Water Quality
Winter Road Salt is Making Waterways Toxic to Wildlife
Salt used to clear streets is accumulating in local creeks and rivers and seeping into groundwater, contaminating fresh water supplies.
St. Louis has a Secret Stormwater Weapon Saving 100 Million Gallons from the Mississippi
The city reimburses residents who install gardens, rain barrels, and other methods that retain stormwater and decrease the risk of flooding.
Chicago River Clean Enough for Swimming for the First Time in 98 Years
A historic two-mile river race through downtown highlighted the success of decades-long efforts to clean up the city’s river.
Is Your City Swimmable?
An interview with organizers of the inaugural Swimmable Cities Summit, which took place this June 22-24 in Rotterdam, NL.
Seattle Builds Subway-Sized Tunnel — for Stormwater
The $700 million ‘stormwater subway’ is designed to handle overflows during storms, which contain toxic runoff from roadways and vehicles.
NOAA Great Lakes Lab Loses Key Funding
Cuts at a lab that monitors water quality in the Great Lakes region could harm efforts to prevent dangerous algal blooms.
Comment: EPA Cuts will Send Atlanta Back to Eye-burning Ozone, Lung-damaging Smog, and Raw Sewage in the Chattahoochee River
A veteran political journalist takes stock of the hard-earned ground Georgia stands to lose with slashed environmental protection.
California Lawmakers Move to Protect Waterways
Anticipating that the Trump EPA will reinstate a 2017 policy that excluded seasonal wetlands and waterways from environmental protections.
El Paso Wastewater Purification Facility Breaks Ground
As water supplies become strained and technology advances, cities look to wastewater as a viable source of drinking water.
River Seine ‘Teeming’ With Life
Decades of restoration efforts are yielding positive results as dozens of species of fish return to the once-polluted waterway.
California Approves $10 Billion Bond for Water, Clean Energy, and Environmental Projects
Funds will be used to support water, wildfire prevention, environmental, and park projects, reflecting strong public support for climate resilience.
America’s 10 ‘Greenest’ Cities
A new analysis ranks cities based on their environmental quality, energy consumption and production, transportation, density, and other factors.
Report: European Rivers Are in Trouble
Some of the continent’s most important rivers are suffering from overuse and pollution.
Supreme Court Could Curb EPA’s Water Quality Regulation Powers
A suit brought by the city of San Francisco argues that the agency’s language around water treatment and discharge is too vague and imposes retroactive penalties.
President Sets New Deadline for Replacing Lead Pipes
U.S. cities are charged with replacing dangerous lead pipes and improving drinking water quality within the next 13 years.
Study: Fracking Chemical Disclosures Prompt More Cautious Behavior
Because toxic chemicals used in fracking can contaminate local water supplies, residents in states that require companies to disclose their materials are more likely to increase their bottled water consumption.
Great Lakes Water Quality Project Seeks to Restore Coastal Vegetation
A plan to restore perennial plants to agricultural land could help reduce runoff and improve water quality across the Great Lakes region.
Study: Lakes Near Communities of Color Less Inspected for Water Quality
The research is the first of its kind to analyze the relationship between freshwater monitoring and the race and ethnicity of nearby communities.
Michigan Court Green-Lights State Regulation of Livestock Manure
A recent court decision has granted Michigan regulators full authority to hold animal agriculture accountable for manure runoff into waterways.
Baltimore Invests Billions to Clean its Waterways
Like Paris, the city has been working to improve its wastewater system and make local waterways safe for swimming.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
