Scientists have spent years trying to convince policymakers that the world’s most critical problem is a shortage of quality water. More than a billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water, and by the year 2050, 2 billion to 7 billion people will be facing water shortages. “Water is…
Student researchers at Virginia Tech are exploring new ways to develop sustainable water systems as resources become strained in many parts of the world. Caitlin Grady, a 2010 graduate from Norfolk, Va., studied the use of rainwater harvesting in the Dominican Republic. Traveling to the tourist community of Punta Cana,…
The Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech is taking part in a large-scale regional study initiated in the southeastern United States. The forest biofuel sustainability study aims to evaluate how growing cellulosic biofuels such as switchgrass within pine plantations affects water supply and water quality. Listen to Dr….
Nearly half of the nation’s electricity comes from coal. Coal mining plays an integral role in the economy and culture of far southwestern Virginia and throughout the Appalachian coalfields. In recent years, developments in mining technology and economics have led to an expansion of the scope and scale of surface…
FROM VT NEWS BLACKSBURG, Va., Sept. 2, 2009 – The Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech has embarked on two new research projects in headwater streams affected by coal mining in southwestern Virginia. As the federal government announces new plans to protect water resources, these research efforts are aimed…
