WSWC Report: Exempt Well Issues in the West

This is an issue near and dear to my heart - how many stirring straws can you stick in a slurpie before you start to run out of sugar water?  Thanks to Michael Campana and Todd Jarvis, from whom I stole this posting...

 WSWC Report: Exempt Well Issues in the West

Here is a timely report if there ever was one. It's by Nathan Bracken of the Western States Water Council. Hot off the press - thanks toTodd Jarvis.

Download Exempt_Wells_in_the_West_N_Bracken

Here is the Executive Summary:

There are over a million exempt domestic and livestock wells
located throughout the West. Although these wells are an important
source of water for a large number of water users, they also pose
significant regulatory and administrative challenges that have the
potential to impact the sustainability of water supplies, surface flows,
and water quality. In June 2008, the Western Governors’ Association
and the Western States Water Council issued a report entitled Water
Needs and Strategies for a Sustainable Future: Next Steps, which
contained recommendations on how the states and federal government
should address the ever-increasing challenges associated with water
management in the West. Item 3(D) of the Next Steps report’s
Executive Summary recommends that states “should examine their
related laws and institutions and evaluate the merits of . . . [permitting
and monitoring] exempt domestic and livestock wells as part of water
rights regulatory schemes.” The WSWC’s Legal Committee
subsequently commissioned this Report, which addresses 1) the
statutory and regulatory authority among WSWC member states
regarding exempt domestic and livestock wells, 2) the ways in which
these wells can complicate or compromise water resources allocation,
administration, and quality, 3) the specific challenges WSWC member
states are facing with respect to exempt wells, 4) the relative costs and
benefits associated with mintoring wells that are currently exempt,
and 5) the potential approaches to mitigate the adverse impacts of
exempt wells.
Perhaps I should have saved this post for April Fools' Day.
"We never know the worth of water till the well is dry."  ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

Great stuff from the story of stuff project

From the likes of "build it and they will come" comes the manufactured demand for bottled water.  Free market, indeed:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0&feature=player_embedded

It's a wonder that the public, especially that portion of our public with family members serving in the middle east, has not outright condemned the bottled water industry for increasing our dependence on foreign oil in such a frivolous manner.

Oregon DEQ Seeks Public Input on Draft Report On Reducing Persistent Pollutants in Oregon's Waters

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is seeking public input through Monday, April 19 on a draft report about reducing persistent pollutants in Oregon waters. After receiving public input and making final revisions, DEQ will submit the final report to the Oregon Legislature on June 1.
 
 For more information, please see the news release:
  http://www.deq.state.or.us/news/prDisplay.asp?docID=3233

Water, Volume 2, Issue 1 (March 2010) now available

The following issue: Water,
Volume 2, Issue 1 (March 2010), Pages 1-119 is available at
http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/2/1/

Table of Contents:

Ryan T. Bailey, John W. Jenson and Arne E. Olsen
Article: Estimating the Ground Water Resources of Atoll Islands
Water 2010, 2(1), 1-27; doi:10.3390/w2010001
http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/2/1/1

José González-García, Verónica Sáez, Ignacio Tudela, María Isabel
Díez-Garcia, María Deseada Esclapez and Olivier Louisnard
Review: Sonochemical Treatment of Water Polluted by Chlorinated
Organocompounds. A Review
Water 2010, 2(1), 28-74; doi:10.3390/w2010028
http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/2/1/28

Chrysi Laspidou, Kimon Hadjibiros and Stylianos Gialis
Article: Minimizing the Environmental Impact of Sea Brine Disposal by
Coupling Desalination Plants with Solar Saltworks: A Case Study for Greece
Water 2010, 2(1), 75-84; doi:10.3390/w2010075
http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/2/1/75

Iskandar Abdullaev and Peter P. Mollinga
Article: The Socio-Technical Aspects of Water Management: Emerging Trends
at Grass Roots Level in Uzbekistan
Water 2010, 2(1), 85-100; doi:10.3390/w2010085
http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/2/1/85

Marthe S. de Graaff, Hardy Temmink, Grietje Zeeman and Cees J. N. Buisman
Article: Anaerobic Treatment of Concentrated Black Water in a UASB Reactor
at a Short HRT
Water 2010, 2(1), 101-119; doi:10.3390/w2010101
http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/2/1/101

End of the issue.

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Molecular Diversity
Preservation International (MDPI)
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Tel. +41 61 683 77 34
Fax  +41 61 302 89 18
http://www.mdpi.com/

Public involvement and progress

We've all seen the effects of citizen involvement, uninvolvement and devolvement in various public settings.  Here is a report from the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation on the 2008 conference on  dialogue and deliberation.  (link:  http://www.thataway.org/?p=2387)  It seems to contain a lot of optimism about how we can bridge communication gaps through traditional approaches of increasing public education by way of getting the word out there early and often...

I like to believe that there's optimism for how public discourse moves forward, but I have to wonder, given the intense inculcation of cultural beliefs and biases that various populations receive from the cradle forward, whether trying to impose a veneer of civility at as late a stage as public participation in public policy making will actually change how groups interact.  If we can't maintain civil discourse on something that many more people agree is needed in some form or another (health care reform and I refer to the spate of racially charged epithets strewn about recently) then how can we possible hope to progress on issues where there is no baseline agreement?

Belief vs. science, duh

Climate-change deniers versus the scientific societies of the world: Who should we listen to?

Dr. Peter Gleick

President, Pacific Institute

"My last post said that climate-change deniers have never produced an alternative scientific theory that adequately explains the compelling evidence of climate change from around the world...."

Read more here...

Belly laugh at the expense of politicians

Now I know that most politicians barely have a handle on reality but I am still, weeks later, still laughing at the outrageous quote from  US Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) that we have the "best health care system in the world."

He probably also believes our nation's infrastructure will go on functioning with no maintenance.

Enough said.

Near the boiling point; The area water district board has become a battleground over issues of incorporation, and both sides — pro- and anti-growth —

Here is another take on the subject of "land use planning is water planning." Terrebonne is a very small community with very large opinions and the only local government is the local water board.

Near the boiling point; The area water district board has become a battleground over issues of incorporation, and both sides — pro- and anti-growth — feel the heat | News
| The Bulletin

Daily Score Blog — Sightline Daily - Northwest News that Matters

Daily Score Blog — Sightline Daily - Northwest News that Matters

Washington takes the lead in getting copper out of brakes!

Fixing the Communications Failure

The January edition of Nature (Nature 463, 296-297 (21 January 2010) | doi:10.1038/463296a; Published online 20 January 2010)  included a column entitled "Fixing the communications failure" in the context of how to convey scientific information or how science can more effectively be communicated in the "debate" forum.

This is more information along the cultural bias theme I started in a previous posting, but the disturbing thing here is that this synopsis of social psychology research shows that it doesn't matter how much a person knows about a subject, what matters is if that person looks like a person that the audience can relate to based on their cultural bias.  In short, if you're going to talk to hicks and try to convince them of something, you'd better look and sound like a hick.

While, this does not necessarily shed new light on the communications conundrum, after all, public speakers are told and told again to know their audience, it does add a twist.  For example, if you happen to be a person that has done all the research and has the state of the art science to bring to the table, you may not have a lightning bug's chance in a kid's bedroom of making your point if you trigger an audience or part of an audience's cultural bias.  This can be a reaction based, stupid as it may be, on whether or not you have facial hair, or whether or not you can even grow facial hair.  Whether you wear plaid, twill or polyester....it makes you want to try on a few disguises, eh?  Hollywood makeup artists and costumers might have a whole new calling in the science world.

WaterSense "Fix a Leak Week" in March

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is promoting its second annual WaterSense "Fix a Leak Week," March 15 to 21, 2010, as a time to remind Americans to roll up their sleeves and save water.
Minor leaks from household plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems account for more than 1 trillion gallons of water wasted each year in U.S. homes—enough to supply Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami with their water needs for a year. EPA created this week-long annual event to give its WaterSense utility, community, manufacturer, retail, and professional partners a call to action to encourage saving water.

For example, the City of Dallas and dozens of local plumbers will launch Fix a Leak Week by taking to the streets to repair leaks in low-income residences and replace fixtures with WaterSense labeled models. The Great Dallas Fix a Leak Week Roundup—a seven-day blitz to completely wipe out the waiting list for the city's leak repair program—is just one of many events WaterSense partners will be hosting in their communities across the country.
WaterSense is encouraging homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, and plumbing professionals to help find and fix leaks by promoting the following tips:

• Reduce faucet leaks by checking faucet washers and gaskets for wear and, if necessary, replace the faucet with a WaterSense labeled model.
• Replace worn rubber flappers, which can cause silent leaks in toilets.
• For a leaky garden hose, replace the nylon or rubber hose washer and ensure a tight connection to the spigot using pipe tape and a wrench.
• Check landscape irrigation systems each spring before use to make sure they are not damaged by frost or freezing.
• Remember to look for the WaterSense label if you have to replace a bathroom fixture.
• To learn more about Fix a Leak Week or to become a WaterSense partner, please visit www.epa.gov/watersense. Check back March 15 to 21 for updates and photos from events taking place across the nation.

WaterSense© is a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Its mission is to protect the future of our nation's water supply by promoting and enhancing the market for water-efficient products and services.

Rhapsody and Scientific Reality

Is this the real life?  Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide, No escape from reality.

Open your eyes,

Look up to the skies and see.... 

 - Freddie Mercury

Belief In Climate Change Hinges On Worldview

When it comes to climate change, some look at the facts presented and see a coming catastrophe, others see a hoax. This difference in interpretation, social scientists say, has more to do with each individual's existing outlook than the facts.


Having read/seen the above, I fear I am teetering on the brink of another "people are stupid" diatribe.  But I will try to resist.  NPR provides a synopsis of research showing how people delude themselves into interpreting facts in such ways as to support their own private world view.  In some ways this world view is not so private because a lot of the biases that lean people towards one interpretation over another are derived from their cultural background.  And cultural background is not limited to whether you are of Polish, or English, or Central American descent, or whether you fly the Confederate flag in your yard.  Cultures are created within businesses, schools, neighborhoods, churches...you name it.

I exchanged blog comments recently with a learned person about the bias in regulatory types toward requiring permits for activities that are, in the bigger scheme of things, relatively benign and that have socially redeeming characteristics.  Ideally, relatively benign actions that are socially redeeming ought to be easy to take.  However, because the topic of discussion (greywater) involved something that is a subset of a regulated substance (sewage) and because of the culture in which regulators grow up (writing permits and enforcing rules), they have a career-long bias towards wanting to actively regulate a population or a series of actions, even when that regulation cannot be practically achieved because they charge fees too low to cover the so-called service.

It calls to mind that old game show, "What's my line?" and makes me wonder if it is actually more effective to have an in depth understanding of an audience's biases than to actually have facts at hand.  Are we really that shallow as a society?  Or should I ask, are we really that shallow as a set of societies?  How do we bridge the cultural biases to promote actual, productive movement on the polarizing issues of the day?