USGS WaterAlert - Instant Information about Your River or Well

A nice new service, particularly as the boating season gears up...

 

USGS WaterAlert - Instant Information about Your River or Well

             

Receive instant, customized updates to your phone or email about water conditions by subscribing to WaterAlert , a new service from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Whether you are involved in managing floods or droughts; interested in water conditions for optimal and safe boating and other recreation, or concerned about the quality of water in your well, WaterAlert  allows users to receive updates about river flows, groundwater levels, water temperatures, rainfall and water quality at any of more than 9,500 sites where USGS collects real-time water information.

How to sign up:  Go to  http://water.usgs.gov/wateralert .  Select a specific site; preferred delivery method (email or text); frequency of delivery (hourly or daily); data parameter(s); and parameter threshold(s).  Users can set the system for alerts when conditions are above a value, below a value, and between or outside of a range.

For more information, contact: Robert Mason, rrmason@usgs.gov , (703) 648-5305.

Or contact the USGS Water Science Center in your state, which can provide detailed information on water conditions and USGS response to local events.

 

For access to the USGS press release: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2464 .

Anupam Mishra: The ancient ingenuity of water harvesting | Video on TED.com

Here's a nice talk about rainwater harvesting in rural and not so rural areas of India. Amazing the amount of water harvested in what are defined as deserts. With rain in the forecast, it makes me feel woefully inadequate.

Anupam Mishra: The ancient ingenuity of water harvesting | Video on TED.com

Coastal wetland protection and British Petroleum

Noticed that the US EPA had a webinar this week on coastal wetland protection.  Kinda ironic timing given the fiasco that BP engineered in the Gulf.   Even more ironic that the guvmint is the one stepping up to get out the booms and all, which are rightfully BP's responsibility.  I'm sure the tea partyers are going to be really upset about that, federal money being spent to protect the environmental and economic wealth of the nation.

Anyway, came across this in my meanderings, which if even half true, gives pause for thought:  http://www.truthout.org/slick-operator-the-bp-ive-known-too-well59178.  Right here in our own state we have some of those nasty government worker bees that keep trying to hold up progress or cost people, or worse, corporations money - all in the name of following the rules that are on the books.  And these are rules that are actually written down in black and white.  Think about the parliamentary elections in Britain where the rules about succession are established by precedence.  Here is a county that used to dominate half the world and it's standard operating procedures aren't laid out in law.  Is that why BP (British Petroleum) believes it can play fast and loose with common resources? 

Protecting the Public, Protecting the Profit, or Profiting from Power?

Stolen from Rainbow Water Coalition...

 

Monday, May 3, 2010

Protecting the Public, Protecting the Profit, or Profiting from Power?

A consistent message is being spread by the wastewater industry about greywater which I have been perplexed by, but think I am starting to understand why.  Take, for example, this article from The Daily Lobo (The Independent Voice of University of New Mexico since 1895) where they quote Katherine Yuhas who is the water conservation officer at the Albuquerque Water Authority:

“The state regulates gray water. And, in 2003, the state made it legal to use up to 250 gallons of gray water per day,” Yuhas said. “It’s not very popular at all, frankly. We don’t promote the gray water program. We don’t offer rebates for it. The reason is that we treat water at our water reclamation plant to a much higher standard than you could in your yard.”

I did not realize that someone's yard was in competition for water "treatment" with a wastewater treatment plant. Ms. Yuhas is silent whether or not the treated water is available for the homeowner to reuse in their yard, which I think is the idea behind greywater reuse.  (see remainder of post at link above)