News & Insights

Get insights and analysis from Water in the West researchers as well as the latest news about new Stanford water research and events focusing on western water issues.

October 03, 2013  | Water in the West  | Insights

Three Stanford students and Water in the West Director Andrew Fahlund recently embarked on a road trip through the Central Valley and along the Central Coast to explore groundwater issues in both regions.  Along the way they met with the Kern Water Bank regarding groundwater recharge to the aquifer.  They also met with reporters from the San Luis Obispo Tribune on recent...

October 02, 2013  | Water in the West  | Insights

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Three Stanford students and Water in the West Director Andrew Fahlund recently embarked on a road trip through the Central Valley and along the Central Coast to explore groundwater issues in both regions.  Along the way they met with the Kern Water Bank regarding groundwater recharge to the aquifer.  They also met with reporters from the San Luis Obispo Tribune on recent...

September 27, 2013  | Water in the West  | Insights

Imagine that you are taking a long hot shower. While washing, you look out the window, where you see a woman, facing you, with a pile of coal. She is slowly and dejectedly eating from this coal pile, one black nugget at a time. Occasionally, she gags.  Your stomach churns.  Welcome to “immersive virtual reality.” This woman is your avatar in a virtual reality simulation...

September 19, 2013  | Water in the West  | Insights

When John Wesley Powell descended the Colorado River for the first time, he and his party were frequently confronted with blind turns and unknown consequences around each bend in the river.  They had no maps to guide them and their equipment was only marginally suited to the task at hand.  As the saying goes, “the more things change, the more they remain the same.” ...

September 04, 2013  | Water in the West  | News

August 15, 2013  | Water in the West  | Insights

A stream flowing through high-altitude grasslands in Ecuador. TNC is working through water funds to finance watershed protection in this area. Photo: Bridget Besaw   Mark Tercek, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), spoke at the Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley last Tuesday on how business and society can thrive by investing in nature. A tall and wiry former Goldman...

August 14, 2013  | Water in the West  | Insights

Numbers matter.  When you interview for a job, you are routinely advised to quantify your achievements - for example, talk about how you brought in a 50% increase in sales or negotiated a $2 million deal for your company.   “I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” - Dr. Seuss   However, as you learned...

July 09, 2013  | Water in the West  | Insights

Professor Jacqueline Peel, Visiting Scholar, Stanford Water in the West The 2013 Silicon Valley Energy Summit was hosted by the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center on June 28, 2013.  The Summit Agenda promised a high-powered line-up of federal and state agency officials, business people, investors and practitioners talking about developments in the energy policy field. The timing of the...

June 12, 2013  | Water in the West  | Insights

Last week the Huffington Post published an article entitled, “Margaret Kreusser, California Woman, Hit With $16,000 Water Bill,” that reported on how a woman from Escondido, CA was charged for the alleged use of more than 2.5 million gallons of water in one month.  Just to put that number in context, the average American family of four uses 12,000 gallons per month; the value...

March 18, 2013  | Water in the West  | Insights

Don’t feel bad if you didn't know last week (March 10 – 16) was National Groundwater Awareness week. If you did, you can count yourself part of a small minority of individuals who know or care about groundwater! Despite the fact that groundwater provides approximately 44% of the public water supply in the United States, very few Americans know anything about this precious...

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