Black snow: just as ugly and dangerous as black ice

 

If you’ve ever walked across asphalt on a hot August day, you can imagine how a mountain covered in dirty snow feels.  Scientists in the western U.S. looked at how fast snow melts when covered in soot from fossil fuel burning plants and diesel engines. They found that the soot accelerates snowmelt by over one degree Fahrenheit by absorbing more sunlight than white snow, according to a report from the Department of Energy.

This news may upset the snow bunnies, but it may be even more devastating for wildlife and those residing in the valleys dependent on stream and river flows for farming, drinking water, and habitat.  In a Darwinian twist, the residents of water starved areas may have created the pollution that will ultimately reduce their own water supply.  Unfortunately this may also affect time-sensitive stream fish and invertebrates dependent on nutrients and water fluctuations as snow melts.

Increased temperatures from climate change coupled with faster snow melt may lead to bald mountains across the U.S. Reductions in particulate pollution may be on Obama’s plate, but only time will tell us how well these ecosystems survive change.

drought, round 3

California is expected to have its third consecutive year of drought in 2009. And when it happens, authorities will be forced to impose water rationing on farmers, homes, and businesses.

A portion of water that California uses is stored in the Sierra Nevada snowpack. Current indications are that it is at higher levels than this time last year, but well below the normal average. The deficit could be made up during the “rainy” season from January-March. However, this week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that La Nina has returned for a second year.

This year, under La Nina conditions, the reason season ended in February. In normal weather patterns, the rain ends in April. The loss of two months of rain, depletes our reserves. In 2008, runoff from the Sierras was down 57% from normal flows.

The demand for water is perpetually high in this fast-growing state, which is expected to add half a million people annually for the next decade. Its $30-billion-a-year agricultural industry produces more than half of the nation’s fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Among those clamoring for supplies of fresh water are wildlife biologists. Endangered species like the delta smelt have been disappearing from rivers whose flows are well below average. A year ago, a federal judge ordered water authorities to curtail the use of large pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta water system to help preserve the smelt.

You can help the situation by conserving your usage; shorter showers, watering landscape during non-peak hours, and washing full loads of laundry are some suggestions.

Water is a resource that we take for granted. We assume that when we turn on the faucet, and we have paid our bills, that water will be there. In the coming months, that may not be the case. Which is why it is so important to conserve now, and more importantly, make sure others start conserving. This is one case when your actions will directly affect what will happen in your household and your neighbor’s households, Just something to think about.

Interestingly, the article came from the New York Times, HERE.

can you hear me know?

There have been many posts in the past about out water issue… ahem, CRISIS.

Los Angeles is in a drought. Without more rainfall, this city will be starting rationing very soon. New data was also released today and our water shortage.

Seven Western states will face more water shortages in the years ahead as climate change exacerbates the strains drought and a growing population have put on the Colorado River, scientists say.

Without fundamental shifts in water management, the result will be shortages and difficult decisions about who in the seven states the river serves will get water and who will go without, said Dave Wegner, science director for the Glen Canyon Institute.

Several models have shown that there will be strain on the river due to over-population and the affects of climate change, therefore warming temperatures, can only make that worse. Because current usage is just simply not sustainable, the most effective strategy is to reduce our use.

You can go HERE for the whole article, via Huffington Post.

I also think it is worth visiting LA DWP for rules about water use during times of drought. And, also visit their drought busters site and tattle on a neighbor, if you feel so inclined.

another argument: for

The Los Angeles Times published a great story today about bottled water vs. tap water. Essentially, concluding that tap water is the way to go.

I would argue it is the way to go for reducing the volume of plastic bottles in our landfills. Their argument is more about the fact that tap water undergoes testing that bottled water is not required to do, therefore you are safer drinking from the tap.

For example: “And while large public water supplies are often tested for contaminants up to several times a day, the FDA requires private bottlers to test for contaminants only once a week, once a year or once every four years, depending on the contaminant.”

Or: “Tap water suppliers are also subject to broader scrutiny; they’re required by law to publish and circulate an annual Consumer Confidence Report, which states their sources of water and any contaminants found. The FDA doesn’t require this of bottled-water makers, and though inspectors can drop in on water-bottling plants, such visits are assigned low priority, FDA press officer Michael Herndon says. Companies also aren’t required to share any contamination episodes with their customers.”

However, they conclude, the real benefit to drinking from the tap…. money savings. And, who couldn’t use a bit more of that. “Price it by the gallon, and water in those single-serve bottles is more expensive than even today’s high-priced gasoline.”

You can find the full article HERE.

H two uh-oh

great article about water. Click HERE

conservative

and no I am not talking about politics. I am talking about water usage. This is the only time in my life where I may extol the virtues of being conservative….

A great article from Planet Save was posted this morning that I want to make sure you all see. Click HERE.

In Los Angeles, we are in drought!!!!! It is easy to forget sometimes, with our well manicured lawns, but we do live in a desert and are very lucky that our neighbors in Colorado are sharing their supply with us. But that too is limited. Read the article and CUT BACK!!

Here are some excerpts on how you can reduce:

Bath

* 15 gallons (21 less)–Take showers instead of baths.

5-minute Shower

* 5 gallons (20 to 30 less)–Use the water to get wet and lather up, scrub with it off, and turn it on again to rinse off. Replace your shower head with an ultra low-flow version (I use one–there is no noticeable difference in shower quality at all!). Put a bucket in the shower to catch some of the water and use that water to water thirsty plants. Consider going gray.

Brushing Teeth

* .5 gallons (1.5 less)–Turn the water off while you brush.

Shaving

* 1 gallon (19 less)–Use only a bowl. I use a cup–then again, I’m not the hairiest man in the world.

Toilet

* 2 gallons (3-5 less)–Buy a low-flow model. Put a jug of water in the cistern (I use a large glass pasta sauce jar, filled with water). This reduces the amount of water lost with each flush (amount depends on the size of the container). Don’t flush every time. If it’s yellow let it mellow–if it’s brown flush it down. Finally, don’t use the toilet simply to dispose of tissues; put them in the trash.

Dishwasher

* 7 gallons (8 less)–Use the “short cycle”.

Washing Machine (front loading)

* 24 gallons (16 less)–Only run machines when they are full.

Washing Dishes by Hand

* 5 gallons (15-25 less)–Use a wash sink and a rinse sink. Also, replace the washers on dripping faucets. One drop per second wastes 27,000 gallons per year!

Don’t drink the Cool-Aid

Look…. I am not posting this so you go out and buy bottled water. I need to make that perfectly clear. I do not want you to read this and start panicking and allow the fear mentality to take over. But, you need to know how your government, ahem… works… for you.

Click HERE for an article from the Washington Post about EPA limits on water.

The good news is that many of the home water filters you can buy reduce or remove the presence of perchlorate and many other contaminants. Click HERE for a comprehensive list of filters from the Green Guide.

Don’t drink the Cool-Aid

Look…. I am not posting this so you go out and buy bottled water. I need to make that perfectly clear. I do not want you to read this and start panicking and allow the fear mentality to take over. But, you need to know how your government, ahem… works… for you.

Click HERE for an article from the Washington Post about EPA limits on water.

The good news is that many of the home water filters you can buy reduce or remove the presence of perchlorate and many other contaminants. Click HERE for a comprehensive list of filters from the Green Guide.

filed under: this is just ridiculous

I’m going to guess that people are starting to wisen up and not drink from water bottles as much as they have in the past. Why do I guess this? Because of THIS.

I have a feeling that the revenue these companies have seen in the past is dropping, which is why they have launched a PR campaign to show that drinking from a water bottle isn’t all that bad. I really, really cannot wait for the ads that somehow disprove that Bisphenol-A is bad for you, as shown HERE. Or that plastic filling our landfills is somehow not hurting the environment, despite the fact that it is non-biodegradable. My favorite will be how they are going to prove that spending $1.99 on a bottle of Evian is somehow better than just turning on your tap and filling a glass.