WaterWired

Treat Yourself to Some Wonderful Weekend Wilkinson (Drinking) Water!

As National Drinking Water Week sunsets I thought it apropos to show readers what the weekend tap water looks like in my building on the OSU campus, Wilkinson Hall. 

The City of Corvallis may supply OSU with its water, but it doesn't look like this until it reaches OSU's distribution system and sits around for a while.

The dogs who frequent our building keeping their human companions (PC alert!) company much prefer toilet bowl water to this tap water by a 4 to 1 margin.

Toilet-to-tap - who cares? Close your eyes and you're swilling Oregon Pinot noir.

Me? I'll just take some of that fine bottled water!

Bottoms up!

Must be a plot by the bottled water industry...

Thanks to Maria Gibson for alerting me to this local 'water crisis'.

"Enough. Man is capable of reform once presented with the facts, and the fact is that bottling water and shipping it is a big waste of fuel, so stop already. The water that comes to your house through a pipe is good enough, and maybe better." -- Garrison Keillor, 30 September 2007, Salt Lake Tribune

Todd Jarvis on 'Bottling Oregon’s Oil: Conflict and Cooperation or Conquest in Cascade Locks, Oregon'

Friend and colleague Dr. Todd Jarvis gave a great presentation at our 10 April 2012 GEM (Geography, Environmental Sciences, and Marine Resources Management; I know, you want to know why the acronym is not 'GESMRM') Seminar today: 'Bottling Oregon's Oil: Conflict and Cooperation or Conquest in Cascades Locks, Oregon'. The presentation focuses on Nestlé Waters North America's (NWNA) ongoing effort to locate a bottled water plant in Cascade Locks, OR.

In case you don't know it, Todd is 'Mr. Bottled Water' - he knows the subject inside out and a previous presentations has graced these pages. Here is the PDF of his presentation (it make a take a minute to download):

Download Cascade_Locks_Bottled_Water_2012

Here is the video that embedded in slide 12 of his Power Point. It shows a portion of a town hall meeting on 9 September 2009 with Dr. David Palais of NWNA. 

 

Only ten or so minutes were shown at the seminar. Todd mentioned that the remainder of the video consisted of a Q&A session with Dr. Palais. The exchanges dealing with truck traffic were interesting and perhaps a bit surprising to NWNA.

"I am sorry, Evian and San Pellegrino and Dasani and all the other bottled waters out there—Aqua Velva, Wells Fargo, Muddy Waters, Joan Rivers, Jerry Springer, whatever—but the current campaign against paying good money for bottled water when tap water is perfectly good (and very likely purer) is so sensible on the face of it that I am now done with you." - Garrison Keillor

TGIF - Tweets Galore! It's Friday, 11 November 2011 - Special Veterans Day & Tucson Edition

It is Veterans' Day here in the USA. WaterWired gives shout-out to those who have served, and are serving, in our armed forces. And a special remembrance and thanks to those vets who made the ultimate sacrifice. I owe them all so much.

It is instructive to recall that Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day to commemorate the signing of the armistice that ended World War I (at least on the Western Front). Hostilities ended on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. It ended 'the war to end all wars.' Missed that one, didn't we?

The name change to Veterans Day was legally made on 1 June 1954 by Congress.

If all wars are stupid, WWI was especially so. Read The Guns of August by  Barbara Tuchman. All Quiet on the Western Front is an excellent book about WWI from the perspective of the German soliders.

I am also celebrating The Old Pueblo - Tucson, AZ - my first home in the Western USA. I spent almost six years here while attending graduate school at the University of Arizona and teaching at Pima Community College. I am here for the EWB Mountain Region Training Workshop.

Until I drove here in August 1970 at the age of 22 I had not been west of West Virginia. I suffered no 'Eastern USA withdrawal symptoms'  - none at all. I immediately fell in love with the Western USA, especially the arid West, and have lived in the West ever since, save for one year in Atlanta in 1983-84.

The first thing that struck me about Tucson was the friendliness of the people, especially store clerks. Smiling, they would ask, 'How may I help you?' As a New Yorker, that blew me away.  

Tucson and its metro area are four times larger than when I arrived - 250,000 vs. 1,000,000 - but I still love coming here.

And it probably has  more hydrologists per capita- amateur and professional - than any other place in the world.

Okay - here's your weekly water displacement behavior. 

Books and Book Reviews
RT @jfleck Interested in water, climate, the West? You'll be wanting to pick up Bill deBuys' A Great Aridness:http://bit.ly/u4rfWs 

Climate, Climate Change, and Meteorology
RT @climateprogress Open Thread Plus Population Cartoon of the Week http://bit.ly/u6vWKK

RT @bberwyn And I explored the ever-growing cloud seeding program in #Colorado:http://wp.me/pJ91e-8h5 #water

RT @ClimateTreaty Climate change altering tree mixhttp://bit.ly/rwfGl4

RT @phixod @columbiawater: e360: Interview Susan Long: Thinking the Unthinkable: Engineering Earth’s Climatehttp://bit.ly/uoU9Bj #climate

Via @AGUSciPolicy Is There Case Against Human Caused Global Warming in Peer-Reviewed Literature? http://bit.ly/sPPHEhAnswer? Not really.

RT@ClimateTreaty Floods and Droughts and Sea Level Rise -- California's New Climate and Water Video http://bit.ly/u3cMJ

RT @circleofblue Global warming may be irreversible by 2017 due to #energy demand, economies:@UPI_top http://su.pr/1A1K6e
 

Conflict and Cooperation
Via @jfleck: Goshute Tribes' effort to save their water from Las Vegas:http://bit.ly/tRoF8m #westwater 

 
Economics
David Zetland, marriage counselor. Via @aguanomics Marriage or decoupling? http://is.gd/GM00XI

Via @PrivateWaterLaw Water Privatization: Villainy or Necessity?http://is.gd/ihdp3h

White Paper: The Value of Water http://bit.ly/t657PB

Ecosystems
How should society pay for services ecosystems provide?http://is.gd/uJrQeK

RT @columbiawater NYT: In Changing Ecosystems, Winners and Losers http://ow.ly/7lmNq #climate

Education
Summary Report: UN International Water Forum (16 Sept. 2011)http://is.gd/kP7Mc3

The Best Multiple-Choice Question Ever! http://bit.ly/rUVkOX

From MT Water Center - free webinars: Water Quality (7 Dec); Land Use and MT Water Resources (14 Dec) http://is.gd/6IoJKc
 

Energy and Water

RT @columbiawater EcoCentric: Solving the Water, Energy and Food Security Puzzlehttp://bit.ly/uJEIqB

 

Events
AWWA Sustainable Water Management Conference, Portland, OR, 18-21 March 2012. Registration opens 11 Nov. http://is.gd/bMWUtE

Via @chanceofraincom:@PeterGleick testifies against Las Vegas pipeline in Carson City, NV.http://is.gd/IdLynX

Winding Down in Albuquerque Town http://bit.ly/sWlG4J

Glad I fast-tracked new passport. May have to go to Medellin,Colombia during week of 14 November for Water Forum of Americas mtg.

 
Floods and Droughts
Via @chanceofraincom ABQJournal Online » ‘Megadroughts’ May Recur in Areahttp://www.abqjournal.com/main/2011/11/09/news/megadroughts-may-recur-in-area.html via@abqjournal

 
Funny Stuff
RT @climateprogress Must-See Comic: Happy Climate Change Denial Season!http://bit.ly/rwCh1b

Sunday Funnies! Climate Change: 'Tis the Season to be Folly!http://bit.ly/txz1Pf

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler: Of Bureaucrats and Barristers http://bit.ly/sexSCf

ABQ Hyatt tells guests to turn clock back. They forget to do so; wake-up calls come one hour early. Welcome to NM!

RT @rivrchik @brainpicker: Heh. Calvin and Hobbes on the creative process – damn straighthttp://j.mp/t1vulX (HT@bunkywu)

 

Groundwater
HuffPost picks up on my 'Groundwater As Rodney Dangerfield: No Respect' post.http://is.gd/TFhptF

Via @NSF Geologists Find Ponds Not the Cause of Arsenic Poisoning in India's Groundwater. http://1.usa.gov/rtnTnf

AWRA BoD unanimously endorses 'Water Supply Well Guidelines for Use in Developing Countries'http://bit.ly/t0niUl @AWRAHQ #AWRA2011

RT @WaterUtilities Rejected desert water pumping plan recycled with 'green' vision to mine Mojave's hidden waters.http://feedzil.la/tyksOn

 
Hydrofracking
EPA announces final study plan to assess hydrofracking - will evaluate potential impacts on DW.http://is.gd/EGRk0m

 
Miscellaneous
RT @rivrchik Weird World of Water Gets a Little Weirder (ScienceDaily)http://bit.ly/sXvWvl

When it's scary warm & dry, they say you can actually hear the bark beetles : @jfleck at inkstain http://bit.ly/rwXxgg

 
Opportunities
Opportunity: AGI Accepting Applications for 2012-2013 W. L. Fisher Congressional Geoscience Fellowship http://is.gd/0qu2ty

Rodney Dangerfield Triumphs! A Groundwater Visualization Contest! http://bit.ly/uT8FrF

Heads Up! Visualizing Groundwater contest - win a month-long signboard display on Times Square! http://is.gd/g0f3bR

Position open: Director of Earth Sciences, NSF Directorate of Geosciences. http://is.gd/XrBSUm

PhD students wanted: Landscape Hydrology, Johns Hopkins University. http://is.gd/O8LJ0F

Position open: U of MI Turner Postdoc - any field of earth science.http://is.gd/Mm42py

Positions open: U of MI faculty (2): Energy/Mineral Resources & Climate Change/Water Sustainability http://is.gd/8jPBu4

 Position open: Analytical Geochemist in ICP-MA Lab, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX. Lab http://is.gd/PCFNy3

Position open: Via @USGS_Idaho New director for USGS Idaho Water Science Center:http://1.usa.gov/t5psDl

Position open: Post-doc, Center for Environmental Informatics, Penn State University.http://is.gd/IrAqjM

 
People
I LUV AWRA water people! #AWRA2011

Wonderful seeing @cynthiabarnett,@jfleck @ #AWRA2011 President's Reception tonight. Awaiting her 'Blue Revolution' keynote tomorrow.

Nice day for 'cruise' on the Rio Grande (@jfleck,@cynthiabarnett)!

RT @jfleck fun lunch with @loticwater and @aguanomics - thanks to @WaterWired for bringing all the cool kids to #ABQ for me: #AWRA2011

@NedBreslin Sorry the Tide lost. Quite a game.

Cynthia Barnett at #AWRA2011 and Other Good Momentshttp://bit.ly/tKtG8E

 
Policy, Planning, and Management
Delaware River Basin Comm: Revised natural gas regs:http://is.gd/LeZz9n 3-page fact sheet: http://is.gd/DXwHgh

 It's our 'national water policy'. Kudos to @jfleck ESA Not Right Tool For Water Problems. http://is.gd/lqJN5N 

RT @PrivateWaterLaw Aqueduct Partnership to map water risks in Africa's Orange-Senqu Basin -http://bit.ly/rTGpXc

RT @columbiawater High Country News: Presidential candidates are missing the Western issueshttp://bit.ly/u6EO2J #water #southwest

CEQ: National Action Plan: Priorities for Managing Freshwater Resources In a Changing Climate.http://is.gd/wgIp7G

RT @KavehMadani@WaterSISWEB The California Water Sustainability Indicators Framework http://bit.ly/rxWKoD

RT @MWEcology Canada’s climate change plans to fall short, new study says: http://bit.ly/rqAucKvia @TorontoStar

RT @KavehMadani @WaterSISWEB Managing Future Forests for Water http://bit.ly/uV6WNJ

Twitter, E-newspapers, and E-newsletters
TGIF - Tweets Galore! It's Friday, 4 November 2011 - Special Albuquerque Editionhttp://bit.ly/sheHj6

UNESCO Water e-Newsletter No. 258: La Plata River basin and more! http://is.gd/TCQTZx

 RT @WorldHygienePrg The Daily WASH is out! http://bit.ly/l3bFmq▸ Top stories today via@tippytap_org @causelife

 The @WaterStJournal Daily is out! http://bit.ly/haf8gw ▸ Top stories today via @wanderingtracy@flourandwater @h2oscore@lifefilta

Yes! RT @loticwater @jfleck: i vote "yes" RT @loticwater:@waterwired are we going to use a # for the AWRA conf? #AWRA2011?

RT @jfleck: i vote "yes" RT@loticwater: @waterwired are we going to use a # for the AWRA conf? #AWRA2011?

Should be composing my midterm exam now instead of Tweeting....

The @WaterFootprints Daily is out!http://bit.ly/eDEDnD ▸ Top stories today via @waterwired@waterbizinfo @sfwater@md_basin_auth

 

WaSH and Developing Regions
Solar-powered toilets. http://is.gd/WWLG59

RT @NedBreslin Great article on@SkollFoundation #socent Kick Start http://zite.to/uheeNp

 
Water Quality
National Water Quality Monitoring Council's 4th edition of "National Water Monitoring News" http://is.gd/J8yL4p

RT @craigtimes Combined US lawns cover an area as big as FL, making fertilizer's impact a big issue: http://bit.ly/rZ9Zpe via@AddThis
 

Water Supply and Use
Via @columbiawater Managing growing world population w/ shrinking water supply w/ Upmanu Lall, Jeff Sachshttp://on.msnbc.com/usRPkQ

RT @WaterUtilities OUC hires water cops: For 1st time, Orlando utility is sending out sprinkler patrols. http://feedzil.la/w5fwzy

Via @GrowingBlue Where your state ranks in terms of M&I,agricultural #water use w/ Growing Blue Tool:http://cot.ag/jZKI4G

RT @columbiawater E360: Australian student gets Dyson Award for device harvesting moisture from air for irrigationhttp://bit.ly/vIHvxK

"You know you live in Tucson when the cold-water faucet is hotter than the hot-water faucet.:  ~Unknown

"A three-inch rain in Tucson means three inches between drops."  ~Local Saying

Vapur's Foldable Water Anti-Bottle: Alternative to Rigid Water Bottles

Rest assured that I am not shilling for the following product. No one contacted me about posting this item or promoting the product described herein. 

Foldable plastic water bottles are nothing new - I have a couple of large ones. But yesterday I encountered the 'Anti-Bottle' by Vapur. It's made of BPA-free plastic and is foldable, freezable, dishwasher-safe, USA-made, and attachable (carabiner). It holds 0.5 liters (about 16 fluid ounces) and stands upright when full. For those of us who like to drink tap water but would prefer a container that is not rigid, this looks like it will fill the bill.

Vapur also has a 0.4 liter size. You can buy both sizes on the WWW site for $8 (0.4L) and $10 (0.5L), I purchased one of Vapur's 'Artist Series'  versions (that's all they had at the store I visited) for $12. I got the 'Aqua Libre' design (shown here).There are two other designs.

Since I've owned it for barely 24 hours, I cannot attest to its ruggedness. The clip itself seems strong, but since water is rather heavy - a half-liter is about a pound - I don't know how quickly the carabiner will tear through the plastic. The bottle is guaranteed for one year.

Feel free to post any comments about the product or other similar products.

I know - some of you are no doubt wondering: "WTF has this guy been?" Answer: Ashland, OR.

"Remember: Vapur spelled backwards is Rupav." -- the anti-slogan (NOT!)

What's Stupid About Bottled Water?

A better title might be, 'What's Not Stupid About Bottled Water'. I found this video at EnjoyBottledWater.  It's disingenuous. Surprised?

Give it a view. 

 

The spokeswoman talks about politicians attempting to ban bottled water. She's right;  the newspaper stories they flash pertain to prohibiting bottled water at city council meetings or for staffers, not complete bans.

Then the video switches to disaster situations where the bottled water industry used some of its profits to provide water. That's nice. I don't think politicians would refer to the use of bottled water in such situations as 'stupid', 'wasteful' or 'reckless'. But use of bottled water is stupid when you have perfectly good tap water available.

As for EPA recommending bottled water for people with compromised immune systems, get the complete story here. 

As for Hidell-Eyster, the firm that spokesmanWilliam Hidell heads, it consults for the bottled water industry.

And while we're at it - so what's so good about goodbye? Apologies to purists - here's the original.

"You know what's stupid about bottled water? It's stupid that Americans are buying their own water that companies get for free. It has nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with common sense. Some bottled waters cost as much as $9 per gallon! What kind of an idiot pays that much for water?" - comment on the YouTube site.

"Of course it's not "wasteful and stupid" to drink bottled water in the face of a disaster or water contamination. That's NOT what the politicians are referring to. The issue is not wasting water, it's wasting the plastic that bottled water comes in. Even though they are recyclable, the majority of people (just ask, or look, around) will NOT recycle. Plus, plastic bottles are NOT safe to reuse. Heated, they release elements of BPA, toxins that are leaked into the next liquid put in the bottle." - comment on the YouTube site.