Water Quality

View of green lush wetland in Florida with lightly cloudy blue sky.

How To Make the Clean Water Act Work Better

A legal scholar suggests mechanisms for closing loopholes that limit the law’s effectiveness.

March 7, 2024 - The Regulatory Review

Aerial view of canal cut into beach in Charlestow, Rhode Island with boats parked in sand.

Northeastern Waterways More Polluted After Wet Year

Intense rains washed more runoff into local bodies of water, while warmer temperatures contributed to the growth of an invasive bloom.

March 1, 2024 - University of Rhode Island

Close-up of bright green algae bloom on water surface with persons hand reaching in to take a sample in a clear plastic water bottle.

Cape Cod Water Quality Threatened by Septic Runoff

Pollutants from local septic tanks are creating problematic algae blooms in local waters. Cleaning it all up could cost billions.

February 14, 2024 - WBUR

Dead fish washed up on Florida beach during 2018 'red tide' algae bloom event.

‘Red Tide’ Imperils Southwest Florida Economy

A new study quantifies the potential economic losses that would result from another algae bloom.

January 19, 2024 - Fox 4

The Yards Park, in Washington, D.C.

Want to Swim in the Potomac? Army Corps to Study the Possibility

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could soon study how to legalize swimming in the rivers around the nation’s capital—a scenario that would have seemed impossible in the not-too-distant past.

December 27, 2022 - DCist

Detroit Public Transit

Michigan Bill To Inject Nearly $5 Billion in Infrastructure, Housing

A bill signed by the state's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, allocates billions in federal and state funding to water quality, roads and dams, broadband, and other infrastructure projects.

April 1, 2022 - Detroit Free Press

Maumee River

Great Lakes To Receive $1 Billion from Infrastructure Bill For Restoration

An additional $1 billion in federal funding will bolster current efforts to clean polluted water sources and restore ecosystems in the Great Lakes region.

February 24, 2022 - Wyoming News Now

A New Orleans streetscape lined with mature Southern Live Oak trees.

Green Infrastructure Thinking for Southern Cities in 2022 and Beyond

Resilience planning requires communities to think of a well planned and maintained tree canopy as a public utility system with multiple benefits.

February 10, 2022 - Gaylan Williams

Downtown Phoenix Skyline

Arizona Environmental Agency Cutbacks Significant, Says Report

A new report says funding and staffing cuts at the state’s environmental protection agency could prevent it from adequately protecting public health and the environment.

December 20, 2019 - Phoenix New Times

Toxic Algae Bloom

Algae Bloom Shutting Down Mississippi Beaches

The Gulf Coast is facing the environmental threat of algae blooms that cause rashes, stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

July 9, 2019 - The Houston Chronicle

Donald Trump

Trump Signs Two Executive Orders Limiting States' Authority Over Energy Pipelines

The Trump administration's "energy dominance" agenda depends, in part, on growing the energy distribution network, namely pipelines, rail facilities, and ports. However, states can use the Clean Water Act to block pipelines and coal terminals.

April 15, 2019 - InsideClimate News

Kentucky Coal Mining

Coal Mining in Kentucky, but No Beat Reporters to Cover It

Environmental reporting has been one of the major casualties as newspapers downsize, particularly in places where the in-depth coverage is most needed.

April 2, 2019 - The New Yorker

Fish and WIldlife

The Dismal State of Water Infrastructure in Rural Kentucky

In a region where the utility is on the "brink of financial collapse," residents face outages, boil-water advisories and bills that come with health warnings.

February 14, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

San Diego Harbor

After the Drought, San Diego Faces Lead and Sewage

In 2017, the Southern California city no longer had to be concerned about water quantity, but was plagued by issues of water quality.

January 3, 2018 - Voice of San Diego

High Point, Seattle

Water-Smart Green Infrastructure: The Private Sector Steps Up

A new Urban Land Institute Report details the increasing implementation of citywide green infrastructure networks, including investments on both public and privately owned sites.

May 4, 2017 - Katharine Burgess

Chicago Beach

Summer Is Here—and So Are 'Smart Beaches'

A group of "citizen data scientists" produced a predictive analytic model that offers citizens better information about water quality on beaches along Lake Michigan in Chicago.

June 21, 2016 - Data-Smart City Solutions

Report: San Francisco's City Parks Worth $959 Million

The Trust for Public Land’s Center for City Park Excellence released a report placing the value of San Francisco's park system at $959 million.

January 7, 2015 - City Parks Blog

The Urban Water Blueprint Extends Well Beyond the City

A new project by the Nature Conservancy maps the impact of natural infrastructure—often found well outside the city limits—on urban water supplies.

November 28, 2014 - Next City

The Rising Costs of Water Quality

The pressures on water supply are growing at the same time that water quality is becoming more expensive and more difficult to maintain. A recent article examines the challenges in the farm state of Nebraska.

April 17, 2014 - Governing

Healing Rivers By (Voluntarily) Limiting Development

A voluntary program of incentives for land owners along the two rivers in Oregon, the Mckenzie River east of Eugene and the Rogue River near Medford, provides incentives for maintaining natural conditions along the river bed.

March 11, 2014 - KUOW

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