Hotspots H2o

This is an excerpt from Circle of Blue's July 12, 2021 episode of What's Up With Water. The acceleration of disaster is repeating worldwide, in part because vulnerable people and developments are moving into terrain that is hazardous.  Landslides in the unstable Himalaya mountains in recent years have demolished newly built hydropower stations and killed hundreds. Over 200 were dead or missing this February from the Chamoli disaster there.  But the acceleration is also occurring because a supercharged climate is churning up more powerful hurricanes, more punishing droughts, more oppressive heat waves, and altogether more environmental and water-related risk. António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, emphasized that point last week at a special UN session on water and disasters. He said “Last year, cyclones lashed the shores of many countries that were already grappling with serious liquidity crises and debt burdens, made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic.” The scenario that Guterres described —

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. Stories this week: a controversial oil pipeline in Memphis area is cancelled, the Chinese vice premier calls for environmental protections in the Yellow River basin, and an exclusive CoB story on the strain of constant disasters.

This is an excerpt of the June 28, 2021 episode of What's Up With Water. This year, the intensely dry conditions gripping the American West and Upper Midwest are well past the brown hills stage. Nine western states have some form of drought in nearly 90 percent of their area. More than a quarter of the region is considered to be in exceptional drought, which is the worst category in the U.S. Drought Monitor. Signs of widespread dryness are everywhere. Lakes Mead and Powell, the major reservoirs on the Colorado River, are only 35 percent full with a two-year outlook that worsened each month this spring. California officials told vineyards along the Russian River in May that the system is too depleted for irrigation. In April, in Utah’s Great Salt Lake, sailboats were lifted out of receding waters that were too shallow to float them. In the Klamath River that flows between Oregon and California, few juvenile salmon are expected to survive this season. In Arizona, the Rafael Fire, burning in the Prescott Nati

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from "Circle of Blue." This week: The killing of an Indigenous activist in Mexico and unsustainable groundwater use in Arkansas. Plus, an exclusive CoB feature on the widespread consequences of drought.

This is an excerpt of the June 21, 2021 edition of What's Up With Water. On Memorial Day, while many Californians were celebrating the unofficial start to summer, the residents of a house off of County Road 200 were contemplating a loss. That day, the homeowners in northern Glenn County submitted an anonymous report to a state database. It said that their drinking water well was on the verge of sputtering out. The well was shallow, only 75 feet deep, and the flow had slowed to a trickle. It pulled water from its site outside the town of Orland, an agricultural valley some 100 miles north of Sacramento, an area covered by almond, walnut, and olive orchards. The failing well was not an isolated case — and not a quick fix either, as the incident report went on to recount, saying: “Everyone around us and neighbors are having the same problems and with our water table being so low we will have to drill the well deeper but the wait list in Orland and Glenn County is months out and we cannot afford that cost.” I

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. THis week: a controversial dam in the Nile basin, groundwater depletion in Iran, and drought impacting water supplies in Iowa. Plus, a CoB exclusive on dry wells in California.

This is an excerpt of the June 14, 2021 edition of What's Up With Water. Microscopic phytoplankton, which are the foundation of the marine food chain, are some of the world’s most abundant and ancient organisms. Though essential to ocean life, they produce plenty of drawbacks, too. When they cluster along the coast, certain species paint the nearshore waters in a palette of fiery reds and mossy greens. Other toxin-producing species cause beach closures, kill fish, and lead to restrictions on harvesting clams and oysters. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these marine harmful algal blooms are on the rise. But are they really increasing globally? According to a first-ever assessment, the answer is no.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week: an investigation of the deadly Uttarakhand avalanche that happened in February, a Canadian town might get clean water for the first time in 20 years, and PFAS in rain samples in the Great Lakes. Plus, an exclusive CoB feature on a toxic threat to the world’s coastlines.

Circle of Blue reports on a shrinking Lake Mead.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week: oxygen depletion in lakes, China flood risk, and dams located near toxic waste sites. Plus, a CoB exclusive feature on "water savings accounts" in Lake Mead.

This is an excerpt of the May 24, 2021 edition of What's Up With Water. Frank Picozzi, the mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island, wants $10 million to replace water and sewer pipes. In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards floated the idea of $300 million for water and sewer infrastructure. Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, meanwhile, is putting $250 million into upgrading his state’s water systems and connecting rural residents to clean drinking water. These potential investments are made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act, a coronavirus relief package that includes substantial sums for public works. President Biden is promoting a multitrillion-dollar standalone infrastructure bill — a proposal that includes over 100 billion dollars to remove lead pipes, upgrade rural water systems, and clean up toxic PFAS chemicals. But in the meantime, the American Rescue Plan Act is a windfall of its own. When lawmakers in Congress passed the $1.9 trillion rescue plan in March, they opened the public purse in a bid to stoke t

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week: drought in Taiwan, carbon emissions from dam reservoirs, and dirty water tanks in the US. Plus an exclusive CoB feature on water infrastructure investments from the American Rescue Plan.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. Stories this week on Great Lakes water levels, the deep fingerprints that drought left on Australia's rivers, and failure to plan for climate adaptation. And an exclusive CoB feature on dry conditions in the American West.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week - water and sewer utility privatization in Brazil and a legal test of the rights of nature in California. Plus, a CoB exclusive feature on financing innovations that are changing the shape of water, sanitation, and hygiene access around the world.

This is an excerpt of the May 3, 2021 edition of What's Up With Water. In December, when Congress completed the 2021 budget, lawmakers added more funding to help low- and middle-income Americans withstand the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to a second round of stimulus payments, lawmakers included over $600 million for households that were behind on their water bills. It was the first time that Congress had set aside federal funding for that purpose. Little more than two months later, Congress doubled down on the approach, adding another $500 million to what is now officially called the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program. In total, over a billion dollars will be available to relieve households of water debts. That’s where the process has slowed. As of late April, none of those funds has been allocated to the states, let alone distributed to families in need. State allocations, to be set by the Department of Health and Human Services, are based on poverty levels and high housing costs. Recently

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. Stories this week on financing a canal around Istanbul, how the pandemic reduced the rate of snow melt in South Asia, an unstable glacial lake in Tibet and the threat of historic drought in California. Plus CoB on the status of federal aid for household water debts.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week: a Gallup poll about drinking water pollution, Louisiana lawmakers wanting to create a report card for drinking water systems, and concerns about dry wells this summer in California. Plus an exclusive CoB story on the risk of dry wells globally.

This is an excerpt of the April 19, 2021 edition of What's Up With Water. Circle of Blue looks at a report on California’s drinking water systems showing that hundreds are below health standards, and hundreds more are at risk. In 2018, when California lawmakers were debating a funding package for clean drinking water, one of things they didn’t know was the extent of the need. The State Water Resources Control Board has released the 2021 Drinking Water Needs Assessment report, so now regulators have a detailed picture of where things stand: how many small water systems are failing or at the brink of failure and what it would cost to bring them up to par. The California needs assessment found over 300 public water systems that consistently fail to provide drinking water that meets state and federal standards. Add to this some 600 public water systems that are at risk of failing. There are also roughly 600 state small systems, those that serve fewer than 25 people, that are at high risk of failing to meet

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week: Stories on the volcanic eruption in St. Vincent, drying of Dhanauri wetlands in India, and $205M settlement in Delaware over air and groundwater contamination from a chicken processing plant. Plus a CoB exclusive feature on failing water systems in California.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week: drought in Taiwan, dry conditions in California, and PFAS lawsuits. Plus and exclusive CoB feature on federal study of PFAS exposure and viral illness.