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Los Angeles needs to reclaim what we used to consider ‘wastewater’

Los Angeles Times
March 5, 2019

Many people think water is infinite and inexhaustible. But it’s finite and exhaustible. All the water there is, is. We can’t make any more.

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Featured articles from Robert Glennon

John Wesley Powell, Great Explorer of the American West

Scientific American
June 26, 2019

Just over 150 years ago, on May 24, 1869, John Wesley Powell set off from Green River in the Wyoming Territory, into the “great unknown,” the first known descent of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

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Three Authors See Water, Water Everywhere, for Better and Worse

NY Times
March 30, 2018

The most pernicious consequence of global warming is the rise of sea levels, which threatens cities around the world and has already triggered what may become the largest mass migration in human history.

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Challenges to Nestle’s Bottled Water Strategy

Huffington Post
September 21, 2017

The exploding craft beer movement is taking on the challenges of a water-constrained world and improving conservation and efficiency in production. Some are even experimenting with using recycled water in their brews.

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Testing sewage can give school districts, campuses and businesses a heads-up on the spread of COVID-19

The Conversation
November 24, 2020
November has brought encouraging news about several COVID-19 vaccines. But members of the general public will probably not be vaccinated before the spring or summer of 2021 at the earliest. Americans will be living with this pandemic for some time to come. We are a microbiologist and a water policy specialist, and believe that wastewater-based... Read more »  Read more

Looser standards for showerheads could send a lot of water and money down the drain

The Conversation
September 2, 2020
For more than 25 years, Congress has directed U.S. government agencies to set energy and water efficiency standards for many new products. These measures conserve resources and save consumers a lot of money. Until recently, they had bipartisan support. But President Trump has turned efficiency standards into symbols of intrusive government. His administration has opposed many of these rules, including standards... Read more »  Read more

Why I Am Optimistic About Water

July 20, 2020
I recently received an email from a retired hydrologist, asking my thoughts about the future of water management. Here’s his note and my reply. “I read your newly-published Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America’s Fresh Waters in 2002 and used it in a seminar that I had long offered. The following year,... Read more »  Read more

Water harvesting as a solution for island communities

Island Institute
December 5, 2019
As Maine’s island communities and coastal residents address water supply problems created by rising sea levels (see “Monhegan’s water supply threatened,” December/January issue, they may want to borrow a tool developed in the arid West. Water harvesting involves capturing precipitation, whether rain, snow or sleet. Saltwater intrusion into coastal groundwater aquifers has bedeviled Maine homeowners as well... Read more »  Read more

Wading Into Colorado River Negotiations

Arizona Public Media
January 24, 2019
The Arizona Legislature has until Jan. 31 to approve a drought contingency plan for the Colorado River. A working group has spent months trying to come up with a plan that satisfies cities, farmers and Native Americans with a stake in the future of the Colorado River.  Read more