Water By Any Other Name

According to the Tea Association of America, "tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water, and can be found in almost 80% of all U.S. households. It is the only beverage commonly served hot or iced, anytime, anywhere, for any occasion. On any given day, over 158 million Americans are drinking tea. In 2014, Americans consumed over 80 billion servings of tea, or more than 3.60 billion gallons. "

As a crop, the water footprint for tea is close to that of coffee. The production of one 250ml cup of tea requires 30-35 litres of water. 

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Women Help Out

The City of Santa Cruz is serious about water conservation during the current 5 year drought. The city posts flyers in public places requesting citizens to report water waste. This collaborative effort of mindfulness is a reminder of the necessary collective effort to make a difference. call 831-420-LEAK

This image was submitted from Santa Cruz, CA.

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Storm Water

A storm drain, storm sewer, surface water drain/sewe, stormwater drain, or simply a drain or drain system is designed to drain excess rain and ground water from impervious surfaces such as paved streets, car parks, parking lots, footpaths, sidewalks, and roofs. Storm drains vary in design from small residential dry wells to large municipal systems. They are fed by street gutters on most motorways, freeways and other busy roads, as well as towns in areas which experience heavy rainfall, flooding and coastal towns which experience regular storms. Many storm drainage systems are designed to drain the storm water, untreated, into rivers or streams.

This image was submitted from Salinas, CA.

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A Little Bit of Rain

" These abandoned baskets were knocked onto the cement and simply left behind. A little  bit of rain and the leftover bits of grass sprouted from seemingly nothing."

This  was submitted by Geoff S from Clovis, CA.

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Canals

Historically canals have been of immense importance to the development, growth and vitality of a civilization. Canals are commonly classified into a two broad categories:  

1)Waterways: canals used for carrying vessels transporting goods and people. 

 2) Aqueducts: water supply canals that are used for delivery of potable water for human consumption, municipal uses, hydro power canals and agriculture irrigation

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More Jonas

Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the Eastern U.S., took the brunt of the massive snowstorm that swept through Asheville and up the East Coast over the weekend. With 5 more inches added by early Sunday, Mount Mitchell State Park has seen 66 inches of snowfall. 

This image was submitted by Marshall L from Asheville, North Carolina. 

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Reforestration

According to a report  put out by the Forestry Department entitled, Towards a New Understanding of Forests and Water, "The availability and quality of water in many regions of the world are more and more threatened by overuse, misuse and pollution, and it is increasingly recognized that both are strongly influenced by forests. Moreover, climate change is altering forest’s role in regulating water flows and influencing the availability of water resources. Therefore, the relationship between forests and water is a critical issue that must be accorded high priority."

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Snowdog

"Jonas  dumped upwards of two feet of snow on us and these four paws braved the frozen water to find the perfect spot."

This was submitted by Sophia E in Alexandria, VA

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Jonas

Snow. Snow. Snow. Winter Storm Jonas is unleashing its peak impacts on the mid-Atlantic and Northeast Saturday morning with dangerous blizzard or near-blizzard conditions ongoing across the region. Snowfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour have been observed early Saturday morning in the Washington, D.C. area, and rates up to 3 inches per hour have been recorded in the New York City area. 

This image was submitted from the DC Metro Area by Dan E.

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Bracing for a Blizzard

The Washington DC is preparing for potential  record snow fall. The fear of feet of frozen precipitation have left the grocery store shelves barren.

"The bread aisle." 

This image was submitted by Sonya E. from Washington DC.

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Flint Water Crisis : The Watered Down Version

The City of Flint stopped purchasing water from the city of Detroit and instead used water from the Flint River. The corrosive level of the water in the Flint River caused severe damage to the primarily lead pipe water delivery system. As a result high levels of lead became present in the water supply being used by the residents of the city. In turn toxic levels of lead have been discovered in the blood levels of tested Flint residents. Governor Snyder of Michigan declared a state of emergency and the U.S. Federal Government has responded with up to $5million in aid. This is but a temporary relief while a long term solution is implemented through infrastructure rehabilitation.

Lead poisoning  in children is devastating and irreversible.

Children who suffer lead poisoning have

lower IQs, behavioral problems, hearing problems, and growth delays

Donations can be made flintkids.org  

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What Drives the Water Cycle? 

Evaporation is the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas or vapor. This is the primary pathway that water moves from the liquid state back into the water cycle as atmospheric vapor. Studies show that the oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers provide close to 90 percent of the moisture in the atmosphere through evaporation, with the remaining 10 percent being contributed by plant transpiration.

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Waterbirds

Waterbirds is a term given to birds that live in and around water environments. Theses birds are often classified into categories of wading birds, seabirds, waterfowl, and shorebirds. Clean water environments are critical to the health of these birds.  A group called the Waterbird Society is an international scientific, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the study and conservation of waterbirds. This society was created to establish better communication and coordination between the growing number of people studying and monitoring aquatic birds, and to contribute to the protection and management of stressed populations or habitats of these species.

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Washed Away
Litter tossed out the window or dumped in fields often finds its way into the water cycle through storm sewers,rivers, creeks or washes. In the desert, discarded trash often sits in a dry wash (biome) until a monsoon causes flash flooding and redeposits the litter in a new spot.

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Umbrella Bags

As El Nino hits land in California, umbrellas are getting a fair amount of use. As a result, umbrella bags are popping up in store entrance ways. These plastic bags are designed to keep the floors dry and slip free However, as a disposable plastic they add to the growing landfills.

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West Cliff

"Pinch Me. I can't believe I live list close to the ocean."

This image was submitted by Tracy E. from Santa Cruz.

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 Cowlake

The Upper Cow Lake and Lower Cow Lake are located in Malheur County in Southeast Oregon, approximately 15 miles west-northwest of Jordon Valley. These are flat, playa lakes, that were formed when the Jordon Craters lava flow blocked stream flows. The area contains large areas of open water and emergent vegetation. This cluster of lakes and marshes regularly has several thousand waterfowl and over 100 shorebirds in season

This image was submitted to the blog by Marie M.

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The Grapevine

The Grapevine that starts at the mouth of Grapevine Canyon, immediately south of the community, and ascends the canyon to the Tejon Pass in the Tehachapi Mountains via Interstate 5. The village and grade are named, not for the once-winding road known as the Grapevine that used to climb the steep mountain canyon, but for the canyon it passed through with its wild grapes that still grow along the original road. 

" El Nino has arrived and touched the mountain tips with snow!!"

This was submitted by Jamie S from California.

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When it Rains, it Hails...

Last weeks storm that hit Southern California,  dropped over 2 feet of snow on Big Bear Lake. However, most of the torrential downpour was not put to use and simply washed into the ocean. As the state is entering the 5th year of severe drought plans are being finally put into action to try to collect and store this precious resource."The State Water Resources  plans to allocate $200 million for such projects. And Los Angeles plans to capture 20 billion more gallons than the 10 billon it collects during normal years." In fact, the city of Los Angeles has gutted a 16foot wide street median and replaced it with 111acres of vegetation that collects enough water to fill 27 olympic sized pools.

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Water for Less

"Fresh clear water for less" This water machine at a Cheveron gas station in central California offers 1 free gallon of water after the purchase of 4 gallons of water. Water machines of this sort have become progressively common through out the drought stricken areas.

This image was submitted from Bakersfield, CA.

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Cowlake

Dino Water

Are we drinking the same water that the dinosaurs drink?

Short answer, YES. 

Professor Ken Carslaw from the University of Leeds explains the old water phenomena as follows,

 "Water is recycled through the water cycle. It evaporates from the oceans, forms clouds, rains or snows, the rivers return it to the ocean.The longest timescale of water anywhere in the cycle is in the deep of the ocean and deep in the ground (perhaps 10,000 years). However, water is very slowly destroyed chemically in photosynthesis and recovered again in respiration. One can calculate how much water remains from the dinosaur age from the total amount of water on the planet and the amount of water taken up in photosynthesis per year.The Earth's plants take up 12,00 billion kg or water per year. The total water on Earth is about 1400 billion kg. So within about 100 million years most of the water will have been chemically destroyed. Dinosaurs lived 65 years ago. So, SOME of the water we drink is the same water but more than half is different water."

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Calumet River

In 1913, the Corps of Engineers linked the Sanitary Canal to Calumet Harbor by means of the 16.5-mile Calumet Sag Channel.  This meant that barges coming up the Mississippi River system need not traverse the Chicago River at all, but that they could go directly to Lake Calumet.

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Puddle Jumping

There are areas of Alaska that can only be reached by boat or plane. Most notably, is the capital, Juneau but other cities along the inside passage, such as Sitka, Ketchikan, Petersburg and Douglas. These cities rely on the ocean to survive. 

This image was submitted by Charles S. arriving in Sitka, Alaska.

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Over Fishing  of  TUNA

Fished by more than 70 countries, tuna are marketed in fresh, frozen or canned form. Tuna species are critical to both commercial and recreational fisheries as a result of this high international demand, many stock are exploited and over fished. Over fishing of one species can disrupt the health and balance of the entire marine ecosystem. There are seven commercially caught tunas that are core to creating sustainable fishing practices: Albacore, Bigeye, Blackfin, Bluefin, Bonito, Skipjack, and Yellowfin. Yellowfin comprises the largest  U.S. commercial catch. Albacore, which is caught in the eastern Pacific, is considered  the true "white-meat" tuna.  Skipjack makes up the second largest U.S. commercial catch. Bigeye is primarily fished in tropical waters. Blackfin is caught commercially in the Caribbean and off South America. The large Bluefin is a highly prized sport catch  because of it's large size. The Bonito is widely used in pet foods.

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DESERT RAIN

The rainfall to date in Arizona logs in anywhere from .1 inch to 2.41 inches and counting. The last three days of rain, January 4-January 6 can be viewed here.

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For the Birds

Bodega Bay, California  is for the birds, Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". In 1963 this quiet  town, located on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor, an inlet of Bodega Bay on the Pacific coast hosted hollywood to film the now cult classic. Bodega Bay Public Utility District was formed in 1948, for the purpose of furnishing potable water within the District boundaries.The District operates water treatment facilities and maintains over 21 miles of water mains.The District currently has 1,058 water connections and over 2 million gallon storage capacity.

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WAVES

 Each wave

 a message from across the sea

 written in rolling shades of blue 

 delivered on the sand.

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You dump it. You drink it.

In 2006 the office of solid waste and emergency waste at the Environmental Protection Agency started a campaign to inform and educate citizens on the necessity of proper disposal of used motor oil. It was designed to inform the public that improper disposal of the waste ends up in the drinking water. The campaign booklets are available online, in libraries and at other various locations.

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Please TURN OFF Water

Simple reminders in the obvious places help keep us on track with our daily water conservation routines.

This image was submitted by a student at Fresno State University.

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Got Water ?

783 million people in the world do not have regular access to clean safe water. This number is not confined to third world countries. Fact, in the U.S. over 40% of the Navajo Nation does not have clean running water or toilets. Fact, the city of Flint, Michigan with a population of approximately 99,763 has declared a state of emergency because of lead contaminated water. 

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2016 water wishes

My Your Our Water would like to wish all water users a wet 2016. May the year be filled with clean, safe, and accessible water. May you never be thirsty. May your tap always flow.

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