November 2012 On November 13, 2012, the California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply released its latest report, From Storage to Retention: Expanding California’s Options for Meeting Its Water Needs. The report builds on earlier work focused on agricultural water stewardship, and argues for an expansion of approaches to storing water that increase supply reliability […]
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Update on the National Water Census by USGS
April 4, 2013 WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today released a report to Congress on the progress of the National Water Census, which is being developed at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to help the nation address its critical water needs. “This update to the National Water Census—the first since 1978—will […]
Read MoreStreamflow Depletion by Wells
Streamflow Depletion by Wells—Understanding and Managing the Effects of Groundwater Pumping on Streamflow By Paul M. Barlow and Stanley A. Leake Introduction Groundwater is an important source of water for many human needs, including public supply, agriculture, and industry. With the development of any natural resource, however, adverse consequences may be associated with its use. […]
Read MoreHistory – Notice of Appeals Court decison
Hello Anti-Degradation Coalition – Quite some time ago, the Environmental Law Foundation drafted a Petition to the State Water Board on behalf of this Coalition. We asked the Board to adopt formal procedures to implement the state and federal Anti-Degradation Policy. (I attached the Petition, dated July 2007) While the State Water Board has done […]
Read MoreNotes on Appellate Court Anti-Degradation Ruling
November 6, 2012 OPINION IN AGUA et al v. Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board Most of you are aware that Coast Action Group, CAG, over the years has invested significant energy pursuing federal and State water law as a means of protecting water and forest based resources. As part of this effort CAG […]
Read MoreFracking California
California’s best kept secret since leaky pipes at San Onofre, earthquake faults under Diablo Canyon, the $54 million hidden slush funds at State Parks, or the Governator’s maid, is that the state is already host to at least 628 “fracked” oil wells. While the rest of the nation is in an uproar to immediately ban […]
Read MoreFracking for Foreigners?
New Report From Feds Backs More Natural Gas ExportsSaturday, 08 December 2012 09:21 By Mary Bottari, PRWatch | Report How times have changed. Ten years ago the United States was looking at importing natural gas via massive liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, yet to be built. Now the country appears to be getting ready to […]
Read MoreEPA responds to scientists’ concerns, initiates new effort for low-dose, hormone-like chemicals
Brian Bienkowski, Staff Writer Environmental Health News, Dec. 13, 2012 Spurred by mounting scientific evidence, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is initiating a new effort to examine whether low doses of hormone-mimicking chemicals are harming human health and whether chemical testing should be overhauled. (Handling receipts is one way people are exposed to the endocrine […]
Read MoreEuropean Parliamentary Committee tells Commission, “The sooner the better,” on Endocrines
Brussels, 23 January 2013 — The European Parliamentary Committee on Environment, Health and Food Safety has voted a draft Resolution today sending a clear message to the Commission that prompt action is needed to protect public health from endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The draft resolution says that measures to reduce public exposure to EDCs are a […]
Read MoreWhat Impact Could Fracking Have on California Vineyards?
The energy industry’s growing interest in a controversial extraction technique has growers worried about water problems and other environmental concerns. Matt Kettmann, January 7, 2013 In several appellations on California’s Central Coast, winemakers tout the benefits of growing vines on soils rich with decomposing shale, which allows for good drainage and deep root penetration. Now […]
Read MoreFracking Wastewater Can Be Highly Radioactive
Rachel Morgan, Times Online January 28, 2013 Its contents remain mostly a mystery. But fracking wastewater has revealed one of its secrets: It can be highly radioactive. And yet no agency really regulates its handling, transport or disposal. First of a four-part series on radiation in fracking wastewater. Andy Moyer hasn’t been able to work […]
Read MoreWorried About Fluoride Exposure? Protect Yourself with Selenium
Having too much fluoride in the body can lead to a number of serious health conditions including reduced IQ, hastened development of cancer, and enhanced oxidative stress. Recent research indicates that the trace mineral selenium may be effective in minimizing the toxic effects of fluoride and even ushering it out of the body while improving […]
Read MoreCivil Rights Leaders Call for Halt to Water Fluoridation
NEW YORK, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire Because fluoride can disproportionately harm poor citizens and black families, Atlanta civil rights leaders, Andrew Young and Dr. Gerald Durley, have asked Georgia legislators to repeal the state’s mandatory water fluoridation law, reports Fluoride Action Network (FAN). Andrew Young , former U.N. Ambassador and former Atlanta Mayor, along with […]
Read MoreWorld Health Organization’s paper on Fluoride in Drinking-water
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Read MoreCitizens raise concerns about fluoride
Sunday, December 16, 2012 Columbia is joining a long list of U.S. cities taking another look at the decades-old practice of adding fluoride to public drinking water. It’s a debate that has resurfaced from time to time across the country over the past several decades. In recent years, the practice has come under fresh scrutiny […]
Read MoreSodium Fluoride
Mayo Clinic (Drug Information provided by: Micromedex) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DR601265 Fluoride has been found to be helpful in reducing the number of cavities in the teeth. It is usually present naturally in drinking water. However, some areas of the country do not have a high enough level in the water to prevent cavities. To make up for […]
Read MorePoisoning the Well: How the Feds Let Industry Pollute the Nation’s Underground Water Supply
Abrahm Lustgarten ProPublica, Dec. 11, 2012 Federal officials have given energy and mining companies permission to pollute aquifers in more than 1,500 places across the country, releasing toxic material into underground reservoirs that help supply more than half of the nation’s drinking water. In many cases, the Environmental Protection Agency has granted these so-called aquifer […]
Read MoreClimate Vulnerability and Adaptation Study for California
This Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program white paper was released in July of this year and provides a legal analysis of barriers to adaptation for California’s water sector: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/ccelp/CEC.pdf ABSTRACT This project focused on the legal and institutional framework associated with California’s water rights allocation system, and identifies changes to that framework that would […]
Read MoreViewpoints: Ten Years After Fish Kill, California and Oregon Must Make Salmon a Priority
Leonard Masten, Sacramento Bee November 14, 2012 Ten years ago thousands of adult salmon died in the Klamath River when extremely low flows ordered by the Bush administration created lethal conditions for fish. This year, as we celebrate the first good run of salmon since the fish kill, let’s remember the 10 years of advocacy […]
Read MoreWest Coast Salmon Show Up in East Coast Courtroom
by Lori Abbott | Posted: Thursday, October 25, 2012 11:30 am A federal court in Virginia is being asked today to overturn a decision with major impacts on salmon and steelhead in California and three other western states. The National Marine Fisheries Service recommends buffers of at least 500 feet where certain pesticides can’t be […]
Read MoreChemo Drugs Pose Serious Public Health Risks
By FRANK CARINI/ecoRI News staff NEWPORT — For 25 years, Jim Mullowney worked to protect company employees from the dangers of industrial chemicals. When his mother was stricken with cancer, he quickly realized chemotherapy chemicals are much nastier, and that they are being unleashed in homes and on the environment largely unnoticed. “We send people […]
Read MoreWest Coast a Test Bed for Ocean Acidification
This week, scientists from around the world aremeeting in Monterey to discuss what they call the “other” climate change problem: the oceans are becoming more acidic. It happens as oceans absorb the carbon dioxide we add to the air through burning fossil fuels. Scientists say it can be bad news for ocean animals with shells like oysters, […]
Read MoreWeird and Frightening Effects of Fracking You May Not Know About
We know fracking has environmental and health damages, but there are other terrifying consequences. October 20, 2012 What comes to mind when you think of fracking? Perhaps it’s images of tap water being lit on fire or stories of families suffering health problems after nearby wells are fracked. Indeed, the health and environmental impacts of […]
Read MoreWater Recommendations for the Next President
Peter H. Gleick, Pacific Institute Dear Mr. President, Congratulations on winning approval from the American people to serve as leader of the United States for the next four years. We know you have a lot on your plate. But among the issues that deserve prompt attention from you and senior members of your administration is […]
Read MoreConventional Alcohol Farms are Hazardous to Your Health
By David Franklin The conventional wine industry has poisoned our rivers, wiped out wild species, reshaped mountains, caused wells to run dry, peppered our ag lands with chemicals that are poisoning us and our children and are now getting ready to hack down our forests for profit while the planet roasts from deforestation and climate […]
Read MoreCommunities take innovative, cost-efficient steps to mitigate effects of sewer overflows
October 1, 2012 USGS When a combined sewer system reaches capacity during heavy rainfall, stormwater and sewage is discharged into local waters. Communities across the United States spend a lot of time and money trying to treat wastewater and combined sewer flows. Now, several cities are focusing on ways to keep water from coming into […]
Read MoreGovernor Signs Huffman Bills to Protect California Wildlife
Dan Okenfuss, September 25, 2012 California’s fish and wildlife will get stronger protections, thanks to Governor Jerry Brown’s signature today on two bills authored by Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael). Assembly Bill 1961, the Coho Salmon Habitat Enhancement Leading to Preservation Act, protects coho salmon that have virtually disappeared in some areas of California and […]
Read MoreMendocino County Judge Tosses Out State’s Frost-protection Rules
GLENDA ANDERSON & CATHY BUSSEWITZ THE PRESS DEMOCRAT September 26, 2012 A Mendocino County judge on Wednesday overturned controversial state water rules designed to regulate how grape growers in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties divert water from the Russian River. Judge Ann Moorman of the Superior Court of Mendocino County declared the law to be “constitutionally […]
Read MoreMendocino County Judge Invalidates State’s Frost Protection Regulations
Ukiah Daily Journal Staff September 9, 2012 Ukiah Daily Journal Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Ann Moorman ruled in favor of a group of local landowners who sued the California State Water Resources Control Board over new regulations affecting Russian River water used for frost protection in local vineyards. Moorman said that she agreed with […]
Read MoreFeds announce Central Coast Coho salmon recovery plan
By JASON HOPPIN – Santa Cruz Sentinel September 5, 2012 SCOTTS VALLEY – More than 2,000 pages and three volumes, a federal plan to rescue the endangered Central Coast Coho salmon from the brink of oblivion is laid out in staggering specificity. Meeting in Scotts Valley, officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on […]
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