In this Issue...
We discuss the problems of nitrate-contaminated water in small disadvantaged communities and possible solutions.
Editor’s Desk On the Cover
Nitrate occurs naturally in soil but dissipates with extensive farming so nitrogen fertilizers are applied, increasing crop yields. But even under the best conditions plants use only 70 to 90 percent of it and some is lost to surface water and groundwater. Photo illustration by Curtis Leipold
Credits Editors
Rita Schmidt Sudman Sue McClurg
Writer Gary Pitzer
Editorial Assistance Robin Douglas
Design & Layout Graphic Communications Photos
California Farm Bureau Federation
Aaron Heinrich, University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Erin Lubin
The Regents of the University of California
Visalia Convention and Visitors Bureau
Find bios of our board members,
www.watereducation.org
The Water Education Foundation thanks all the sources and experts who reviewed this magazine for balance and accuracy.
The mission of the Water Education Foundation, an impartial, nonprofi t organization, is to create a better understanding of water resources and foster public understanding and resolution of water resource issues through facilitation, education and outreach.
Western Water is published by the Water Education Foundation, 717 K Street, Suite 317, Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 444-6240, fax (916) 448-7699. An annual subscription to this bi-monthly magazine is $65. The balance of the Foundation’s information program may be supported by larger amounts, which are tax deductible. Printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink.
E-mail:
feedback@watereducation.org Web page:
www.watereducation.org ISSN: 0735-5424
President: William R. Mills
Executive Director: Rita Schmidt Sudman © 2013 Water Education Foundation
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Place the resources at your fi ngertips – purchase an e-subscription to Western Water. See page 15, visit
www.watereducation.org, or call 916-444-6240 for more information.
Western Water
Since the Water Education Foundation was established in 1977 we’ve been known for our high quality articles in Western Water and the well-researched titles in the Layperson’s Guide series, which I’ve often referred to as mini textbooks about California water. In subsequent years we added a long list of other educational materials to our catalog: school programs, maps, videos and DVDs. And we steadily expanded our list of water tour fi eld trips, which allow people to get a fi rsthand look at the projects and issues we write about. The worldwide web marked the new frontier when we launched our fi rst website. It was exciting when someone halfway around the world ordered a copy of the California Water Map. Today we’re about to embark on a new adventure with the launching of our new website Aquapedia. Aquapedia – Water A to Z – provides easy-to-use, easy-to-understand information on water terms and topics from acre foot to the Yuba Accord. Facts and details about a long list of other topical issues from climate change to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to water rights also are available with the click of the mouse. The website will go live this Spring. Aquapedia centers on reference articles that explain specifi c terms, topics and issues. Each entry is supplemented with photos, videos, interactive maps and other online tools designed to provide background and context to understand California’s complex water issues. All terms and defi nitions in Aquapedia are from Foundation publications and other vetted resources. That’s important to us and to the people who will be using the site to: • Look up a specifi c term or issue such as groundwater • Browse a water terms glossary with easy-to-understand defi nitions of common water terms
• Watch videos of the places and discussions with key people related to specifi c terms
• Map the location of water sites through interactive maps • Follow timelines of the chronology of California water use and how water issues have evolved
An added bonus: Aquapedia and Aquafornia are linked! Users can search for breaking news on these same water topics and issues by using the Water Education Foundation’s water news site
www.aquafornia.com, which is updated daily with news articles, blog posts and other research materials. Click on
www.aquapedia.com for more information and watch for its offi cial launch this Spring! ❖
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