Water
Ensuring resilient water infrastructure requires creative financing
COMMENTARY | Federal support is key to ensuring water systems are safe. But state and local governments have a critical role to play, too.
Small water utilities cannot achieve PFAS cleanup on their own
COMMENTARY | Limited budgets, smaller customer bases and skeleton crews put a heavier PFAS burden on rural systems; polluters should be held accountable.
Water-challenged state uses AI, satellites to find leaks
New Mexico will use artificial intelligence to monitor satellite images to identify leaks before they become major problems.
Why the election may slow plans to replace lead pipes
While many cities and states have begun to replace their lead pipes, some utilities and officials say the proposed 10-year time frame is unfeasible and too expensive.
Water system upgrades could require more than $1 trillion over next 20 years
Studies show how aging infrastructure and climate change are creating huge financial obstacles for cities and water utilities.
State dam safety programs could get new look after summer storms
The pressure is on aging dams as climate change fuels more intense weather, but it often takes high-profile incidents to focus lawmakers and other officials on the problem.
Climate change is messing with city sewers—and the solutions are even messier
As heavy rains overwhelm aging pipes, Boston and New York City are choosing very different paths forward.
Court boosts authority to prevent mammoth tides of manure from contaminating water
The Michigan court ruling emboldens the movement to limit pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations.
Decrepit pipes put Jackson, Mississippi, on the edge of catastrophe. State regulators didn’t act.
For years, Jackson residents endured periods of low water pressure, potentially unsafe drinking water or no water at all. All the while, state inspectors found few problems with the failing pipes that caused those problems.
A fifth of U.S. green hydrogen projects eyed for water-stressed areas
As the federal government pours billions into hydrogen production to lower greenhouse gas emissions, critics worry water shortages in the Southwest could worsen.
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In long-sought change, states must consider tribal rights when crafting water rules
A revision to the federal Clean Water Act could help protect resources tribal communities depend on like wild rice, sturgeon, salmon and shellfish.
White House looks to safeguard groundwater supplies as aquifers decline nationwide
Nationwide, overconsumption is depleting aquifers that supply communities with fresh water. In some areas, fertilizers used in farming or chemicals used in industry or mining are contaminating the underground reservoirs.
Billions in US funding boosts lithium mining, stressing water supplies
The energy transition is driving demand for batteries; funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and other federal programs is helping to fill it.
In an era of dam removal, California is building more
Project boosters claim the dams will be the most environmentally focused dams in California’s history, with water earmarked for environmental purposes and minimum flow requirements for the Sacramento River.
The sweeping impact of the Supreme Court’s Chevron reversal
Repealing the 40-year-old doctrine throws laws on climate, conservation, health, technology and more into doubt.
This city in the West made itself drought-proof. Then its dam started leaking.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and cities across the West rely on fragile water sources—and aging infrastructure.
Lead water pipes created a health disaster in Flint, but their replacements carry hidden costs
COMMENTARY | Durability and the risk of chemicals being released when pipes heat up are just some of the concerns about plastic pipes.
Water conservation standards are crucial to addressing future challenges
COMMENTARY | When cities follow water-efficient building standards, they insulate their communities and lay the foundation for providing clean water services to growing populations.
More than 70% of surveyed water systems failed to meet EPA cyber standards
The agency says it will take certain enforcement actions in cases where there is imminent danger from a cyberthreat against water infrastructure.
This Utah county will buy your lawn to save water
Would you ditch your grass for less-thirsty plants? In a place where every drop of water counts, a little cash compels residents to say yes.
