water matters47
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No reason to care about water
Don’t get upset–it is merely an instance of irony. Irony works in getting people’s attention and emphasizing the real meaning behind it. The video is more for the general public who are not familiar with water issues, but it can also be motivating to professionals and people who are active concerning water issues. The message…
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Water-Energy Dependency May Put a Damper on Water Banking in California
We’ve been following some of the issues related to the drought in California. In response to water shortages, a “water bank” has been implemented to allow users who do not use all of their water to sell it to other users. In theory, such a system allows water to be used in an efficient manner,…
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What is “it” about bottled water?
Recently, in a discussion about bottled water, my colleague stated, “I’ve heard this argument before – it’s the bottle, not the water, that’s the problem. Would these people be happier if the bottle was made from recycled glass?” As one of “these people” who are troubled by bottled water (and in spite of the disparaging remark,…
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CWC’s new Great Lakes Column
The Columbia Water Center is leading intellectual inquiry into the assessment, prediction and solution of the growing scarcity of fresh water. Although the CWC is looking at water issues across the globe, up until now, little attention at the Center has been focused on the Great Lakes. Some past student projects have explored in-depth…
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Seawater desalination: the solution?
Water is an increasingly scarce commodity in many parts of the world, and it seems seawater desalination is one of very attractive solutions available to these regions. Of all the Earth’s water, 94 percent is saltwater from the oceans and only 6% is fresh. If plenty and easily accessible seawater could turn into fresh drinking…
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Dam Break in Northeast Brazil: Can We Blame Global Warming?
Nordeste, the driest region in Brazil, has been castigated by heavy rainfall in the last two months. Yesterday a dam broke in the state of Piaui killing at least four people. The video below shows a partial bridge that collapsed after the dam break. The media shows every day more and more news about natural…
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A Cistern in NYC – Yes!
A cistern is not what you would expect to find in a NYC house; however, a brownstone in our backyard has its own rainwater collection cistern. The brownstone, billed as the “Greenest House in NYC” and the first residential property in Manhattan to receive the coveted LEED certification, was recently highlighted in Good Housekeeping Magazine.…
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Water Sensors – Saving Water in Irrigation
One of the largest uses of fresh water withdrawals in the United States is for irrigation. The USGS estimates that 60% of the worlds fresh water withdrawals is for irrigation purposes, which calculates to 137,000 million gallons per day used for irrigation purposes. Some of this water is for irrigation of crops, while other of…
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Is Water Too Cheap in China?
The Chinese capital of Beijing will raise water prices this year as an attempt to conserve its scarce water supply. Cheng Jing, the head of Beijing’s water-resources bureau, announced on May 10th the city would raise water prices within the next two months. This price hike will be the fifth one since 2001 in a bid to promote conservation.
