Water & Oceans

"A cacophony of honks and quacks greet Jim Faulstich on a spring afternoon visit to a shallow lake on his ranch on the South Dakota prairie. Hundreds of birds have landed in the wetlands for a drink, to feed, or to rest on their journey north. There are lots of ducks and gulls, but no whooping crane — which would be difficult to miss standing five-feet tall in the shallows foraging for food."

"The Big Hole River, a blue-ribbon fishery that’s become a focal point in a years-long debate over nuisance algae growth, is poised to receive an impairment designation."

"Congressional Democrats called for investigations Wednesday into renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the ongoing drama over the president’s problem-plagued, $16 million rehabilitation project continued to roil the capital."

"Tom and Diane Peterman tried to buy flood insurance when they moved to their retirement home on the shores of Black Lake 14 years ago but were told it wasn’t available. John Solum was told he wasn’t in a flood zone when his family bought a 1940s-era cabin there."

"The documents do not indicate that the peeling blue coating and algae blooms were caused intentionally."

"A pilot program is building solar panels over irrigation canals to generate electricity. As a bonus, the shade prevents water from evaporating."

"An environmental group sued the Trump administration Monday to pursue protections for a brightly colored sea star that inhabits the Pacific coast, a move that could affect the fishing industry." "The sunflower sea star population in the Pacific Ocean has plummeted from a wasting disease that may be tied to climate change."

"More than 40 million people in the United States and Canada depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water. Each glass of treated lake water is laden with tiny bits of plastic — microplastics — made of toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases. Also contaminated are fish, staples of Midwestern fish fries and fish boils, and an important part of the diet of Indigenous tribes, certain immigrant populations and communities of color."

"New research has identified areas around the world where cooler currents and other favorable conditions are helping to protect coral from the worst effects of global warming."

"Officials from the Nueces River Authority collected millions of dollars from cities and utility districts near San Antonio and Austin before they partnered with an Israeli desalination giant."