Library

The smelly, nasty bacteria that spells bad news for rivers is flourishing in the UK. Here is how to spot it and what it means

The Tijuana River flows through Mexico and empties off California, carrying pathogens and chemicals and threatening public health.

Water and air contamination imperil the health of a wide range of people who live, recreate and work near the polluted waterway, researchers say.

Miami-Dade’s biggest — and most vulnerable — sewage treatment plant is getting a big upgrade, which could help the county stop piping tens of millions of gallons of wastewater into the ocean in the next few years.

The Maryland General Assembly is considering a bill to restrict PFAS discharge from large industries into our waterways and to wastewater treatment plants.

The pollution comes primarily from septic systems, which leach nitrogen and phosphorus — basically fertilizer — in the Cape's groundwater. The state has tough new regulations that are forcing communities on the Cape to clean up the water.

Garbage doesn't flow as freely into the ocean as it once did. But sewage? That's a different, more disgusting story.

Sludge, a byproduct of sewage treatment, is often spread on fields as fertilizer. But growing research shows that toxic chemicals like PFAS are lurking in the muck — and getting into our food.

Officials have also recorded significant sewage spills in Long Beach, Rolling Hills Estates since onslaught of unprecedented storm

U.S. Rep. Scott Peters and four members of San Diego County’s congressional delegation are urging the Navy to address concerns regarding SEALs training in sewage-contaminated waters from Mexico.

Once considered one of the most polluted waterways in the nation, the White River has been neglected and abused for 200 years. Can it make a comeback?

Members of San Diego’s congressional delegation are asking the U.S. Dept. of the Navy to release data that may reveal the true effects the Tijuana sewage crisis has had on Naval operations.

Hundreds of anglers take part in UK’s largest citizen science water-testing project

New research finds that the groundwater systems that hydrate your life are in rapid, sometimes accelerating decline around the globe. Here’s how to stop the retreat.

Environmental groups say cities’ tactics in court could increase pollution.

The pandemic has triggered a major increase in the use of medical facilities and drugs, which has exacerbated pollution in wastewater biochemical treatment systems. Pollution from environmental rare earth elements (REE) has increased due to the widespread use of REE in medical applications.

Sydneysiders and tourists hoping to take a dip in one of the many beaches in the Harbour City have been warned of potential contamination after heavy rainfall this week.

Once considered one of the most beautiful coves in all of Africa, the former idyllic stretch of fine sand around 20km (12 miles) long, adjacent to the port of Dakar, has become the dumping ground for an increasing population and ever-expanding industry.

The Mount Airy work is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is part of a push by communities around the world to manage water more sustainably and to find novel sources of water, a quest that has involved everything from purifying sewage to seeding clouds.

Imperial Beach's mayor says it's just one piece of the solution to solve the contamination of San Diego County beaches.

The Navy’s wastewater treatment plant near Pearl Harbor dumped almost 2 million gallons of partially treated sewage into the ocean Monday due to an electrical failure, according to the service.

In a recent study published online 18 December 2023 in the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, scientists from Peking University introduced a Global WWTP Microbiome-based Integrative Information Platform to address the escalating complexities of pollutants and inadequacies in traditional wastewater treatment plants.

Data shows that concentrations of hydrogen sulfide have repeatedly measured above state and federal standards.

In the race for alternative, sustainable jet fuels, some companies are getting creative. We’ve heard about planes powered with cooking oil, but what about jet fuel made entirely from human poop? Firefly Green Fuels, an aviation company based in Gloucestershire, UK, has created just that – and, unsurprisingly, the prospect of poop-powered planes is attracting attention.

Now the organizers of this summer’s Paris Olympics want to make the Seine the star of their Games with an audacious plan to host the Opening Ceremonies not inside a stadium as other Olympics have done but on the river itself.

Over 70% of the surface of Earth is ocean, comprised of highly diverse ecosystems, and providing a wide range of marine ecosystem services that support human society, health and the economy. This website presents the most recent official coverage statistics for marine protected areas.

EPA's free Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) services support communities to identify water challenges, develop plans, build capacity, and develop application materials to access water infrastructure funding. To implement WaterTA, EPA collaborates with states, Tribes, territories, community partners, and other key stakeholders.

Imperial Beach in San Diego County is one of the most polluted beaches in the United States. The water is polluted. The air is polluted. And local leaders think no one with the power to help cares.

Indiantown will be home to the first biosolids processing plant of its kind in Florida, designed to convert treated human waste into concrete, fertilizer and irrigation water. Sedron Technologies to build biosolids processing plant in Indiantown, Florida.

Urgent care doctors based in South County are now using tests that can detect numerous infectious diseases like E.coli and shigella

Swimmers preparing for their traditional festive dip in the sea say they are worried about sewage.Surfers Against Sewage's annual water quality report claimed sewage was discharged for more than 600,000 hours in Wales last year.

California regulators on Tuesday approved new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools and businesses.

Water resources can be casualties of violence, but disputes over water control can also act as triggers for unrest — for example, when two communities clash over access to a single water source.

Domestic and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are facing formidable challenges in effectively eliminating emerging pollutants and conventional nutrients. We propose the creation of a Global WWTP Microbiome-based Integrative Information Platform, inspired by the untapped microbiome and engineering data from WWTPs and advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).

Surfing on sewage-polluted coastlines has consequences. Believe it or not, riding waves in unsafe waters could be a life-changing experience.

In September, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control began requiring wastewater plants and industries to disclose whether they use, receive or generate forever chemicals, and if the contaminants are in wastewater the facilities discharge to rivers.

Bottlenose dolphins off the western coast of Wales are under threat from wastewater pollution — from raw sewage that was intentionally released into a river that feeds into the ocean.

As Singapore's economy grows and the impact of climate change increases, more pressure will be put on the city state's water supplies. With industries using more than half of its water, both public and private industry players are racing to find sustainable solutions.

Despite increases in federal infrastructure funding that could provide adequate wastewater management for thousands of U.S. communities, the pace of progress in small, underserved communities has been disappointing. This article addresses the major system typologies that can be implemented and the obstacles that are preventing many such communities from receiving funding and implementing systems.

A collection of news stories covering PFAS and their impacts on human health and the Great Lakes ecosystem from states surrounding the lakes.

By using key messages and frameworks for connecting with the “boots on the ground”, we can foster a multi-sector ecosystem that works on decreasing sewage in our oceans.

A secondary school teacher was forced to stop working after developing an incurable ear condition he believes was caused by surfing in sewage-polluted water.

With rapid economic development and urbanization in China, rural wastewater treatment has become an important issue. This study investigated 63 rural sewage treatment stations in northern, central and southern Shaanxi, China for a 1-year period, 2021 to 2022.

There is growing awareness of a cheaper, more environmentally sustainable option to treat wastewater and that mimics how nature has always done it: through wetlands.

Amid the growing threats of climate crisis and habitat fragmentation, constructed wetlands are gaining popularity as natural water-cleaning systems.

Amid the growing threats of climate crisis and habitat fragmentation, constructed wetlands are gaining popularity as natural water-cleaning systems.

The European Union is moving toward stricter measures designed to decrease pollution by increasing the number of materials that would be banned as discharges from ships in European waters.

The number of people getting sick from sewage is the highest it's ever been in the South Bay, according to doctors at an urgent care in Imperial Beach. Those same doctors feel that the contamination has elevated to the point where people are getting sick without even going into the ocean.

Suspected illegal dumping of raw sewage into Windermere took place on up to 70 days in 2022, a year in which campaigners said the lake had its worst summer of harmful algal blooms, according to analysis of data released under environmental information rules.

Globally, roughly 50% of wastewater is treated at facilities before being released into nearby bodies of water. But new research shows that even advanced treatment might not be enough to safeguard the health of freshwater ecosystems.

Critical water infrastructure, like stormwater, wastewater and drinking water systems, in coastal regions is vulnerable to changing climate patterns and rising sea levels. Intense storms and flooding overwhelm water treatment facilities and storm drains, contaminating coastal waters and threatening public health. As a trusted convener of federal, state and community partners, Ocean Conservancy conducted a case study comparing climate exposure, water quality risk and EPA water infrastructure funding between disadvantaged and not-disadvantaged communities. The results of this study highlight disparities in exposure to water pollution and funding for critical infrastructure both between Florida regions and within the areas studied.

Amid all-time-high numbers of cruise ship vacations, environmental groups say Canada needs to do more to regulate the industry’s environmental impact on our waters.

Activists hailed the agreement’s $4.75 million civil penalty as the largest in 25 years for a water pollution infraction—and one of the biggest ever in Maryland for an environmental law violation.

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)  is charged with expanding its water reuse programs, most recently through the development of regulations for the reuse of treated municipal wastewater as drinking water. This program is known as the Advanced Water Purification (AWP) program. The proposed AWP Roadmap (Roadmap) is a resourceto assist stakeholders, including utilities, the State of Arizona (Arizona) employees, consultants, planners, business owners, and the public, in understanding

Welsh Water has admitted to spilling untreated sewage near a rare dolphin habitat for at least a decade. A BBC investigation found the water company had been illegally discharging untreated wastewater at dozens of sewage plants, often for years at a time. The organisation has promised to tackle the problems after viewing the analysis, which it did not dispute.

Advocates allege the state hindered Black residents from receiving critical federal funds.

In July, Amsterdam became the latest in a series of cities to regulate against huge cruise ships in an attempt to tackle pollution and the burden of overtourism. The Dutch capital joins other cities, such as Venice in Italy, Monterey Bay in California, and Bar Harbor in Maine, in seeking to limit the impact of cruises.

Watercare has offered a sincere apology to Aucklanders over the recent sewage sinkhole. It comes as marine scientists revealed the millions of tons of human waste spilling into the Waitematā Harbour is likely destroying everything in its immediate path.

This guide bridges human health and ecosystem resilience. It challenges siloed strategies by integrating WASH with conservation efforts, addressing the interconnectedness highlighted by recent research.

‍

A new report finds more than half of the sewage facilities in Idaho had pollution violations in 2022.The sixth annual analysis by the Idaho Conservation League says 57% of the state's wastewater treatment plants discharged harmful substances last year.

Tiny water fleas could play a big role in filtering out drugs, pesticides and industrial chemicals from wastewater to make it safe, according to scientists.

The toxic stew of poo, pee, pharmaceuticals and other contaminants sent into the ground, seeps into the groundwater and often ends up in the ocean, where it harms nearshore coral and can sicken swimmers.

Pollution from treated and untreated sewage is the greatest threat to river biodiversity, causing more damage than runoff from farms, according to research.

More than three quarters of Americans are more concerned about access to clean and safe water than other climate-related issues, according to a new international study.

Opening your window at night in hope of a cool breeze during a hot summer night is not uncommon. Doing so in Imperial Beach is no longer an option. The once-occasional stench of sewage has now become commonplace.

When documentarian James Burns and Apache guitarist Stevie Salas set out to create a film that examined the ongoing impacts of the water crisis in Indigenous communities, the two knew they wanted the final piece to be an exploration of identity and how it’s tied to Earth’s most abundant natural resource.

Sanitation workers Thomas Noatak and Joseph Moses start every workday riding a four-wheeler along the muddy roads of this small Yup’ik village on southwestern Alaska’s vast Kuskokwim River, looking for human waste.

What happened in Jackson, experts say, is a bellwether for what’s to come if America continues to kick the can down the road in addressing its aging and crumbling water infrastructure. The climate crisis threatens to make those issues even more pressing.

California’s Senators are urging Congress for $310 million in new emergency spending to fix the rampant sewage pollution that repeatedly flows from Tijuana to San Diego’s South County shoreline.

This new report, “Wastewater - Turning problem to solution”, developed jointly by UNEP's Global Wastewater Initiative and GRID-Arendal, urges decision-makers and action-takers from all regions of the world to implement the three key actions, to overcome barriers, and to put in place the building blocks, described in the publication.

Agencies say toxic blue-green algae, thought to be driven by farm runoff and sewage, recorded at levels not seen since 1970s

More than 90% of freshwater habitats on England’s most precious rivers are in unfavourable condition, blighted by farming pollution, raw sewage and water abstraction, an Observer investigation reveals.

It’s not just Ludlow. Water infrastructure across the country is vulnerable as climate change makes storms more unpredictable and destructive, flooding low-lying drinking water treatment plants and overwhelming coastal sewage systems.

The popularity of wild swimming in UK rivers has boomed in recent years — especially since the pandemic, when people sought a closer connection with nature. But as our interest has taken off, so too have headlines about poor water quality from sewage and chemical pollution. So what exactly is happening, and how safe is it to take a cooling dip this summer?

Coral reef ecosystems are being fundamentally restructured by local human impacts and climate-driven marine heatwaves that trigger mass coral bleaching and mortality. Reducing local impacts can increase reef resistance to and recovery from bleaching.

Wastewater fuels blooms of reef-smothering algae. Better engineering and an army of funny-looking fish can come to the rescue.

Minimizing land-based and sea-based human impacts at the same time might help reefs to recover from marine heatwaves, a study has found. But researchers warn that, in the absence of aggressive action to limit global warming, addressing impacts such as pollution and overfishing is insufficient to counter the growing threat.

An inclusive surf school offering adapted lessons for disabled young people has spoken out after pollution alerts forced them to cancel sessions during a busy summer

Athletes competing on stretch of UK coastline where reduced water quality at centre of dispute over sewage discharges

Seagrass, a plant that grows underwater and is abundant throughout Florida, is vital to human life. It's also dying off rapidly due to environmental damage and climate change, researchers say.

Engineers have developed a new kind of membrane that separates chemicals within wastewater so effectively that they can be reused, presenting a new opportunity for industries to improve sustainability, while extracting valuable by-products and chemicals from wastewater.

Delaware’s Indian River Bay is a popular spot for clamming and mussel harvesting. But the state has banned these activities until the end of the month after a Millsboro wastewater facility discharged raw sewage into a tributary of the Indian River, which flows into the Bay.

Sewage poured into England and Wales’ most-precious coastlines and waterways for more than 300,000 hours in 2022, a new Unearthed investigation has found.Greenpeace’s investigative journalists found nearly 1,200 sewage pipes that spilled in or close to important natural habitats last year.

San Francisco must take all steps necessary to protect swimmers and bathers from sewage pollution discharged into the Pacific from a wastewater treatment plant at the southwest corner of the city, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

Without adequate investment in water infrastructure or treatment, modeling shows that water quality in South America, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa would get substantially worse.

This study adapts a land-sea modeling framework by calibrating marine models with macroalgal experiments to quantitatively assess impacts of climate and land use change on submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and subsequent habitat suitability for a native (Ulva lactuca) and an invasive (Hypnea musciformis) macroalgae in nearshore GDEs in Kona, Hawai'i.

Regulation proposed for water systems to add wastewater that has been treated to levels meeting or exceeding all drinking water standards to their potable supplies.

The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that Alabama had agreed to remediate a sewage crisis in majority-Black Lowndes County.

It's cheap, recycled, and has centuries of tradition: "shimogoe" or "fertilizer from a person's bottom" is finding new favor in Japan as Ukraine's war hikes the price of chemical alternatives.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have achieved a 98% water recovery rate in a breakthrough achieved by a method that might make the faint of heart slightly squeamish: they hit peak astronaut pee recycling.

Canada on Friday banned cruise ships from dumping sewage and dirty water close to shore, and said it would impose fines of up to C$250,000 ($190,000) for offending vessels.

Artificial intelligence will be used in south-west England to predict pollution before it happens and help prevent it.

Marine protected areas, or MPAs, are a primary tool for protecting marine species and ecosystems. But the term is not as clearly defined as you might expect.

San Francisco is at the forefront of a movement to recycle wastewater from commercial buildings, homes, and neighborhoods and use it for toilets and landscaping. This decentralized approach, proponents say, will drive down demand in an era of increasing water scarcity.

We need better data on nutrient levels and sources of pollution in the Mesoamerican reef (MAR) ecosystem; this guide will help us identify and potentially resolve the major issues contaminating these waters. CORAL's Western Caribbean Science and Programs teams partnered with others to create a unified methodology for water quality. This protocol was made possible by multiple partners and monitoring efforts across 90 sites in Mexico, Belize, and Honduras.

Utility officials in Maine and elsewhere around the country are developing first-of-their-kind plans to eliminate toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” from sewage sludge spread as fertilizer on farmland.

Water is one of our most precious and finite resources, and how clean or polluted that water is illuminates the undeniable links between people and ecosystems. Depending on terrestrial actions–how sewage, forests and farms are managed–water can either be a vital life-giver, or a purveyor of death, burying ecosystems under pollution and ferrying disease into the heart of communities.

The ocean’s biological carbon pump plays a significant role in the global carbon cycle. The biological pump is a natural process through which carbon is transported from the fast carbon cycle, involving the atmosphere, biosphere, and upper ocean, to the slow carbon cycle, involving the deep ocean and geosphere. The biological pump’s primary mechanism is the biological transformation of CO2 and nutrients into organic carbon in the upper ocean via photosynthesis, which then sinks through the water column, and ultimately decomposes or is buried at depth. Running Tide is developing a nature-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) system that sustainably amplifies the biological pump’s transfer of carbon from the fast to the slow carbon cycle.This white paper provides an overview of the Earth’s carbon cycle, the ocean’s natural processes for capturing and storing carbon, and how Running Tide’s system is designed to sustainably enhance these processes. Running Tide’s CDR system combines distributed open ocean aquaculture, the sinking of biomass, and ocean alkalinity enhancement to make a significant contribution to the fight against the global climate crisis, while delivering co-benefits for biodiversity, sustainable development, inclusive economic growth, and food security.

The side event aims to assist increasing the understanding of the impacts of human activities that alter water, biota, sediment, and of pollution flows on freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, including at the transboundary level, as well as of the solutions offered through source-to-sea action.

The United Nations opened its first water conference in almost half a century in New York on Wednesday, with a plea for countries to work together to tackle overconsumption, water guzzling industries and the climate crisis – or else face more hunger, conflicts and forced migration due to worsening water scarcity.