Hotspots H2o

This is an excerpt from Circle of Blue's August 10, 2020 episode of What's Up With Water. This week Circle of Blue presents the first story in a series on the debt that American households owe to their water departments. Most Americans give little thought to water bills, paying them on time and in full. But for some homeowners and renters, water debt is relentless and menacing. Circle of Blue’s investigation focused on a dozen major U.S. cities with publicly operated water utilities. Collectively, they represented over a billion dollars in past-due water bills, owed by about a million and a half households. Businesses, industries, and other commercial operations in those cities owed another $416 million.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week: monsoon flooding in Mumbai, rural water system struggles in North Carolina, and the first in a series of Circle of Blue exclusives on water debt in America.

Circle of Blue's second installment in its Water, Texas series.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week, legal action on Flint's water crisis, a deadly year for environmental campaigners and a dry prognosis for Texas. Circle of Blue presents the first in a series of reports offering an in-depth look at water in the Lone Star State.

"When It Rains, Texans Forget Drought and Worsening Water Scarcity" After the Pandemic, Soaring Population Growth, Industrial Development Will Again Overwhelm Planning and Water Supply

This is an excerpt of our July 27, 2020 episode of What's Up With Water, as Circle of Blue reports on the coronavirus response in Brazil, where community leaders have stepped in to compensate for government failures. In the midst of a pandemic, Brazil has no health minister. Luiz Henrique Mandetta was fired by President Jair Bolsonaro in April, and Mandetta’s successor stepped down in May. Even though water, sanitation, and hygiene are bedrocks of public health, the federal government refuses to make them a priority, decreasing investment in the sector by billions of reals over the past decade. Despite prior success with both the Zika and swine flu outbreaks, Brazil’s federal, state, and local governments have largely failed to coordinate a clear and effective response to the coronavirus.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. Stories this week: record river pollution fine handed out in Russia, severe floods continue in Asia, and Covid-19 outbreaks in Egyptian prisons. Plus a CoB feature on community coronavirus response in Brazil.

This is an excerpt of our July 20, 2020 episode of What's Up With Water, as Circle of Blue reports on an experiment in Phoenix that is an alternative to shutting off water to homeowners who are behind on their bills. It involves a simple disk that’s no larger than a quarter. But Kathryn Sorensen and the staff at Phoenix Water Services Department think it could address one of the utility’s most vexing problems.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. Stories this week: confusion over Ethiopia dam filling, China continues to battle massive floods on the Yangtze, and Great Lakes water levels rise more slowly. Plus, a CoB feature on a water flow restriction experiment by the city of Phoenix.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. Stories this week: water theft investigation in Baja California, Great Lakes heat up, Michigan governor extends shutoff ban, and China's massive floods.

This is an excerpt of our July 6, 2020, episode of What's Up With Water, as Circle of Blue reports on coronavirus prevention in Nigeria. As the coronavirus pandemic spreads through Africa’s most populous country, a health foundation is pushing for better access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. Though it had a late start, the disease is spreading through Nigeria with increasing speed. As of June 30, Nigeria had more than 25,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, the second highest number in Africa. Forty percent of the cases were recorded in the last two weeks. Vulnerable populations such as frontline healthcare workers are at a greater risk without proper water or hygiene. Photo © Wellbeing Foundation Africa.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water, from Circle of Blue. Stories this week: Puerto Rico water rationing, Australia drought fund, water-climate research, plus a CoB feature on Covid-19 and hygiene in Nigeria.

This is an excerpt from the June 29, 2020, episode of What's Up With Water. This episode continues our reporting on small water systems facing big money problems. In North Carolina, officials are working on a rating system that would identify public water and sewer providers that are at risk of financial failure. The ratings would allow state funding and technical assistance to flow to the most distressed communities.

Your "need to know news" of the world's water from Circle of Blue. Three stories from the US this week: Bayer settlement, Line 5 temporary shutdown, and drinking water contamination in jails. Plus CoB story on assessing small water systems in North Carolina.

This is an excerpt from the June 22, 2020, episode of What's Up With Water. This episode reports on a remarkable drop in Colorado River water consumption. It’s an encouraging sign for the beleaguered river. The three states that hold the Colorado River’s lower basin used a lot less of its water last year, a low that hasn’t been seen in 33 years. This comes at a time of growing awareness of the vulnerability of the region’s water in a drying and warming climate. Arizona, California, and Nevada combined to consume just over 6.5 million acre-feet last year, according to an annual audit from the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that oversees the lower basin.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. Stories this week: the Mekong River Commission asks China for more information about its dam operations, the expansion of informal settlement outside Caracas is another sign of Venezuela's economic collapse, U.S. commercial insurers examine Legionnaires' risks in buildings, Nevada regulators restrict groundwater pumping north of Las Vegas to protect an endangered fish, plus CoB story on Colorado River.

This is an excerpt from the June 15, 2020, episode of What's Up With Water. This episode reports on how efforts to protect salmon in the Pacific Northwest could affect the region’s dams. Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a long-awaited proposal under the Clean Water Act, which would limit water temperatures in one of the country’s largest river systems. The limits apply to some 900 miles of the Columbia and Lower Snake rivers in Oregon and Washington. The intent is to protect endangered salmon and other aquatic species from overheating in waters affected by thermal stress.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. Stories this week: government officials delay expansion of Sydney's desalination plant, Nestle considers selling U.S. bottled water brands, the Flint water crisis caused U.S. children to drink less tap water, and legal proceedings in California put water fluoridation on trial. Plus, a CoB feature on water temperature limits in the Columbia and Lower Snake rivers to protect salmon.

This is an excerpt from the June 8, 2020, episode of What's Up With Water. This episode reports on sewage surveillance as a way to monitor the new coronavirus. It’s attracting a lot of attention, but has some obstacles to overcome before it is widely used for public health decisions. In hundreds of cities worldwide, health departments and researchers are turning to sewage to better understand the spread of the virus in their communities. This is possible because people infected with SARS-CoV-2 shed particles of the virus in their stool.

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week: New Jersey finalizes drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS, federal researchers expect a Gulf of Mexico dead zone and a Lake Erie harmful algal bloom that are smaller than last year, and Sao Paulo state suspends utility shutoffs during the pandemic. Plus, aCoB feature on sewage surveillance for the coronavirus.