The News Review:

- Dry times ahead – even for the Bay Area
- States plundering water authorities: PM
- Water, climate are keys
- … International, Inc. Cites Role of Atmospheric Water Generato…

Dry times ahead – even for the Bay Area
San Francisco Chronicle – Oct 22, 2007
Experts are warning that California’s water problems are so serious that many parts of the state, including water-rich Northern California, may soon be facing water restrictions and reduced supplies. In the Bay Area, local water agencies, including the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Santa Clara Valley Water District and East Bay Municipal Utility District, have already asked their customers to voluntarily conserve water. One of the biggest worries is the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a prized estuary and the single most important link in California’s water supply system. The delta is in an ecological crisis that threatens both our water supply and the environment. To complicate matters, a strong earthquake could collapse deteriorating delta levees, impeding state water deliveries for up to two years. While many Bay Area residents regularly enjoy the delta’s recreational aspects, they may not be aware of the critical role it plays in the Bay Area water supply. In fact, one-third of the Bay Area’s drinking water is tied to this critical estuary.

States plundering water authorities: PM
The Age – Oct 22, 2007
Mr Howard on Monday released the National Water Commission report – which described urban water planning as disappointing – more than two months after receiving the document. The first assessment of the National Water Initiative (NWI) – the water reform blueprint established in 2004 – says urban water shortages and the rush to invest in infrastructure are evidence of planning failure. “The fundamental NWI outcome of reliable urban water supplies has not been delivered,” commission chairman Ken Matthews says in an August 3 letter to Mr Howard submitting the report. The assessment makes a number of recommendations to improve the situation, including the removal of bans on water supply options like recycling, desalination, new dams and cross-border transfers. It also proposes a national minimum reliability benchmark for water supply in major population centres. The commission is proposing an extension of the NWI in urban water to build a national policy framework. Mr Howard said he has written to state and territory leaders asking their water ministers to respond to the report by developing a work plan with the commonwealth.

Water, climate are keys
NEWS.com.au – Oct 22, 2007
It will be in either the Liberal seats of McMillan (5 per cent) or Flinders (11. 2 per cent), with McMillan considered a seat that could fall to Labor if there is a big anti-Government swing. The north-south pipeline from the Goulburn River to Melbourne’s water supply will cost $750 million and run through the Liberal seat of McEwen (6. The decision to "shift" water from the Goulburn Valley has concerned farmers in central and northern Victoria. Cities centring on two of Labor’s most marginal seats – Bendigo (1 per cent) and Ballarat (2. 3 per cent) – have suffered significantly because of the drought.

… International, Inc. Cites Role of Atmospheric Water Generato…
sys-con.com – Oct 22, 2007
Last week, on October 16, the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA) reported drought conditions growing throughout theCentral and Southeastern states and declared that September 2007 was theeighth warmest on record for the continental U. On October 18, an articlein BusinessWeek, by Nanette Byrnes, quoted the president of Atlanta’sChamber of Commerce saying that diminishing water supply threatens tobecome an important constraint on the region’s economic growth. The articlesaid the greatest increased demand in the South is coming from homeowners’need for tap and lawn water.