It's been raining cats and dogs for three days. Sure we need the moisture, but all at once? Don't think so. Anyway...since the environment doesn't seem to be on the question list for these "debates"....here is some Environmental News to USE!
MWD may cut water to L.A. area cities. The Metropolitan Water District is considering a contingency plan to cut water deliveries to its member cities using a new formula that critics contend favors faster-growing areas while penalizing older, poor communities. Los Angeles Times
Nation's growing thirst threatens a Great Lakes water war. As drought-plagued states cast a jealous eye toward Michigan's abundant supply of freshwater, local lawmakers are scrambling -- unsuccessfully so far -- to fend off efforts to siphon from the Great Lakes. Detroit News
Lake Erie's water level could plunge 3 to 6 feet as Earth's temperature rises. As Earth's climate warms, the issue is getting more attention in the Great Lakes region, and western Lake Erie in particular. Toledo Blade
States eye stricter curbs on Great Lakes water. Lake levels reached record lows last year, and the region worries that fast-growing states and communities will try to grab its water. Christian Science Monitor.
MOSE project aims to part Venice floods. Today, rising seas threaten the Venice lagoon. All along the Grand Canal, windows of buildings near sea level have been closed and filled with cement. Morning Edition
Bulacan rivers receptacles of waste. Marilao River has the dubious distinction of being on a "Dirty 30" list of the world’s dirtiest rivers. Philippine Daily Inquirer
EPA quits dioxin talks. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has cut off cleanup talks with Dow Chemical Co. over decades-old dioxin and furan contamination in the Tittabawassee River system. Saginaw News
He sounds alarm on polluted oceans. Sitting inside biopsy samples taken from whales around the world is the first overall baseline assessment of pollution in the world's ocean. And the scientist who gathered them, Roger Payne, says that the results are 'shocking.' Boston Globe
Australia floods strand thousands. Thousands of people remain stranded by some of the worst flooding eastern Australia has seen in 20 years. BBC
Big Lake's fish population plummeting. The quantity of fish food in Lake Michigan hit a record low for the second straight year in 2007, a trend that could be disastrous for the salmon fishery if it continues. Muskegon Chronicle
Crustacean "swarm" destroying small Hiroshima island. Millions of tiny crustaceans are causing a small island in southern Japan to disappear at an alarming rate, according to a local expert. National Geographic News.
Across Florida, drought appears here to stay. Brought to life by two of the driest years in more than a century, Florida's drought now rivals the worst in state history, threatening water supplies, seafood production, boater navigation and forests. Orlando Sentinel
Orlando area to explain plans to pull water from St. Johns River. Alarmed that Central Florida is planning to drain the life out of the St. Johns River, leaders of 33 downstream cities and counties will hear later this month from Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty and then decide whether to escalate a water war. Orlando Sentinel
Schweitzer rejects Wyoming-Montana water agreement. Gov. Brian Schweitzer rejected a proposed water quality agreement with Wyoming on Friday, saying it failed to protect Montana's farmers and fisheries and could have curtailed future energy development in the state. Associated Press via Denver Post
This drought may never break. It may be time to stop describing south-eastern Australia as gripped by drought and instead accept the extreme dry as permanent, one of the nation's most senior weather experts warned yesterday. Sydney Morning Herald
Australia looks to GM crops after scorching 2007. Australia's agriculture minister on Thursday hailed genetically modified crops as a means to help farmers combat climate change, as data showed 2007 was the country's sixth hottest year on record. Agence France-Presse.
The Three Gorges Reservoir. Next year, the reservoir behind the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River will be filled to capacity. Just at this critical moment, controversy has resurfaced, following official admissions that the dam could cause ecological disasters. Morning Edition
Anglers away. The drought in the southeast US has caused the one of the deepest lakes east of the Mississippi to reach record low levels, and it's affecting local businesses dependent upon fishing and boating. Chattanooga Times Free Press
Lake Michigan monthly averages nearing record lows. For a couple of days last week, Lake Michigan dropped beneath its record monthly low, heightening concerns about lower water levels in the Great Lakes. Chicago Tribune
O.C. sewage will soon be drinking water. As a hedge against water shortages and population growth, Orange County has begun operating a treatment facility that can turn 70 million gallons of treated sewage into drinking water every day. Los Angeles Times
Researchers testing deep aquifers used for drinking water found human viruses, challenging the assumption that these crucial water supplies are protected from surface contamination. Samples from three public water supply wells that draw from a 240-foot deep aquifer in Wisconsin contained human intestinal viruses, which as a group are associated with diseases such as meningitis, encephalitis, newborn enteroviral disease and polio. More...
In coming decades heatwaves in the Midwest are likely to become more frequent, longer, and hotter than cities in the region have experienced in the past. Fire will increase in the west. Sea-level rise will be increasingly problematic along the Gulf Coast. Nutrient overload will increase the frequency and intensity of hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay. Regional impacts of climate change: Four case studies in the US. Published by Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
More non-water eco news...
Governors fume as Bush blocks efforts by individual states to curb global warming. Many Republican governors are now boiling mad at the Bush administration's latest attempt to appease the auto industry and ignore global warming. Billings Gazette
How green is your lawyer? Lawyers are now stepping forward, working to make a difference in both energy conservation and other environmental concerns. Worcester Business Journal
Foul stench. From mountaintops to the seabed, the effects of China's headlong rush into modernity via smoke-belching factories are being felt across Japan. Asahi Shimbun
Sleuths track mystery bee die-off. A honeybee killer is on the loose in America -- and last September, entomologists inched closer to fingering a suspect. Discover.
Making a difference. A Tupelo, Miss. man launched a one-man effort to make Tupelo more eco-friendly through a program called Cool Cities. Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
ADM will bury carbon from US ethanol plant. Archer Daniels Midland Co, a major food processor, said it is working with business and government groups in the US Midwest on an US$84 million project to bury planet-warming gas emissions from an ethanol plant starting next year. Reuters.