Water & Oceans

"America’s Longest River Was Recently Drier Than During The Dust Bowl"

"Rising temperatures due to climate change dramatically reduced the snowpack that feeds the Upper Missouri River Basin". "For the first decade of the century, the Upper Missouri River Basin was the driest it’s been in 1,200 years, even more parched than during the disastrous Dust Bowl of the 1930s, a new study says."

Source: Washington Post, 05/12/2020

Could Combined Sewer Overflows Be a COVID-19 Threat?

For reporters investigating the coronavirus-environment connection, you might look to the untreated sewage that can sometimes overflow municipal systems during wet weather, possibly bringing the novel pathogen to beaches and other places where people can get sick from it. The latest TipSheet takes a look at the reality, plus provides story ideas and reporter resources.

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"Pandemic Costs May Dry Up Ohio’s Plan to Fight Lake Erie Algae"

"The coronavirus pandemic is endangering a $900 million program that underpins Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s long-term strategy for shrinking the annual massive toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie’s western basin."

Source: Bloomberg Environment, 05/11/2020

FEMA Adds Social Distancing To Hurricane Season Emergency Response Plan

"With the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season fast approaching, U.S. officials on Thursday said they were readying more buses, hotel rooms and shelter space for social distancing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus during potential evacuations."

Source: Reuters, 05/08/2020
May 13, 2020

Rising Waters: Stories from America’s Frontline

The University of Rhode Island's Metcalf Institute and the Rhode Island Center for the Book's Reading Across Rhode Island program present an online conversation with Elizabeth Rush, author of "Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore." Free registration required. 2:00 p.m. ET.

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"New Lawsuit Over Twin Metals Mineral Leases"

"Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness and nine outdoor businesses have filed a second lawsuit over the two minerals leases reissued to Twin Metals Minnesota last year." "It's the coalition's second legal challenge to the lease renewals required for Twin Metals to mine on public land in Superior National Forest."

Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 05/07/2020

Climate-Charged ‘Megadrought’ Points To Drier Future In The West

"Since 2000, the West has been stricken by a dry spell so severe that it ranks among the biggest "megadroughts" of the past 1,200 years. But scientists have found that unlike the decades-long droughts of centuries ago, this one has been supercharged by humanity's heating of the planet."

Source: Arizona Republic, 05/07/2020

"Senate Panel Moves Major Water Bills, Adding PFAS Actions"

"The Senate’s environment panel pushed through two major water infrastructure bills Wednesday, rejecting a GOP member’s attempt to give Western states more authority over water supplies but agreeing to direct the EPA to set drinking water limits for “forever chemicals” known as PFAS."

Source: Bloomberg Environment, 05/07/2020

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