Water & Oceans

"Kentucky’s Rural Water Disaster Could Get Worse Before It Gets Better"

"BarbiAnn Maynard tossed a thick stack of blue papers, years of her water bills, on the table. One side of each water bill showed what she owed. On the other side were notices of drinking water violations—high levels of carcinogenic chemicals—found in Martin County, Kentucky’s water supply. By the time she received them in the mail, the toxins had been in the water for months."

Source: Scalawag, 03/21/2018

"U.S. Supreme Court Allows Flint Water Contamination Lawsuits"

"The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday gave the green light to two class-action lawsuits filed by residents of Flint, Michigan who are pursing civil rights claims against local and state officials over lead contamination in the city’s water supply."

Source: Reuters, 03/20/2018

"Storm-Prone States Ease Up On Building Codes Despite Growing Risks"

"A report being released on Monday shows Florida isn’t alone in easing up on building regulations even as the effects of global warming escalate. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety examined building policies in 18 Atlantic and Gulf Coast states and found that despite the increasing severity of natural disasters, many of those states have relaxed their approach to codes - or have yet to impose any whatsoever."

Source: Bloomberg, 03/20/2018

Are Combined Sewer Overflows Causing Pollution in Your Local Waters?

Decades after the nation’s capital began its historic cleanup, sanitary sewage still occasionally swamps the Potomac River. Are sewage systems also dumping human waste and other pollutants into waterways near you? This week’s TipSheet has the background on the problem of combined sewage overflow, as well as resources for finding out what’s happening near you.

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"On the Louisiana Coast, A Native Community Sinks Slowly into the Sea"

"The Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians of southern Louisiana have been called America’s first climate refugees. But two years after receiving federal funding to move to higher ground, the tribe is stuck in limbo, waiting for new homes as the water inches closer to their doors."

Source: YaleE360, 03/16/2018

"Easter Island Is Critically Vulnerable To Rising Ocean Levels"

"HANGA ROA, Easter Island — The human bones lay baking in the sun. It wasn’t the first time Hetereki Huke had stumbled upon an open grave like this one. For years, the swelling waves had broken open platform after platform containing ancient remains."

Source: NY Times, 03/15/2018

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