Federal Agencies Partner to Revitalize Urban Waterways

A new federal partnership aims to stimulate regional and local economies, create local jobs, improve quality of life, and protect Americans’ health by revitalizing urban waterways in under-served communities across the country.

Urban waters impact large populations in the adjacent, upstream, and downstream communities. Reconnecting people with urban waterways results in economic, environmental and social benefits to communities. Healthy and accessible urban waters have the potential to be treasured centerpieces of urban revival, help grow local businesses and enhance educational, recreational, and social opportunities in the communities through which they pass. Many urban waters provide drinking water to cities and towns, but because they may receive pollution from sources like parking lot and roadway runoff, they become vital to protecting the public and environmental health of those communities.

The Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP), an innovative federal union comprised of 11 agencies, will focus its initial efforts on seven pilot locations.  UWFP is committed to working with local communities to restore waterways and reconnect people in underserved communities with their rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, estuaries, bays, and oceans.  Specifically, UWFP aims to:

• Break down federal program silos to promote more efficient and effective use of federal resources through better coordination and targeting of federal investments.
• Recognize and build on local efforts and leadership, by engaging and serving community partners.
• Work with local officials and effective community-based organizations to leverage area resources and stimulate local economies to create local jobs.
• Learn from early and visible victories to fuel long-term action.
• This partnership aligns with President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, which calls on agencies to support innovative community efforts to provide safe, healthy and accessible outdoor spaces.

Read the fact sheet here and the press release here.

GRA 19th Annual Conference and Meeting

The Groundwater Resources Association of California is hosting its 19th Annual Conference and Meeting on September 15-16, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency at the San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, California.

This year's Annual Meeting will explore many topics, but will focus on Water Recycling, Conservation, and Water Use Efficiency.

Water recycling, conservation, and water use efficiency are key tools to help California deal with several crises, including:

• A collapsing Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem,
• A continuously growing population, and
• Effects of climate change on future water resources.

In addition, California has goals to reduce per capita water use by 20 percent conservation by 2020, and increase recycled water use by two million acre-feet per year by 2030.

Specific topics that will be discussed at the conference:

• SWRCB recycled water policy
• Effects of recycled water irrigation on groundwater
• Intrinsic tracer study for seawater intrusion barrier using recycled water
• Conservation and Water Use Efficiency
• Estimating rates and distribution of residential irrigation
• Regional conservation planning in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Conservation, energy, and air quality

Click here for the registration form.

GE Ecomagination Annual Report

On June 24, 2010 GE announced that it surpassed $5 billion in ecomagination research and development investment in 2009, one year ahead of schedule, and committed to invest an additional $10 billion by 2015 as it released its 2009 ecomagination annual report.

Highlights include:

• Reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving the energy efficiency of its operations – GE reduced its GHG emissions by 22% compared to 2004. GE improved its energy intensity 34% compared to 2004, surpassing the goal of 30% in 20 12. And GE has reduced its GHG intensity 39% compared to 2004.
• Reducing water use and improving water reuse - GE reduced water consumption 30% compared to a 2006 baseline, surpassing the original goal of 20% by 2012.

Corporate Water Footprint Study

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has launched a new program, CDP Water Disclosure, aimed at compiling data from companies and organizations on their total water usage globally.

CDP Water Disclosure will provide water-related data from the world’s largest corporations to inform the global market place on investment risk and commercial opportunity. Information will be compiled on water usage and exposure to water stress in companies’ own operations and in their supply chains, and on companies’ water management plans and governance. The objective is that data will provide insight into the strategies deployed by many of the largest companies in the world on water and will be used to help drive investment towards sustainable water use.

The questionnaire will be issued to approximately 300 of the world's largest corporations in water-intensive sectors on April 1, 2010. CDP is asking that the questionnaire be returned by July 31, 2010, and anticipates publishing the findings between October and December 2010.

Water: Our Thirsty World

Courtesy of Zinio and National Geographic, this month's magazine is available for free electronic download.

"Water: Our Thirsty World" is a single topic issue from National Geographic highlighting the global challenges facing our most essential natural resource.

It is available for free download starting on World Water Day, March 22, 2010, through April 2, 2010.

This interactive edition presents complete content from the print edition, plus a variety of additional interactive content.