Entries by Kaye LaFond

The Stream, October 31: Halloween Scare — World’s Aquifers Are Disappearing

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The Global Rundown The world’s aquifers are disappearing, and the Aral Sea is vanishing. Researchers from Massachusetts have deduced that the water on earth has been here since the planet’s formation, while scientists from Nebraska and Illinois have written a computer program for buying and selling water rights. Record floods in August caused mass amounts […]

The Stream, October 29: Looking Back at 42 Years of the Clean Water Act

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Science North America, South America A new report from Environment America details successes of the Clean Water Act passed in the United States 42 years ago. 15 rivers, lakes and bays are highlighted. Notably, the Cuyahoga River, which once was so polluted that it actually caught fire, now supports a healthy fishery. Researchers from Chile […]

The Stream, October 24: World Bank Study on Water & Wastewater Utilities

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Water Utilities  4,400 water utilities in more than 135 countries were analyzed for a report released by The World Bank entitled the International Benchmarking Network Water Supply and Sanitation Blue Book 2014. According to the publication, utilities worldwide have continued to improve and expand services overall, but they have faced challenges in delivering wastewater services […]

The Stream, October 22: Cash-Strapped Zimbabwe Taxes Private Water Supplies

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Water Pricing Africa Residents of Harare, Zimbabwe, must now pay taxes on private water supplies, Bloomberg News reported. The government, while unable to meet the water needs of residents through a public supply, is still collecting much needed revenue from taxes paid on water deliveries from private companies.  Water Technology Middle East, North America, South […]

The Stream, October 10: Nestle Chairman Supports Higher Prices for Big Water Users

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Water Pricing The more water you use, the more you should pay for it, says Nestle’s Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Bloomberg News reported. Brabeck-Letmathe spoke at a Nestle corporate sustainability meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland yesterday. “For rare resources, the economy of scale is the biggest mistake you can have,” he asserted, referring to the common practice […]

Celebrating with a Blue Streak

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A new member of the Circle of Blue team introduces herself. If you’re observant, you may have noticed a new name on Circle of Blue’s maps and graphics this summer – my name, Kaye LaFond. Maybe you’ve even read one of my stories. Since early June, I’ve been hanging around the Circle of Blue office […]

Oil Rupture in Line 5 Pipeline in Mackinac Straits Would Be A Mammoth Mess

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University of Michigan study provides online video scenarios of fast and expansive movement of oil in two Great Lakes. Photo courtesy of University of Michigan Water Center Researchers used computer simulations to study how an oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac would behave. A crude oil pipeline that transports up to 23 million gallons […]