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In drought, Rio Grande Valley irrigators feel the crunch

Marty Schladen

December 14, 2014 |

El Paso Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Clint, Texas

Population growth, historical dryness and predictions of a warming climate all mean a future of scarce water in the Rio Grande's Upper Basin. Farmers and the irrigation districts are left to try and find ways to conserve what river water they have - and there's a lot to be saved. To minimize such losses, both irrigation districts have taken a number of steps.

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Los Angeles, City of Water

Jacques Leslie

December 06, 2014 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

LOS ANGELES is the nation’s water archvillain, according to public perception, notorious for its usurpation of water hundreds of miles away to slake the thirst of its ever-expanding population. Recently, however, Los Angeles has reduced its reliance on outside sources of water - it has become, of all things, a leader in sustainable water management, a pioneer in big-city use of cost-effective, environmentally beneficial water conservation, collection and reuse technologies.

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Drinking More Vodka: A Green Solution to Melting Icy Roads?

Lorraine Chow

December 05, 2014 |

NationSwell |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Pullman, Washington

Salt has become a costly and environmental problem in the twenty first century, with consumers overusing it in cooking and melting city roads during the winter. Salt has risen in price and has infiltrated the waterways, affecting the life in the water and contaminating drinking water. As a greener alternative to salt, Washington State University scientists have learned that the biproducts of vodka can help melt ice and snow.

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Can biomimicry tackle our toughest water problems?

Benjamin Goldfarb

November 24, 2014 |

High Country News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Shepherd, Montana

Clean water and healthy ecosystems are becoming increasingly difficult to come by. With floating islands and other inventions, eco-entrepreneur Bruce Kania thinks that biomimicry - such as reconstructing wetlands and growing biofilms - can tackle the toughest of water problems.

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'Big Dry' Lessons: Southwest can learn from Australia's drought

Marty Schladen

November 17, 2014 |

El Paso Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Australia, Kilmore, Victoria

In Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council was formed after a severe drought to bring together federal, state and regional governments and bridge parochial concerns. It was meant to manage the basin as a whole and end overuse and salinization of farm land, leveraging new technologies to adapt to new realities.

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Australia's city dwellers become water conscious

Marty Schladen

November 16, 2014 |

El Paso Times |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Australia, Melbourne, Victoria

After the drought hit Australia in the early 2000s, city officials had to start thinking seriously about ways to conserve and creatively store their water. External tanks became the solution, storing rain runoff to create an available source of water for Melbourne residents. This solution may not fit every location, but there are other teachable lessons such as taking radically shorter showers.

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Protecting the Rio Grande Basin's dwindling water

Marty Schladen

November 16, 2014 |

El Paso Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Elephant Butte, New Mexico

The El Paso Times reports from the heart of the Rio Grande Basin - where drought has led to dramatic decreases in water supply, and serious changes in management of river resources are called for - on how the region plans to tackle the effects of climate change. Citizens work to increase water regulations and frugality in order to find a solution to the dwindling water problem.

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Getting water to crops when they're thirstiest pays off

Jennifer Vogel

October 02, 2014 |

Minnesota Public Radio |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wadena, Minnesota

A growing program in central Minnesota measures rates of "evapotranspiration," or loss of water in fields, using a complex formula involving solar radiation, wind speed, air temperature and other factors.

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Man-Made Wetlands Turn Toilet Water Into Tap Water

Lorraine Chow

August 27, 2014 |

NationSwell |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Fairfield, Texas

Facing repeated droughts, Texas is pioneering a method to turn wastewater into drinking water. Although the process is not quick, the results have lead to an additional 65,000 gallons of drinking water and benefited the local environment, providing wildlife with a new habitat.

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Minnesota starts to think about re-using wastewater

Elizabeth Dunbar

August 04, 2014 |

Minnesota Public Radio |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Mankato, Minnesota

Mankato, where treated wastewater is used for everything from irrigation to industrial cooling, is one of the few places around this water-rich state where water is being recycled in this way. But as concerns about the availability of groundwater rise in certain parts of the state, interest in reusing wastewater is growing.

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