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"content": "\u003cp>Electricity bills for millions of Californians could be on the rise, depending on what state energy regulators decide on Friday. It would be the most sweeping overhaul of electricity rates in more than a decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regulators at the \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc/\">California Public Utilities Commission\u003c/a> are expected to decide between two competing plans that would change electricity prices for customers of Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utilities have been pushing for the overhaul, saying current prices don’t spread the cost of power fairly between heavy users and more efficient users. Solar companies, environmentalists and consumer groups have fought back, warning that California’s energy efficiency and renewable energy goals could suffer.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Added Monthly Charge\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In months of debate leading up to Friday’s vote, the main sticking point had been something that may not seem earth-shattering at first glance: whether customers should have a fixed monthly charge on their bill. Utilities had proposed that customers pay $10 a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">‘Since the energy crisis back in the early 2000s, tiered rates were put in place to charge customers more as they used more energy. Today, it’s become an outdated way of paying for energy.’\u003ccite> Greg Snapper,PG&E spokesman \u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“That’s to help share the cost of basic infrastructure that we all use and depend on – lines, poles, meters and so forth,” said PG&E spokesman Jonathan Marshall in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solar companies saw it as a direct attack on their business model, since it makes solar installations less cost-effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A fixed charge does not help solar customers in any way because you can’t avoid it by generating your own electricity,” said Brad Heavner of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/california\">California Solar Energy Industries Association\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumer groups also warned it would affect lower-income customers disproportionately and would make energy efficiency projects less appealing, since they would take longer to pay off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response the fixed charge, PUC Commissioner Mike Florio offered an alternate plan that rejected the fixed charge in favor of a minimum bill amount, where customers would have to pay at least a minimal amount if their bills are close to zero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Late Wednesday, the original proposal was amended to reject the fixed charge as well, though it spells out conditions in the future where utilities could request it again.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Prices on the Rise\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Today, some Californians see four different prices of electricity on their bills. A basic level of electricity use is charged at the lowest rate for everyone, which in PG&E territory is 16 cents per kilowatt hour. From there, the prices step up as a customer uses more, up to 33 cents a kilowatt hour. It’s known as tiered pricing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”sziw2CyjM2LKdjfLsLdGb723gzNWHocy”]“Since the energy crisis back in the early 2000s, tiered rates were put in place to charge customers more as they used more energy,” said Greg Snapper, a PG&E spokesman. “Today, it’s become an outdated way of paying for energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2013, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that set the stage to revamp the tiers. Utilities say that since the energy crisis, the tiers have become skewed because the highest tiers have increased in price, but the lowest tired have remained largely the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the two new electricity rate proposals, the number of tiers would be reduced. The differences between the rates would be flattened as well. That’s expected to save money for the heaviest users of electricity, while those who use the least would see their bills rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the original proposal, there would be two tiers of electricity prices. According to an analysis done by the CPUC’s Office of Ratepayer Advocates before Wednesday’s revisions, 67 percent of customers would see an increase of $20 or more. Numbers have not been released for the revision released Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Florio’s alternate plan, the tiers would only be reduced to three prices. In PG&E territory, the change would mean 35 percent of customers would see a monthly bill increase of $10 or more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some conservation groups don’t see the revised proposal going far enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Commission has shown it continues to take orders from the utilities at the expense of the public,” said Evan Gillespie, director of the \u003ca href=\"http://content.sierraclub.org/coal/my-generation\">Sierra Club’s My Generation Campaign\u003c/a>. “The revised decision contains only nominal differences from the original, and continues to punish low energy users, hurt low income families and discourage conservation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC will decide on the two proposals on Friday. If the five-member commission approves one, it is scheduled to be phased in for customers by 2019.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solar companies saw it as a direct attack on their business model, since it makes solar installations less cost-effective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A fixed charge does not help solar customers in any way because you can’t avoid it by generating your own electricity,” said Brad Heavner of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/california\">California Solar Energy Industries Association\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumer groups also warned it would affect lower-income customers disproportionately and would make energy efficiency projects less appealing, since they would take longer to pay off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response the fixed charge, PUC Commissioner Mike Florio offered an alternate plan that rejected the fixed charge in favor of a minimum bill amount, where customers would have to pay at least a minimal amount if their bills are close to zero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Late Wednesday, the original proposal was amended to reject the fixed charge as well, though it spells out conditions in the future where utilities could request it again.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Prices on the Rise\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Today, some Californians see four different prices of electricity on their bills. A basic level of electricity use is charged at the lowest rate for everyone, which in PG&E territory is 16 cents per kilowatt hour. From there, the prices step up as a customer uses more, up to 33 cents a kilowatt hour. It’s known as tiered pricing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>“Since the energy crisis back in the early 2000s, tiered rates were put in place to charge customers more as they used more energy,” said Greg Snapper, a PG&E spokesman. “Today, it’s become an outdated way of paying for energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2013, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that set the stage to revamp the tiers. Utilities say that since the energy crisis, the tiers have become skewed because the highest tiers have increased in price, but the lowest tired have remained largely the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the two new electricity rate proposals, the number of tiers would be reduced. The differences between the rates would be flattened as well. That’s expected to save money for the heaviest users of electricity, while those who use the least would see their bills rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the original proposal, there would be two tiers of electricity prices. According to an analysis done by the CPUC’s Office of Ratepayer Advocates before Wednesday’s revisions, 67 percent of customers would see an increase of $20 or more. Numbers have not been released for the revision released Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Florio’s alternate plan, the tiers would only be reduced to three prices. In PG&E territory, the change would mean 35 percent of customers would see a monthly bill increase of $10 or more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some conservation groups don’t see the revised proposal going far enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Commission has shown it continues to take orders from the utilities at the expense of the public,” said Evan Gillespie, director of the \u003ca href=\"http://content.sierraclub.org/coal/my-generation\">Sierra Club’s My Generation Campaign\u003c/a>. “The revised decision contains only nominal differences from the original, and continues to punish low energy users, hurt low income families and discourage conservation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC will decide on the two proposals on Friday. If the five-member commission approves one, it is scheduled to be phased in for customers by 2019.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Sea level and boat traffic are both on the rise in San Francisco Bay, and they are making big waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, rougher water in the Bay doesn’t just make ferry rides more exciting. It also\u003ca href=\"http://www.livescience.com/26084-climate-change-to-claim-san-francisco-marshes.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> erodes our remaining tidal marshes\u003c/a>, and fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tidal marshes in the Bay Area are receding, sometimes as quickly as three feet each year. These wetlands provide important habitat for endangered plants and animals, and may also be\u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/2013/07/16/wetlands-horizontal-levees-sea-level-rise/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> key defenses against sea level rise\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">‘We feed the beach the material it needs, and then [the ocean] moves it around to the right places.’\u003ccite> Ecologist Peter Baye\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Protecting the remaining undeveloped shoreline is a real challenge, but a team of ecologists and engineers in Marin County have tried a radical new strategy that seems to be working–they’ve engineered a beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.marincountyparks.org/depts/pk/our-work/parks-main-projects/aramburu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aramburu island\u003c/a> in Richardson Bay is a small man-made island built in the 1960s with waste materials from canal dredging and home development on nearby Strawberry Point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last 45 years, the eastern shore of the island has eroded over 130 feet. Further erosion of the island might expose many Mill Valley homes to waves crossing the Golden Gate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team sought to engineer a new beach on the east side of Aramburu that would mimic the gravel barriers that naturally fringe tidal marshes in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But rather than design the island to very precise specifications, the team wanted to build a more resilient beach that could stand up to natural processes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX60704375\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX60704375\">“Self-assembly was really the construction premise: we feed the beach the material it needs, and then [the ocean] moves it around to the right places,” explained Peter Baye, \u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX174105577\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX174105577\">an ecologist who co-led the project design, along with Marin county engineer Roger Leventhal\u003c/span>\u003c/span>.\u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63204\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-63204\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"The team examines the eroded east side of Aramburu island, prior to the enhancement project.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The team examines the eroded east side of Aramburu island, prior to the enhancement project. \u003ccite>(Peter Baye)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-image-10568399 size-thumbnail\">So, in the summer of 2011, they started cutting back the eroded, unstable slopes on the island’s east side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They built a ramp with gravel, sand, oyster shell hash,and eucalyptus logs, most of which were recycled waste from local sources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size and shape of these materials closely matched the Bay’s natural beaches, where c\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX60704375\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX60704375\">oarser items like larger rocks and driftwood help trap finer sediments.\u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"size-medium wp-image-10568399\">They then let nature take its course to reshape the materials into complex beach features along the shoreline. They also removed the weeds that had overrun the island and replaced them with over 36,000 native, salt-tolerant plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four years later, the results have exceeded expectations. The rapid erosion of the east side of the island has stopped, and the Bay’s first engineered beach is holding up against winter storms and continual increases in waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New tidal marshes, meadows and salt flats have also burgeoned along the west side of the island, and this new habitat has attracted huge numbers of birds. Since 2011, the number of birds observed on the island has nearly doubled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63206\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-63206\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-400x268.jpg\" alt=\"Black Oyster Catcher chicks hatched on Aramburu Island, June 2014.\" width=\"400\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-400x268.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-800x536.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-1440x965.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-1180x791.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-960x643.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Black Oyster Catcher chicks hatched on Aramburu Island, June 2014. \u003ccite>(Kerry Wilcox / Audubon CA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX14684207\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX14684207\">“It’s created beautiful new beaches, which are perfect habitat for resting shorebirds and \u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX14684207\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"SpellingError SCX14684207\">waterbirds,” says Kerry Wilcox, the \u003c/span>\u003c/span>Waterbird Program Manager at the \u003ca href=\"http://richardsonbay.audubon.org/aramburu-island\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Richardson Bay Audubon Society\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In fact, w\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX14684207\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX14684207\">e’ve even seen successful nesting of black oyster catchers for the first time ever, as far as we know, in this part of the bay.”\u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX221449534\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"size-medium wp-image-10568382\"> “It’s a little out of the box,” says \u003ca href=\"http://biology.sfsu.edu/people/katharyn-boyer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Katharyn Boyer\u003c/a>, a biology professor at San Francisco State University, who was not involved in the project design. \u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX221449534\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"size-medium wp-image-10568382\">“A lot of people like me are really watching closely to see how this goes,” she adds, “but I think it’s proving to be an excellent model for the future.”\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Engineers feed logs and rocks to an eroded beach to restore tidal marshes and create wetland habitat.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Sea level and boat traffic are both on the rise in San Francisco Bay, and they are making big waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, rougher water in the Bay doesn’t just make ferry rides more exciting. It also\u003ca href=\"http://www.livescience.com/26084-climate-change-to-claim-san-francisco-marshes.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> erodes our remaining tidal marshes\u003c/a>, and fast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tidal marshes in the Bay Area are receding, sometimes as quickly as three feet each year. These wetlands provide important habitat for endangered plants and animals, and may also be\u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/2013/07/16/wetlands-horizontal-levees-sea-level-rise/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> key defenses against sea level rise\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">‘We feed the beach the material it needs, and then [the ocean] moves it around to the right places.’\u003ccite> Ecologist Peter Baye\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Protecting the remaining undeveloped shoreline is a real challenge, but a team of ecologists and engineers in Marin County have tried a radical new strategy that seems to be working–they’ve engineered a beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.marincountyparks.org/depts/pk/our-work/parks-main-projects/aramburu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aramburu island\u003c/a> in Richardson Bay is a small man-made island built in the 1960s with waste materials from canal dredging and home development on nearby Strawberry Point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last 45 years, the eastern shore of the island has eroded over 130 feet. Further erosion of the island might expose many Mill Valley homes to waves crossing the Golden Gate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team sought to engineer a new beach on the east side of Aramburu that would mimic the gravel barriers that naturally fringe tidal marshes in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But rather than design the island to very precise specifications, the team wanted to build a more resilient beach that could stand up to natural processes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX60704375\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX60704375\">“Self-assembly was really the construction premise: we feed the beach the material it needs, and then [the ocean] moves it around to the right places,” explained Peter Baye, \u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX174105577\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX174105577\">an ecologist who co-led the project design, along with Marin county engineer Roger Leventhal\u003c/span>\u003c/span>.\u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63204\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-63204\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"The team examines the eroded east side of Aramburu island, prior to the enhancement project.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454-960x720.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/P5270454.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The team examines the eroded east side of Aramburu island, prior to the enhancement project. \u003ccite>(Peter Baye)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-image-10568399 size-thumbnail\">So, in the summer of 2011, they started cutting back the eroded, unstable slopes on the island’s east side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They built a ramp with gravel, sand, oyster shell hash,and eucalyptus logs, most of which were recycled waste from local sources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size and shape of these materials closely matched the Bay’s natural beaches, where c\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX60704375\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX60704375\">oarser items like larger rocks and driftwood help trap finer sediments.\u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"size-medium wp-image-10568399\">They then let nature take its course to reshape the materials into complex beach features along the shoreline. They also removed the weeds that had overrun the island and replaced them with over 36,000 native, salt-tolerant plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four years later, the results have exceeded expectations. The rapid erosion of the east side of the island has stopped, and the Bay’s first engineered beach is holding up against winter storms and continual increases in waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New tidal marshes, meadows and salt flats have also burgeoned along the west side of the island, and this new habitat has attracted huge numbers of birds. Since 2011, the number of birds observed on the island has nearly doubled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63206\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-63206\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-400x268.jpg\" alt=\"Black Oyster Catcher chicks hatched on Aramburu Island, June 2014.\" width=\"400\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-400x268.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-800x536.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-1440x965.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-1180x791.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/BLOYchicks-960x643.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Black Oyster Catcher chicks hatched on Aramburu Island, June 2014. \u003ccite>(Kerry Wilcox / Audubon CA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX14684207\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX14684207\">“It’s created beautiful new beaches, which are perfect habitat for resting shorebirds and \u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX14684207\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"SpellingError SCX14684207\">waterbirds,” says Kerry Wilcox, the \u003c/span>\u003c/span>Waterbird Program Manager at the \u003ca href=\"http://richardsonbay.audubon.org/aramburu-island\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Richardson Bay Audubon Society\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In fact, w\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX14684207\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX14684207\">e’ve even seen successful nesting of black oyster catchers for the first time ever, as far as we know, in this part of the bay.”\u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX221449534\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"size-medium wp-image-10568382\"> “It’s a little out of the box,” says \u003ca href=\"http://biology.sfsu.edu/people/katharyn-boyer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Katharyn Boyer\u003c/a>, a biology professor at San Francisco State University, who was not involved in the project design. \u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX221449534\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"size-medium wp-image-10568382\">“A lot of people like me are really watching closely to see how this goes,” she adds, “but I think it’s proving to be an excellent model for the future.”\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "May Was the Biggest Water Savings Month Yet During Drought",
"headTitle": "May Was the Biggest Water Savings Month Yet During Drought | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>California cities hit record conservation during the drought after cutting water use 29 percent in May, according to data released by a state agency Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regulators hope the savings last through summer as California communities are under order to cut water use by 25 percent compared to 2013 levels. Gov. Jerry Brown announced his mandatory conservation order in April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”kiPVduRmeheSUZVo2td0K3nNgzEWmC7P”]Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board enforcing Brown’s order, said the results show it’s possible to meet steep conservation targets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s gratifying that far more communities are stepping up and we want to see this much more through the summer,” Marcus said. “It ends up putting off the need for much harsher rationing which has greater impacts on people and the economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The May water savings were the best showing since the state started tracking conservation last year. It followed several months of tepid conservation, 13.5 percent in April and 4 percent in March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>June is the first month that water districts must meet mandatory water restrictions that range from 4 to 36 percent. This month, the water board will see how water districts are doing and some could face fines. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conservation data is self-reported by California water departments and includes residential and business consumption. All regions of the state showed improvement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The southern coast, which includes Los Angeles and San Diego, conserved 25 percent in May after months of tepid savings. Sacramento and its surrounding suburbs were the state’s top performer, cutting water use nearly 40 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conservation may have been skewed by rain in parts of the state, which reduces the need to water lawns. Regulators have been encouraging Californians to let their lawns go dry this summer as the easiest way to save large amounts of water and maintain local supplies if the drought continues.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California cities hit record conservation during the drought after cutting water use 29 percent in May, according to data released by a state agency Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regulators hope the savings last through summer as California communities are under order to cut water use by 25 percent compared to 2013 levels. Gov. Jerry Brown announced his mandatory conservation order in April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board enforcing Brown’s order, said the results show it’s possible to meet steep conservation targets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s gratifying that far more communities are stepping up and we want to see this much more through the summer,” Marcus said. “It ends up putting off the need for much harsher rationing which has greater impacts on people and the economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The May water savings were the best showing since the state started tracking conservation last year. It followed several months of tepid conservation, 13.5 percent in April and 4 percent in March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>June is the first month that water districts must meet mandatory water restrictions that range from 4 to 36 percent. This month, the water board will see how water districts are doing and some could face fines. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conservation data is self-reported by California water departments and includes residential and business consumption. All regions of the state showed improvement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The southern coast, which includes Los Angeles and San Diego, conserved 25 percent in May after months of tepid savings. Sacramento and its surrounding suburbs were the state’s top performer, cutting water use nearly 40 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conservation may have been skewed by rain in parts of the state, which reduces the need to water lawns. Regulators have been encouraging Californians to let their lawns go dry this summer as the easiest way to save large amounts of water and maintain local supplies if the drought continues.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>If you’ve been following the drama unfolding in the early evening sky over the past week, you may have seen two brilliant luminaries, planets Venus and Jupiter, getting closer together, night by night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You have not been hallucinating, and we’re not under attack by alien spacecraft!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Venus and Jupiter are engaged in a rare close conjunction, something you don’t want to miss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tonight is the night they will be closest to each other—about a third of a degree apart—less than the width of the full moon!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”g8IYD5aL5cScRoCBqNAYXr5NmoPxT1Ot”]Venus is the brighter one, Jupiter the more distant, though still stunningly bright, partner in this dance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To find them, you need only look west after sunset—assuming there are clear skies and an unobstructed horizon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even in the glow of twilight, each of these planets is bright enough to be seen, and together more so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Planetary conjunctions are not particularly rare. Get-togethers by any two of the visible planets occur periodically as the planets go through their orbital cycles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is rare in this conjunction is how close Jupiter and Venus will get—as well as the fact that these two are the brightest planets in Earth’s skies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spectacle will be, well, spectacular to the casual gazer—no telescopes required! But, if you happen to have a pair of binoculars, or better still, a small telescope, it only gets better. A small telescope can reveal some breathtaking details of these two planets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jupiter’s four large Galilean moons can be seen in a line across Jupiter’s disk—and if the telescope is powerful enough, you might glimpse some of Jupiter’s cloud belts, or its famous Great Red Spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Venus, being closer to the sun than the Earth, goes through a cycle of phases like our Moon, and is currently in a crescent phase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Try seeing Jupiter’s moons and Venus’ crescent in a single telescope view at any other time—you can’t!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Venus and Jupiter will set around 11 p.m. PDT—sooner if your western horizon is obstructed by trees or buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enjoy the spectacle!\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you’ve been following the drama unfolding in the early evening sky over the past week, you may have seen two brilliant luminaries, planets Venus and Jupiter, getting closer together, night by night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You have not been hallucinating, and we’re not under attack by alien spacecraft!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Venus and Jupiter are engaged in a rare close conjunction, something you don’t want to miss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tonight is the night they will be closest to each other—about a third of a degree apart—less than the width of the full moon!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Venus is the brighter one, Jupiter the more distant, though still stunningly bright, partner in this dance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To find them, you need only look west after sunset—assuming there are clear skies and an unobstructed horizon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even in the glow of twilight, each of these planets is bright enough to be seen, and together more so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Planetary conjunctions are not particularly rare. Get-togethers by any two of the visible planets occur periodically as the planets go through their orbital cycles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is rare in this conjunction is how close Jupiter and Venus will get—as well as the fact that these two are the brightest planets in Earth’s skies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spectacle will be, well, spectacular to the casual gazer—no telescopes required! But, if you happen to have a pair of binoculars, or better still, a small telescope, it only gets better. A small telescope can reveal some breathtaking details of these two planets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jupiter’s four large Galilean moons can be seen in a line across Jupiter’s disk—and if the telescope is powerful enough, you might glimpse some of Jupiter’s cloud belts, or its famous Great Red Spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Venus, being closer to the sun than the Earth, goes through a cycle of phases like our Moon, and is currently in a crescent phase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Try seeing Jupiter’s moons and Venus’ crescent in a single telescope view at any other time—you can’t!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Venus and Jupiter will set around 11 p.m. PDT—sooner if your western horizon is obstructed by trees or buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enjoy the spectacle!\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Supreme court has ruled against an Obama administration effort to limit toxic mercury emissions from power plants, saying the costs of compliance with regulation should be taken into account.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a 5-4 decision, the court sided with industry and 23 states that challenged the Environmental Protection Agency over the rules for oil- and coal-fired utilities, which the EPA estimated would cost $9.6 billion dollars annually. The states and industry groups said the cost estimate far outweighed the benefits the rules would produce, estimated at $4 million to $6 million per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The courts majority agreed, saying the EPA interpreted the regulation “unreasonably when it deemed cost irrelevant to the decision to regulate power plants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR’s Nina Totenberg \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/03/25/395106455/obama-administration-emissions-rules-face-supreme-court-test\">has this background\u003c/a> on the case, \u003cem>Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“The regulations have been in the works for nearly two decades. Work on them began in the Clinton administration, got derailed in the George W. Bush administration, and then were revived and adopted in the Obama administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The regulations were subsequently upheld by a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They stem from 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act, which ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to expedite limits on power plant emissions of mercury and 188 other dangerous air pollutants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mercury is considered one of the most toxic pollutants because studies show that when it falls from the atmosphere, it readily passes from fish and other sources to a pregnant woman’s unborn fetus and the fetal brain, causing neurological abnormalities and delays in children. The EPA estimated that 7 percent of American women of childbearing age — millions of women — were being exposed to the pollutant in dangerous amounts.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Supreme+Court+Blocks+Obama+Administration+Plan+On+Power+Plant+Emissions&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Supreme court has ruled against an Obama administration effort to limit toxic mercury emissions from power plants, saying the costs of compliance with regulation should be taken into account.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a 5-4 decision, the court sided with industry and 23 states that challenged the Environmental Protection Agency over the rules for oil- and coal-fired utilities, which the EPA estimated would cost $9.6 billion dollars annually. The states and industry groups said the cost estimate far outweighed the benefits the rules would produce, estimated at $4 million to $6 million per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The courts majority agreed, saying the EPA interpreted the regulation “unreasonably when it deemed cost irrelevant to the decision to regulate power plants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR’s Nina Totenberg \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/03/25/395106455/obama-administration-emissions-rules-face-supreme-court-test\">has this background\u003c/a> on the case, \u003cem>Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“The regulations have been in the works for nearly two decades. Work on them began in the Clinton administration, got derailed in the George W. Bush administration, and then were revived and adopted in the Obama administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The regulations were subsequently upheld by a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They stem from 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act, which ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to expedite limits on power plant emissions of mercury and 188 other dangerous air pollutants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mercury is considered one of the most toxic pollutants because studies show that when it falls from the atmosphere, it readily passes from fish and other sources to a pregnant woman’s unborn fetus and the fetal brain, causing neurological abnormalities and delays in children. The EPA estimated that 7 percent of American women of childbearing age — millions of women — were being exposed to the pollutant in dangerous amounts.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Supreme+Court+Blocks+Obama+Administration+Plan+On+Power+Plant+Emissions&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Parched California Farmers Hope to Tap Wastewater From Cities",
"headTitle": "Parched California Farmers Hope to Tap Wastewater From Cities | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2015/06/Science_Water_Recycling.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Facing record-low water supplies and a dry summer ahead, some California farmers are getting creative in looking for new sources of water. In one community, they’re planning to buy water from cities — after it’s already been used.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through flushing toilets and running faucets, the city of Modesto produces millions of gallons of wastewater a day, just a stone’s throw from some of the driest agricultural areas in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“As long as it’s wet, it’s water and it’s valuable.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Will Wong, city of Modesto\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>In a few years, that wastewater — treated and disinfected — could flow to farms in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.stanislauslafco.org/info/PDF/SOI/Districts/DelPuertoWD.pdf\">Del Puerto Water District\u003c/a>, in what would be the largest urban-to-agriculture water recycling project in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It can’t go fast enough,” says Anthea Hansen, who runs the Del Puerto Water District. “Any water would be welcomed at this point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reason is right outside her office window. “This field across the street is about 350 acres,” Hansen says, looking out at bare ground. “This land would typically be farmed in, probably, tomatoes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A quarter of the district’s 45,000 acres are fallowed this year, but half of the district is planted in permanent crops, like almonds, that require water every year to stay alive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“‘Crazy’ wouldn’t adequately describe what we’re going through here,” Hansen says. “Having zero water available, we’ve been in survival and crisis mode for, literally, 24 months now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_77772\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-77772\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto.jpg\" alt=\"A quarter of farm fields in the Del Puerto Water District are fallowed this year.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1100\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto-400x229.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto-800x458.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto-1440x825.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto-1180x676.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto-960x550.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A quarter of farm fields in the Del Puerto Water District are fallowed this year. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hansen’s district relies entirely on water from federal reservoirs in the state, through the Central Valley Project. But with record-low snowpack during the drought, that supply has been cut off completely for two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district doesn’t have water rights to local rivers, and lacks groundwater to pump, as many other agricultural areas have turned to doing this year. \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/06/23/some-california-farmers-fallow-fields-others-sell-water-for-big-profits/\">Buying water\u003c/a> on the open market has been Hansen’s only option, but prices have gone through the roof.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Drought-Proof Supply\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Even during the drought, around 240,000 Modesto residents produce a steady stream of water — in the form of sewage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Water is water,” says Will Wong, engineering division manager for the city of Modesto. “As long as it’s wet, it’s water and it’s valuable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s wastewater treatment plant is undergoing a $150 million upgrade to meet new water quality requirements. Currently, most of its wastewater is discharged into the San Joaquin River, and to protect the river, the city is being required to meet higher, “tertiary,” standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_77773\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-77773\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3.jpg\" alt=\"New filtering equipment is installed at the Modesto wastewater treament plant, part of a $150 million upgrade.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3-400x250.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3-1440x900.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3-1180x738.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3-960x600.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">New filtering equipment is being installed at the Modesto wastewater treatment plant, part of a $150 million upgrade. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The nice thing is that we have technology on our side here,” Wong says, “to take water that has some solids and whatnot, and essentially strip everything away and bring back pure water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New equipment will filter and disinfect the wastewater with ultraviolet light. It won’t be drinking water quality, but, according to state standards, it’ll be clean enough to use on crops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In what’s called the \u003ca href=\"http://www.nvr-recycledwater.org/\">North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program\u003c/a>, the Del Puerto Water District would construct a six-mile, $100 million pipeline to carry the wastewater from the city to the Delta Mendota Canal. From there, it would go to the district’s farms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really, really, really, truly hope that we can bring it across the line because it will be a model for others,” Hansen says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The water would be expensive for farmers, four to five times normal prices, but Hansen says that’s the cost of reliability. Growers like Jim Jasper are more than willing to pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When something like this comes up, you don’t have to think about it twice,” says Jasper, who owns Stewart & Jasper Orchards.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“There’s absolutely more potential for recycled water use in California.”\u003ccite>Heather Cooley, Pacific Institute\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp> “Most farmers are internal optimists and I like to be optimistic,” Jasper says, “but without something like this, the future for my son and grandson and family — we’re into this third generation — I don’t know if we can keep our business going.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The water would meet about one-third of the water district’s “hardened” demand, or the minimal supply it can get by on. The cities of Turlock and Ceres are also looking at joining the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Recycling on the Rise\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Other agricultural areas are taking notice, as they face their own drought shortfalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s absolutely more potential for recycled water use in California,” says Heather Cooley of the Pacific Institute, a non-profit water think tank in Oakland. According to her \u003ca href=\"http://pacinst.org/publication/ca-water-supply-solutions/\">analysis\u003c/a>, California could be using two to three times more recycled water for many purposes, including urban landscape and golf course irrigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recycling urban wastewater in coastal cities would have added benefits, she says. When wastewater is discharged into the ocean, it creates pollution problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”aQvcv7vl2ZQvV94UBJ1YzNZnE2UqDnYU”]But in inland areas, treated wastewater is usually released into rivers, so removing that source of water from the river by recycling it could impact the river itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You need to understand where that water would have gone,” Cooley says. “Is it providing important environmental flows? Is it providing water to a downstream community such that if you’re recycling it, there’s no longer water for that community?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Challenges From Other Farmers\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Two agricultural water districts are protesting the North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program, saying it could harm the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Westlands Water District, the largest irrigation district in the country, is challenging the project for its possible effects on the San Joaquin River.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The river is used so heavily by the region that it \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/02/24/california-drought-one-more-setback-for-river-that-runs-dry/\">runs completely dry\u003c/a> in some years. As a result, minimal standards have been put in place to ensure enough water is flowing to protect water quality and the endangered salmon that use the river. When those standards aren’t met, water pumping to local irrigation districts must be slowed down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wastewater from Modesto and Turlock makes up only a tiny fraction of the overall flow of the San Joaquin River, but Westlands would rather see it go into the river, instead of being recycled, to help meet water quality standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_77876\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-77876\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6.jpg\" alt=\"A six-mile pipeline would connect Modesto's wastewater treament plant to a canal that reaches Del Puerto Water District's farms.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1100\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6-400x229.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6-800x458.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6-1440x825.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6-1180x676.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6-960x550.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A six-mile pipeline would connect Modesto’s wastewater treament plant to a canal that reaches Del Puerto Water District’s farms. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“In terms of San Joaquin River flow, we are at a point where every acre-foot is important,” Tom Birmingham, General Manager of Westlands Water District, said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials with the Turlock Irrigation District say they’d rather see the wastewater used to replenish local groundwater, and to combat overpumping in the area. The City of Turlock relies on groundwater for its water supply, and after it’s treated, it’s discharged into the San Joaquin River.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Recycled water is the primary source of water available to help achieve groundwater sustainability,” Calvin Curtin, spokesman for the Turlock Irrigation District, said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>No Silver Bullet\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Recycled wastewater projects are currently used in Monterey and Sonoma Counties, where urban areas are close to farm fields. But much of the Central Valley is far from large urban areas, and moving wastewater long distances quickly becomes cost-prohibitive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not the single silver bullet solution for agriculture,” Cooley says. “Agriculture is going to have to do a lot of things to adapt to a future of less water availability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Del Puerto Water District, farmers see water recycling as a way to survive that future. The project still needs a range of permits from local and state authorities, but if it’s approved, the taps could open up in just three years.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Farmers are turning to a new drought-proof water supply--tapping what goes down the drain in nearby cities.",
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"description": "Farmers are turning to a new drought-proof water supply--tapping what goes down the drain in nearby cities.",
"title": "Parched California Farmers Hope to Tap Wastewater From Cities | KQED",
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"headline": "Parched California Farmers Hope to Tap Wastewater From Cities",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2015/06/Science_Water_Recycling.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Facing record-low water supplies and a dry summer ahead, some California farmers are getting creative in looking for new sources of water. In one community, they’re planning to buy water from cities — after it’s already been used.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through flushing toilets and running faucets, the city of Modesto produces millions of gallons of wastewater a day, just a stone’s throw from some of the driest agricultural areas in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“As long as it’s wet, it’s water and it’s valuable.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Will Wong, city of Modesto\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>In a few years, that wastewater — treated and disinfected — could flow to farms in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.stanislauslafco.org/info/PDF/SOI/Districts/DelPuertoWD.pdf\">Del Puerto Water District\u003c/a>, in what would be the largest urban-to-agriculture water recycling project in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It can’t go fast enough,” says Anthea Hansen, who runs the Del Puerto Water District. “Any water would be welcomed at this point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reason is right outside her office window. “This field across the street is about 350 acres,” Hansen says, looking out at bare ground. “This land would typically be farmed in, probably, tomatoes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A quarter of the district’s 45,000 acres are fallowed this year, but half of the district is planted in permanent crops, like almonds, that require water every year to stay alive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“‘Crazy’ wouldn’t adequately describe what we’re going through here,” Hansen says. “Having zero water available, we’ve been in survival and crisis mode for, literally, 24 months now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_77772\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-77772\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto.jpg\" alt=\"A quarter of farm fields in the Del Puerto Water District are fallowed this year.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1100\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto-400x229.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto-800x458.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto-1440x825.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto-1180x676.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/DelPuerto-960x550.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A quarter of farm fields in the Del Puerto Water District are fallowed this year. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hansen’s district relies entirely on water from federal reservoirs in the state, through the Central Valley Project. But with record-low snowpack during the drought, that supply has been cut off completely for two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district doesn’t have water rights to local rivers, and lacks groundwater to pump, as many other agricultural areas have turned to doing this year. \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/06/23/some-california-farmers-fallow-fields-others-sell-water-for-big-profits/\">Buying water\u003c/a> on the open market has been Hansen’s only option, but prices have gone through the roof.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Drought-Proof Supply\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Even during the drought, around 240,000 Modesto residents produce a steady stream of water — in the form of sewage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Water is water,” says Will Wong, engineering division manager for the city of Modesto. “As long as it’s wet, it’s water and it’s valuable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s wastewater treatment plant is undergoing a $150 million upgrade to meet new water quality requirements. Currently, most of its wastewater is discharged into the San Joaquin River, and to protect the river, the city is being required to meet higher, “tertiary,” standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_77773\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-77773\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3.jpg\" alt=\"New filtering equipment is installed at the Modesto wastewater treament plant, part of a $150 million upgrade.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3-400x250.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3-1440x900.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3-1180x738.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wastewater3-960x600.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">New filtering equipment is being installed at the Modesto wastewater treatment plant, part of a $150 million upgrade. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The nice thing is that we have technology on our side here,” Wong says, “to take water that has some solids and whatnot, and essentially strip everything away and bring back pure water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New equipment will filter and disinfect the wastewater with ultraviolet light. It won’t be drinking water quality, but, according to state standards, it’ll be clean enough to use on crops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In what’s called the \u003ca href=\"http://www.nvr-recycledwater.org/\">North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program\u003c/a>, the Del Puerto Water District would construct a six-mile, $100 million pipeline to carry the wastewater from the city to the Delta Mendota Canal. From there, it would go to the district’s farms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really, really, really, truly hope that we can bring it across the line because it will be a model for others,” Hansen says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The water would be expensive for farmers, four to five times normal prices, but Hansen says that’s the cost of reliability. Growers like Jim Jasper are more than willing to pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When something like this comes up, you don’t have to think about it twice,” says Jasper, who owns Stewart & Jasper Orchards.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“There’s absolutely more potential for recycled water use in California.”\u003ccite>Heather Cooley, Pacific Institute\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp> “Most farmers are internal optimists and I like to be optimistic,” Jasper says, “but without something like this, the future for my son and grandson and family — we’re into this third generation — I don’t know if we can keep our business going.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The water would meet about one-third of the water district’s “hardened” demand, or the minimal supply it can get by on. The cities of Turlock and Ceres are also looking at joining the project.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Recycling on the Rise\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Other agricultural areas are taking notice, as they face their own drought shortfalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s absolutely more potential for recycled water use in California,” says Heather Cooley of the Pacific Institute, a non-profit water think tank in Oakland. According to her \u003ca href=\"http://pacinst.org/publication/ca-water-supply-solutions/\">analysis\u003c/a>, California could be using two to three times more recycled water for many purposes, including urban landscape and golf course irrigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recycling urban wastewater in coastal cities would have added benefits, she says. When wastewater is discharged into the ocean, it creates pollution problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>But in inland areas, treated wastewater is usually released into rivers, so removing that source of water from the river by recycling it could impact the river itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You need to understand where that water would have gone,” Cooley says. “Is it providing important environmental flows? Is it providing water to a downstream community such that if you’re recycling it, there’s no longer water for that community?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Challenges From Other Farmers\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Two agricultural water districts are protesting the North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program, saying it could harm the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Westlands Water District, the largest irrigation district in the country, is challenging the project for its possible effects on the San Joaquin River.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The river is used so heavily by the region that it \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/02/24/california-drought-one-more-setback-for-river-that-runs-dry/\">runs completely dry\u003c/a> in some years. As a result, minimal standards have been put in place to ensure enough water is flowing to protect water quality and the endangered salmon that use the river. When those standards aren’t met, water pumping to local irrigation districts must be slowed down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wastewater from Modesto and Turlock makes up only a tiny fraction of the overall flow of the San Joaquin River, but Westlands would rather see it go into the river, instead of being recycled, to help meet water quality standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_77876\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-77876\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6.jpg\" alt=\"A six-mile pipeline would connect Modesto's wastewater treament plant to a canal that reaches Del Puerto Water District's farms.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1100\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6-400x229.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6-800x458.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6-1440x825.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6-1180x676.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/wasterwater6-960x550.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A six-mile pipeline would connect Modesto’s wastewater treament plant to a canal that reaches Del Puerto Water District’s farms. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“In terms of San Joaquin River flow, we are at a point where every acre-foot is important,” Tom Birmingham, General Manager of Westlands Water District, said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials with the Turlock Irrigation District say they’d rather see the wastewater used to replenish local groundwater, and to combat overpumping in the area. The City of Turlock relies on groundwater for its water supply, and after it’s treated, it’s discharged into the San Joaquin River.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Recycled water is the primary source of water available to help achieve groundwater sustainability,” Calvin Curtin, spokesman for the Turlock Irrigation District, said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>No Silver Bullet\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Recycled wastewater projects are currently used in Monterey and Sonoma Counties, where urban areas are close to farm fields. But much of the Central Valley is far from large urban areas, and moving wastewater long distances quickly becomes cost-prohibitive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not the single silver bullet solution for agriculture,” Cooley says. “Agriculture is going to have to do a lot of things to adapt to a future of less water availability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Del Puerto Water District, farmers see water recycling as a way to survive that future. The project still needs a range of permits from local and state authorities, but if it’s approved, the taps could open up in just three years.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "San Francisco Ordered to Stop Using Century-Old Water Rights",
"headTitle": "San Francisco Ordered to Stop Using Century-Old Water Rights | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>State water managers have ordered the city of San Francisco to stop taking water from the Tuolumne River, restricting some of the city’s senior water rights. The orders are part of a larger effort by the state to limit water use from thousands of water rights holders, in order to manage dwindling supplies during the drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s an historic moment for San Francisco, whose \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/05/11/how-californias-water-rights-make-it-tough-to-manage-drought/\">early water rights \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/03/02/a-new-stronger-tunnel-to-bring-hetch-hetchy-water-to-bay-area/\">exclusive water system\u003c/a> has kept the city out of the water battles that have plagued most of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city says it may choose to fight the cuts and take legal action, as other senior water rights holders \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/06/15/court-battles-loom-over-challenge-to-state-water-rights/\">have recently done\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy system stretches more than 100 miles into the high Sierra Nevada, where pristine water is captured from the Tuolumne River in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/audio/century-old-battle-over-yosemites-second-valley-heats-up/\">built inside Yosemite National Park\u003c/a>. It serves \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/02/28/bay-area-do-you-know-where-your-water-comes-from/\">more than a million residents\u003c/a> in San Francisco and other water districts on the Peninsula and the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\n“We’ll be taking the appropriate action to protect our water rights.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Steve Ritchie, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission\u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Hetch Hetchy water users aren’t expected to see any short term impacts, because the reservoir is fuller than most others in California, and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission can continue to draw on that water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our reservoir was as full as it was going to get already,” said Steve Ritchie, assistant general manager for water for the SFPUC. “We have plenty of water in storage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFPUC is still waiting to see the order from the State Water Resources Control Board to gauge the volume of water affected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bigger issue for us is not the practical effect of curtailment, but the legality and precedence issues represented by it,” said Ritchie. “We may choose to file legal action.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several lawsuits have already been filed by senior water rights holders who are\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/06/15/court-battles-loom-over-challenge-to-state-water-rights/\"> challenging the state water board’s authority\u003c/a> to cut their rights. Questions have been raised about whether the orders are actual “cease and desist” orders that must be followed, or are simply advisories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city has several more water rights going back to 1901 that have not been curtailed, but could be in coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As supplies continue to decline through the summer, it is expected that more senior rights will be impacted by limited water availability,” the State Water Resources Control Board said in its release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ll be taking the appropriate action to protect our water rights,” Ritchie said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The city says it may take legal action to stop the cuts to its historic senior water rights.",
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"description": "The city says it may take legal action to stop the cuts to its historic senior water rights.",
"title": "San Francisco Ordered to Stop Using Century-Old Water Rights | KQED",
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"headline": "San Francisco Ordered to Stop Using Century-Old Water Rights",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>State water managers have ordered the city of San Francisco to stop taking water from the Tuolumne River, restricting some of the city’s senior water rights. The orders are part of a larger effort by the state to limit water use from thousands of water rights holders, in order to manage dwindling supplies during the drought.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s an historic moment for San Francisco, whose \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/05/11/how-californias-water-rights-make-it-tough-to-manage-drought/\">early water rights \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/03/02/a-new-stronger-tunnel-to-bring-hetch-hetchy-water-to-bay-area/\">exclusive water system\u003c/a> has kept the city out of the water battles that have plagued most of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city says it may choose to fight the cuts and take legal action, as other senior water rights holders \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/06/15/court-battles-loom-over-challenge-to-state-water-rights/\">have recently done\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy system stretches more than 100 miles into the high Sierra Nevada, where pristine water is captured from the Tuolumne River in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/audio/century-old-battle-over-yosemites-second-valley-heats-up/\">built inside Yosemite National Park\u003c/a>. It serves \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2014/02/28/bay-area-do-you-know-where-your-water-comes-from/\">more than a million residents\u003c/a> in San Francisco and other water districts on the Peninsula and the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\n“We’ll be taking the appropriate action to protect our water rights.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Steve Ritchie, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission\u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Hetch Hetchy water users aren’t expected to see any short term impacts, because the reservoir is fuller than most others in California, and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission can continue to draw on that water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our reservoir was as full as it was going to get already,” said Steve Ritchie, assistant general manager for water for the SFPUC. “We have plenty of water in storage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFPUC is still waiting to see the order from the State Water Resources Control Board to gauge the volume of water affected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bigger issue for us is not the practical effect of curtailment, but the legality and precedence issues represented by it,” said Ritchie. “We may choose to file legal action.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several lawsuits have already been filed by senior water rights holders who are\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/06/15/court-battles-loom-over-challenge-to-state-water-rights/\"> challenging the state water board’s authority\u003c/a> to cut their rights. Questions have been raised about whether the orders are actual “cease and desist” orders that must be followed, or are simply advisories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city has several more water rights going back to 1901 that have not been curtailed, but could be in coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As supplies continue to decline through the summer, it is expected that more senior rights will be impacted by limited water availability,” the State Water Resources Control Board said in its release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ll be taking the appropriate action to protect our water rights,” Ritchie said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Europe’s Comet-Chasing Rosetta Mission Extended Until 2016",
"headTitle": "Europe’s Comet-Chasing Rosetta Mission Extended Until 2016 | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In June, the European Space Agency’s \u003ca href=\"http://rosetta.esa.int/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rosetta mission\u003c/a> operators received a welcome surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosetta’s landing probe Philae has been silent since November when it set down awkwardly on the surface of comet 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this month, Philae sent signals to its mothership Rosetta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosetta and Philae were launched in 2004 on a ten-year journey to reach and explore 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_73375\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/philae-bounces.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-73375 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/philae-bounces-400x266.jpg\" alt=\"Philae's awkward bouncy landing on the surface of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/philae-bounces-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/philae-bounces.jpg 615w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Philae’s awkward bouncy landing on the surface of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Philae is the first spacecraft ever to have contacted a comet, and the fact that it functioned after landing and sent back observations from the surface qualify the landing as successful, even if things did not go as planned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key systems on Philae that were designed to “make it stick” to the comet upon landing failed to go off as designed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A thruster that was supposed to push the robot firmly onto the surface and prevent it from bouncing off did not function, and a harpoon system, intended to anchor it permanently to the comet, failed to deploy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Philae bounced in the comet’s extremely low gravity environment—bounced more than once, in fact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it finally came to rest, mission controllers did not know exactly where it was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make matters worse, Philae settled down in the shadow of a cliff, with its solar panels turned to an unfavorable angle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fifty-seven hours after its final landing, Philae’s battery power was depleted, and it went silent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_73378\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-73378 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"Surface close-up of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken by the Rosetta spacecraft. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-400x400.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-1440x1440.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-960x960.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-75x75.jpg 75w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Surface close-up of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken by the Rosetta spacecraft. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There were hopes that, as comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko got closer to the sun, and perhaps Philae’s solar panels achieved a more productive face-off with the sun’s light, its batteries might recharge to the point where it could come out of its accidental hibernation—\u003ca href=\"http://news.discovery.com/space/philae-comet-lander-back-in-touch-with-mothership-150622.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">which has now happened\u003c/a>!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Philae’s first “pings” came on June 13 and 14, and, following a brief relapse into silence, June 19. Mission operators are assessing Philae’s state, but are hopeful that its historic mission is not over yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, mothership Rosetta has been tagging along with the comet since it arrived there in August 2014, making observations and measurements of the comet’s nucleus and the shroud of gas and dust it has developed as it heats up in the increasingly intense sunlight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The comet will reach perihelion, its closest approach to the sun, on August 13th, and afterward will move away from the sun again, toward the more distant end of its six-and-a-half year elliptical orbit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_75772\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 5333px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-75772 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko.jpg\" alt=\"Map of different terrain types of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\" width=\"5333\" height=\"3333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko.jpg 5333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko-400x250.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko-1440x900.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko-1180x737.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko-960x600.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5333px) 100vw, 5333px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Map of different terrain types of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the time since its arrival, Rosetta has shown us \u003ca href=\"http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Getting_to_know_Rosetta_s_comet/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the nature of the comet\u003c/a> in unprecedented detail. Some of the highlights of its discoveries are:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The comet’s surface has been mapped into 19 different regions with distinct boundaries comprising five diverse types of terrain: dust-coated areas; rugged terrain filled with pits and other depressions; smoother patches; and different exposed rocky zones, including localities of exposed water ice.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The comet’s average density is 470 kilograms per cubic meter—which tells scientists that if, as it is believed, the comet’s overall composition is mostly water ice, then the comet is highly porous, with as much as 70 to 80 percent of its volume dominated by small empty chambers.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Jets of gas and dust erupting from within the warming comet emerge largely from the “neck” region between Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s distinctive two-lobed shape.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>All of the data and discoveries acquired from this comet provide insight into the conditions under which it formed over 4.5 billion years ago, when our solar system was young and the planets still in their infancy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It has been said that primordial objects like comets are like time capsules of information about the early formation of the solar system, and missions like Rosetta hold the key to unlocking them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosetta’s continued study of Churyumov-Gerasimenko will only increase our understanding of our planet’s origin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is more good news than Philae’s hopeful resuscitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whatever Philae is able to achieve in the days or months ahead, the Rosetta mission itself \u003ca href=\"http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_mission_extended\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has been extended \u003c/a>nine months beyond the nominal December 2015 end time, giving scientists the opportunity to observe the comet’s behavior over a longer stretch of its orbital cycle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosetta has observed the comet since it was relatively far from the sun, and has been monitoring the effects of rising solar radiation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Understanding how the comet behaves as it moves back toward the colder environment farther from the sun will give us a more comprehensive view of its evolution.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "In June, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta mission operators received a welcome surprise. The landing probe Philae, which set down awkwardly on the surface of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko last November and soon after was lost from contact, transmitted signals to its orbiting mothership, Rosetta.",
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"title": "Europe’s Comet-Chasing Rosetta Mission Extended Until 2016 | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In June, the European Space Agency’s \u003ca href=\"http://rosetta.esa.int/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rosetta mission\u003c/a> operators received a welcome surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosetta’s landing probe Philae has been silent since November when it set down awkwardly on the surface of comet 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this month, Philae sent signals to its mothership Rosetta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosetta and Philae were launched in 2004 on a ten-year journey to reach and explore 67p/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_73375\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/philae-bounces.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-73375 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/philae-bounces-400x266.jpg\" alt=\"Philae's awkward bouncy landing on the surface of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/philae-bounces-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/philae-bounces.jpg 615w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Philae’s awkward bouncy landing on the surface of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Philae is the first spacecraft ever to have contacted a comet, and the fact that it functioned after landing and sent back observations from the surface qualify the landing as successful, even if things did not go as planned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key systems on Philae that were designed to “make it stick” to the comet upon landing failed to go off as designed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A thruster that was supposed to push the robot firmly onto the surface and prevent it from bouncing off did not function, and a harpoon system, intended to anchor it permanently to the comet, failed to deploy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Philae bounced in the comet’s extremely low gravity environment—bounced more than once, in fact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it finally came to rest, mission controllers did not know exactly where it was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make matters worse, Philae settled down in the shadow of a cliff, with its solar panels turned to an unfavorable angle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fifty-seven hours after its final landing, Philae’s battery power was depleted, and it went silent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_73378\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-73378 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"Surface close-up of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken by the Rosetta spacecraft. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-400x400.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-1440x1440.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-960x960.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup-75x75.jpg 75w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/comet-closeup.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Surface close-up of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken by the Rosetta spacecraft. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There were hopes that, as comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko got closer to the sun, and perhaps Philae’s solar panels achieved a more productive face-off with the sun’s light, its batteries might recharge to the point where it could come out of its accidental hibernation—\u003ca href=\"http://news.discovery.com/space/philae-comet-lander-back-in-touch-with-mothership-150622.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">which has now happened\u003c/a>!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Philae’s first “pings” came on June 13 and 14, and, following a brief relapse into silence, June 19. Mission operators are assessing Philae’s state, but are hopeful that its historic mission is not over yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, mothership Rosetta has been tagging along with the comet since it arrived there in August 2014, making observations and measurements of the comet’s nucleus and the shroud of gas and dust it has developed as it heats up in the increasingly intense sunlight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The comet will reach perihelion, its closest approach to the sun, on August 13th, and afterward will move away from the sun again, toward the more distant end of its six-and-a-half year elliptical orbit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_75772\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 5333px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-75772 size-full\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko.jpg\" alt=\"Map of different terrain types of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\" width=\"5333\" height=\"3333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko.jpg 5333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko-400x250.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko-1440x900.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko-1180x737.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ice_on_Comet_67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko-960x600.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5333px) 100vw, 5333px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Map of different terrain types of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Rosetta/European Space Agency)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the time since its arrival, Rosetta has shown us \u003ca href=\"http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Getting_to_know_Rosetta_s_comet/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the nature of the comet\u003c/a> in unprecedented detail. Some of the highlights of its discoveries are:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The comet’s surface has been mapped into 19 different regions with distinct boundaries comprising five diverse types of terrain: dust-coated areas; rugged terrain filled with pits and other depressions; smoother patches; and different exposed rocky zones, including localities of exposed water ice.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The comet’s average density is 470 kilograms per cubic meter—which tells scientists that if, as it is believed, the comet’s overall composition is mostly water ice, then the comet is highly porous, with as much as 70 to 80 percent of its volume dominated by small empty chambers.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Jets of gas and dust erupting from within the warming comet emerge largely from the “neck” region between Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s distinctive two-lobed shape.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>All of the data and discoveries acquired from this comet provide insight into the conditions under which it formed over 4.5 billion years ago, when our solar system was young and the planets still in their infancy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It has been said that primordial objects like comets are like time capsules of information about the early formation of the solar system, and missions like Rosetta hold the key to unlocking them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosetta’s continued study of Churyumov-Gerasimenko will only increase our understanding of our planet’s origin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is more good news than Philae’s hopeful resuscitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whatever Philae is able to achieve in the days or months ahead, the Rosetta mission itself \u003ca href=\"http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_mission_extended\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has been extended \u003c/a>nine months beyond the nominal December 2015 end time, giving scientists the opportunity to observe the comet’s behavior over a longer stretch of its orbital cycle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosetta has observed the comet since it was relatively far from the sun, and has been monitoring the effects of rising solar radiation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Understanding how the comet behaves as it moves back toward the colder environment farther from the sun will give us a more comprehensive view of its evolution.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "New 'Smart' Material Mimics Color-Changing Squid Skin",
"headTitle": "New ‘Smart’ Material Mimics Color-Changing Squid Skin | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Artificial squid skin, made from electrically activated molecules, may herald a revolution in “smart clothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Military camouflage could blend into any number of different environments; a rescue worker’s uniform could display bright attention-grabbing patterns during a search for victims of a natural disaster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Materials scientist Aaron Fishman and his colleagues at the University of Bristol have developed a design that uses electrical signals to mimic real squid skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Published on June 10th in the \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/12/108/20150281\">Journal of the Royal Society Interface\u003c/a>\u003c/i>, they wrote, “Our ultimate goal is to create an artificial skin . . . that could produce a host of novel and compliant devices such as cloaking suits and dynamic illuminated clothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This fast-acting flexibility is routine for most squid and octopuses, thanks to tiny color-changing organs called \u003ca href=\"http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-news/how-octopuses-and-squids-change-color\">chromatophores\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With thousands of chromatophores on each square inch of skin, these animals have a tremendous canvas at their disposal. Camouflage is its most famous use; octopuses frequently frustrate aquarium visitors and underwater photographers with sudden disappearance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_62933\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/800px-Camouflage.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-62933 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/800px-Camouflage-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"cuttlefish camouflage\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/800px-Camouflage-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/800px-Camouflage.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A young cuttlefish uses its chromatophores to blend in with a gravel background. \u003ccite>(Raul654/Wikimedia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But octopuses, squid and cuttlefish—which all belong to a group called the cephalopods—can play many different tricks with their chromatophores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cephalopods use their chromatophores for a wide range of functions,” says \u003ca href=\"http://sciencesampler.com/about/\">Hannah Rosen\u003c/a>, a graduate student at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station who studies the \u003ca href=\"http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150121-humboldt-jumbo-squid-crittercam-animal-ocean-science/\">color changes of Humboldt squid\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some use their color changing for general background resemblance, some for \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countershading\">countershading\u003c/a> in the water column, others for \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimicry\">mimicry\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cephalopods can also use color changes to communicate with each other, and even to confuse their prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One distinctive display called the “passing cloud” creates an \u003ca href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1017/S0952836904004911/abstract\">illusion of movement\u003c/a>, mesmerizing a crab or fish long enough for it to be trapped in the cephalopod’s tentacles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although humans don’t need to mesmerize crabs very often, the flexibility offered by cephalopod chromatophores could undoubtedly serve our purposes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, researchers have been working for years on squid-inspired camouflage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How To Make Fake Squid Skin\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Real chromatophores consist of an elastic sac of pigment surrounded by muscles and nerves which eventually connect all the way back to the animal’s brain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the nerves fire an electrical signal, the muscles contract and the pigment sac expands, turning “on.” When the muscles relax, the sac scrunches back to a nearly invisible dot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a previous study, some of Fishman’s colleagues created three prototype chromatophores, using a special “electroactive polymer” to mimic the expansion and contraction of a pigment sac.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An electrical circuit builds up opposing charges on each side of the polymer, causing the two sides to attract each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they move closer together, they squish the artificial chromatophore flat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The polymer spreads out, turning “on” in a manner very similar to a real chromatophore. When the circuit is disconnected, the polymer reverts to its scrunched-up “off” state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Artificial cephalopod chromatophore\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/dSKqySApDk0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fishman and his colleagues built a computer simulation to find out what a larger array of such artificial chromatophores would be capable of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They programmed each individual chromatophore with simple rules, such as, “turn on when one of your neighbors is on” or “turn on only when two neighbors are on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They found that the model chromatophores could produce complex patterns like those of a living squid or cuttlefish—including the passing cloud display. No central brain was necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this is the exact opposite of how real cephalopods are believed to create their patterns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Rosen, “The conventional wisdom states that cephalopod chromatophores operate exclusively under signals from the central nervous system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So: no brain, no patterns. However, she also points out that scientists are still grappling with the many mysteries of the \u003ca href=\"http://www-marine.stanford.edu/profiles/chromatophores.html\">chromatophore system\u003c/a>, and there may be an as-yet-undiscovered, decentralized mechanism of control—like Fishman’s set of simple rules. “I believe it is extremely plausible,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Artificial squid skin, made from electrically activated molecules, may herald a revolution in “smart clothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Military camouflage could blend into any number of different environments; a rescue worker’s uniform could display bright attention-grabbing patterns during a search for victims of a natural disaster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Materials scientist Aaron Fishman and his colleagues at the University of Bristol have developed a design that uses electrical signals to mimic real squid skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Published on June 10th in the \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/12/108/20150281\">Journal of the Royal Society Interface\u003c/a>\u003c/i>, they wrote, “Our ultimate goal is to create an artificial skin . . . that could produce a host of novel and compliant devices such as cloaking suits and dynamic illuminated clothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This fast-acting flexibility is routine for most squid and octopuses, thanks to tiny color-changing organs called \u003ca href=\"http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-news/how-octopuses-and-squids-change-color\">chromatophores\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With thousands of chromatophores on each square inch of skin, these animals have a tremendous canvas at their disposal. Camouflage is its most famous use; octopuses frequently frustrate aquarium visitors and underwater photographers with sudden disappearance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_62933\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/800px-Camouflage.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-62933 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/800px-Camouflage-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"cuttlefish camouflage\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/800px-Camouflage-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/800px-Camouflage.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A young cuttlefish uses its chromatophores to blend in with a gravel background. \u003ccite>(Raul654/Wikimedia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But octopuses, squid and cuttlefish—which all belong to a group called the cephalopods—can play many different tricks with their chromatophores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cephalopods use their chromatophores for a wide range of functions,” says \u003ca href=\"http://sciencesampler.com/about/\">Hannah Rosen\u003c/a>, a graduate student at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station who studies the \u003ca href=\"http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150121-humboldt-jumbo-squid-crittercam-animal-ocean-science/\">color changes of Humboldt squid\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some use their color changing for general background resemblance, some for \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countershading\">countershading\u003c/a> in the water column, others for \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimicry\">mimicry\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cephalopods can also use color changes to communicate with each other, and even to confuse their prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One distinctive display called the “passing cloud” creates an \u003ca href=\"http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1017/S0952836904004911/abstract\">illusion of movement\u003c/a>, mesmerizing a crab or fish long enough for it to be trapped in the cephalopod’s tentacles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although humans don’t need to mesmerize crabs very often, the flexibility offered by cephalopod chromatophores could undoubtedly serve our purposes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, researchers have been working for years on squid-inspired camouflage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How To Make Fake Squid Skin\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Real chromatophores consist of an elastic sac of pigment surrounded by muscles and nerves which eventually connect all the way back to the animal’s brain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the nerves fire an electrical signal, the muscles contract and the pigment sac expands, turning “on.” When the muscles relax, the sac scrunches back to a nearly invisible dot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a previous study, some of Fishman’s colleagues created three prototype chromatophores, using a special “electroactive polymer” to mimic the expansion and contraction of a pigment sac.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An electrical circuit builds up opposing charges on each side of the polymer, causing the two sides to attract each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they move closer together, they squish the artificial chromatophore flat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The polymer spreads out, turning “on” in a manner very similar to a real chromatophore. When the circuit is disconnected, the polymer reverts to its scrunched-up “off” state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Artificial cephalopod chromatophore\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/dSKqySApDk0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fishman and his colleagues built a computer simulation to find out what a larger array of such artificial chromatophores would be capable of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They programmed each individual chromatophore with simple rules, such as, “turn on when one of your neighbors is on” or “turn on only when two neighbors are on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They found that the model chromatophores could produce complex patterns like those of a living squid or cuttlefish—including the passing cloud display. No central brain was necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this is the exact opposite of how real cephalopods are believed to create their patterns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Rosen, “The conventional wisdom states that cephalopod chromatophores operate exclusively under signals from the central nervous system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So: no brain, no patterns. However, she also points out that scientists are still grappling with the many mysteries of the \u003ca href=\"http://www-marine.stanford.edu/profiles/chromatophores.html\">chromatophore system\u003c/a>, and there may be an as-yet-undiscovered, decentralized mechanism of control—like Fishman’s set of simple rules. “I believe it is extremely plausible,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "San Francisco Requires Water Recycling",
"headTitle": "San Francisco Requires Water Recycling | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously \u003ca href=\"https://sfgov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=3837183&GUID=D771CC0F-80A6-43B6-9DB9-5F416A55C5DD\">approved an ordinance\u003c/a> today requiring developers to install \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/audio/graywater-guerrillas/\">water recycling systems\u003c/a> on large, new buildings in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to stop using pristine drinking water to flush our toilets and to do landscaping,” says San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener. “We are in a crisis and we need to act like we’re in a crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco is the latest Bay Area city to try reusing water as a solution to the drought. Other cities are trying laundry-to-landscape systems, which recycle water by piping it from the washing machine to the garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“Living a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to mean that you’re suffering, or that you’re giving up anything.”\u003ccite>Megan Medieros, San Jose resident\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>In Palo Alto, all new homes and commercial buildings are now required to come equipped with laundry-to-landscape systems. San Jose hopes to pass a similar mandate within a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"http://www.scottwiener.com/board_of_supervisors_passes_first_in_nation_ordinance_to_mandate_water_recycling_systems_in_new_developments\">Supervisor Scott Wiener’s ordinance\u003c/a> goes farther by requiring large, new buildings in San Francisco to reuse water from several sources, not just from the washing machine. He wants large residential and commercial buildings (250,000 square feet or more) to reuse rain water, storm runoff, shower water and laundry water — choosing from a range of sources to meet a target for water use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve gotten a generally positive response from developers,” Wiener says. “Some of whom have told us, ‘Oh, we were already thinking about doing this, so it’s great that you’re giving us this push.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not all developers appreciate the push, though. Kent Cleaveland is with the \u003ca href=\"http://www.bomasf.org/index.php\">Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco\u003c/a>. He says he’s all for saving water, but says commercial buildings don’t use enough water to justify spending $200,000 to $400,000 on reuse systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Think about all that we’ve done already to make buildings in San Francisco the most sustainable in the world, quite frankly,” Cleaveland says. “And this is just one more cost that’s being added and it’s going to be passed on to the customer whether they be a commercial tenant or a residential renter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71284\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 254px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/855004796_6a4a8759f4_o.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-71284\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/855004796_6a4a8759f4_o-400x602.jpg\" alt='Oasis Design makes one of few soaps designed for graywater recycling. According to the company website, Oasis soap is \"biocompatible,\" which means it breaks down into plant nutrients after use (as opposed to \"biodegradable,\" which only ensures that the product will break down-not necessarily into parts that are good for the environment. (Amy Standen/KQED)' width=\"254\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/855004796_6a4a8759f4_o-400x602.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/855004796_6a4a8759f4_o-800x1203.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/855004796_6a4a8759f4_o.jpg 851w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oasis Design makes one of few soaps designed for graywater recycling. According to the company website, Oasis soap is “biocompatible,” which means it breaks down into plant nutrients after use. (Amy Standen/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Graywater at Home\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nAlan Hackler, owner of \u003ca href=\"http://www.baymaples.com/\">Bay Maples Wild California Gardens\u003c/a>, has cut his water use by 80 percent, by recycling water from his washing machine, shower and sinks to his garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As chickens peck the dirt around him, Hackler fiddles with a valve. A network of pipes in his backyard carry water to a patch of budding fruit trees and a constructed wetland, home to fish and a turtle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s funny that we will pay money to get rid of our graywater, or our wastewater, and then pay more money to bring new water in,” Hackler says. “Versus, eliminate that, the water that comes in, just use it on site and reuse it on site.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hackler was able to recycle so many water sources because his plumbing is in the basement, not hidden under a concrete foundation. Where the pipes are hidden, it can be prohibitively costly to get under the foundation to link up a graywater system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71282\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 476px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-71282\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o-800x532.jpg\" alt=\"Lettuce is irrigated with graywater, which is applied to the plant's roots, so as not to come in contact with the lettuce leaves. (Amy Standen/KQED)\" width=\"476\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o-1180x785.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o-960x638.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lettuce in the garden of an East Bay home is irrigated with graywater It’s applied to the plant’s roots, so as not to come in contact with the lettuce leaves. (Amy Standen/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But even with simple, laundry-to-landscape systems, homeowners \u003ca href=\"http://www.environment.ucla.edu/reportcard/article4870.html\">can cut their water use\u003c/a> by, perhaps, 20 percent or more. That’s what Megan and Mark Medieros of San Jose are hoping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You know sustainability and living a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to mean that you’re suffering,” Megan says, “or that you’re giving up anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Megan says she loves the low-water use garden they planted after tearing out the lawn. They water the garden from a bucket in the shower. But they wanted to do more. That’s why they hired Alan Hackler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a loud rattling noise, Hackler wrestles a washing machine away from the wall, revealing cobwebs and a confusing array of pipes. He holds up a brass pipe with a lever on it. “This is the key component of the system,” he says. “It’s a brass three-way valve.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_60989\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/RS15021_IMG_1421.JPG-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-60989\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/RS15021_IMG_1421.JPG-qut-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"This simple network of piping allows homeowners to send water from their washing machine to the backyard, rather than the sewer. The system, called laundry to landscape, recycles more than 20 percent of home water use. (Michelle Dutro/KQED)\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This simple network of piping allows homeowners to send water from their washing machine to the backyard, rather than the sewer. The system, called laundry to landscape, recycles more than 20 percent of home water use. (Michelle Dutro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The valve allows Megan and Mark to decide where their laundry water goes. Once everything is connected, the water from the washing machine can go either to the sewer, or to the backyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our laundry uses a lot of water,” Megan says. “Basically every load we have is like 50 gallons of water. It’s really crazy if we do a large load.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After drilling a hole in the floor and cutting some pipe, Hackler attaches one end to the new valve and threads the pipe through the floor to the basement. From there, he’ll feed water to the garden. All Megan and Mark have to do is use a special laundry soap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Anyone can do a laundry system,” Hackler says. “If you’ve ever fixed a drain under your sink, you have the same skill level to install a graywater system.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The ordinance requires new, large buildings to recycle water from showers, laundry, or other sources.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously \u003ca href=\"https://sfgov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=3837183&GUID=D771CC0F-80A6-43B6-9DB9-5F416A55C5DD\">approved an ordinance\u003c/a> today requiring developers to install \u003ca href=\"http://science.kqed.org/quest/audio/graywater-guerrillas/\">water recycling systems\u003c/a> on large, new buildings in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to stop using pristine drinking water to flush our toilets and to do landscaping,” says San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener. “We are in a crisis and we need to act like we’re in a crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco is the latest Bay Area city to try reusing water as a solution to the drought. Other cities are trying laundry-to-landscape systems, which recycle water by piping it from the washing machine to the garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“Living a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to mean that you’re suffering, or that you’re giving up anything.”\u003ccite>Megan Medieros, San Jose resident\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>In Palo Alto, all new homes and commercial buildings are now required to come equipped with laundry-to-landscape systems. San Jose hopes to pass a similar mandate within a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"http://www.scottwiener.com/board_of_supervisors_passes_first_in_nation_ordinance_to_mandate_water_recycling_systems_in_new_developments\">Supervisor Scott Wiener’s ordinance\u003c/a> goes farther by requiring large, new buildings in San Francisco to reuse water from several sources, not just from the washing machine. He wants large residential and commercial buildings (250,000 square feet or more) to reuse rain water, storm runoff, shower water and laundry water — choosing from a range of sources to meet a target for water use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve gotten a generally positive response from developers,” Wiener says. “Some of whom have told us, ‘Oh, we were already thinking about doing this, so it’s great that you’re giving us this push.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not all developers appreciate the push, though. Kent Cleaveland is with the \u003ca href=\"http://www.bomasf.org/index.php\">Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco\u003c/a>. He says he’s all for saving water, but says commercial buildings don’t use enough water to justify spending $200,000 to $400,000 on reuse systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Think about all that we’ve done already to make buildings in San Francisco the most sustainable in the world, quite frankly,” Cleaveland says. “And this is just one more cost that’s being added and it’s going to be passed on to the customer whether they be a commercial tenant or a residential renter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71284\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 254px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/855004796_6a4a8759f4_o.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-71284\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/855004796_6a4a8759f4_o-400x602.jpg\" alt='Oasis Design makes one of few soaps designed for graywater recycling. According to the company website, Oasis soap is \"biocompatible,\" which means it breaks down into plant nutrients after use (as opposed to \"biodegradable,\" which only ensures that the product will break down-not necessarily into parts that are good for the environment. (Amy Standen/KQED)' width=\"254\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/855004796_6a4a8759f4_o-400x602.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/855004796_6a4a8759f4_o-800x1203.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/855004796_6a4a8759f4_o.jpg 851w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oasis Design makes one of few soaps designed for graywater recycling. According to the company website, Oasis soap is “biocompatible,” which means it breaks down into plant nutrients after use. (Amy Standen/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Graywater at Home\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nAlan Hackler, owner of \u003ca href=\"http://www.baymaples.com/\">Bay Maples Wild California Gardens\u003c/a>, has cut his water use by 80 percent, by recycling water from his washing machine, shower and sinks to his garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As chickens peck the dirt around him, Hackler fiddles with a valve. A network of pipes in his backyard carry water to a patch of budding fruit trees and a constructed wetland, home to fish and a turtle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s funny that we will pay money to get rid of our graywater, or our wastewater, and then pay more money to bring new water in,” Hackler says. “Versus, eliminate that, the water that comes in, just use it on site and reuse it on site.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hackler was able to recycle so many water sources because his plumbing is in the basement, not hidden under a concrete foundation. Where the pipes are hidden, it can be prohibitively costly to get under the foundation to link up a graywater system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_71282\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 476px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-71282\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o-800x532.jpg\" alt=\"Lettuce is irrigated with graywater, which is applied to the plant's roots, so as not to come in contact with the lettuce leaves. (Amy Standen/KQED)\" width=\"476\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o-400x266.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o-1180x785.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o-960x638.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/854149741_ac5f12ef41_o.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lettuce in the garden of an East Bay home is irrigated with graywater It’s applied to the plant’s roots, so as not to come in contact with the lettuce leaves. (Amy Standen/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But even with simple, laundry-to-landscape systems, homeowners \u003ca href=\"http://www.environment.ucla.edu/reportcard/article4870.html\">can cut their water use\u003c/a> by, perhaps, 20 percent or more. That’s what Megan and Mark Medieros of San Jose are hoping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You know sustainability and living a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to mean that you’re suffering,” Megan says, “or that you’re giving up anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Megan says she loves the low-water use garden they planted after tearing out the lawn. They water the garden from a bucket in the shower. But they wanted to do more. That’s why they hired Alan Hackler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a loud rattling noise, Hackler wrestles a washing machine away from the wall, revealing cobwebs and a confusing array of pipes. He holds up a brass pipe with a lever on it. “This is the key component of the system,” he says. “It’s a brass three-way valve.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_60989\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/RS15021_IMG_1421.JPG-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-60989\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/RS15021_IMG_1421.JPG-qut-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"This simple network of piping allows homeowners to send water from their washing machine to the backyard, rather than the sewer. The system, called laundry to landscape, recycles more than 20 percent of home water use. (Michelle Dutro/KQED)\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This simple network of piping allows homeowners to send water from their washing machine to the backyard, rather than the sewer. The system, called laundry to landscape, recycles more than 20 percent of home water use. (Michelle Dutro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The valve allows Megan and Mark to decide where their laundry water goes. Once everything is connected, the water from the washing machine can go either to the sewer, or to the backyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our laundry uses a lot of water,” Megan says. “Basically every load we have is like 50 gallons of water. It’s really crazy if we do a large load.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After drilling a hole in the floor and cutting some pipe, Hackler attaches one end to the new valve and threads the pipe through the floor to the basement. From there, he’ll feed water to the garden. All Megan and Mark have to do is use a special laundry soap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Anyone can do a laundry system,” Hackler says. “If you’ve ever fixed a drain under your sink, you have the same skill level to install a graywater system.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Climate Change Threatens Wildflower Diversity in California",
"headTitle": "Climate Change Threatens Wildflower Diversity in California | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Wildflowers are the newest addition to the growing list of \u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_26496884/climate-change-threatens-many-bird-species\">California species\u003c/a> being hit hard by climate change. \u003ca href=\"http://m.pnas.org/content/early/2015/06/17/1502074112\">A new study\u003c/a> from UC Davis shows that drier winters are causing big declines in the state’s native wildflowers, the first direct evidence of how climate change is affecting California’s grasslands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is one of the world’s most special places for plant diversity,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/Harrison/index.html\">Susan Harrison\u003c/a>, professor of environmental science and policy at UC Davis and the study’s lead author.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So this is very significant from the perspective of global biodiversity loss.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The gradual loss of diversity could also affect pollinators and other animals that are associated with native wildflowers. Since bees and other insects rely on these flowers for nutrients, the decline in flower diversity means the animals will have to look elsewhere and travel farther for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the last 15 years, the authors of the study have been documenting plant species near \u003ca href=\"http://nrs.ucdavis.edu/McL/index.html\">McLaughlin Natural Reserve\u003c/a>, about 80 miles north of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In that time, the average number of plant species in each of their study plots has steadily declined. The declines were most pronounced in native wildflower species that can’t tolerate drought, like California Goldfield or Whitetip Clover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At first I thought, you know, it’s just gotten grassier out here,” says Harrison, who has been working in the area since 2000. “But that was really an optical illusion. It’s just gotten less flowery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63209\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-63209 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"A wildflower grassland in McLaughlin Natural Reserve. The new studies suggest grasslands are losing wildflower diversity with climate change.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A wildflower grassland in McLaughlin Natural Reserve. The new study suggests grasslands are losing wildflower diversity with climate change. \u003ccite>(UC Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In their analysis, the researchers considered other causes for the declines in diversity, such as grazing history, wildfires, \u003ca href=\"http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/9201/20140926/trees-threaten-growing-grasslands.htm\">invading trees and shrubs\u003c/a> and nonnative species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the only thing that really explained the patterns of diversity loss that they observed was climate change – specifically, the recent trend toward drier winters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This result isn’t just an effect of the historic drought of the last few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the researchers removed the data from 2013 and 2014, they still saw the same pattern. Wildflower diversity was already declining before the drought hit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most wildflower seeds germinate in the fall and grow slowly through the rainy winter months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But longer dry spells in the winter are desiccating the upper few inches of the soil. And warmer temperatures mean the scant rain that does fall will evaporate faster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is bad news for the vulnerable wildflower seedlings, particularly those with thin leaves and shallow roots that can also dry out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_68747\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68747 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-400x400.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-1440x1440.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-960x960.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-75x75.jpg 75w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o.jpg 1499w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Lupine seedling shortly after germination. California hosts dozens of Lupine species, many of which live in the Sierras and their foothills. \u003ccite>(Ellen A./flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It is relatively easy to measure declines in biodiversity, but much more difficult for scientists to pinpoint what aspect of the changing climate is causing the declines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>K\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX206373414\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX206373414\">nowing that drought-intolerant species with thinner leaves were declining the most gives the researchers more confidence that drier winters are the culprit. \u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX206373414\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX206373414\">“Adding these simple measurements of the leaves provides a lot of context as to what’s going on,” says David Ackerly, a plant scientist at UC Berkeley.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX7474266\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX7474266\">Ackerly notes that climate models are uncertain about whether California will get wetter or drier in the future, but that the trends in this study are important indicators of how climate change can affect our native plant communities. \u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It also illustrates how incredibly important these long-term studies are,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The declines observed in this study may foreshadow diversity loss on a larger scale, particularly in areas that are expected to become warmer and drier in the future.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "A new UC Davis study suggests drier winters are to blame for declines in wildflower diversity.",
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"description": "A new UC Davis study suggests drier winters are to blame for declines in wildflower diversity.",
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"headline": "Climate Change Threatens Wildflower Diversity in California",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Wildflowers are the newest addition to the growing list of \u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_26496884/climate-change-threatens-many-bird-species\">California species\u003c/a> being hit hard by climate change. \u003ca href=\"http://m.pnas.org/content/early/2015/06/17/1502074112\">A new study\u003c/a> from UC Davis shows that drier winters are causing big declines in the state’s native wildflowers, the first direct evidence of how climate change is affecting California’s grasslands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is one of the world’s most special places for plant diversity,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/Harrison/index.html\">Susan Harrison\u003c/a>, professor of environmental science and policy at UC Davis and the study’s lead author.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So this is very significant from the perspective of global biodiversity loss.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The gradual loss of diversity could also affect pollinators and other animals that are associated with native wildflowers. Since bees and other insects rely on these flowers for nutrients, the decline in flower diversity means the animals will have to look elsewhere and travel farther for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the last 15 years, the authors of the study have been documenting plant species near \u003ca href=\"http://nrs.ucdavis.edu/McL/index.html\">McLaughlin Natural Reserve\u003c/a>, about 80 miles north of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In that time, the average number of plant species in each of their study plots has steadily declined. The declines were most pronounced in native wildflower species that can’t tolerate drought, like California Goldfield or Whitetip Clover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At first I thought, you know, it’s just gotten grassier out here,” says Harrison, who has been working in the area since 2000. “But that was really an optical illusion. It’s just gotten less flowery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63209\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-63209 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"A wildflower grassland in McLaughlin Natural Reserve. The new studies suggest grasslands are losing wildflower diversity with climate change.\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/94003-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A wildflower grassland in McLaughlin Natural Reserve. The new study suggests grasslands are losing wildflower diversity with climate change. \u003ccite>(UC Davis)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In their analysis, the researchers considered other causes for the declines in diversity, such as grazing history, wildfires, \u003ca href=\"http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/9201/20140926/trees-threaten-growing-grasslands.htm\">invading trees and shrubs\u003c/a> and nonnative species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the only thing that really explained the patterns of diversity loss that they observed was climate change – specifically, the recent trend toward drier winters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This result isn’t just an effect of the historic drought of the last few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the researchers removed the data from 2013 and 2014, they still saw the same pattern. Wildflower diversity was already declining before the drought hit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most wildflower seeds germinate in the fall and grow slowly through the rainy winter months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But longer dry spells in the winter are desiccating the upper few inches of the soil. And warmer temperatures mean the scant rain that does fall will evaporate faster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is bad news for the vulnerable wildflower seedlings, particularly those with thin leaves and shallow roots that can also dry out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_68747\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68747 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-400x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-400x400.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-1440x1440.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-960x960.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o-75x75.jpg 75w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/8319167234_07f6d2cb3f_o.jpg 1499w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Lupine seedling shortly after germination. California hosts dozens of Lupine species, many of which live in the Sierras and their foothills. \u003ccite>(Ellen A./flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It is relatively easy to measure declines in biodiversity, but much more difficult for scientists to pinpoint what aspect of the changing climate is causing the declines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>K\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX206373414\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX206373414\">nowing that drought-intolerant species with thinner leaves were declining the most gives the researchers more confidence that drier winters are the culprit. \u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX206373414\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX206373414\">“Adding these simple measurements of the leaves provides a lot of context as to what’s going on,” says David Ackerly, a plant scientist at UC Berkeley.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCX7474266\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCX7474266\">Ackerly notes that climate models are uncertain about whether California will get wetter or drier in the future, but that the trends in this study are important indicators of how climate change can affect our native plant communities. \u003c/span>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It also illustrates how incredibly important these long-term studies are,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The declines observed in this study may foreshadow diversity loss on a larger scale, particularly in areas that are expected to become warmer and drier in the future.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Coal Train Dust Worries Richmond Residents",
"headTitle": "Coal Train Dust Worries Richmond Residents | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2015/06/Coal_dust.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Editor’s Note:\u003c/strong> This post contains a \u003ca href=\"#correction\">correction.\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\nTrains heaped with coal pass through Richmond every week on their way to the city’s port.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Parchester Village, a largely black and Latino neighborhood in northwestern Richmond, residents say coal dust blows off the open mounds, covering the grass and coating their screen doors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This little neighborhood, nobody seems to care about,” says Paul Marquis, who moved to Parchester Village three years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marquis says in the last year, he’s seen more trains go by, and more black dust on his property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s everywhere,” he says. “If your truck sits here for two, three days without moving you can write your name on the front.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_58819\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-58819\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Paul Marquis wipes dust from his screen door. He says the dust blows off open mounds of coal as trains pass by. (Julie Small/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul Marquis wipes dust from his screen door. He says the dust blows off open mounds of coal as trains pass by. (Julie Small/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To demonstrate, Marquis pours a bucket of water down his screen door.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It runs off dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That coal trains can lose particles and dust from open cars is no news to BNSF Railway, which has studied the issue. BNSF found that every uncovered coal car can lose between 500 pounds and one ton of coal in transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s such a big safety problem on the tracks that BNSF requires coal companies in Montana and Wyoming that ship a lot of volume to cover their coal cars or spray them down to reduce the amount of dust lost in transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But no such rule applies to the coal cars traveling through Richmond because those shipments come from Colorado and Utah, states that don’t ship as much volume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After passing Parchester Village, the coal cars trundle on to the privately owned Levin-Richmond Terminal on the waterfront, just south of Interstate 580.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond Mayor Tom Butt says he doesn’t know how many coal trains pass through his town because federal law protects that information. But he describes it as “a big operation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-131296\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-800x399.jpg\" alt=\"Print\" width=\"356\" height=\"177\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-800x399.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-400x200.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-1440x719.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-1400x699.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-1180x589.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-960x479.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map.jpg 1915w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 356px) 100vw, 356px\">\u003c/a>Last year Richmond exported more than a million tons of coal and petcoke combined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coal ships mostly to Japan and Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Petcoke comes in covered trucks from the nearby Phillips66 refinery to load onto boats headed for Australia and Europe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are worried,” says Butt. In the last year he says more residents have called his office to ask about the coal cars. “Fresh coal actually does have an odor to it,” he explains. “People can smell it and they see it and they don’t know what it is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not the first time the contents of stockpiles at the Levin-Richmond Terminal have raised concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“Our staff saw the material dropping from the conveyor belt directly into the water, saw it falling off the piles into the water, and blowing off of the piles into the water.”\u003ccite>Sejal Choksi-Chugh\u003cbr>\nSan Francisco Baykeeper\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The company began exporting coal in 2013, but before that had exported petcoke for at least a couple of decades. Three years ago, an environmental group sued the Levin-Richmond Terminal over its handling of the petroleum by-product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They will pile it up very high on the order of ten, twenty, thirty feet high on the dock,” says Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staff at the non-profit observed problems at the terminal during a boating patrol.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our staff saw the material dropping from the conveyor belt directly into the water, saw it falling off the piles into the water, and blowing off of the piles into the water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baykeeper sued the Levin-Richmond Terminal for violating the Clean Water Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Admitting no wrongdoing, the company settled the lawsuit in 2014. The terminal operator agreed to enclose the conveyor system it used to load the ships and to stop loading when the wind is too strong. Choksi-Chugh says the settlement has reduced water pollution problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nothing has been done, however, to address potential health problems related to airborne particles from the piles of coal and petcoke, or from the rail cars that transport the coal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company declined to be interviewed but in a written statement said it complies with all regulations and rules, and is considering a plan to enclose the stockpiles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_58822\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-58822\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Richmond Mayor Tom Butt says he'd like to know how much coal dust blows from open piles at the Levin-Richmond Terminal. Coal particles can break down into smaller particulate matter that's harmful to lungs, as they get kicked up over and over by cars and shoes. (Julie Small/KQED)\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richmond Mayor Tom Butt says he’d like to know how much coal dust blows from open piles at the Levin-Richmond Terminal. Coal particles can break down into smaller particulate matter that’s harmful to lungs, as they get kicked up over and over by cars and shoes. (Julie Small/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just outside the terminal fence, Mayor Butt bends down to scoop up a handful of black soot, “You can see there’s dust here. You can see the remnants of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Butt the question isn’t whether there’s dust escaping the Levin-Richmond terminal operations, it’s “How much, and how far away does it move, and what’s the size of the particulate matter?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Butt says that’s information he’s like to get.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal law regulates petcoke and coal dust — not as toxic substances — but as particulate matter. Because particulate matter tends to effect communities in close proximity to the source, it usually falls to state and local governments to enforce limits. That’s one reason efforts to diminish particulate matter from petcoke and coal vary widely in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air regulators for the San Francisco Bay have a \u003ca href=\"http://www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/Files/Planning%20and%20Research/Rules%20and%20Regs/reg%2006/rg0601.ashx?la=en\">district rule\u003c/a> that prohibits visible dust from crossing property lines, but according to Eric Stevenson with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, it’s hard to enforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“An inspector has to be there for a certain amount of time,” Stevenson explains, “see the dust particles crossing across the fence line, ensure that those particles are coming from that facility.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">“Usually what we do is attack emissions and things like that in a ‘What are we going to get the biggest bang for our buck?’ kind-of-way.”\u003ccite>Eric Stevenson\u003cbr>\nBay Area Air Quality Management District\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Documents obtained by KQED under a public records request shows that BAAQMD’s inspections of the Levin-Richmond terminal found no visible dust coming off the property from 1997 to 2011. And then regular inspections stopped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2012, the inspector assigned to the facility investigated a complaint of dust coming from the terminal, but found no supporting evidence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last three years, since Baykeeper sued and coal exports began, the air district has not inspected the property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of the challenge for regulators is that the district lacks specific rules governing the storage or transport of petcoke and coal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stevenson says regulators focus resources on the largest sources of emissions, like Chevron and other Bay Area refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Usually what we do is attack emissions and things like that in a ‘what are we going to get the biggest bang for our buck?’ kind-of-way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_58918\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-58918\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond-800x369.png\" alt=\"Aerial view of Levin-Richmond Terminal, via Google. The dark ovals are piles of petcoke or coal waiting for export. \" width=\"800\" height=\"369\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond-800x369.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond-400x184.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond-960x443.png 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond.png 1089w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aerial view of Levin-Richmond Terminal, via Google. The dark ovals are piles of petcoke or coal waiting for export.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Compared to Chevron, the Levin Richmond Terminal is small potatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports, exports of petcoke and coal are a much bigger deal. Shipments of both started causing problems there over twenty years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had a significant number of complaints from residents near the ports,” recalls Mohsen Nazemi with the South Coast Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nazemi, who directs engineering and compliance, says the houses of people living near rail tracks and truck routes were blanketed with black soot, and so were the schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We thought it was a health issue,” Nazemi says, “because some of the particles were fine particles and if you inhale fine particles it can cause respiratory and other types of health problems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the l980’s the South Coast Air District adopted \u003ca href=\"http://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/rule-book/reg-xi/rule-1158.pdf?sfvrsn=4\">new rules\u003c/a> that require refineries and ports to enclose conveyor belts and stockpiles. Trains and trucks had to cover their loads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent\u003ca href=\"http://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/air-quality/air-quality-monitoring-studies/rule-1158-follow-up-studies/rule-1158-follow-up-study-12-and-13-combo.pdf?sfvrsn=7\"> report \u003c/a>found no more significant problems with petroleum coke and coal dust in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, the Richmond City Council passed a\u003ca href=\"http://sireweb.ci.richmond.ca.us/sirepub/cache/2/jlwxxvmweoumpgnmf50eigzo/43345206172015010728238.PDF\"> resolution\u003c/a> urging Bay Area air regulators to adopt the South Coast’s rule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_58913\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-58913\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Maria Sahagun with the California Nurses Association is surveying the health of residents in Richmond's Parchester Village. (Julie Small/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maria Sahagun with the California Nurses Association is surveying the health of residents in Richmond’s Parchester Village. (Julie Small/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Air district staff is drafting regulations that would closely mirror Southern California’s rule but it could take a year or two for the board to adopt them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, the Sierra Club and the California Nurses Association began surveying residents at Parchester Village for health impacts from coal dust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the first day of the survey, nurse Maria Sahagun knocked on the door of a house where the back yard faces the train tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A six-year-old girl was doing cartwheels across the yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So agile!” exclaims Sahagun. Then, fighting back tears, observes, “She’s the perfect example of the children in this community that are affected by the coal dust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sahagun, who worked at Doctors Medical Center until it closed in April, says the girl has asthma so severe medications sometimes don’t work and she has to go to the emergency room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Activists plan to continue surveying Richmond residents through the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The BAAQMD’s board is expected to begin parsing new regulations on coal and petcoke dust later this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"correction\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Correction:\u003c/strong> This post originally stated that BNSF owns the train tracks that ship coal to Richmond. In fact, BNSF does not ship coal in California. Union Pacific “has on occasion hauled coal to the city of Richmond,” according to a company spokesman. The coal comes mainly from Colorado and Utah.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Ashy black powders blow from open coal cars and pile on the Richmond dock, and no regulation prohibits it.\r\n",
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"description": "Ashy black powders blow from open coal cars and pile on the Richmond dock, and no regulation prohibits it.\r\n",
"title": "Coal Train Dust Worries Richmond Residents | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2015/06/Coal_dust.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Editor’s Note:\u003c/strong> This post contains a \u003ca href=\"#correction\">correction.\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\nTrains heaped with coal pass through Richmond every week on their way to the city’s port.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Parchester Village, a largely black and Latino neighborhood in northwestern Richmond, residents say coal dust blows off the open mounds, covering the grass and coating their screen doors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This little neighborhood, nobody seems to care about,” says Paul Marquis, who moved to Parchester Village three years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marquis says in the last year, he’s seen more trains go by, and more black dust on his property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s everywhere,” he says. “If your truck sits here for two, three days without moving you can write your name on the front.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_58819\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-58819\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Paul Marquis wipes dust from his screen door. He says the dust blows off open mounds of coal as trains pass by. (Julie Small/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5208-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paul Marquis wipes dust from his screen door. He says the dust blows off open mounds of coal as trains pass by. (Julie Small/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To demonstrate, Marquis pours a bucket of water down his screen door.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It runs off dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That coal trains can lose particles and dust from open cars is no news to BNSF Railway, which has studied the issue. BNSF found that every uncovered coal car can lose between 500 pounds and one ton of coal in transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s such a big safety problem on the tracks that BNSF requires coal companies in Montana and Wyoming that ship a lot of volume to cover their coal cars or spray them down to reduce the amount of dust lost in transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But no such rule applies to the coal cars traveling through Richmond because those shipments come from Colorado and Utah, states that don’t ship as much volume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After passing Parchester Village, the coal cars trundle on to the privately owned Levin-Richmond Terminal on the waterfront, just south of Interstate 580.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richmond Mayor Tom Butt says he doesn’t know how many coal trains pass through his town because federal law protects that information. But he describes it as “a big operation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-131296\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-800x399.jpg\" alt=\"Print\" width=\"356\" height=\"177\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-800x399.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-400x200.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-1440x719.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-1400x699.jpg 1400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-1180x589.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map-960x479.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Coal-Dust-Map.jpg 1915w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 356px) 100vw, 356px\">\u003c/a>Last year Richmond exported more than a million tons of coal and petcoke combined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coal ships mostly to Japan and Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Petcoke comes in covered trucks from the nearby Phillips66 refinery to load onto boats headed for Australia and Europe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are worried,” says Butt. In the last year he says more residents have called his office to ask about the coal cars. “Fresh coal actually does have an odor to it,” he explains. “People can smell it and they see it and they don’t know what it is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not the first time the contents of stockpiles at the Levin-Richmond Terminal have raised concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">“Our staff saw the material dropping from the conveyor belt directly into the water, saw it falling off the piles into the water, and blowing off of the piles into the water.”\u003ccite>Sejal Choksi-Chugh\u003cbr>\nSan Francisco Baykeeper\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>The company began exporting coal in 2013, but before that had exported petcoke for at least a couple of decades. Three years ago, an environmental group sued the Levin-Richmond Terminal over its handling of the petroleum by-product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They will pile it up very high on the order of ten, twenty, thirty feet high on the dock,” says Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Staff at the non-profit observed problems at the terminal during a boating patrol.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our staff saw the material dropping from the conveyor belt directly into the water, saw it falling off the piles into the water, and blowing off of the piles into the water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baykeeper sued the Levin-Richmond Terminal for violating the Clean Water Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Admitting no wrongdoing, the company settled the lawsuit in 2014. The terminal operator agreed to enclose the conveyor system it used to load the ships and to stop loading when the wind is too strong. Choksi-Chugh says the settlement has reduced water pollution problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nothing has been done, however, to address potential health problems related to airborne particles from the piles of coal and petcoke, or from the rail cars that transport the coal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company declined to be interviewed but in a written statement said it complies with all regulations and rules, and is considering a plan to enclose the stockpiles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_58822\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-58822\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Richmond Mayor Tom Butt says he'd like to know how much coal dust blows from open piles at the Levin-Richmond Terminal. Coal particles can break down into smaller particulate matter that's harmful to lungs, as they get kicked up over and over by cars and shoes. (Julie Small/KQED)\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5370-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richmond Mayor Tom Butt says he’d like to know how much coal dust blows from open piles at the Levin-Richmond Terminal. Coal particles can break down into smaller particulate matter that’s harmful to lungs, as they get kicked up over and over by cars and shoes. (Julie Small/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just outside the terminal fence, Mayor Butt bends down to scoop up a handful of black soot, “You can see there’s dust here. You can see the remnants of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Butt the question isn’t whether there’s dust escaping the Levin-Richmond terminal operations, it’s “How much, and how far away does it move, and what’s the size of the particulate matter?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Butt says that’s information he’s like to get.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal law regulates petcoke and coal dust — not as toxic substances — but as particulate matter. Because particulate matter tends to effect communities in close proximity to the source, it usually falls to state and local governments to enforce limits. That’s one reason efforts to diminish particulate matter from petcoke and coal vary widely in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Air regulators for the San Francisco Bay have a \u003ca href=\"http://www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/Files/Planning%20and%20Research/Rules%20and%20Regs/reg%2006/rg0601.ashx?la=en\">district rule\u003c/a> that prohibits visible dust from crossing property lines, but according to Eric Stevenson with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, it’s hard to enforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“An inspector has to be there for a certain amount of time,” Stevenson explains, “see the dust particles crossing across the fence line, ensure that those particles are coming from that facility.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">“Usually what we do is attack emissions and things like that in a ‘What are we going to get the biggest bang for our buck?’ kind-of-way.”\u003ccite>Eric Stevenson\u003cbr>\nBay Area Air Quality Management District\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Documents obtained by KQED under a public records request shows that BAAQMD’s inspections of the Levin-Richmond terminal found no visible dust coming off the property from 1997 to 2011. And then regular inspections stopped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2012, the inspector assigned to the facility investigated a complaint of dust coming from the terminal, but found no supporting evidence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last three years, since Baykeeper sued and coal exports began, the air district has not inspected the property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Part of the challenge for regulators is that the district lacks specific rules governing the storage or transport of petcoke and coal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stevenson says regulators focus resources on the largest sources of emissions, like Chevron and other Bay Area refineries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Usually what we do is attack emissions and things like that in a ‘what are we going to get the biggest bang for our buck?’ kind-of-way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_58918\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-58918\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond-800x369.png\" alt=\"Aerial view of Levin-Richmond Terminal, via Google. The dark ovals are piles of petcoke or coal waiting for export. \" width=\"800\" height=\"369\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond-800x369.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond-400x184.png 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond-960x443.png 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/Ariel-view-of-Levin-Richmond.png 1089w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aerial view of Levin-Richmond Terminal, via Google. The dark ovals are piles of petcoke or coal waiting for export.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Compared to Chevron, the Levin Richmond Terminal is small potatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports, exports of petcoke and coal are a much bigger deal. Shipments of both started causing problems there over twenty years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had a significant number of complaints from residents near the ports,” recalls Mohsen Nazemi with the South Coast Air Quality Management District.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nazemi, who directs engineering and compliance, says the houses of people living near rail tracks and truck routes were blanketed with black soot, and so were the schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We thought it was a health issue,” Nazemi says, “because some of the particles were fine particles and if you inhale fine particles it can cause respiratory and other types of health problems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the l980’s the South Coast Air District adopted \u003ca href=\"http://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/rule-book/reg-xi/rule-1158.pdf?sfvrsn=4\">new rules\u003c/a> that require refineries and ports to enclose conveyor belts and stockpiles. Trains and trucks had to cover their loads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent\u003ca href=\"http://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/air-quality/air-quality-monitoring-studies/rule-1158-follow-up-studies/rule-1158-follow-up-study-12-and-13-combo.pdf?sfvrsn=7\"> report \u003c/a>found no more significant problems with petroleum coke and coal dust in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, the Richmond City Council passed a\u003ca href=\"http://sireweb.ci.richmond.ca.us/sirepub/cache/2/jlwxxvmweoumpgnmf50eigzo/43345206172015010728238.PDF\"> resolution\u003c/a> urging Bay Area air regulators to adopt the South Coast’s rule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_58913\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-58913\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-1440x1080.jpg\" alt=\"Maria Sahagun with the California Nurses Association is surveying the health of residents in Richmond's Parchester Village. (Julie Small/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2015/06/IMG_5217-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maria Sahagun with the California Nurses Association is surveying the health of residents in Richmond’s Parchester Village. (Julie Small/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Air district staff is drafting regulations that would closely mirror Southern California’s rule but it could take a year or two for the board to adopt them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, the Sierra Club and the California Nurses Association began surveying residents at Parchester Village for health impacts from coal dust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the first day of the survey, nurse Maria Sahagun knocked on the door of a house where the back yard faces the train tracks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A six-year-old girl was doing cartwheels across the yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So agile!” exclaims Sahagun. Then, fighting back tears, observes, “She’s the perfect example of the children in this community that are affected by the coal dust.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sahagun, who worked at Doctors Medical Center until it closed in April, says the girl has asthma so severe medications sometimes don’t work and she has to go to the emergency room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Activists plan to continue surveying Richmond residents through the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The BAAQMD’s board is expected to begin parsing new regulations on coal and petcoke dust later this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
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"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"pri-the-world": {
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"radiolab": {
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"reveal": {
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},
"rightnowish": {
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"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
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"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
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