebates, grants or other incentives for the installation of water harvesting systems. When I lived in Albuquerque, the city gave rebates and disseminated information on rain-barrel systems for outdoor watering.

A article in the 2 April 2007 issue of the High Country News (www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=16919) discussed the City of Santa Fe's effort to pass an ordinance requiring all new buildings to install rainwater-harvesting systems. It would be the first municipality in the nation to have such a law. Surrounding Santa Fe County already requires homes larger than 2,500 square feet to have such systems. Santa Fe's 65,000 residents are perilously close to running out of water; the article cited one estimate that by the year 2015, the city could experience shortages. Rainwater harvesting could provide up to 20% of the city's supply if most of the city's buildings had rainwater harvesting systems.

The HCN also a published a related article in its 29 May 2006 issue(www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=16340) featuring Brad Lancaster, who has written two books on the subject:

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, Volumes I and II

You can find them easily at an online bookseller like Amazon.com. A third volume is forthcoming, so stay tuned.

But not all is rosy. The right to harvest rainwater may be a "gray area" in terms of water law. The HCN article noted that in Colorado, collecting rainwater with a harvesting system is illegal and punishable by a fine of up to $500. Why? It interferes with water rights. Even if you put the water back into the ground water system, you used it first, which may have interfered with someone else's priority. Even in New Mexico rainwater harvesting is somewhat ambiguous vis-a-vis water law, according to John Longworth of the Office of the State Engineer.

Want more information? In addition to Brad Lancaster's books, try these WWW sites and publications:

cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1344.pdf

www.twdb.state.tx.us/publications/reports/RainwaterHarvestingManual_3rdedition.pdf

rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu/index.html

American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association

www.harvesth2o.com/

"Water is the true wealth in a dry land" -- Wallace Stegner

IPCC Report: For The Climes They Are A-Changin'

Come gather 'round people wherever you roam

And admit that the waters around you have grown

And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone.

If your time to you is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the climes they are a-changin'.

My apologies to Bob Dylan, who was quite prescient about what now looms before us, even though he wrote that song over 40 years ago.

The IPCC's (www.ipcc.ch) Working Group II's report contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report was released today in Brussels. There was apparently some contention about the wording - not surprising, since government-level people (ministers, etc.) have input.

One "governments vs. scientists" dispute was over the word "very", as in "very high confidence" that we are seeing the effects of global warming. China and Saudi Arabia wanted "very" dropped, so it was. The USA objected to the contention that poor countries will be hit hardest (economically) by global warming despite the fact that they are least responsible for these changes (nice going, USA - as always, in good company).

The upshot is that: 1) we are already seeing the effects of global warming -melting glaciers, earlier snowmelt runoff, changes in animal migrations, etc.; 2) dry regions will become drier; 3) flora and fauna will suffer more than humans; 4) coastal regions will be subject to flooding; and 5) poor regions will be hit hardest, even though they have contributed least to the problem. The first point is important, because in the past, much of what we believed about the effects of climate change was based on the results of models, which are subject to error and criticism. The last point is very important, because to me, it means the wealthy nations have a moral and ethical responsibility to help those less fortunate cope with what has largely been caused by the rich nations.

Any good things? Well, growing seasons will be extended in temperate regions. And, as I heard an Edmonton (can you spell C-O-L-D) agronomist say 12 years ago at a conference in Beijing, "From my perspective, global warming looks pretty good."

Here are copies of the chapter outlines and the Summary for Policymakers.

Download wg2outlines.pdf

Download SPM6April07.pdf

Good articles can be found in the New York Times (www.nytimes.com), USA Today (www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2007-04-06-global-warming-report_N.htm), and the Christian Science Monitor (www.csmonitor.com/globalwarming).

"All models are wrong, but some are useful" -- G.E.P. Box

Nevada: Land of (Tunnel) Vision?

Okay, I just finished blogging on Land Use Planning and Water Planning: Never the Twain Shall Meet (23 March 2007), so what happens? A colleague sent me a copy of a bill that has been introduced in the Nevada State Senate (SB 405) by Sen. Mark E. Amodei (R-Carson City) that would, among other things, prohibit the coordination of land and water management.

I'm thinking that perhaps I am the victim of a belated April Fools' Day joke (like my 1 April 2007 post) but apparently not - it's there in the archives.

Download nv_sb405.pdf

The bill grants the State Engineer "...full authority with respect to the analysis, management, appropriation, and diversion of public waters..." Seems appropriate and reasonable, right? But there's more. In Section 5, the bill would prohibit actions by local governments and state agencies that conflict with decisions of the State Engineer, and Section 8 prohibits the State Engineer from using the presence or absence of zoning or planning designations as a determining factor in analyzing an application.

The bill is undergoing revision, and another hearing is scheduled for 4 April 2007.

I am reminded of May 1990, when I was driving to Las Vegas on I-15. As I crossed from AZ into NV, there was a huge billboard announcing Nevada's 125th anniversary of its statehood (1864-1989). Against the background of the state seal was a man on one knee with a long rifle on his knee. The sign read:

                                              Nevada. 125 years of vision

I thought, "Yeah, tunnel vision". Apparently, nothing has happened to change my mind.

As my colleague said:

"Small minds are starting to think really big."

Note added on 21 May 2007: my colleague gleefully reported that this bill failed to pass, so Nevada's safe for a little while longer.

Global Warming/Water Week Alphabet Soup: CRAP, CSM, NYT, IPCC, SCS, EPA, NSF

It has been a busy week in the global warming and water worlds.

CRAP Press Release

My 1 April 2007 post on the fictitious Colorado River Access Project (CRAP) went over quite well. It's my annual April Fools' Day stunt, but the first time it has been blogged. Karl Flessa of the University of Arizona even posted it under "News" on the Colorado River Delta Research Coordination Network site (geo.arizona.edu/rcncrd).  He wisely advised readers to note the April 1 dateline.

Christian Science Monitor Media Initiative

In its 3 April 2007 edition the Christian Science Monitor announced that it will inaugurate a new long-term media initiative that will provide comprehensive coverage of global warming issues that will feature print and online articles, an occasional series on adaptation to global warming, slide shows, video and audio reports, interactive features, and links. Visit www.csmonitor.com/globalwarming

On 5 April 2007 the CSM will feature an article on water resources and how individuals are adapting to the challenges posed by global warming. Here is the link: www.csmonitor.com/2007/0405/p01s02-wogi.html?s=hns

New York Times: Water in the Arid West

This picture, from the 4 April 2007 edition of the New York Times, shows a fishing pier suspended over the bed of Lake Mead, whose surface is 80 feet below normal. It's from an article "An Arid West No Longer Waits for Rain", which was above the fold in the print edition. There is also a slide show (www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/us/04drought.html?hp).

Supreme Court, EPA, and Global Warming

The Supreme Court wisely ruled that the EPA must assess the environmental risks associated with global warming. Visit: www.csmonitor.com/2007/0403/p01s01-usju.html 

Read the decision at:

www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/06pdf/05-1120.pdf

IPCC Report

On 6 April 2007 the IPCC (www.ipcc.ch) will release the second volume of its Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. There should also be an executive summary available; I would look for this at www.usatoday.com or www.nytimes.com since I find the IPCC WWW site somewhat arcane. The third volume, Mitigation of Climate Change, will be unveiled on 4 May 2007 in Bangkok.

National Science Foundation

On March 27 2007 NSF issued a press release about the results of a moideling studying conducted by the University of Wissoncin-Madison and the University of Wyoming (www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pr07033). An excerpt:

"The study forecasts the complete disappearance of several existing climates in tropical highlands and regions near the poles, while large swaths of the tropics and subtropics may develop new climates unlike any seen today."

Santa Cruz Sentinel: Global Warming an Economic Boon to Some?

On 1 April 2007 the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported that global warming may be an economic boon to some as organizations seek expert advice on the effects global warming will have on water quality, quantity, aquatic ecosystems, etc. It reported that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that beween 2004-2014, the profession of hydrology will be among one of the fastest growing. The article is at:

www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/April/01/local/stories/03local.htm

"Beyond mountains there are mountains." -- Haitian proverb