A couple of interesting notes

One far away, the other in my very own sewershed:

1. Perhaps dust storms are a concern in Orange, CA? I don't know. Otherwise the City of Orange seems to be shooting itself in the foot by prosecuting this couple for replacing front-yard turf with drought-tolerant plantings and woodchips.

2. The Gowanus Canal, an eery, post-industrial beauty has been designated for Superfund cleanup. Check out some depressing/interesting/beautiful images here and an article here.

Dinosaur water

Given recent data on the state of California's groundwater resources, is this $40 million misspent?

Anything is realistic?

Last night 60 Minutes aired an interesting and frightening piece in which Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke about his "vision" for addressing California's water crisis. After painting a grim picture of the impact that overconsumption and a multi-year drought have had on California's agriculture and environment, the investigation shifted to what the Governator will do to combat the problem. Though he has proposed adding storage capacity through $11 billion in modifications to the State's dams and supports a canal to divert water around the Bay-Delta, instead of taking the opportunity to present additional details on his ideas, Mr. Schwarnegger spoke in platitudes. When Ms. Stahl asked whether his visions of cranes as far as the eye can see and farmers and fish coexisting in perfact harmony were really possible, Mr. Schwarzenegger stated simply "Anything is realistic. It doesn't mean because it's a desert that we cannot go and bring water in here and start growing things. All we have to do is deliver water and then we can grow anything we want."

Now that I think about it, the Governor's plan would have perfectly addressed the request Munson's boss made of him in Schizopolis:

"It should lay out a new course of action... but one that can change direction at any moment. If you must mention facts and figures, don't do so directly. The general thrust... should remain embedded in one's mind forever... but specific words should be forgotten the moment they are heard. It should contain nothing that can be confirmed or denied. It should be on my desk Friday morning."

Check out the video below and suffice to say that I hope this action plan addresses the situation more thoughtfully.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Who owns what(er)?

The SF Chronicle published an interesting note on Sunday from Dr. Peter Gleick, the President of the Pacific Institute, on water rights. The comments section is pretty instructive, as well. Lots of numbers, lots of points of view...

Musings on urban blight

First, a photographer interested in documenting the Gowanus Canal, something that I had thought about doing before I realized he'd already done it. I don't have the evidence with me here on this computer, but the similarity in some of the pictures we've taken is kind of eerie.

Second, SF-based designers who want to make something of their city's empty lots. Kind of reminds me of my backyard garden.

A few bits

In an interesting blog post on the San Francisco Chronicle site last Friday, Peter Gleick raises a provocative question regarding whether "beneficial uses" of water from California's Sacramento River should be redefined to account for the scarcity of water in the region: "Maybe it is time to explicitly demand that the SWRCB determine whether and how much water for watering lawns and outdoor landscapes is "beneficial" or "reasonable.""

A bit about getting green roof construction right in Architecture Week.

Lastly, a depressing story about Akwesasne, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, and the impact that PCBs have had on the men that live there.

Happy World Oceans Day and more

First of all, happy World Oceans Day.

Second, some interesting news over the weekend, including:

1. A  piece in the San Francisco Chronicle about a NMFS plan to restore salmon in the Bay Delta.

2. A bit in the New York Times about green roofs in New York.

3. A short article in the Boston Globe about water use in Massachusetts.

Governance must come from Governator

Bill Reilly, former EPA administrator under George H.W. Bush, called out Gov. Schwarzenegger today in the San Francisco Chronicle for his failure to provide the leadership that Mr. Reilly and colleagues deemed necessary to effectively manage the delta ecosystem.  In his piece, Mr. Reilly calls governance "the critical missing ingredient in water management in the delta."

Water efficiency in CA...

NRDC released a report yesterday on reducing the amount of water used by California's commercial, industrial, and institutional (CII) sector, which uses 2.5 million acre-feet annually, or 1/3 of the water consumed in the state's urban areas.  I haven't yet had a chance to read the full paper but skimmed the executive summary.  A couple of findings jumped out at me: 

(1) According to the group's analysis, by adopting the recommended measures, California's CII sector could collectively cut water use by up to 50% (thereby saving 1.3 million acre-feet per year).

 (2) Individual organizations could potentially tap public agencies and/or utilities to offset capital costs associated with expenditures to increase water efficiency, and would typically begin to realize savings (on water and wastewater bills) after an average estimated payback period of between 1 and 4 years (and generally less than 2 1/2 years).

Very cool stuff, and definitely deserves a full read-through.

New news and new work

A couple of interesting tidbits of note:

1. A new lawsuit in the delta smelt world.  This one was filed last Thursday by the Pacific Legal Foundation, and claims that the application of the Endangered Species Act to the delta smelt is unconstitutional because the fish has no commercial value.

2. A favorable judgment for California farmers/potentially unfavorable judgment for delta smelt.  Basically, folks managing water diversions must reconsider the impacts that export reductions have on the state's farmers.

3. A real-life Chinatown scenario involving California's environmental water account, designed to buffer the effects fo reduced water flows from the Delta, and a wealthy Beverly Hills businessman.

4. The Nature Conservancy released a report on Thursday on the condition of shellfish reefs in temperate estuaries worldwide.  The authors note that in 70% of bays and 63% of marine ecoregions, oyster populations have experienced population decline of >90% from historic levels.  The paper cites five actions critical to improving the condition of shellfish beds: improve protection efforts, restore and recover reefs, manage fisheries sustainably, stop the spread of exotic shellfish, and improve water quality.  Here's a brief teaser from the TNC blog.

5.  I will be working with Eco Brooklyn to source materials, design, and build a green roof on their show house in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.  Check their blog here for more information, though I will post my research findings, etc. here as well.

Of conflict and culture

California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is, in many ways, a useful arena in which to study the water struggles that may face the world in coming decades.  The Delta and its water are subject to competing interests: while the ecosystem supports sensitive endemic species and an array of other ecologically- and commercially-important organisms, agricultural interests and water resource management agencies seek to utilize the system to mitigate California’s dry climate and promote economic growth.  Shifting patterns of precipitation and climate change complicate the situation.  The competition for water, exotic species invasion, widespread pesticide use, and increases in stormwater runoff has caused myriad ecological impacts, including the listing of the delta smelt as a federally-threatened species.  The result has been a protracted and complicated legal battle, and pieces included in Friday's San Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee suggest that despite a resolution reached in December 2008 to reduce water exports, the fight for water is not yet over.

On a slightly different, but related, note photographer Lukas Felzmann has examined California's inland waterways, wetlands, fields, and industrial agriculture landscapes from an interesting perspective.  Check out a review of, and images from, the resulting book here and order it here.  It is phenomenal.