Water
Water limits are close to being reached or being breached in areas of northern China, India's Punjab and western U.S., says report that urges farming overhaul
Reuters; BusinessWorld (Manila, Philippines) 2011-08-24
EPA moves to control perchlorate, 16 other toxins in drinking water; rocket testing ingredient thought to stunt normal growth of fetuses, infants, children
By John M. Broder
The New York Times 2011-02-03
Cholera epidemic death toll reaches 583 across Haiti; health officials expect tens of thousands more infections from tainted drinking water in next few years
BBC 2010-11-09
Regulators still discovering veins of pollution in groundwater, soil at abandoned chemical factory above Potomac Aquifer, a drinking water source for Delaware
By Jeff Montgomery
The News Journal (DE) 2010-07-25
Tainted groundwater, legacy of Delaware's petrochemical complexes, reaches Potomac Aquifer, which supplies drinking water for those in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey
By Jeff Montgomery
The News Journal 2010-07-25
California's patchwork regulatory efforts leave drinking water tainted by nitrates, the byproduct of nitrogen-based fertilizer, manure, wastewater treatment plants, septic tanks
By Julia Scott
San Francisco Chronicle 2010-05-17
In Pennsylvania, epicenter of battle over fracking for natural gas, EPA hears stories of yellowed and foul-smelling well water, deformed livestock, poisoned fish, itchy skin
By Tom Zeller Jr.
The New York Times 2010-07-23
Competing interests - jobs, drinking water safety, water depletion - push Delaware River group to reconsider rules on fracking; drilling firm names chemicals it uses
By Geoff Mulvhill and Marc Levy
The Associated Press; Chicago Tribune 2010-07-14
Electric utilities lobby furiously against new EPA rules on coal ash, which is spread on crop fields and leaks cancer-causing toxins into drinking water
By Jeff Goodell
Rolling Stone 2010-03-17
Nanotech's promise - and addition to food products - comes with little federal regulation, no labeling despite growing number of studies expressing safety concerns
By Andrew Schneider
AOL News 2010-03-24
EPA proposes to block West Virginia mountaintop removal mine that it says would bury seven streams
By David A. Fahrenthold
The Washington Post 2010-03-27
EPA to tighten rules on chemicals in drinking water, ability to police contaminants
By Charles Duhigg
The New York Times 2010-03-23
Within five years, 800 million could be without access to clean drinking water; those without basic sanitation could hit 1.8 billion, World Bank group says
By Howard Schneider
The Washington Post 2010-03-23
In Karachi, corrupt politicians allow "water mafia" to siphon from water supply, then sell it to slum residents, making $43 million a year
By Alex Rodriguez
Los Angeles Times 2010-03-15
Environmentalist leads charge to redo nation's decrepit water, sewer systems but faces resistance from politicians, consumers
By Charles Duhigg
The New York Times 2010-03-15
Ambiguity hobbles Clean Water Act; drinking water of 117 million vulnerable to exclusion from enforcement
By Charles Duhigg and Janet Roberts
The New York Times 2010-03-01
Foul byproduct of fracking, a drilling technique for natural gas, pollutes water supplies
By Marc Levy and Vicki Smith
The Associated Press; Charleston Daily Mail (SC) 2010-02-02
Cities grow, sewers fill, rain falls and waste poisons waterways
By Charles Duhigg
The New York Times 2009-11-22
U.S. tests tap water for only 91 contaminants though hundreds linked to illness with long exposure
By Charles Duhigg
The New York Times 2006-12-16
Hotel's chlorine-removing water filter suspected in bacterial illness outbreak
By Damien Cave
The New York Times 2009-12-15
Dirty water fuels 4,700 cholera cases in Kenya
Cholera rages in Kenya after drought leaves many people only dirty, germ-infested water to drink. Drought also has left thousands of people malnourished and weak, making them vulnerable to infectious diseases. Infection can occur by taking a sip from a cup used by an infected person; best treatment is rehydration salts to restore fluids. And: It's shameful that amazing advances in technology exist side-by-side with disease, poverty, hunger, illiteracy and other scourges of the Third World (click 'See also').
By Jeffrey Gettleman
The New York TImes 2009-12-04
Buried dump beneath closed park leaches toxins into water
As Connecticut city proposes $2 million for running waterlines to residences near former park atop a buried and leaking landfill, neighbors worry about health effects of drinking tainted well water. 'I'm no tree hugger, but this just ain't right,' says one, whose wife has psoriasis and whose preschooler has hair loss. Landfill, unlined and permeable, is bordered by wetlands to north. Toxins also threaten city's aquifer and North Stamford Reservoir. Full-scale cleanup unlikely; EPA says city is providing appropriate response.
By Magdalene Perez
The Advocate (Stamford, CT) 2009-09-27
EPA lacks oversight on safety of school water
In last 10 years, toxins found in drinking water of public and private schools in all 50 states, but problem has gone largely unmonitored by feds. EPA lacks authority to require testing for all schools; it does not specifically monitor incoming state data on school water quality. Tainting most apparent at schools with wells. Schools with unsafe water represent small percentage of nation's 132,500 schools; EPA says violations spiked because of stricter standards for arsenic, disinfectants, other toxins. And: It's time to ban arsenic from chicken feed (click 'See also').
By Garance Burke
The Associated Press; The Washington Post 2009-09-25
Violations of Clean Water Act rampant across nation
One in 10 Americans exposed to drinking water tainted with dangerous chemicals or that fails federal standards. Clean Water Act has been violated more than 506,000 times since 2004 by 23,000-plus firms, facilities. Fewer than 3 percent of violations resulted in fines or other significant punishments. Enforcement lapses were particularly bad under George W. Bush, EPA employees said. Farm pollution, livestock runoff largely unregulated. Best solution is for Congress to hold EPA, states accountable, lawmakers, activists say; others say public outrage is required. And: Interactive database of hundreds of thousands of water pollution records from every state and EPA (click 'See also').
By Charles Duhigg
The New York TImes 2009-09-13
Former Marines link their cancers to tainted water at Camp Lejeune
From 1950s to mid-1980s, Camp Lejeune water for hundreds of thousands of Marines, families was laced with then-unregulated chemicals from an off-base dry-cleaning company and from industrial solvents used to clean military equipment. Now, cluster of cancer cases has appeared, and more than 1,600 former base residents have filed claims against feds, seeking $34 billion. And: Dry-cleaning chemicals taint soil, water in Illinois (click 'See also').
By David Zucchino
Los Angeles Times 2009-08-26
Spiking weedkiller in drinking water OK, says EPA; critics disagree
EPA says Americans aren't exposed to unsafe levels of atrazine, a weedkiller used on cornfields, gardens, lawns, golf courses that washes into drinking water, particularly in summer. Others say EPA rules are insufficient, that local water systems must monitor atrazine more often, issue alerts of spikes. 43 water systems sue Syngenta, other chemical companies to force them to pay for removing poison from water. Studies suggest link of small amounts of atrazine to birth defects, premature births, menstrual woes. Home filtration system can avoid exposure. And: Atrazine linked to frog decline, egg production in male fish, and found in Washington, D.C.'s Potomac River (click 'See also').
By Charles Duhigg
The New York Times 2009-08-22
Dry-cleaning chemicals taint drinking water, soil
Often sloppy use of dry-cleaning chemicals, primarily perchloroethylene, poisoned soil, drinking water at hundreds of sites in Illinois but decades later, cleanup efforts lag. Residents are exposed to to perc by drinking tainted water or showering in it, playing in polluted dirt and breathing vapors. And: Lawsuit filed by cancer victim says feds knowingly exposed hundreds of thousands of Marines, sailors, their family members, civilians to drinking water tainted with dry-cleaning solvents, industrial sources at Camp Lejeune (click 'See also').
By Michael Hawthorne
Chicago Tribune 2009-07-26
Determined mother uncovers trail to polluted drinking water
After Illinois mother refuses to stop asking questions about her teenage son's leukemia during toddler time, state officials and newspaper learn that for 20-plus years, town frequently, secretly, turned valve to draw water from well polluted with dry-cleaning chemicals. State EPA shut well in December 2007, after testing water for first time in 20-plus years. Update: Federal agents raid Crestwood Village Hall, cart documents away for criminal investigation; senator asks feds to look for links between water, illnesses (click 'See also').
By Michael Hawthorne
Chicago Tribune 2009-04-19
After 16 years, Ecuadorian water pollution case in judge's hands
In Ecuador, judge will decide whether Texaco is to blame for pollution of rain forest waterways where tens of thousands used water for drinking, cooking, bathing and some later died. Farm worker activist conducts 'toxic tours' to one massive sludge pool (of hundreds) where waste was dumped into leaky unlined pit. Study under way on effects of pollution on fishing, agriculture. And: Chevron shareholders want report on protection of people, environment in countries where it operates (click 'See also').
By Juan Forero
The Washington Post 2009-04-27
Endocrine disruptor linked to childhood obesity
Phthalates, an endocrine disruptor used in cosmetics and to soften plastic pacifiers, toys, linked to obesity, study of 400 9- to 11-year-old girls in East Harlem shows. Such chemicals affect glands, hormones that regulate bodily functions. Researcher compares endocrine disruptors' effect on childhood obesity to that of lead on a child's IQ. And: EPA regulates phthalates as water, air pollutants (click 'See also').
By Jennifer 8. Lee
The New York Times 2009-04-17
Health hazards in 'Poisoned Waters'
Toxins from industry, agriculture, massive suburban development and from face creams, deodorants, prescription medicines and household cleaners now found in drinking water, threatening fish, wildlife and, potentially, human health, Hedrick Smith reports in PBS Frontline program (watch at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poisonedwaters/view/). And: Study shows pesticide's insidious effect on food chain (click 'See also').
By Diane Buxton
WGBH/Frontline 2009-04-14
Opinion: Clearing muddle around clean water
Congress, White House must ensure that Clean Water Restoration Act, which protects all waters, becomes law. Original 1972 Clean Water Act was written to protect all waters, wetlands, but Supreme Court narrowed scope, weakened safeguards, confused enforcers, so 20 million acres of wetlands, 60 percent of small streams have been unprotected from developers. And: Fresh water shortage among most daunting challenges, author says (click 'See also').
The editors
The New York Times 2009-04-17
Opinion: Siphoning spectacular profits from Florida's aquifers
Despite water shortage, Florida state water managers allow Nestle, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and the like to siphon and bottle nearly two billion gallons annually from fresh springs, aquifers for puny fee, then sell it for a huge per-unit profit. Although agriculture draws billions of gallons from the same sources, few ranches or farms enjoy spectacular profits that water bottlers do. And: Bottling cash in Florida (click 'See also').
By Carl Hiaasen
The Miami Herald 2009-03-08
Perchlorate found in baby formula, CDC reports
Fifteen of 15 powdered infant formulas contain perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel linked to thyroid disease, says CDC study, but scientists haven't named brands tested. Legislator calls on EPA to set safe drinking water standard for perchlorate, water testing. And: Pasadena begins construction of perchlorate-removing water treatment plant near Superfund site. Wells nearby have been shut down (click 'See also').
By Liz Szabo
USA Today 2009-04-02
In coal country, lawsuits allege ruined water, health
Hundreds in Appalachia sue coal companies, saying that slurry (mix of clay, sulfur, other impurities cleaned from coal) pumped into old mines ruined well water, caused sickness. Seldom-supervised sites also used to store sludge, ash, sand, cement, EPA says. West Virginia Coal Association argues that if injection weren't safe, EPA wouldn't allow it. And: Chemical content of slurry, mostly injected in West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama unstudied (click 'See also').
By Vicki Smith
The Associated Press; MSNBC 2009-03-18
Community considers recycling water, toilet to tap
California community considers reclaiming wastewater for drinking water to augment supply, but proposal details are scarce. Opponents worry water that goes from toilet to tap can contain traces of hormones, drugs, chemicals. And: After conservation measures, all regional water agencies should explore sewage water option, says editorial (click 'See also').
By Angela Lau
The San Diego Union Tribune 2009-01-23
Setting limits of nonstick chemical in drinking water
EPA sets short-term allowances for nonstick chemicals toxins in drinking water at 10 times amount New Jersey set in 2007 for chronic exposure. Perfluorooctanoic acid - PFOA - linked to cancer, animal birth defects, now detected in blood of nearly all Americans, in sea life, polar bears. Eight U.S. firms plan to cut emissions of chemical 95 percent by next year. And: EPA doesn't require water treatment plants to test for PFOA; advisory appears to be linked to recent discovery of contaminated beef from cattle that grazed in Alabama pasture fertilized with sewage sludge. (click 'See also').
By Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post 2009-01-17
Diminished water supply could limit growth of some states
Utah, Arizona, Texas among nation's fastest-growing states, but looming question of water source will affect populations of some states. Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico have seen drops in water supply; sustainable lifestyle will be main concern for those residents, says population expert.
By Lauren Sherman
Forbes.com 2008-12-22
Atlas maps underground reservoirs, many straddling borders
New map (click 'See also') reveals underground aquifers that hold 100 times the volume of fresh water that flows down rivers and streams around the world at any time. Many water sources stretch beneath borders. Map illuminates declining water tables as agricultural interests pump water out, as well as need for international water-sharing accords.
By Catherine Brahic
New Scientist 2008-10-24
Opinion: EPA water protection would be welcome in coal-mining region
Government's dash to effectively repeal key water protections during mountaintop removal coal mining likely a response to presidential candidates' opposition to environmentally ruinous practice. In 2002, EPA rewrote rules that had prohibited use of mining waste as 'fill' in streams, wetlands. And: Rubble from mountaintop removal fouls drinking water, kills fish (click 'See also').
The editors
The New York Times 2008-10-21
For clean drinking water, mending oceans, a toilet manifesto
With drinking water and energy increasingly precious, washing away waste makes little sense, says Rose George in new book. Transforming waste into fertilizer won't work - it is "the most efficient means--short of eating the sludge--of injecting toxic substances directly into the human body," EPA panel said in 1975. Eco-sewage, with two streams, would slash water use by 80 percent.
By Johann Hari
Slate Magazine 2008-10-20
Opinion: Next president must fix infrastructure
Modern-day Works Progress Administration that restores America's crumbling infrastructure - drinking water, schools, roads, bridges, transit systems - would generate jobs and help support flagging economy. Presidential candidate Barack Obama wants infrastructure investment (click 'See also', section V); John McCain has not presented plan.
By Dave Demerjian
Wired Blog Network 2008-10-19
Opinion: Bottled water standards don't measure up
Considering extra cost and landfill clutter, standards for bottled water should be as good or even better than those for tap water. Consumers should be able to see certified data that lists what's in bottled water and whether it meets federal requirements. Analysis (click 'See also') found fertilizer residue, pain medicine, other chemicals in some major brands.
The editors
The New York Times 2008-10-17
EPA says rocket fuel chemical OK in water at 15 times higher than first said
After White House officials remove scientific data from reports highlighting some risks associated with rocket-fuel chemical, EPA refuses to set drinking-water safety standard, assumes that maximum safe level is 15 times higher than suggested in 2002. Perchlorate linked to thyroid problems in pregnant women, newborns and young children and has been found in water in 35 states.
By Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post 2008-10-04
EPA sets no standards limiting rocket fuel in water
EPA won't set drinking-water standard for perchlorate, a rocket fuel component that has polluted soil, groundwater, drinking water in 35 states and tainted water systems in 26 states. Chemical impairs thyroid, which, in infants, can translate to irreversible loss of IQ, increase in behavioral, perception problems. Congresswoman calls inaction unforgivable and immoral. And: FDA study (click 'See also').
By Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post 2008-09-22
Protecting 20 percent of world's fresh surface water
Congress OKs Great Lakes Compact, which prohibits almost any new diversion of water to other places, and requires new conservation standards of border states. Eight-state accord began 10 years ago after Canadian firm sought OK to send tankers of Great Lakes water overseas (click 'See also'). Bottled water exemption worries some.
By Susan Saulny
The New York Times 2008-09-23
Economy-weary rediscover tap water
As economy slides lower, so do sales of bottled water, delighting those concerned with impact of plastic bottles on the environment. In US, where consumption is highest, supermarket sales are at slowest rate since bottled water became the rage 10 years ago.
By Jenny Wiggins
Financial Times (London) 2008-09-15
Act now to prevent water scarcity in next decades, experts warn
Clean water, reliable sanitation will beat medical intervention in reducing disease, death as climate warms and population grows, experts say, but investment in infrastructure must be doubled. Most vulnerable: Four billion in Africa, Middle East, South Asia. Failure means recurrent floods, droughts, water pollution, erosion, sea level rise, plus undermining of other triumphs, like building schools.
By Juliette Jowit
The Guardian (UK) 2008-09-11
Mississippi River oil spill delays grain exports
Coast Guard opens Mississippi River to limited traffic two days after oil spill; some nearby suburbs find another source for drinking water; fate of fish unknown. And: Between 55 percent and 65 percent of all U.S. corn, soybean and wheat exports leave from the Gulf of Mexico (click 'See also').
By Adam Nossiter
The New York Times 2008-07-25
UK wildlife protection means water price hike
Price for household water headed up for Brits after review shows environmental damage to rivers, wetlands and habitats and threats to wildlife. One water company, required to cut by half the amount it takes from a river supplying 740,000 people in summer, must find alternative source.
By Juliette Jowit
The Guardian (UK) 2008-07-12
Weedkiller in water
Atrazine, a common weedkiller linked to defects in fish and frogs that live in contaminated water, is shown to alter hormones and could disrupt endocrine development and function in lower and higher vertebrates, including humans, researchers say. They also urge further research on immune responses and embryonic development. EPA allows some presence in drinking water.
By Miyuki Suzawa and Holly A. Ingraham
Public Library of Science (PLoS) One 2008-05-07
Water contamination settlement
Oil companies settle groundwater contamination suit for $423 million plus 70 percent of cleanups over next 30 years. At issue is MTBE, a predecessor to ethanol that oxygenated gasoline and reduced smog, but caused cancer in lab rats and made tainted water smell and taste like turpentine. Six companies, including Exxon Mobil, didn't agree to the deal.
By Jad Mouawad
The New York Times 2008-05-08
Fresh water policy vacuum
Fresh water shortage is among our most daunting challenges, regionally and globally. Coherent policy requires real leadership, experts say, but water use has been left to municipal and state authorities. Strategies to help avert disaster: storing rainwater in ponds or underground receptacles; recycling wastewater; and replenishing aquifers with treated wastewater or storm runoff.
By Jeneen Interlandi
Newsweek magazine 2008-04-28
Opinion/Blog: Clean water to drink
Grad student discovers cheap way to filter viruses and arsenic from drinking water, and tells the secret at American Chemical Society meeting. He uses glass fibers as a sturdy support for positively charged iron oxide nanoparticles, which attract pathogens with negative charge.
By Aaron Rowe
Wired 2008-04-12
Drug-tainted drinking water
Report detailing pharmaceutical contamination of nation's water supply prompts senators to set hearings and direct Environmental Protection Agency to investigate and report. The series explains that drugs - mostly excreted residue that's flushed down the toilet - have polluted water and may harm wildlife and human health. EPA says Americans need to be careful when discarding prescription drugs.
By Martha Mendoza
The Associated Press; The Seattle Times 2008-03-11
Chewing and chilling
Retailers and manufacturers realize that ice is the year-'round hot snack and a tongue-numbing industry is created. Fans debate the best for crunching - Chewblets, Nugget Ice, Pearl Ice - but the shaved version, in a glass and with enough water to temporarily fuse the ice, is a classic.
By Ilan Brat
The Wall Street Journal 2008-01-30
Tax complaint
Citing law that prohibits tax on non-carbonated water, drink and food groups sue to overturn Chicago's new 5-cent tax on bottled water. The tax, the first such levied by a major city, is expected to raise $10.5 million each year - and to encourage consumption of tap water.
Chicago Tribune 2008-01-05
Friend or foe?
After years of planning, Southern California adds fluoride to the water, and conspiracy theorists gather. Is the tooth-protection chemical - a byproduct of fertilizer and a component of bombs and poison - a public health advance or an attempt to medicate by force?
By Mike Anton
Los Angeles Times 2007-12-22
Mighty thirst
For 11 weeks, all drinking fountains at Chicago school have been taped shut and students' water rationed to half a glass a day after water main break uncovers plumbing problems at 116-year-old public school. Officials apologize and promise action after reporter asks questions.
By Rosalind Rossi
Chicago Sun-Times 2007-11-23
Drink up
Partial fasting - drinking only water for 24 hours once a week - as way to tune up glucose regulation, reduce sugar cravings and lower blood pressure, is gaining proponents in medical field.
By Patricia Neighmond
National Public Radio 2007-11-21
Tapping a need
As campaign against throwaway water bottles continues, filtration system companies jump in, selling purity from the faucet, while reusable bottle manufacturers point out their environmentally friendly approach.
By Claudia H. Deutsch
The New York Times 2007-11-10
Food poisoning?
Suspected food-borne illness cases in Jordan rise to 338; officials test restaurant's hummus after initial water tests show no contamination, but it is region's third such problem in four months.
Xinhua; The Jordan Times 2007-10-29
Drink of astronauts?
To save weight, advanced space missions won't pack sufficient water; instead, NASA plans to condense drinking water from perspiration, respiration and urine.
By Larry Greenemeier
Scientific American 2007-10-26
Water shortage
As "exceptional drought" deepens its hold on the Southeastern United States, Atlanta's water reserves shrink to only 90 days and no solution is apparent; farmers harvest parched crops and sell off cattle they can't afford to feed.
By Greg Bluestein
The Associated Press; Tribune News Services 2007-10-20
Water footprint
As population explodes and planet heats, water for drinking and crop irrigation is diminishing, forcing extra energy use to reach remote supply; already, China, India, Africa and American West reserves are drying up, setting stage for people-versus agriculture battles.
By Jon Gertner
The New York Times 2007-10-21
Opinion: Water woe
Scrutinizing food ingredients is crucial, but because the water we drink is the same as the water in our toilets, we tolerate the presence of chemicals that would be banned as food additives; it's time to filter drinking water for all.
By Robert D. Morris
The New York Times 2007-10-03
Water problem:
Cholera epidemic, possibly from a sewage-poisoned well, hits northern Iraq, with nearly 4,000 cases suspected; Sulaimaniya juice bars shut down and restaurants told to stop serving vegetables that may have been washed in polluted water.
By Sherko Raouf
Reuters; Scientific American 2007-08-29
Opinion: Mountaintop mining
Bush administration's proposed legalization of high-altitude strip mining, with follow-up poisoning of Appalachian drinking water and fish habitats with dumped leftovers, will add converts to reaffirmation of Clean Water Act protections.
The editors
The New York Times (may require subscription) 2007-08-27
Opinion: Water problem
Mountaintop removal coal mining, with toxic leftovers shoved into streams, foul residents' water and kill the fish; study traces mining pollution to children's nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and shortness of breath; long-term effects unknown.
By Eric Reece
Orion Magazine 2006-01-01
Price of coal:
In 2000 in Kentucky, a torrent of coal-mining sludge was released when an earthen dam collapsed after a previous leak; the goo, 20 times the volume of the Exxon Valdez's crude oil spill in Alaska, covered vegetable gardens and suffocated fish as it fouled 100 miles of streams and rivers before dispersing at the Ohio River.
By Peter T. Kilborn
The New York Times 2000-12-25
Opinion: Bottled tempest
Big water has Coke, Pepsi and Nestle behind all those bottles of all that water being marketed as preferable to the stuff that flows from the tap, with one spokesperson comparing it to French wines and iPods, both of which are shipped long distances.
By Alex Beam
The Boston Globe 2007-08-20
Plethora of plastic:
Artist Chris Jordan makes, finds patterns in garbage and other societal markers.
2007-08-16
Water wise:
With federal quality standards for bottled water less stringent than they are for tap water and 2 million tons of polyethylene bottles trashed every year in U.S., it makes sense to fill a reusable bottle with filtered water at home, then pack it for work or school.
By Eviana Hartman
Washington Post
Saving water
Coca-Cola, Nestle, and Läckeby Water Group join other food, drink producers in UN agreement to use water more efficiently; lack of access to clean water and sanitation undermines humanitarian, social, environmental, and economic goals.
By Ahmed ElAmin
foodproductiondaily.com