Water


Oregon Pursuing Outstanding Resource Designation for North Fork Smith River

The proposal would designate the river, as well as its tributaries and associated wetlands, as Outstanding Resource Waters under Oregon's antidegradation regulations under the federal Clean Water Act. This would be the first such protection for a water body in Oregon.

Congress Uses Congressional Review Act Against Streams Rule

The U.S. Senate voted 54-45 on Feb. 2 to kill it via the Congressional Review Act, a measure dating to 1996 that allows Congress to vote to eliminate a recently enacted federal regulation. In this case, the rule requires coal companies to clean up waste from mountaintop removal mining and prevent it from going into local waterways.

U.S. Army Pursues ‘Biodegradable’ Ammunition

U.S. Army Pursues ‘Biodegradable’ Ammunition

Military bases are among the most toxic sites in the United States.

NRC Proposes Lower Fees for FY2017

The proposed rule reduces annual fees by 7.3 percent from last year for operating reactors, by 16.1 percent for most fuel cycle facilities, and by 1.5 percent for spent fuel storage and decommissioning reactor licensees.

Wading birds feed near wooden posts marking a research site in a Louisiana salt marsh in Port Fourchon, La. Color-coded posts mark research plots for the USGS-University of Texas Rio Grande Valley study. (USGS photo)

Study Warns of Big Impacts to Coastal Wetlands

"Most studies have focused on the impact of sea-level rise on coastal wetlands and have excluded the important role of temperature and precipitation," said Michael Osland, a USGS research ecologist and the study's co-author. "We know that climate influences how these wetlands look and work, so this study aimed to demonstrate the importance of considering these forces when modeling what coastal wetlands may look like in the future."

Canadian Fund Aids 16 Projects in Quebec

"Thanks to the federal-provincial agreement for the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund, 12 municipalities in the Mauricie region will be able to complete important projects to meet their needs related to drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure," said Julie Boulet, minister of Tourism and minister responsible for the Mauricie region.

President Signs Order to Reduce Federal Regulations

The order will require agencies to control the costs of all new rules within their budget and will be prohibited from imposing any new cost in finalizing or repealing a rule for the remainder of 2017 unless the cost is offset by the repeal of two existing regulations.

New Water Source Opens in San Antonio

San Antonio introduces a new, drought-resistant drinking water source to their city.



EPA Halts Grant Programs, Tells Employees to Remain Silent

Sources within the agency say it has been instructed to freeze all grants.

WVDEP Accepts Beech Bottom Industrial Park Remediation Application

The property has been subjected to deep and surface mining in the past and part was occupied by a former fueling station along State Route 2, according to the department.

Settlement Reached to Clean Up Navajo Nation Uranium Mines

Cyprus Amax and Western Nuclear have agreed to perform removal site evaluations, engineering evaluations, cost analyses, and cleanups at the 94 mines. In return for that commitment, the United States, on behalf of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy, agrees to place $335 million into a trust account to help fund the cleanup.

Canada Funds New Brunswick Wastewater Treatment Plant

The project includes provincial and local funding and will replace aging infrastructure in the community of Chipman.

The Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation at the University of Windsor campus has a bio wall that includes 1,500 plants. It naturally filters the carbon dioxide in the air and then transfers its freshness to the entire building. This building also boasts glass and solar systems, a green roof that collects and filters rain water, and hollow core slabs to both harness and store energy and in turn decrease the use of traditional HVAC systems. (Termobuild photo)

Green Building and Sustainability

Increased awareness of not only the value, but the necessity of adopting green building initiatives in new builds and retro fits is critical.

President Trump Plans 'America First' Energy Plan

Protecting clean air and clean water, conserving our natural habitats, and preserving our natural reserves and resources will remain a high priority, and President Trump will refocus the EPA on its essential mission of protecting our air and water, the new administration says.

Safety Concerns Cause Move of Antarctic Station

Safety Concerns Cause Move of Antarctic Station

The British Antarctic Survey station is being moved about 15 miles to get away from new crack in the floating Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica, and it will shut down from March to November this year.

Small Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems Receive Funding from EPA

Small Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems Receive Funding from EPA

The EPA will be awarding $12.7 million in funds to help small drinking and wastewater systems, as well as private well owners, improve operations and to better protect the public and the environment.

EPA Issues Nanomaterials Reporting Rule

The information is to include the specific chemical identity, production volume, methods of manufacture and processing, exposure and release information, and existing information concerning environmental and health effects, "insofar as known to or reasonably ascertainable by the person making the report," it states.

VA Establishes Presumption of Illnesses from Camp Lejeune Water Supply

During the early 1980s, volatile organic compounds, trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, as well as benzene and vinyl chloride were discovered in two on-base water supply systems at Camp Lejeune. The contaminated wells supplying the water systems were shut down in February 1985.

Lesser Long-Nosed Bat Recovering, Delisting Proposed

With 30 years of recovery efforts having paid off, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove the bat from the Endangered Species Act's protections.

Massachusetts School Installs Rooftop Solar System

Epiphany School installs 25 kW solar PV system through partnership with Solect Energy.