Humans and Water: Inseparable!

 A letter from AWRA President Carol Collier

I have read Bill Bryson's book A Short History of Nearly Everything at least two times and am always in awe at the number of planets that he surmises may be suitable for human life. When you listen to the NASA scientists involved with the determination of whether a planet could support human life, the critical determining factor is WATER! Remember the excitement with the Mars Rover? We are inseparable from the resource.

The concern is how do we, as water managers, connect people with the water issues of our time? Once water is in a stream or river, it is pretty easy to manage (except maybe flood loss reduction). The major issues are water demand, land use changes (increased impervious cover, loss of forests, etc.), wastewater treatment, and what humans put on the land that will eventually get into a water body. Most people are totally disconnected from the science and management of these issues.

We will never attain sustainable water systems (quantity and quality) unless we better engage the public. How many times have you heard the response to the question - "Where does your water come from?" - be "the tap", with no more explanation. When I take my University of Pennsylvania class to visit the local water and wastewater treatment plants, it is always interesting to see the response to how much chemistry, biology and physics is needed for an adequate treatment train. And issues are always changing. For instance, in the past, a wastewater treatment manager would abhor the use of a home garbage disposal, since it added more organics that had to be treated. Now, treatment plants that are capturing and using the methane off gasses for heating and electricity, want as much organic matter as possible. Use that garbage disposal as much as you want!

We can do a better job engaging the public. Here are a number of connections that need to be made:

• Emphasize local water issues at all levels of formal education
• Increase knowledge of the different water issues around the world
• Connect people with nature. (This is critical for so many different reasons)
• Improve adult education through Community TV, non-credit classes, town meetings, etc.
• Promote watershed management approaches, including engaging stakeholders in priority setting and implementation.
• Help people understand the connection between land use and water resources - how what they do in their backyard matters.

AWRA is helping this process, not only through recent IMPACT articles, but also through our Specialty conferences -- all of which address human impact on water resources and suggested improvements:

• March 25-27, St. Louis, MO, Ag Hydrology and Water Quality
• June 24-25, Hartford, CT, Environmental Flows
• June 27-28, Hartford, CT, Healthy Forests = Healthy Waters
• September 16-18, Beijing, China - Water for Mega Cities

Are you a strategic thinker? Determined to make a difference in all that you do? Do you know someone who is? AWRA is seeking motivated, self-starters for participation on its Board of Directors.  Learn more about what it means to be a member of AWRA's Board of Directors. Click the link above for information on Board duties, Board ethics policy and more. Or, complete the nomination form now and submit to Nominations Committee Chair Michael Campana. Deadline for nominations is  March 18, 2013. The slate of candidates will be published in the May issue of Water Resources IMPACT. 

MOVIES and VIDEOS
WaterWorld Weekly

WaterWorld Weekly - Feb. 4, 2013

Newscast, Feb. 4, 2013, headlines: Blueprint outlines vision for utility of the future; Utah bill proposes sales tax on potable water; Report warns U.S. coasts at risk from climate change; World's largest wetland designated in Bolivia.


"CHASING ICE"

"CHASING ICE" OFFICIAL VIDEO

Captures Largest Glacier Calving Ever Filmed On May 28, 2008, Adam LeWinter and Director Jeff Orlowski filmed a historic breakup at the Ilulissat Glacier in Western Greenland. The calving event lasted for 75 minutes and the glacier retreated a full mile across a calving face three miles wide. The height of the ice is about 3,000 feet, 300-400

feet above water and the rest below water.

USDA TV: Drought Affecting

Drought Affecting Food Prices

Food Prices In 2013
A USDA economist says the persistent drought in the Midwest will lead to higher than normal food price inflation for the rest of the year.

WEBINARS/CONTINUING EDUCATION

• Free Webcast Series on Hydraulic Fracturing   
• USGS Webinar - Ecological Flows in the Shenandoah River Valley, Virginia (to be held March 7th, 2013)    
• MetEd is a free collection of online learning resources for the geoscience community  

GRANTS

• American Water Accepting Applications for 2013 Environmental Grant Program 

STUDENT PROGRAMS

• White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Student Volunteer Program 

USGS COOPERATIVE WATER PROGRAM REPORTS 

• Energy  
• Water Quality and Drinking Water 

• Water Availability and Use  
• Hazards 
• Ecosystems 
• Climate 
• Monitoring  

OTHER REPORTS 

• Short-Term Water Management Decisions: User Needs for Improved Climate, Weather, and Hydrologic Information 
• Charting New Waters: State of Watershed Payments 2012 
• Federal Agencies release Technical Report on Toxic Contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay and its Watershed 
• The cost of ignoring the warning signs - EEA publishes 'Late Lessons from Early Warnings, volume II' 

WEBSITES

• EPA Water Research website 

Do you know of any new publications, reports, websites or other resources that our readers should know about? Email them to  christine@awra.org. 

• Most Popular Tweet:   Via @SFGate : @AWRAHQ Recommends National Move to Integrated Water Resources Management is.gd/FtQfHS   
• Most Popular Facebook Post: Aqueduct Launches Global Water Risk Atlas, Feb. 1...http://ow.ly/fMDj0  
• Most Popular LinkedIn Post:  Is Fracking With Bad Water a Good Idea? 
• Most Popular Pinterest Pin Board: Water Videos: My Water's On Fire Tonight (The Fracking Song)    
• Most Recent AWRA Blog Post:   Normative Science: When Scientists Become Stealth Policy Advocates   

Pennsylvania State Section of AWRA Co-Sponsors Survey   

Researchers are interested in learning what residents believe about the current status of Pennsylvania's water and how they think funding and other resources should be prioritized to best protect and manage water resources. Read more...  

Washington State Section Hosts Monthly Dinner
Global Sanitation and Water Supply: Linking Aid, Technology and Lessons Learned to Deliver Sustainable Solutions that Work in International Communities and in the United States. Read more...

AWRA State Section and Student Chapter Directories

Interested in joining an AWRA  State Section or  Student Chapter? Click the respective link to find a listing of all sections and chapters. The directories also list all available section and chapter websites.