WaterWired

Robert Lackey: Delusional Reality About West Coast Salmon

I just stumbled upon this "just the facts, m'am" post by Dr. Robert Lackey on EPA's Greenversations blog. Sobering, and he even broaches issues of population control/redistirubution. The comments are equally interesting, although Bob says he has no plans to move out of the Pacific Northwest.

What was that about a 'climate refuge'? Here?

"If you're not kicking up dust, you're eating it." -- Unknown

Groundwater and Wells, 3rd Edition: At Last!

For my fellow GWGs (ground water groupies), what you have been waiting for has arrived! The third edition of the classic Groundwater and Wells is now available!

The second edition by Fletcher Driscoll was published in 1986, and things have changed since then. The first edition was published in 1966. Robert Sterrett is the author of the third edition.

I've not seen the book but just ordered it.

It is interesting to note that the NGWA is listing the book as Ground Water and Wells, but the book is still titled Groundwater and Wells. "One word!" or "Two words!" is the hydrogeological equivalent of the "Tastes great!" versus "Less filling!" beer argument. Don't get me started.

Here is the blurb on the NGWA Bookstore WWW site:

This is the third edition to what is our top-selling reference book year after year! This tremendous resource should be on your desk if you are serious about the ground water industry.
It features 20 years of advancements in technology and knowledge gained in the field. Included are new borehole geophysical techniques, information on underbalanced and horizontal drilling, new approaches to well development, as well as details on ASR, ground water monitoring and remediation, pre-pack screens for water interactive well design and well maintenance programs for water well contractors and design engineers.
It is the comprehensive guide for the design, installation, and maintenance of water wells.

The NGWA Bookstore will charge you $150 (non-NGWA members) or $130 for members, plus shipping. I could not find the book on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

No, I am not getting a cut for being a shill - this is a PSA [Disclosure notice: I am a member of NGWA].

"If I were alive, had a credit card, knew what a computer was, and could 'log in', I would buy this book for sure, dude!" -- O.E. Meinzer  

Oregon's Fresh Water Resources Landscape: An Overview

Todd Jarvis and I assembled a PowerPoint providing an overview of Oregon's fresh water resources, which I presented on 16 July 2008 in Portland at a meeting of the Water Subcommittee of the Natural Resources Committee of the Oregon Global Warming Commission. Here's a pdf of it:

Download campana_water_subcommittee_global_warming_comm_16july_2008.pdf

There is not much on climate change, since someone else covered that topic.

Of course, the fact that I drove 180 miles to deliver this talk didn't really do anything to mitigate the global warming situation.

News item: a couple of folks even brought up the subject of the Pacific Northwest as a perceived "climate refuge", so we'd better get ready for the influx of Las Vegans (vegans?), Phoenicians, et al.

Some I'm not the only one thinking about this.

I can tell I'm getting older because at more and more of these meetings I'm invariably the "overdressed" one.  

Enjoy (or not)!

"The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none." -- Thomas Carlyle

Drought in Iraq; Food Crisis and Water Scarcity

Friend and colleague Michael Dale took a break from shoveling snow in Colorado to send me a link to an article in the Rocky Mountain News about drought and food shortages in Iraq and surrounding countries. 

And Loring Green pointed out this article by Fred Pearce in the Yale Environment 360 online magazine. Pearce says the current food crisis is far more than just biofuels productions but is due to a general water scarcity in places like China, India, Australia, et al.

I was so taken by Pearce's piece on the limits of climate modeling that I forgot all about his food crisis -water scarcity nexus article.

I need to read more of this stuff.

“At either end of the economic spectrum there exists a leisure class.” – Unknown

Coke and Pepsi Fear Bottled Water Backlash; Swiss Measure Impact of Bottled Water vs. Tap Water

Well, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are tanking, the USA owes a supertanker fleet-load of Benjamins to China, The House That Ruth Built is coming down, and A-Rod and C-Rod are splitting up. So is there any good news?

You bet! Coke (Dasani) and Pepsi (Aquafina) fear a bottled water backlash. Read Anthony Mirhaydari's story here (thanks to Alternet for the photo).

Looks like some consumers have finally discovered that gasoline is cheaper than most bottled water.  

And the Swiss have found that the environmental impact of bottled water is 90 to 1000+ times greater than that of tap water. Download the report here.

Life is good.

"When the people take to reasoning, all is lost." -- Voltaire