The tribe fought for more than 160 years to get legal protection for the Whanganui River. In 2017, New Zealand granted legal personhood to the Whanganui River. Since then, other nations have followed suit in an effort to protect the environment.
The author’s article, Kate Evans, says, “Environmental personhood has been studied as a way of protecting nature since at least the 1970s. In his book Should Trees Have Standing?, American law professor Christopher D. Stone argued that environmental interests should be recognised apart from human ones. His work influenced Maori academics James Morris and Jacinta Ruru, who wrote Giving Voice to Rivers, making a case for why waterways in New Zealand should be seen as legal people.”
India Grants then Revokes Legal Personhood Status
Evans says that following the decision in 2017, the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India and all rivers in Bangladesh also received legal rights – although, in India, the decision was later revoked.
Evidently, personhood status can backfire in some places. If the river is a person, and the river floods someone, the river can then be held liable. That’s the downside. But on the plus side, the river can sue polluters.
Protecting Essential, but Voiceless Elements in Nature
The latest edition of Stone’s book continues to serve as the definitive statement as to why trees, oceans, animals, and the environment as a whole should be bestowed with legal rights. The argument: to help protect the voiceless elements in nature for future generations.
Think enough people in Texas would support legal personhood for the San Jacinto River? It’s not unheard of in the U.S.
In Ohio, Lake Erie, which supplies much of the state’s drinking water, was given limited legal rights a few years ago.
The San Jacinto supplies much of our drinking water.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/23/2020
937 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Screen-Shot-2020-03-23-at-2.34.14-PM.png?fit=1194%2C668&ssl=16681194adminadmin2020-03-23 15:10:552020-03-23 16:08:43New Zealand Gives River Status of “Legal Personhood”
Yesterday, I posted about rains that quickly brought Lake Conroe back up to its average for March. Additional rain last night and today brought the lake up another 3.24 inches to 200.23 as of 9pm on 3/22/2020. That means the lake is now within about 1 inch of its average level for April.
Source SJRA.net. Readings as of 9pm on Sunday, March 22, 2020.46-year average levels for Lake Conroe. Variation due to rainfall, evaporation and releases. Source: SJRA.net. Chuck Gilman presentation and January 2020 board meeting.
This now means that SJRA would release enough water starting April 1 to reduce the level of the lake to 200 feet above sea level. If the lake remains at this level, that would mean lowering it about 3.24 inches starting April 1.
The purpose of the SJRA’s temporary seasonal lake lowering program: to provide a margin of safety against flooding until downstream mitigation measures can be put in place. Those include West Fork mouth bar dredging and additional floodgates on Lake Houston to lower the level of the lake faster during a flood.
Renewal of the policy was the subject of a bitter fight between Lake Conroe and Lake Houston between December 2019 and February 2020. It culminated in a board meeting attended by approximately 1500 residents from both communities.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/22/2020
936 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/March-22-Lake-Level.png?fit=900%2C531&ssl=1531900adminadmin2020-03-22 21:35:152020-03-22 21:42:20Additional Rain Puts Lake Conroe Within 1 inch of April Average
Lake Conroe area businesses, boaters, home values and tax rolls got a boost yesterday. Yes, despite the drought, Lake Conroe returned to its normal level for this time of year. The watershed received an average of 2 to 2.5 inches of rain in the last 36 hours. That’s all it took.
The March average for the last 47 years (since the lake was built) is 199.98. The current lake level as of 5pm on 3.21.2020 is 199.96. That virtually equals the March average.
The difference, 0.02 ft., is less than a quarter inch. That’s less that the thickness of a pencil.
36 hour rainfall totals for Lake Conroe area sensors. Source: SJRA.onerain.com.SJRA Dashboard as of 5pm on 3.21.202047 year average for monthly Lake Conroe levels. Source: SJRA
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Current-vs-Average-March-Conroe-Level.jpg?fit=1200%2C962&ssl=19621200adminadmin2020-03-21 17:51:392020-03-21 18:20:53Lake Conroe Returns to Average Level for March
New Zealand Gives River Status of “Legal Personhood”
Susanne Kite sent me this fascinating story and video from the BBC. It chronicles the fight of an indigenous Polynesian tribe, the Maori, to gain “legal personhood” status for a river they revere as ancestral.
The 160-Year Fight
The tribe fought for more than 160 years to get legal protection for the Whanganui River. In 2017, New Zealand granted legal personhood to the Whanganui River. Since then, other nations have followed suit in an effort to protect the environment.
The author’s article, Kate Evans, says, “Environmental personhood has been studied as a way of protecting nature since at least the 1970s. In his book Should Trees Have Standing?, American law professor Christopher D. Stone argued that environmental interests should be recognised apart from human ones. His work influenced Maori academics James Morris and Jacinta Ruru, who wrote Giving Voice to Rivers, making a case for why waterways in New Zealand should be seen as legal people.”
India Grants then Revokes Legal Personhood Status
Evans says that following the decision in 2017, the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India and all rivers in Bangladesh also received legal rights – although, in India, the decision was later revoked.
Evidently, personhood status can backfire in some places. If the river is a person, and the river floods someone, the river can then be held liable. That’s the downside. But on the plus side, the river can sue polluters.
Protecting Essential, but Voiceless Elements in Nature
The latest edition of Stone’s book continues to serve as the definitive statement as to why trees, oceans, animals, and the environment as a whole should be bestowed with legal rights. The argument: to help protect the voiceless elements in nature for future generations.
Think enough people in Texas would support legal personhood for the San Jacinto River? It’s not unheard of in the U.S.
In Ohio, Lake Erie, which supplies much of the state’s drinking water, was given limited legal rights a few years ago.
The San Jacinto supplies much of our drinking water.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/23/2020
937 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Additional Rain Puts Lake Conroe Within 1 inch of April Average
Yesterday, I posted about rains that quickly brought Lake Conroe back up to its average for March. Additional rain last night and today brought the lake up another 3.24 inches to 200.23 as of 9pm on 3/22/2020. That means the lake is now within about 1 inch of its average level for April.
This now means that SJRA would release enough water starting April 1 to reduce the level of the lake to 200 feet above sea level. If the lake remains at this level, that would mean lowering it about 3.24 inches starting April 1.
The purpose of the SJRA’s temporary seasonal lake lowering program: to provide a margin of safety against flooding until downstream mitigation measures can be put in place. Those include West Fork mouth bar dredging and additional floodgates on Lake Houston to lower the level of the lake faster during a flood.
Renewal of the policy was the subject of a bitter fight between Lake Conroe and Lake Houston between December 2019 and February 2020. It culminated in a board meeting attended by approximately 1500 residents from both communities.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/22/2020
936 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Lake Conroe Returns to Average Level for March
Lake Conroe area businesses, boaters, home values and tax rolls got a boost yesterday. Yes, despite the drought, Lake Conroe returned to its normal level for this time of year. The watershed received an average of 2 to 2.5 inches of rain in the last 36 hours. That’s all it took.
The March average for the last 47 years (since the lake was built) is 199.98. The current lake level as of 5pm on 3.21.2020 is 199.96. That virtually equals the March average.
The difference, 0.02 ft., is less than a quarter inch. That’s less that the thickness of a pencil.
One decent rain Stopped the Drop. If the lake remains at this level, there will be no seasonal lowering in the Spring. The policy adopted by the board calls for lowering it to 200 starting April 1.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/21/2020
935 Days after Hurricane Harvey