The Stream, May 16: Life in 1.5-billion-year-old Water

Scientists discovered water trapped underground for more than 1 billion years north of Toronto, Canada. The water predates multicellular life on earth, NPR reported, but could contain microbes that offer insight to the earliest of Earth’s lifeforms.

Depleted Cities
More than half of all cities around the world with populations of 100,000 people or more sit in depleted water basins. A new study from The Nature Conservancy, The Atlantic Cities reported, says that urban-rural partnerships can decrease regional consumption and replenish supplies.

State Enforcement and Planning
California cannot employ enough state workers to manage its complex water-delivery system, costing taxpayers extra millions and affecting cities and farms across the state. The state Department of Water Resources, The Sacramento Bee reported, has become a training ground for private utilities and other government offices.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper ordered his state’s water conservation board to draft a management plan for the state as demand is set to balloon by 2050 with limited resources to draw upon. This is the next step in a process started two years ago, Denver Business Journal reported, to close demand-supply gaps with minimal regulatory interference.