Blue Living Ideas » Freshwater Ecosystems

Envisioning Chicago’s Waterway System for the 21st Century

Scott James — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:32:39 +0000

There is finally a concerted effort in the Great Lakes region to deal with the problem of Asian carp and other invasive threats to the ecosystem. After a series of unsuccessful lawsuits by Michigan and others to get the state of Illinois to close the Chicago River lock system and the subsequent confirmation of large [...]

[Envisioning Chicago’s Waterway System for the 21st Century from Blue Living Ideas]

20 Pound Asian Carp Found Past Great Lakes Defenses

Scott James — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:37:52 +0000

So it happened. The first Asian carp was found past the electric barrier designed specifically to keep them out of Lake Michigan. And the thing weighed 20 pounds. After several suits against Illinois to close the shipping waterways that separate the Mississippi River and Great Lakes water basins and losing every time, including in the [...]

[20 Pound Asian Carp Found Past Great Lakes Defenses from Blue Living Ideas]

WaterAlert: Customized, Real-Time Water Conditions

Scott James — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:38:24 +0000

For anyone who spends a lot of their time dealing with water, having up-to-the-minute information on water conditions is a tough proposition. Whether it’s a boater who wants current river level information, a groundwater manager who needs to know what pumps to keep working, or crisis management officials dealing with flood or drought conditions, having [...]

[WaterAlert: Customized, Real-Time Water Conditions from Blue Living Ideas]

Catastrophic Well Blowout in Gulf Drains Constituency for Off-Shore Drilling

Susan Kraemer — Sun, 09 May 2010 22:41:36 +0000

Support for off-shore drilling has always been high among Republican voters, one of the constituencies that Republican Senators go to congress to represent. The other constituency is the fossil energy industry itself, that puts considerable financial clout behind electing Republicans to represent the interests of the oil and gas industry. However, the catastrophic [...]

[Catastrophic Well Blowout in Gulf Drains Constituency for Off-Shore Drilling from Blue Living Ideas]

Once Again, the Supreme Court Supports Asian Carp

Scott James — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:41:13 +0000

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the third attempt this year by Michigan to battle the possibility of Asian Carp getting into Lake Michigan and decimating both the fishing industry and the native ecosystem. Earlier this year Michigan’s suits against Illinois with the backing of Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Minnesota also failed. In a nutshell, [...]

[Once Again, the Supreme Court Supports Asian Carp from Blue Living Ideas]

EPA Vs. Citrus Farmers: Cleaning up Florida’s Water

Scott James — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:52:10 +0000

A new set of EPA proposals to clean up Florida’s water is up for debate this month, and Florida’s citrus growers say the goals are economically devastating and logistically unattainable. The new restrictions limit the amount of phosphorous and nitrogen released into Florida’s lakes and waterways. Citrus growers point to a report issued this week [...]

[EPA Vs. Citrus Farmers: Cleaning up Florida’s Water from Blue Living Ideas]

The Birth Control Pill Threatens Fish Reproduction

Jennifer Lance — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:28:18 +0000

An estimated 80 million women worldwide take oral contraceptives (aka “the Pill“) to “inhibit ovulation and thus prevent pregnancy”. First available to the public in the 1960s, the Pill has been pronounced as “the most significant medical advance of the 20th century”. Although the Pill revolutionized women’s health, traces of the contraceptive are ending up [...]

[The Birth Control Pill Threatens Fish Reproduction from Blue Living Ideas]

Leave Salt on the Table, Not on the Roads

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:24:38 +0000

Putting salt on roads and sidewalks to melt ice and snow is common around the world. However, it may be doing more harm than good. A couple of recent studies show some of the negative effects of putting mountains and mountains of salt on roads and sidewalks. For years, researchers have been looking into this issue and [...]

[Leave Salt on the Table, Not on the Roads from Blue Living Ideas]