Water Diversions

A California Gull walks along the shore, searching for food while surrounded by a swarm of bugs.

L.A.’s Water Diversions Threaten Critical Habitat Far to the North

Water levels at Mono Lake, nestled in a stunningly beautiful location on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevadas that provides the eastern gateway to Yosemite, have fallen to a critical level of a local population of nesting gulls.

January 16, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Utah

Shrinking Great Salt Lake Is a Ticking Time Bomb

Climate change and population growth are shrinking the Great Salt Lake. The environmental consequences are dire.

June 27, 2022 - The New York Times

California State Water project

Trump Administration's New CA Water Plan Chooses Farmers Over Fish

A plan to divert water to farmers in California, released at the end of October, would allow for the annihilation of winter-run Chinook Salmon.

November 7, 2019 - East Bay Express

California Central Valley

Trump Administration Finds a Way to Divert California Water to Farmers

A new federal program will clear the way for more water to be delivered to the state of California's agriculture industry, overruling environmental safeguards that protected fish.

October 27, 2019 - NPR

California Water Pipeline

Cities Win the Water Reallocation Game, Study Shows

A new study says that huge amounts of water are moved from rural areas to cities to support rapidly growing urban populations.

April 23, 2019 - The Straits Times

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

Legislators, Newspapers Line Up to Oppose Great Lakes Water Diversion Proposal

A controversial application by the small Wisconsin town of Waukesha would allow treated wastewater to flow the Root River and then into Lake Michigan. The proposal has provoked a far-reaching outcry of opposition.

September 15, 2015 - The Political Environment

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.

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