Major Reservoir Project Could Take Years

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Water

After receiving legislative approval last spring, a massive reservoir intended to help shift water south from Lake Okeechobee remains years away from reality, the head of the South Florida Water Management District said Wednesday. A big factor in the timeline for design and construction of the reservoir is waiting for federal-government approval of its half of the roughly $1.6 billion …

USDA Investing Millions in Wildfire Mitigation and Water Quality Projects Through Joint Chiefs’ Partnership

Dan Forestry, Industry News Release, Water

Projects will restore healthy forests on private and public lands in 24 states The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest nearly $32 million this year to mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality and restore healthy forest ecosystems in 24 states and Puerto Rico. Since 2014, USDA has invested $176 million in 56 Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Projects, which …

Supreme Court Weighs Arguments in Water War

Dan Florida, Georgia, Industry News Release, Water

Lawyers for Florida asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to reject a special master’s report denying the state relief in its long-running dispute with Georgia over water flow into the Apalachicola River. “This court has never had a situation where it’s recognized a state as being injured. It’s recognized that the upstream state is wasting a resource and it’s …

Supreme Court Ready to Wade Into Water War

Dan Florida, Georgia, Industry News Release, Water

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in a decades-old legal fight between Florida and Georgia over water flow into the Apalachicola River. A court-appointed special master ruled in February that Florida had not proved its case that a water-usage cap should be imposed on Georgia to help the river and Apalachicola Bay, one of the most productive …

Report: Vertical Farming Happening Now

Dan Industry News Release, Vegetables, Water

Vertical farming won’t replace conventional farming, but researchers say vertical farming is happening now, and growing. Research by Stanford University shows vertical farming is growing and will likely be needed to complement traditional farms to “meet the food demands of tomorrow.” Vertical farming is the practice of producing food in vertically-stacked layers. The farms are in enclosures that provide a …

Florida Georgia Water Battle to Supreme Court Monday

Dan Florida, Georgia, Industry News Release, Water

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday (1-8-18) in a long-running water battle between Florida and Georgia. The crux of the issue: Florida contends that Georgia is siphoning too much water in northern parts of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system, damaging the Apalachicola River and the oyster industry in Franklin County’s Apalachicola Bay. But a special master appointed by the …

EPA to Finalize WOTUS Repeal in April

Dan Environment, Industry News Release, Water

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to complete formal repeal of the Waters of the U.S. Rule in April 2018. Politico reports an updated regulatory agenda from the White House also shows a replacement rule is scheduled for proposal in May. A final version of the rule is not expected until June 2019. President Donald Trump issued an executive order …

Negron Urges Broader Look for Reservoir Land

Dan Environment, Florida, Water

Senate President Joe Negron wants water managers to expand their search for land to house a reservoir he has backed to help shift water south from Lake Okeechobee. In a letter Thursday to South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Ernie Marks, Negron expressed concern that plans put forward a day earlier “may be unnecessarily constrained by using a limited …

Irrigation Efficiency Project Coming to Alabama

Dan Alabama, USDA-NRCS, Water

It was announced a few weeks ago that Alabama will receive funding for a new project through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program. The Irrigation Efficiency Project is a new multi-year project that will provide a PL 566 Watershed plan to address irrigation needs in Alabama watersheds that have high potential of irrigation …