Top Water & Ocean Stories From SEJournal

Updated May 2026

TipSheets

• National Seashores Are a Secret Summer Treasure [2]
• Wild and Scenic Rivers Carry a Raft of Great Stories [3]
• Recreation in Polluted Water Can Be Threat to Human Health [4]
• Mapping Out Local PFAS Risk, As Federal Rules Waver [5]
• Beach Nourishment Offers Challenging Local Environmental Stories [6]
• Drainage Infrastructure Leads to Wet Basement Stories [7]
• Reemerging Wetlands Controversy Brings Local Angles [8]
• Seabed Mining May Dredge Up Real Minerals, Fishy Worries in 2024 [9]
• The Spread of Harmful Algal Blooms Makes News in Multitude of Locales [10]
• Dangerous Inland Flooding in Reporters’ Forecast [11]
• Reporters Can Address Uncertainty Over Local Risk of Rising Seas [12]
• Seasonal Fishing Stories Reflect a Changing Environment [13]
• Bring Home Cyber Risks to Water Supply, in Wake of EPA Tightening [14]

Toolboxes

• Report on PFAS Better, With a Better Mapping Tool [15]
• Database of Flood Events Helps Cover Catastrophes, Past or Present [16]
• Drinking Water Database Opens Spigot on Local Stories [17]
• Trump Administration Icing Out NSIDC Data [18]
• Lead Pipe Data Map Offers Sharp New Tool [19]
• Will DOGE Evaporate Crucial Water Data? [20]
• Watershed Data … for the Rest of Us [21]
• Dredging for Data on Wetlands Permits [22]
• Data Portal Takes Measure of Water Quality [23]

Backgrounders

• Coastal Flooding Challenges Cities Around the U.S. [24]
• Will the Coming Plastics Treaty Solve the Problem Or Enshrine It? [25]
• U.S. Offshore Wind May Not Stay Becalmed for Long [26]
• Painful Process Underway of Regulating PFAS in Drinking Water [27]
• WTO Deal on Fishing Subsidies May Reduce Ocean Overfishing [28]
• Supreme Court Winds Up for Another Swing at Clean Water Act [29]
• Climate Crisis May Quickly Confront U.S., World With National Security Threats [30]

Features

• Exploring the Impacts of Hydroelectric Megaprojects on Indigenous Lands [31]
• Going Beyond Sensational Drought Headlines Gives Local Audiences News They Need [32]
• On the Persistence of Ocean Plastics [33]
• Why Reporters Should Catch the Watershed by the Tale [34]
• Time To Flip the Ocean Script — From Victim to Solution [35]

Inside Story Q&As and FEJ StoryLogs

• Inside Story: ‘A Myriad of Voices’ Tells of Restoring a Swamp in Crisis [36]
• Inside Story: The Forgotten Victims of Hidalgo [37]
• Inside Story: Prize Winner Spurs Policy Change on Illinois PFAS Contamination [38]
• Inside Story: Unique Award-Winner Highlights Risks to Whales From Fight Over Fish [39]
• Inside Story: Uncovering the Environmental Impacts of a Controversial Water Project [40]
• Inside Story: Diving Deeper on the Wetlands Beat Yields Groundbreaking Coverage [41]
• Inside Story: Pulitzer Finalist on an Estuary’s Tale, and Stories Hiding in Plain Sight [42]
• FEJ StoryLog: One Grant, Multiple Stories [43]
• FEJ StoryLog: Grantee Wades Into Surprising Blue-Green Algae Problem [44]

BookShelf Reviews

• Is Our Inextricable Link to Water the Key to Human Survival? [45]
• How the Potomac Imparts the Capital’s Story [46]
• Author Brings Far-Reaching Insight to ‘The Three Ages of Water’ [47]
• Between the Lines — Great Lakes Author Looks Back on a Writing Career, Forward to Journalism’s Future [48]
• Tracing Humanity’s Longtime Urge To Manage Moving Water [49]
• Author Shares Unorthodox Look at the Ways of Water [50]
• “Saving America’s Amazon: The Threat to Our Nation’s Most Biodiverse River System” [51]

EJ TransitionWatch

• Is Fluoride Facing Phaseout in Your Community’s Drinking Water? [52]

Special Report: Covering Climate Solutions

• Reporting Ocean Stories Is Key to Blue Literacy, Planetary Health [53]
• Ocean and Climate Change Toolbox [54]

 

All Water & Ocean Stories From SEJournal [55]     All Water & Ocean Headlines From EJToday [56]

Return to Topics on the Beat main page [57]