Entries by Andrew Maddocks

The Stream, December 6: Water Wars Raging in Midwestern States

States in the midwestern United States, still reeling from this summer’s drought, are turning to the White House for help securing enough water from the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. President Barack Obama has received letters from officials in 30 states, the Associated Press reported, asking him to play a role in a dispute about whether […]

The Stream, December 3: Water Conflict in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan

Iran and Pakistan depend on four rivers that flow out of Afghanistan for irrigation. That reality makes water a critical issue in the region, Time reported, already driving executions and speculation about infrastructure sabotage between governments. Mississippi River Levels In a letter released Friday, sixteen U.S. Senators appealed to President Barack Obama to divert Missouri […]

The Stream, November 29: Ice Found on Mercury

The planet contains enough water ice to encase Washington, D.C., in a block two and a half miles deep, scientists reported. Craters on Mercury’s poles never see the sun, The New York Times reported, creating pockets cold enough for ice on one of the solar system’s hottest planets. Great Lakes Water Levels Small tourist towns […]

The Stream, November 26: Final Murray-Darling Basin Water Plan Signed into Law

Last week, the Australian government approved a plan to increase the total volume of water reserved for environmental flows in the Murray-Darling Basin. Over the next 10 years, Bloomberg Businessweek reported, the government will spend $AUS 1.8 billion to save 450 gigaliters more water for the environment. More than one third of Australia’s food supply […]

The Stream, November 19: Low Water Levels Threaten Mississippi River Barge Traffic

This summer’s massive drought left Mississippi River levels unusually low, threatening barge traffic. If levels at the Mississippi’s midpoint drop too low, all barge traffic would stop, which could force job cuts, raise fuel costs, and cut into U.S. food supplies. Water-Sipping Crops In the state of Karnataka, India, farmers are using a specialized paddy […]

The Stream, November 15: Water Supply and Quality Woes in California

Dozens of unincorporated communities in California’s Central Valley have lived for decades with contaminated drinking water — it is a constant concern. Pollutants from chemical fertilizers to pesticides, The New York Times reported, seeped into the groundwater and into taps, boosting nitrate levels to unsafe heights in 20 percent of small public water systems in […]

The Stream, November 12: U.S. and Mexico Near Water-sharing Agreement on Border

The United States and Mexico are nearing an agreement on water-sharing rights for the Colorado River south of the U.S.-Mexico border. The talks remain delicate, the Associated Press reported, as final documents are reviewed by 15 water agencies and state officials. Paying for Runoff A regional water board in Los Angeles, California approved storm-water regulations […]

The Stream, November 8: Early Look at Water in U.S. Ballot Results

Water-quality protection measures were among the 46 conservation-related measures passed by local and state voters around the country yesterday. The Trust for Public Land summarized prominent results, WaterWorld reported. The city of San Francisco will not have to create a plan to destroy the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir’s dam. More than 77 percent of voters overturned […]

The Stream, November 5: China’s Water Supply Could Limit Development

China’s Communist Party set moderate economic development targets that now appear difficult to achieve. China is running low on the water necessary to generate the power it needs to meet those goals, The Wall Street Journal reported. China’s undersea oil and gas reserves could be the largest in the world, scientists estimate. Conflict in the […]

The Stream, November 1: Water Conservation Essential in Sandy’s Wake

Millions of people across New York City, its northern suburbs, Long Island and New Jersey will have to preserve water and boil tap water, New York Daily News reported. Bacteria, waste and other pollutants likely seeped into aquifers, pipes and wells during the storm. Read tips from CNN on dealing with water polluted by Hurricane […]

What Do East Coast States, D.C., and I Have In Common? Preparations for ‘Frankenstorm’ Sandy

With Hurricane Sandy nearing landfall in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States, Circle of Blue’s Washington, D.C., correspondent reports from the nation’s capital. What do you get when you combine a hurricane, a wintry storm from the west, frigid air from the north, an unusually warm Gulf Stream, and a full moon? A storm that […]

The Stream, October 29: Hurricane Sandy Batters East Coast

Forecasters are predicting a “devastating landfall” for Hurricane Sandy within 100 miles of New York City. Flooding has already begun in New York, Virginia and elsewhere, The New York Times reported, as “One of the biggest storms of our lifetimes is unfolding right now,” anchor Kelly Cass said on the Weather Channel. Elsewhere, the world […]