Entries by Andrew Maddocks

The Stream, March 14: Colorado Utilities Limit Municipal Water Use

Colorado residents will face some of the strictest water limits ever this spring and summer, as the state’s largest municipal water providers try to curtail spring and summer watering to two times per week. The restrictions, The Denver Post reported, show how severe the ongoing drought has been in Colorado. Fracking Commentary Two scientists explained […]

The Stream, March 12: Water Replaces Soda as America’s Drink of Choice

Americans drink more water than any other beverage — a turnaround from 1998, when the average United States person drank more soda than water in a year. Soda consumption is down from 54 gallons to to 44 gallons per person per year, the Associated Press reported, while water is up from 42 gallons consumed per […]

The Stream, March 11: China’s Potential Shale Gas Boom ‘In Trouble’

None of the 16 firms awarded exploration rights for Chinese shale-gas reserves has ever drilled a gas well before. That lack of experience, Reuters reported, could be another setback in China’s plans to tap its shale-gas reserves, the largest in the world. Read Circle of Blue’s coverage of the barriers to China’s shale-gas development potential […]

Washington Water Main, March 7: Interior Secretary Nominee Greets A Respectful Senate Committee

Interior Secretary nominee Sally Jewell is expected to take the helm of a department with major influence over United States’ water, food, and energy systems later this month after a relatively cordial confirmation hearing.

The Stream, March 7: Chinese Farmers Fear Drought

Since 2009, regular droughts hit Southwest China in winter, spring and early summer. That pattern has reshaped lifestyles of people in Yunnan province and beyond, China Daily reported, and shifted the kinds of crops that can be planted. Water and Hydraulic Fracturing A manager from Ceres, a sustainability advocacy and consulting group, wrote her latest […]

The Stream, March 5: Southwest U.S. Municipalities Feel Drought’s Early Effects

A handful of cities north of Denver, Colo., are asking residents to save water, 9News.com reported, anticipating shortages in the coming months from below-average snowpack levels. Albuquerque, New Mexico is on drought watch this year, N.M. Science reported, in the middle of the third-driest water year on record. Water years, as reported by the National […]

The Stream, March 4: Attention and Resources Turning to U.S. Reservoirs

As drought settles in to water districts around the U.S., particularly in southern and western states, reservoirs are gaining prominence. In Texas alone, planners are envisioning 26 new large reservoirs, The New York Times reported, with a $US 13.6 billion price tag. Hydraulic Fracturing in Europe Poland is the latest country to find itself on […]

Washington Water Main, March 1: Different Futures in World Energy Systems; Change at Top of U.S. Interior Department

Shell Oil Co. released a study projecting alternative futures for global energy supply, and Sally Jewell faces political opposition to her nomination as Secretary of the Interior.

The Stream, February 28: Parallel Water Challenges in U.S. and Middle East

California and Israel have similar environments, and therefore similar water-management challenges. From drought to increasing agricultural demand to population pressures, a University of California research fellow wrote at National Geographic, the challenges facing Israel, and Isreal’s responses, offer learning opportunities for California, and others. Dominican Infrastructure Residents on the Dominican Republic’s north-south border should have […]

The Stream, February 25: Preventive Flood Planning Gains Urgency Along U.S. East Coast

With scientists confident that warmer climates will make Atlantic Ocean-spawned storms bigger and more damaging, Boston and cities like it are preparing. A range of measures can mitigate damage from major storms, NPR reported, from small steps like spotting doors or vents vulnerable to flooding to major citywide readiness initiatives. Conflict Looms The Middle East […]

Washington Water Main, February 22: Natural Gas and Climate Change Take Center Stage

A Senate committee hosts arguments on the federal government’s role in the U.S. natural gas boom, while Democrats this week released a climate bill that could be the first in years to reach the Senate floor.