midwest farmer perspective on water issues

http://www.hpj.com/archives/2008/jul08/jul28/ThisGenieisstillinthebottle.cfm (one midwest farmer's view on water - and a recognition that water straddles the line between commodity and sacred resource - what is clear is that we must work towards greater "crop per drop."

Australia considers "scarcity pricing"

Higher prices during dry times, lower prices during wet......as well as a tiered system with households being charged more for greater usage. Household usage however, is not where most of our water goes - it's mostly destined for agriculture or industry - will pricing reform for large-scale water use drive up food prices?

US Company secures contract to pipe filtered seawater into high Chilean desert for copper/gold mining

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/itt-chosen-move-filtered-seawater/story.aspx?guid=%7B89F5A557-A4F6-4227-A4F2-2FD9012F426C%7D&dist=hppr

Bill to create new federal research programs to expand water supplies passes committee

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700243583,00.html Deseret News, Utah

While expressing worry that a water crisis could be looming from drought and population growth, a House committee passed Wednesday a bill by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, to create new federal research programs on how to expand water supplies.

Matheson's bill would create the new program in the Environmental Protection Agency to research such things as how to expand supplies through collection and reuse of rainwater and greywater; research on water storage and distribution systems; and research on social and economic barriers to greater water efficiency.

The bill was passed by the House Science and Technology Committee, and now goes to the full House

CSR and Water - Water in the supply chain

http://www.climatechangecorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=5487

Businesses realize that there are risks in production surrounding their water use. How are they responding?

Beverage bottlers use 575 BILLION liters of water each year

According to Fred Dubee, keynote speaker at the recent water summit in Milwaukee, 200 liters of water go into the the raw materials to produce one glass of milk or one slice of bread.

Aguanomics - the water myth stems from irrational pricing that does not reflect scarcity

Water is underpriced which leads to the perception that there is no shortage and dissuades conservation. In this piece appearing in Forbes, David Zetland argues that "We can solve America's water "shortage" in the same way that we would solve a shortage in any market. Increase prices until the quantity demanded falls to equal supply. This pricing system would ensure that everyone gets a basic allocation of cheap water while forcing guzzlers to pay a high price." http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/07/14/california-supply-demand-oped-cx_dz_0715water.html


www.Aguanomics.com

New York Times: Mideast Facing Choice Between Crops and Water

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/business/worldbusiness/21arabfood.html?_r=2&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

"Egypt is establishing an estimated 200,000 acres of farmland in the desert each year, even as it loses 60,000 acres of its best farmland to urbanization, said Richard Tutwiler, director of the Desert Development Center at the American University in Cairo. “It’s sand,” he said, referring to the reclaimed desert land. “It’s not the world’s most fertile soil.”

...

For more than 5,000 years, farmers have worked the land along the Nile and in the Nile Delta, the lotus-shaped plain north of Cairo where centuries of accumulated silt have produced a deep, rich layer of topsoil. They have endured drought, flood, locust and pestilence.
Now the scourge is development. For farmers like Magdy Abdel-Rahman, the new buildings not only ruin the rural tranquillity of his ancient fields, with the constant hammering and commotion, but they also reduce his yields."

Is it urban development that is the scourge or is it the damming of the Nile and the fact that the natural cyclical flooding of the river which has produeced the "deep rich layer of topsoil" can now only be produced from irrigation. The accumulated silt may help the stability of river banks.

Drought-plagued Iraq - negotiating with neighbors for increased water supply

Iraq negotiates with Turkey to increase water flow to combat drought conditions.

In their recent joint declaration of July 10, water has a major role. See: http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc071508MES.html

Encouraging cooperation in the field of water resources and agriculture to assist Iraq in meeting its agricultural needs and water requirements including irrigation by taking into account Turkey’s agricultural needs and water requirements to provide such assistance

Water Water Everywhere, and Little to Drink in Kerela, India

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20080713015052&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0
World Bank to finance 'Jalanidhi project' in Kerala, India. The World Bank has had a reputation of financing costly damming projects that have led to decreased water availability for individual users, though such projects do overwhelmingly benefit 1) agro-businesses and industries who are the major users, and 2) construction firms who build the dams and irrigation works.

CSR Wire - Water Scarcity

http://www.csrwire.com/News/12592.html


U.S. Faces Era Of Water Scarcity: Profligate Use Hurts In Unexpected Places; Quest For New Supplies Nationwide
Circle of Blue reports on emerging water crisis

Water Academy Launched in Abu Dhabi

The launch of the first Arab Water Academy brings everyone from academics to policy makers to implement new training initiatives for better water management.

Great Lakes States Enter Compact to Prevent Water from Being Diverted

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92297955

The Great Lakes contain 90% of sufrace freshwater in the US and one fifth of the world's surface freshwater. Great Lakes states have agreed to protect their water from being diverted to drier, thirstier areas - but will the US Congress approve such an endeavor?

A Maine Community Struggles Over Whether to Lease its Water to Poland Spring (Nestle)

Even communities with an abundance of clean water face difficult questions about how to manage the water and who should have access. A community in Maine struggles with the question of whether to lease access to its water supply to a for-profit company. Citizens have raised enough concern to delay a vote on implementation of a deal between the towns of Wells, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport and Poland Spring. The questions they raise include:
Why should the district sell water for commercial extraction at all?Should the district sell water to Poland Spring, which is owned by a multi-national company, Nestle?
Is this deal privatizing a public source of water?
See full article with the community's Q&A:
www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/OPINION/807030356&sfad=1
Also see the following for more background:
www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=55195

The World's Water Future

The problems of water management are at the heart of an integrated crisis of global development that includes climate change and food insecurity, says Mike Muller, former Director of South Africa's Department of Water Affairs and Forrestry.

"Intregrated" is the key word for Muller - he notes there is a lack of intergrated goveranance and planning to manage water by governments.

Climate Change and Global Security (Center for American Progress)

Center for American Progress piece by John Podesta and Peter Ogden on G8 Summit as platform to address climate change impact on global security issues - here's what they say about water:


"We should also begin to plan for the implications of increased water scarcity due to climate change in the Middle East. The water politics of the region are enormously complex and volatile: The Jordan River physically links the water interests of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority; the Tigris and Euphrates links Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. While we are not likely to see “water wars” per se, these countries will have no choice but to pursue more aggressively the kinds of technological and political arrangements that will enable them to survive in this water-stressed region."

GE in water filtration treatment joint venture

Milwaukee to become hub of water technology.

We should keep track of all water technology business ventures

Western American Governors Confront Water Scarcity

Wyoming Star-Tribune, By CHRIS MERRILLStar-Tribune environment reporter
"Governors Hear Water Warning"

In a discussion following presentations on the report, Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said the challenges of the West’s scarce water supply have been ignored for “far too long.”The region needs, among other things, a better understanding of the total water inventory available, and scientists need to get a better handle on the relationship between streams, runoff and groundwater, Otter said.“We’ve got to know what we have in order to know if we can sustain that growth,” Otter said.Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman said water is “the issue of the decade” in his state, as it, like other states, has faced “historic drought.”Otter agreed with the panelists that the “lowest-hanging fruit” in the water shortage crisis is conservation, but also called for an expanded infrastructure for water development, including increasing the heights of dams wherever possible.

Reuters: Water firms hope profits will flow from Asia

"There is fantastic growth potential in Asia due to the many issues of water shortages, water scarcity, plus the fact that more and more people are living in bigger cities," said Jean-Michel Herrewyn, chief executive of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, a unit of Veolia Environment the world's largest listed water supplier.