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Can cutting down trees protect New Mexico's water?

Leah Todd Lin

May 26, 2016 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Albuquerque, New Mexico

New Mexico adapts an innovative forestry idea from Quito, Ecuador, to prevent unpredictable and untamable forest fires. The application of this idea, called the Rio Grande Water Fund, raises money around the Rio Grande valley to pay for the thinning of overgrown forests on private and public lands. When trees are thinned out in dense areas, it's more difficult for fires to jump from the ground to the tree tops, which inhibits the rapid spreading of flames we've seen in recent years.

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As Fire Risk Explodes Across the West, an Oregon City Finds a Solution

Matt Weiser

February 20, 2018 |

News Deeply |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ashland, Oregon

To mitigate against the threat of devastating wildfires and destruction of water supply, Ashland, Oregon has been thinning their previously overgrown forests for years through controlled burns and logging efforts. While these effort have not always been easy, and took a great deal of community buy-in, they appear to be providing a solution to saving their one and only water supply from destruction.

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Sharing the shortage

JR Logan

May 27, 2016 |

The Taos News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Talpa, New Mexico

Farmers and land owners in the Rio Grande del Rancho region are using a collaborative, community-based approach fostered by acequias to ensure better sharing of water resources in times of scarcity.

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Toilets in Haiti and Circular Runways

Gemma Newby

March 28, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Haiti, Cap-Haïtien, Department of Nord

Haiti is currently battling the biggest cholera epidemic in recent history caused by lack of access to clean drinking water. Soil is an NGO which delivers dry, compost toilets to peoples’ homes - alternatives to water guzzling flushing toilets, which need infrastructure such as sewers - to help keep sewage from contaminating water sources and provide dignified, safe toilet facilities.

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Dams and reservoirs can't save us. This is the new future of water infrastructure.

Zoë Schlanger

August 22, 2018 |

Quartz |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, El Paso, Texas

El Paso, Texas only gets about 10 inches of rainfall per year, which doesn't help the water shortage the city is facing. Faced with no other choice but to seek solutions, the city has already implemented rainwater catchment systems, but is now looking to other countries as they turn their focus to toilet-to-tap practices.

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Seeing the forest through the trees?

Matt Hildner

May 29, 2016 |

The Pueblo Chieftain |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Blanca, Colorado

A new timber mill in Costilla County could majorly improve the forest health of the greater region by thinning undergrowth to reduce risk of wildfires, curbing the spread of invasive insects, and decreasing the demand for water in the face of drought. The mill could also create jobs and further economic development for the area.

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Could you float for four hours? Drowning prevention program saves kids

Julie Power

November 04, 2018 |

The Sydney Morning Herald |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Thailand, Surat

Thailand's Surat Thani province, consists of more than 100 waterways making drowning a very real concern – especially for children – but strategic preventions have resulted in no child drownings in the last two years. Children as young as two are taught water safety tactics and eventually are trained how to float for up to four hours to survive.

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Large-Scale Rainwater Harvesting Eases Scarcity in Kenya

Justus Wanzala

July 12, 2016 |

Inter Press Service News Agency |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Narok

Harvesting rainwater is a necessary practice throughout Kenya, but is especially important in the areas of the country that are arid or semiarid. The African Water Bank has made this process more accessibly to many in these areas by creating a less expensive and more efficient water conservation system.

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What sewage can tell us about the spread of COVID-19

Jane C. Hu

September 02, 2020 |

High Country News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Bozeman, Montana

Scientists in Bozeman, Montana are tracking community spread of COVID-19 by studying samples from the city’s wastewater. Although this form of tracking is more tedious and not necessarily as effective as testing individuals via a swab, the wastewater tracking program is able detect the virus and help health officials identify the area where it likely originated from.

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A Brazilian unimpressed by 'ecological toilets' invents an alternative to flushing

Gabriel Alves

June 14, 2018 |

Haaretz |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Brazil

Flushing a toilet is not only wasteful in terms of water usage, but it is also costly. "Few people know how many liters of water are used, or how much they pay for each liter of water used at home," explains Ezequiel Vedana, the inventor of Piipee - a devise that eliminates the need to flush altogether and has been called a global climate innovation. In fact, when one business tested this devise that emits a deodorizing and decolorizing solution, they saw their water bill cut in half within four months.

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