Water & Oceans

Major South Dakota Aquifers In Decline, Threatening Fresh Water Supplies

"Geologists and hydrologists can use scientific charts and graphs to understand the increasing water challenges facing South Dakota, but it only takes a brief visit to Bear Butte State Park near Sturgis for a non-scientist to see the outcome of decreasing water levels."

Source: South Dakota News Watch, 11/03/2026

Millions From CA Gas Leak Settlement May Help Residents Electrify Homes

"Millions of dollars of settlement money from the largest known methane leak in the United States are now available to affected residents to replace gas-powered appliances with electric ones. Organizations involved in distributing the money say it will help create safer and cleaner homes."

Source: AP, 11/03/2026

Judge Opens East Potomac Park Probe Into Potential DOJ Misconduct

"A federal judge has opened an investigation into concerns that the Trump administration lied to her in the ongoing legal battle over President Trump’s desire to redevelop East Potomac Golf Links."

Source: The Hill, 11/03/2026

Is El Niño Making Storms And Flash Floods In The Southwest Worse?

"A natural warming cycle called El Niño is sizzling Pacific Ocean waters, leaking moisture into the air that can fuel passing storms. Such El Niño events can happen irregularly every couple of years, but scientists say the latest iteration is particularly extreme — and it’s just getting started, with impacts expected for several more months."

Source: AP, 11/03/2026

Covering Native Connection to the Land

Whether it's pipelines bringing leaks, coastal erosion and storms bringing displacement, or now, increasingly, data centers bringing loss of sovereignty, the central relationship that Indigenous communities have with place is under constant peril. Voices columnist Yessenia Funes urges fellow environmental journalists during Native American Heritage Month to refocus on the rich stories of Indigenous struggles and victories. 

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Flash Flooding Triggers Evacuations In Southwest, Warning For Colo. Spa Town

"More heavy rainfall produced flash flooding and mandatory evacuations in a wide swath of the Southwest on Sunday, including in a Colorado tourist town bracing for its main river to rise to historic levels, as weary residents in the normally arid region deal with another massive drenching."

Source: AP, 11/02/2026

Rivers Near Wisconsin CAFOs Full Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria: Study

"Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are pervasive in streams and rivers downstream of large Wisconsin livestock operations, increasing the risk of superbugs that make people sick and cannot be treated, according to a new study. The water contamination likely stems from high use of antibiotics in animals housed in concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, according to the study."

Source: The New Lede, 10/30/2026

Water Quality And Cancer Concerns Top Of Mind For Iowa Voters

"Amid the election-year debates, political advertisements and polls, one simple Iowa yard sign sums ups a core issue seen driving voter sentiment. It reads simply: “Fix the damn water.”"

Source: The New Lede, 10/30/2026

How Texas Could End Up Paying an Israeli Company Billions for Water

"Plans are advancing on the Gulf Coast of Texas for an enormous seawater desalination plant which, if built, would be part of one of the largest water infrastructure developments in the country. Unlike other projects, this one wouldn’t belong to the public, but to a private, foreign water supplier."

Source: Inside Climate News, 10/29/2026

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