Author: brookefa

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Russias Water Crisis

  1. Russia http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-17/russia-s-lake-baikal-water-level-nearing-critical-stage
    1. In Russia Lake Baikal fell to 1 cm above critical levels. This lake is where the world gets 20% of its freshwater. Since 2013 the water levels have fallen around 40cm which is major. This drop will ensue many changes is the surrounding towns and areas pertaining to water usage. The Russian government is talking about rationing because of the rest of the world’s dependence on this source. They are also waiting to make any major decision because usually by May the water is restored to its usual levels. One other way that the government is ensuring water security is by flowing some of the water down rivers to hydroelectric power plants to generate power. This will help save money and keep neighboring towns powered.
    2. This relates to Environmental Science because many aspects are being discussed that are relevant. The way that the water is being used is efficient and forward thinking. This article is also helpful because is further emphasizes our drought and dependence on one source of water. We need to start thinking about other ways we can get clean drinkable water.
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Ireland Water Prices

  1. Ireland http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/data-blog-irish-water-charges-to-be-cheapest-in-europe-1.2085619
    1. New laws have been put in place where Ireland will pay the least amount for their water. With the rising discussion on water this is beneficial to the country. Most of Europe uses the meters to base their charges rather than a fixed rate that Ireland is using. Some people like the rate because it lets them know how much water they can use. Others like the meter because they can use as much as they want and pay for the amount they use. Irelands water is the cheapest in Europe because of the abundance that they have. Places like Denmark have to pay 6.33 compared to Irelands .89.
    2. This is relevant to Environmental Science because it contrasts places where theres drought and where there isn’t. This information is useful because it helps us better understand how our world is functioning as a whole. Mostly we see the droughts and problems that are going on but we rarely see the positive aspects. This further proves that even though the climate is changing and many countries are having a hard time adjusting there are still places that we can look up to.
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Brazil Water Crisis

  1. Brazil http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/11428718/Taps-run-dry-in-Brazils-biggest-city-as-drought-bites.html
    1. Like California, Brazil is going through a major drought. Even though in february the country received the most rainfall all year they still are running out at a rapid pace. Since 2012 there has been warnings that there might not be enough water to carry this population in the coming years. The reason why no one knew about it was because of political reasons. The most recently elected president didn’t want to carry that burden on his shoulders until it was necessary so the government decided to not tell the public. This created a major shock that people are now having to deal with. The water supply shuts off at 1pm so on lunch breaks citizens of San Paolo run to the nearest water pipe to collect their water for the day.
    2. This relates to Environmental Science because it has to do with the distribution of water. Many people are scared now because the country might have to start rationing if worst comes to worst. Until now water had been easy flowing and there was no issue about whose water it was because there was enough for everyone. Now the real issue is what you do with a resource that technically can’t be owned by one particular organization. That is why the government is trying to take control of the situation before it gets even more out of hand.
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West Africa Water

 

  1. West Africa http://blog.al.com/press-releases/2015/02/water_relief_continues_in_west.html
    1. West Africa is in the middle of an Ebola crisis and on top of that lacking in clean water. This absence is what is worsening the disease because when treating Ebola, clean water is needed to clean the sheets; disinfect the surrounding area and wash the patients. People from all over the world are contributing to the cause but it still isn’t enough. There are more people dying because the infrastructure for clean water hasn’t been built. This is why people need to donate not just water but to the construction of wells and pipes that can carry water to these towns that don’t have any.
    2. This relates to Environmental Science because of the water crisis that is occurring all over the world. We as a human race are slowly using up all the freshwater that we have. Some places like West Africa don’t even have the availability of clean water like we do. This imbalance is what spreads disease and keeps people in poverty. It also prevents nations as a whole from developing. The positive part of this is that people are starting to realize what’s going on. More and more organizations are donating the money and water to help these people.
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    Peterson, C. (2014, November 28). Wyoming protects unused water for fisheries. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://trib.com/lifestyles/recreation/wyoming-protects-unused-water-for-fisheries/article_c97e3994-ad0d-5a4c-b423-6baf3ece3fb5.html

      Long ago, the idea of leaving water in a stream for fish sounded crazy but now they need to. The fish are started to become effected by it. The Wyoming game and fish department argues that all they want is some water set aside for the fish that won’t be used for irrigation or drinking water. On the other hand the west coast is in a drought so farmers are worried that they won’t have enough water to farm. The government is now starting to set aside some water but is making sure that it won’t affect the farmer’s crops.

      The farmers need to stop arguing if they have enough water. The only reason the fish and game department is trying to get the water is because they are worried that in the future there won’t be enough for the fish to survive and then there will be another fish extinct or at least endangered. There also aren’t that many people in Wyoming (only around ½ million) considering places like Colorado has around 5 million so there is still plenty of water to tap into if worse comes to worse. These fish are a part of a delicate ecosystem that shouldn’t be put in jeopardy.

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      Pitt, J. (n.d.). With rivers tapped out, Western cities turn to farmers’ water rights. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from

http://www.edf.org/blog/2014/11/11/rivers-tapped-out-western-cities-turn-farmers-water-rights

        Farmers in Colorado are buying land just for the water to be able to keep their crops alive. Since the west is in a major drought these farmers are pushed to do anything they can. The reason the water is being taken away from these farmers is expanding cities need to use it. Since the priority is humans the government feels the need to give them all the water they want. With the Buy and Dry technique the farmers just use the land for water so other parts of the land start to deteriorate. Weeds start to grow and the land becomes unusable to future farmers who want to grow there.

There can be some alternatives that will help these farmers and the growing populations in nearby towns. Firstly if we just improve the irrigation infrastructure and make it more efficient then we can save water and give more to the farmers who need it. Secondly we should invest in more agricultural efficiency. This would mean that farmers would get a better education and understanding of how to farm bigger and better but keep the environment healthy and use less water. These need to be integrated into Colorado’s farming system soon because if they keep destroying the land just for water they won’t be able to grow crops soon enough.

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      Walker, S. (2014, November 3). Florida governor: U.S. Supreme Court to take up ‘Water Wars’ case against Georgia. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from

http://www.al.com/news/beaches/index.ssf/2014/11/florida_governor_us_supreme_co.html

      For some time now Florida has been losing their oysters due to the high sodium levels in their bay. This is causing the oysters to die and the fish industry to plummet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared a fishery disaster in which they might need to shut the whole area down for safety. Georgia argues that this water is needed to be used by humans first then the oysters. Many Floridians want to fight for the future of these oysters because it is their livelihood. If there are not any oysters then the state will see a huge economic downfall.

The government needs to come up with a balance otherwise both parties will keep fighting with each other. If the water could somehow be regulated more closely with systems that could give the correct amounts of water to each party then they won’t have to play victim of not having enough water. The EPA also needs to intervene to make sure that the oysters are being taken care of and not become endangered.

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        Barker, R. (2014, November 17). Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell news by Idaho Statesman. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/11/17/3490960/idahos-water-rights-pact-looks.html

Since 2001 the Idaho government has been disagreeing with the nez pierce tribe over water most predominantly the Snake River. The farmers argue that they need the water to feed their crops and that livestock that they have. The Nez Pierce think that since it’s their land they can do whatever they want with it. At first the government wanted to preserve the water and the endangered fish so they sacrificed around 30million dollars of farming. Then the economy went down so the government decided to give water to the farmers which in turn started killing the salmon again. This pattern has continued with issues directed at possibly losing all of its water to tribes again.This pattern of water rights throughout the country needs to be settled because we have bigger topics to focus on. Rather than fighting who gets the water we need to see how much water we have left and what we are going to do about it. There are so many crops and economies that are dying and going down that we have completely ignored because we are fighting over the water. The government needs to firstly just control the water for now because we are in a huge drought. Secondly they should have the tribes input and communication with them to let them know how they will be using the water. Thirdly they need to make sure the environment isn’t being damaged in the process.

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Interstate Stream Commission decides to divert the Gila River

Interstate Stream Commission decides to divert the Gila River. (2014, November 24). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.scsun-news.com/silver_city-news/ci_27005125?source=rss
Over the course of the past 10 years or so there has been much controversy over a stream that has run through a valuable piece of land. Conversationalists think that continuing with this project will destroy the land and not be able to get that much water at all. Many other people disagree. They think that getting this water will help with 14000 more acres of water and help save the dry southern part of Arizona. This decision is important because if not made will affect the state largely. New Mexico already has trouble receiving water and now they have to deal with this.
I think that the end decision, to use the water, will be beneficial to the whole state. The benefit outweighs the cost greatly and not going through with this project is dumb. The fact that people want to save only a little bit of land at the cost of a whole population is terrible. When the lives of people are in danger they completely trump land. The water is needed to grow crops, keep people alive and feed other organisms in the area that largely depend on this water that they are trying to take away.

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Water Rights

  1. Grantham, T., & Viers, J. (2014). 100 years of California’s water rights system: Patterns, trends and uncertainty. 8.http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/9/8/084012/article
    1. This article mainly talks about the mishandling of water in California. Over the years scientists have misread how big our population will grow and in doing so have overestimated how much water we have. We as humans don’t realize how much water we use, so when we get into droughts like this is creates an even bigger effect not just on us but on the environment around us.
    2. This article is related to environmental science because it is a part of the water issues that we are facing today. We also need to learn ways to prevent these issues from happening again. These trends that we see are important to notice because we want to have future generations be able to help change these issues as well.