Feb
20
New Mexico Exempt Well Case Appeal: 22 February 2010
February 20, 2010 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
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In July 2008 I posted about the Bounds decision in which a state judge in New Mexico struck down that state’s law allowing the drilling of domestic wells without a permit or water right – so-called ‘exempt’ wells. The ruling applied only to Luna, Hidalgo, and Grant counties in the southwest portion of the state.
Although it applied only to three counties, it was quite a stunning decision, not just in New Mexico, but throughout the West.
The case is finally coming before the New Mexico Court of Appeals, which will hear an oral argument on 22 February 2010.
From Lora Lucero (via Leslie Kryder), Natural Resources Director of the League of Women Voters of New Mexico:
The New Mexico Court of Appeals will be hearing oral argument next Monday (Feb.22) at 2:00 pm which may interest planners and members of the public concerned about growth management issues.
In July 2008, the district court ruled that Sec. 72-12-1.1 (domestic well statute) is unconstitutional because the State Engineer believes the law required him to issue permits for domestic wells without notice to senior water rights holders, or without any consideration of impairment.
The State Engineer appealed that decision and the NM Association of Counties submitted an amicus brief that explains the disconnect between Sec. 72-12-1.1 and the counties’ responsibility to plan and manage future growth.
Both the district court decision and the amicus brief are attached.
The oral argument is open to the public. The court of appeals is located in Albuquerque behind the UNM School of Medicine, next to the School of Law.
Download FinalJudgment.Decision.Bounds
Download NMAC_amicus_brief_in_Bounds_case
I know I often say, ‘This will be interesting,’ but boy, will this REALLY be interesting! Although it applies to three small counties in New Mexico, a lot of people will be sticking their index fingers in the air to see which way the wind is blowing once a decision is rendered.
Some may also be sticking another finger in the air after the court hands down its decision.
“Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.* – Unknown
Feb
17
Message From the President
February 17, 2010 | Posted by smcclung
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Ari M. Michelsen, President AWRA
At its January 22, 2010, meeting, the AWRA Board of Directors (BOD) voted unanimously to donate $1,000 to Mercy Corps’ Haitian earthquake relief effort. Board members have made additional donations. Mercy Corps had a presence in Haiti prior to the earthquake and is now, with experienced on-the-ground first responders, focusing on immediate humanitarian needs: securing clean water, proper sanitation, and trauma support. More information about Mercy Corps is available at www.mercycorps.org.
AWRA Position Statements Adopted
Also at the January BOD meeting, two position statements for AWRA, developed by the membership through the Policy Committee, were reviewed and approved. The recommendations in these statements are to manage water resources in a hydrologic context and to ensure sustainable funding for water resources infrastructure. Specifically the statements are: (1) The AWRA recommends that water resources management goals, policies and rules be organized around the concept of “place” (i.e., basins, watersheds, or aquifer systems). Policymakers should encourage policies and collaborations that promote hydrologic system-based planning and management; and (2) The AWRA recommends that policy makers at national, tribal, state, and local levels develop sustainable investment strategies for the construction and maintenance of water and wastewater resources infrastructure to protect public health, quality of life, communities, economies, and the environment. The complete text of these position statements is available on the web at http://awra.org. These are just the first in a series of statements conveying AWRA positions and efforts to advance multidisciplinary water resources science, education, management, and policy. During the next several months the Policy Committee will be developing several more position statements. Your participation in the development of our organization’s position statements is welcome and strongly encouraged. Go to the AWRA Technical Committees web site section (Membership/Technical Committee) to see the list of Technical Committees and contact terry@ awra.org if you would like to join a Committee.
National Water Resources Vision
In the United States (U.S.), water-resources related roles, responsibilities and authorities are shared or divided between local, state, tribal, and federal governments and the private sector. The federal government has more than 20 agencies responsible for understanding and managing water resources. Each state and many tribes have one or more agencies responsible for managing water resources within their areas of jurisdiction. Additionally, hundreds, if not thousands of private-sector water companies and organizations manage water resources within the U.S. Clearly federal, state, and tribal governments each have specific roles, responsibilities and authorities for managing water resources under their jurisdiction and, clearly, each entity must fulfill its jurisdiction-specific role, responsibilities, and authorities. Many have raised the question of whether water resources programs should be managed independently from one another or whether they should or can be managed more efficiency and effectively for all parties concerned if we could collectively develop an overarching national water vision that promotes a better understanding and better coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and tribal governments, and among the various states. What might a national water vision look like? An example of a national vision for water related to quality was/is the goal of making our nation’s water “fishable, swimmable, drinkable.”
What are the arguments for and against a national water vision? One argument is that a national water vision is necessary to develop and manage our water resources in a systematic, efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective manner. A counter-argument is that water resources are the purview of the states and no national water vision or policy is needed. Another argument promotes a hybrid approach (e.g., a national vision relative to federal interests and independent visions or plans for each state, territory and tribe relative to the resources within its domain).
AWRA has been involved in these and similar discussions for more than a decade through its publications, conferences, and facilitation of four National Water Policy Dialogues (see http://www.awra.org/meetings/conference_series/policy_dialogue.html). Discussions and assessments at the Dialogues focused not only on promoting cooperation and coordination among federal, state, and tribal agencies, but also on whether the U.S. should develop a national water vision, policy, or plan.
AWRA and our sister national professional water resources associations have combined our efforts to facilitate a discussion that gets to the very core of future water resources management in the U.S. That is: should there be a national water resources vision and, if so, what should that vision be? Under the leadership of Jerry Sehlke, AWRA Past-President, a web site was established in collaboration with other professional water resources associations to solicit thoughts and have discussion on this important issue. The results of this discussion, whether a consensus is developed or if we just decide to “agree to disagree,” will be summarized, and made available for AWRA membership, partner associations, and public access. The results should prove to be very interesting!
Community, Conversation, Connections
A very special event being held this spring is the GIS Specialty Symposium in Orlando, Florida, March 29-31. This is the sixth in a series offered by AWRA recognizing advances in, and the importance of GIS as a fundamental tool for interdisciplinary analysis, planning, and management of water resource systems. The conference committee has put together a dynamite program with an outstanding slate of technical sessions. Later in the year the Summer Specialty Conference will bring together water resource professionals to address Tropical Hydrology and Sustainable Water Resources in a Changing Climate, August 30-September 1, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Information is available at http://awra.org. I look forward to seeing you at one or both of these Symposiums. a-michelsen@ag.tamu.edu
Feb
6
Two DC Water Events on 24 February 2010 – Postponed
February 6, 2010 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
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Note: these events have been postponed and will be rescheduled in a few weeks.
Over at WaterWired I posted about Jim Thebaut’s water event scheduled for 24 February 2010 in Washington, 
DC. The event will be held, but it’s now been split into two events, one in the afternoon (noon – 2 pm) and one in the evening (6 – 8:30 pm).
[Disclosure notice: Jim is a good friend of mine, and the followng iss based on information posted on his WWW site and from CSIS. I will be involved in these events.]
Here goes:
1) The Chronicles Group/Running Dry Project and The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in association with the Embassy of Australia and the CSIS Global Water Futures Project present:
Coping with Drought & Water Scarcity: Lessons Learned from Australia & the United States
WHAT: A lunch/panel discussion of what actions we need to take to tackle our unsustainable water future
WHEN: 24 February 2010, noon to 2:00 pm
WHERE: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1800 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, B-1 Conference Center (link to map)
2) The lunch/panel discussion is a prelude to the 24 February evening event which will be held at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm and will feature a special screening of Jim’s film Running Dry: Beyond the Brink.How About Water: The Catalyst on Nation Building and National Security
On Wednesday, 24 February 2010, from 6 – 8:30 pm the Congressional Water Caucus and the Chronicles Group/Running Dry Project in association with the Embassy of Australia and the CSIS Global Water Futures Project are hosting an event to bring the Executive and Legislative Branches of the U.S. Government together with the public and private sector in order to provide an educational dialogue about drought and water scarcity and its ultimate impact on national security. Congressional sponsors include Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Rep. John Linder (R-GA), co-founder of the Congressional Water Caucus), Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA), and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI). Non-Congressional sponsors include the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, Adduci Mastriani & Schaumberg LLP, Golden State Water Company, Water Replenishment District of Southern California, StableRoad.org, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Acequia, Mesa Elementary School, Oregon State University, Water Charity. A special thanks also go to Water for People for their 
ongoing support – and to actress Jane Seymour, who will be a special guest at the event which will be held at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.
This promises to be an exciting day in water. Be sure to attend. I will see you there.
“The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.” – Voltaire
Feb
3
Hydrophilanthropists Needed in Haiti
February 3, 2010 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
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I received the following message from Lori Carpenter, a longtime friend and former student (an alumna of my GEOL 484/684 – Groundwater Hydrology at the University of Nevada-Reno many years ago). I know Lori and her husband Dr. Clay Cooper, another veteran of GEOL 484/684 as well as GEOL 783 – Groundwater Hydraulics, very well. They have adpoted five children. Remarkable people.
Anyway, Lori’s looking for some folks to go to Haiti to locate and drill water wells. If you have questions, please contact her, not me. Contact information is at the bottom of the post. You might contact her before applying to see if she has enough volunteers.
Here is Lori’s message:
I’m on a board of directors of a Haitian orphanage called God’s Littlest Angels Haitian Baby Ministry (GLA).
We’ve been on the ground for more than 6 years and have the opportunity to drill ten community groundwater wells in Haiti. Another Board member has a potential grant from the Canadian government to cover much or most if not all the materials and expense costs. I’m trying to find volunteers (or, very cheap) and very competent groundwater folks to do the actual technical work. Would you please put this out in any circles that you know of? I can personally attest for the integrity of GLA.
Here is the message from GLA:
Qualified Volunteer Hydrologists, Well Drillers, Geologists and/or Hydrogeologists Needed for Well Drilling in Haiti to Develop and Implement Community Drinking Water Wells/Systems
God’s Littlest Angels Haitian Baby Ministry (GLA) is a faith-based ministry located in Haiti and seeks qualified VOLUNTEER hydrologists, well drillers, and/or hydrogeologists to site groundwater well locations, conduct groundwater reconnaissance studies, plan and implement a water resources plan for drilling/pumping for production wells within ten small Haitian communities after the 7.0 earthquake (outside of Port-Au-Prince). Drilling equipment may need to be imported to the Island as much was lost and/or destroyed. Volunteers are expected to manage as much of the travel cost themselves and/or raise funds to cover costs associated with “pay”. Room and board (to include security details) will be provided in country. Please list experience with projects in similar (disaster) situations whereby little local infrastructure was present to assist, references, and general qualifications why you believe you or your organization is a good candidate for this project. The first group of volunteers should be ready to deploy within 30 to 90 days depending on local situations and a second group could be expected to deploy thereafter.
Please send resumes to lori@nvwetlands.com
Lori Carpenter, PWS, CPESC
Huffman & Carpenter, Inc.
Hydrologist/Hydrogeologist
500 Damonte Ranch Parkway, Suite 929
Reno, Nevada 89521
(775) 828-1991
(775) 828-2302 – Fax
“Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die.” – II Samuel 14
Jan
30
Capitol Hill Briefing on University WASH Initiative – 3 March 2010
January 30, 2010 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
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This is one of those ‘save the date’ notices. I will post more information when I receive it.
[Disclosure notice: I am part of this initiative and will be a presenter]
Capitol Hill Briefing on new University WASH Initiative
Prominent university and college leaders working on international water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues will participate in a congressional briefing on a new University WASH Initiative from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on March 3, 2010, in Room SVC 203/202 of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Presentations will feature the variety of ways in which U.S. colleges and universities are already addressing the global WASH crisis and will highlight how their role can be enhanced, especially through a new informal WASH collaboration among American institutions of higher education. The presentations and briefing are open to Members of Congress, Congressional staff, and interested members of the public.
To RSVP, email name and contact information to universities.wash.rsvp@gmail.com
The Center for Strategic and International Studies and Water Advocates are co-sponsoring this event. Colorado State University and Emory University are the academic leads.
We owe a great deal to the aforementioned organizations for providing the impetus. Some of us have been waiting for this initiative for years.
Hope to see you there!
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Jan
26
Well-Worn Water Words
January 26, 2010 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
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Tired of a failure to connect the dots? Maybe not, but I suspect you’re tired of the 
expression “failure to connect the dots.”
A Tweet from Robert at Watercrunch provided the impetus for this post. In response to my saying that I was getting ‘burned out’ on water wars he suggested that we declare a truce and eschew the use of that term. I agreed.
But then I started thinking about some other phrases and words that have been overused by WaterWonks (yo tambien – me, too) and others (especially those who have no idea what they are talking about) as well. So I posted a couple of items over at my WaterWired blog that addressed some of these words and phrases that have become clichés.
Take a look at Well-Worn Water Words, Part 1 and Part 2. Readers also contributed. Be sure to read the comments that have been posted.
“We talk (water) scarcity, yet we have set (some of) our largest cities in deserts, and then have insisted on surrounding ourselves with Kentucky bluegrass. Our words are those of the Sahara Desert; our policies are those of the Amazon River.” – Richard Lamm, former governor of Colorado
Jan
24
Richard Heggen’s Excellent ‘Underground Rivers’ Book
January 24, 2010 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
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Richard Heggen is one of the savviest WaterWonks (and a pretty good upright bassist) I 
know. Even though he lives here in Corvallis (where he grew up) and got his PhD in Civil Engineering from OSU, I met him in Albuquerque when I arrived at the University of New Mexico in 1989. There, Richard was a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, where he is now Professor Emeritus.
We worked together on UNM’s Water Resources Program.
So why I am posting about Richard? Did I pull a ‘Gilbert Arenas’ and lose a bet with him?
Well, Richard has just written a book, Underground Rivers, that he’s placed online. You can download it free of charge as two pdfs (total of 279 pages).
CHAPTERS
1 Greek Mythology
2 Greek Philosophers
3 Roman Encyclopedists
4 The Church, the Arabs, and Back to the Church
5 The Concept of Circulation
6 Subterranean Engines
7 Superterranean Metrics
8 Hydrotheology/Theohydrology
9 Hollow Earth Geophysics
10 Underground Rivers in Classic Fiction
11 Boys Club
12 Waters of the Hollow Earth
13 Underground Rivers in Metaphor and Poetry
14 Underground Rivers in the Fine Arts
15 Groundwater Science
16 Karstology
17 Lava Tubes
18 Subterranean Geophysics
19 Dowsing
20 The Biology of Underground Rivers
21 Plying the Waters from Above
22 Constructed Waterways
23 The Dangers
24 The Rio San Buenaventura
Here’s what he asks:
The work is still in draft form. What have I missed? What did you like? What did you not?
Where you find typos and language errors, e-mail me (rheggen@unm.edu) the phrase and I’ll recognize the mistake and do the repair. Thanks.
Well done, Richard. Still the teacher extraordinaire!
Enjoy!
“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” – John Cotton Dana
Jan
15
Helping Haiti
January 15, 2010 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
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No need to explain what this post is about. Right now, aid organizations need money. I suspect many of you have your favorites but if not, you might consider the organizations accessible through these links.
Sarah van Gelder in the The Huffington Post
CNN (impressive list!)
NPR: Haiti – Some Ways to Help
Please give what you can.
You can vet your charity here.
For those interested in helping immediately, simply text “HAITI” to “90999″ and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill. Keep in mind that if you use the texting method, it may take a while for your money to show up. It’s not clear whether the carrier sends the money immediately or waits until you pay your bill.
Here is the New York Times’ Haiti Twitter. It has reports from individuals, news organizations, and relief agencies in Haiti.
There is a good discussion (debate) of what kind of help Haiti needs in the New York Times.
“Beyond mountains there are mountains.” -- Haitian proverb
Jan
10
Southwest Hydrology Sunsets
January 10, 2010 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
1 Comment
Southwest Hydrology’s latest issue features Urban Water Management. As always, you can download the 
material free of charge, by section or the entire issue.
Here are the cover and T of C.
Here are the feature articles:
Possible Tradeoffs from Urbanization on Groundwater Recharge and Water Quality
Differential Impacts of Flash Flooding Across the Paso del Norte
Drywells: One County’s Novel Approach to Stormwater Management and Disposal
Pervious Pavement – Fact or Fiction?
Principles for Managing the Southwest’s Urban Water Environments
And don’t forget the departments: On the Ground; Government and Hydrofacts; R&D; The Water Page; In Print & Online ; Business Directory; Calendar.
Unfortunately, not all the news is good. Publisher Betsy Woodhouse announced that primarily because of a lack of funding, this will be the last issue unless more support is obtained. In any case, this is Betsy’s last issue as she will take a position at the Institute of the Environment.
Betsy deserves our heartfelt thanks for producing such an important resource. She started it eight years ago, and obtained support form the University of Arizona’s NSF-funded SAHRA program after a few years. But she’s been the person who started it and made it go.
Gary Woodard, SAHRA’s Associate Director for Knowledge Transfer, has promised to keep us apprised of any developments. If you have any suggestions or comments, he invites you to email him (gwoodard@sahra.arizona.edu) or call him at 520-626-5399.
We all owe you a huge debt, Betsy. Although I am in the Pacific Northwest, I found that many of the articles transcended the Southwest USA. Besides, I’m an unrepentant desert rat who’s spent most of my adult life in Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, and reading SWH reconnected me to that part of the USA and its incredible hydrology.
Let me also include thanks to Howard Grahn, who was there from the beginning and served most recently as Technical Editor.
Thank you, and best of luck to you, Betsy.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Elliot
Jan
5
Should the USA Have a National Water Vision? What Should It Be? An Invitation to Comment
January 5, 2010 | Posted by Michael "Aquadoc" Campana
2 Comments
Happy New Year! ¡Prospero Año Nuevo!
It’s not only the start of a new year but also a new decade. For many of us in the USA’s water community it’s a time to look ahead to see if we can’t devise a better way to steward the USA’s most precious natural resource.
But that ‘better way” begins with a vision. What should our ‘water future’ look like? Better yet, what do you think it should look like? Or perhaps you believe we do not need a water vision. Is the USA so diverse with a patchwork approach to water that to develop and adopt such a national vision would be futile?
And what if we could agree upon and adopt a vision? So what?
Whatever you believe, please let us know by participating in our national water vision project, a joint effort by the American Water Resources Association and some of its sister organizations. [Disclosure notice: I am AWRA's President-Elect.]
When you click on the vision’s website you’ll see an introduction by Jerry Sehlke, AWRA’s President (Past President as of 1 January 2010). He’ll explain the rationale, history, and explain what will become of the results. At the top, just below the heading, you can click on Leave a comment to provide your opinion. When you do that, a new page will open up that will have Jerry’s same blurb, but with the comments listed below it. Way down at the bottom will be a place to leave your two cents. We’d appreciate if you would provide your affiliation and discipline.
You can subscribe to the ‘Comments’ feed.
We want to hear from you. Let your friends and colleagues know, too. It’s open to all.
We’ll keep the site up for about three weeks.
“We drive into the future using only our rearview mirror.” — Marshall McLuhan
“It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.” — Helen Keller
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