The Stream, August 13: Philippines Hit Hard by Typhoon Utor

Heavy rains and winds from Typhoon Utor displaced more than 100,000 people in the Philippines Monday before moving toward China’s Guangdong province, where the typhoon is expected to make landfall Wednesday night, BBC reported. In the past two years, two typhoons that have killed more than 1,000 people have hit the Philippines—the death toll from Typhoon Utor is currently two.

Water Contamination
Large-scale agriculture in California’s Central Valley is contaminating groundwater supplies with pollutants like nitrates, which can be harmful to human health, High Country News reported. While Latino communities in the valley are disproportionately affected by the pollution, climate change could increase the number of California residents dependent on the groundwater.

Environmental groups are calling on the United States Environmental Protection Agency to reopen an investigation into drinking water contamination from gas drilling wells in Dimock, Pennsylvania, State Impact reported. Recent reports have cast doubt on the validity of the EPA’s previous investigation, which found that the water was safe to drink.

Algae blooms are back in full force this summer, with blooms off China’s coasts reaching their largest size ever and large blooms in Lake Erie and the Gulf of Mexico also expected, NPR reported. The blooms are an increasing problem caused by excessive nutrient runoff that pollutes the water with nitrogen and phosphorous.

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