Earth's Water Distribution

Does anyone remember the water crises that Alabama faced during the 2007 drought?  Is the state ready to go through a similar drought in the future?  Based on our experiences from 2007, it is clear that Alabama is in desperate need of an environmentally sustainable water policy which accounts not only for the water demands on our rivers and streams but the uses of our groundwater as well.

In 2007 the Alabama State Legislature recognized this with the creation of the Permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy and Management.  Due to the pressures of the ongoing drought, the PJLCWPM was formed to study and propose a comprehensive state water policy which would prepare us for future shortages by setting up a system of accounting for and regulating the use of fresh water in Alabama.

Since then it has rained and the committee has lost much of its momentum.  The issue however remains.  In a recent article at the Environmental News Network, David Gabel highlights the relative scarcity of fresh water and the continuing impacts that human development is having on this critical resource. Gable notes:

It is important to remember that groundwater, just like lakes, rivers, and streams, are part of the freshwater hydrological cycle. They are all connected, so that what happens to one will affect the other. Since water is so vital to human existence, it is right to protect that source which is most abundant. Maintaining good water quality is everybody’s responsibility.

You can read Gable’s article here: Groundwater Vulnerability

It is time for the committee to get back work to ensure that Alabama has enough fresh water for her people and environment.

We’re bringing water issues to our state’s capitol this election year with Alabama Water Rally at the 12th annual Watershed Leadership Conference, February 27th – March 2nd, 2010

Click here to register online!

If you are a Conference Speaker or Scholarship Applicant, click here to register!

The Alabama Rivers Alliance hosts an annual Watershed Leadership Conference, a premier educational and networking event for Alabamians interested in clean water.  The conference moves to different regions of the state each year, and since 2010 is an election year, the 2010 Watershed Leadership Conference will be in our state’s capitol of Montgomery on February 27-March 2, 2010.

This exciting four-day event will feature something new: the first ever Alabama Water Rally, which will incorporate visits to our elected officials, field trips, and tours of the offices of three of the state agencies tasked with managing and protecting Alabama’s waters.

This event is for anyone interested in learning about clean water, environmental science, legislative policy, and leadership. Each year the conference brings over 100 individual attendees from a variety of backgrounds and over 25 various grassroots and conservation organizations together to share, network, and learn.  At the Conference, participants receive professional development training from experts as well as their own peers on the newest ideas and innovations in their fields.

Comments or questions? Email info@alabamarivers.org or call 205-322-6395. Click here to visit our website for pictures of previous conferences and more information.

Our friends at American Rivers and International Rivers are highlighting the need for “Natural Security.”  Natural Security is the idea that our natural systems–like cypress swamps, wetlands, and small streams feeding larger rivers flowing freely to the delta–are more protective of our built environment than man-made practices like dam building.

In this decade we are facing heightened storm surges, extreme rain events, flooding, and droughts as exhibited in recent events, from the flooding of the Alabama State House to the flooding of the City of Atlanta.   Click on the link below to read a regional example of how natural systems and green infrastructure are helping alleviate symptoms of these extreme weather events in neighboring Clayton, GA:  http://www.americanrivers.org/our-work/global-warming-and-rivers/infrastructure/natural-security-clayton-county.html

Read American Rivers’ full report here:  http://www.americanrivers.org/our-work/global-warming-and-rivers/infrastructure/natural-security.html

International Rivers blog on the Huffington Post can be read here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-mccully/yet-more-flood-disasters_b_322431.

WATER IS LIFE

UPDATE (September 18, 2009):  Notes from 23rd Annual Alabama Water Resources Conference and Symposium

This years American Water Resources Association AWRCS was, apart from the Symposium come one sided “kill-the-energy -bill” pep rally featuring Alabama Power and the ironically anti-populist organization Partnership for Affordable Clean  Energy whose presentation sounded more like paid political advertisement for Protect Alabama’s Coal Empire, actually really informative.  Presentations from all sessions are available at the AWRA website.

Highlights included:

- A fantastic Presentation from Paul Freeman from the Nature Conservancy explaining that  “Water is Life.”

- A discussion of alternatives to instream impoundments for Municipal Water Supplies from Erin Cox, CH2M HILL.

- A comparison of Dammed vs Free Flowing Rivers and the impacts that ill-conceived dams can have on fish populations from Ross Cummings of Troy University.

- A presentation from Gill Rogers of the Southern Environmental Law Center which provided a way forward for sustainable water management in Alabama.

- A fantastic explanation of the legal regime of water resources in Alabama from Bennett Bearden, Assistant Attorney General, Geological Survey of Alabama-Office of State Geologist.  Which should be mandatory reading for anyone involved in Water Law or Water Policy in Alabama.

Additionally, post graduate students from universities across the state presented presentations outlining their exciting  and important work virtually all of which reinforced the message that our water resources are under fire from a toxic mix of bad policy, poor planning, and over-use.

All in all the conference went a long way towards stressing the need for a proactive, science based approach to the management of our water resources.  We look forward to continuing the partnerships made at this conference as we move forward towards securing our state’s water resources for future generations.

————————————————————————————————————————————————–

ARA will be blogging each night from the Alabama Water Resources Conference. This year the Water Resources Conference will be held in Orange Beach, Alabama. Wednesday there will be a symposium highlighting voices from around the state including Paul Freeman from the Alabama Nature Conservancy. Thursday and Friday the conference will break out into separate sessions which will focus on various water issues including “Water Supply and Management”, “Coastal Issues,” and “Water Shed Assessment and Management.” If you’re interested you can review the Symposium and Conference schedules here. If you have any questions regarding the conference or if there are issues that you would like reports on please leave your comments in the space provided.

In July of 2008, the Alabama Legislature created the Permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy and Management, and here, with the mission to “make a continuous study of the state water supply and projected future needs and availability of the state water supply and make recommendations for legislation and initiatives that will create the necessary institutional and regulatory changes to accomplish the overall goals and objectives of the Alabama Water Management Plan in a manner that benefits the state’s needs and protects the environment.”  The committee, known as the PJLCWP (unfortunately this has not yet lent itself to a cool nickname), began its work last year with gumption and enthusiasm; holding hearings and gathering data from across the state, determined to craft a comprehensive water policy that would address Alabama’s future water needs while protecting our rich river heritage.  The State was just coming out of a historic drought, the Water-war with Georgia was dragging on, and everyone was pulling together to put together a plan that would address the our various water needs from across the state.   Groups from across the state were open to new ideas and the entrenched lines between industry, environment, agriculture, and navigation blurred in light of common goals.  This was a time when people from all backgrounds were talking about environmental preservation through protection of the natural flows of streams and rivers while ensuring that conservation and efficiency measures were adopted to provide for the needs of our communities, farms and businesses.  What a difference a year makes…

Since these initial movements by the PJLCWP very little has happened.  The old parties are once again circling their wagons and stonewalling any talk of change.  The committee has not met this summer and there is no indication that they ever intend to again.  The lakes are once again full and the drought that brought everyone together is fading away like a summer breeze.

The problem, of course, is that the work of the PJLCWP is not complete and the threats which led to its creation have not gone away.  Like a sleeping dragon, the drain on our water resources will come again.

As if to highlight this we came across two articles which foreshadow the next round of our water worries.  The first, from California, discussed the ongoing drought which has forced the federal government and state to ration water to the detriment of both the natural ecosystems and the people of California who rely on the water for their livelihood.  No matter what choice the government makes now, some important interest will lose out and both may be so impacted that neither fully recovers.  The water shortages in California are especially significant to Alabama because the situation was ultimately preventable.  While California is decades ahead of Alabama in terms of conservation and efficiency today, they did not embrace these ideas in time to ward off their current catastrophe.  Had the state proceeded with more precaution, even at the cost of growth, the state may well have found a balance among the interests that are now desperately fighting for survival.

To add to this, the Center for Biological Diversity has compiled a sobering studyof the effects that population growth has had on this planet over the last 200 years, and, more importantly, they have projected these trends into the next century.  Whether you agree with their conclusions of global population growth, there is no denying that competition for our limited water resources will certainly increase in the near future.  With a projected 50% increase in population here in the United States in the next 50 years,  the pressing need to continue the work of the PJLCWM is clear.

Update 2:  We completely agree with the Directors comments stressing the need to move the environmental discussion out into the community; especially communities of color and low income communities which too often suffer the burdens of environmental injustice without having a voice  in the debate.

Also it was great to hear Mrs. Jackson discuss the importance of conservation and efficiency.  She gave the example of using solar power and derivative methane to power civil services such as water treatment.  What a great idea.

Overall it was a good discussion and its refreshing to hear that senior leaders at EPA are working with us to find solutions rather than setting up roadblocks.  We look forward to continuing this conversation through our public comments and face to face meetings with EPA region 4.

Update 1:  Director Jackson is discussing how to address non-point and runoff pollution with an proposal to work with USDA.  Taking on this issue is extremely important and was highlighted by the Gulf Restoration Network’s report card for the Gulf State’s which found glaring deficiencies, in every state, in the area of Nitrogen and Phosphorus pollution; a major source of which is ag runoff.

Director Jackson spoke on the Diane Rehm Show this morning touching on several big topics facing our country.  One of the most interesting subjects was a response to a call regarding Mountain Top removal.  The Director noted that she had not seen mountaintop removal firsthand but that she was committed to applying science to the issue.   Its certainly refreshing to hear a plug for science but this highlights a common problem with our current problems in Washington.  They are sequestered in D.C. when they need to get out and see whats happening on the ground.

UPDATE (9:14, September 4, 2009): ADEM disingenuously responds to report card

When the Mobile Press-Register asked about Alabama’s disappointing grade in the recent Gulf Restoration Network report card, ADEM spokesman Scott Hughes choose to continue ADEM’s policy of bait and switch rather than address the concerns that Alabama’s citizens have about the health of our waters.  Claiming that the Alabama Rivers Alliance has not contacted ADEM and then calling a report created by a leading team of scientists, engineers, and environmental-protection specialists over a five-year period a “publicity stunt” is a gross misrepresentation.

ARA, along with concerned citizens from across Alabama, are constantly attempting to work with ADEM to better the protection of our rivers, streams, lakes and bays.  Within the last two months alone, ARA has attempted to elicit comments from ADEM numerous times.

In July, ARA submitted a ten page memorandum as part of ADEM’s triennial review of Alabama’s water quality program.  Among the host of concerns expressed in this document, ARA specifically stated that “while ADEM has provided excellent lake specific criteria for several reservoirs, Alabama still does not have numerical criteria to protect our rivers and streams from the impacts associated with excessive nutrients and stormwater runoff.”  ARA also addressed the use of citizen data in monitoring and water use designations.  Then, in August, the ADEM Reform Coalition, of which ARA is a member organization, presented our concerns with enforcement to the Alabama Enviromental Managment Commission, which has direct oversight of ADEM and sets environmental policy for our state.  In this meeting, Attorney David Ludder presented overwhelming statistical evidence of ADEM’s reduced enforcement of our water pollution law over the last 4 years.  In response to this, ADEM director Trey Glenn, took the same position as Mr Hughes.

The question that the people of Alabama are now asking is “when is enough enough?”  ADEM keeps giving the old song and dance line that they are “working on it” and “things are getting better.”  When is ADEM going to abandon this failed policy of doing as little as possible while shifting blame onto the citizens of the state who merely want a clean and healthy environment free from dangerous pollution and unhealthy fish?

To date, we are still waiting for a response to our comments and Mr. Ludder’s presentation.  In the mean time, we will continue to unhesitatingly voice the concerns of Alabama’s citizens from across the state to ADEM in our efforts to protect our rivers.

GULF STATES FAIL TO MAKE THE GRADE IN WATER POLLUTION POLICIES

Gulf Restoration Network Report Reveals Poor Water Quality Policy Gulfwide

BIRMINGHAM, AL- On September 2, the Gulf Restoration Network released its Clean Up Your Act! report card for Gulf State water quality standards.  Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas have received unsatisfactory grades for their failure to implement the Clean Water Act of 1972.  The report grades the Gulf States on issues such as water quality standards, policies to prevent Dead Zone-causing pollution, public health protection, and facilitating public participation in the policy-making process.

The Clean Up Your Act! report card indicates that Alabama, along with the other states along the gulf coast, has neglected its responsibility of maintaining healthy waters in the Gulf region.  While no Gulf state has adequately taken all the steps to implement the Clean Water Act.  Alabama is even further behind.  To date, Alabama has failed to implement criteria aimed at the reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, and has failed to use the best water quality tests to protect the public from disease-causing organisms.  Public involvement in state-level compliance with the Clean Water Act has been kept at a minimum.  Additionally, Alabama allowed a federally mandated deadline for public hearings to lapse for six months before meeting to review state water policies, although it could be worse, Texas has not held a review process since 2000.

Alabama received a D+, the average grade of all Gulf states.  The report indicates that Alabama Department of Environmental Management has failed to implement policies that set specific criteria for nitrogen and phosphorous pollution.  This pollution is responsible for harmful algal blooms that cause the annual Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico and create hazards for human health, as well as aquatic wildlife.  According to Mitch Reid of the Alabama Rivers Alliance, “We are 10 years behind the curve.  The failure of the state to act to limit Nitrogen and Phosphorous is strangling our Rivers, Lakes, and Bays and its turning our Gulf coast into a wasteland.  The algal blooms which form when fertilizers and other nutrients runoff into the water has the same effect as putting a plastic bag over your head.  It’s really hard to combat the effects of other types of pollution when the animals in the water can’t even breath.

Additionally, much of the nitrogen and phosphorous pollution in Alabama water bodies comes from sewage treatment facilities, and the report cautions that ADEM should limit the nutrient pollution allowed into waterways from such facilities.  Reid notes that “This is an easy fix.  Our treatment facilities are already under state regulation. and there is no reason for us to be failing in this area.  ADEM should take the lead in calling for an immediate adoption of the EPA’s recommended standards and then work to ensure that those standards are enforced.”

You can download the full report card at www.healthygulf.org

UPDATE: Report card comes out tomorrow morning.  ARA’s Mitch Reid will hold a press conference Tuesday morning at 9:45 to discuss the report and what Alabama can do to improve our water protection policies.

The Gulf Restoration Network, in conjunction with the Alabama Rivers Alliance, plans to release its report card of Gulf state water quality protections on September 2^nd. According to the report, all Gulf states have scored unsatisfactorily for their failure to include important parts of the Clean Water Act in state regulations and protect state water quality with EPA-recommended policies.

The Report Card will focus on the policies and laws that are required by the Clean Water Act. Alabama will be graded in four areas: Water Quality Standards, Public Health Standards, Nitrogen and Phosphorous Standards, and Public Participation. The Report Card will be made availible at a previously scheduled press conference on Wednesday, September 2nd.

Stay Tuned.

Thirst (verb)

• to feel a need to drink
• to have a strong desire for something

UPDATE (September 3, 2009 at 2:30 PM):  The Center for Biological Diversity has released a press release detailing the harmful effects of Atrazine.  In keeping with the NRDC report, The CBD submits evidence that :

“Atrazine is a potent chemical that is the most common contaminant of ground-, surface, and drinking water nationwide. Recent research published in peer-reviewed journals suggests that small amounts of atrazine in drinking water can be harmful at much lower concentrations than federal standards, and link the pesticide to birth defects, low birth weights, premature births, and menstrual problems. Previous research has provided evidence linking atrazine to prostate cancer and decreased sperm count in men, and higher risk of breast cancer in women.”

You can read their Press Release here.

 

The Natural Resources Defense Council release a report today which finds evidence of the pesticide Atrazine to be in drinking water throughout the country.  According to an article posted on the Environmental News Network:

“The report reveals that all of the watersheds monitored by EPA and 90% of the drinking water sampled tested positive for atrazine. Contamination was most severe in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, and Nebraska.

Atrazine Hotspots in the Eastern U.S.

An extensive U.S. Geological Survey study found that approximately 75 percent of stream water and about 40 percent of all groundwater samples from agricultural areas contained atrazine, and according to the New York Times, an estimated 33 million Americans have been exposed to atrazine through their drinking water systems.”

While the health effects of this contamination are not fully understood, it certainly highlights the growing necessity for some type of regulation of agricultural runoff from non-point sources.  Until we can get a handle on this type of pollution, we will never realize the dream of clean and healthy waters.