Establishing a Water Market

I don’t think this is exactly what David Zetland has in mind when he argues for establishing water markets, but hey, whatever works! From the International Herald Tribune: In the world’s driest inhabited continent, there is simply not enough water to go around, and households, cities, industries and agriculture all demand their share from stressed …

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Water in the Desert: Oak Flat Edition

Oak Flat watering hole Originally uploaded by heinemanfleck. Lissa made a great discovery yesterday morning while we were walking in the woods at Oak Flat, in the Manzano Mountains east of town. The big thing in the background of the picture that looks like a UFO is a big cistern, with a flared top to …

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Denver Saves Water, Raises Rates

Not doubt the economists* in the audience can explain this in terms of pricing and efficiency: Colorado’s largest water utility will raise rates 7.5 percent next year as it seeks to offset rising operating costs and soft water sales among its drought-conscious customers. * I’m not being sarcastic here. I genuinely believe economists have some …

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When is “free” not really “free”?

David Foster argues that free water for the poor in India comes with a significant cost: Although water supply in virtually all Indian cities is heavily subsidized, very few BPL (Below Poverty Line) families have household connections. While upper income families benefit from those subsidies, the BPL families are often forced to buy water from …

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Saving One Life at a Time with Clean Water

Michael Campana has the remarkable story of Ron Rivera, who died earlier this month: Rivera, a former Peace Corps volunteer (Panama) born in the Bronx of Puerto Rican parents, spent the last 25 years traveling to Asia, Latin America, and Africa, teaching locals how to throw ceramic pots that would transform dirty water into its potable …

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Some Stuff I Wrote Elsewhere

on the unsurprising fact that we use less water when it rains (unsurprising but nevertheless a demonstration that we’re paying attention, and not just blindly watering our bermuda grass) T. Boone is bringing his wind-powered carnival to Albuquerque next week