Oceans & Clean Water

Clean water is essential during the COVID-19 health crisis, but so far Congress hasn’t directed funds to help water utilities or stop water shutoffs in low-income households.

The innovative project could aid endangered native species — and provide a useful roadmap for other dam-removal efforts.

For example, in Florida, the loss of just 3% of wetland coverage resulted in $480 million in property damage during just one hurricane.

A new online resource combines economic and environmental data to help prevent deadly conflict. It could be a vital tool in the age of climate change.

But the effects of removing this “environmental safety net” won’t be felt equally. States with fewer local protections and resources will suffer the most — as will their people and wildlife.

Climate change has caused record-breaking ocean temperatures, and that means more dangerous storms, trouble for coral reefs and big changes for our marine ecosystems.

Scientists studying conditions on the Klamath River hope to help recovery efforts here and around the world, but they still lack dedicated funding.

Scientists have found that many inland waterways are getting saltier, and that’s helping to mobilize heavy metals and other chemicals from the soil, creating potentially dangerous combinations.

New analysis reveals that we have much less water in our aquifers than we previously thought — and the oil and gas industry could put that at even greater risk.

We’ll have to contend with new limits to the Clean Water Act, growing threats from climate change and fixing our aging infrastructure.