Water Resources

I am excited to announce that this week, International Rivers published a new report titled An Introduction to Integrated Resources Planning. The report, written by 1999 Fellow Chris Greacen, Chom Greacen, David von Hippel, and David Bill, demonstrates the benefits of a comprehensive approach to energy planning.

Working with the John Andrew (1995) at the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), Esther Conrad (2012) recently completed a report analyzing how water supply agencies have considered climate change in their 2010 Urban Water Management Plans. Her research shows that most large water suppliers discuss climate change in their plans, but out of the 21 large agencies studied, only one adjusted its water supply projections as a result.

Carolina Balazs, post-doctoral fellow at the University of California Davis and research scientist with the Community Water Center, says that in the Central Valley, unaffordable water rates in small disadvantaged communities with low-income households create significant economic burdens for families.

Hello all: I just received an important notice from the Global Footprint Network (based in Geneva). Today, 20 August 2013, is “Earth Overshoot Day.” It’s the approximate date that humanity’s annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth can renew in a year.

This summer I had the opportunity to bring Immersion Camp to my “backyard,” the South Yuba River near Nevada City, CA. For eight years, my colleagues and I have taught underwater science camps that provide river education while snorkeling on the Smith River in northern California. These Smith River camps are aimed at providing local outdoor experiential opportunities for Crescent City youth, many of whom have never been to their local river. In contrast, many Yuba river youth spend much of their summer at the river.

The relationship between Belize and Guatemala is complex. The history goes back hundreds of years and begins with a territorial dispute between Spain and Britain over who rightfully owned the region that would later become Belize. Guatemala has picked up the feud after gaining its independence from Spain and argues 4,900 square miles of Belizean land – which amounts to over half of the country – belongs to them. The entire nation of Belize is roughly the size of New Hampshire.

Southern California beaches with storm drain diversion systems attract millions more people annually, a new study in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin shows. The study looked at whether improving the environmental quality of coastal areas through policy intervention had an effect on the way people use coastal areas. Researchers found a direct correlation between increased attendance and the installation of storm drain diversions at 26 beaches in Santa Monica Bay and Malibu.

As recently as 20 years ago, there were an estimated 50,000 rivers in China, each covering a flow area of at least 60 square miles. But now, according to China's First National Census of Water, more than 28,000 of these rivers are missing. To put this number into context, China's lost rivers are almost equivalent, in terms of basin area, to the United States losing the entire Mississippi River. Why have these rivers "vanished" from the maps and national records?