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The Drying Of The American West
February 23rd, 2014
Courtesy of The Economist, a sobering report on the drought conditions in the American west: THE first rule for staying alive in a desert is not to pour the contents of your water flask into the sand. Yet that, bizarrely, is what the government has encouraged farmers to do in the drought-afflicted south-west. Agriculture accounts […]
Read more »Peak Water in the American West
August 24th, 2013
Via Science, a startling assessment of the U.S. West’s water challenges from Peter Gleick: Dropping water levels in Lake Mead, behind Hoover Dam. (Source: Peter Gleick 2013) It is no surprise, of course, that the western United States is dry. The entire history of the West can be told (and has been, in great books […]
Read more »A Thirsty Breadbasket: Drought and Overuse Plague a Critical U.S. Aquifer
August 12th, 2013
Via STRATFOR (subscription required), a report on the depletion of the High Plains Aquifer in the central U.S.: Groundwater depletion of the High Plains Aquifer in the central United States due to overuse, drought and mismanagement poses a major long-term threat to U.S. agricultural production and exports. Irrigation using water from the aquifer supports a significant […]
Read more »High & Dry: United States High Plains Endure Low Water
May 23rd, 2013
Courtesy of The New York Times, a detailed look at the challenges faced by the High Plains region in the United States: IPortions of the High Plains Aquifer are rapidly being depleted by farmers who are pumping too much water to irrigate their crops, particularly in the southern half in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Levels […]
Read more »U.S., Mexico: The Decline Of The Colorado River And A Projected Water Deficit
May 14th, 2013
Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), a detailed look at an amendment to a standing water treaty between the United States and Mexico which has received publicity over the past six months as an example of progress in water sharing agreements. But – as the article notes – the amendment, called Minute 319, is simply a glimpse […]
Read more »Nevada: Rancher Fears Water Grab ‘Disaster’
May 5th, 2013
Via the ReviewJournal, an interesting article on the tussle over water rights between Nevada and Utah: In Snake Valley, the sun comes up in Utah and sets in Nevada. The man in the middle has worked both sides of the line for more than 50 years. Dean Baker moved to the valley 300 miles northeast […]
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