http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/water/ en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:57:37 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050594/posts When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a statewide drought in June and then urged passage of a $9.3 billion water bond, Democrats and environmental critics became suspicious. They still are. “Last year we did have record low rainfall, but whether or not there is a drought is somewhat debatable,” said the Sierra Club’s Jim Metropulos. “The governor calling it a drought--that carries no legal significance. It’s interesting he calls for a drought, and couple of weeks later, he calls for a water bond.” The Republican governor proposes a $9.3 billion dollar water bond for the November ballot, arguing that passage of... Capitol Weekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050594/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:57:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050573/posts One in ten households in England and Wales will fall into "water poverty" under plans to introduce meters for every home in Britain, a consumer group has warned. Millions of families, already suffering from rising food and fuel costs, face soaring bills, with some left up to £200 a year worse off by the Government plans, according to The Consumer Council for Water. Currently water companies can introduce "pay as you flow" meters in areas that are at a high risk of drought. The Government had long-term plans to introduce them into other areas by 2030. However a Government report... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050573/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:33:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050218/posts BAGHDAD, July 23, 2008 – Water is a critical resource in the desert, and the water level at Camp Victory here has decreased significantly over the past few months, the result of an unseasonably dry winter that saw very little rain. Water from the Jaddriyah Pump Station is pumped into the Al Faw Lake on Camp Victory, Iraq. The water is used by personnel on the Victory Base Complex as well as the Iraqi people who live outside of the installation. U.S. Army photo by Maj. James Daffron, 926th Engineer Brigade  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The water... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050218/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:30:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049551/posts BAGHDAD — Serving more than 2000 homes and businesses, two water networks at a cost of $2.6 million are almost complete in the Kadamiyah area of Baghdad. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division, and the Baghdad Water Authority are working together to replace the old and damaged pipeline system in the Kadamiyah district to supply a better quality and quantity of water. According to the Gulf Region Central districts International Zone project engineer, Malath Al Rawas, approximately 17,000 linear meters of ductile iron water pipe was laid at each of the sites. Per Baghdad Water Authority requirements,... MNF http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049551/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:16:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048635/posts The bleak report into the future of the Murray-Darling river system found the situation had become "critical". The system, which runs from Queensland in the country's north east to Victoria in the south, irrigates Australia's vast food bowl and drinking water to more than a million people. However, due to rising temperatures and a desperate lack of rain, inflows to the basin are at their lowest ever recorded levels. Climate change minister Penny Wong yesterday said the Murray Darling was "in real trouble". "We've had very low inflows, we've had a very dry June and the focus absolutely has to... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048635/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:24:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045897/posts If G8 members, who recently agreed to carbon reductions that some consider lax, knew about one painful potential outcome of climate change, they might have demanded deeper cuts. Kidney stones will strike up to 2.25 million more Americans per year by 2050 because of temperature increases, research suggests. "We're certain that climate change will continue and increase, and we're equally certain that increased temperatures will lead to increased kidney stone formation," says Tom Brikowski, a hydrologist at the University of Texas, Dallas. The calcium deposits, which can be excruciating to expel from the body, are caused by dehydration and low... New Scientist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045897/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:57:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045776/posts County officials in a rural Ohio community are forking over $11 million to its Blacks (sic) residents. Why? Because for decades the county denied them the most basic necessity: water. According to a lawsuit filed in 2003 by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, residents of the mostly-Black Coal Run community were forced collect rain water, haul water for cisterns and pay to have wells dug. "As a child, I thought it was normal because everyone done it in my neighborhood," Cynthia Hale Hairston, one of the plaintiffs, told The Associated Press. "But I realized as an adult it was wrong."... DiversityInc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045776/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:58:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045508/posts (July 15, 2008) — Global warming is likely to increase the proportion of the population affected by kidney stones by expanding the higher-risk region known as the "kidney-stone belt" into neighboring states, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and UT Dallas have found. Dehydration is one of the risk factors linked to kidney-stone disease, and the paper suggests global warming will exacerbate this effect. The researchers predict that by 2050, higher temperatures will cause an additional 1.6 million to 2.2 million kidney-stone cases, representing up to a 30 percent growth in some areas. sciencedaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045508/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:02:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044248/posts Washington, D.C. (AHN) - With water shortages in many areas of the country, learning to use water in the most efficient manner is more important than ever. To help promote smart use of this scarce resource, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday announced that it is accepting nominations for its annual water efficiency awards."We encourage organizations and individuals who are saving water, energy and money for our nation's families and communities to apply for the 2008 Water Efficiency Leader Awards," Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water, said in a statement. "Together, we are proving innovative technology... All Headline News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044248/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:20:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044211/posts BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 11, 2008 – The wind blows hot and harsh across Forward Operating Base Sharana, pushing a wall of dust in front of it. Flags whip in protest to the treatment, and soldiers across the base squint behind their eye protection and pull caps down lower as dust devils spawn to brief, chaotic life around them. Air Force Staff Sgt. Benjamin Cisneros guides a new length of pipe into position while Staff Sgt. Rodolfo Pena and Staff Sgt. Randy Blount, all 1st Expeditionary RED HORSE Group well-drilling detachment team members, prepare to connect the new segment.... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044211/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:11:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044186/posts Many angry landowners have contacted us about a plan that, contrary to good public policy, will negatively impact property rights of rural Texans from Roberts to Jack County. The brand-new Roberts County Fresh Water Supply District No. 1, acting as an alter ego of businessman T. Boone Pickens and Mesa Power Pampa, LLC, has launched a private venture that may force landowners in 11 counties to submit to the power of eminent domain so they can pump water from the shrinking Ogallala Aquifer and sell wind-generated electricity. This new governmental entity is composed of only five people, all employees or... Lubbock Avalanche-Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044186/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:21:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043661/posts SACRAMENTO – With scattered rationing punishing cities and farms statewide, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein Thursday jointly unveiled a $9.3 billion water bond proposal, convinced that fears over prolonged shortages and environmental collapse in the vital Sacramento delta will be enough to overcome resistance to building dams and a north-to-south delivery canal. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and Feinstein, a Democrat, plan to aggressively push lawmakers to approve taking the bond measure to voters in November. The plan still faces tough odds. The ballot is already crowded with controversial initiatives addressing same-sex marriage, abortions for minors and caged farm... San Diego Union - Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043661/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:04:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043366/posts A British company is claiming the hydrogen age could be a little closer after it unveiled a major innovation. The new hydrogen refuelling cell in action It has created a home filling station which would solve one of the biggest problems surrounding hydrogen powered cars It claims to have dramatically cut the cost of creating hydrogen and has developed a device the size of a fridge freezer which can fit in your garage and create its own supply of hydrogen. At the moment there are only three hydrogen filling stations in Britain and the cost of fully equiping the country... Sky News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043366/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:14:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042908/posts PSYCHIATRISTS have detected the first case of "climate change delusion" - and they haven't even yet got to Kevin Rudd and his global warming guru. Writing in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Joshua Wolf and Robert Salo of our Royal Children's Hospital say this delusion was a "previously unreported phenomenon". "A 17-year-old man was referred to the inpatient psychiatric unit at Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne with an eight-month history of depressed mood . . . He also . . . had visions of apocalyptic events." (So have Alarmist of the Year Tim Flannery, Profit of Doom Al... Herald Sun Online Australia http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042908/posts#comment Wed, 9 Jul 2008 14:35:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042635/posts BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, July 8, 2008 – Some areas of Afghanistan’s Parwan province have been without water for years, while other areas are nearly flooded. An irrigated courtyard shows an idea of what Afghanistan could look like with a healthy water supply. U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Tamara Gabbard, 382nd Public Affairs Detachment  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. A June 23 meeting brought together a Parwan Provincial Council member, a U.S. military civil affairs leader and a United Nations Habitat District manager to discuss plans to improve water distribution. Ahmed Zaki, Army Capt. Steve H. Keiser and... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042635/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:03:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042525/posts Greg Raleigh of Elk Mound gets nine miles more per gallon of gas from his 2002 Ford Escort after installing parts that help the engine run on hydrogen. ELK MOUND - Greg Raleigh is spending less time at the gas pump and saving money thanks to technology and a quart-size canning jar. Raleigh has installed what is called hydrogen injection technology - or hydrogen on demand - in his 2002 Ford Escort, improving his gas mileage by 29 percent. The car was getting 31 miles per gallon and now gets 40, Raleigh said. "I'm saving about $20 a week... www.leadertelegram.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042525/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 19:45:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042256/posts PORTLAND, Ore. -- The wind huffed, and it puffed, and it nearly caused major problems in the Northwest's electrical grid last week. Power managers say they have some fixing to do. A surge of wind last Monday afternoon jumped far beyond levels forecast by operators of Oregon's burgeoning wind-farm industry, sending more power into the regional grid than it could handle. The Bonneville Power Administration is responsible for adjusting hydropower generation levels to accommodate the power from wind turbines so the system isn't overloaded. It realized by Monday evening that it could no longer handle the surge without increasing spills... http://www.kgw.com/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042256/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 06:24:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041115/posts Iraqi contractors load pipes for transport from a storage area on Camp Ramadi to a local warehouse under the control of the Ramadi Director General of Water. The contractors moved more than $1 million of piping material to support the repair and upgrade of RamadiÂ’s water system. Official photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Gary Boucher. CAMP RAMADI — Just outside Camp Ramadi, a team of Iraqi and American workers recently located and repaired a broken water pipeline, restoring water service to more than 1,000 local families. The repair was made possible by the recent transfer of more than $1... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041115/posts#comment Sat, 5 Jul 2008 15:53:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040547/posts First surprise from mission to Mercury: signs of water Thursday, July 3, 2008 8:43 PM By Kevin Mayhood THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Mercury facts Diameter: 3,032 miles Magnetic field: only rocky planet other than Earth with an active magnetic field Density: densest planet in solar system; 5.3 times denser than water Distance from sun: average of 36 million miles Distance from Earth: 50 million to 200 million miles Messenger facts Distance Messenger will travel: 4.9 billion miles as the spacecraft circles the sun 14 times before slowing enough to enter Mercury's orbit Size: 56 inches tall, 73 inches wide and 50... The Columbus Dispatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040547/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jul 2008 01:26:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040004/posts FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Students of the Village of Hope in Hawr Rajab began cleaning irrigation canals in the area June 26, in an effort to improve the flow of fresh water to nearby farms. The Village of Hope is a program which teaches construction skills to former members of the Sons of Iraq. The new skills help them transition to other productive jobs in their community. Airmen of the 577th Expeditionary Redhorse Squadron teach classes of about 50 students at a time at a training facility at Patrol Base Stone in Hawr Rajab. Village of Hope students were... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040004/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 00:12:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039854/posts ...So when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought June 4, Hartridge decided it was only right to let her front lawn die to save water. "The whole water conservation ethic is very important to me," said Hartridge, a state employee who bikes or rides the bus to work. But that ethic didn't agree with her neighbors, or with the city. Before Hartridge could plan new landscaping, a neighbor complained to the city about her brown lawn, and the Code Enforcement Department slapped the family with a citation. Their small brick home was declared a "public nuisance" in violation of... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039854/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 19:04:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039801/posts Just over a year ago several media outlets reported that John Kanzius, an amateur inventor from Erie, Pa., had discovered a seemingly impossible phenomenon: a way to burn salt water by exposing it to radio waves. Videos of the experiment became YouTube sensations, though they garnered as many critical comments as favorable ones. Now that the initial fervor has waned, we checked in with Kanzius, a collaborator and some critics to see how the technique has progressed, or if it's just another example of Web-propelled junk science. Kanzius' concept is simple: expose salt water to 13.56 MHz radio waves and... www.popularmechanics.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039801/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 17:11:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039326/posts POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - It's a concept gaining in popularity, homemade hydrogen fuel cells attached to cars and trucks in order to squeeze out a few more miles per gallon. If you're willing to do some homework and make a trip to the hardware store, you could save some money. "It just helps the fuel completely burn in the engine," said Doug Batton. He explains how this hydrogen fuel cell, or booster attached in the bed of his truck, helps him get more miles per gallon on the road. His Dodge truck still needs fuel, this device just helps him... www.kfvs12.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039326/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 18:58:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038796/posts Just because we all sin against the environment doesn't mean we should believe every "green" idea To get a sense of how well-intentioned people can lose their bearings in the sea of green hype, consider the case of Fiji Water. With its bottles featuring images of pristine tropical flowers, the Fiji company started to worry when critics began bashing the environmental impact of water bottles, which will pile up in landfills for thousands of years. It got more worried when it became fashionable for consumers to calculate the carbon footprint of the products they buy—the amount of greenhouse gas emitted... Newsweek http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2038796/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:34:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038369/posts I flushed my pills down the toilet. The prescription had expired. I had a queasy impulse to jettison the medicine this way because of some vague understanding that expired medicine could be dangerous. It may, but not in the way I imagined. Scientists are now finding a vast array of pharmaceuticals, from sex hormones, to anti-convulsants, to mood stabilizers, in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, the Associated Press found recently. The drugs get there via people like me, blithely tossing drugs into the water system — and through the natural metabolic practices of a country... Waterbury Republican-American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2038369/posts#comment Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:32:12 GMT