Entries by Andrew Maddocks

The Stream, May 13: Understanding Federal Tap Water Clean-up Delays

The Safe Drinking Water Act promised federal funds for state agencies to clean up dirty or unsafe tap water at thousands of sites around the country, but for many of those, federal help is nowhere in sight. Of 4,925 applications on the ‘priority list,’ The New York Times reported, some are stuck, others have been […]

Washington Water Main, May 10: Water Infrastructure Bill Arrives on Senate Floor

The Senate began voting on Water Resources Development Act amendments this week, while the Obama Administration and several conservation groups pushed back against the bill’s language.

The Stream, May 9: Draft EPA Budget to Cut Water Quality Testing

A proposal in President Barack Obama’s draft 2014 budget would cut the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Beach Grant Program. Critics, NBC4 reported, argue that people will be less informed about unhealthy ocean water if the $US 10 million cut is imposed. Yemeni Crisis In a dispatch from Taiz, Yemen, Tom Friedman writes about the violence […]

The Stream, May 6: Planned Chinese Dam Construction Prompts Fears of Relocation, Habitat Damage, and Seismic Activity

Earlier this year, China announced plans to build a series of dams on the Nu River, a Unesco World Heritage site. The dams, The New York Times reported, will force tens of thousands of relocations, could potentially trigger earthquakes, and destroy endangered-fish spawning grounds. Improving Water Management Countries around the world, from Australia to South […]

The Stream, May 2: Even More Oil and Gas Found Beneath North Dakota

A new analysis from the U.S. Geological Survey found even more oil and gas underneath North Dakota and Montana than analyses from five years ago. The new estimates found twice the volume of recoverable oil reserves, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported, and three times more natural gas, giving North Dakota’s fields the chance to become the […]

The Stream, April 29: Snowmelt Predictions Possible With New Snowpack Measurement Techniques

Researchers from NASA and California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are developing more advanced measurements to track the Sierra Nevada’s snowpack. Predictions that were once off by 18 percent at least half the time, The Washington Post reported, will now be able to precisely track melt volume, speed, flow direction and timing within 24 hours. Recycling for […]

The Stream, April 25: Australian Groundwater Levels Dangerously Low

Many communities in the Australian outback depend on the Great Artesian Basin, an aquifer deep underground, for regular water supplies. But, if supplies disappear too quickly, The World reported, these communities will be left without their only water source. Perceived Injustice Chileans demonstrated this week against what they called excessive water use by the mining […]

The Stream, April 22: Oklahoma v.Texas in Supreme Court for Water-access Dispute

Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case pitting Oklahoma against Texas over rights to the Red River, a critical supply source for north Texas. The region is one of the fastest growing in the country, NPR reported, but faces severe water shortages. The case’s outcome will affect water-sharing agreements around […]

Washington Water Main, April 18: Commitee Confirms Ernest Moniz’s DOE Secretary Nomination

In a near-unanimous vote Thursday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved Ernest Moniz’s nomination to become the next Secretary of the Department of Energy.

The Stream, April 18: Bilateral Support for Major Water Investment in Texas

The Texas State Senate’s Natural Resources Committee passed a bill that would allocate $2 billion in state funds for water-related projects such as new reservoirs, desalination, and conservation. Broad consensus has accompanied the bill and its proposed investment of state resources, StateImpact Texas reported, with only fiscal conservative groups fighting back. One of the biggest […]