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

Ecosystems Are Dying as Long Island Contends With a Nitrogen Bomb

November 4, 2015/in Groundwater, North America, Pollution, Water News, Water Policy & Politics/by Brett Walton

Septic systems and nitrogen pollution are killing the island’s marine heritage By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue Thousands of dead bunker fish and hundreds of diamondback turtles washed ashore last May in Peconic Bay on the east end of Long Island, New York. Fed by warming waters and a stream of nitrogen, a foul bloom of […]

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, November 2: Army Corps Endorses New Reservoir in Georgia

November 2, 2015/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown A county in northern Georgia wants to increase its water supply. Nitrate levels in U.S. rivers remain high despite a decline in the rate of nitrate discharge. State Department helps build water partnerships in Central Asia. A California recycled water project will undergo an environmental review. The House Science Committee will discuss Pebble […]

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

Southeast Alaska, All Rainforests, Glaciers, and Waterfalls, Nevertheless Has Water Worries

October 27, 2015/in Mining/by Brett Walton

Resource-extraction economy faces inherent tensions between development and protection. Photo © Brett Walton / Circle of Blue From the top of Mt. Juneau, a hiker sees a panoramic view of the southeast Alaska coast. Click image to enlarge. JUNEAU, Alaska — Fed by Lemon Glacier, Lemon Creek, just 11 kilometers (7 miles) in length, flows […]

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

Wisconsin Groundwater Dispute Is a Warning Signal for the Eastern United States

October 26, 2015/in Groundwater, Water News/by Brett Walton

Water problems in states east of the Mississippi River mirror those of the dry American West. Photo © Codi Kozacek / Circle of Blue Caroline Lake sits near the Lake Superior shore in northern Wisconsin. The state is one of many east of the Mississippi River confronting unsustainable groundwater use. Click image to enlarge. When […]

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, October 26: Report: Gold King Mine Spill A Result of Technical Errors and Mistaken Priorities

October 26, 2015/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown The Gold King mine spill was a series of common blunders. The Bureau of Reclamation reports on water availability in the Santa Fe River Basin. The Army Corps makes accessing water data easier. The South Carolina floods broke records. The U.S. Geological Survey tracks nitrate pollution in Washington state. “The incident at Gold […]

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

California Closes 33 Injection Wells Used to Dump Oilfield Waste into Aquifers

October 21, 2015/in California, California Drought, Groundwater, North America, Pollution, Water & Energy, Water News/by Brett Walton

Hundreds more wells face closure in the next 16 months, while unlined disposal pits remain a problem. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue Kern County is the center of California’s oil industry. The state ordered 33 more wastewater injection wells to be closed in order to protect aquifers. Click image to enlarge. […]

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 Growth of the Water Beat

October 19, 2015/in Water News/by Brett Walton

News agencies carve out more space for water. Photo © Brett Walton / Circle of Blue During a field tour organized as part of the Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference, Jason Lewis, a hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, explains how stream gauges are used to measure river flow. The conference took place October […]

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, October 19: Strong El Nino Will Likely Influence Winter Weather, NOAA Says

October 19, 2015/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown El Nino gives weather forecasters more confident in winter outlook. EPA internal watchdog will do a lifecycle assessment of the renewable fuel standard. The EIA publishes a report on climate change and the power sector. Liberia earns foreign aid for a hydropower station. Congressional hearings will focus on the Paris climate talks and […]

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

America’s Spreading Septic Threat

October 15, 2015/in Groundwater, Infrastructure, North America, Pollution, Water News/by Brett Walton

Failing septic systems produce disease outbreaks, algae blooms, and ecosystem damage. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue There are 123 million households in the United States. Nearly one-fifth of them — some 21.5 million — do not flush toilet waste to a public sewer. They use septic systems — small underground tanks that provide basic treatment […]

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

Healthy Soils Reduce Water Pollution

October 13, 2015/in Groundwater, North America, Water News/by Brett Walton

Absorbent soils yields big benefits for air and water. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue NORMAN, Oklahoma — On a bright October morning in a hotel parking lot, Greg Scott turns on the rainfall simulator. The machine’s swiveling nozzle sprays fat drops on five soil samples held in trays a few feet below. Some soil […]

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, October 12: Federal Court Puts EPA Clean Water Rule on Hold

October 12, 2015/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown The Clean Water Act legal saga continues. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee holds a drought hearing. The Army Corps of Engineers publishes a list of deauthorized water projects while the Justice Department decides to fight a flood liability lawsuit in New Orleans on behalf of the corps. The Obama administration will take […]

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, October 5: EPA Sets First Water Pollution Limits on Toxic Metals from Steam Electric Power Plants

October 5, 2015/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown The EPA issues first water pollution limits for toxic metals from steam electric plants and adds four groundwater sites to Superfund. EPA and pipeline regulators settle pollution cases. GAO analyzes Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding. USGS researchers keep an eye on California groundwater levels. USAID says water is a pillar in reducing extreme […]

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

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About Brett Walton

Entries by Brett Walton