As of Aug 2012, nearly 63% of the contiguous US was experiencing drought conditions. ((Real-time drought data – US Geological Survey (USGS) )) At the peak, 77% of the Central Region was experiencing moderate to exceptional drought.
Availability
21st Century Pollution
5 things you need to know about sanitation & drinking water
The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation was established in 1990 and has monitored changes in national, regional and global coverage ever since. The latest JMP report, Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water: 2015 Update and MDG Assessment, looks at how far we have come in the past 25 years and how far we still have to go to achieve universal access post-2015.
future of drinking water
Water Security
Chasing Water
Photographer Peter McBride traveled along the Colorado River from its source high in the Rocky Mountains to its historic mouth at the Sea of Cortez. In this Yale Environment 360 video, he follows the natural course of the Colorado by raft, on foot, and overhead in a small plane, telling the story of a river whose water is siphoned off at every turn, leaving it high and dry 80 miles from the sea.
In the video, McBride, a Colorado native, documents how increasing water demands have transformed the river that is the lifeblood for an arid Southwest.
America’s Most Endangered Rivers® 2013
1. Colorado River Outdated water management is threatening recreation, water supply, and wildlife habitat. |
2. Flint River Water supply for communities, farms, recreation, and wildlife are threatened by outdated water management. |
3. San Saba River The river’s flow for ranchers, citizens, and lakes might disappear from outdated water management. |
4. Little Plover River Outdated water management is putting fish habitat and water supply at risk. |
5. Catawba River Coal ash pollution is threatening drinking water and recreation. |
6. Boundary Waters Copper and nickel mining at putting recreation, drinking water, and wilderness at risk. |
7. Black Warrior River Coal mining will put drinking water quality and fish and wildlife habitat at risk. |
8. Rough & Ready and Baldface Creeks Nickel mining endangering pristine rivers, wilderness, botanical diversity and recreation. |
9. Kootenai River Open-pit coal mining is endangering water quality and survival of rare fish and wildlife. |
10. Niobrara River Improper sediment management is putting property, crops, and public safety at risk of flooding. |
Special Mention: Merced River Intentional flooding of this Wild & Scenic River would harm wildlife habitat and recreation. |
How Earth Made Us
The incredible story of the natural forces that have shaped our history presented by Professor Iain Stewart. Our planet has amazing power, and yet that’s rarely mentioned in our history books.
This series tells the story of how the Earth has influenced human history, from the dawn of civilization to the modern industrial age. It reveals for the first time on television how geology, geography and climate have been a far more powerful influence on the human story than has previously been acknowledged. Visiting spectacular locations in Iceland, the Middle East and India, Iain shows how control over water has been central to human existence.
Sacred Spirit of Water
Water is a living organism, water is sacred, water is life, water is worth defending and protecting for those yet unborn. Rivers and lakes in Alberta don’t stop at provincial borders. These rivers and lakes flow throughout Canada and the United States, therefore everyone will be affected by the ominous bills which have become law.
All Dry on the Western Front
2013 was a dry year for California, but it has nothing on 2014 so far. January is on track to be California’s driest on record, and since the state receives half of its precipitation between December and February, it appears that the 2013-2014 water year could be the driest on record too. With that possibility in view, California governor, Edmund G. Brown, Jr. declared a state of emergency on January 17, urging Californians to conserve water.
From brown landscapes to the bare mountains, California is clearly dry in this view from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, taken on January 18, 2014. The lower image, taken on January 18, 2013, contrasts last year’s drought conditions with the extreme conditions currently in place.