Oil and Gas World’s Post

After almost three years of community consultation and scientific assessments, including 120 stakeholder and community meetings and over 200 feedback submissions, we’re excited to announce the new water plan for the Mary Basin! Our water planning team has worked closely with communities in the region to ensure we meet local environmental, cultural, agricultural and urban water needs into the future. Some of the key changes include… 🌱 contemporary environmental outcomes to protect the Mary Basin’s significant environmental assets and values 🤝 catering for the water needs of traditional owners, through the identification of 7100 ML of unallocated water Indigenous reserves 📝 changing water entitlements to provide security, equity and certainty for all water users, and to provide more water trading opportunities through the ability to seasonally assign (temporarily trade) water licences. 💧 identifying an additional 390ML of general unallocated water reserve (2,400ML in total) which can be granted for any purpose 💦 reserving 70,485ML of strategic unallocated water for state purposes such as coordinated projects, projects of regional significance or town water supply …plus more. Thank you to everyone who took the time to help us shape the new water plan. We look forward to implementing it to drive new outcomes, strategies and measures to guide future decisions for the Mary Basin. Read more about the new water plan: https://bit.ly/3UDeIye 📷Mary River, Kenilworth

The California Natural Resources Agency #30x30CA Annual Report is here! California has made remarkable strides toward conserving 30% of its lands and coastal waters by 2030. Since April 2022, over one million acres of land have been added to the 30x30 initiative. In the past year alone, approximately 861,000 acres were newly conserved, including vital grasslands, deserts, freshwater areas, and other key habitats. The 30x30 Initiative thrives through the efforts of on-the-ground leaders, including tribal governments, local communities, non-governmental organizations, federal agencies, private landowners, and committed individuals like you. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/g4pZG7zy

💡 Robin Hood Station, near Forsayth, is an early adopter of land condition benchmarking and monitoring. Measuring the influence grazing management strategies have on land condition enables a producer to evaluate the sustainability of their practices. This is ideal for future preparedness to take advantage of the growing interest in beef supply chain sustainability and to maintain land condition for improved productivity. ✅ Read more, including the monitoring methods they're using, in our case study 👉 https://lnkd.in/gBf7J6Zh. This project is funded by Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Recovery Program. NRM Regions Queensland

In the next few decades, it is projected that at least one-third of this nation’s agricultural lands (over 300 million acres) will change hands, making them vulnerable to conversion and development. CCALT has joined a nationwide effort to help catalyze land transfer for retiring producers and land access for new producers to keep these private working lands open and agriculturally productive. CCALT is working on developing land succession and land access workshops, as well as informational and outreach materials to engage landowners in succession planning. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g4WuvQfU The Land Transfer Navigators Program, is led in partnership by the American Farmland Trust with support from the National Resources Conservation Service.

Well this has to be reposted. UE are very proud of the Blessington WWTP Upgrade but ... The upgrade brings the WWTP to 9,000 pe. The 9,000 pe upgrade was likely a cynical attempt to fast track some development in Blessington without having to deal with the requirements for WWTPs over 10,000pe. The Planning board inspector, during the planning process recommended refusal beyond the already 6,000 pe that was permitted, but was overruled. The current EPA licence D0063-01 states the plant is a 6,000pe facility and the EPA have been unable to grant an increased licence to UE to date, even though the upgrade was completed last year. The proximity to Blessington Lakes and Dublins drinking water supply must be a factor. The upgrade was only to the WWTP. The 5.5km outfall pipe, laid in the 80s has not been designed for the new capacity and hasn't been reassessed. No condition survey has been provided. The outfall itself is into an impounding reservoir, Golden Falls, with no natural flows, the flows being 100% controlled by ESB. Golden Falls is in Kildare yet there was no planning application in Kildare.

Shared water resources -- like rivers, aquifers, and lakes -- are vital for energy, agriculture, and livelihoods across borders. However, their joint protection and management require intentional collaboration. The upcoming webinar on 5th December 2024, Cooperation Arrangements for Transboundary Water Infrastructure Projects, co-organized by the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa and AUDA NEPAD will dive into the heart of transboundary arrangements for regional infrastructure projects, exploring best practices and success stories. From governance frameworks to shared benefits, this session will equip participants with the knowledge to foster cooperation and unlock the potential of shared watercourses. Don't miss out -- register now on the link below:  https://lnkd.in/dmpeYsfn

Discover how Mayan communities in Noh-Bec and Sacbecán are transforming their lives and farming methods with the help of 20 rainwater collection systems. This collaborative project between the State Government and the Japanese Government is a testament to international cooperation for sustainable development. https://lnkd.in/e6s79YY6

Time for a bit of a fact check here. Blessington WWTP has been polluting Golden Falls lake / reservoir for decades. Fact check the relevant EPA reports. "Non compliant" "At risk" "Poor Status" Uisce Éireann Irish Water sought planning permission for a plant upgrade in 2019. In An Bord Pleanála the inspector recommended refusal on that application. Why? - unsustainable. The board granted the permission on the basis that the priority was to achieve compliance with the discharge (not for development). Now Wicklow County Council has granted planning for hundreds of houses in Blessington - negating any gains at the lake. Uisce Eireann are happy to grant connection permits for this development, despite the views of the ABP inspector. The EPA license D0063-1 still states Blessington is a 6,000pe licence. Uisce Eireann have built to 9,000pe - without EPA consent. The 9,000pe application was also a cynical attempt by Uisce Eireann to stay under 10,000pe due to the increased EIA requirements. The EPA have not been able to issue a reviewed license. The application is into multiple years now. Why? The risk to Blessington Lakes is too great - look at the recent algal blooms. Also the EPA licence views the discharge as into a river with minimum flows. Its actually into lake with flows ranging from 0m3/s up to 73m3/s depending on ESB requirements for power generation. The important figure here is 0m3/s. At times there is more wastewater entering Golden Falls than river water. The pipe from Blessington WWTP is 5.5km and transfers the wastewater from County Wicklow to Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare. Yet Uisce Eireann did not apply to Kildare County Council for planning permission, even though the discharge was being increased by 50%. The pipe was built in the 80s with no condition survey carried out since. Why Golden Falls? Because the wastewater was too polluted to be allowed discharge into Blessington Lakes, Dublins Drinking Water supply - but good enough to be spilled into Ballymore Eustace. We understand the need for growth and development, but for everyone's sake, do it properly.

If you’re in a leadership role—whether in your own business, on a board, executive team, a one-person show, an entrepreneur - particularly in Windhoek & the rest of Namibia (also relevant to anywhere in the world)—this should be the first question at your next board meeting/ strategic planning session. What is our water strategy? - How does water flow through our business, directly and indirectly? - What would change if we viewed water as a shared resource rather than a commodity? - How does our use (or lack of consideration) of water affect our communities and ecosystems? - In what ways can our business be a steward of water for future generations? - How are we accounting for water in our long-term strategy, and who benefits or bears the cost of this resource? - How can our business support water resilience in our community? The answer is not "we don't use a lot of water". No matter what industry you are in without water you don't have a business. We are water.

Check out our new paper where we analyzed how integrating equity in water conservation programs impacts policy outcomes. We examined the potential trade-offs between maximizing water savings and promoting water affordability in the distribution of rebates. https://lnkd.in/gcn2EsSk