reservoirs

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Experts Warn of Tehran's Water Crisis: 'Day Zero' Is Coming

Drought, mismanagement, climate change push water reserves to the brink

(Newser) - Iran's capital is staring down a water crisis so critical that experts warn "day zero"—when taps in Tehran might simply stop running—could hit in a matter of weeks. Drought and heat are nothing new in Iran, as are water shortages, but this time, the...

Dams Have Nudged Earth's Poles Over 3 Feet
Dams Have Nudged
Earth's Poles Over 3 Feet
NEW STUDY
Jul 10, 2025 7:18 AM CDT

Dams Have Nudged Earth's Poles Over 3 Feet

Water held in reservoirs weighs on Earth's crust, causing shifts, researchers say

(Newser) - The world's dams have quietly moved more than just water—their massive reservoirs have actually nudged Earth's poles by feet, according to new research that reveals how human engineering is subtly reshaping our planet. Scientists have long known that large-scale water movement, whether from melting ice or...

Plan to Save the Panama Canal Isn't Entirely Without Harm

Construction of new reservoir will force relocation of 2K people

(Newser) - You could forgive Ricaurte Vásquez Morales his cellphone addiction. As the New York Times explains, he checks it constantly—to make sure Lake Gatún is registering about 83.5 feet deep. That's the artificial reservoir that forms a crucial part of the Panama Canal system, of which...

Government Official Orders Dam Drained to Find Lost Phone
Official Fined for Draining
Reservoir to Find Phone
in case you missed it
Jun 4, 2023 3:45 PM CDT

Official Fined for Draining Reservoir to Find Phone

State irrigation department in India orders Rajesh Vishwas to pay for wasted water

(Newser) - An official in India who drained a reservoir to search for his lost phone has to pay for the water as well as a new phone. Food inspector Rajesh Vishwas, who retrieved his $1,200 Samsung device but found it was unusable, has been fined the equivalent of around $640...

World's Lakes Have Lost Water Equivalent to 17 Lake Meads

53% of major lakes and reservoirs have seen major drops since 1990s

(Newser) - More than half of the world's largest lakes and reservoirs have lost substantial amounts of water—the equivalent of 17 Lake Meads—in recent decades, according to a large-scale study that largely blames climate change and human behavior. While climate change is bringing warmer temperatures that increase evaporation, per...

Russia Is Draining Major Ukraine Reservoir

Water level at key source of drinking, irrigation water is at its lowest in decades

(Newser) - Satellite images from Ukraine have revealed that the water level at a key reservoir are dropping sharply in what appears to be a Russian sabotage effort. NPR reports that the water level at the Kakhovka reservoir in southern Ukraine has fallen to its lowest level in at least 30 years...

Heavy Rain Risks Flooding, May Top Off California Reservoirs

Atmospheric river heads for the state with downpours forecast through the weekend

(Newser) - California is facing days of heavy rainfall that could help its drought battle by replenishing reservoirs while risking flooding in much of the state. An atmospheric river of moisture is headed from the Pacific Ocean toward California and other Western states, AccuWeather reports. The results could include rainfall of 8...

At Critical Reservoir, a Tangible Sign of Trouble

Intake valve at Lake Mead is fully exposed for first time in its history

(Newser) - Lake Mead has hit a new low. For the first time, water levels at the man-made reservoir have dropped low enough to expose one of three original intake valves, CNN reports. The valve has been drawing water since 1971—but that's no longer possible, according to the Southern Nevada...

One Dead After Reservoir Ice Gives Way Under Skaters

William Smallfield, 72, died at Calif.'s Stampede Reservoir on Saturday

(Newser) - Eight people headed out for an afternoon of ice skating over the weekend on a frozen reservoir in Northern California. Six of them ended up falling through the ice, and one elderly man is now dead, reports NBC News . Per a series of releases from the Sierra County Sheriff's...

Officials Order Reservoir Be Drained Over Earthquake Risk

Anderson Reservoir must be drained by October

(Newser) - Worried that an earthquake could collapse a big dam south of San Francisco, officials have ordered its reservoir to be completely drained. The 240-foot-high earthen Anderson Dam, built in 1950 between San Jose and the community of Morgan Hill, poses too great a risk of collapse and must be fully...

Surprise Global Warming Contributor: Reservoirs

They produce as much yearly greenhouse gas emissions as Brazil

(Newser) - There's a new enemy in the battle against global warming: reservoirs. Researchers studying more than 250 of the world's reservoirs found they produce the equivalent of 1 gigaton of carbon dioxide every year, the Washington Post reports. According to Popular Science , that's about the same amount of...

LA Fighting Drought With Millions of Black Plastic Balls

They prevent evaporation, keep water clean in reservoirs

(Newser) - The Los Angeles Reservoir has now turned black, but not from any kind of pollution. Over several months, city officials have been unleashing 96 million black plastic balls into the city's 175-acre reservoir in an effort to fight the effects of California's drought. The final 20,000 were...

Islands Appearing in the Southwest—Ominously
Islands Appearing in the Southwest—Ominously
in case you missed it
May 23, 2015 7:00 AM CDT

Islands Appearing in the Southwest—Ominously

Lake Powell and Lake Mead are in rough shape

(Newser) - New islands are being born along the border of Arizona and Utah. That's an ominous thing, reports the Guardian in a look at Lake Powell, the country's second-biggest reservoir. Due to dwindling snow falls in the Rockies—which has spurred a crisis for the Colorado River, which feeds...

Water Manager Told Off for Peeing in Reservoir

SF worker needs to 'zip up or get shipped out'

(Newser) - A San Francisco water manager who couldn't manage to keep his urine out of the system supplying the city's water will probably be suspended without pay for up to five days, officials say. Martin Sanchez, a $111,000-a-year maintenance planner, was reported for peeing in a reservoir that...

Portland Decides to Use Pee Water as Experiment

Water Bureau ended up flushing no more than 3M of the 38M gallons

(Newser) - Portland's Water Bureau administrators sounded fairly adamant when they said some 38 million gallons of water would have to be flushed from one of the city's reservoirs after a teen was caught peeing in it , even though the water tested negative for contamination. They've since somewhat changed...

Weird Brown Foam Covers Lake Mead

Initial tests show nothing toxic

(Newser) - Tests are being run on a mysterious brown foamy substance found covering a large part of America's biggest reservoir. Initial tests on the substance—found in the Overton Arm area of Lake Mead along with dozens of dead carp—have revealed nothing toxic but investigators have returned for more...

Drought Reveals City Submerged Under Reservoir

Monument City so popular, area is closed off

(Newser) - Indiana's Monument City was submerged half a century ago, when the Salamonie Lake reservoir was built. But severe drought has brought water levels down by so much—more than 12 feet—that the hidden city has been revealed. Though there’s not much to see (dirt roads, building foundations,...

Swimmer Takes Dip in Central Park Reservoir

He's lassoed by firefighters

(Newser) - It apparently got a little too hot yesterday for a guy who decided to take a leisurely swim—through New York City's Central Park Reservoir. The swimmer, in his 40s, scaled a chain link fence surrounding the 40-foot-deep reservoir. He refused firefighters' orders to get out, so three of...

Reservoir Pisser Reveals Big Gap in Water Security
Reservoir Pisser Reveals
Big Gap in Water Security
gee, thanks
Jul 9, 2011 6:35 AM CDT

Reservoir Pisser Reveals Big Gap in Water Security

If Josh Seater had been a terrorist...

(Newser) - Though the story initially got a laugh, no one is chuckling about the fact that Josh Seater was able to waltz up to a 7.8M gallon , open-air reservoir in Portland and pee in it while drunk last month. The incident led officials to drain the entire basin, and also...

7.8M-Gallon Reservoir Drained After Guy Pees in It

Little mishap will cost Portland water bureau $36K

(Newser) - You pee in one little reservoir, and the next thing you know, 7.8 million gallons of drinking water are being drained. Yesterday’s incident, in which a 21-year-old man was caught urinating in one of Portland’s uncovered reservoirs by a surveillance camera, will end up costing the Portland...

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