Sustainable roofs and EPA news

First, a couple of great ideas for rooftops from some smart high school students...

Second, last week we approved New York's 2010 303(d) list of impaired waters and released information to generate public interest and involvement.

Fragile Waterways

In honor of Earth Day, New York's PBS station just ran a good overview of some of the most pressing water resource issues in New York State. The piece includes investigations of the Gowanus Canal, the Great Lakes, hydrofracking, and Peconic Bay. A decent soundtrack too: Radiohead, Explosions in the Sky (?), Phish, etc. Check it out:

Coupla videos to share

First, I present The Story of Bottled Water.

Second, A Simple Question: The Story of STRAW:



Third, Tapped:

Please comment!

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released its draft 2010 303(d) list of impaired waterbodies and its draft Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodologies here. Comments will be accepted through February 26, 2010. Please provide data and/or information -- public comment is one of the most powerful ways to raise the profile of waters that need management attention!

Dinosaur water

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

Water hogs!

I caught an interesting bit on water supply in the US on the CBS Evening News last night. Glad to see that this is getting so much attention.

I can't wait to get Steve Solomon's book...


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Water wars?

Check this NPR story about this book coming out tomorrow... pre-order on Amazon.

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

Mustang Truckee

The New York Times did a colorful story yesterday on the restoration of Nevada's Truckee River and its relationship with the evolution of the Mustang Ranch.

I did a bit of poking around online and found a Nature Conservancy site related to the project, photos and videos taken by consultants to TNC (looks like a cool place to work!), and a list of designated use impairments to the Truckee.

Should definitely be interesting to see what happens and whether this restoration reduces turbidity, temperature, nutrients and, thereby, obviates the need for Total Maximum Daily Loads... and how long these changes take.

Toxic Waters

It's going to take me a while to wade through this entire New York Times series, but so far it's fascinating and dead-on with respect to my experiences as a regulator.

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...

Clean Water Act webcast

Here's a good chance to get some background on the way that the Clean Water Act works:

EPA’s Watershed Academy to sponsor free July 1st Webcast on the Clean Water Act

EPA’s Watershed Academy sponsors free Webcasts to help build the capacity of watershed practitioners from around the globe. On Wednesday, July 1, 2009, the Watershed Academy will sponsor the first in a series of Webcasts about the Clean Water Act (CWA). This first Webcast will provide an introduction to the CWA including a brief history of the Act, an explanation of technology vs. water quality-based approaches, and a brief overview of key components of the Act and related EPA regulations. Future Webcasts will focus on key aspects of the CWA including water quality standards, monitoring and assessment, total maximum daily loads, programs for managing point sources and nonpoint sources, and wetland protection.

The Webcast will feature William (Bill) Painter, Environmental Scientist with EPA’s Watershed Branch. Bill serves as an expert trainer on the CWA and is the author of a popular online Watershed Academy Web module, “Introduction to the Clean Water Act,” posted at http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/cwa/.

Registration is now open at http://epa.gov/watershedwebcasts. Archived audio versions of past Webcasts are available at the same address.

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.

Another plug for Blue Gold: World Water Wars

I finally watched Blue Gold: World Water Wars tonight and I was blown away by how much I didn't know about multinational companies' involvement in water provision.  I highly recommend watching it below (if that doesn't work, try here).

NC mulls stricter water management

North Carolina's state legislature is considering further regulation of the state's water resources, to include mandatory permits on users that extract 100,000 gallons or more in a single day period.

Check the Senate version of the bill here and the House version here.