Water & Oceans

"Wind-strewn dust from California’s lithium-rich, shrinking Salton Sea may be triggering respiratory issues in children who live nearby, a new study has found."

"Damage to oceans is releasing vast amounts of CO2, despite efforts to market fish as a sustainable food."

"Water firms “passed” thousands of pollution tests under a self-monitoring regime … yet the tests were never even conducted, the Observer can reveal. The water firms’ own operational data for sewage plants across the country reveals how outflows of effluent had stopped – in some cases for just a few hours – on days that samples were supposed to be taken."

"Owasco Lake is called the region’s “canary in the coal mine” for harmful algal blooms, which threaten swimmers, pets and some local drinking water supplies."

"The once-mighty river is barely a trickle through much of West Texas. Scientists and advocates say local initiatives could be scaled up to restore flows to the river."

"New York, New Jersey and Delaware were accused in federal lawsuits Thursday of improperly allowing Atlantic sturgeon to be killed by commercial fishing operations even as the prehistoric fish is on the brink of disappearing."

"The Environmental Protection Agency is at risk of misallocating nearly $1 billion in lead pipe replacement funding to the wrong states because it didn’t verify inaccurate data provided by Texas and Florida, an agency watchdog announced."

"The handful of rangers who protect one of Earth’s most remote and biologically diverse reefs have only each other for company for months at a time. They worry about running out of gas for boat patrols, their drinking water can get dangerously low and rising seas are nipping away at the tiny island that hosts their station."

"Colorado lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to offer payments to Native American tribes that are unable to use their full share of the Colorado River, arguing the groups should be compensated for reducing pressure on the drought-stricken waterway."

"Advocates say vulnerable communities can’t afford to wait 20 years for service line replacement and that more outreach is required."