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Home > Water & Oceans

How Plastic Pollution Is Clogging Our Great Lakes Waters [1]

"More than 40 million people in the United States and Canada depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water. Each glass of treated lake water is laden with tiny bits of plastic — microplastics — made of toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases. Also contaminated are fish, staples of Midwestern fish fries and fish boils, and an important part of the diet of Indigenous tribes, certain immigrant populations and communities of color."

Chemicals [2]
Consumer [3]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Justice [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Pollution [8]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [10]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [11]
Source: Chicago Tribune [12], 06/24/2026
  • Read more about How Plastic Pollution Is Clogging Our Great Lakes Waters [1]

There’s a Bit of Good News for Coral Reefs [13]

"New research has identified areas around the world where cooler currents and other favorable conditions are helping to protect coral from the worst effects of global warming."

Biodiversity [14]
Climate Change [15]
Disasters [16]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Politics [17]
Fish & Fisheries [18]
Pollution [8]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [19]
Source: New York Times [20], 06/23/2026
  • Read more about There’s a Bit of Good News for Coral Reefs [13]

Tiny Texas River Agency Plans to Build Largest Desalination Plant in US [21]

"Officials from the Nueces River Authority collected millions of dollars from cities and utility districts near San Antonio and Austin before they partnered with an Israeli desalination giant."

Climate Change [15]
Consumer [3]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Justice [6]
Environmental Politics [17]
Infrastructure [22]
People & Population [23]
Technology [24]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [19]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [25]
Source: Inside Climate News [26], 06/23/2026
  • Read more about Tiny Texas River Agency Plans to Build Largest Desalination Plant in US [21]

Groups Sue Robeson County NC Over PFAS In County Drinking Water [27]

"Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit against Robeson County to stop a landfill from contaminating drinking water with pollutants. 

The Robeson County Landfill is infiltrating the county’s public water system with PFAS, or forever chemicals, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. 

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has allowed the landfill to expand over the years, so it now takes up 537 acres near the town of St. Pauls. 

Activism [28]
Chemicals [2]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Politics [17]
Pollution [8]
Waste [29]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [10]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Source: NC Newsline [31], 06/22/2026
  • Read more about Groups Sue Robeson County NC Over PFAS In County Drinking Water [27]

"How Shining a Light on Ships Could Help Solve Illegal Fishing" [32]

"Sixteen countries have adopted the Mombasa Declaration to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. The biggest weapon in their arsenal: transparency."

Fish & Fisheries [18]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [10]
International [33]
Africa [34]
Source: Inside Climate News [35], 06/22/2026
  • Read more about "How Shining a Light on Ships Could Help Solve Illegal Fishing" [32]

‘Every Day It’s More Barriers’: The US Is Shutting Out Climate Refugees [36]

"Millions of people around the world are having their lives upended by floods, storms and heatwaves worsened by the climate crisis. Those forced to flee their home countries, however, are finding that the door to the US is more firmly shut than ever."

Climate Change [15]
Disasters [16]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Justice [6]
Environmental Politics [17]
Laws & Regulations [7]
People & Population [23]
Transportation [37]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [19]
International [33]
Source: Guardian [38], 06/22/2026
  • Read more about ‘Every Day It’s More Barriers’: The US Is Shutting Out Climate Refugees [36]

Trump NSF Reverses Defunding Of Oceans-Monitoring Network After Outcry [39]

"The National Science Foundation on Thursday reversed a decision to dismantle a sprawling ocean monitoring network after vigorous objections from Democratic lawmakers and scientists who rely on it to track everything from ocean circulation to extreme weather."

Climate Change [15]
Environmental Politics [17]
Environmental Studies [40]
Fish & Fisheries [18]
Science [41]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [19]
Source: AP [42], 06/22/2026
  • Read more about Trump NSF Reverses Defunding Of Oceans-Monitoring Network After Outcry [39]

The Blue Paint Is Peeling Off The Reflecting Pool [43]

"For days, workers have been trying to rid the Reflecting Pool of algae after a more than $14 million renovation that President Donald Trump said was “done properly” and “could last for 100 years.” But now workers have another problem to contend with: peeling paint."

Biodiversity [14]
Chemicals [2]
Environmental Politics [17]
Infrastructure [22]
Laws & Regulations [7]
People & Population [23]
Pollution [8]
Technology [24]
Water & Oceans [9]
Public [10]
National (U.S.) [19]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [44]
Source: Washington Post [45], 06/22/2026
  • Read more about The Blue Paint Is Peeling Off The Reflecting Pool [43]

Databases on Data Centers, Brockovich and Beyond [46]

An explosion of new artificial intelligence data centers means potential trouble, as they hoover up power and water, and spew global warming gases. It’s a story with national and global ramifications, certainly. But it’s also one that can be reported locally. Reporter’s Toolbox offers up some handy databases for environmental journalists to find data center stories in their communities. 

SEJ Publication Types: 
Reporters Toolbox [47]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [28]
Climate Change [15]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Infrastructure [22]
Journalism & Media [48]
Planning & Growth [49]
Technology [24]
Water & Oceans [9]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [19]
Visibility: 
Public [10]
  • Read more about Databases on Data Centers, Brockovich and Beyond [46]

Great Lakes Steelmaking at a Crossroads [50]

The Great Lakes region is a top steel producer, but its coal-fired steel mills are also a major source of planet-warming emissions and health-harming pollution. Climate advocates, community members and workers have been pushing to clean up these facilities for decades. Now, foreign funding offers new hope for revitalizing and decarbonizing the region’s steel industry. Canary Media’s Maria Gallucci explains.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [51]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [28]
Air [52]
Climate Change [15]
Economy & Business [53]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Environmental Politics [17]
Government [54]
Health [55]
Natural Resources [56]
Pollution [8]
Technology [24]
Water & Oceans [9]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [19]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [11]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
International [33]
Asia [57]
Visibility: 
Public [10]
  • Read more about Great Lakes Steelmaking at a Crossroads [50]

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[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/how-plastic-pollution-clogging-our-great-lakes-waters [2] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [10] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [11] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [12] https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/21/great-lakes-plastic-pollution/ [13] https://www.sej.org/headlines/there-s-bit-good-news-coral-reefs [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [19] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [20] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/16/climate/coral-reef-global-warming.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sVA.eTKA.rMYjScCdGyrO&smid=url-share [21] https://www.sej.org/headlines/tiny-texas-river-agency-plans-build-largest-desalination-plant-us [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [25] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [26] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22062026/nueces-river-authority-plans-to-build-nations-largest-desalination-plant/ [27] https://www.sej.org/headlines/groups-sue-robeson-county-nc-over-pfas-county-drinking-water [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [30] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [31] https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/groups-sue-robeson-county-over-pfas-in-county-drinking-water/ [32] https://www.sej.org/headlines/how-shining-light-ships-could-help-solve-illegal-fishing [33] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [34] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/africa [35] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18062026/countries-adopt-declaration-to-combat-illegal-fishing/ [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/every-day-it-s-more-barriers-us-shutting-out-climate-refugees [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation [38] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/10/climate-change-crisis-refugees [39] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-nsf-reverses-defunding-oceans-monitoring-network-after-outcry [40] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [41] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [42] https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-ocean-nsf-trump-7e00d19c0af8b15400d7621dcbaa2013 [43] https://www.sej.org/headlines/blue-paint-peeling-reflecting-pool [44] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mid-atlantic [45] https://wapo.st/3S981Xn [46] https://www.sej.org/publications/reporters-toolbox/databases-data-centers-brockovich-and-beyond [47] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/reporter%E2%80%99s-toolbox [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [50] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/great-lakes-steelmaking-crossroads [51] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [55] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [56] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [57] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/asia [58] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=2 [59] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=3 [60] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=4 [61] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=5 [62] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=6 [63] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=7 [64] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=8 [65] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water?page=896