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North Dakota Seeks to Restrict Access to Public Records After Standing Rock Reporting Exposed Law Enforcement Abuses

photo: Police detain Ricardo Salazar, 25. Photo: Terray Sylvester/Reuters

Police detain Ricardo Salazar, 25, in a Dakota Access pipeline opposition camp near Cannon Ball, N.D., on Feb. 23, 2017. Photo: Terray Sylvester/Reuters

North Dakota lawmakers are considering a bill to restrict the release of records related to security operations involving “critical infrastructure” — a category that includes fossil fuel pipelines. The bill comes after The Intercept and other media outlets published stories documenting law enforcement surveillance and coordination with … [more…]

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California’s water agencies lose millions of gallons underground due to leaky pipes

photo: California water agencies lose millions of gallons due to leaky pipes

Photo: Water continues to flow into a sinkhole from the broken water main on Sunset Boulevard near UCLA,Wednesday, July 30, 2014. (Michael Owen Baker / Staff Photographer)

As 20 million gallons of drinking water rushed down Sunset Boulevard and flooded the UCLA campus this summer, drought-conscious residents threw up their hands.

How are three-minute showers going to make a difference, they asked, when the city’s pipes are bursting?

Turns out … [more…]

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How a Yemen Water Plant Helped Cut Cholera by 92 Percent

How a Yemen Water Plant Helped Cut Cholera by 92 Percent

Why you should care:
Because cholera has had a devastating effect on the conflict-ravaged country and can be used as a tool of war.

For nearly four years, Yemen, one of the Arab world’s poorest countries, has been ravaged by war. With on-the-ground reporting still difficult, the death toll from fighting and bombing — currently over 60,000 — is thought to be vastly underestimated. Beyond that, starvation and disease have … [more…]

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How Is the Netherlands Preparing for Sea Level Rise?

How Is the Netherlands Preparing for Sea Level Rise?

Illustration: a “floodable park” helps drain rising waters, such as stormwater, from surrounding areas.

Floodable parks, salty lettuce, and other tools for a soggy planet

As sea levels rise, people with expertise in keeping water at bay are going to become very popular. Many of them will likely be Dutch. The Netherlands has been constructing flood barriers for centuries and added a massive network of dams and levees after a … [more…]

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Somerville Receives $500K For Water, Sewer Improvements

photo: cash - grant money will modernize infrastructure

The project includes upgrading a 140-year-old sewer system and enable the construction of five mixed-use buildings at Boynton Yards.

SOMERVILLE, MA – The Baker-Polito administration on Friday announced a $500,000 MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant for water and sewer improvements in the Boynton Yards area. The project will modernize a failing 140-year-old sewer system and enable separated stormwater and sewer service to support the redevelopment of Boynton Yards, which will be … [more…]