The Stream, October 3: Nutrient Runoff Contributes to Great Barrier Reef Decline

Artificial nutrient runoff may be contributing to a population boom of destructive starfish in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, The New York Times reported. The starfish accounted for 42 percent of the reef’s live coral decline since 1985, while cyclones and coral bleaching accounted for the remaining 58 percent, according to a new study from the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Two entrepreneurial projects in Peru aim to save the country’s glaciers and water supply-one by insulating the glaciers with sawdust, the other by painting mountains white, reported Public Radio International.

India
A citizen group opposed to water privatization is planning major events in the coming months to protest a public-private water distribution deal in New Delhi, according to The Times of India.

Unregulated granite quarrying in India’s Kerala state is threatening the region’s citizens and ecosystems, IPS reported. The granite has been used to stave off erosion and sea level rise, which could destroy groundwater supplies.

United States
Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy reservoir, which supplies water to 2.5 million residents in the San Francisco Bay Area, may be drained to restore the valley to its natural state. This article from the San Jose Mercury News explores what it would take for a restoration to happen.

Two household water supplies in Dimock, Pennsylvania contain methane with a chemical signature previously linked to gas from the Marcellus Shale by an industry-backed study, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. The authors of the industry study and the company that commissioned it, however, dispute the new findings and maintain that natural gas drilling is not contaminating water supplies.

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