Ecological and Environmental Indicators

Political Water Scarcity Five things I learned at the Global Water Summit Published 29th April 2010 1. There is no such thing as economic water scarcity, only political water scarcity. Ek Sonn Chan told the story of how the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority had been transformed between 1993 and 2009. The number of connections increased seven-fold, non-revenue water fell from 73% to 6%, collection efficiency rose from 48% to 99.9%, and total revenues increased from $300,000 to $25 million, with an $8 million operating surplus. After receiving initial grants and soft loans from international financial institutions, the utility is now self-financing. Tariffs increased steeply in the early years, but they have been held constant at around $0.24/m3 since 2001, because the combination of service expansion, reduced water losses and high collection rates has guaranteed a sufficient cash flow for debt repayment as well as capital expenditure. It is a great story that should be reproduced across...

When Oil Soaks into Marsh Soil Whenever the drama ends at BP's Macondo well, the company still will be on the hook for the environmental harm from the spill, and teams of state, federal, and BP scientists are meticulously gathering data about where the oil is landing. Their goal is to figure out what restoration projects might be needed to make up for all the damage the oil is causing. Then the government will present BP with a plan of what projects are necessary. BP can do the restorations itself, or it can ask the government to handle them. Nailon's glove is oily after sticking his finger into the soil. Elizabeth Shogren/NPR Nailon's glove is oily after sticking his finger into the soil. When oil soaks into marsh soil, the plants become more vulnerable to dying. "At that point, we put a price tag on the … read more NPR I wanted to be the first to let you know about a new wetlands class we are offering this fall. It is entitled "Southeast Regional Supplement Wet...

Severely Eroding The river has been severely eroding into the Miskowic property for years, taking away soil, fencing, and trees. Now, a major shoreline restoration, and erosion-control project has been nearly completed on the Miskowic property and it shows promise in checking the erosion, according to Mille Lacs County Soil and Water Conservation District conservation technician Lynn Carter. The project was made possible with the help of; • A Minnesota Clean Water Fund matching grant of close to $39,007, in which the Miskowics had to put up 25 percent of that in money or in-kind contribution. • Organizing by the Mille Lacs County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), with input from the Department of Natural Resources. • Engineering by a Joint Powers Board of Engineers. • A week of labor by a youth group from the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa. Also labor from master gardeners and people involved with conservation agencies during the afternoon of Aug. 2. The latter h...