Archive for December, 2010

Water Smart = Energy Smart

Via The Johnson Foundation, a summary of an interesting presentation given recently on the watergy nexus: “…When you drive by an empty office building at night and see lights left on, you probably think about the energy that’s being wasted, but do you also think about the water that’s wasted while the electric meter spins? […]

Read more »



Oil & Water Do Not Mix: Water Supplies Soaked Up By California’s Oil Sector

Courtesy of The High Country News, an interesting report on how California – despite not having much water to spare – is pouring billions of gallons of this invaluable substance into its oil business and then allowing companies to return polluted wastewater to unlined ponds.  As the article notes: “…From the “Petroleum Highway” — a […]

Read more »



Water: An Important Opportunity For Energy Savings

Via The American Council For An Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), some interesting statistics on the watergy nexus as it relates to water supply and wastewater treatment systems.  As the report notes: “…Municipal water supply and wastewater treatment (W&WW) systems are among the most energy-intensive facilities owned and are operated by local governments, accounting for about 35% […]

Read more »



The Energy – Water Collision: Ten Things To Know

Via The Union of Concerned Scientists – a leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world – 10 things to know about the impending Energy-Water Collision.  As the article notes: “…Energy and water are woven into our daily lives and strongly linked to one another. Producing energy uses water, and providing freshwater uses energy. Both these processes face growing limits and problems. In most power plants, water […]

Read more »



Water and Energy Costs: Inextricably Linked

Via The River Network, a short article stating that the connections between water and energy cannot be made clearer.  As the article notes: “…As the cost of electricity increases, so to does the cost of water. This scenario has been made frighteningly evident in Australia where water prices across the country have soared by 30 […]

Read more »



Southern Nevada’s Watergy Nexus

Via the Las Vegas Sun, an interesting look at southern Nevada’s increased power consumption related to water: Southern Nevada has gained a reputation as the future of clean, renewable energy and for its aggressive outdoor water conservation campaigns. But behind this apparently eco-friendly exterior is an ugly truth: The water we take from and return […]

Read more »


  | 
About This Blog And Its Author
As the scarcity of water and energy continues to grow, the linkage between these two critical resources will become more defined and even more acute in the months ahead.  This blog is committed to analyzing and referencing articles, reports, and interviews that can help unlock the nascent, complex and expanding linkages between water and energy -- The Watergy Nexus -- and will endeavor to provide a central clearinghouse for insightful articles and comments for all to consider.

Educated at Yale University (Bachelor of Arts - History) and Harvard (Master in Public Policy - International Development), Monty Simus has held a lifelong interest in environmental and conservation issues, primarily as they relate to freshwater scarcity, renewable energy, and national park policy.  Working from a water-scarce base in Las Vegas with his wife and son, he is the founder of Water Politics, an organization dedicated to the identification and analysis of geopolitical water issues arising from the world’s growing and vast water deficits, and is also a co-founder of SmartMarkets, an eco-preneurial venture that applies web 2.0 technology and online social networking innovations to motivate energy & water conservation.  He previously worked for an independent power producer in Central Asia; co-authored an article appearing in the Summer 2010 issue of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, titled: “The Water Ethic: The Inexorable Birth Of A Certain Alienable Right”; and authored an article appearing in the inaugural issue of Johns Hopkins University's Global Water Magazine in July 2010 titled: “H2Own: The Water Ethic and an Equitable Market for the Exchange of Individual Water Efficiency Credits.”