JUDGE CALLS INTERIOR’S LIMIT ON GUNNISON ILLEGAL, ‘NONSENSICAL’
A federal judge rules that former Interior Secretary Gale Norton’s decision to let Colorado limit water flows in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion.” <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4991274,00.html> <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4333566>
FINAL COMPONENT OF UNION PARK PROJECT LOSSES ON APPLEAL
The Colorado Supreme Court rejected an appeal by supporters of a plan to pipe billions of gallons of Western Slope water to the thirsty Front Range, apparently killing the project. <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4986409,00.html>
COLORADO COUNTIES WRANGLE OVER WATER
Attorney’s fees are piling up in the water fight between two Colorado counties over a plan to allow Delta County to withdraw more water from Grand Mesa, a move that Mesa County opposes. Grand Junction Sentinel; Sept. 20 <http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/09/20/9_20_1a_waterfight.html>
GREEN RIVER PLAN HAS PLENTY OF OBSTACLES
A Fort Collins man’s plan to tap water in the Green River for Colorado’s Front Range cities faces an array of obstacles and those cities shouldn’t plan on tapping into that water source anytime soon. <http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_4425414>
<http://www.gjsentinel.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2006/10/03/10_3_Green_River_edit.html>
COLORADO CITY OKS $50,000 STUDY ON SNOWMAKING ON SKI AREA
Decades ago, Durango made snow to keep the Colorado city’s ski area on Chapman Hill open for skiers, and now a group has obtained $50,000 in city funds to study the feasibility of once again making snow on the area. Durango Herald; Sept. 14 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/06/news060913_2.htm>
COLORADO’S NEXT GOVERNOR WILL INHERIT WATER PROBLEMS
A 2004 study shows that by 2030, Colorado will only have enough water for 80 percent of its residents, and though both gubernatorial candidates are familiar with this problem because of their farming backgrounds, they offer different opinions about how it should be handled. Durango Herald; Sept. 5 <http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/06/news060903_3.htm>
DENVER WATER MULLS NEW WAYS TO RAISE REVENUE
Denver Water officials said increased conservation by consumers, increased costs and new programs will cause a $12.2 million shortfall next year, and officials said they’re considering a new rate schedule that would make those who use the most water pay the most money. Denver Rocky Mountain News; Sept. 14 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news/article/0,1299,DRMN_3_4991317,00.html>
COLORADO FARMERS DESERVE DROUGHT HELP FROM THE FEDS
Farming and agriculture are an important part of Colorado’s economy, and as the state’s population continues to grow, and water becomes a bigger issue for urban areas, some protections should be made for farmers, too. Denver Post; Sept. 4 <http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_4283429>
DWINDLING WATER SUPPLIES PUSHES COLORADO FARMER TO NEW CROP
A Colorado farmer now harvests sunflowers on his ranch near the Kansas border because the plant uses far less water than either hay or corn, and more farmers are making the switch as well, pushing Colorado to fourth in the nation in sunflower production. Denver Post; Oct. 3 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4433612>
NEW WATERSHED PLAN IN COLORADO CITY MAY AFFECT UPSTREAM DRILLERS
Residents cheered when the Grand Junction City Council passed a comprehensive watershed ordinance aimed at protecting the city’s upstream drinking water from the potential effects of energy development, and it comes as a reaction to the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of several energy leases in the upstream watershed, which the city stood firmly against. Grand Junction Sentinel; Sept. 7
<http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/09/07/9_7_1A_city_council.html>
COLORADO CITIES REACH OUT FOR WATER HELP
Cities in Colorado’s Douglas County are meeting tomorrow to talk about linking up their water systems so they can trade excess water as need dictates, a necessary partnership given the area’s rapidly increasing population and ever-dwindling water supplies. Denver Post; 10/3 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4433280>
INTERIOR CHIEF SIGNS OFF ON TRI-STATE PLATTE RIVER WATER AGREEMENT
The governors of Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska must still sign the 13-year water agreement for the Platte River that Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne signed on Thursday. Casper Star-Tribune (AP); Sept. 29 <http://www.trib.com/articles/2006/09/29/news/wyoming/8dd0163af74475b2872571f800029e1e.txt>
REPORT DETAILS PROGRESS MADE ON N.M. WATER PLAN
New Mexico adopted a State Water Plan in 2003 that outlined 98 strategies on addressing the state’s water resources, and a recent report indicated that the state had established seven water basins across the state and hired water masters to manage water distribution in each basin. Santa Fe New Mexican; Sept. 6 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/48793.html>
N.M. OFFICIALS CONCERNED ABOUT WATER QUALITY IN 2 RIVERS
New Mexico Environment Department officials said they do not know what is causing the nutrient problem in the Animas River downstream from Aztec, nor the bacteria problem in the San Juan River downstream of Largo Canyon. Albuquerque Journal (AP); Sept. 6 <http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/490159nm09-06-06.htm>
POLL: 85 PERCENT OF NEW MEXICANS POLLED SAY WATER A CONCERN
An Albuquerque Journal poll showed that 63 percent of those surveyed said they believed state and local governments should impose growth limits based on water supplies in their communities. Albuquerque Journal; Sept. 8 <http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/490834nm09-08-06.htm>
N.M. GROUPS URGE LAWMAKERS TO ADOPT NEW WATER POLICY
As the New Mexico Legislature prepares for its next session, deemed by Gov. Bill Richardson to be a “Year of Water,” a coalition of environmental groups are pressing for a new statewide policy on the scarce resource and endorsed legislation that would require developers to show that a 100-year renewable supply of local, clean water is available for all new projects. Albuquerque Journal; Sept. 14
<http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/492421nm09-14-06.htm>
N.M. COUNTIES, FEDS INK PERMANENT WATER DEAL
The city and county of Santa Fe signed permanent contracts for San Juan-Chama Project water, as did Espanola, Taos, Los Alamos County, Taos Ski Valley and Los Lunas. Santa Fe New Mexican; Sept. 20 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/49501.html>
CHALLENGES MOUNT TO N.M.’S EFFORTS TO REGULATE WATER WELLS
Attorneys for the New Mexico State Engineer’s office said the outcome of three legal challenges to new rule that regulate the number of domestic water wells and the amount of water that can be withdrawn from those wells will determine the authority of the state engineer to regulate water in the future. Santa Fe New Mexican; Sept. 27 <http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/49864.html>
TROUT LEFT STRANDED IN SANTA FE RIVER
Some of the trout stocked into the Santa Fe River have become stranded now that the city has stopped releasing water from reservoirs upstream. Santa Fe New Mexican, 9/22 <http://freenewmexican.com/news/49648.html>
N.M. TROUT AN ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT SUCCESS STORY
The Gila trout, native to New Mexico and Arizona, has been considered endangered since the inception of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, but that all changed this summer after years of federal and state efforts have restored the copper-colored (Gila) trout to a level where it was down- listed to a threatened species. Craig Springer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Sept. 29 <http://www.headwatersnews.org/gilatroutcolumn092906.html>
EXPERTS WILL TRY MORE TRICKS TO WRING WATER FROM COLORADO RIVER
The Bureau of Reclamation has outlined a series of experiments in the river’s annual operating plan aimed at eliminating waste and squeezing even more water from the Colorado River for thirsty downstream communities and farms; the experiments include building another reservoir and paying farmers not to farm. Arizona Republic; Sept. 27 <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0927river-squeeze0927.htm>
UTAH UTILITY BEGINS REMOVING DAM ON IDAHO’S BEAR RIVER
The 89-year- old Cove Dam, the smallest of four on Idaho’s Bear River, hasn’t been in operations for years, and conservationists applauded Pacificorp’s decision to remove the dam as a step forward in restoring habitat for Bonneville cutthroat trout. Idaho Statesman (AP); Sept. 11 <http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060910/NEWS06/609100343/1056>
PLENTIFUL RAIN, SNOW FILL UP UTAH’S RESERVOIRS
National Weather Service hydrologist Brian McInerney said only one county in Utah did not receive enough rain and snowfall to recharge groundwater supplies and fill reservoirs, and predictions are that another good year for moistures is in store for the Beehive State next year. Salt Lake Tribune; Oct. 1 <http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4426397>
UTAH COMPANY CREATES DEVICE TO PULL WATER FROM THIN AIR
An Ogden-based company has created a machine that runs on diesel fuel that extracts moisture from humid air and bottles the water, and the owners of the Utah company have just completed a 183-city tour along the southeastern United States to demonstrate the device to emergency officials, who said it would provide a much-needed source of water during times of disaster. Deseret News; Oct. 1 <http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650195226,00.html>
HEARINGS BEGIN IN NEVADA ON $2 BILLION WATER PIPELINE
Nevada State Engineer Tracy Taylor will preside over a series of hearings in Nevada over a plan to build a $2 billion water pipeline to pump groundwater from an area on the Utah-Nevada border and pipe it more than 200 miles to Las Vegas to provide the fast-growing area with an alternate source of water other than the Colorado River. Las Vegas Sun (AP); Sept. 10 <http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2006/sep/10/091010712.html>
FEDERAL AGENCIES DROP PROTEST TO UTAH, VEGAS WATER PLAN
Four federal agencies said they would drop their protests against a plan to pump groundwater from an aquifer on the Utah, Nevada border to increasingly thirsty Las Vegas-area communities because they say a new agreement will protect the environment while also providing enough water. Las Vegas Review-Journal; Sept. 12 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Sep-12-Tue-2006/news/9600067.html>
CALIFORNIA LAWYER WARNS UTAH ABOUT PAST WATER “DEALS”
A California lawyer is claiming that a Nevada state agency’s plan to pipe groundwater 200 miles to Las Vegas is too similar to what Los Angeles did to rural California decades ago, and he is warning Utah lawmakers to be very leery of the program. Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 4 <http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4284742>
NEVADA PIPELINE OPPONENTS INVOKE IMAGES OF OWENS VALLEY
Southern Nevada Water Authority officials said their plan to pump groundwater from the Utah-Nevada border to Las Vegas should not be compared to Los Angeles’ early 1900s project to get water from California’s Owens Valley, which left a 63-mile stretch of the Owens River dried up and turned Owens Lake into a dried-up mudflat. Las Vegas Review Journal; Sept. 13 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Sep-13-Wed-2006/news/9612062.html>
FOR UTAH-NEVADA WATER PROJECT, FACTS SHOULD PRECEDE DEAL
There is no reason that the Southern Nevada Water Authority should be given access to groundwater underlying the Utah-Nevada border until the U.S. Geological Survey completes its analysis of the groundwater data or before the Bureau of Land Management finishes its environmental impact study of the project. Salt Lake Tribune; Sept. 15 <http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_4339681>
UTAH LAWMAKERS PASS RESOLUTION TO SLOW DOWN VEGAS WATER PLAN
Members of Utah’s interim Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee signed off on a nonbinding resolution that calls for the state to hold off on any water agreement with Nevada until a federal study on groundwater supplies is completed. Salt Lake Tribune; 9/21 <http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4372000>
WATER PUMPING CASE PUTS FORMER NEVADA OFFICIAL IN A TIGHT SPOT
The former conservation agency chief and state water engineer said he supports a plan to pump groundwater from rural Nevada and pipe it to Las Vegas, but when questioned in a hearing, he admitted that state law bans pumping that would interfere with existing rights, though he also said the state needs to be flexible. Reno Gazette-Journal (AP); Sept. 20 <http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NV_VEGAS_WATER_NVOL-?SITE=NVREN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT>
NEVADA WATER OFFICIAL HEARS FINAL REMARKS ON LAS VEGAS PLAN
The Nevada State Engineer heard final remarks from supporters and proponents of a plan to pump 91,000 acre-feet of water a year from Spring Valley, near the Utah border, to thirsty Las Vegas. Las Vegas Review-Journal (AP); Sept. 26 <http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Sep-26-Tue-2006/news/9861195.html>
CALIFORNIA APPEALS COURT PUSHES L.A. ON OWENS RIVER PROJECT
A California appeals court order may deprive Los Angeles of an important aqueduct if the city doesn’t make good on its promises to restore a 62-mile stretch of the Owens River that was depleted by the city’s pumping of groundwater from the Owens Valley — a project that has been oft-cited in the debate about Las Vegas’ plan to pump groundwater from the Spring Valley. Los Angeles Times; Sept. 29 <http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-owens28sep28,1,5308738.story?coll=la-news-environment&ctrack=1&cset==true>
NEW STUDY REQUIRED FOR GRAND CANYON’S NATIVE FISHES AND HABITAT AND GLEN CANYON DAM
According to a press release from the plaintiffs, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will conduct further environmental studies on the impacts of the Glen Canyon Dam on endangered fish of the Colorado River according to a recent settlement agreement. <http://www.enn.com/net.html?id=1637>
ARIZONA COUNTY SAYS NO MORE GROUNDWATER FOR GOLF COURSES
Pima County officials said using scarce groundwater to water golf courses and lawns for appearances is wasteful, and have asked the county’s planning and zoning department to ban the use of groundwater for those uses. Arizona Daily Star; Sept. 12 <http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/146241.php>
GROUP PRESSURING FLAGSTAFF TO PULL CONTRACT FOR SNOWMAKING WATER
A group led by a pair of longtime Flagstaff philanthropists is pressuring the city to pull a contract to provide wastewater to the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort for snowmaking. KVOA Tucson, 9/14 <http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5408969>
FLOOD BILL KILLED IN ASSEMBLY
The California Legislature’s last- gasp attempt to pass a package of flood-control proposals designed to lessen disaster risk and increase public safety died in an Assembly committee. Sacramento Bee, 9/1
<http://dwb.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/14314413p-15222709c.html>
WATER DEAL COULD RESTORE WATER TO CALIFORNIA’S SAN JOAQUIN RIVER
Litigation over diversion of water from the San Joaquin River for use as irrigation has been ongoing for nearly 18 years, but a deal struck between among the federal government, growers and environmental groups could restore river flows to nearly 60 miles of the California River and allow the return of chinook salmon. Los Angeles Times; Sept. 14 <http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-sanjoaquin14sep14,1,5318003.story?coll=la-news-environment>
MONTANA’S BITTERROOT RIVER HEALTHY BUT THREATENED
Montana’s Bitterroot River is the lifeblood of its namesake valley, and although it is relatively healthy, it is constantly threatened by development and setbacks, dewatering, pollution and overcrowding. Ravalli Republic; Sept. 5 <http://www.ravallirepublic.com/articles/2006/09/04/outdoors/62-outdoors.txt>
WYOMING SUES EPA TO DUMP MONTANA WATER RULES
Wyoming filed a federal lawsuit yesterday against the Environmental Protection Agency in an effort to force the agency to reject Montana’s water rules, which Wyoming officials say are hindering that state’s ability to develop natural gas. Casper Star-Tribune (AP); Sept. 12 <http://www.trib.com/articles/2006/09/12/news/wyoming/b401c586e1b5cbf7872571e70008cdcc.txt>
WYOMING RESIDENTS PROTEST RESERVOIR RELEASES TO BENEFIT FISHING
Residents around the Bighorn Lake want to change how the reservoir is managed, because they say water released downstream to benefit fishing on the Montana end of the lake has led to such low water levels that access has been reduced on Wyoming’s end of the lake. Casper Star-Tribune (AP); Sept. 10 <http://www.trib.com/articles/2006/09/10/news/wyoming/fe2a83d882283228872571e300740b31.txt>
EFFORTS INCREASE TO KILL LAKE TROUT IN YELLOWSTONE LAKE
The number of native cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake is at an all-time low while the number of introduced lake trout, which prey on the cutthroat, continues to spiral upward, and this year alone Park Service employees have killed as many as 46,000 of the introduced fish, but scientists don’t know if that is enough to solve the problem. Includes multimedia extras. Billings Gazette; Sept. 17 <http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/17/news/state/25-trout_z.txt>
OFFICIALS CONSIDER DESIGNATION FOR UPPER GALLATIN RIVER IN MONTANA
In 2001, residents signed a petition calling for the Gallatin River from where it leaves Yellowstone National Park to its confluence with Spanish Creek north of Big Sky to be designated an “outstanding water resource,” and Montana state officials have just released a study documenting the environmental and economic impacts of such a designation. Billings Gazette (AP); Sept. 12
<http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/12/news/state/50-gallatin.txt>
MONTANA STUDY SAYS GROWTH HASN’T IMPACTED WATER SUPPLIES
A new report issued by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology said that a two-year study of the Yellowstone River corridor found that the boom in growth along that corridor has had little effect on groundwater supplies, and credited leaky irrigation ditches in Sweetwater County for keeping the aquifer recharged. Billings Gazette; Sept. 20 <http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/20/news/state/30-groundwater.txt>
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO OPENS AQUACULTURE CENTER
The University of Idaho dedicates its new $3.2 million Aquaculture Research Institute and Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station in Hagerman today. Twin Falls Times-News; Sept. 14 <http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2006/09/14/news_localstate/news_local_state.2.txt>
GROUPS SUE TO OVERTURN PARTS OF 2003 WASHINGTON WATER LAW
Several environmental groups seeking to overturn parts of a 2003 municipal water law filed suit Friday, claiming the law allows growing cities to draw more water from the state’s rivers and streams at the expense of existing water-rights holders and fish. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 9/1 <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Water_Lawsuit.html>
KLAMATH DAMS: FEDS PROPOSE TRUCKING SALMON UP RIVER
Rather than building costly fish ladders or breaching dams, the Federal Energy Regulatory Adminstration proposed trucking salmon to the upper reaches of the Klamath River. <http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2006/09/26/#15>
DISEASE FROM FISH FARMS KILLING WILD JUVENILES
Sea lice from farmed fish can cause up to 95 percent mortality in young wild salmon as they migrate to sea, according to new research. The report finds that fish farms break down what would be a natural separation of adult and juvenile fish and allow for disease transmission that would not happen in the wild.
<http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2006/10/02/#1>
ALBERTA PROFESSOR SAYS CALGARY MUST ACT NOW ON WATER
David Schindler, a University of Alberta ecology professor addressing attendees of the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy held in Banff, praised Alberta’s new water management plan for southern Alberta, but said Calgary should immediately implement water- conservation measures. Calgary Herald; Sept. 10
<http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=38df17a4-4b43-4437-af0a-6605b5c9416c&k=81186>
MISS. RIVER NEEDS TO BE DIVERTED, EXPERTS SAY
At an April meeting of researchers considering what to do about Louisiana’s dwindling wetlands, all attendees agreed that diverting the Mississippi was necessary to prevent rising sea levels, increasing intensity of storms and land loss associated with climate change. <http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2006/09/19/#21>
ECO-PARADISES IN CROSSFIRE OF WATER SCARCITY FIGHT
Delicate wetlands, coasts and wildlife sanctuaries could be ravaged as part of a struggle to stretch the world’s water supplies, with the worst damage foreseen in poor countries.
<http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11275>
WORLD WATER DEMAND SURGING DUE TO RISING POPULATION
Surging demand for irrigation to grow crops for food and biofuels will add to pressure on water supplies in a world where one in three people already suffer from shortages.
<http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11271>
CANADA FIGHTS TO KEEP ITS WATER
One country has abundant fresh water, far more than it needs. Across the border there is simply not enough and it has yet to find a solution to the problem. BBC, 9/12 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5322980.stm>
FORMER U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS CANADA SHOULD EXPORT WATER TO U.S.
Paul Cellucci, the former U.S. Ambassador to Canada, said he was surprised that freshwater was taken off the list of potential exports from Canada to the United States because he says water is a renewable resource, unlike the oil and gas that Canada now exports to the United States. Toronto National Post; Sept. 18
<http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=147c16c3-0e62-4687-995b-e0e47c3a54b9&k=25702>
AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER CREATES AGENCY TO RESOLVE SUPPLY CRISIS
John Howard created a new Office of Water Resources to resolve the country’s water supply crisis. <http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2006/09/26/#15>
DROUGHT-PRONE BEIJING MUST CAP POPULATION GROWTH
China’s drought- prone capital must curb its rapid population growth or risk running out of water, local media reported recently. Chinese environmental officials have dubbed Beijing, host of the 2008 Olympics, the driest major city on the planet. <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11254>
DON’T DITCH DAMS, WORLD BANK WATER BOSS SAYS
David Grey, the World Bank’s water resources chief, warns that opposition to dams keeps poor nations poor and should be reevaluated. 9/4 <http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=11181>
DOE SAYS GEOTHERMAL, HYDROPOWER OLD ENOUGH
TO GO IT ALONE Renewable energy and environmental advocates said the Bush administration’s proposal to no longer fund research projects for geothermal and hydropower is a penny-wise, pound-foolish proposal, since the $24 million in funding will not be saved but merely diverted to biofuels research. Christian Science Monitor; Sept. 15 <http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0915/p02s01-uspo.html>
STUDY SAYS WASTEWATER DEFORMING FISH DOWNSTREAM OF DENVER
A new paper by University of Colorado researchers shows that wastewater from sewage-treatment plants in Boulder and Denver is deforming the gender of and causing reproductive problems for sucker fish, and researchers say the problem, which has been found in other rivers around the world, raises many questions about other animals as well as human drinking water supplies, Denver Post; Sept. 7 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4297391>
PROZAC POLLUTES OHIO WATERWAYS, MENACES MUSSELS
The widely prescribed antidepressant Prozac is ending up in streams and rivers, endangering freshwater mussels, scientists said. Columbus Dispatch, 9/12 <http://www.columbusdispatch.com/science/science.php?story=211760>
PANEL SENDS COLO. SENATORS’ ‘GOOD SAM’ BILL TO FULL SENATE
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works approved a bill co- sponsored by Colorado U.S. Sens. Wayne Allard and Ken Salazar that would allow private parties to clean up abandoned mine waste and with waives clean-water penalties waived as long as some degree of pollution reduction occurs at mine sites. Denver Post; Sept. 14 <http://www.denverpostbloghouse.com/washington/2006/09/14/bill-allowing-volunteer-mine-cleanup-moves-forward/#more-1275> Comment: <http://www.gazette.com/display.php?secid=13>
MONTANA-WYOMING WATER FIGHT A QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY, ISSUE
Montana ranchers don’t want the discharge water from coalbed methane operations in Wyoming put into the Tongue, Powder and Little Powder Rivers because they say the high sodium content of the water turns their hay grounds into concrete. New York Times; Sept. 10 <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/us/10river.html>
ATTORNEYS GENERAL SLAM EPA WATER TRANSFER IDEA
Attorneys general from more than a dozen states have slammed a proposal by the EPA to turn oversight of surface water transfers over to states. Gannett News Service, 9/4 <http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B9/20060831/NEWS01/608310301/1002>
PERCHLORATE REMOVAL SET FOR CA AQUIFER
Well water drawn from an aquifer near a former munitions manufacturing site will soon be pumped to prevent the spread of perchlorate contamination into drinking water supplies. Water Tech Online, 9/12 <http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?mode=4&N_ID=63626>
DRAWDOWN CONTINUES ON MONTANA’S MILLTOWN DAM
The cooler temperatures will allow the Environmental Protection Agency to continue its drawdown of the Milltown Dam near Missoula and continue the Superfund cleanup at the confluence of the Blackfoot and Clark Fork Rivers. Missoulian; Sept. 18 <http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/09/18/news/local/news02.txt>
U.S. WATER PIPES NEED REPAIR
Much of the nation’s water distribution system will need to be replaced in the next three decades, according to a report by the National Research Council. Many of the 1 million miles of pipes that carry drinking water to Americans throughout the nation are nearing the end of their expected life span. Environment News Service, 9/11 <http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2006/2006-09-11-09.asp>
EPA: WILDLIFE WASTE MAJOR POLLUTER OF EASTERN RIVERS
A new report on water quality in three rivers in the Eastern United States, including the Potomac, cites wildlife waste as the source for nearly half the bacterial pollution in the rivers. Washington Post; Sept. 29 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/28/AR2006092801994.html>
BUSH SAYS EPA IMMUNE FROM PROTECTIONS FOR WHISTLEBLOWERS
Citing an unpublished opinion from the Attorney General’s Office of Legal Counsel, the Bush administration has declared that federal employees may no longer pursue whistleblower claims and protections under the Clean Water Act. Mother Jones, 9/5 <http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2006/09/bush_says_epa_i.html>
TUCSON WATER TO GATHER PUBLIC INPUT ON FUTURE WATER QUALITY
The City Council gave the green light for Tucson Water to start gathering public input on a new water blend. KVOA Tucson, 9/7 <http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5376388&nav=HMO6HMaW>
CLEAN WATER INITIATIVE TO PROTECT CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED
Governor Edward G. Rendell has announced Pennsylvania and its partners in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed are working to cut in half the amount of phosphorus used in lawn care products throughout the 64,000-square- mile basin by 2009. BYM News, 9/28 <http://www.bymnews.com/new/content/view/35730/82/>
DEALING WITH CANADA’S WASTEWATER
Unlike many countries, Canada lacks a clear national standard with respect to wastewater treatment, which is managed through an often confusing mix of policies, by-laws and legislation at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. This fall, federal regulations could be introduced that set a national standard for treatment of wastewater, and municipalities may have to adapt. <http://www.enn.com/net.html?id=1656>
DIRTY WATER KILLS 4,000 CHILDREN A DAY
The statistics are mind- boggling: of the more than six billion people in the world, over one billion have no access to improved drinking water and about 2.6 billion do not have access to improved sanitation. And according to the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF, polluted water and lack of basic sanitation claim the lives of over 1.5 million children every year. Asian Tribune, 9/29 <http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2220>
