Water Supply

drinking water fountain

Lead Exceeds Federal Standards in 200 Illinois Public Water Systems

A distressing report on the state of the water supply infrastructure in Illinois reveals the need for better analysis and reporting of water quality.

May 13, 2016 - Chicago Tribune

great lakes

Water Diversion Controversy Stifles Milwaukee Suburb's Growth Plans

The city of Waukesha asked for more water than the Great Lakes Compact would allow. Commenters remind the city of Waukesha that water for growth was never the goal of the Great Lakes Compact.

May 6, 2016 - Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel

Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta

Environmentalist Alarmed Over California-Focused Federal Water Legislation

An op-ed argues that instead of building a more resilient and sustainable water supply infrastructure, two water bills before congress would rollback exiting environmental protections.

April 29, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Feds to Investigate Possible Misuse of Funds for Controversial Bay Delta Tunnel Project

A highly controversial project that would build a system of tunnels to divert water from the Sacramento River, and a signature project of California Governor Jerry Brown, now finds itself in trouble with federal investigators.

April 14, 2016 - KPCC

California Scaling Back Controversial Delta Tunnels Plans

The planning process has revealed more modest potential benefits for the highly controversial proposal to spend $15 billion on tunnels to ease environmental strain on the Bay Delta.

April 4, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Chicago's 'Current' Initiative: A Public-Private Partnership to Solve Water Challenges

Chicago has set lofty goals to become a leader in the next-generation technology and infrastructure of the global future.

March 31, 2016 - World Business Chicago

Canada Ready to Renegotiate Critical Columbia River Treaty

The U.S. and Canada have come to an agreement that it's time to renegotiate a treaty that governs the management of dams and water along the Columbia River—one of the largest rivers on the continent.

March 27, 2016 - The Tyee

A Tale of Two Cities: San Jose and Flint

The fixed costs of infrastructure projects leave cities like Flint struggling to pay their bills with fewer people pooling their resources.

March 3, 2016 - The Atlantic

America's Coast-to-Coast Toxic Crisis

Flint, Michigan is not an anomaly.

February 19, 2016 - TomDispatch

How the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Failed the People of Flint

While blame squarely lays with Michigan state officials, agencies, and possibly Gov. Rick Snyder himself, the EPA also played a role by both detecting the cause of the problem but not acting on the reports of improper treatment of river water.

January 31, 2016 - Huffington Post

First Step to Restoring Drinking Water for Flint—Coat the Existing Pipes

Gov. Rick Snyder (R-Mich.) announced on Wednesday that the state is working to ensuring safe tap water for Flint residents. While there is no schedule to replace the corroded lead pipes, they are being treated to prevent further lead leaching.

January 30, 2016 - Detroit Free Press

Excessive Lead in Drinking Water Spread to Ohio

Learning from the mishaps shown by state regulatory agencies in Michigan, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency wasted no time in beginning a criminal investigation resulting from reports of concentrations of high lead levels in some Ohio homes.

January 27, 2016 - WFMJ-TV

The Erosion of Public Trust

The damage caused by Michigan environmental agencies charged with protecting public health extend far beyond Flint. Residents suffering health effects from a huge natural gas leak in Southern California see parallels with the lead poisoning crisis.

January 26, 2016 - The New York Times

Illustrating the Toxicity of Flint's Water Supply

The Washington Post shows why the Flint water crisis is so concerning for the health of the residents affected.

January 16, 2016 - The Washington Post

Michigan Governor Finds Himself at Center of Flint Water Crisis

A case is made that Gov. Rick Snyder's handling of the lead-tainted water in Flint, Michigan is analogous to former President George W. Bush's bungling of the crisis resulting after Hurricane Katrina touched-down on the Gulf coast in August 2005.

January 14, 2016 - MSNBC

As El Niño Arrives, Los Angeles Needs to Update its Stormwater System

"The hard lesson here is that infrastructure systems built to make cities resilient in one era may not serve them well at all in another era," writes Jon Christensen.

January 6, 2016 - LA Observed

Visualizing the Drought in the Colorado River Basin

The Colorado River, drinking water source for one in ten Americans, is severely impacted. A new interactive visualization illustrates just how dramatic the problem has become.

December 17, 2015 - U.S. Department of the Interior

State of Emergency Declared in Flint Water Crisis

A crisis that stretches back for several months escalated this week, bringing this news of the very bad variety to national attention.

December 16, 2015 - The Washington Post

Where Climate Change Means Diminished Snowpacks, Water Supplies

A new study by researchers at Columbia University estimates how predicted changes in the levels and locations of snowfall will affect water supplies.

November 29, 2015 - The New York Times

New Groundwater Regulations Taking Shape in California

Out of sheer necessity, the state of California has embarked on a new process for regulating the use of groundwater.

November 20, 2015 - Capital Press

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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