Comments for AWRA Water Blog

Comment on Key Water Issues Now Facing our Nation by amir basheer

amir basheer — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:23:39 +0000

i thing the sustainable water resource or development it is very important espaially in arid and semi arid zone (my country Sudan ). Any practies lead to increases the water ( surface water, groundwater and increase the use of rainfall water in agriclture it very important.

Comment on A National Water Vision for the US? by Michael Campana

Michael Campana — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:38:51 +0000

I like the word “strategy”. When I mention “policy” in my talks in Oregon about the state’s water issues, some people immediately seem to think “plan”, which scares/angers them (“You’re going to take my water!”).

We should take up the cudgels like our Canadian colleagues. Such an effort would be relevant. Would the right people listen? I don’t know, but our Dialogues have certainly had an impact.

Why not try to get Rep. Linder and the House Water Caucus on board? Let’s also seek support from the Senate side (e.g., Jeff Bingaman [D-NM])? We could ask some of their staffers (e.g., Mike Connor from the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources or Valerie West from Sen. Gordon Smith’s [R-OR] office) to serve on the “strategy group”. This might help ensure that “someone listens”.

Comment on WATERS Network: Comments Invited by Dr Richard R. Zavesky, P.E.

Dr Richard R. Zavesky, P.E. — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:47:25 +0000

As a senior civil engineer with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, we encounter many things during our reviews and inspections of proposed modifications to, and construction of, new hydropower and related facilities, including dams, canals, and tunnels. Let me propose something that I had presented in a paper several years back–a transcontinental aqueduct and canal system. The largest pumps in the world are those employed in pump-storage projects. These facilities tend to cycle water from source to storage and back while reversing to generate electricity.

The reversible pump-turbines could pump water over mountain ranges to other similar installations. What about storage? Existing and abandoned quarries, mines, lakes etc. could be interconnected along with rivers. When rivers are in flood stage, perhaps in the future some of this excess water might be diverted from say, Missouri to New Mexico or Arizona, to help the Colorado River impoundments for other uses.

With fossil fuel costs increasing, we might return to canal transportation, which would be part of the transcontinental system. Think of agricultural advantages.

Why do roadways criss-cross the country and not aqueducts and canals?

In accordance with the Federal Power Act, our licenses (utilities and IPP entities) pay fees and headwater benefits to Congress annually, the sum of which is surprising (hundreds of millions per year). Researching where this money is spent now and where it could by allocated could yeild some healthy debate. I would leave that to our legislators.

I think we should think large.

Comment on WaterDance Lives On … by Gretchen

Gretchen — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:44:48 +0000

What a great idea! Thanks for reposting it on this blog. I’ll have to check out one of those movies this weekend.

Comment on Key Water Issues Now Facing our Nation by Mariza Costa-Cabral

Mariza Costa-Cabral — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:12:44 +0000

I certainly agree with this summary of key water issues facing the U.S. The impacts of regional climate change on streamflow regimes of individual river basins is the focus of the company I have recently started: Hydrology Futures, LLC (http://hydrologyfutures.com). Because I believe there is a widespread need for simulations using state-of-the-art hydrologic models and the latest (IPCC, 2007) future climate scenarios, I have come from academia to the consulting world to effectively respond to this challenge.

Comment on Key Water Issues Now Facing our Nation by dcollins

dcollins — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:32:15 +0000

On the second need, I’d say we have an over-reliance on predictive modeling at the expense of scenario-based forecasts. In such a capricious environment as ours, uncertainty is all pervasive. Equifinality anyone? Sure, we should reduce this uncertainty, but I’d say we should also reduce our demand for certainty - improve resilience.

Comment on Key Water Issues Now Facing our Nation by TexasWQ

TexasWQ — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:22:15 +0000

In many areas these issues are not likely to get the attention needed to affect change. In the more arid regions of the country water rights issues dominate all of the discussions with little consideration of water quality. Overall, there are few immediate implications to not improving water quality or conserving water supplies.

Comment on Al Gore’s New Thinking on the Climate Crisis by Michael Campana

Michael Campana — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:38:47 +0000

Thanks very much for your comments.

Nowehere did I claim that Gore is a “leading scientist” (or even a scientist at all), nor does the posting of the Gore video mean that AWRA is focusing on his efforts to the exclusion of science-based climate-change efforts (see my 29 March 2008 post).

Don’t forget that AWRA is not just a “scientific” society, but encompasses all aspects of water and related areas, and that includes the political ones as well.

I presented his video “FYI”, because, like him or not, when Gore does something in climate change, it’s news, and like it or not, climate change has become a political issue and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future.

Again - I appreciate your taking the time to comment.

Comment on Al Gore’s New Thinking on the Climate Crisis by Concerned AWRA Member

Concerned AWRA Member — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:07:39 +0000

Al Gore is not a leading scientist in the field of Global Climate Change. He is a politician, and he has profitted from his work in this field. I encourage AWRA to focus on the findings and publications of climatologists in the field of global warming, and scientists from other fields on the potential impacts of climate change. Al Gore has politicized the issue and has very little technical/scientific training and/or background.

Comment on New Rule on Compensatory Mitigation - See Link by bob pierce

bob pierce — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:30:17 +0000

I like the final mitigation regs found at 33 CFR 332. They are a great improvement over the draconian draft that was propsed a couple of years ago. The allow the flexibility that is required for the DE to get the greatest bang for the buck and at the same time recognize that there can be permitted projects that will not require compensatory mitigation.