"Bird flu outbreaks have been detected at three poultry operations in Maryland and Delaware, impacting more than 500,000 chickens and leading to heightened alert among officials in the Washington region."

"A long-awaited La Nina has finally appeared, but the periodic cooling of Pacific Ocean waters is weak and unlikely to cause as many weather problems as usual, meteorologists said Thursday."

"The Great Salt Lake is shrinking, and new research published Tuesday reports that saving it requires reducing the amount of farmland that is irrigated in the region."

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will keep endangered species protections for grizzly bears in place in most of the western U.S., the agency announced Wednesday, rebuffing states that petitioned for their removal."

"Nearly 7 percent of Americans may be exposed to hazardous levels of “forever chemicals” through treated municipal wastewater, a new study has found."

"On the U.S.-Mexico border, the International Boundary and Water Commission has the unglamorous job of stopping sewage flows and negotiating water disputes. Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner has earned allies in long-standing border conflicts, a job that won’t get any easier under Trump."

"A brand of natural cat food sold in California is being pulled from store shelves after reports that a cat in Oregon who ate the pet food contracted bird flu and died."

"An international tribunal set up to resolve disputes between the United States, Mexico, and Canada has ruled that Mexico violated the terms of the international trade agreement in banning the import of genetically modified (GM) corn for human consumption."

"The agency obtained research from 3M in 2003 revealing that sewage sludge, the raw material for the fertilizer, carried toxic “forever chemicals.”"

"Even as groundwater levels have rapidly declined in farming regions from California’s Central Valley to the High Plains, the federal government has mostly taken a hands-off approach to the chronic depletion of the nation’s aquifers. But in a new report for the White House, scientists say the country is facing serious and unprecedented groundwater challenges that call for the federal government to play a larger role."