'This paper explores two propositions regarding international river basins: 1) cooperative development of international rivers offers unique economic advantages over unilateral development; and 2) benefit sharing is a necessary condition for facilitating this cooperation. Despite the intuitive appeal of benefit sharing, clear benchmarks and good practices in structuring agreeable benefit sharing arrangements are lacking. Lessons from past experience are critical for guiding emerging regional ins more...

The United Nations and the United States government estimate that by 2015 at least 40 per cent of the world’s population (3 billion people) will live in countries where it is difficult or impossible to get enough water to satisfy basic needs.

Every living thing, every plant, every animal and every human being needs water to stay alive. For centuries, possibly millennia, all over the world, water was shared, for everyone’s right to this essential resource was recognized. For thousands of years legal systems have accepted that running water cannot be owned.

'To mitigate a drinking water crisis in Kathmandu valley, the Government of Nepal initiated the Melamchi Water Supply Project in 1997, which will divert water from the Melamchi River to Kathmandu city’s water supply network. In the first phase, the Project will divert 170,000 cubic meters of water per day (at the rate of 1.97M3/sec), which will be tripled using the same infrastructure as city water demand increases in the future. The large scale transfer of water would have farreaching implica more...

‘The argument that privatization of water supply systems produces increased efficiency was found, on examination, to produce little if any efficiency benefits. The argument was also made that privatization reduces the element of political corruption in water supply systems and other public utilities. However it was found that the element of political corruption was little changed or greatly increased in privatization processes.’more..

Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) are gaining recognition as effective, flexible, and environmentally sound ways for controlling the quantity and improving the quality of stormwater runoff, while also adding amenity to a wide variety of development projects.

This website is designed to encourage and facilitate the integration of stormwater BMPs into development projects in your area by providing tools and resources for effective communication and implementation as well as in-depth more...

A "coastal ecosystem" includes estuaries and coastal waters and lands located at the lower end of drainage basins, where stream and river systems meet the sea and are mixed by tides. The coastal ecosystem includes saline, brackish (mixed saline and fresh) and fresh waters, as well as coastlines and the adjacent lands.

Afognak coastline, Kazakof Bay, 1986. Photo FWS.

All these water and land forms interact as integrated ecological units. Shorelands, dunes, offshore islands, barrier islands, more...

EPA and the Corps of Engineers have jointly issued a legal memorandum that interprets the June 19, 2006 Supreme Court decision in the consolidated cases Rapanos v. U.S. and Carabell v. U.S. (known as the "Rapanos" decision). The guidance is being released to Corps of Engineers and EPA field offices to ensure nationwide predictability, reliability, and consistency in identifying wetlands, streams and rivers subject to the Clean Water Act (CWA). The EPA/Corps guidance reflects the agencies’ inte more...

EPA is now accepting proposals for water quality trading or other market-based projects through its Targeted Watersheds Grants Program. Projects must address reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment, or other pollutant loadings that cause low oxygen levels in local waters and which enter the Mississippi River system. Projects must be located in one of the three Mississippi River sub-basins with the highest nutrient loads contributing to hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: the Ohio River, the more...

Drinking water treatment plants, sewer lines, drinking water distribution lines, and storage facilities ensure protection of public health and the environment. As a nation, we have built this extensive network of infrastructure to provide the public with access to water and sanitation. Much of the drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in the US was built 30 years following World War II, mirroring the increase in population.

We cannot ignore the arriving wave of infrastructure rehabilit more...