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Environmental group: Iowa’s waterway cleanup plan could take 22,000 years

Environmental group: Iowa’s waterway cleanup plan could take 22,000 years

The Iowa Environmental Council is working to improve water quality in Iowa’s lakes, including West Okoboji Lake, shown here. (Photo by Perry Beeman/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Iowa’s work to clean polluted waterways is so slow it will take as much as 22,000 years to meet some of the goals in the state’s voluntary plan, the Iowa Environmental Council reported.

The nonprofit’s latest review of the state’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy — the

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Up to half of world’s water supply stolen annually, study finds

Up to half of world's water supply stolen annually, study finds

The Darling river in Louth, New South Wales. The amount of Australian water lost through theft is particularly relevant as governments grapple with the next stage of the Murray-Darling Basin plan. Photograph: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

As water scarcity increases from factors including climate change, so do drivers of water theft, an ongoing problem in Australia

Between 30% and 50% of the world’s water supply is stolen each year, mainly by … [more…]

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The US is in a water crisis far worse than most people imagine

A sample of tap water taken in Flint, Michigan. Photograph: Garrett MacLean/The Guardian

Industrial runoff and lax standards have tainted water across the US. Senators and doctors are calling me, asking what to do

When I was a little girl, my father would sing songs to me all the time about water. Sometimes, we would be playing down at the creeks and he would make up little tunes: “See that … [more…]

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Costa Rica Decrees a Law that Designates Water as a Basic Human Right

Costa Rica Decrees a Law that Designates Water as a Basic Human Right

WATER IS AN ESSENTIAL NATURAL RESOURCE FOR ALL LIVING BEINGS

In the framework of the World Environment Day, the President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, signed a law that guarantees access to water as a basic human right. In addition to being an essential and inalienable natural resource for humanity.

The Costa Rican leader stated: “The signing of this law occurs in a context of national emergency (by COVID-19), placing … [more…]

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E.P.A. Opts Against Limits on Water Contaminant Tied to Fetal Damage

Photo: Andrew Wheeler. E.P.A. Opts Against Limits on Water Contaminant Tied to Fetal Damage

Photo: Andrew Wheeler, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, on Capitol Hill in March. Credit… Drew Angerer/Getty Images

A new E.P.A. policy on perchlorate, which is used in rocket fuel, would revoke a 2011 finding that the chemical should be regulated.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will not impose any limits on perchlorate, a toxic chemical compound that contaminates water and has been linked to fetal and infant brain damage, … [more…]