Water / Public News Service

The 1922 Colorado River Compact gives priority to Lower Basin states: Arizona, California and Nevada, for rights to Colorado River Water. (Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Study: 90% of CO River irrigation water goes to cattle

As Colorado and other states grapple with shrinking Colorado River water levels, new research pinpoints how much water is being diverted for cattle …

From Alabama to the Everglades, the Florida Wildlife Corridor is a superhighway of interconnected acres of wildlands, working lands and waters. (FAU/FWC aerial view)

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

FL Wildlife Corridor study reveals role in climate resilience, population growth

As the Sunshine State grapples with rising temperatures and escalating weather events such as hurricanes, a new study sheds light on the pivotal role …

According to the West Virginia Historical Society, the state had among the highest concentrations of chemical plants in the United States for nearly a century. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Monday, April 15, 2024

Experts: EPA chemical plant emissions rule a win for WV communities

Chemical plants in West Virginia and other states will be required to curb emissions of toxic, cancer causing pollutants - such as ethylene oxide…

North Carolina has the third highest PFAS exposure in the country. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, April 15, 2024

EPA takes steps to reduce PFAS as advocates call for more actions

The Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to reduce harmful pollution in drinking water in North Carolina and across the country. In a …

Enbridge owns and operates Line 5, a controversial oil pipeline that crosses tribal lands and runs under a portion of the Great Lakes. (Adobe Stock)

Midwest Tribes to take Line 5 concerns to United Nations forum

Next week, Native American leaders from the Midwest will go before a United Nations panel with their concerns over a controversial oil pipeline they …

PFAS are chemicals used since the 1940s. They are found in everyday products such as nonstick cookware. Public officials are sounding the alarm about health risks associated with the chemicals, including their presence in drinking water. (Adobe Stock)<br />

EPA finalizes national standard for PFAS in drinking water

Minnesota is the site of a high-profile drinking-water contamination case linked with so-called forever chemicals and advocates are hopeful residents …

WI, other states prepare for new PFAS drinking water rule

Efforts to limit human exposure to so-called forever chemicals continue to unfold in Wisconsin. Meanwhile, advocates are hopeful residents will be …

The Nature Conservancy Arizona will use the funding to purchase conservation easements from willing landowners on up to 20,000 acres. (Juliana Swenson/Adobe Stock)

Millions of dollars going to Verde River conservation in north central AZ

More than $11 million in federal grant money will go to improve land and water conservation in the upper Verde River Watershed and Big Chino Grassland…

Most of the USDA produce samples tested in this year's Dirty Dozen list from the Environmental Working Group were within the legal allowance for chemical pesticide residue. (Adobe Stock)

Strawberries top Dirty Dozen list of produce packed with pesticides

Nonorganic fruits and vegetables are loaded with chemical pesticides, including fungicides which can harm male reproductive systems, according to the …

$A new fracking well pad visible from the property of Ohio resident Randi Pokladnik. (Randi Pokladnik) <br />$

Ohio considers opening 40,000 acres in Wayne National Forest to fracking

Ohio's Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments - and will answer questions in virtual sessions today and tomorrow, on a draft …

In 2020, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Eichenger revoked the 1953 easement allowing Enbridge's Line 5 to operate. (Earthjustice)

Indigenous leaders come to NY to speak about pipeline impacts

Indigenous community leaders will be in New York addressing the United Nations. They'll be speaking at the UN's Permanent Forum on Indigenous …

Report: 90% of CO River irrigation water used to feed cattle

As Wyoming and other states grapple with shrinking Colorado River water levels - new research pinpoints how much water is being diverted to feed cattl…

Enbridge Energy's longstanding Line 5 oil pipeline has resulted in heavy opposition, including legal challenges, from environmental and tribal organizations in states such as Wisconsin and Michigan. (Photo courtesy Earthjustice)

Tribal interests remain at heart of opposition to Great Lakes oil pipeline

Later this month, Indigenous leaders will speak before a United Nations panel about their ongoing concerns with a controversial oil pipeline in the …

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the largest blackwater wetland ecosystem and the least disturbed freshwater ecosystem on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. (Adobe Stock)

Wildlife advocates urge stronger safeguards for Okefenokee

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia faces the prospect of a titanium dioxide mine near its border. Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals …

Lake Creek runs along the northern boundary of nearly 1,000 acres to be protected within the Houston metropolitan area. (Photo courtesy Bayou Land Conservancy)

Houston metro residents benefit from conservation easement

A conservation easement nine years in the making will benefit a local Texas community by preserving almost 1,000 acres. The Bayou Land Conservancy …

Decades of policies like redlining, that forced people of color into neighborhoods surrounded by industrial polluters, have led to a host of negative health outcomes, including cancers and premature death. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado lawmakers eye ways to reduce pollution in vulnerable communities

In 2021, Colorado lawmakers took a first step toward addressing decades of toxic pollution disproportionately impacting low-income neighborhoods and …

Supporters of Colorado's House Bill 1379 said it will help protect Coloradans from flooding, help ensure safe and sufficient drinking water and help preserve fishing, boating, and other recreational opportunities across the state. (Adobe Stock)

Restoring protections for Colorado endangered waters and wetlands

Colorado lawmakers are considering legislation to restore protections to key waters and wetlands struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court last year in a …

The 460 megawatt Merrimack Station's particulate matter emissions allegedly exceeded EPA limits by 70% in February 2023. A successful smoke stack retest has not been completed since, according to the New Hampshire Department of Environment Services. (Adobe Stock)<br />

NH groups celebrate planned closure of New England’s last coal plant

Environmental activists in New Hampshire are celebrating the planned closure of New England's last coal-fired power plant. Granite Shore Power said …

Farmers apply fertilizer, including nitrogen, before spring planting so the seed and the growing plant have nutrients available throughout the season. (Adobe Stock)

Program for farmers lowers the risk of reducing nitrogen application

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

Vital habitats for plants and animals classified as being of special concern would be obliterated if the York Energy Storage project is approved. Cuffs Run, home to naturally reproducing brook trout, would be devastated. (Chesapeake Bay Foundation/B.J. Small)

CBF takes legal action to stop hydroelectric facility for Cuffs Run

A proposed pumped-storage hydroelectric facility for Cuffs Run near the Susquehanna River in York County has been challenged by the Chesapeake Bay Fou…

Firefighters and veterans stationed at military bases for at least one year, and who have cancer or other diseases may be eligible to receive financial compensation from the companies that produced PFAS forever chemicals. (Adobe Stock)

New bill would expand PFAS ban for tampons, other consumer items

Colorado lawmakers want to beef up legislation that bans PFAS, so-called forever chemicals, by 2028. Yahn Olson is an associate attorney with …

Small seasonal streams lost Clean Water Act protections last year when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Biden administration in 'Sackett v. EPA.' (Derrick/Adobe Stock)

On World Water Day, advocates call on Congress to reinstate protections

Today is World Water Day, established 21 years ago by the United Nations to promote clean, fresh water. This year, advocates in the U.S. are …

Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline transports 22 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids across 645 miles of countryside every day, from Superior, Wis., through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, under the Straits of Mackinac to refineries in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. (Adobe Stock)

Michiganders in Cincinnati in pursuit of Line 5 shutdown

Dana Nessel, Michigan's Attorney General, joined Indigenous and conservation groups at a demonstration Thursday in Cincinnati, highlighting what they …

A Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership survey found 92% of Pennsylvania sportsmen and women support designating streams for protections when they meet the right criteria. (Adobe Stock)

A push to update PA stream designations for wild trout protection

Pennsylvania's wild trout streams are getting some much-needed attention and outdoor enthusiasts across the state can voice their views on safeguardin…

Tennessee residents typically spend around $177 per month on electric bills, which amounts to an annual expenditure of $2,124. (ABCDstock/Adobe Stock)

TN bill would boost public's role in TVA decision-making process

Tennesseans want more say in how the Tennessee Valley Authority plans for their future electricity needs and a bill now in Congress could give the pub…

Mississippi boasts around 5,000 named streams spanning about 14,000 miles in total length, but most are seriously degraded, according to the group Wildlife Mississippi. (kengmerry/Adobe Stock)

Clean water advocates urge Congress to restore vital protections

Today is World Water Day, a global observance to raise awareness about the importance of access to clean, fresh and safe water. This year, advocates …

Cover crops and other regenerative practices prevent erosion, improve soil health and can absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere and

Experienced NE farmer talks cattle, cover crops and regenerative agriculture

One of the goals included in Nebraska's Department of Environment and Energy's Priority Climate Action Plan recently submitted to the federal Environm…

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, helped secure the funding for the Western Michigan University project. (VectorMine/Adobe Stock)

WMU secures $2.25 million grant for carbon capture research

Western Michigan University has gotten a significant funding boost, with a grant of more than $2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy. The …

The Environmental Protection Agency said wetlands' sponge-like ability to absorb water slows the momentum of floodwaters or a coastal storm surge. (Adobe Stock)

Action to save remaining Illinois wetlands gains steam

The Supreme Court's decision in 2023 to roll back the Clean Water Act has meant less federal oversight in protecting the country's wetlands. …

Tourism and outdoor recreational are top drivers of New Mexico's economy. (Pew Charitable Trusts)

NM ambassadors travel east to advocate for West's Gila River

New Mexico has one of the nation's last "wild" rivers, free of human-made structures and community representatives will be back in the nation's …

Following a major earthquake, a 15-meter tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors, causing a nuclear accident in Japan on March 11, 2011. (Freer/Adobe Stock)

Fukushima remembrance event highlights local concerns in Michigan

Bringing together Michigan tribes and environmental advocates, an upcoming event marks a commemoration of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster…

Biodigester plants have become a popular option in using government incentives to help reduce livestock emissions but skeptics contended they will create more environmental problems by spurring more factory farms. (Adobe Stock)

California emissions credits clash with SD CAFO concerns

New forms of renewable energy are emerging within the agricultural sector but a California initiative, which has connections to states like South …

Smithfield Foods spilled more than 7.3 million gallons of hog waste throughout Missouri according to a public records search by The Socially Responsible Agriculture Project. (Alberto/Adobe Stock)

A California regulation with big Midwest consequences

Family farm advocates in Missouri are concerned a regulation on the other side of the country could have unintended effects on rural Missourians…

Water flows through part of Dos Rios Ranch Preserve. The former farmland now acts as a storage area for floodwaters during wet years. (Cameron Nielsen/Grist)

How can California solve its water woes? By flooding its best farmland

By Jake Bittle for Grist.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Grist-Public News Service Collaboration Th…

Environmental groups recently sued the Montana Department of Environmental Quality over its CAFO water pollution permit. (Adobe Stock)

Farm group calls on changes to USDA environmental funding

A farm advocacy group says large corporate agriculture producers are getting federal environmental safeguard funds that were intended for smaller oper…

The nonnative quagga mussel has been found in the Snake River. (Cavan/Adobe Stock)

Invasive Species Week sheds light on ID landscape impact

It is National Invasive Species Awareness Week, and plants and critters not native to the Northwest are wreaking havoc on some landscapes, including …

Chesapeake Bay Foundation educators, with students on a field trip, explore the Susquehanna River at City Island. The Capitol building is in the background. (Chesapeake Bay Foundation)

PA students gain hands-on experience in watershed conservation

It is almost time for some Pennsylvania students to get out of the classroom and into a canoe. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Pennsylvania Rivers …

Some 200 miles of the Hudson River are considered a Superfund site due to the high amount of contamination, but only 40 miles of the Upper Hudson are General Electric's responsibility. (Adobe Stock)

NY lawmakers demand EPA dredge Hudson River again

New York lawmakers are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to keep dredging the Hudson River. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., sent a …

The average Pennsylvanian uses about 62 gallons of water a day, at a cost of about 30 cents a day. <br />(Maridav/Adobe Stock)

PAWC rate hike proposal would affect 770,000 PA households

If Pennsylvania American Water gets its latest rate hike, more than 770,000 water and wastewater customers in 37 counties would be affected. For now…

Around 79% of Arizona voters think the low level of water in rivers is a serious problem, according to the 2024 Conservation in the West Poll. (Adobe Stock)

Poll: AZ voters show strong preference for conservation efforts

Voters from Arizona and across the West say a public official's position on conservation will be an important factor when deciding who to support in t…

Ice cover duration for Lake Michigan has declined by 22 days over the last 50 years. (Climate Central 2024)

Dwindling Great Lakes ice cover highlights troubling trend

The Great Lakes region has experienced record low ice cover this winter, and scientists said it is important to keep an eye on the warming trends…

Nine in 10 voters across eight Mountain West states including Colorado want oil and gas companies, not federal and state governments, to pay for cleanup and restoration costs. (Adobe Stock)

West's Latino voters want conservation over development on public lands

Voters, including 74% of Republicans, 87% of Independents and 96% of Democrats, would support candidates in elections who prioritize conservation on …

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is an internationally recognized wetland and designated Ramsar site. (Adobe Stock)

Calls renewed to protect Ash Meadows wildlife refuge

Nevada conservationists held a webinar to discuss the protection of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge near the Nevada-California border from propos…

There are nearly 1 million acres of modern coal mines in 12 states that have not yet been reclaimed, according to analyses by Appalachian Voices and the Western Organization of Resource Councils. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Advocates propose solutions to stop zombie mines in Ohio, other states

Advocates from coal-mining communities are proposing a roadmap to help address and prevent so-called "zombie mines," - abandoned mine lands on hold in…

In New Mexico, three-quarters of new survey respondents said they do not want protections rolled back on national monuments. (National Park Service)

Poll: Voters in NM, other Western states consistently support conservation

A new poll showed New Mexico voters expressed a deep affection for lands, water and wildlife and want policies offering greater protections. The 14…

New findings complied by Climate Central note that warming temperatures have led to 49 fewer

Report: Great Lakes not as icy most winters

Minnesota is seeing a glaring lack of snow and lake ice this winter, and a new report underscores how climate trends are leading to diminished ice …

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has the authority to cancel fishing seasons under part 411 of the state's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. The DNR notice said it is too soon to determine whether this year's cancelation will affect the harvest limit for next year. (sablin/Adobe Stock)

Black Lake sturgeon season cancelled due to mild temperatures

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced on Friday it is canceling the 2024 Black Lake sturgeon harvest due to warm temperatures and uns…

The Iowa Environmental Council is calling on the Department of Natural Resources to add better protections for the state's air, soil and groundwater quality in new regulations for concentrated animal feeding operations. (Adobe Stock)

Environmental advocates want tougher CAFO rules

After a two-and-a-half-year process, time is winding down for the public to comment on new rules for concentrated animal feeding operations in Iowa…

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