The News Review:
- Federal water reports 5 years past due
- Thirsting for answers in dry Georgia
- Columbia Basin water plan includes $5.9M for 2 tribes
- Period property: The homes that sit on liquid assets
Federal water reports 5 years past due
Toronto Star – Dec 18, 2007
Sue Bailey THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA – An annual report required by law to update Canadians on how crucial water resources are being managed is now five years overdue. The federal Conservative government, like the Liberal regime before it, has violated the Canada Water Act which mandates yearly assessments of how supplies are used and maintained. The last report posted on Environment Canada's website is from 2001-02. It outlined efforts across the country to protect drinking water, clean up the Great Lakes and track water use. "Clearly both the previous and current governments are failing Canadians when it comes to water sustainability," said NDP MP Peggy Nash.
Thirsting for answers in dry Georgia
USA Today – Dec 18, 2007
The Legislature, worried that fast-growing Atlanta was consuming water at the expense of the rest of the state, created a regional authority to chart a plan to manage the resource. When a relentless drought hit last year, however, the agency’s water-saving recommendations mostly had not been implemented. Drought had ravaged San Diego, too, but its legacy was far different. A six-year drought that ended in 1992 prompted conservation measures and other steps that enabled the metropolitan area to add a half-million people without substantially increasing water usage. The sharply contrasting ways that normally rainy metropolitan Atlanta and semi-arid San Diego County have dealt with growth and water consumption are an instructive tale that might offer clues to Georgia legislators as they try again in January to divvy up the region’s precarious water supply.
Columbia Basin water plan includes $5.9M for 2 tribes
Seattle Times – Dec 18, 2007
9 million per year to cooperate with plans for giving more Columbia River water to farmers and cities below Grand Coulee Dam, Gov. Christine Gregoire said Monday. With the cash, Gregoire hopes to buy a partial solution to the tug of war over scarce water supplies that has roiled the Columbia Basin for decades. “This is the first delivery of water. This won’t be the last,” state Ecology Director Jay Manning said. “We’re working on several more approaches for water supply in the basin. The deals announced Monday secure cooperation from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and set up a tentative agreement with the Spokane Tribe.
Period property: The homes that sit on liquid assets
Telegraph.co.uk – Dec 18, 2007
I’ve seen old water troughs and baths being used for tanks and that’s when there is a risk of pollution. “Potential buyers of homes on their own water should carefully check the deeds. You could be legally bound to supply water to other houses in the area and be responsible for upkeep and maintenance of the source on their behalf. Legislation due next year will boost local authority power to force homeowners to better maintain their own water supply. Some mortgage providers also require homebuyers to have the water quality checked.