That cleverest of American humorists, Mark Twain, is alleged to have made this remark, although the occasion is lost to the ages. Whether he actually said it or not, what was true in Twain's day is still valid. Freshwater in the West is precious and needs to be apportioned equitably to satisfy all users, including water district managers, farmers, and environmentalists. Executing long-term water contracts is one way of ensuring that no fights break out.

In 1992, Congress directed the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, to renew water contracts, while reserving a proportion for environmental uses, such as fish and wildlife protection, restoration, and mitigation--uses deemed to be equivalent in priority to irrigation and domestic applications. Following years of negotiations and analyses, Reclamation signed long-term contracts with water districts and growers in California's Sacramento Valley. Tetra Tech prepared the environmental assessments for the contracts with the Feather Water District and with contractors of the Sacramento River Division. Read on...

Sometimes an alternative to fossil fuel energy is right under your nose or, in the case of geothermal steam, just below the surface of the ground. The northwestern quadrant of Nevada is rich in geothermal wells and springs, many of which have already been harnessed to generate electricity or to supply power for other direct uses. These applications include heating greenhouses and other buildings, dehydrating vegetables, warming water for aquaculture sites, and providing hot water for spas. Geothermal resources are made possible by underground reservoirs of hot water or steam heated by the earth. This resource reaches the surface in the form of hot springs, geysers, mud pots, or steam vents (think Old Faithful).

A May 2001 Executive Order requires federal agencies to streamline the development of geothermal resources on public lands. To comply, the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, is issuing leases for geothermal resources on 400,000 acres of public land in four Nevada counties. Tetra Tech prepared the environmental assessments for the project. Read on...