water conservation

The Good, the Bad and the Utter Contempt

The Drain

The Drain is a weekly roundup of climate and environmental news from Legal Planet.

The news this week has me remembering my grandpa teaching a young me to turn off the tap while brushing my teeth. (Hey, I was an ignorant East Coast kid.) This was in California’s Central Valley around 1990 when drought conditions flared and the federal government cut water deliveries.  What was the news story? What …

CONTINUE READING

Unintended Consequences and Environmental Policy

Last summer, Los Angeles experienced a rash of water main breaks that at the time baffled  city officials responsible for the 7000 plus miles of underground pipes.  In a new report,  a panel of experts concluded that the city’s 2009 water conservation program, which limited lawn watering to Mondays and Thursdays during the summer, increased the number …

CONTINUE READING

Who’ll Stop the Rain?

Maybe the City of Los Angeles.  I complained a couple of weeks ago that during the (rare) times when the Southland gets a downpour, all the water get sent out to sea ASAP, even though cistern technology exists that could conserve water, reduce pollution, and reduce the costs of purchasing it from elsewhere. Well, as …

CONTINUE READING

Water for Power Plants: A Major Concern All of Its Own

As the demand for freshwater grows and supplies dwindle, should water use become a major factor in choosing new sources of electric power?  That is a question addressed recently in a hearing sponsored by a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology. The United States Geological Survey says that 48 percent of …

CONTINUE READING

Join Our Mailing List

Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.

TRENDING