Registration Open: Urban Water Sustainability Leadership Conference

Registration for this year’s Urban Water Sustainability Leadership Conference is open! We hope you will be able to join us on October 15-17 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Don’t miss out on the reduced registration fees.     As a focal point for the national dialogue on resource recovery and green infrastructure, this Leadership Conference has been [...]

2012 U.S. Water Prize Winners Celebrated

Commemorating Earthday, the U.S. Water Alliance presented six outstanding organizations the 2012 U.S. Water Prize in a ceremony attended by 300 U.S. water leaders.  “Water needs champions” noted Ben Grumbles, president of the Alliance.  “These six shining stars bring creative strategies and cutting-edge approaches to sustainability.”  In alphabetical order, they are Pepsico Frito-Lay, Milwaukee Metropolitan [...]

Manmade Waterways Could Be Harnessed for Power Generation

Aiding President Obama’s initiative to generate 80 percent of U.S. power from clean energy sources by 2035, the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation released a study, Hydropower Resource Assessment at Existing Reclamation Facilities, on the hydroelectric power generation potential of 530 of its federally-owned waterways (dams, canals, pipelines, and irrigation tunnels). As the largest [...]

Mind Tricks: Recycled Water

Dr. Paul Rozin, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, studies human disgust, and has applied his expertise to the problem facing water reuse. He suggests bottling recycled water as a possible solution to overcome the “yuck factor” associated with recycled/reclaimed water. The packaging and branding, which invokes a cleaner image for the public, [...]

U.S. Drought Concerns

In the U.S., a mostly dry, mild winter has caused 48 of 50 states to be considered abnormally dry or having drought conditions according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Drought Monitor ranks the intensity of a drought with five levels, starting with “abnormally dry (D0)” as the lowest recognized level of drought to “exceptional [...]

The Conservation Fund – Pilot Course for Green Infrastructure

The Conservation Fund is offering a pilot course that will provides participants with applications and techniques for the implementation of Green Infrastructure at multiple scales. Building off of The Conservation Fund’s Strategic Conservation Planning Using a Green Infrastructure Approach Course, this offering will examine the next steps for on-the-ground implementation of green infrastructure focusing on [...]

High Tunnel Rain Collection

High Tunnels, otherwise known as hoop houses, are plastic-covered, solar-heated structures similar to greenhouses. Farmers use these high tunnels to protect their fruits and vegetables from cold temperatures, and extend their growing season. Iowa State University has come out with a high tunnel design to capture rain water for irrigation use. The design calls for [...]

Oregon Approves Gray Water Use

While a water-rich state, Oregon will now be allowing permits for businesses and residents to reuse gray water for those environmentally-inclined. The permits, issued by the Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), will allow the water draining out of showers, tubs, bathroom sinks and washing machines to be reused for irrigation purposes. If a building [...]