Water & Oceans

"Man made levees line the banks of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. They protect towns and they allow farmers to plow the bottomlands. But levees come at a price: habitat destruction and worse flooding downstream. Now, more people are calling for taking down levees and returning floodplain areas to their natural state."

"EPA is rolling out a new package of restoration programs that could begin shifting the Great Lakes back toward ecological health. The program, known as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, is backed by a $475 million pledge from the White House and House of Representatives, which approved full funding for the program in June."

"After four years of negotiations, Utah and Nevada officials have created a draft agreement for management of the controversial Snake Valley aquifer straddling both states."

Fiji water is in fashion. Alleged to be pure. And a brutal military dictatorship threatens prison and rape for any journalist who may suggest otherwise.

"As California entered a severe drought, many of the city of Sacramento's biggest water users increased their watering dramatically."

"LOS ANGELES -- Marine scientists from California are venturing this week to the middle of the North Pacific for a study of plastic debris accumulating across hundreds of miles (km) of open sea dubbed the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch.'"

"The push for green power could spawn a rush for small hydropower projects in the Northwest."

"After 10 consecutive years of drought, a 10–20% reduction in stream flow could be critical."

Arizona's groundwater addiction hasn't been controlled by legal and regulatory measures so far, and may soon threaten the state's economic well-being.