Drinking Water

Drinking Water More Precious Than Grass in California
Ornamental grass—the kinds of grass that line medians and roadsides but never serves for recreation—is a vanishing amenity in a drought-stricken West.

Winter Storm Knocks Out Drinking Water Systems in the South, Including in Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi made headlines and incurred a civil rights investigation earlier this year when flooding knocked out the city’s drinking water supply. This week’s winter storm had the same effect on Jackson as well as other Southern cities.

Mississippi Investigated for Civil Rights Violations in Jackson Water Crisis
The NAACP has accused a pair of Mississippi departments of discrimination against Black Mississippians, leading to the loss of drinking water in the state's capital city at the end of the summer.

Ramping Up Recycled Wastewater
States like Colorado and water suppliers in parts of Southern California are expanding the use of recycled wastewater to protect dwindling drinking water supplies.

Costs to Fix Jackson's Water System Estimated at $1 Billion
Planning and funding are both in dire need in Jackson, Mississippi. The question is who should be in charge of all the planning and funding.

Water Supply Failure in Jackson, Mississippi
A catastrophic failure of the water supply in Jackson is leaving state and local officials scrambling to deliver clean water to some 180,000 residents of the state’s capital.

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.

Delivering Clean Water to the Many in Need
Examining the immense scale of the challenge in delivering clean drinking water to everyone in the world.

Environmentalists Object to California Desalination Plan
Critics of a controversial desalination project planned for Orange County claim Governor Newsom is pressuring officials to support the plant in spite of environmental concerns.

The Environmental Injustices Plaguing Detroit
Despite the decades-long activities of environmental justice advocates in the Motor City, low-income and people of color bear the brunt of pollution in Detroit.

When Red States Turn Blue
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has followed the path laid by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in joining the U.S. Climate Alliance. All three are new Democratic governors replacing Republican predecessors.

San Diego Water Recycling Project Receives Critical EPA Loan
One of the nation's most ambitious attempts to recycle wastewater into potable water received a huge lift last month from the EPA with the receipt of a $164 million loan under the now-permanent Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.

EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Propose Revision of Wetlands Definition
Fulfilling a promise he made as a candidate, the Trump administration proposed a redefinition of what is classified as a wetland, with the result being the loss of federal protection of millions of acres of waterways and wetlands.

Drinking Water Lessons from West Texas
Several cities in West Texas have a long history in wastewater reclamation, even using the water for drinking, due to the Texas drought. El Paso aims to build the nation's largest advanced purification project for direct water reuse.

Taste Buds Don't Lie: Recycled Water Tastes as Good as Bottled Water
We're talking about toilet to tap. There, we said it.

The Real Cost of Clean Water in One Kansas Town
Pretty Prairie has water with very high levels of nitrates, and lots of farmers that need to use nitrates if they want to keep the local economy going.

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.

Climate Change Is Shrinking the Colorado River
Documenting the effects of climate change on the West's most vital source of water.

Trump Budget's Devastating Effect on the EPA and Two of America's Greatest Water Resources
President Trump's budget for 2018 has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency take the steepest hit—31 percent. Funding for two vital programs, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and Chesapeake Bay Program, will have their funds eliminated.
Tennessee Valley Authority on Trial for Drinking Water Contamination from Coal Ash
Two environmental groups are suing the nation's largest public power utility for contaminating drinking water through prolonged leaks from coal ash ponds at TVA's coal-burning Gallatin Fossil Plant into the Cumberland River and ground water.
Pagination
City of Morganton
San Joaquin County
University of New Mexico - School of Architecture & Planning
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Park City Municipal Corporation
National Capital Planning Commission
City of Santa Fe, New Mexico
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.