Water & Oceans

"EPA is probing California’s water department over accusations of discrimination against Native tribes and people of color, launching a significant environmental justice investigation that could affect how the state oversees water."

"The crack of a summer thunderstorm once comforted people in Ludlow, Vermont. But that was before a storm dropped eight inches of rain on the village of 2,200 in two days last month. And it was before the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. Now a coming rainstorm can stir panic."

"Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday morning officially broke ground on Louisiana's most ambitious wetlands-restoration effort yet at a ceremony near Ironton on the west bank of the Mississippi River."

"Critics call it a “sweetheart deal” between the Trump administration and the Central Valley’s largest agricultural water district, and they claim it unfairly lines the pockets of major farm owners while imperiling California salmon and other fish species."

"On Tuesday, new research released by the National Hurricane Center underscored the threat posed by water in hurricanes — finding that over the past decade, rainfall flooding has accounted for nearly 60% of all U.S. deaths from tropical cyclones."

"The central California coast, with its rugged beaches and kelp forests, draws a lot of visitors for its scenic beauty. For the Chumash people, the coastline means a lot more.

"Almost all the places people like to go to are our sacred sites," says Violet Sage Walker, chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council. "We've been going there and praying and doing ceremony there for 20,000 years."

"Severe thunderstorms in the first half of 2023 caused a record amount in insured losses, underscoring the impact of climate change on extreme weather events, according to new research for the Swiss Re Group."

"On the banks of the Komi Memem River, the activity never ceases: women go down the embankment from Laje Velho village carrying basins to wash clothing, while men embark in small canoes on hunting and fishing expeditions. At day’s end, it’s the children’s turn to dive into its tea-colored waters."

"Maryland’s largest water utility filed a lawsuit against more than a dozen companies Friday, alleging that they knowingly polluted the water supply with “forever chemicals” and saying that they should bear the burden of upgrading systems to remove these toxic substances."

"The hole in the ozone layer has begun to form early this year, prompting warnings that a larger-than-average hole may further warm the Southern Ocean while the level of Antarctic sea ice is at a record low."