"A chemical spill along a West Virginia river on Thursday triggered a tap water ban for up to 300,000 people, shutting down schools, bars and restaurants and forcing residents to line up for bottled water at stores. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency for nine counties following the spill of 4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol, a chemical used in the coal industry."
"While the East Coast is digging out from a major winter storm, the West Coast is praying for rain. The state just finished one of the driest years on record, and that has water managers, farmers and others worried."
"The Spokane Tribe of Indians has adopted new water quality standards aimed at protecting the health of members who eat a subsistence diet of nearly two pounds of fish daily."
"LOS ANGELES — A swath of California closed out 2013 as the driest year on record, marked by above-normal temperatures and thirsty reservoirs."
"TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a report years in the making about options for keeping Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes."
"Anti-whaling activists said on Monday they had captured images of Japanese ships killing protected whales inside an internationally recognized whale sanctuary, sparking criticism of the Australian government's handling of the issue."
"LAKE MEAD, Nev. -- The sinuous Colorado River and its slew of man-made reservoirs from the Rockies to southern Arizona are being sapped by 14 years of drought nearly unrivaled in 1,250 years."
"Associated Press review of complaints casts doubt on industry view that it rarely happens."
"FORT EDWARD, N.Y. -- A report by General Electric asserting that it does not expect to do further PCB dredging of the Hudson River — to include the impaired Champlain Canal — drew muted criticism Tuesday from the state, which is still deciding whether extra dredging is needed."
"Millions of American property owners get flood insurance from the federal government, and a lot of them get a hefty discount. But over the past decade, the government has paid out huge amounts of money after floods, and the flood insurance program is deeply in the red."
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