Monday, March 6, 2006

Demand side management Here's an article from the Taipei Times dealing with the lack of demand side management of water resources. They write, "And, as I have discovered in a five-year investigation of the world's water, this supply-side fixation is creating a global hydrological crisis that threatens the survival of some of the world's largest rivers. "The world atlas no longer tells the truth. Today, dozens of the greatest rivers are dry long before they reach the sea. They include the Nile in Egypt, the Yellow River in China, the Indus in Pakistan, the Rio Grande and Colorado in the US, the ancient Oxus that once fed the Aral Sea in Central Asia, the Murray in Australia, and the Jordan, which is emptied before it reaches the country that bears its name. "The biggest demand on the world's water is irrigated farming, which takes two-thirds of all the water abstracted from rivers and underground reserves. This is largely due to the green revolution. "The 'high-yielding' plant varieties that have kept the world fed as populations have doubled over the last 30 years turn out to be high-yielding only when measured against land area. Measured against water use, they are generally worse than the crops they replaced. They produce less crop per drop. "As a result, the world grows twice as much food as it did a generation ago, but abstracts three times as much water to do it." Category: Colorado Water 6:40:28 AM     HB1352 The Pueblo Chieftain is urging lawmakers to pass HB1352 - Concerning an expansion of water judges's jurisdiction to address the effects of a water right adudication on water quaility. They write, "This bill is so balanced that it has gained major support of the Western Slope's biggest water organization. Chris Treese, director of external affairs for the Colorado River Water Conservation District, said last week, 'Yes, indeed, the River District voted unanimously to support the concept of Buffie McFadyen's bill and we look forward to its success ... We agree with her on the policy issue. Her bill seems to be a measured and appropriate step in the integration of water rights and water quality issues.' "Others have expressed support for HB1352. They include Wally Stealey, president of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District; John Singletary, president of the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District; Jay Winner, general manager of the Lower Ark District; Loretta Kennedy, a Pueblo County commissioner and member of the Lower Ark District; and Alan Hamel, executive director of the Pueblo Board of Water Works. "Colorado water law currently allows water court judges to consider water quality in exchange, or point-of-diversion, transfer cases. The law does not, however, take into consideration potentially injurious effects on the quality of water held by other water rights when the court hears the original change-of-use case. "HB1352 simply gives owners of other water rights the opportunity to raise water quality issues in the original change-of-use case. It's a reasonable, fair and equitable extension of current law. "The bill recognizes Colorado Water Quality Control Commission standards as the reasonable basis of measuring water quality. It also provides an exception for change-of-use applications involving small farm-to-farm or town-to-town water transactions." Category: Colorado Water 6:21:09 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 12/29/06; 11:14:46 AM.