Is $2 a month too much to pay for stormwater control?
May 8, 2008

Some residents in Ankeny are opposed to a planned $2 a month charge to fund the city's planned stormwater utility. Many communities are finding that they have to take new steps to meeting state and Federal stormwater regulations, but if residents and groups are going to protest over fees of just $2 or $3 a month, it could be a very serious uphill battle for many communities to face. Rate-payers are notoriously hypersensitive to changes in water and sewer charges, even when utilities have no other options. Naturally, there are serious complaints as well when stormwaters aren't drained effectively and cause flooding, too.


The man who controls the North Platte
May 7, 2008

The Jackson Hole Star-Tribune features an interview with the area manager for the US Bureau of Reclamation, who is charged with managing flows on the North Platte River system in Montana and Wyoming -- which, of course, determines much of the state of that same river system as it arrives in Nebraska.

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Water pipelines come to America
May 6, 2008

The US has an well-developed system of oil pipelines, but pressure on water supplies in some areas has grown so much that water pipelines are becoming a reality. T. Boone Pickens, who made a fortune in the oil and gas business, is setting up a water pipeline between northern Texas and the Dallas/Fort Worth area in order to ship water from the Ogallala Aquifer to the city. The amount of pumping power that will be required is huge -- enough so that the plans include 2700 wind turbines to generate the power required.


Davenport negotiates trade-off between river views and flooding
May 5, 2008

As the Quad Cities deal with the fourth major flood in two decades, the US Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the Mississippi River, is answering questions about why Davenport doesn't have a floodwall. It's the only major city between Minneapolis and St. Louis without one, but city officials say that a floodwall would inhibit the river view and take away one of the area's main tourist attractions.

We can help you with water-control gates for floodwalls and geomembranes for flood protection. Please feel free to contact us with your questions.


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