The Stream, May 2: Great Lakes At Risk From Oil Spills, Study Says

United States
The Great Lakes Watershed is at risk from potential oil spills due to inadequate federal regulations for pipelines, according to a new report from the National Wildlife Federation and The University of Michigan, UPI reported. In 2010, crude tar sand oil spilled from a ruptured pipe into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River.

Ohio faces a dilemma over whether it will continue to accept hydraulic fracturing wastewater from other states, which may have led to earthquakes, Reuters reported. Last year, nearly 1.9 billion liters (500 million gallons) of wastewater were injected into disposal wells in the state.

Natural gas drillers may not have to disclose the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing until after the drilling has already been completed, if a new draft rule is passed by the United States Interior Department, Bloomberg News reported.

Flooding and Climate Change
Heavy rainfall and flooding has damaged 30,000 hectares of crops, destroyed 280 homes and forced 3,700 people to evacuate in China’s Jiangxi Province, according to Xinhua.

Increased flooding and sea level rise due to climate change could greatly impact New Zealand’s coastal communities by damaging infrastructure and affecting drinking water supplies, according to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Xinhua reported.

There is increasing speculation that the Rio+20 sustainable development conference next month will not deliver adequate green targets, as this week’s informal talks in New York water down major proposals, Reuters reported.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek