2007: A record-setting U.S. drought year

[flashl]

It's getting hot in here

The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) just issued its September report and the West and Southeast continue to scorch:

About 43 percent of the contiguous U.S. fell in the moderate
to extreme drought categories (based on the Palmer
Drought Index) at the end of September.

Here is the U.S. Drought Monitor (darker = drier):

Here are some of the drought records being set around the
country:

• Drought and mild temperatures have pushed Lake Superior's
  water level to its lowest point on record for this time
  of year, continuing a downward spiral across the Great
  Lakes ... he lake has plummeted over the past year and has dipped
  beneath its long-term average level for a decade -- the
  longest such period in its known history.


• As of September 25, Pasadena experienced its driest
  year since records began in 1878.


• North Carolina and Tennessee had the driest
  year-to-date (January-September) and last 6 months
  (April-September) on record.


• In fact, the 2007 statewide precipitation rank for North
  Carolina was driest in 113 years for
  January-September and for the multi-month seasons April-September
  through August-September.


• For Tennessee, each multi-month season from
  November-September through May-September ranked as driest
  on record.


• In North Carolina and Tennessee, the dryness of recent
  months has been so persistent and severe that the long-term Palmer
  Drought Index has reached near-record severity in
  a short time compared to previous severe droughts.

This kind of brutal drought has severe energy implications:

• The Southeast drought has lowered rivers in Alabama to the
  point where there is insufficient streamflow to meet the demand of
  industry, agriculture, municipalities, and natural evaporation.


• Alabama Power, the state's largest utility, has been
  operating some of its coal plants at significantly reduced levels to
  avoid raising water temperatures in the Coosa, Black Warrior and Mobile
  rivers.


• Last month, the Tennessee Valley Authority shut down
  Brown's Ferry Number 2 nuclear power plant due to inadequate
  streamflow.


• Alabama Power spokesman Michael Sznajderman said, "Come the
  latter part of September, if the flows continue to be so low at a
  number of our hydro facilities ... basically the turbines are going to
  come out of the water."

[malaise]

1. The only question is who

will Pat Robertson blame because Al Gore can't be right :sarcasm:

[flashl]

2. Gore may get a reprieve Robertson is focused on a student. n/t

:evilgrin:

[malaise]

3. Oh yes

The student fingered him :D

Anyway the South should get some rain today and tomorrow. We sure have more rain than we need. After nearly seven days of non-stop rain, it finally stopped, but it's back this morning.

[flashl]

5. Time to employ good ole American free enterprise. Sell your water to drought areas. n/t

[NewJeffCT]

7. I missed that one

what happened with Robertson & the student?

[flashl]

9. Law Student Suspended over Pat Robertson Photo

Told to Have Psychiatric Evaluation

Adam M. Key, a 23 year-old law student at Regent University, has been suspended indefinitely over an 'unflattering' picture of university president Pat Robertson was posted on his Facebook page.

Key says that he got the picture from a Youtube video, which depicts Robertson scratching his face with his extended middle finger. The video was edited to show Robertson holding his finger in that position for several seconds.

University dean of students L.O. Natt Gantt said that Key was being suspended 'until he could be evaluated by a university-approved mental health provider'.

Key said he would "take it under consideration."

[seabeyond]

4. i hear drought and i am thinking say what. last couple years more rain

than normal. we did have a drought condition about 5 years ago for a handful of years, but last couple years have been pretty good. i see on map not showing panhandle of texas. never fun with drought conditions. but... they come and go

[flashl]

6. These days, I find the weather channel more interesting to watch

I am always amazed watching horrendous flooding in Texas. I think it was a few weeks ago, there was a guy in Texas who had climbed a tree with his cell phone trying to get help to escape floods. surreal.

[Squatch]

8. Here in Northern Virginia, we haven't had appreciable rain amounts in MONTHS

Can't say I'm complaining, tho...I've been riding my motorcycle on damn near every day.

[MiniMe]

12. Maryland here. They said on the news last night that is has been 33 days

since we have had any measurable rain.

[Squatch]

13. We were just camping at Tuckahoe State Park in MD...

the water on Tuckahoe Creek above the damn was waaaaay low. I have to admit, though, that the weather was absolutely stunning and made for a beautiful weekend.

[MiniMe]

14. I agree about the nice weekend

But damn, do we need rain!

Are you under water restrictions yet?

[Squatch]

15. Some parts are, but PWC is not, yet.

It's supposed to shower tomorrow eve, but all next week is clear skies again.

[Toots]

10. The water wars are not too far off.

Our lifetime will see nations and states battle for water. Maybe it is/was unstoppable but it certainly could be slowed if not for the GOP. They are trying to corner the water market and get rich off other people's suffering just like they always do..

[flashl]

11. Comming to your neighborhood soon ...

Water consortium taps a liquid asset

It's one of the four basic elements -- a foundation for life. In some circles it could be considered an equivalent to money -- liquid gold.

"It" is water. As one of the world's most precious natural resources, management of water resource systems can influence the economic, social and environmental well-being of communities, regions, nations and the world.

A group of K-State researchers is looking to develop ways to understand water resources from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Consortium for Global Research on Water-Based Economies comprises a multidisciplinary team of researchers from 18 disciplines across six colleges at K-State. They work together with stakeholders, agencies and policy makers of water resources to further scientific understanding of water resource systems for the purpose of making better management and policy decisions.

Cash strapped states are selling their water utilities.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

16. nah...desalinisation plants will become the norm if it gets that tight

and then it will just be transport rights. The earth has a vast excess of waters...we will just need to make them usable...

sP

[flashl]

17. So do you view this discussion is just hotair?

The Corporate Players

There are ten major corporate players now delivering freshwater services for profit. Between them, the two biggest - Vivendi and Suez of France - deliver private water and wastewater services to over 200 million customers in 150 countries, and are in a race, along with the others such as Bouygues SAUR, RWE-Thames Water and Bechtel-United Utilities, to expand to every corner of the globe.

The performance of these companies in Europe and the developing world has been well documented: huge profits, higher prices for water, cut-offs to customers who cannot pay, little transparency in their dealings, reduced water quality, bribery and corruption. They are aggressively accelerating their operations in Third World countries where debt-struck governments are forced to abandon public water services and hand over control of local water supplies to private interests. Based on the market policy known as "full cost recovery," the water companies are able to impose rate hikes that are devastating to millions of poor people who cannot afford privatized water.

A new type of water consortium has emerged in Germany which may be a prototype for the future. Companies such as AquaMundo put together giant investment pools using overseas government aid, private bank investments and public utilities funds in the recipient country. Then, in an arrangement called "cross-border leasing," they hire local contractors to run the water services. Some keep their money in tax havens, thus allowing them to avoid paying national taxes; this lets them offer a "deal" to local cash-strapped municipalities.

Transnational water companies have become so powerful that they now share in decision making with governments in international meetings. United under the banner of the corporate lobby group, Business Action for Sustainable Development, the water companies played a pivotal role at the World Summit on Sustainable Development that was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, last August 26-September 4. There, with governments and the United Nations, they launched a "new" strategy for the delivery of efficient water and sanitation services to the world's poor which accelerates public-private partnerships, guaranteeing the companies a steady profit from public funds.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

18. the water 'wars' part...yes

but I guess we will see what the future holds...if we last that long

sP