BLOG

Archive for February, 2024

Will It Pay Off? In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, Paying for the Water They Use

Via JFleck’s Inkstain, a look at an interesting experiement in western U.S. water management: Folks in Colorado’s San Luis Valley are engaged in a bold experiment in western water management – charging farmers for the water they use. Jerd Smith explains: A new rule approved by the area’s largest irrigation district, known as Subdistrict 1, and […]

Read more »



Iran’s Lake Urmia Is Lying On Its Deathbed With A Small Window Of Time Left To Save It, Experts Warn

Via Forbes, an article on the deteriorating condition of Iran’s Lake Urmia: This is a sad story but one with a little bit of hope in the end. Like the famous Aral Sea in central Asia and the Great Salt Lake in Utah, the expanse of Iran’s Lake Urmia has been drying up for years. […]

Read more »



Like Utah, California Has Had Pipeline Dreams To Save Its Drying Salton Sea

Via KUER, an article on California’s – and Utah’s – pipeline dreams to save inland water bodies: Most people don’t know that California’s largest lake — the Salton Sea — was a mishap. Birthed in 1905 when the Colorado River experienced massive floods, the accidental lake soon became a community commodity. It once was a recreation destination, […]

Read more »



Romancing the River: The Appropriation Doctrine – and Its Appropriation

Via Sibley’s Rivers, commentary on the Colorado River Compact and the appropriation doctrine: ‘The single biggest roadblock to solving the problem of stabilizing the river is the priority system.’ – Tom Buschatzke, Director of Arizona’s ? Department of Water Resource Last post, I laid out some reasons why the water mavens now engaged in mapping […]

Read more »



Thirsty Dragon: China Is Building World’s First “Super Dam” Along The Yarlung Zangbo River

Via , a report on China’s “Super Dam” on The Yarlung Zangbo River: China is the undisputed world champion of dam building. Not only do they have more working large dams than every other country in the world, but they also hold the record for the largest capacity hydroelectric power station in operation: the Three Gorges […]

Read more »



Pollution Risks Worsening Global Water Scarcity

Via Terra Daily, a report on the risk that pollution poses to global water scarcity: Water scarcity could affect three billion more people than previously expected by mid-century, with increased pollution rendering river sources “unsafe” for humans and wildlife, researchers warned Tuesday. The UN’s climate science panel has said that around half the world’s population […]

Read more »


© 2025 Water Politics LLC .  'Water Politics', 'Water. Politics. Life', and 'Defining the Geopolitics of a Thirsty World' are service marks of Water Politics LLC.