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.