Rural Community Assistance Partnership

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Reuters: World set to use much more wastewater - U.N.-backed study

Posted Mon, 2013/09/09 - 10:52am by RCAP

By Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle

OSLO, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The world is set to use far more treated wastewater to help irrigate crops and feed a rising population as fresh water supplies dry up, a team of U.N.-backed experts said Sept. 5.

A study led by Japan's Tottori University and U.N. University's Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) forecast "a rapid increase in the use of treated wastewater for farming and other purposes worldwide".

The (UK) Guardian: A Texan tragedy: ample oil, no water

Posted Mon, 2013/08/19 - 9:40am by RCAP

Excerpts from an Aug. 11 article in the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper about communities in Texas:

"Three years of drought, decades of overuse and now the oil industry's outsize demands on water for fracking are running down reservoirs and underground aquifers. And climate change is making things worse."

"'Because when the water is gone. That's it. We're gone.'"

USDA Rural Development celebrates Earth Day by Promoting water-quality projects in 32 states

Posted Wed, 2013/04/24 - 11:53am by RCAP

WASHINGTON (USDA) – As part of USDA's Earth Day celebration, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced April 22 support for projects that will improve water and wastewater services for rural Americans and benefit the environment across the country. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. The announcement is one part of the department's efforts to strengthen the rural economy.