WaterWired

Like the Big Rigs? Then Attend the NGWA Ground Water Expo!

Do you like big, shiny, water well drilling rigs with those long, straight masts? How about the latest in pump technology? Water quality testing gear? How about expensive food and drink at the Las Vegas Convention Center? Timely workshops and technical sessions? Has-been comics, singers, and bar bands in the Las Vegas Hilton's lounge? All sorts of gadgets and geegaws?

Then you ought to be at the National Ground Water Association's 2008 Ground Water Expo this December!

Is there a better time to be in Las Vegas? A worse time? Any time?

Be there, or be at home freezing in Nowhere, ND.

Sarcasm aside, you should attend. I am!

[Disclosure notice: I am a former Board member of the NGWA and chair of its largest division, the Association of Ground-Water Scientists and Engineers. No remuneration was received for posting this announcement.]

“Do you know what we call tourists in Las Vegas? We call them 'marks'." - desk clerk, San Remo Hotel, Las Vegas

Climate Change and Water Resources Conference: Call for Abstracts

Well, as you can see from the above I am again shilling for the American Water Resources Association [Disclosure notice: I am on AWRA's Board].

The Call for Abstracts has just been issued; abstracts are due by 5 December 2008.

Here is the blurb on the conference WWW site:

Public and scientific awareness of changing climate conditions is increasing each year. These changes represent themselves in many ways: more frequent and extreme weather events, droughts in the southeastern and western states, potential for increasing flooding and coastal erosion damage, increasing irrigation and depletion of aquifers, and melting permafrost and reductions in arctic sea ice in Alaska. Understanding these changes and related management challenges is an increased focus for water resources professionals. Sustaining current communities, while allowing for continued economic development will require continued advancements in water-resource understanding, conservation, water-use practices, and improved management approaches. Education across all levels will be needed to move communities forward to help develop and implement sustainable water-resources development.

AWRA has been a leader in the national dialogue on many aspects of climate change and water resources. The U.S. National Assessment on the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change took place in the late 1990's with significant contributions by AWRA and its membership. Since the National Assessment, the AWRA has continued to promote active dialogue and conversation on climate and water-management issues through publications and specialty conferences. The water-assessment part of this effort resulted in a 1999 Spring Specialty Conference on Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change to Water Resources of the United States, and was followed by the publication of more than 30 articles in JAWRA.

What has transpired in the 10 years since the 1999 conference? How have the predictions and concerns presented in the assessment of these issues developed? We invite you to come, participate, discuss, and make connections on these issues on the 10th anniversary of the 1999 Specialty Conference. We will have a full agenda covering water-resource issues from around the country set in the backdrop of America's frontier, Alaska, during its fiftieth year since statehood.

Meeting topics will include meeting future water-supply needs, drought and flood co-management, ecosystem impacts, and water-management challenges. Additionally, since the Arctic is a place where change is expected to occur sooner and with greater effect, Alaska will be an ideal place to examine the many changes that are happening locally and effects on meeting the young state's development interests and the nation's energy needs. Interested water-resource professionals are encouraged to submit abstracts on these and other related topics of national and international interest. This meeting promises to be one of a kind in showcasing current thinking in this dynamic field. The outcomes of this conference will help set the foundation for continued dialogue and conversations on how to manage and adapt to changing water-resources conditions and needs for many years to come. Please contact Michael Lilly, Conference Chair, for further information.

"Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get." -- Mark Twain or Robert A. Heinlein (take your pick)

Wow! A Famous Person Starts A Water Institute!

Curmudgeon alert!

Christine Todd Whitman, former EPA Administrator and New Jersey Governor, has formed a new water institute, the Water Policy Institute.

Here is her blurb on the Institute's WWW site:

Water issues have escalated in our country and worldwide, with record droughts, threats to water quality and cross-border disputes over water resources. I am pleased to introduce the Water Policy Institute, a one-of-a-kind forum for water leaders to consider the problems and develop new ideas and potential solutions.

Water issues impact all of us, from companies that deliver and manage water and industries that require a reliable supply of quality water to operate, to individual consumers and those who work to protect our environment. Environmental protection and water quality are of great importance to me, and while there are no easy answers or magic bullets to solve such complicated issues, progress is always possible. The Water Policy Institute brings together various viewpoints in a quest for sustainable, workable solutions. As chair, I welcome you to explore the benefits of membership and join us in an ongoing dialogue of issues critical to our future.

Here is a note from Director Kathy Robb:

Significant developments in legislation and consumption, as well as the rapidly changing climate, are already impacting, and will increasingly affect, the world's water supply. Companies deliver and manage water, and industries require a reliable supply of quality water to operate, but most individuals do not feel it is their responsibility to address these issues. The Institute provides a forum for exploring these issues across industry and geographic boundaries.

I like Whitman; I think she's a good person with her head and heart in the right places. But I'm wondering what she's hitched her wagon to.

The WPI has eight advisory panel members, 6 of whom are attorneys (one is friend, colleague, and good guy Gabriel Eckstein of Texas Tech University). Director Robb is also an attorney, a partner in the firm Hunton & Williams, which is spearheading and hosting the Institute. Corporate members (by invitation only) are: the Central Arizona Project, BP PLC, and GE Water (Maude Barlow alert!).

What, no Jeff Sachs?

Wow!  A water institute that is sponsored by a Park Avenue law firm, has corporate members, and has an advisory panel with attorneys for 6 of its 8 members!

Ask me why I'm not expecting anything but the SOS.

And if the institute were sponsored and housed in an engineering firm with an engineer for its director and 6 of the 8 advisory panelists, I'd have the same opinion.  

"Water may run uphill to money, but it gushes uphill to politics." – Terry L. Anderson and Donald R. Leal, Cato Institute, 1988 (courtesy of Todd Jarvis)

Nonrenewable Ground Water Conference: Program, Registration Available

Last fall I announced the First International Conference on Nonrenewable Ground Water Resources, which will be convened in Portland, OR, 13-14 October 2008, with an optional field trip on 15 October. Well, the program has been finalized and registration is open.

View updated information, and check out our program of excellent speakers.

The National Ground Water Association will be running the conference.

See you in Portland in a few months!

[Disclosure notice: Todd Jarvis and I are co-chairs.]

"If I were alive I would most definitely attend this meeting!" -- C.E. Jacob

WaterWired's First Annual Corporate Water Devil Award

Several posts ago I quoted Maude Barlow on the evils of those ubiquitous corporate devils who would clean up dirty water, only to rip us off by selling it back to us:

“Water is a public resource and a human right that should be available to all,” she says. “All these companies are doing is recycling dirty water, selling it back to utilities and us at a huge price. But they haven’t been as successful as they want to be. People are concerned about their drinking water and they’ve met resistance.”

I implored her to consider the Orange County Water District, a public utility, that purifies water for its customers.

But I took her advice to heart, and started searching for corporate evil-doers.

Well, speak of the devil! The OCWD and the Orange County Sanitation District have been awarded the 2008 Stockholm Industry Water Award for their pioneering work to develop the world's largest water purification plant for ground water recharge. The recharged purified water will be used to supply drinking water for 500,000 people.

I think the OCWD and the OCSD jointly deserve WaterWired''s First Annual Corporate Water Devil Award for ripping us off by providing safe, recycled drinking water.

Sorry I don't have a logo or even an award to present, but I wanted to strike while the iron is hot.

I guess I need to appoint an awards committee, too. Wonder who should serve? Hmmm....

(This is tongue-in-cheek, by the way.)

"Public speaking is the art of diluting a two-minute idea with a two-hour vocabulary." -- Evan Esar

Safe Drinking Water Symposium at UNC

The Institute for the Environment (IE) at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) wiil host a symposium on Sustainable and Safe Drinkng Water in the Developing and Developed Countries: Where Science Meets Policy, 5-6 November 2008, in Chapel Hill, NC.

There will be an excellent international group of invited speakers: Joan Rose, John Briscoe, Walter Giger, Guy Howard, and Clarissa Brocklehurst.

Abstracts for poster and platform presentations are due 15 June 2008; click here for more information.

This looks like a good one.

"If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will." -- Mother Teresa

A 'Mirage' in Oregon: Cynthia Barnett Visits Oregon State University

Cynthia Barnett, award-winning author of Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern  U.S., just left us at Oregon State University (OSU) after entertaining us for about 90 minutes with tales of water woes in Florida and elsewhere in the eastern USA.

We had a good crowd for a late Friday afternoon, and she also sold and signed some copies of her excellent book, which is now available in paperback, so you have no excuse for not reading it.

A brief aside: she commented on the dearth of home "For Sale" signs here as compared to Florida.

This is the third time I've heard Cynthia speak, all in the last six months. I told her that she is in my Robert Glennon class, meaning that I never tire of listening to her. Her style is more relaxed, as though she's having a cordial conversation with her audience. Very effective.

She again spoke of the merits of conservation, and how conservation is often given short shrift by politicians and water managers for a simple reason: no one makes much money from conservation projects. No big infrastructure, no grand engineering schemes, etc. She alluded to the fact that in Florida, state alternative water-supply grant money cannot be used for conservation projects.

To be sure, conservation can have its drawbacks. Customers get annoyed when their rates go up because conservation may drive utilities' revenues down. And those who save water are concerned that the water saved may just go for more development. Wastewater engineers worry about sluggish flow in sewer systems or lack of sufficient dilution.  But conservation should occupy a more prominent place in the water-supply toolbox.

She told the story of Orme, TN, the tiny (145 people) town on the TN-AL border 40 miles west of Chattanooga that ran out of water in 2007. The town temporarily survived by sending a tanker truck across the border to an Alabama town three days a week for water from the town's fire hydrant. The 20,000 gallons of water replenished the Orme's storage tank and allowed residents to use water from 6-9 PM each evening. Cynthia said that the story was big news and journalists descended upon the place, got the story, then headed home.

But they never came back to get the rest of the story. Here's what happened after the journalists left:

• volunteer plumbers and plumbing supply firms blitzed the town and fitted each home with water-saving devices free of charge;
• the town saved 140 gallons per household daily; and
• the water availability went from 3 to 12 hours per day solely because of conservation 

All in all, time very well spent with a person who has a great message.

And she brought some Florida sunshine with her.

"We use drinking water to grow our lawns, then spend the summer cutting it down using fossil fuels." -- Cynthia Barnett, Corvallis, OR, 2 May 2008

Expo Zaragoza 2008

On this 38th anniversary of Earth Day, what could more appropriate than another meeting with the theme of Water and Sustainable Development? That is indeed the theme of Expo Zaragoza 2008.

This officially-sanctioned (by the French) world exposition occurs from 14 June though 14 September, 2008, in Zaragoza, Spain, the old capital of the Kingdom of Aragon on the Rio Ebro.  The official WWW site did not have a lot of information about the Expo; try this Wikipedia entry instead, which has far more information in a more organized manner. There is an official blog (en espanol).

The official mascot of Expo Zaragoza 2008 is Fluvi, the male water drop. I confess to being ignorant that water drops have gender, but then again, this is Spanish, and a noun needs a gender. Fluvi looks like a deformed amphibian, which I suppose is par for the course these days.

Here is Fluvi will his little best friend Ica, who apparently has just one eye and is hermaphroditic. Bummer, Ica. (BOHICA, Ica!)

My wife, who's been there, done that, tells me that Zaragoza has the largest church in the world. She also told me that 14 June - 14 September is not a great time to be there. Can you spell "hot"?

104 countries have signed up to participate; I did not see the USA listed. We must be annoyed with Spain, perhaps because the Spanish Prime Minister, José Zapatero, is a Socialist (but King Juan Carlos did tell Hugo Chávez to shut up, so that must count for something).

Anyway, I'll have to pass on Fluvi, Ica, and their buddies. I'd love to go, but...

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." -- Groucho Marx

Yale Hosts Governors' Climate Change Conference, All Four Show Up

So what would you expect if you saw the following at the top of a press release:

U.S. Governors to Gather at Yale for Climate Change Conference

If you're like me, you'd assume that a bunch of governors were going to meet at Yale to have a climate change conference. So what's a "bunch"? 25? 35? All 50?

Try four. That's right, 8% of all U.S. governors.

Yale would have been better off calling this the "Canadian Provincial Premiers' Conference on Climate Change" since 20% (2 out of 10) premiers (Quebec and Manitoba) were slated to attend.

The 'Fantastic Four' included Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who had little more to do than to roll out of bed and drive 40 miles down I-91 from Hartford to New Haven. The Governator himself, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, blew in from California, and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius also had no hair stylist appointments on 18 April.

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was scheduled to attend, but was a last-minute scratch; he probably heard about the palate-cleansing sorbet served in ice-carved bowls at the opening dinner. Can you spell P-R-E-T-E-N-T-I-O-U-S? 

Oh yeah - five states - New Mexico, New York, Maine, Arizona, and Washington - sent representatives.

Eighteen states signed an important declaration (don't get me started on declarations):

Download Gov-Declaration-20080418.pdf

Here's the official WWW site and the rest of the press release:

New Haven, Conn. — On Friday, April 18, U.S. Governors and top environmental officials will meet at Yale University to exchange ideas on how states and the federal government can combat global warming and develop a strategy for future action.

“This is the first time such as prestigious group of state officials have come together to have a serious discussion on climate change,” said Yale University President Richard C. Levin. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to host such an important event that we hope will represent a significant turning point in how policymakers can work together to address this global challenge.

Governors who plan to attend the event include Arnold Schwarzenegger of California,  Jon Corzine of New Jersey, M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Rod Blagojevich of Illinois.

In addition, Christine Todd Whitman, Quebec Premier Jean Charest, Manitoba Premier Gary Doer and Nobel Laureate Dr. R. K. Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will participate.

Several of the governors will sign a climate change declaration that will highlight the need for “partnership” between the federal and state government.

Yale has affirmed its commitment to sustainability, especially in reducing the university’s carbon footprint with an initiative to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below the 1990 level by 2020. Yale has already taken steps to improve the energy efficiency of its buildings, use renewable fuels, reduce electricity use, and invest in alternative energy.

Friday’s gathering will also celebrate the centennial of President Theodore Roosevelt’s landmark 1908 Conference of Governors, which launched the modern conservation movement, planted the seed for the National Parks System, and inspired significant state efforts to protect land. The event will celebrate 100 years of state leadership on critical environmental issues, confront the present climate challenge, and set out a vision of a federal-state partnership for future action.

“Roosevelt showed remarkable foresight a century ago in engaging the states’ chief executive officers to preserve and protect the nation’s natural resources,” said Levin. “Now, we face a new and critical challenge—global climate change—and leadership in the United States is coming from visionary state governors.”

Top environmental officials? Who? Christine Todd Whitman is a former top official. Yes, there were a few state environmental officials in attendance. And it was probably hard to discuss Federal-state partnerships without any Federal officials present.

Oh, I forgot - Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes was a moderator.

The end of the press release:

The 2008 Conference of Governors is jointly hosted by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, the Yale Project on Climate Change, the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale, the Yale Office of Sustainability, and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Funding for the conference and its associated outreach materials was generously provided by the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, the Energy Foundation, the 11th Hour Project, and the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Fund.

The money and carbon expended on this conference could have been much better spent. What did this accomplish? It certainly was not a 'Governors' Conference'.

And they should have let the graduate students run the show, like they did for the large dams conference.

This conference was more about Yale than anything else. Nice try, guys. Can you spell D-I-S-I-N-G-E-N-U-O-U-S?

"He who gives himself airs of importance, exhibits the credentials of impotence." -- Johann Lavater

Snake-Columbia Basin Energy & Water Summit: Final Report

Last June  a number of organizations - Columbia Basin Trust, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI), Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), Institute for Water and Watersheds (IWW) - convened the Snake-Columbia Basin Energy and Water Summit in Boise, ID.

The Snake-Columbia basin encompasses two countries. It produces prodigious amounts of water; the basin area is about the same as the Colorado River basin's, yet the average annual flow, measured at the mouth of the Columbia, is almost 14 times greater.

The Summit was attended by about 90 people from both sides of the border, although most were from the USA. The format consisted of expert presentations to set the stage, then focus groups breakout sessions.

It's been a while in coming, but the Summit's report has finally hit the streets. You can download it at the bottom of this post.

The focus group reports form the core of the report and are designed to assist researchers, managers, planners, policy-makers, and other stakeholders address the water and energy challenges facing the basin.

Five focus groups, covering the following areas,  were constituted:

• Energy use and generation
• Water allocation & use
• Energy and water storage
• Environmental considerations
• Social, economic, political, and regulatory considerations

Download Snake-Columbia-Basin-report_final.pdf

[Disclosure notice: I was one of the organizers and financial supporters of the Summit.]

"A mistake not corrected is another mistake." -- Confucius

OSU Spring Seminar "Water in the West" - Online Access

Our Spring Hydrology Seminar "Water in the West", features an all-start lineup. Since most of you cannot make these presentations, the Hydrophiles student group will post videos, PowerPoints, and any relevant publications a few days after each talk. Go to the Hydrophiles WWW site.

Here is a flyer: Download hydro_sem_s08.pdf

The list follows (hot links take you to personal homepages, if the speaker has one):

• April 9: Shannon Peterson, Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust, Finding balance in the upper Klamath Basin
• April 16: Christina Tague, UC-Santa Barbara, Modeling climate change and hydrology
• April 23: Adell Amos, University of Oregon, Oregon water law, climate change, and energy
• April 30: Roger Bales, UC-Merced, Sierra Nevada snowcover patterns
• May 7: Tamra Mabbott, Umatilla County Planning Department, Water and land use planning in Oregon
• May 14: Todd Dawson, UC-Berkeley, Water, plants and California's drought-prone ecosystems
• May 21: Brad Udall, NOAA, The Colorado River at 1900, 2000, and 2100
• May 28: John J. Warwick, Desert Research Institute, Modeling of the Lower Truckee River, Nevada
• June 4: Jay Frentress and Jay Zarnetske: Science, policy, and water in the West: an impromptu graduate student discussion

If you are in the Corvallis area on these dates, drop by - 4 PM, in Room 4000 of the Agricultural and Life Sciences (ALS) Building. Here is a campus map.

Some of you may be wondering about Roger Bales' school, UC-Merced. It opened in September 2005 and is the 10th campus in the University of California System. It is the first new American research university of the 21st century and is strongly oriented toward the environment and student-oriented research. It serves the fast-growing San Joaquin Valley and is located about 75 minutes north of the Fresno airport.

"If I were alive, I would definitely attend these awesome presentations!" -- Jules Dupuit

Water: H2O = Life; Aqua Colbert

The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) has an extraordinary exhibit Water: H2O = Life.

This special exhibit about water highlights the importance of the world's most precious resource. The exhibit includes hands-on activities and interactive displays to educate the public about water-where it comes from, how it shapes the planet and the lives of people, plants, and animals everywhere.

The Colbert Report even featured the exhibit on its 20 March 2008 show, along with Stephen Colbert's line of bottled water, Aqua Colbert. You can also find all these videos on Misublog.

"When you've got an extraordinary thirst, don't settle for an ordinary water that comes from just one foreign country. When you drink Aqua Colbert, you're drinking the world."

"Thirst locally, drink globally." -- Aqua Colbert's slogan

AWRA Conference on Riparian Ecosystems and Buffers: Working at the Water's Edge

The American Water Resources Association (AWRA) will convene this conference in lovely Virginia Beach, Virginia's largest city, 30 June - 2 July, 2008.

Click here for all the information.

From the conference WWW site:

The study of riparian ecosystems and the proliferation of initiatives and programs using riparian areas as buffers and living shorelines have demonstrated the need to remain on the cutting edge of science and practice when working at the water's edge. The Mid-Atlantic Region is home to some of the most aggressive programs to conserve and restore riparian areas and coastal shorelines in the world--making Virginia Beach, VA an ideal location for this conference.

We have worked hard over the past year to organize an excellent agenda which is guaranteed to provide you with new insights into the function and management of the critical riparian landscape and an enjoyable environment for networking with scientists and the managers who are implementing riparian programs and practices on the ground. Meet some of the most prominent scientists in the field of riparian ecosystem research from across the country and around the world. Learn about new approaches and emerging issues in 36 technical sessions and an extensive display of posters, hear from renowned environmental leaders in our plenary sessions, learn about new technology in the Exhibit Hall, and learn about coastal riparian ecosystems on our Field Trip. You will also have time to meet and greet new and old friends at our Reception, Luncheon, Lakeside Barbeque, and other networking events we have planned.

You can't miss this one if you are working in this field. It'll be a winner!

[Disclosure notice: I am on the AWRA's Board of Directors.]

"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -- Will Durant

AWRA 2008 Annual Conference Call for Abstracts

The American Water Resources Association (AWRA) has just issued a Call for Abstracts for its 2008 annual conference, 17-20 November, New Orleans.

Abstracts are due 12 May 2008.

See you in the Big Easy!

[Disclosure notice: I am on the AWRA Board of Directors.]

Twenty Years After the Brundtland Report

Twenty-five years a go the UN convened the World Commission on Environment and Development (WECD), which became known as the Brundtland Commission, after its chair, former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. It was created to reflect upon ways to save the human environment and natural resources and prevent deterioration of economic and social development. It set the stage for the Rio Declaration (1992) and future similar statements.

The Commission's report, Our Common Future, was published in 1987 by Oxford University Press (OUP); here's a download.

The report deals with sustainable development and the political changes necessary to achieve it and coined the oft-cited (but not the first) definition:

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising  the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Twenty years after the report, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, a wonderful bimonthly magazine, is examining how far we have come since 1987. The Brundtland Report paid scant attention to water, but availability of water has since become a critical issue. So the magazine devoted part of its March/April 2008 issue (volume 50, no. 2) to the following two articles about water. I have reproduced the abstracts, but the articles must be purchased (online) if you choose to do so. The entire issue is worth purchasing.

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

Strengthening Global Water Initiatives, by Robert G. Varady, Katharine Meehan, John Rodda, Emily McGovern, and Matthew Iles-Shih

Abstract
Groundwater systems provide 25 to 40 percent of the world's drinking water, yet they suffer from massive overdraft and inadequate rates of recharge. The world's rivers, already overtaxed by pollution and the effects of damming and diversion, are also exhibiting declining flows-especially in arid and semiarid regions. Nearly a billion urban dwellers live in slums with unacceptably low rates of water provision, while sanitation coverage in developing countries (49 percent) is only half of that of the developed world (98 percent). Drought, pollution, ecosystem degradation, natural disasters, urbanization, corruption, and population growth are some of the many dynamics that pressure water resources at levels beyond the watershed. The ensemble draws on common notions of institutional sustainability that include laws, policymaking processes, organizational forms, and activities that induce stability and resilience; thus, they permit institutions to transcend personal politics, withstand opposition, and preserve legitimacy over the long term. In this view, global water initiatives (GWIs) can be broadly defined as the institutional frameworks, organizations, special events, and awareness-raising campaigns that focus on global water-resources management. The upshot is that GWIs are more than just highly visible international congresses.

Water and Sustainability: A Reappraisal, by Malin Falkenmark

Abstract
The consequence of the conceptual difficulties was that the tension between environment and development was inadequately expressed and poorly understood. The poor conceptual framework around human interactions in the landscape sustained the dichotomy between natural resources and their handling and the more or less unavoidable environmental side effects produced by the landscape interventions required (pipelines, canals, well drilling, drainage, land clearing, and land cover change, for example). The situation has isolated engineers and environmental proponents from each other. This dilemma in conceptualization became extremely unsatisfactory in a world approaching a dangerous situation (including energy crisis, ozone depletion, global warming, and scarcity of cropland) with a rapidly growing human population that is dependent on the productivity of landscapes, which are already full of symptoms of past mismanagement of land and water (floods, water scarcity, water pollution, and water-related land fertility degradation). The need to take sustainable development seriously, for the sake of our children and grandchildren, calls attention to three perspectives in terms of knowledge-based policy development: 

1. Pollution must be stopped to secure usable raw water sources and protect biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems, in the long term moving toward a water pollution veto.
2. Awareness of depletive water use involved in plant production is essential, therefore water resources planning and management approaches need to incorporate green water resources (soil moisture) and green water use (evaporation).
3. Groundwater has to be incorporated into water resources planning and management because of its link to river flow.

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

Falkenmark's comments are interesting. She's quite well-known and I have heard her speak, but she rarely mentions ground water (a common affliction among many mainstream international water people), so  her inclusion of item (3) is pleasantly surprising. But she does say that we need to consider ground water because of its link to river flow. So much for non-tributary ground water.

"So which of the twenty-nine definitions of 'sustainable development' are you using today?" --  a former economics colleague of mine

Winters Doctrine Centennial Conference

On 28 February 2008 I posted about Indian water rights and the Winters Doctrine. I was remiss in failing to mention that 2008 is the centennial of the Winters vs. United States Supreme Court case that established Federal reserved rights.

Well, no sooner had I posted the item then I received an announcement from colleague Sanford (Sandy) Gaines, the Director of the Utton Transboundary Resources Center (Utton Center) about a conference the UC is hosting with the American Indian Law Center, Inc. (AILC): The Winters Centennial: Will Its Commitment to Justice Endure?.

The symposium will be 9-12 June 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort just north of Albuquerque on the Santa Ana Pueblo, which owns and operates the resort.

An all-star group will be speaking: Dan McCool, A. Dan Tarlock, Charles Wilkinson, Patty Limerick, et al. Check out the program:

Download Winters_Program_3-5-08.pdf

Jim Thebaut will be showcasing a rough cut of his film, The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?

From the conference WWW site:

The year 2008 marks the centennial of Winters v. United States, in which the Court formulated the reserved water rights doctrine now broadly asserted by Indian tribes and federal agencies. The decision, because of its enduring promise of justice to Native Americans, marks one of the great achievements of American jurisprudence.  The decision made possible the continuity of many Indian communities and non-Indian communities alike, along with the protection of important environmental resources. Now, one hundred years later, the question is whether the promise of Winters will be fulfilled. In celebration of the Winters Centennial, the Utton Transboundary Resources Center and the American Indian Law Center will convene a major symposium in June 2008 along the waters of the Rio Grande near Albuquerque. The symposium will review the legal and cultural history of the decision, assess the contemporary consequences of the reserved water rights doctrine (both nationally and internationally), and project the significance of Indian water rights into the 21st Century. The goal of the symposium is to assemble Indian reserved rights policy makers and decision makers at all levels in order to deepen the understanding of the effect of Winters and to advance the dialogue regarding the future role of reserved rights.

This will be a can't-miss event.

"Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." -- Chief Joseph, Nez Perce Indians

It's National Ground Water Awareness Week!

Today begins National Ground Water Awareness Week.

Anyone heard making statements like "The North American Great Lakes contain 20% of the world's fresh water", or "Lake Baikal holds about 20% of the earth's fresh water" will be in deep doo-doo.

To learn more, visit www.wellowner.org.

'When water chokes you, what are you to drink to wash it down?" -- Aristotle

H2OSU March Newsletter; ASR Symposium

The March newsletter of the Institute for Water and Watersheds (IWW) is now available here.

Our 28 February 2008 Symposium on Aquifer Storage and Recovery and Articifical Recharge in Oregon was quite successful; we had over 170 attendees.

We have posted the following on our WWW site:

• Todd Jarvis' recap
• Abstracts and bios of presenters
• PDFs of all the PowerPoint presentations
• Streaming videos of the presentations (coming soon!)

Here is a great little information brief on Enhanced Ground Water Storage from the National Ground Water Association (NGWA):

Download info_brief_enhanced_gw_storage.pdf

"I wish I could have gone to the ASR & AR in Oregon Symposium, but viewing the presentations is almost as good." -- Jules Dupuit

Global Perspectives on Large Dams - Conference and Publication

On 3-5 November 2006 the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies held a conference exploring Global Perspectives on Large Dams. Over 150 attendees heard 40 experts and a keynote address by former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt.

A large dam is classified as one that is at least 15 m (50 feet) high, as measured form the foundation. A dam that is between 5m and 15m high is classified as a large dam if its reservoir volume is greater than 3 million cubic meters (about 2,400 acre-feet).  Using these definitons, there are about 45,000 large dams in the world.

Kara DiFrancesco and Kathryn Woodruff, two of the seven graduate students who organized the conference, assembled a report based on the conference. You can download a pdf here (if you are unable to download it, visit environment.yale.edu/publications and click on "Environment and Development").

I have the pleasure of knowing Kara - she was in the first group of three undergraduates I took to Honduras each summer from 2002 through 2004. Bright person with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Sciences from UVA with minors in Economics and Systems Engineering.

Here is the introdctory material from the WWW site:

The multifaceted issues surrounding large dams are the source of immense debate among scholars, technical experts, social justice advocates, development professionals, politicians, and engineers. Though essential to development through the provision of water supply, hydropower production, river transport, and flood control, large dams can also have significant deleterious effects on the environment and social wellbeing. The Global Perspectives on Large Dams Conference held at Yale University, November 3-5, 2006, brought together some of the leading experts involved in this debate with the hope of furthering the discussion on large dams.

You can also order a paper copy if you prefer.

Here are downloadable copies of the Table of Contents, Executive Summary, Introduction, and Keynote Address.

Download t_of_c.pdf 

Download 02_executive_summary.pdf 

Download 03_intro_the_debate.pdf 

Download 04_intro_keynote_speech.pdf 

Enjoy!

"The difference between economists and political scientists is that economists assume people behave rationally. " -- Unknown

Symposium on ASR & AR in Oregon: Final Program and Abstracts

Our one-day symposium on Aquifer Storage and Recovery and Artificial Recharge in Oregon is all set to go on 28 February 2008. Click here for registration and other information. You can download the final program and abstracts (oral and poster) below.

Download asr_symposium_22808.pdf 

David Pyne, arguably the world's foremost ASR expert, will be our keynoter, and Catherine (Cat) Shrier, herself an ASR expert and a member of the National Research Council (NRC) Committee that produced the report, Prospects for Managed Underground Storage of Recoverable Water, will also speak.

Here you can download a synopsis of the NRC report:

Download managed_underground_storage_final.pdf

Pyne will also sign copies of his book, Aquifer Storage Recovery, 2/e, at the end of the symposium.

See you in Corvallis on 28 February!

"If I were alive, I definitely would be attending this symposium! It's sure to be a winner!" -- M. King Hubbert

Two Conferences: 1) GIS & Water Resources; 2) Ground Water Summit

1) The American Water Resources Association (AWRA) will host its 5th Water Resources and GIS Specialty Conference in San Mateo, CA, 17-19 March, 2008. Conference information is here; you can register online or download a fax/mail-in form below:

Download awra_registration.pdf 

This is THE meeting to attend whether you are a "GIS-water nerd" or just a "GIS-water nerd" groupie.

2) The National Ground Water Association's (NGWA) Fourth Annual Ground Water Summit will be held in Memphis, TN, 30 March - 3 April. This is the premier "all ground water, all the time" technical meeting in North America. We started convening them in 2005, and they have been successful.

Complete Summit information is now available, including the program.

For those of you interested in hydrophilanthropy-developing countries, there will be an all-day session on 2 April.

There will be a tribute to our departed colleague and friend, Tom Prickett - a