Reservoirs in Parched Chennai, City of Millions, Are Dry. Can Better Forecasting Avert Future Crises?

The megacity in southern India, as it waits for the monsoon, is not the first to run short of water. It won’t be the last.

Neighbors Face Off Over Texas’ Other Lucrative Resource: Water

Wildcatter Clayton Williams Jr. made his first fortune in oil. He aims to make another off a treasure buried beneath his family’s West Texas land. It’s a massive trove of water.

Foreign ownership of water entitlements reveals China and US are the biggest investors

The Federal Government's long-awaited foreign ownership of water entitlement register reveals investors from China and the United States have the biggest stake in foreign-owned water entitlements in Australia.

Satellite Images Reveal the Extent of Chennai’s Water Shortage

A pair of photographs taken by NASA’s Operational Land Imager roughly a year apart offer a stark visualization of the water shortage currently plaguing Chennai

What's Up With Water

Meteorologists blamed the early weakness of the monsoon on unfavorable climate conditions, such as an El Niño phenomenon that slowed formation and movement of the southwest monsoon.

Murray-Darling Basin residents' survey shows support for reallocating water from irrigators to Indigenous communities

A random survey of people living in the Murray-Darling Basin has found support for reallocating water from irrigators to Indigenous communities.

Water Risks Threaten to Derail Vietnam’s Economic Success

Depletion and pollution of Vietnam’s water supplies are hurting the country now, and could cause economic losses up to 6 percent by 2035, says new World Bank report.

India has just five years to solve its water crisis, experts fear. Otherwise hundreds of millions of lives will be in danger

About 100 million people across India are on the front lines of a nationwide water crisis. A total of 21 major cities are poised to run out of groundwater next year, according to a 2018 report by government-run think tank NITI Aayog.

A water year in review: How has water shaped up for Sacramento and Northern California?

As the 2018-19 water year came to a close Sunday, record-setting snowpack in the Sierras and above-average rain means several reservoirs are near full capacity heading into the dry summer months. Here’s a look at the past 12 months of California water.

Lower Colorado River Basin Can Still Expect Shortage Next Year

The Lower Colorado River Basin does not avoid a shortage in 2020 despite the plentiful snowpack on the Rocky Mountains this past winter.

Why India does not have enough water to drink

About half of India is facing drinking water crisis with Chennai and Bengaluru bearing the brunt as monsoon got delayed and arrived without a brimming bucket. A Niti Aayog report released last year predicts Day Zero for 21 Indian cities by next year.

Mysterious freshwater reservoir found hidden beneath the ocean

The surprising discovery, from a new survey of the sub-seafloor off the northeast U.S. coast by researchers from Columbia University, appears to to be the largest formation of this type anywhere in the world — stretching from Massachusetts to New Jersey and extending continuously out about 50 miles to the edge of the continental shelf.

Lake Michigan Nears Historic Water Levels. What’s Happening, and Why

“A record high is in reach for Lake Michigan and Lake Huron for the month of June,” says Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, who overseas Great Lakes water level forecasting.

Water, wars and hydro-diplomacy

Climate change is eating the Himalayan glaciers at a pace that, if left unabated, would threaten water supplies and life and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people across South Asia.

Supreme Court allows Flint resident to sue officials involved in water crisis

Lawsuits against a group of officials from the city of Flint in Michigan officials, which was hit by a water crisis in 2014, will move forward after the US Supreme Court denied a request from their attorneys to put them on hold as they pursued an appeal.

Chennai water crisis: City's reservoirs run dry

The southern Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras) is in crisis after its four main water reservoirs ran completely dry.

Water, water everywhere: Good and bad of California's rising reservoir levels

For the state, water is liquid gold that feeds many people, animals, trees, and industries. But, if not well managed, it can also present great danger.

Junior water rights holders will get less water in latest forecast

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s monthly forecast issued Thursday shows junior rights water users will get 74 percent of their entitlements between now and Sept. 30. It’s about a percentage point below May’s forecast, which showed junior water rights users getting three-quarters of their entitlements.

Sierra snowpack is 202 percent of average for this time of year

As of May 30, the snowpack measured 202 percent of average, according to the California Department of Water Resources which compiles data from about 100 stations across the range.

Texas struggles to keep pace as thirst for water intensifies

Water experts are trying to determine how "resilient" the state's water infrastructure is in keeping safe drinking water flowing through the taps

Sydney to get water restrictions this Saturday for first time in a decade

Water restrictions will be enforced in Sydney this Saturday for the first time in a decade.

Amid drought, Phoenix plans for a future with less water

As the Colorado River’s flow declines, water supplies in seven states are imperiled by potential shortages. That includes Arizona, which passed legislation outlining steps it would take if water from the river continues to decrease.

Drought-hit Chennai has 1.3% of water in its reservoirs, one of the lowest in 70 yrs

This is the fifth lowest quantity of water recorded in the last 74 years.

Low snowpack, hot spring lead to drought declaration for nearly half of Washington state

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared drought Monday for nearly half of Washington watersheds, as the mountain snowpack that churns through hydropower dams, irrigates our state’s orchards and provides for fish continues to dwindle well below normal.

States sign short-term Colorado River drought plan

The Colorado River just got a boost that’s likely to prevent its depleted reservoirs from bottoming out, at least for the next several years

As rains fall short, Manila trickles into a water crisis

As drought grips the Philippines, capital Manila is becoming the latest big city to struggle to access enough water.

Good news for California water supply: Spring snowpack still deep and will melt slowly

Although the measurement was a big decline from the previous month, and one that was expected, it was still better than usual for this time of year: 188% of average for the day.

Australia's capital cities face water restrictions as dams near 50%

Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have seen water levels hit near-decade lows after a hot summer and dry autumn

Barnaby Joyce and Watergate: the water buybacks scandal explained

Barnaby Joyce is under fire because of an $80m deal he approved as water minister in 2017. The company that received the payment, Eastern Australia Agriculture (EAA), booked a $52m profit on the deal, much of which appears to have been transferred to its parent company in the Cayman Islands.

California Water District Sues to Stop Colorado Drought Plan

The Drought Contingency Plan, or DCP, represents a years-long effort to coordinate and expand water conservation efforts in the Colorado River basin, which provides water to 40 million people in seven U.S. states and Mexico

Despite Billions in Losses and Clear Financial Dangers, Companies Slow to Respond to Water Risks

The world’s largest companies, despite increasing awareness of how water scarcity can hurt the bottom line, are not moving quickly enough to address water risks that could harm their reputations, cut growth, and reduce or destroy the value of their assets.

U.S Irrigation Continues Eastward Expansion

Irrigated farmland in the United States climbed to a record-high 58 million acres in 2017, according to new federal government data. It represents a 4 percent increase from 2012.

Who keeps buying California's scarce water? Saudi Arabia

Four hours east of Los Angeles, in a drought-stricken area of a drought-afflicted state, is a small town called Blythe where alfalfa is king. More than half of the town’s 94,000 acres are bushy blue-green fields growing the crop.

Flint Receives $77 Million to Fund New Water Projects

The city of Flint, Michigan, has a new resource as it recovers from the water crisis that hit five years ago: $77 million in funding from the state.

These states are gearing up to draw more water from the Colorado.

There are at least six high-profile projects in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming that combined could divert more than 300,000 acre-feet of water from the beleaguered Colorado River

Murray Darling Basin water prices near $600 a megalitre

THE southern Murray Darling Basin’s water markets are nearing $600 a megalitre in the wake of grim 2019-20 outlooks from South Australia and NSW water resource managers.

After Eskom, next crisis will be water

South Africa will have a 17% water deficit by 2030 and unless urgent steps are taken to implement a basket of integrated solutions, the country’s next looming crisis will be severe water scarcity.

The time to bank water like money is here

Large-scale groundwater banking is a critical element that global leaders of industry are tackling to protect themselves against crippling droughts, loss of income, loss of jobs and likely, business closures.

President Proposes $1.1B For Bureau Of Reclamation

The President recently proposed a $1.1 billion Fiscal Year 2020 budget for the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation. The budget supports the Administration's and Interior's goals of ensuring reliable and environmentally responsible delivery of water and power for farms, communities and industry

New Mexico Oil Production Is Soaring. Now What To Do With The Wastewater?

With the oil comes even more water. More than 1 billion barrels of produced water flowed from the state’s oil wells in 2018, according to regulators

California water agencies fight over multi-state drought plan

Most of the seven states that get water from the Colorado River have signed off on plans to keep the waterway from crashing amid a prolonged drought, climate change and increased demands. But California and Arizona have not, missing deadlines from the federal government.

Day zero' water crises: Spain, Morocco, India and Iraq at risk as reservoirs shrink

Shrinking reservoirs in Morocco, India, Iraq and Spain could spark the next “day zero” water crisis, according to the developers of a satellite early warning system for the world’s 500,000 dams

Drought, what drought? The Colorado River Basin dance

The economic value of the Colorado River Basin is significant. It represents about $1.4 trillion in annual economic activity, the equivalent of about 1/12th of the total U.S. GDP, or roughly 16 million jobs

Despite California’s long drought, trillions of gallons of rainwater wastefully flowing into sea

LOS ANGELES -- California’s rainy season could be the wettest in 40 years, but experts say the state is missing a major opportunity by failing to collect the trillions of gallons of storm runoff that currently flows wastefully into the ocean.

Drought-stricken Broken Hill's water supply switched to Murray River as $500m pipeline turned on

The $500-million project was announced in 2016 after Broken Hill came within months of running out of drinking water, and will be commissioned today by the Deputy Premier John Barilaro

With the clock running for SGMA, IWV Water District’s workshop plans and prepares

The Groundwater Authority has a little over a year left to create the Groundwater Sustainability Plan, and the Indian Wells Valley Water District is doing everything it can to ensure that happens.

February storms soak California with 18 trillion gallons of water

Eighteen trillion gallons of water have fallen in California in February, according to the National Weather Service. And the month isn't over yet.

Permian Oil Boom Uncorks Multibillion-Dollar Water Play

Producing oil produces even more water: two to five barrels of water for every barrel of fracked oil

Thirsty Energy

The Importance of Water for Oil and Gas Extraction

The Federal Water Tap

Federal Water Tap, February 11: Green New Deal Links Environment, Economy, Inequality

Water evaporation could be a source for renewable energy

A new source of vast amounts of renewable energy – the evaporation of water – has been discovered by scientists.

Cashing in on rain water

With nearly half of the water supply in Santa Clara County coming from groundwater, rain gardens can serve as a valuable tool in the landscape to help capture stormwater runoff and sink it back into the ground, helping to replenish our underground aquifers.

Ways Saudi Arabia is looking to save water

With Saudi Arabia ranking among the top five countries in the world in terms of water scarcity, the Kingdom is changing the way it produces, uses and distributes water to ensure sustainable growth.

California's Water Economics

GWF’s Jesper Svensson and Dr Dustin Garrick from Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment interview Prof Michael Hanemann on the economics of water and California’s water rights. Explore the issues, guided by a major academic contributor to the fields of environmental and resource economics.

Federal Water Tap

The longest government shutdown in the nation’s history drags on. President Trump nominates Andrew Wheeler to helm the EPA. A House bill seeks to prioritize water research at the Department of Energy, while a big land and water package is introduced in the Senate. And lastly, federal agencies answer President Trump’s order to quicken the environmental review of Columbia River dam operations.

SJW refuses to give up on Connecticut water merger

Yesterday’s withdrawal by SJW and Connecticut Water (CTWS) of a joint merger application with the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) does not necessarily mark the end of the process for the two companies.

Singapore's Water Story

Water demand in Singapore is currently about 430 million gallons a day (mgd) that is enough to fill 782 Olympic-sized swimming pools, with homes consuming 45% and the non-domestic sector taking up the rest. By 2060, Singapore's total water demand could almost double, with the non-domestic sector accounting for about 70%. By then, NEWater and desalination will meet up to 85% of Singapore’s future water demand.

US states to meet deadline over Colorado river drough plan

With drought continuing and reservoirs shrinking, seven Southwestern U.S. states that depend on the Colorado River had been expected to ink a crucial share-the-pain contingency plan by the end of the year.

$100 Million effort the solve Americas water crisis

A government-funded five-year, $100 million effort to develop technologies around water desalination is seen as the best hope in generations for making the technology accessible.

Commodities of The Future

Liquid Gold Critical to all life on the planet, potable water could be heading to a commodities exchange in the near future.

The Cost of Supplying Water Has More Than Doubled

The cost of developing and operating Singapore's water supply system has more than doubled in 15 years.

The Next Big Bet in Fracking is Water

Some investors see fortunes to be made in the U.S.’s hottest oil field—by speculating in water, not crude.

The Importance of Water to the US Economy

Water is essential to life, making its total economic value immeasurable. 

The Value of Snow

A trillion dollar question

The Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure Report

At a national level, a one-day disruption in water service can lead to a loss of $43.5 billion in sales and $22.5 billion in GDP.

The new oil: how investors can keep water flowing.

The financing required to meet these fundamental human needs is staggering. Annual investments of $449bn in water infrastructure is required by 2030

EPA studies the importance of water to the US economy

Water is vital to a productive and growing economy in the U.S., directly and indirectly affecting the production of goods and services.

California's water statistics

California’s large metropolitan regions, especially the San Francisco-Oakland-Silicon Valley Bay Area, generate more economic value per unit of freshwater consumed than other regions in the United States.

Trading the Economic Value of Unsatisfied Municipal Water Demand

Modelling and optimization techniques for water resources allocation are proposed to identify the economic value of the unsatisfied municipal water demand against demands emerging from other sectors.

Determining the optimal water allocation between agriculture and municipal use

Ever growing demand for agricultural and municipal water, caused by population growth and the need to feed the world, as well as increasing stress over waterbodies crave for efficient and sustainable water management.

Thirsty cities drill for water

In the mountains east of the Cape Town, South Africa, just beyond the curving road up Sir Lowry’s Pass, workers manoeuvre heavy machinery to stab at the ground near Steenbras Dam, drilling deeply with steel pipes to bring forth water.

Day zero' water crises: Spain, Morocco, India and Iraq at risk as reservoirs shrink

Shrinking reservoirs in Morocco, India, Iraq and Spain could spark the next “day zero” water crisis, according to the developers of a satellite early warning system for the world’s 500,000 dams

Drought, what drought? The Colorado River Basin dance

The economic value of the Colorado River Basin is significant. It represents about $1.4 trillion in annual economic activity, the equivalent of about 1/12th of the total U.S. GDP, or roughly 16 million jobs

Despite California’s long drought, trillions of gallons of rainwater wastefully flowing into sea

LOS ANGELES -- California’s rainy season could be the wettest in 40 years, but experts say the state is missing a major opportunity by failing to collect the trillions of gallons of storm runoff that currently flows wastefully into the ocean.

Drought-stricken Broken Hill's water supply switched to Murray River as $500m pipeline turned on

The $500-million project was announced in 2016 after Broken Hill came within months of running out of drinking water, and will be commissioned today by the Deputy Premier John Barilaro

With the clock running for SGMA, IWV Water District’s workshop plans and prepares

The Groundwater Authority has a little over a year left to create the Groundwater Sustainability Plan, and the Indian Wells Valley Water District is doing everything it can to ensure that happens.

February storms soak California with 18 trillion gallons of water

Eighteen trillion gallons of water have fallen in California in February, according to the National Weather Service. And the month isn't over yet.

Permian Oil Boom Uncorks Multibillion-Dollar Water Play

Producing oil produces even more water: two to five barrels of water for every barrel of fracked oil

Thirsty Energy

The Importance of Water for Oil and Gas Extraction

The Federal Water Tap

Federal Water Tap, February 11: Green New Deal Links Environment, Economy, Inequality

Water evaporation could be a source for renewable energy

A new source of vast amounts of renewable energy – the evaporation of water – has been discovered by scientists.

Cashing in on rain water

With nearly half of the water supply in Santa Clara County coming from groundwater, rain gardens can serve as a valuable tool in the landscape to help capture stormwater runoff and sink it back into the ground, helping to replenish our underground aquifers.

Ways Saudi Arabia is looking to save water

With Saudi Arabia ranking among the top five countries in the world in terms of water scarcity, the Kingdom is changing the way it produces, uses and distributes water to ensure sustainable growth.

California's Water Economics

GWF’s Jesper Svensson and Dr Dustin Garrick from Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment interview Prof Michael Hanemann on the economics of water and California’s water rights. Explore the issues, guided by a major academic contributor to the fields of environmental and resource economics.

Federal Water Tap

The longest government shutdown in the nation’s history drags on. President Trump nominates Andrew Wheeler to helm the EPA. A House bill seeks to prioritize water research at the Department of Energy, while a big land and water package is introduced in the Senate. And lastly, federal agencies answer President Trump’s order to quicken the environmental review of Columbia River dam operations.

SJW refuses to give up on Connecticut water merger

Yesterday’s withdrawal by SJW and Connecticut Water (CTWS) of a joint merger application with the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) does not necessarily mark the end of the process for the two companies.

Singapore's Water Story

Water demand in Singapore is currently about 430 million gallons a day (mgd) that is enough to fill 782 Olympic-sized swimming pools, with homes consuming 45% and the non-domestic sector taking up the rest. By 2060, Singapore's total water demand could almost double, with the non-domestic sector accounting for about 70%. By then, NEWater and desalination will meet up to 85% of Singapore’s future water demand.

US states to meet deadline over Colorado river drough plan

With drought continuing and reservoirs shrinking, seven Southwestern U.S. states that depend on the Colorado River had been expected to ink a crucial share-the-pain contingency plan by the end of the year.

$100 Million effort the solve Americas water crisis

A government-funded five-year, $100 million effort to develop technologies around water desalination is seen as the best hope in generations for making the technology accessible.

Commodities of The Future

Liquid Gold Critical to all life on the planet, potable water could be heading to a commodities exchange in the near future.

The Cost of Supplying Water Has More Than Doubled

The cost of developing and operating Singapore's water supply system has more than doubled in 15 years.

The Next Big Bet in Fracking is Water

Some investors see fortunes to be made in the U.S.’s hottest oil field—by speculating in water, not crude.

The Importance of Water to the US Economy

Water is essential to life, making its total economic value immeasurable. 

The Value of Snow

A trillion dollar question

The Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure Report

At a national level, a one-day disruption in water service can lead to a loss of $43.5 billion in sales and $22.5 billion in GDP.

The new oil: how investors can keep water flowing.

The financing required to meet these fundamental human needs is staggering. Annual investments of $449bn in water infrastructure is required by 2030

EPA studies the importance of water to the US economy

Water is vital to a productive and growing economy in the U.S., directly and indirectly affecting the production of goods and services.

California's water statistics

California’s large metropolitan regions, especially the San Francisco-Oakland-Silicon Valley Bay Area, generate more economic value per unit of freshwater consumed than other regions in the United States.

Trading the Economic Value of Unsatisfied Municipal Water Demand

Modelling and optimization techniques for water resources allocation are proposed to identify the economic value of the unsatisfied municipal water demand against demands emerging from other sectors.

Determining the optimal water allocation between agriculture and municipal use

Ever growing demand for agricultural and municipal water, caused by population growth and the need to feed the world, as well as increasing stress over waterbodies crave for efficient and sustainable water management.

Thirsty cities drill for water

In the mountains east of the Cape Town, South Africa, just beyond the curving road up Sir Lowry’s Pass, workers manoeuvre heavy machinery to stab at the ground near Steenbras Dam, drilling deeply with steel pipes to bring forth water.