CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Waves of torrential rainfall drenched California into the new year. Snowpacks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains have swelled to more than 200 percent their normal size, and snowfall across the rest of the Colorado River Basin is trending above average, too. While the much-needed waterContinue Reading
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Six Western states that rely on water from the Colorado River have agreed on a model to dramatically cut water use in the basin, months after the federal government called for action and an initial deadline passed. California — with the largest allocation of water fromContinue Reading
It is easy to forget that we live in the third-largest river basin in the Eastern United States. Unless your work, business, or daily activities are directly related to pursuits on the water, many of us take this important resource for granted. The Winyah Bay near Georgetown is the coastalContinue Reading
NAIROBI, Kenya — Vultures scavenge for dead animals along a river turned sewer conduit in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. Its waters turn from clear to black as it traverses informal settlements and industrial hubs. The river and its tributaries cross Kibera, known as Africa’s largest slum with close to 200,000 residents,Continue Reading
Congress has authorized the creation of a $40 million ecological restoration program for the lower Mississippi River — the first federal program of its kind for the 1,000-mile swath of river downstream of Cape Girardeau, Mo. Environmental advocates have been lobbying for years for a program that would mirror aContinue Reading
The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, has officially launched the “world’s longest river cruise” from the city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The luxury voyage will last 51 days, travelling 3,200km via Dhaka in Bangladesh to Dibrugarh in Assam, crossing 27 river systems. The three-deck MV Ganga Vilas, with 18Continue Reading
PITTSBURGH — A group of citizen scientists have observed a substantial influx of nurdles — small plastic pellets about the size of a lentil — in the Ohio River, which provides drinking water to more than five million people. “In the last few months, we’ve seen a huge surge inContinue Reading
Granting ‘rights’ to rivers and forests has been embraced by environmentalists. But to understand its effectiveness, we must first look closely at the law. The Whanganui River in New Zealand wanders from its wellspring on the slopes of a volcano in the centre of the north island to theContinue Reading
The year was eventful for the northern Arizona environment. Fires, floods and drought dominated the news cycle as the consequences of climate change became more visible and disruptive. Within the turmoil, Flagstaff and Coconino County demonstrated remarkable resilience through community response and fast-acting pursuit of solutions. Meanwhile, sea changes inContinue Reading
This article by Eileen Boekestein, EGLE’s environmental education coordinator, originally appeared in the North American Association for Environmental Education’s blog. It is republished with permission. In sixth grade, I asked my teachers why I wasn’t allowed to play in the creek at school. They told me it wasn’t safe, andContinue Reading
