Free Republic

Hamas attempted to fire two rockets at Tel Aviv and central Israel on Tuesday, but failed with one of them landing in the Mediterranean Sea and one of them failing to even leave the Gaza Strip. Citizens in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel heard sounds of explosions, initially creating confusion until the IDF clarified the situation. According to the IDF, the rocket which landed in the Sea was immediately detected, but the IDF did not activate any alarms because it was apparent from the start that its entire trajectory was flying only over the Sea. Likewise, no...

The federal government has backed up California state regulators in ordering the company that bottles Arrowhead water to stop drawing from the San Bernardino Mountains. Though BlueTriton Brands draws from springs in the mountains that have been used for bottled water since 1906, environmental activists have claimed the removal of that water is harming wildlife, particularly Strawberry Creek. About a year ago, California’s Water Resources Control Board ordered BlueTriton to stop using the water, which flows through public lands like the San Bernardino National Forest.

HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that come from larger plastic items breaking down over time. These small particles can last for hundreds of years and can enter our bodies through the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has started a groundbreaking study to explore how these microplastics affect our lung health, thanks to a three-year grant of $352,126 from the National Science Foundation. Professor Yi Zuo is a professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering and adjunct professor of pediatrics in the...

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty has secured repeal of the unconstitutional law banning possession of firearms near almost all waters in Wisconsin.In 1999, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) created a rule banning the possession of firearms near “waters, banks or shores that might be used for the purpose of fishing.” The regulation was created with virtually no oversight shortly after Wisconsin passed Section 25, Wisconsin’s constitutional protection for the right to keep and bear arms. The regulation was seldom, if ever, enforced.Due to a quirk in Wisconsin statutes, no one had to be arrested to challenge...

A drinking water warning has been issued for an area of Florida that includes former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club. The Town of Palm Beach shared an alert online Thursday warning residents, including Trump and others at Mar-a-Lago, that its water supply was having issues with cloudiness, or "turbidity." While noting that "turbidity does not cause health effects," residents were warned that infants, pregnant people, the elderly and those with "a severely compromised immune system" should avoid the water. "You may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your healthcare providers about drinking this water," the alert states.

Nearly 400 public water systems in California have failed to meet recommended safety standards for drinking water, according to a report last month from the State Water Resources Control Board, but a new climate bond measure recently joined the state’s November ballot may help.Some 913,000 Californians, approximately 2 percent of the state’s population, are potentially affected by 385 failing public water systems according to the report.Fifty-six of those systems “serve disadvantaged communities and 67 percent serve majority communities of color.”The annual report identifies California drinking water challenges, part of an effort to improve access to safe drinking water started by...

California officials have approved a first-of-its-kind regulation that will set long-term limits on the amounts of water the state’s urban utilities can use on an annual basis. The State Water Resources Control Board granted unanimous support Wednesday to sweeping conservation measures that are expected to generate about 500,000 acre-feet in water savings each year by 2040. The quantity conserved is enough to quench the thirst of more than 1.4 million households on an annual basis, according to the Water Board. The regulation requires the state’s largest suppliers to calculate individual water budgets based on residential indoor and outdoor water use,...

After a decade that saw two major droughts, and with more dry times inevitable, California is imposing permanent water restrictions on cities and towns for the first time in state history. The powerful State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday approved a long-debated policy that will require hundreds of urban water suppliers to reduce the amount of water they provide over the next 15 years. As soon as 2027, some suppliers will have to cut back deliveries upwards of 30%, which means finding ways for their customers to use less water — either by imposing restrictions, incentivizing savings by raising...

… “ This is a precautionary notice to all customers to boil water that may be ingested due to water of unknown quality. Customer should not drink the water without boiling it first. This advisory will remain in place until follow-up testing confirms the water is safe to drink.” … “ We have no information that the water was contaminated by this incident, but we issue this advisory as a precaution while we test the water. We will update you when the water supply has returned to normal production and meets water quality standards. Please share this information with all...

Idaho farmers are indeed facing significant challenges related to water access. The Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) issued a curtailment order for eastern Idaho irrigators who were found to be noncompliant with a state-approved mitigation plan. This order was scheduled to go into effect recently. The curtailment order impacts about 6,400 junior groundwater rights holders who pump water from the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer. This aquifer supplies water to the Twin Falls Canal Co, which has senior water rights. The projected shortfall of water to the Twin Falls Canal Co is approximately 74,100-acre-feet. To put this in perspective, an...

Eastern Idaho farmers may soon be out of water after the state issued a major curtailment. Brian Murdock, a farmer who resides in East Idaho, warned of the potential devastating impact of the order on his business during his appearance on "The Bottom Line" Wednesday. "Well, as you said, the state of Idaho and the Idaho Department of Water Resources has issued this curtailment of 500,000 acres. And to help put that in perspective, that's basically 781 square miles of farm ground that is being taken out of production," Murdock stressed. "And, of course, the worst problem is this is...

Boise, Idaho – Governor Brad Little commented today on the progress of negotiations to avoid a water curtailment order that could impact hundreds of eastern Idaho farmers. Two more groundwater districts became compliant on Thursday with an approved mitigation plan, giving them safe harbor from curtailment. The groundwater districts and surface water users remain engaged in finding a path forward for complying with the law, Constitution, and approved mitigation plans.

California is awash in water after record-breaking rains vanquished years of crippling drought. That sounds like great news for farmers. But Ron McIlroy, whose shop here sells equipment for plowing fields, knows otherwise. “I’ll be lucky if I survive this year,” he said. Illustrating how broken California’s vast water-delivery system is, many farmers in Central Valley, America’s fruit and vegetable basket, will get just 40% of the federal water they are supposed to this year. Why? Endangered fish. The pumps that transport water from wet Northern California to the semiarid south have been drastically slowed to protect threatened migrating smelt,...

On June 6, 2024, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a lawsuit against Steven Little in his official capacity as Acting Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), demanding the Court temporarily and permanently enjoin enforcement of Wis. Admin. Code § NR 20.05(2). Wis. Admin. Code § NR 20.05(2): “No person may…[p]ossess or control any firearm, gun or similar device at any time while on the waters, banks or shores that might be used for the purpose of fishing.”The DNR regulation bans possession of firearms in a wide variety of locations and activities. It directly violates...

Idaho farmers are in danger of having their water shut off. The water shutoff order affects half a million acres of farmland and about 6,400 people who use the water. Without water, their farmland is worthless. The state of Idaho has put a water curtailment order, which is basically a water shutoff order on literally a half million acres of farmland. ‌ Many farming this land have already invested in thousands of acres, thousands of dollars per acre, to grow potatoes. It’s too late for them to survive without water. Why is the water being cut off? Essentially, this curtailment...

...The study, partially funded by Klamath County, shows that the region's farms and ranches, worth over $368 million annually and employing over 3,000 people, are in jeopardy. The study highlights that this is due to water restrictions, which have already led to a loss of $12 million in income, with more at risk if restrictions continue. ...

For months, scientists have worried that drought around Mexico City, which has over 22 million residues, would cause the city to run out of water. That day is approaching fast, and there is no alternative. Some groups of people in the city or some set of essential services will suffer within a few months or even weeks. The reservoirs of the Cutzamala water system, which provide about one-fifth of the city’s water, are essentially dry. The only available option is to attempt to take water from the aquifers below the city. There is not a large enough supply, and as...

A fascinating video that draws all of the parts of the India/China/Regional disputes into focus, and the consequences of each outcome.

The city of Houston on Saturday opened new distribution centers to give out water as around 500,000 customers remained without power following severe storms blamed in the deaths of seven people in the region. Houston was forecast to reach a high of 90 degrees Saturday as the city and Harris County recovers from tornadoes and 100 mph straight-line winds that struck with little warning on Thursday. Seven deaths — four in Houston and three in unincorporated Harris County — have been blamed on effects from the weather, including from falling trees and a fire sparked by lighting.

Cities, towns and vacation spots across the American South are 'drowning' under rapidly rising tides that could soon put them underwater. Ocean levels are at least six inches higher than they were a decade ago along a swathe of the country from Texas to North Carolina. An overall rising ocean is coupled with vicious tidal events that wreak havoc and kill locals, especially when they coincide with storms. The problem is already affecting thousands of Americans living along the coast, and millions more across the US will feel it in the coming decades. Climate change is steadily raising sea levels...