Brett Walton

About Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club's Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

Entries by Brett Walton

Costs of Water Pollution, a Global Scourge, ‘Underestimated and Underappreciated’

September 11, 2019/in Water News, Water Quality, WEF/by Brett Walton

A new World Bank report highlights the extensive damage to health, ecosystems, and economies due to water pollution.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, September 9: House Members Request ‘Strong Package’ of PFAS Provision in Defense Bill

September 9, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown The Congressional PFAS Task Force and others ask House and Senate negotiators to maintain provisions to respond to PFAS contamination. The EPA seeks comments on a cap-and-trade system for meeting water pollution targets. An Army Corps official presses Congress to fund a Missouri River basin flood management study. A California water district proposes […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Houston Agrees to $2 Billion Sewer Fix

September 6, 2019/in Water Management, Water News/by Brett Walton

Houston, the largest city in Texas is the latest to face a federal order to plug a leaky sewer system. Fewer such orders may be coming.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, September 3: Houston Agrees to $2 Billion Consent Decree to Patch Sewer System

September 3, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown One of the nation’s largest municipal sewage systems will spend big to control overflows. Nebraska and Wyoming farmers affected by the collapse of an irrigation tunnel in July are eligible for federal crop insurance payments, a USDA agency determines. The Department of Housing and Urban Development issues guidelines for how Louisiana can spent […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

As Seas Rise, Unchecked Groundwater Use Sinks Coastal Cities

August 29, 2019/in Water Management, Water News/by Brett Walton

Life on the coast is already hazardous. Groundwater mismanagement amplifies other risks.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, August 26: Congress Gets Water Lessons on Summer Break

August 26, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown Great Lakes senators learn about water issues in their home states while Congress is on summer break. U.S. Geological Survey researchers quantify the benefits of prairie and wetland restoration in western Minnesota and test urban stormwater runoff for chemicals. The U.S. Agency for International Development signs a collaborative agreement with its Israeli counterpart […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Risks to Groundwater in India’s Solar Irrigation Pump Expansion

August 25, 2019/in Groundwater, India, Water News/by Brett Walton

Cheap solar power, widely available, could worsen India’s already depleted aquifers.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Report: Updated Laws and Collaboration Needed to Control Legionnaires’ Disease, America’s Deadliest Waterborne Illness

August 21, 2019/in Water News, Water Quality/by Brett Walton

A National Academies report has identified deficiencies in plumbing and building codes, policies, and research to prevent the spread of Legionella.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, August 19: First Mandatory Colorado River Basin Cutbacks

August 19, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown A Bureau of Reclamation reservoir forecast triggers the first mandatory cutbacks in Colorado River water use for Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico. EPA scientists who objected to a Pebble Mine environmental review are overruled by political appointees. The USGS evaluates how concentrated animal feeding operations in eastern North Carolina affect water quality. A California […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

The Next Urban Water Crisis? Inadequate Data Clouds the Forecast

August 15, 2019/in Water Management, Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

What is the next center of population and commerce to be roiled by a severely constricted water supply?

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Federal Water Tap, August 12: EPA Proposes Limiting Use of Clean Water Act to Review Fossil Fuel Infrastructure

August 12, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown EPA aims to change Clean Water Act provisions that allow states to grant water quality permits. Federal watchdog agency will investigate the management of Lake Ontario water levels, which reached record highs this summer and flooded lakeshore properties. The EPA’s internal watchdog finds that the agency exceeded the deregulatory targets in a 2017 […]

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Amid Rising Water Rates, Massachusetts Cities Have Inequitable Affordability Policies, Report Finds

August 8, 2019/in Water News/by Brett Walton

Policies favor homeowners, according to Northeastern University study.

Brett Walton

Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton

circleofblue.org/author/brett

Author Archive for: Brett

About Brett Walton

Entries by Brett Walton