Texas property owners can use nearly as much water under their land as they want. That’s unlikely to change even as the state approaches a crisis.
Gov. Gavin Newsom requested that residents voluntarily reduce their water usage by 15 percent as the drought worsens. Some wonder if state officials should mandate water restrictions while others think it’s unnecessary.
The California governor has asked residents to voluntarily cut their water use by 15 percent as a heat wave exacerbates the state’s drought conditions. Nearly every Bay Area county has enacted an emergency drought declaration.
In a major shift, groundwater, once considered private and free, is now labeled as a shared resource, according to state law. Aquifer managers must submit sustainability plans and use meters as drought conditions worsen.
The breach of a Florida water treatment system that could have poisoned citizens sent shockwaves through local government. No-cost assessment tools and low-cost fixes can increase security in this sector.
With most of the state gripped by extreme dryness, some conditions are better, some worse, than the last record-breaking drought. Over-pumping of wells hasn’t stopped. But urban residents haven’t lapsed back into water-wasting lifestyles.
The Supreme Court recently dealt defeat to Florida in its 20-year legal battle with Georgia over river water. Other interstate water contests loom, but there are no sure winners in these lawsuits.
Despite the dry conditions, Gavin Newsom has not yet declared an official drought emergency. Many believe that the recall threat against the governor is preventing the declaration.
A former employee of a water district plant in Ellsworth, Kan., allegedly logged in and attempted to tamper with the public drinking water system. This is just one of several recent hacks on water systems nationwide.
Wastewater offers high-tech jobs at the leading edge of sustainability and public health. But aging workers are leaving, creating a shortage of skilled workers. Public utilities need to step up their recruitment game.
With adaptive design, infrastructure is ready to be expanded in the future. It’s working for the Dutch.
Huge gaps exist in scientific knowledge, but California is about to set the world’s first health guidelines for microplastics in drinking water. Yet no one agrees how to test water for the tiny bits of plastic, or how dangerous they are.
A cyberattack on Oldsmar’s treatment system tried to increase the amount of lye in the water, but it was caught before damage was done. The county has disabled remote access to the system and is investigating the attack.
The city has endorsed a $2 billion plan to wall off the historic downtown from rising seas and surging storms. It is the latest in a growing number of expensive seawalls and barriers being proposed to defend U.S. coastal cities.
A multi-partner water recycling project is helping Monterey, Calif., stabilize and replenish its dwindling groundwater supply. The project could serve as a model for shrinking aquifers in other regions of the country.
Ellicott City, Md., has been devastated twice by flooding rivers that traverse the city. But one man has built a homemade warning system he hopes will save property and lives the next time the flood waters rise.
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