Water Follies

Water Follies
Author: Robert Jerome Glennon
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2012-09-26
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1597267872

The Santa Cruz River that once flowed through Tucson, Arizona is today a sad mirage of a river. Except for brief periods following heavy rainfall, it is bone dry. The cottonwood and willow trees that once lined its banks have died, and the profusion of birds and wildlife recorded by early settlers are nowhere to be seen. The river is dead. What happened? Where did the water go. As Robert Glennon explains in Water Follies, what killed the Santa Cruz River -- and could devastate other surface waters across the United States -- was groundwater pumping. From 1940 to 2000, the volume of water drawn annually from underground aquifers in Tucson jumped more than six-fold, from 50,000 to 330,000 acre-feet per year. And Tucson is hardly an exception -- similar increases in groundwater pumping have occurred across the country and around the world. In a striking collection of stories that bring to life the human and natural consequences of our growing national thirst, Robert Glennon provides an occasionally wry and always fascinating account of groundwater pumping and the environmental problems it causes. Robert Glennon sketches the culture of water use in the United States, explaining how and why we are growing increasingly reliant on groundwater. He uses the examples of the Santa Cruz and San Pedro rivers in Arizona to illustrate the science of hydrology and the legal aspects of water use and conflicts. Following that, he offers a dozen stories -- ranging from Down East Maine to San Antonio's River Walk to Atlanta's burgeoning suburbs -- that clearly illustrate the array of problems caused by groundwater pumping. Each episode poses a conflict of values that reveals the complexity of how and why we use water. These poignant and sometimes perverse tales tell of human foibles including greed, stubbornness, and, especially, the unlimited human capacity to ignore reality. As Robert Glennon explores the folly of our actions and the laws governing them, he suggests common-sense legal and policy reforms that could help avert potentially catastrophic future effects. Water Follies, the first book to focus on the impact of groundwater pumping on the environment, brings this widespread but underappreciated problem to the attention of citizens and communities across America.

Hydroplane Racing in the Tri-Cities

Hydroplane Racing in the Tri-Cities
Author: David D. Williams
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2008-06-30
Genre: Photography
ISBN: 1439620601

Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland sit along the banks of the Columbia River and form a large, vibrant community in Washington known as the Tri-Cities. For over 40 years, tens of thousands of fans have come to the Columbia River to enjoy a day in the sun and watch the Columbia Cup Unlimited Hydroplane Race. Famous drivers like Bill Muncey, Dean Chenoweth, Chip Hanauer, and Dave Villwock have all come to Tri-Cities and battled deck-to-deck to win the Columbia Cup.

Property Rights and Sustainability

Property Rights and Sustainability
Author: David Grinlinton
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 448
Release: 2011-04-11
Genre: Law
ISBN: 900420105X

Published with the support of The New Zealand Law Foundation. As collapses and crises involving ecological systems, economic and financial management and international governance increase, the need for bold alternatives to traditional economic and legal responses has never been more urgent. Property concepts are an important element in the interaction between humans and the natural environment. An important driver of ecological harm, property concepts can also become a powerful tool for responding to ecological problems in ways that have so far eluded both government regulators and markets. Going beyond the traditional critiques of liberal property theories, Property Rights and Sustainability takes on the challenge of fundamentally reconceptualising property rights and systems. It makes a significant contribution to rebalancing the legal framework in a way that recognises humanity as a member of a larger ecological order, the health and integrity of which is of primary importance to the long-term viability of our planet. Property Rights and Sustainability will be an indispensable resource for those interested in the relationship between property law and the environment, and the ways in which property law can be reshaped to respond to the ecological challenges of our time.

Ethical Water Stewardship

Ethical Water Stewardship
Author: Ingrid Leman Stefanovic
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 359
Release: 2020-10-20
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 303049540X

This interdisciplinary book brings philosophers and non-philosophers to the table to address questions of water ethics, specifically in terms of how moral questions inform decision making around water security at local, national, and international scales. Water security, which pertains to the experience of assured access to clean water, is a broad concept that intersects human rights, politics, economics, law, legislation, public health, trade, agriculture, and energy. Decisions made at each of these intersection points have ramifications for human well being, especially for the populations that are marginalized in a societal and political sense. In this book, the ethical dimensions of decision-making at those intersection points are explored, and real-world examples are used to tease out some key insights. It charts how ethical consideration can help shape a future in which everyone will be water secure.

Competition for Water Resources

Competition for Water Resources
Author: Jadwiga R Ziolkowska
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2016-09-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0128032383

Competition for Water Resources: Experiences and Management Approaches in the U.S. and Europe addresses the escalation of global issues regarding water scarcity and the necessary, cost-effective strategies that must be put in place in order to deal with escalating water crisis. The book evaluates use and competition for water resources in the U.S. and Europe, emphasizing the problems and challenges of dealing with tradeoffs in water. In addition, the book discusses water management strategies that can be used to optimize water use and allocation, mitigate water scarcity, and adapt to water scarcity. Supplementing the numerous case studies, the book includes lessons learned from applying specific strategies and approaches. This comprehensive overview and comparison of management practices across two continents is an invaluable resource for researchers, policymakers, and educators in water. - Provides a national and regional perspective through the use of country specific case study examples - Includes a comparative analysis between the U.S. and Europe, illustrating experiences in water management from two sides of the Atlantic - Covers interdisciplinary topics related to water, such as agriculture and energy

Confronting the Nation's Water Problems

Confronting the Nation's Water Problems
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2004-11-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309092582

In order to confront the increasingly severe water problems faced by all parts of the country, the United States needs to make a new commitment to research on water resources. A new mechanism is needed to coordinate water research currently fragmented among nearly 20 federal agencies. Given the competition for water among farmers, communities, aquatic ecosystems and other users-as well as emerging challenges such as climate change and the threat of waterborne diseases-Confronting the Nation's Water Problems concludes that an additional $70 million in federal funding should go annually to water research. Funding should go specifically to the areas of water demand and use, water supply augmentation, and other institutional research topics. The book notes that overall federal funding for water research has been stagnant in real terms for the past 30 years and that the portion dedicated to research on water use and social science topics has declined considerably.

Land, Water and Development

Land, Water and Development
Author: Malcolm Newson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 474
Release: 2008-09-17
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134111908

Tracing the evolution of river basin management and the history of applied hydrology, Newson provides a systematic review of policy and practice, and argues for a sustainable approach to the changing environment of the world's rivers.