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Groundwater: What Happens When It Runs Out?
September 16th, 2023
Via Echo River Capital, a presentation on groundwater: During a recent drive through the Central Valley of California, I saw electric motors sat on the corners of irrigation blocks pumping water to all manner of crops in a state that provides 90% of the nation’s vegetables and nuts, as well as rice, cotton and alfalfa. […]
Read more »U.S. Pumping So Much Groundwater That Its Splitting Ground Open
September 14th, 2023
Via The Insider, a report on the fact that the US has pumped so much groundwater that it’s literally splitting the ground open across the American Southwest: The United States has been pumping so much groundwater it’s splitting the ground open. The giant cracks occur when the ground sags and splits as natural water levels […]
Read more »Dry States’ Interest In Mississippi River Water
September 14th, 2023
Via AP News, an article on some U.S. “dry” states’ interest in Mississippi River water: Mayors from cities along the river are expected to vote on whether to support a new compact among the river’s 10 states at this week’s annual meeting of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, according to its executive director […]
Read more »New California Law Bolsters Groundwater Recharge As Strategic Defense Against Climate Change
September 14th, 2023
Via Water Education Foundation, an article on a new California law that bolsters groundwater recharge as a strategic defense against climate change: A recent change in California law is expected to result in significantly more public funding for groundwater recharge like this state-run project, which diverted floodwater from the San Joaquin River to a Madera […]
Read more »AI Technology Behind ChatGPT Was Built With A Lot of Water
September 14th, 2023
Via AP News, a report on the water intensity of ChatGPT: The cost of building an artificial intelligence product like ChatGPT can be hard to measure. But one thing Microsoft-backed OpenAI needed for its technology was plenty of water, pulled from the watershed of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers in central Iowa to cool […]
Read more »California: Moving to Outlaw Watering Decorative Grass
September 13th, 2023
Via the Los Angeles Times, a report on California’s move to outlaw watering some grass that’s purely decorative: Outdoor watering accounts for roughly half of total water use in Southern California’s cities and suburbs, and a large portion of that water is sprayed from sprinklers to keep grass green. Under a bill passed by state legislators […]
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