Several months back, H2Bid featured a story about the invention and early application of so called “flushless” urinals. These urinals use a combination of hydrostatic pressure and eco-friendly chemistry to create a liquid barrier through which waste can move but sewer vapors cannot escape. After being invented, the early adopters of this technology were mostly novelty users and hard-core environmentalists; now, it seems, many other major consumers of water are finding value in these waterless marvels.
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A movement may have started on June 11th, this year. The first ever “Water Hour” was celebrated that day around the globe. As part of its promotion of the event, the Water Environment Federation notified the staff at H2Bid about the event. Water Hour is a different approach to the problem of water resource management and conservation; instead of a “doom and gloom” approach, the founders of Water Hour encourage people to take one hour to reconnect with water in their lives. By sharing positive stories of how water has shaped us or made us happy, the movement hopes to develop a sense of value in people that is associated with water in their lives.

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With every steady rain, a cycle begins which helps to recharge and replenish most aquifers of the world. The water soaks into the ground, makes its way to the aquifer via percolation through the ground and rock. When we take more water than the aquifer receives over a given year, however, we begin to deplete the groundwater source. While conservation and water management can help to decrease the rate at which we consume the water, it is becoming increasingly common for water districts to recharge or replenish their aquifers artificially.
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If you live in an urban area, chances are that you pass over hidden waterways every day on your commute to work. Of course, we may barely notice the streams and rivers that are visible but what most city dwellers don’t realize is that there is likely a hidden watershed buried under miles of concrete and pavement. In many cases, cities are “resurfacing” or “daylighting” these streams and creeks, allowing the sun to shine upon these waters once more.

Historically, as cities expanded, they often buried or diverted streams that were “in the way” of progress. This is far from a modern trend; there are examples that stretch back to the Roman Empire. In many cases, these waterways were incorporated into the sewer system; in others they were diverted or buried to prevent flooding in the heavily populated areas. As modern sewer systems were built, city streams and creeks often found their way into the storm sewer system.

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It may be counterintuitive, but in the current down economy, US water bills have been rising. A complex set of circumstances are at play to cause this improbable situation including lower demand, a shift in income sources and fixed costs associated with maintenance and facilities. Efforts have been made by the utilities to reduce their costs where possible, but this has not alleviated the problem, entirely. Water consumers – virtually every household and business in the United States – must find ways to manage their finances or conserve even more.

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For many decades, there have been almost constant news reports of large groups of people displaced by wars and famine. In many cases, these refugees flee their native lands, cross borders and settle in camps run by the United Nations or a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). A new type of refugee is emerging in this century, however; rather than fleeing war or persecution, these are refugees of ecological changes and challenges.
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As readers of this blog may be aware, the State of California has been facing
many challenges with respect to its freshwater management, endangered species,
and agriculture. In November, 2009, the state took a step forward to face those
challenges in the form of four bills that total over $11 billion in funding directed
towards the state’s river systems, lakes, and other water management projects.

The bills cover four major areas of water management. The first, Senate Bill No. 1
addresses the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area and lays out a plan for
reestablishment of the natural wetlands while preserving the state’s fresh water
resources. The second bill, Senate Bill No. 6 requires that localities monitor
groundwater levels to avoid pumping aquifers dry. Senate Bill No. 7 aims
to bring urban and agricultural water users to the table to begin a real
discussion about water conservation. Finally, Senate Bill No. 8 addresses
the practice of water diversion and seeks to set up a more equitable playing
field for all the state’s water stakeholders.
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Think about the usual holiday plans: Dinner with family, visiting friends and perhaps
watching a few bowl games. A young Ohio woman, however, has a radically different
set of plans this year. Some time around New Year’s Day, Katie Spotz, a fresh-faced
22 year old, will depart Senegal to row solo across the Atlantic. Yes, you read it
correctly – she will ROW across the Atlantic.

Katie is undertaking this amazing endeavor to raise awareness of safe drinking water
issues around the globe. She has partnered with the Blue Planet Run Foundation, a San-Francisco-based non-profit group that funds sustainable drinking water projects
around the world. Her goal is to raise enough funds to bring safe drinking water to at
least 1,000 people.

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Hard boiled eggs turn black in the shell, you are forced to use bottled
water to shower, and townspeople in your community have stomach
ailments in such numbers that something must be happening. You finally f
ind out that your well has been compromised; in fact your entire town’s
groundwater has been tainted with arsenic and other heavy metals.
Sounds like something out of a made-for-television movie, doesn’t it?
It’s reality for several towns in Western Michigan.
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The U.S. President, Barack Obama, began to make good on a campaign
promise calling for a $5 billion (US), 10 year program aimed at restoration
of the Great Lakes. This summer, the President delivered his request for
funding to the U.S. Department of the Interior and in that document the
President requested a boost in spending of approximately $475 million in
FY 2010 targeting Great Lakes cleanup and restoration efforts. The additional
funding adds to the roughly $500 million that Congress routinely appropriates
to the Great Lakes each year. In total, the President’s request would
mean nearly $1 billion for the effort. At the time that this article was written,
both the House and the Senate have passed their versions of the FY 2010
Interior appropriations bill and the House has passed the conference committee
version which marries the two original bills into one. The Senate is expected to
take up the conference committee version in the coming weeks and it is widely
expected to pass.
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