Landlocked on Purpose
In the fall of 1922, Aldo Leopold and his brother Carl paddled a canoe into the delta of the Colorado River and found a wilderness of green lagoons, a hundred channels braiding through two million acres of cottonwood and willow, egrets standing in the shallows, deer in the cane, and somewhere beyond the firelight the jaguar they never saw and never stopped feeling. Leopold wrote about that trip a quarter century later and confessed that he never went back. He preferred the delta as memory held it, because he understood what was coming for it. He was right to stay away. In November of that same year, in a lodge outside Santa Fe, commissioners from seven states signed the Colorado River Compact and divided the river on paper. The canoe and the signature belong in the same paragraph because one of them canceled the other. […]#waterrights — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #waterrights, aggregated by home.social.
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BLUE NEWS - Blue Community
https://blue-community.net/blue-news/ #water #waterrights #wateraccess
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Data centres and democratic decline could lead to more water conflict in the future
#Environment #WaterCrisis #AI #ClimateChange #DataCenters #WaterConflict #WaterConflict #Water #Democracy #Canada #NorthAmerica #GreatLakes #WaterRights
https://the-14.com/data-centres-and-democratic-decline-could-lead-to-more-water-conflict-in-the-future/ -
"... In the 1930s, when the Swift River Valley was flooded to make Quabbin, the people of Enfield, Greenwich, Prescott, Dana, and other smaller villages surrendered homes, farms, businesses, and communities for the good of the Commonwealth. Those towns no longer exist, but 88 years later, the towns surrounding Quabbin continue to sacrifice for the reservoir and everyone it serves. It is time for the Commonwealth to recognize and remedy that sacrifice ..."
#massachusetts #quabbinreservoir
#WaterRights
https://commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/towns-surrounding-the-quabbin-reservoir-protect-the-water-for-2-7-million-people-in-eastern-mass-theyre-getting-financially-starved-in-the-process/ -
Unraveling The Drivers Of Water Shortage Across Spatial Scales And Sectors In Colorado's West Slope River Basins
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2026EF008137 <-- shared paper
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['sorry' about your Kentucky Bluegrass, almonds, etc... /s]
H/T Sai Veena Sunkara | Postdoctoral Associate
“…Colorado’s West Slope basins provide nearly 70% of the inflows to Lake Powell and are also essential to communities, agriculture, industry, hydropower, and downstream Colorado River users.
To examine the wide range of possible futures, [they] simulated 2.1 million years, defining 20,000 plausible scenarios applying changes to streamflow, snowmelt timing, drought persistence, and agricultural, municipal, and industrial water demand.
A key finding is that there is 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀. The most influential drivers vary by basin, sector, and water user. In some areas, shortages are driven primarily by persistent low-flow conditions or changing snowmelt timing. In others, increasing municipal, industrial, or irrigation demand plays a larger role. This suggests that adaptation strategies must be tailored to specific basins and users rather than relying on a single, system-wide solution. Other major findings are
• West Slope deliveries to Lake Powell could fall more than 50% below the current median baseline
• Storage in major West Slope reservoirs could decline 40–55% below historical medians
These results underscore the need for water-planning approaches that account for deep uncertainty, persistent drought, shifting snowmelt patterns, and sector-specific demand…”
#Colorado #waterallocation #StateMod #USWest #USA #WesternSlope #waterresources #watersecurity #watershortage #drought #snowmelt #rainfall #precipitation #riverbasin #water #hydrography #hydrology #reasons #agriculture #industry #hydropower #streamflow #surfacewater #municipal #irrigation #adaptationstrategies #planning #policy #mitigation #ColoradoRiver #basins #climatechange #extremeweather #populationpressure #waterdemand #waterrights #model #modeling #HiddenMarkovModel #stochastic #projecteddemand #ColoradoRiverBasin #wateruse #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #strategy -
"Century-old laws spur people to soak some of the state’s most expensive, least productive farmland — or risk losing rights to the water."
Oregon Water Law Benefits Wealthy Landowners at Farmers’ Expense — ProPublica
https://www.propublica.org/article/deschutes-river-oregon-water-rights #waterrights #drought #climate
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Dems in #Maine’s #2ndDistrict race tackle #tribal topics in #PresqueIsleME
By Cameron Levasseur, May 13, 2026
"The four Democrats competing in a June primary to face former Gov. #PaulLePage for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District met Wednesday night in Presque Isle at a forum put on by the #WabanakiAlliance to discuss tribal sovereignty and other issues facing the state’s native population.
"Hosted by the #MikmaqNation, one of Maine’s four #WabanakiNations, the event lasted two hours and covered a broad range of topics, from #WaterRights to gaming legislation to the teaching of #NativeHistory in Maine’s schools.
"The candidates — State Auditor #MattDunlap, state Sen. #JoeBaldacci, former political operative #JordanWood and social worker #PaigeLoud — agreed on nearly everything, chiefly in their wholehearted support of #TribalSovereignty.
"#Sovereignty has dominated the political conversation around Maine’s tribes for years, with majority support for its expansion in the state legislature countered by opposition from the state’s executive leaders, including LePage and then Gov. #JanetMills.
" 'Only when I worked on these issues federally … did I understand how wrong Maine has been to its tribes and the need to rectify that #injustice,' Wood said.
If elected, all four said they would reintroduce a 2022 bill put forth by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, to amend the #MaineIndianClaimsSettlementAct of 1980 and give the Wabanaki the same rights under federal law as the 570 #FederallyRecognizedTribes.
"Golden currently represents the 2nd District but abruptly announced last fall that he would not seek reelection. His bill failed in the Senate after it was blocked by Sen. #AngusKing, another Maine politician who has expressed skepticism at tribal rights expansions."Archived version:
https://archive.ph/zXhzT#MainePol #Elections2026 #TribalRights #Wabanakik #WabanakiSovereignty #LandBack #Dawnland #MaineSettlementAct #WaterIsLife #WabanakiConfederacy
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New filing stirs #GreatSaltLake fears as giant #Utah #DataCenter comes into view, eyes water needs
by Jennifer Green
Thu, May 21, 2026"A new #WaterRights filing tied to a proposed #MegaDatacenter in northern Utah is renewing fears about the future of the Great Salt Lake, just as new renderings offer the clearest look yet at what the massive development could become.
"What's happening?
"A proposal connected to the #BoxElderCounty data center project seeks to transfer 11 acre-feet of water from an unnamed spring in #HanselValley, KSL reported.
"That marks a steep drop from a previous 1,900-acre-foot application that was withdrawn May 7 after prompting around 3,800 protests.
[...]
"The proposal is facing intense scrutiny because the Great Salt Lake is already under strain from long-term water shortages, and data centers can consume huge amounts of both electricity and water.
"Critics worry that even relatively small individual filings could add up over time if the development expands toward its full vision, which includes 7.5 to 9 gigawatts of power-producing capacity."
Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/filing-stirs-great-salt-lake-084000807.html#WaterIsLife #ThermalPollution
#HeatGeneration #Drought #GreatSaltLake #Environment #EnvironmentalCatastrophe
#UtahPol #Datacenters
#DatacentersSuck #SharkTank
#AISucks -
HB2758 would allow a New York investment fund to drain 26 billion gallons of groundwater from La Paz County aquifers, eliminating the only state law protecting groundwater for rural communities. La Paz County supervisors are asking for more regulation, not less. The bill passed the House and awaits a Senate floor vote.
Contact your state senator now.
Details: https://weekly.cebv.us/2026-05-18/
Please boost.
#Arizona #AZWater #Groundwater #WaterRights #LaPazCounty -
As a child I read a Sci-fi story about two cities, 'Ellay and Denv' who were locked into an eternal battle for war, which had gone back generations...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/15/us-plan-colorado-river-california-arizona-nevada
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Rethinking How The United States And Mexico Share The Colorado River
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https://www.colorado.edu/center/gwc/media/754 <-- shared paper
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s43832-025-00301-2 <-- shared paper
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#water #hydrology #hydrography #waterresources #ColoradoRiver #RioGrande #RioBravo #USA #UnitedStates #Mexico #waterrights #watermanagement #allocation #internationaltreaty #1944WaterTreaty #emergencyagreement #watersecurity
@U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission -
Voters feel frustrated when public representatives ignore their voices in new water distribution policies. It's time for accountability and community input! #WaterRights #PublicVoice Follow us: https://aqua.vote #transparency #fair_world
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Voters feel frustrated when public reps ignore their concerns in new water distribution policies. It's time for accountability and community input! #WaterRights Follow us: https://aqua.vote #transparency #fair_world
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So, before I start posting about #RainwaterCollection and #RainwaterHarvesting, I wanted to point out that while collecting rainwater is legal in most countries (though there can be local restrictions/regulations), there are some states in the #UnitedStates that restrict or prohibit #Rainwater collection.
Can You Go To Jail for Collecting Rainwater?
By Kiersten Hickman
Updated on Nov. 24, 2023It's fine in most states, but some have stricter rules!
"While most states permit rainwater harvesting and some even encourage it, other states have specific rules and regulations around the topic. These states specify the uses of the water. For example, if the water can be collected for “non-potable” purposes, it means the water is not suitable for drinking but can be used for other things. Potable means it’s safe for drinking, cooking and bathing.
Here are a few with specific rules governing rainwater harvesting.
- #Alaska (rainwater okay, but groundwater is regulated)
- #Arkansas (legal with some regulation)
- #California (legal unless using it for landscaping)
- #Colorado (limited to 110 gallons per day)
- #Illinois (legal with some regulation)
- #Kansas (#WaterRights required, except for domestic use)
- #Louisiana (#cisterns must have covers)
- #Nevada (used to be illegal, but is legal with some restrictions
- #NorthCarolina (regulated)
- #Ohio (regulated for drinking)
- #Oregon (no longer illegal)
- #Texas (regulated)
- #Utah (rules about amounts)
- #WashingtonState (strict rules)Learn more:
https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/collecting-rain-water-in-these-states-could-be-illegal/More about the status of individual states:
https://4perfectwater.com/blog/rainwater-harvesting-laws#SolarPunkSunday #WaterIsLife #WaterCollection #UnitedStates
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❝ The river won, the forest won, the memory of our ancestors won” […] What was arguably most impressive about this historic win was the apparently mismatched nature of the contest: on one side were about 1,000 local river defenders, mostly from the Munduruku, Arapiun and Apiaká peoples, and on the other were some of the most powerful forces of global capitalism and climate breakdown.
#Brasil #Amzonia #Originarios #FirstPeoples #waterRights #antifa
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Indigenous Protesters Force Brazil To Back Down From River Privatization
https://youtube.com/shorts/tBwC0lJpxbU?si=pO8t6vf0n8eDUa63
#indigenous #LandRights #protest #Brasil #StopPrivatisation #river #protestWorks #Brazil #WaterRights
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Hey #Ontario friends, take this chance to do something nice for the environment that is simple and fast! Right here is a petition to look into alternatives to road salt, which is toxic and polluting the Great Lakes. Given current #water issues, this is pretty important, I think.
https://saltcoalition.ca/#leaders
@ontario @OntarioNDP #GreatLakes #RoadSalt #Salt #Ice #WaterRights #FreshWater #WaterRestrictions
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Dpt of Environmental Quality...samples from the aquifer that show a slow and steady increase of chemical toxins
"Water hadn’t really been a political priority for Doherty — he’s a Republican...until a couple of years into his second term, when the uptick of stories he heard about young women enduring miscarriages and middle-aged men with organ failure...never occurred to Doherty that his effort to fix the water problem would provoke the ire of a group of local officials who resented scrutiny of their role in the pollution. That it would end his political career"
#amazon #datacenters #genAI #environment #regulation #waterRights
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Proposed East Texas water pipeline and the growing thirst for distant water
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In the Bitterroot, Flathead, Gallatin, and Yellowstone valleys, you'll find 10-acre ranchettes, often near a municipality. The majority are served by wells and septic systems that have no monitoring requirements. #MTPol #Montana #WaterUse #WaterRights montanafreepress.bluelena.io/index.php?ac...
‘The Wild West of punching hol... -
Take a drive through scenic river valleys like the Bitterroot, Flathead, Gallatin or Yellowstone, and you'll find a proliferation of 10-acre ranchettes, often within eyeshot of a municipal boundary.
The vast majority of those homes are served by wells and septic systems that have no monitoring requirements and almost no state oversight.
#MTPol #Montana #WaterUse #WaterRights
https://montanafreepress.bluelena.io/index.php?action=social&chash=46d0671dd4117ea366031f87f3aa0093.59337&s=ef7f645185a9b547f6994007a2b46d47
