The Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, a center of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, has released a comprehensive, peer-reviewed map of the Colorado River Basin that showcases the area’s geography and hydrography while addressing inconsistencies found among current maps of the region. The map also includes a narrative history of the basin, and it highlights crucial concerns facing the region. It will provide an updated resource to stakeholders in the Colorado River Basin as they chart a sustainable path forward for the Colorado River, which supports over 40 million people across the United States and Mexico and irrigates 4.5 million acres of agriculture.The Babbitt Center produced the printed map in partnership with the Lincoln Institute’s newly launched Center for Geospatial Solutions, which harnesses data to inform decision making related to land and water management. The full-color, double-sided map highlights specific regions and issues of note in one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States. Features include:A physical and political map of the entire Colorado River Basin, including the location of the 30 federally recognized tribal nations in the basin; structures such as dams, reservoirs, transbasin diversions, and canals; protected areas; and indications of whether streams are perennial or intermittent.Inset maps spotlighting wildfire risk, the Colorado River Delta in Mexico, the shrinking Salton Sea, and the relationship between urban development, irrigated agriculture, and water management in major cities.Stunning photographs of the Colorado River headwaters and Delta, Lake Powell, the Imperial Valley, and other significant landmarks of the region.Narrative explorations of key issues in the Colorado River Basin, including climate change, tribal water rights, wildfire, development, agriculture, and biodiversity.Historical information on the division of water among the U.S. states and Mexico and the drought contingency negotiations that have occurred during the first two decades of the 21st century as climate change threatens significant streamflow losses."Click here to learn more at the Lincoln Data Website"

Economic expansion has led to an increase in new toxins in the environment, creating a global problem for managing both environmental and human health. This study aimed to quantify the concentration of heavy metals (HMs) in soils of the Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, located in the northern Nile Delta, Egypt, and to evaluate potential health risks by integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with multivariate statistical analyses. Soil samples from 27 sites were analysed for potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Soil pollution indices such as enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) were assessed. In addition, non-carcinogenic and cancer risk indices were calculated. To identify the origins of HMs in the research area, Pearson’s bivariate correlation, principal component, and hierarchical cluster analyses (PCA) were used. The findings revealed that the mean HM concentrations (mg kg-1) were in the following order: Fe (10706 ± 2855)>Mn (697.53 ± 138.46)> As(210.07 ± 20.23)> Zn (207.40 ± 216.76)>Ni(112.43 ± 13.68)> Cu (87.15 ± 47.69)> Pb(31.11 ± 8.66)> Co(23.97 ± 5.96)> Cd (6.50 ± 5.62). The EF, CF, and Igeo indices indicated that the soils in the study area were contaminated with metals. The risk index values indicated moderate, considerable, and very high ecological risk, with a median value of 2060.40 (range: 192.95–5006.97). From PCA results, the possible sources of the metals in the arid soils included pesticides and chemical fertilizers, except for Mn, which appeared to originate from geogenic sources. Both children and adults had hazard quotient and Hazard index values less than one in all three exposure pathways, except for As in the ingestion pathway for children.. Furthermore, the total cancer risk (sum of ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact pathways for each element) associated with children’s exposure to the elements under investigation was as follows: Pb (4.5E-02)> As (4.1E-03)> Ni (2.6E-03)> Cd (4.7E-05). Consequently, the largest cancer risk was determined to be from Pb. These results provide valuable information that emphasizes the need to mitigate pollution from potentially toxic elements in the Nile delta and minimize health concerns for the local population.