WaterWired

Elaine J. Hanford's Bulletin Boards: 1) Geosciences; 2) Environmental Science; 3) Coastal Zone Management - 22 July 2024

Californians' water usage is down 9% — and other takeaways from the updated @latimes water tracker, by@seangreene89

Do you know of a colleague and/or student who would be interested in receiving these Bulletin Boards? Please forward to them.  A quick email to [email protected] with the word “subscribe” in the subject line and the email address will be added to the email listing.

The entries below are solely those of Dr. Elaine J. Hanford:  

Geoscience Bulletin Board – 22 July 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

Total electron content data in Yellowstone part of network monitoring Coronal Mass Ejections

• https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/total-electron-content-data-three-gps-stations-yellowstone-national-park 

Groundwater flow model for the Des Moines River alluvial aquifer in Iowa

• https://www.usgs.gov/publications/groundwater-flow-model-des-moines-river-alluvial-aquifer-near-des-moines-iowa
• USGS SIR 2024-5059:  https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2024/5059/sir20245059.pdf 

Paleostress modeling of Andean Plateau over 20 million years

• https://eos.org/research-spotlights/tracing-millions-of-years-of-geologic-stress-in-the-andean-plateau 

Discovery of the “Pontus Plate” 

• https://www.good.is/geologists-stunned-at-discovery-of-earths-ancient-mega-plate-they-didnt-know-about-at-all 
• Paper:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1342937X23002617 

Crocodile species reveals coastal living in Nevada during the Middle Triassic

• https://www.earth.com/news/benggwigwishingasuchus-eremicarminis-new-triassic-crocodile-species/ 

Volcanic loads and flexure of the Pacific Plate at the Hawaiian Ridge – but no magmatic underplating

• https://eos.org/editor-highlights/a-strong-pacific-plate-bends-under-the-hawaiian-volcanic-chain 
• Paper 1:  https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023JB027218 
• Paper 2:  https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023JB028118 

Impacts of 13 July 2024 landslide in Ha Giang in Vietnam

• https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/vietnam-roads-1 

Impacts of 12 July 2024 landslide in Simaltal in Nepal

• https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/simaltal-1 

Drone footage of 6 July 2024 landslide in unlicensed gold mine at Tulabolo in Sulawesi

• https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/tulabolo-landslide-1 
• Paper:  https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/18/6774 

Areal extent of Great Salt Lake impacts precipitation – 25% decrease in area translates to 10% decrease in total precipitation during storm event

• https://eos.org/articles/the-size-of-the-great-salt-lake-affects-storm-precipitation 

Ash from 2022 eruption of Hunga decimated slow-moving species on seafloor

• https://eos.org/articles/the-tonga-eruption-left-deep-sea-life-buried-in-ash 
• Paper:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01411-w 

BRICS roundtable on geology held in Moscow, Russia – Iran attended

• https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/501262/Iran-attends-BRICS-roundtable-on-geology 

Food for thought:  Does Adventist Flood Geology Make Sense?  Part 1:  The Too-Small Ark

• https://atoday.org/does-adventist-flood-geology-make-sense-part-1-the-two-small-ark/ 

Solvang Library free workshop focus on understanding the field of geologic map reading – Thomas Dibblee & historic mapping of the Santa Barbara, California, area terrain

• https://www.noozhawk.com/plot-your-course-to-understanding-the-field-of-geologic-map-reading/ 

Global ecosystems could be threatened by declining groundwater levels – mapping groundwater-dependent ecosystems on a global scale

• https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1051597 
• Interactive map:  https://codefornature.projects.earthengine.app/view/global-gde 

Improved understanding of river dynamics & cutoff regimes

• https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1051607 

Will geologic hydrogen become a viable alternative energy source?

• https://gritdaily.com/geologic-hydrogen-energy-addresses-climate-change/

Largest methane leak ever recorded in an oil well located in Karaturun East field in Kazajistan

• https://phys.org/news/2024-07-largest-methane-leak-oil.html 
• Paper:  https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00399

Ground surface conditions impact speed & distance of leaking methane from underground pipelines

• https://phys.org/news/2024-07-ground-surface-conditions-impact-distance.html 
• Paper:  https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00039

UNESCO Geopark assessment of the Niagara Region

• https://www.thoroldtoday.ca/local-news/regions-geology-showcased-to-unesco-geopark-evaluators-9234680 

Geologists searching for fragments of woolly mammoth bones along Buzău River valley in Romania

• https://www.romania-insider.com/geologists-look-mammoth-bone-fragments-romania-buzau-river-valley-2024

Does “climate change’ (i.e., the mythical man-made global warming) play a noticeable role in affecting the rate of Earth rotation and length of day?  AI algorithms suggest it is an “unprecedented” rate – yeah, right, it will exceed the 2.40 milliseconds per century due to changes in lunar gravitational forces 

• https://www.terradaily.com/reports/How_melting_icecaps_impacts_the_rotation_of_Earth_999.html 
• https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Oh_my_long_days_Melting_ice_caps_slow_Earths_spin_999.html 

The Moon continues to increase orbital distance from Earth, slowing Earth rotation & increasing hours in a day – 1.4 byo a day lasted just over 18 hours & will increase to about 25 hours in another 200 million year

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/the-moon-is-slowly-drifting-away-from-earth-and-it-s-beginning-to-impact-us/ar-BB1qm6Yp 

Probabilistic assessment of post-fire debris-flow inundation relative to forecasted precipitation

• https://www.usgs.gov/publications/probabilistic-assessment-postfire-debris-flow-inundation-response-forecast-rainfall 
• Paper:  https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/24/2359/2024/ 

66 million years of mammalian diversity reflected in the fossil record of North America – functional diversity

• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240717121128.htm 

Gravity waves sparked pair of perfect cloud ripples above uninhabited Crozet Islands in 2023

• https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/weather/earth-from-space-gravity-waves-spark-pair-of-perfect-cloud-ripples-above-uninhabited-islands 

New Jersey salt marsh sediments evidence history of hurricanes to the 1500s

• https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1051875 
• Paper:  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jqs.3622 

Sulfur may have key to the first water on Earth

• https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sulfur-key-first-water-earth 

Nördlingen, Germany, is built over and from material, including diamonds, in the Nördlinger Ries crater

• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-13636443/german-town-covered-diamonds-asteroid-nordlingen.html 

If geology were easy, anyone could do it!  Visible Geology online tools aim to help students understand “geological ideas, like stratigraphic stuff”

• https://magazine.cim.org/en/news/2024/online-educational-tool-aims-to-simplify-geology-en/ 

OMG!  I always thought geologists were scientists – now, to find out someone is saying white supremacy is embedded in geology and paleontology!!!  All I can say to that author is: get a real life and get over yourself but first, apologize to all geologists!

• https://www.thecollegefix.com/white-supremacy-embedded-in-geology-pale-ontology-professor/ 

*************************************************** 

Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 22 July 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford 

UN now says world human population will peak at 10.3 billion in the 2080s – that is not a good thing as it will be 10 times the carrying capacity for humans on Earth

• https://www.terradaily.com/reports/UN_says_world_population_to_peak_at_103_billion_in_the_2080s_999.html 
• https://sdg.iisd.org/news/global-population-to-peak-this-century-world-population-prospects-2024/ 
• https://www.un.org/en/UN-projects-world-population-to-peak-within-this-century 

Holocene flooding & sedimentation history of the Nile River focused human society

• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01499-x 

History of Santa Susanna Field Lab in California with partial meltdown of nuclear reactors in 1959

• https://www.dailynews.com/2024/07/12/activists-mark-65-years-since-partial-meltdown-at-santa-susana-field-lab/ 

FDA underreported adverse side effects of covid vaxxing to prevent ‘vaccine hesitancy’ – pushed false “safe & effective” narrative – mRNA “never should have been mandated”

• https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/12/former-cdc-director-says-fda-underreported-adverse-side-effects-of-covid-injections-to-prevent-vaccine-hesitancy/ 

Some truths about the very expensive ($42.45B) federally funded Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program – funds delayed and hijacked for other projects

• https://www.capacitymedia.com/article/2d39xkexn1gy9gmppxjwg/industry-voices/the-5-uncomfortable-truths-of-the-broadband-equity-access-and-deployment-program-bead 
• https://www.mackinac.org/blog/2024/why-government-funded-internet-isnt-happening-again 

20 Starlink satellites put into wrong orbit will become space junk falling back to earth

• https://www.dailynews.com/2024/07/12/spacex-rocket-accident-leaves-companys-starlink-satellites-in-wrong-orbit-2/ 

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and the endangered species list may help battle proposed lithium mine in Nevada

• https://insideclimatenews.org/news/15072024/nevada-community-fights-lithium-mine-near-wildlife-refuge/ 

New York enacted Green Amendment in 2021 to protect the environment – took Supreme Court judge to say “complying with the Constitution is not optional for a state agency”- battle over Seneca Meadows landfill

• https://insideclimatenews.org/news/15072024/new-york-climate-activists-march-for-green-amendment/ 

Kentucky allows self-driving vehicles on the road – will that be a good thing or a bad thing as a legislative framework for the future?

• https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article289862749.html 

Groundwater may be “forever” tainted by PFAS chemical contamination – 4 major hot spots correlate with areas of high population density, groundwater use & specific industrial activities

• https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/2024/07/groundwater-at-risk-as-pfas-pollution-spreads-west-virginia-university-finds/ 
• Paper:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0299789 

Holistically approaching mounting waste challenges in India

• https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/2024/07/holistic-waste-management-india/ 

Illegal wildlife trade is booming – threatens biodiversity & balance of ecosystems

• https://www.npr.org/2024/06/10/1198910180/animals-illegal-wildlife-trade-trafficking 

Should you worry about invasive Juro spiders across the East Coast?

• https://www.npr.org/2024/06/14/1198910262/joro-spiders-invasive-species-east-coast 

Romancing the River:  The Desert River

• https://sibleysrivers.com/romancing-the-river-the-desert-river/

6 people in Grand Hyatt hotel in Bangkok found dead of cyanide poisoning

• https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/six-people-found-dead-hotel-141325137.html 
• https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-police-say-cyanide-killed-6-foreigners-bangkok-hotel-2024-07-17/ 

Significant number of college students lack even rudimentary grasp of American history & political system

• https://www.goacta.org/2024/07/acta-releases-alarming-new-survey-showing-dangerous-level-of-civic-illiteracy-among-college-students/ 
• Survey:  https://www.goacta.org/resource/losing-americas-memory-2-0/ 

Humboldt County, California, animal shelter is “out of space” & reducing adoption fees

• https://www.times-standard.com/2024/07/16/im-out-of-space-humboldt-county-animal-shelter-cuts-adoption-fees/ 

Ongoing California war on solar – restrictions on community & rooftop solar – NEM 3.0 

• https://cleantechnica.com/2024/07/16/california-continues-its-war-on-solar-to-please-investor-owned-utilities/ 

Technological hazard – possible design “mess up” when high rise window bursts & falls from 13th floor in Boston – to report on cause and plans for repairs

• https://whdh.com/news/civil-engineer-says-someone-may-have-messed-up-on-design-installation-after-boston-window-falls/ 

Dubai plans 40-mile-long “High Line” filled with 1M trees – Dubai Green Spine

• https://www.fastcompany.com/91154458/dubais-plans-for-a-40-mile-long-high-line-will-transform-the-desert-city-into-something-much-more-livable 

Alerts on “imminent failure” of 90-year-old Nashville City Reservoir Dam in Illinois – residents evacuated

• https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/nashville-dam-failure-cause-revealed-illinois-top-water-official/63-cfceb0dc-0cb1-4bfd-b907-ffac837382d1 

IAEA conference on nuclear knowledge management & human resources development

• https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/sustainability-through-capacity-building-iaea-hosts-conference-on-nuclear-knowledge-management-and-human-resources-development

Planned mining for chert in Alabama is already impacting bald eagles

• https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17072024/alabama-lake-guntersville-unexpected-chert-mine/ 

The social costs of carbon credits in Senegal – not a good thing

• https://hakaimagazine.com/features/the-social-cost-of-carbon-credits/ 

Native American Tribes & environmental activists hoping to stop uranium mining near the Grand Canyon & prevent transportation on state and federal roads across Navajo Nation lands

• https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17072024/arizona-activists-press-officials-to-stop-uranium-mining-near-grand-canyon/ 

Enduring legacy of pulling out of Paris Accord which supports myth of man-made global warming & rolling back more than 100 regulations that allowed government over-reach 

• https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16072024/trump-environmental-impact/ 

For past 100+ years has been illegal to swim in the Seine due to health concerns – now trying to cleanup for Olympic swimmers by cutting bacterial content by 75%

• https://theconversation.com/for-a-century-its-been-illegal-to-swim-in-the-seine-will-pariss-clean-up-make-the-river-safe-for-olympic-swimmers-231705 

Hidden health costs of replacing lead pipes with cheaper plastics in urban water supply systems

• https://theconversation.com/lead-water-pipes-created-a-health-disaster-in-flint-but-replacing-them-with-cheaper-plastic-as-some-cities-are-doing-carries-hidden-costs-232252 

Comparing additional taxes versus water quotas to manage agricultural consumption of water in agriculture in Guadalquivir River Basin in southern Spain

• https://phys.org/news/2024-07-additional-taxes-quotas-consumption-agriculture.html 
• Paper:  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11269-024-03865-1

Deep carbon storage in Montana is not without controversy

• https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18072024/montana-deep-carbon-storage-controversies/ 

Dragonflies help improve understanding of source & environmental fate of mercury pollution

• https://phys.org/news/2024-07-local-dragonflies-expose-mercury-pollution.html 
• Paper:  https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.4c02436

Global apparel industry leaks millions of tons of plastic pollution into environment every year

• https://phys.org/news/2024-07-apparel-industry-leaks-millions-tons.html 
• Paper:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49441-4 

Biden administration announces $325M housing subsidy to build 6,500 housing units & impose rent controls that are a “counter-productive policy idea that ultimately harms renters by distorting market pricing, discouraging new construction & degrading the quality of rental housing”

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/map-shows-where-joe-biden-wants-to-build-more-houses/ar-BB1q6tdJ 

Nepal recovering more bodies from 12 July 2024 landslide in Simaltal in Nepal

• https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Nepal_retrieves_more_bodies_from_buses_swept_away_by_landslide_999.html 
• https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/simaltal-1 

US F&W seeking public comment on Alliant Wind Interstate Wind Project Habitat Conservation Plan

• https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-07/seeking-public-comment-alliant-wind-interstate-wind-project-habitat 

Once again, the fully vaxxed & boosted gets covid & tests positive – gives him reason to hide in the basement!

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/president-joe-biden-tests-positive-221548982.html 

8th Circuit Court one-sentence ruling blocked the entire “SAVE” student-loan repayment plan – need to repay entire loans & not have loans forgiven – they have a moral & legal obligation to repay loans

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/a-federal-court-has-now-blocked-biden-s-new-student-loan-repayment-plan-in-full-prohibiting-borrowers-from-getting-cheaper-payments-and-debt-cancellation/ar-BB1qemrw 

Impact of marijuana on drivers should not be underestimated

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/after-crash-that-killed-6-teens-ntsb-chief-says-people-underestimate-marijuana-s-impact-on-drivers/ar-BB1qdIpY 

US DEA began probe of allegations that drug cartels financed campaign of Mexican President Lopez Obrador -  shut down by US AG Eric Holder – evidence of high-level corruption 

• https://www.propublica.org/article/mexico-amlo-dea-probe-cartel-campaign-donations 

Government quandary:  loss of fuel tax revenues is a global issue

• https://cleantechnica.com/2024/07/17/replacing-fuel-tax-a-government-quandary/

HALT Act aimed at reducing drunk driving

• https://cleantechnica.com/2024/07/17/as-we-recognize-40-year-anniversary-of-drinking-age-law-usdot-must-act-on-lifesaving-auto-tech/ 

Mining & processing lithium for EV batteries & storage projects depletes & contaminates surface waters

• https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18072024/lithium-crital-to-energy-transition-at-expense-of-water/ 

Technological hazard:  Global tech outage grounds airline flights & disrupts businesses & emergency services

• https://www.reuters.com/technology/global-cyber-outage-grounds-flights-hits-media-financial-telecoms-2024-07-19/ 

Removing hydroelectric dam at Fooses Reservoir near Salida, Colorado – too expensive to maintain

• https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/xcel-energy-removing-hydroelectric-dam-at-fooses-reservoir-near-salida 

Wadsworth landfill fire south of Pyramid Lake in Washoe County, Nevada, may burn for days

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/wadsworth-landfill-fire-may-burn-for-days/ar-BB1qfrY0 

********************************************************** 

Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 22 July 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford 

Scientists from WHOI want to dump 60,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide (lye) into ocean off Cape Cod – “safe”– messing round with forces beyond their ability to grasp – all in the name of mythical man-made global warming promise to "operate within a pH range considered safe for aquatic life (and) maintain strict environmental monitoring protocols"

• https://phys.org/news/2024-07-cape-cod-scientists-dump-gallons.html 

Oceanic upwelling is driven to seafloor topographic features

• https://www.newsgram.com/research/2024/07/11/globally-significant-upwelling-is-driven-by-topographical-features-on-seafloor 
• Paper:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07411-2 

Debris recovery team mobilized on Nantucket beaches to survey for recovery of debris from offshore Vineyard Wind turbine damage incident - Nantucket beaches shut down by fiberglass debris washing ashore – now under federal investigation & suspension order

• https://renews.biz/94549/vineyard-wind-mobilises-debris-recovery/ 
• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ruined-by-negligence-dave-portnoy-blasts-nantucket-wind-farm-after-broken-blade-shuts-down-beaches/ar-BB1qc7K2 
• https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/07/17/nantucket-beaches-reopen-after-vineyard-wind-debris-removal-feds-issue-suspension-order-for-wind-energy-company/ 
• https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/vineyard-wind-incident-was-not-first-time-ge-vernova-wind-turbine-came-apart-2024-07-18/ 

US Coast Guard says ships losing power/control are not uncommon – documented more than 200 just since 26 March – more than 100 in Chesapeake Bay since 2010 – not all incidents recorded

• https://wjla.com/features/i-team/baltimore-key-bridge-collapse-chesapeak-bay-bridges-cargo-ship-ships-power-control-repairs-us-coast-guard-ntsb-investigation-dali-records-operations

The complex task of rebuilding coastal communities after hurricanes – the important questions is WHY rebuild in hurricane prone area? – throwing good money after bad & changing character of place

• https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-idalia-florida-rebuilding-coastal-communities-ffefd72ade9706f70f2941aee08cf866 

Plan to triple aquaculture production needs sustainable phosphorus management in Norway

• https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/2024/07/norways-phosphorus-predicament-balancing-sustainability-and-growth-in-aquaculture/

Land subsidence in coastal cities can significantly reduce value of homes - video

• https://www.cnbc.com/video/2024/07/11/sinking-land-could-cost-some-us-homeowners-8point1percent-of-their-home-value.html 

7 unforgettably scenic coastal road trips in the US

• https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/story/7-unforgettable-coastal-road-trips-in-the-us-121205905.html 

Seldovia Village Tribe first in Alaska to get tsunami preparedness certification – located in southern Kenai Peninsula on Kachemak Bay

• https://nativenewsonline.net/environment/seldovia-village-tribe-becomes-first-in-alaska-to-get-tsunami-preparedness-certification 

Baby bull sharks thriving in bays of Texas & Alabama 

• https://theconversation.com/baby-bull-sharks-are-thriving-in-texas-and-alabama-bays-as-the-gulf-of-mexico-warms-228353 
• Paper:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54573-0 

“Beach Report Card” for Southern California Beaches indicates 38 M gallons of raw sewage flowed in the Pacific 

• https://www.dailynews.com/2024/07/17/heal-the-bays-2024-beach-report-card-highlights-link-between-rain-ocean-health/ 
• https://healthebay.org/water-quality-at-california-beaches-dips-in-2023-24/ 

Construction begins on Long Island Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm to have 84 turbines to generate 924 MW– will it be completed? On-time? On-budget?

• https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/long-island-offshore-wind-farm-sunrise-wind-orested-smith-point-park/ 

Science of tides was crucial for D-Day invasion

• https://www.npr.org/2024/06/05/1198910140/d-day-ocean-tides-floods-climate 

Testing effectiveness of reactive barriers in preventing nitrate in groundwater from entering the Atlantic

• https://eos.org/articles/reactive-barriers-could-keep-nitrate-out-of-the-atlantic
• Abstract:  https://agu.confex.com/agu/hydrology24/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1501676 

Projecting new $1B Port of Baltimore Terminal at Sparrows Point will have $1.54B economic impact

• https://www.ttnews.com/articles/baltimore-terminal-impact
• https://www.ttnews.com/articles/tradepoint-terminal-maryland 

Principal environmental approval by Northern Territory EPA in Australia for massive Powell Creek solar project, new battery storage project & HVDC transmission via 800 km of overhead transmission lines to Darwin and 4,300 km submarine cables to Singapore – approval allows to “progress the development, commercial & engineering activities to advance project to final investment decision, targeted for 2027”

• https://eandt.theiet.org/2024/07/17/major-australian-solar-project-2671-mile-undersea-cable-singapore-gains-environmental 

Houston, Texas, power grid & lessons learned this time from Hurricane Beryl – fossil fuel microgrids kept power on at critical facilities

• https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/distributed-energy-resources/houstons-post-beryl-outages-highlight-benefits-of-distributed-energy 

Tijuana River set all time flow of contaminated water laced with raw sewage – 44B gallons in 2023 – more in 2024

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/tijuana-river-sewage-flows-last-year-broke-all-records-since-2000-it-s-on-track-to-do-it-again/ar-BB1qeItN 

Technological Hazard:  Global vulnerability of submarine cables

• https://cleantechnica.com/2024/07/19/global-vulnerability-to-the-disruption-of-undersea-cables-exposed/

"The strong do what they can and the weak do what they must" - Thucydides (heard @FareedZakaria with @carlbildt)

USACE and USBR: New CRAP (Colorado River Access Project) Will Revitalize Las Vegas, Fill Lakes Mead & Powell, More!

Boulder City, NV: In a surprising April 1 press conference, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) unveiled plans to transform the Lower Colorado River into a massive canal that would provide ocean-going ships access to Las Vegas. General Alberto "Al" Muerzo, P.E., civil works head of the USACE's South Pacific Division, and Mr. Richard "Dick" Cabeza, P.E., Regional Director of the USBR's Lower Colorado Region, met before dozens of reporters and dignitaries to describe the 10-year, $600 billion project, known as the Colorado River Access Project (CRAP).

Mr. Cabeza said "CRAP will indeed transform the southwestern USA and revitalize the Las Vegas economy by providing direct shipping access to the ocean. Yuma and Las Vegas will become deep-water ports. Cruise and container ships will be able to reach Las Vegas and regurgitate their human and other cargo. It's awesome!" Muerzo added that the capstone of the world's largest engineering project will be a lock system that will raise ships above Hoover Dam into Lake Mead, which will be dredged. "I mean, I thought the Corps' FART project (Fix America's River Transportation) to straighten the Mississippi River was something, but this is unreal. Gees, big boats in the desert! Whoa!" he gushed.

"Ships." sighed Cabeza, "They're ships."

Cabeza also noted that many of the ships will transport freshwater to refill Lake Mead, which is several hundred feet below its normal level. 'We need to refill the lake so that we can generate more electricity and supply drinking water to those who need it. We are also working on a pipeline to take the water to Lake Powell, which is 25% full." Cabeza said that the newly-filled lakes will be able to supply water to the Upper Basin and Lower Basin states. "There will be plenty of water for all the basin states, and the tribes as well." When asked who would supply the water for the tankers, Cabeza snapped, 'Mexico'. 

Anthony "Tony the Bug" Pizzeria, spokesman for Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman (unable to attend because of her husband Oscar's grand jury appearance) said Mayor Goodman was "reel entoosiastic." Pizzeria continued: "Dis project will truly make Vegas into a woild-class city. We dunno wadda say. Jus tink - all dem construction workers, sailors, and merchant seamen lookin' for somethin' to do. Already we are startin' to issue brothel permits."

Clark County DA Dewey Cheatham said he was most interested in the Lake Mead dredging, as he expected to be able to solve hundreds of missing persons cases. Cheatham elaborated: "I mean, with all the concrete at the bottom of Lake Mead, we could build another friggin' Hoover Dam! Forget the Meadowlands - I betcha Jimmy Hoffa's down there. Man, I could be on CNN or even CSI!"

The dredging of Lake Mead also pleased Pat 'Da Man' Mulwray, head of the Southern Nevada Aqua Grabbers (SNAG). "It will create more water storage during a time of great need, " she said, "but we still need to fill it with water from the long-overdue GLAD (Great Lakes Aqueduct Diversion) project. Hey, Al, when you guys gonna dig that ditch? I mean, I can't wait all friggin' day for you to get off your butts! Am I going to have wait for the Canadian CRAP or water from Crater Lake? What the..." Her voice faded as she was hustled off the dais.  

Clark County Economic Development guru Des Ayuno chimed in: "Las Vegas has always been viewed as having a 'one-trick' - well, maybe two - economy. CRAP will enable us to turn yet another trick, and you know what they say about good things coming in threes. So we won't get screwed again when the economy tanks."

Dubai Ports World, which gained notoriety in its failed attempt to operate ports in six East Coast cities several years ago, will be named operator for the new Port of Las Vegas. Sheikh Ali bin-Dovr, spokesman for DPW, expressed great pride in landing the contract. "My countrymen have been coming to Las Vegas for many years to be serviced. It is now time to return the favor, and we will be honored to service Las Vegas." When asked about DPW's treatment of women, he replied " Hey, no hay problema. We already have plans to introduce casual Fridays, on which some of our secretaries will be permitted to wear colored burkhas - with their husbands' permission, of course."

Bette Yuras, reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Urinal, inquired as to the acquiescence of the Mexican government, since part of the canal would be in Mexican territory. "The what of the Mexican government? Oh. Hey, no hay problema!" replied Muerzo in his best Spanish. "We've already bribed the politicians and the drug cartels, and besides the Mexican engineering firm ABRIL-TONTO will handle the Mexican CRAP," he added. Muerzo went on to say that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has long been a big supporter of CRAP. 

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tomasina "Tommie" Gunn hailed the project as an important component of national security. '"There will be thousands of Mexicans working for ABRIL-TONTO on the Mexican side and making good dinero, so they won't try to sneak into the USA," she said. She added that the Mexican portion of the canal will be hand-dug so as to maximize employment and kickbacks to government officials and drug kingpins, which will keep things muy tranquilo.

Reporter Hugh Jeego of the Arizona Cilbuper questioned Cabeza and Muerzo about the wisdom of proposing a huge public-works project in a time of massive deficits, the rebuilding of New Orleans, and the Afghanistan War. They deferred to White House spokeswoman April Foolz, who was quick to respond: "Both President Biden and Vice-President Harris have promoted CRAP to Congress and the American people for over three years, so the time is right. We are confident that CRAP will prevail and that Congress will pass CRAP". Foolz continued: "Furthermore, the project will not cost the taxpayers one thin dime. It will be funded by the interest income from the Social Security trust fund and a surcharge on shale gas. It's a slam dunk!"

Cabeza added that the benefit-cost ratio calculated by Dr. David Shetland, the Meyer Lansky Professor of Creative Economics at UNLV's Department of Economics, was 151.231/1. "Or maybe it was 1/151.231. Dang! I always get that mixed up! But hey, no hay problema, we are in good hands," Shetland noted, "as long as the price is right."

When asked about the benefits to and the effects on the various indigenous peoples who depend upon and live along the river, Muerzo said "Come again? The who? They live where?"

Muerzo mentioned that environmentalists would be mollified by the comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), prepared by Nevada State University's Department of FRAC (Food, Resources, Animals & Conservation). The study found that the canal and its construction would not harm any living things, because the Colorado River flows through a desert. "Everyone knows nothing can live in a desert, so you can't harm what isn't there," said the EIS director, Dr. Ima Shill. "I mean, have you been to Yuma in August? I mean, it's so friggin' hot there you can fry burgers on a rock. I'd rather live in New Jersey than spend a day in Yuma during the summer. Have you ever been to New Jersey? Let me tell you..." Upon further questioning, she added: "All we found were some wealthy geezers around Lake Havasu City and some farmers around Yuma. So, no hay problema!" beamed Shill.

A spokesman for Senator Harry Reid, Jr. (D-NV), Ken Frito-Lay, said the Senator would immediately seek Department of Defense authorization to designate Las Vegas an official Navy service port, where all types of naval fleet "servicing" can occur. "Las Vegas has far more to offer the Navy than does San Diego, and besides, it is not nearly as corrupt. It can also begin "servicing" the Navy even before the ships arrive," he said. In another jab at San Diego, Frito-Lay introduced Las Vegas' new motto: "America's Finest City - The Best Money Can Buy!"

Happy April Fools' Day!     ¡Feliz el día de tontos de abril!

[Disclosure notice: this is fictitious, but perhaps it's allegorical. Any resemblance between real people and characters in this post is an unintended consequence. See my previous April Fools' Day posts: 1 April 2007; 1 April 2008; and April 2011.]

"In their efforts to provide a sufficiency of water where there was not one, men have resorted to every expedient from prayer to dynamite. The story of their efforts is, on the whole, one of pathos and tragedy, of a few successes and many failures" - Walter Prescott Webb (The Great Plains)

CRS InFocus Report: 'The Debt Limit'

Since the US is staring at default in a few weeks I thought I would see what Grant A. Driessen's updated (2 May 2023) CRS InFocus report has to say about 'The Debt Limit'.

Click on the graphics to enlarge them.

Download CRS_InFocus_Report_The Debt Limit_2May2023 

Overview
The debt limit places a statutory constraint on the amount of money that Treasury may borrow to fund federal operations. Federal debt reached its current limit of $31.38 trillion in January 2023, and Treasury is implementing “extraordinary measures” to prevent a binding debt limit. Congress may debate the merits of various debt limit modifications in advance of the exhaustion of such extraordinary measures, presently projected to occur in June 2023. This In Focus provides background information and discusses recent legislative activity.

More information on the debt limit can be found in CRS Report R41633, Reaching the Debt Limit: Background and Potential Effects on Government Operations; CRS Report R43389, The Debt Limit Since 2011; CRS Report R45011, Clearing the Air on the Debt Limit: Platinum Coins, the Fourteenth Amendment, and More; and CRS Report R44383, Deficits, Debt, and the Economy: An Introduction.

Rationale and Role of the Debt Limit
The Constitution grants Congress the “power of the purse,” which allows Congress to restrict the amount of federal debt. Under current law, Congress exercises this power through the federal debt limit, which is codified at 31 U.S.C. §3101. Debt subject to limit is more than 99% of total federal debt, and includes debt held by the public (which is used to finance budget deficits) and debt issued to federal government accounts (which is used to meet federal obligations).

Federal debt increases when total expenditures exceed total receipts (producing a budget deficit). Expansion of the federal lending portfolio, through programs like college student loans, also increases federal debt levels. Periods of sustained debt increases bring debt levels near the debt limit. CBO’s February 2023 baseline projected that the debt subject to limit will be $41.2 trillion at the end of FY2028 and $52.0 trillion by the end of FY2033; debt held by the public was forecast to equal $34.6 trillion and $46.4 trillion in those respective years.

The federal debt limit acts as a check to ensure that recent revenue and expenditure trends meet the approval of Congress. However, the federal collection and spending decisions affecting debt levels may have been agreed to by Congress and the Administration well in advance of debt limit deliberations. Some past debt limit legislation has linked debt limit increases with fiscal policy proposals such as budget enforcement measures.

Options for Congress
When debt levels approach the statutory debt limit, Congress can choose to (1) leave the debt limit in place; (2) increase the debt limit to allow for further federal borrowing; or (3) temporarily suspend or abolish the debt limit. Maintaining the current debt limit could lead Treasury to implement “extraordinary measures” to postpone a binding debt limit, but such measures do not prevent a binding debt limit indefinitely. Some have suggested that the Fourteenth Amendment may grant the President authority to ignore the statutory debt limit. Previous Administrations and many representatives of the legal community have rejected that argument as an alternative to debt limit legislation. 

Inaction or Delayed Action: Potential Consequences
The combination of a binding debt limit and continued budget deficits would leave Treasury with conflicting directives. As with any borrower, the government is obliged to pay its bills, and yet a binding debt limit would prevent Treasury from doing so in a timely fashion. Possible consequences of a binding debt limit include, but are not limited to, the following:

• • reduced ability of Treasury to borrow funds on advantageous terms, thereby further increasing federal debt;
• • substantial negative outcomes in global economies and financial markets caused by anticipated default on Treasury securities or failure to meet other legal obligations;
• • acquisition of interest penalties from delay on certain federal payments and transfers; and
• • downgrades of U.S. credit ratings, which could negatively impact capital markets.

Possible economic and fiscal consequences of the debt limit are not confined to scenarios where the debt limit is binding. Protracted deliberation over raising the debt limit may also affect the U.S. financial outlook if it changes household and business behavior. Some research suggests that debate over the debt limit in August 2011 reduced economic expansion in the second half of that year.

Increasing the Debt Limit 
Increasing the debt limit to accommodate further borrowing allows federal operations to continue as they otherwise would have. Increasing the debt limit reduces the likelihood of experiencing potential consequences associated with a binding and near-binding debt limit. 

Larger increases in the debt limit allow more time to enact changes that adjust budgetary trends, but could reduce the debt limit’s effect on budgetary discussions if policymakers feel less constrained by the new debt limit level. Smaller debt limit increases potentially offer a greater role for the debt limit legislation in budgetary policy discussions, but may lead to more frequent debt limit activity. 

“Extraordinary Measures” and Debt Limit Suspension
Invoking Treasury’s authority to use “extraordinary measures” to stay under the debt limit and temporarily suspending the debt limit both postpone when Congress must act on debt limit legislation. The authority for using such “extraordinary measures,” which include suspensions and delays of some debt sales and auctions, underinvestment and disinvestment of certain government funds, and exchange of debt securities for debt not subject to the debt limit, rests with the Treasury Secretary. 

Invocation of “extraordinary measures” has delayed required action on the debt limit by periods ranging from a few weeks to several months. Temporary suspensions delay the restrictions imposed by the debt limit for a period determined by corresponding legislation, and have been used in lieu of increasing the debt limit to a specific dollar value in recent years. 

Past Debt Limit Activity 

In December 2021, Congress approved a joint resolution (P.L. 117-73) that increased the debt limit by $2.5 trillion, to $31.38 trillion. If action is not taken to prevent a binding debt limit as federal debt approaches the debt limit, the Treasury Secretary may elect to exercise “extraordinary measures” to stay beneath the debt limit. 

Regular legislative modifications to the debt limit have been enacted since the aggregate debt limit was first created in 1917. Congress has approved 102 separate debt limit modifications between the end of World War II and the present to accommodate the changes in federal debt levels. Debt held by the public has consistently increased in that time period, except in the period immediately following World War II and between 1998 and 2001 when debt declined due to federal budget surpluses. 

Congress has approved 20 distinct changes to the debt limit since 2001. Much of the recent increase in the debt is attributable to a rise in debt held by the public. Increases in spending on old-age and retirement programs, lower tax receipts, and federal activities related to the Great Recession and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have all contributed to rising debt levels. Debt held in government accounts has also increased since 2001, as Social Security payroll tax receipts exceeded payments to beneficiaries for much of that period. 

Figure 1 shows the debt subject to the limit as a percentage of GDP from 1940 to 2022, along with how that debt was divided between debt held by the public and intragovernmental debt. Although nominal debt levels have steadily risen in the postwar period, debt measured as a percentage of GDP (real debt) declined precipitously for several decades following its peak at 118% in 1946, reaching 32% in 1981. Real debt has increased in the recent decades. At the end of FY2022, total debt subject to the limit was 123% of GDP and publicly held debt was 97% of GDP. The remaining 26% of GDP in debt was intragovernmental debt. 

Timing Uncertainties with a Binding Debt Limit
Short-term fluctuations in federal debt levels mean there is substantial uncertainty as to when debt levels will meet or exceed the statutory debt ceiling. Federal debt levels change in response to variation in the timing of payments and collection of receipts. This fluctuation is influenced by changes in the size and timing of incoming and outgoing Treasury payments, and is relatively insensitive to long-term deficit outcomes. Examples include lower debt levels that follow large income tax receipt collections in March and April and higher debt levels caused by interest payments and the issuance of Treasury securities in the middle and end of a given month. Short-term surpluses could extend the amount of time “extraordinary measures” taken by Treasury would delay a binding debt limit, while short-term deficits would have the opposite effect.

As of May 2023, budget experts project that the extraordinary measures invoked by the Treasury Secretary will be exhausted by June 2023. Earlier estimates had projected more longevity from extraordinary measures, but relatively low tax receipts in April 2023 led to subsequent revisions from both Treasury and CBO. Such estimates are subject to considerable uncertainty, as small fluctuations in economic output can significantly shift when such action would be needed.

Oh, to get back to water!

Enjoy!

"I think the whole issue of a debt ceiling makes no sense to me whatsoever. Anybody who is remotely adroit at arithmetic doesn't need a debt ceiling to tell you where you are" - Alan Greenspan

Lisa Beutler Opines: 'Connecting the Dots - Humans and The Water Cycle' & My Ten Cents

Note: this post has been updated on 31 December 2022. Scroll to the bottom. 

The November-December 2022 issue of Water Resources IMPACT features an excellent article by AWRA Past President and Stantec water maven Lisa Beutler that deals with a new approach to integrating humans and their activities/infrastructure into the water/hydrologic cycle. You know - getting away from the depictions below (see G. Hornberger et al. Elements of Physical Hydrology, 2/e, Chapter 1). 

Pretty sparse re: humans and their influence.

Something like this is more relevant (see here):

Here is Lisa's article:

Download Water Resources IMPACT November:December2022

The first two paragraphs:

Educators around the Nation now have access to a new tool to explain the Earth’s water cycle. Developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in consultation with more than 100 educators and more than 30 hydrologic experts, a new water cycle diagram replaces the one in use since 2000. Released in October 2022, the revised depiction brings humans into the picture and shows the water cycle as a complex interplay of small, interconnected cycles that people interact with and influence. Importantly it also shows how multiple ecosystems—including a coastal plain, dry basin, wet basin, and agricultural basin—are connected across watersheds and at continental scales

The earlier water cycle diagram, developed by Howard Pearlman and John Evans, introduced more than two decades of students, as well as readers of thousands of water publications, to the natural aspects of the water cycle. The 2022 version depicts how the Earth's water moves and is stored, both naturally and because of human actions. As Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary for water and science at the U.S. Department of the Interior, says, "So much about the water cycle is influenced by our actions, and it's important that we clearly see the role that each of us can play in sustainable water use amid a changing climate.”

Here are the new USGS water cycle diagrams, in English and Spanish. Example:

And here is my all-time favorite water cycle diagram - The Post-Modern Hydrologic (or hydrosocial) Cycle - drawn by friend and colleague Kate Ely, a member of the AWRA BoD and a hydrogeologist for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, which I posted on 20 December 2008:

Note added on 31 December 2022.

I forgot to mention a 'live' (pre-2020) presentation given by Dr. Jay Zarnetske of Michigan State University, a PhD graduate of Oregon State University. Jay spoke of a project in which he participated. It was international in scope and dealt with with how academics represented the water cycle in their countries. There were > 400 depictions. Here is a PDF of the paper, Human domination of the global water cycle absent from depictions and perceptions, Nature Geoscience volume 12, pages 533–540 (2019). Lots of good information.

Download S41561-019-0374-y

Enjoy!

"The hydrologic cycle s it occurs today - water flows to money." - Kate Ely

CRS Legal Sidebar: In Space - Do the Crime, Serve the Time

No, this isn't some kind of joke. It's my interpretation of an actual CRS Legal Sidebar (report) written by Peter G. Berris and Michael A. Foster and released on 2 December 2022): 'If You Do the Space Crime, You May Do the Space Time'. 

Download CRS_Legal_Sidebar_Space_Commit_Crime_Do_Time_2Dec_2022

Legal Sidebars have embedded links which you won't find in my pasted version. I have pasted some links myself.

Introduction
In recent years, a number of high-profile commercial space flights—some of which included celebrity passengers—garnered widespread media attention. Moving forward, one company aims to provide hundreds of passenger space flights per year. Another venture promises a “civilian lunar orbital mission” in 2023. One CEO has suggested the possibility of a “crewed mission to Mars in 2029.” Regardless of the outcome of any of these specific plans, space tourism companies are pursuing travel that is more frequent, ambitious, and perhaps longer in duration. In short, more humans may be spending more time in space, increasing the potential for crime to occur during a mission or voyage. The issue is not entirely speculative—a range of violent behavior and sexual misconduct has reportedly occurred during simulated space missions. Should a criminal act occur during an actual trip to space, is there federal jurisdiction to prosecute it?

In light of Congress’s continuing work on various matters pertaining to space, including commercial space flight, this sidebar explores the situations in which federal jurisdiction over crimes committed in space might exist. The sidebar focuses on crimes committed by private individuals in space and concludes with a brief discussion of congressional considerations. This sidebar does not examine the various additional laws that may be uniquely relevant to military or official personnel in space and does not cover other regulatory frameworks that may be relevant to space commerce. Information on some of these topics may be found in CRS In Focus IF11940, Commercial Human Spaceflight, by Daniel Morgan; and CRS Report R45416, Commercial Space: Federal Regulation, Oversight, and Utilization, by Daniel Morgan.

Skipping ahead...

Sample Federal Statutes that Apply in SMTJ (Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction)
An array of federal criminal statutes expressly apply to SMTJ. For instance, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1111 and 1112 punish murder (defined as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought) and manslaughter (defined as the unlawful killing of a human being without malice) within SMTJ. Other federal offenses applicable in SMTJ include, for example:

•   Assault (at minimum, an attempt or threat to injure another);

•   Theft (taking and carrying away, with intent to steal or purloin, the personal property of another);

•   Arson (willfully and maliciously setting fire to or burning any building, structure, or vessel, among other things);

•   Sexual Abuse (among other things, engaging in a sexual act with a person without that person’s consent);

•   Robbery (taking anything of value from another by force and violence or intimidation);

•   Kidnapping (seizing or confining, among other things, another person against their will for an appreciable period).

Skipping to the end...

Congressional Considerations
As discussed above, there are a number of ways in which federal criminal jurisdiction may reach conduct committed in space. As commercial space travel develops, it may present scenarios where jurisdiction is lacking or where an expansion of conduct subject to criminal sanction may be warranted. For example, Congress could extend federal statutes governing conduct such as hoaxes or violent threats to apply in SMTJ. Additionally, Congress could potentially use SMTJ as a jurisdictional hook to create laws criminalizing other conduct it believes worthy of criminalization in space, including offenses traditionally criminalized by state and local governments—such as vandalism, cruelty to persons, trespass, indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Federal jurisdiction and the existence of an applicable statute does not mean that either a prosecution or a conviction would necessarily result. Crimes committed in space would likely raise a number of other legal and practical issues. It is possible to envision scenarios that pose questions about the application of the laws and rules governing search and seizure, the extent of constitutional rights such as a right to counsel during custodial interrogation, and the limits of international cooperation in incidents involving crews or vessels from other countries. For now, these issues are speculative, but the existence of federal criminal jurisdiction is a key threshold that will allow judicial precedent on such topics to develop. As human space travel pushes to new horizons, the universe of relevant federal criminal case law will likely expand.

So you're now all set: if you are going to board a spacecraft with Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos to do some space hydrology, you'll be able to know how to behave. How about GRACE?

Do you think I am joking about this? Remember - in space no one can hear you call for your lawyer.

Enjoy!

"We always know when the humanities faculty come back to town - all the twelve-year-old Subarus reappear." - @ass_deans