"Federal officials vowed Wednesday to conduct an emergency cleanup of a lead-contaminated lot near a Pilsen elementary school, more than six years after authorities first identified the hazards."

"PRESTON TOWNSHIP, WIS. -- When the biggest frac-sand mine in Trempealeau County opened here in 2011, even the dead were shown consideration."

"COTTRELLVILLE, Mich. -- The fight has been under way for several years, but the momentum may have peaked on a night in June 2011. That was the night of a community meeting in Marine City to discuss a startling spate of rare kidney cancers identified in area children -- one as young as 5 months."

"Levels of PFOS, a chemical manufactured by 3M Co. for a variety of commercial uses until about 10 years ago, have improved significantly in the Mississippi River between Hastings and St. Paul -- except for the area around the company's Cottage Grove plant, where they have worsened."

"An antibiotic widely used in soaps and cosmetics that mostly goes down the drain is slowly converting to toxins at the bottom of many of Minnesota's lakes and rivers."

"Shipping companies are making a case to Congress for more money to dredge Great Lakes ports and waterways. With water levels near a record low, ports are losing the battle against sediment."

"MURDOCK -- In the late 1980s, Zala Swigart worked at the Murdock coal mine, weighing the trucks hauling coal out of the underground operation that's less than a mile from where she lives."

"Across the U.S. Midwest, homeowners are restoring their yards and former farmland to the native prairie that existed in pre-settlement days. The benefits can be substantial -- maintenance that uses less water and no fertilizer, and an ecosystem that supports wildflowers and wildlife."

"DEPUE, Ill. -- This tiny village tucked into the Illinois River Valley is known for its lake, a tranquil body of tree-lined water that has drawn thousands of spectators to a national boat race for nearly 30 years. But most visitors heading to Lake DePue must pass another village landmark before reaching the shore — a pile of contaminated slag weighing at least 570,000 tons that looms over the main road into town, left behind by a zinc smelter that employed many locals for decades."

Illinois may soon approve the mining of fracking sand near a beloved state park.