The News Review:

- ADB lends $500 mln to clean up dirtiest river
- Phoenix water chief is new CAP manager
- Climate change drought to strain Colorado River

ADB lends $500 mln to clean up dirtiest river
The Associated Press 
“Rapid urbanization climate change environmental degradation public health and food security are all important issues challenging water resources management in Asia and the Pacific region” said Christopher Morris an ADB senior water resources engineer. The loan also will allow the cultivation of an additional 61700 acres (25000 hectares) of rice paddy benefiting 25000 farming families he said. The river management program also aims to supply water to 200000 more households in Jakarta. It will ultimately increase Jakarta’s water supply by 2. 5 percent yearly and benefit millions by resolving critical water shortages in Bandung Indonesia’s fourth largest city the bank said. The project has not been without criticism. Dadang Sudarja who heads the non-governmental People’s Alliance for Citarum said one of the main worries was that 800 families living along the river would have to be evicted “many without being properly compensated.
Related from Freewheelintornados: FEMA To Pay Cost Of Hurricane Ike Clean-Up For 6 More Months

Phoenix water chief is new CAP manager
Arizona Republic AZ 
The CAP delivers more than half of Arizona’s Colorado River allocation through a 336-mile canal that stretches from Lake Havasu to Tucson. Meeting in Tucson the CAP’s 15-member board chose Modeer to replace Sid Wilson who will retire in May after 14 years. Modeer served on the CAP board as an elected representative from Tucson until March when he accepted the Phoenix job. At the time he was also director of Tucson Water where he helped integrate CAP water into Tucson’s supply after a rocky start. Although the Arizona Department of Water Resources manages the state’s Colorado River allocation the CAP distributes much of it among urban agricultural and tribal users in Maricopa Pinal and Pima counties. Under Wilson the CAP became a strong player among the seven river states helping to shape key agreements written to protect water resources from the pressures of growth and drought.

Climate change drought to strain Colorado River
The Associated Press 
But it shouldn’t be assumed that water levels will remain as plentiful in the future researchers said. Connie Woodhouse a University of Arizona scientist said tree rings in the basin indicate that the amount of moisture has fluctuated widely over hundreds of years but has tended to be drier than was seen in the last 100 years. It’s time to consider a “new normal” for shrinking water supplies in the Colorado River basin Wegner said. That will require a sweeping re-evaluation of allocations use conservation dams and legal obligations he said. All rights reserved.