Water

$15B Proposal to Get the Lead Out of U.S. Pipes

Local leaders and water advocates applaud the Senate infrastructure bill's billions for clean water and sewer system problems, but say the funding is not enough.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

For-profit Water Infrastructure Should Not Get Taxpayer Subsidies

COMMENTARY | Most federal infrastructure proposals allow subsidies to flow to private water corporations. This amounts to a misuse of public funds.

  • By Mary Grant , Mike Keegan and Elizabeth Dietzmann

The West Can End the Water Wars Now

Far-right radicals in Southern Oregon are threatening to bust open an irrigation canal. Instead, the region could be a model for managing watersheds in a warmer world.

  • By Emma Marris, The Atlantic

Crumbling Water Facilities Need Central Role in Infrastructure Proposals

COMMENTARY | America’s network of drinking water plants, wastewater treatment facilities and subterranean pipes is in dire need of fixing. It has been deteriorating for years, jeopardizing the health of millions.

  • By Ari Goldfarb

US Southwest, Already Parched, Sees ‘Virtual Water’ Drain Abroad

As the Colorado River Basin enters yet another year of drought, global companies are worsening the water crisis.

  • By Diana Kruzman, Undark

EPA Announces Intent to Give Governments Back More Authority Over Clean Water Act Rule

Last year 21 state attorneys general sued over a rule change to the act implemented by the Trump administration, saying it lessens states’ abilities to combat pollution.

  • By Brent Woodie

In Wisconsin, Residents Bear the Impacts of ‘Forever Chemicals’

Four years after a facility disclosed water contamination, locals are using bottled water to cook and battling cancer.

  • By John McCracken, Undark

GOP Senators Raise Infrastructure Counteroffer to $928B

Republicans and the White House are still far apart on the size of the package. And there are few signs of agreement on how to pay for it, with GOP lawmakers looking to repurpose Covid funding.

  • By Bill Lucia

How Much Will it Cost to Replace All Lead Water Pipes in the U.S.?

The initial price is high, but the public health and economic benefits outweigh the costs in the long run, according to research by the Hutchins Center at the Brookings Institution.

  • By Brent Woodie

Water Wells Are at Risk of Going Dry in the US and Worldwide

COMMENTARY | Unfortunately, pervasive pumping is causing groundwater levels to decline.

  • By Debra Perrone and Scott Jasechko, The Conversation

Wildfires Can Poison Drinking Water – Here’s How Communities Can be Better Prepared

COMMENTARY | Communities need to upgrade building codes to keep wildfires from causing this kind of widespread contamination of drinking water systems.

  • By Andrew J. Whelton and Caitlin R. Proctor, The Conversation

Poll: Water Pollution Americans' Top Environmental Concern

Among six environmental harms people are most worried about, polluted drinking water and lakes and rivers continually rank high on an annual Gallup survey.

  • By Brent Woodie
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Amid Drought, California Contests Nestlé’s Water Rights

Nestlé siphoned 58 million gallons of water from a creek outside of LA last year. Are they taking more than their share?

  • By Maanvi Singh, Undark

Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Targets Lead Pipes that Threaten Public Health Across the US

COMMENTARY | This effort would affect an estimated 6 million to 10 million homes, along with 400,000 schools and child care facilities.

  • By Gabriel Filippelli , The Conversation

Longer, More Frequent Droughts Hit Western US

COMMENTARY | Periods of drought in the western United States have become longer over the past 50 years, according to a new study.

  • By Rose Brandt, Futurity

Interstate Water Wars are Heating Up Along With the Climate

COMMENTARY | Sates should put at least as much effort into reducing water use as they do into litigation, because there are no guaranteed winners in water lawsuits.

  • By Robert Glennon, The Conversation

Cities Battle Another Long-Lasting Covid Reminder: PPE Litter

Discarded masks and plastic gloves are turning up on beaches and in waterways with increasing frequency.

  • By Andrea Noble

Why Wall Street Investors’ Trading California Water Futures is Nothing to Fear – and Unlikely to Work Anyway

COMMENTARY | Futures won’t affect whether there’s water in the hose

  • By Ellen Bruno and Heidi Schweizer, The Conversation

Water Being Pumped Into Tampa Bay Could Cause a Massive Algae Bloom, Putting Fragile Manatee and Fish Habitats at Risk

Contaminated water that's being emptied from a leaking reservoir at an abandoned phosphate plant is the latest threat to marine ecosystems in the region.

  • By Larry Brand, The Conversation

State and Federal Wildlife Officials Would Like You to Please Destroy Your Moss Balls

Invasive zebra mussels have been found in aquarium moss balls in at least 21 states. Wildlife officials say the balls must be destroyed to prevent the fast-multiplying mollusk from spreading.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Mid-Sized City Mayors Urge Feds Not to Forget Them in Climate Fight

The type of infrastructure investment needed to advance the Biden administration’s climate policy goals could be out of reach for many small and mid-sized cities without federal help.

  • By Andrea Noble