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

Federal Water Tap, July 22: A Local-Federal Fire Partnership

July 22, 2013/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The consequences of severe fires last long after the flames have been snuffed out. Watersheds and reservoirs, in particular, are at risk from debris, erosion, and pipe-clogging ash, all of which degrade water quality and increase the cost of treatment. So the Interior Department and the Department of Agriculture announced a plan to work with […]

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

A Moneyball Approach for Groundwater Monitoring Networks

July 18, 2013/in Groundwater, North America, Water News/by Brett Walton

A U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist shows the way to smarter cuts and better data collection. Photo © U.S. Geological Survey/Alan Cressler Routine maintenance on a groundwater monitoring well in Brunswick, Georgia. A new model based on genetic interactions shows water managers how to make smarter cuts to existing wells. Click to see an enlarged image. […]

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

U.S. Drought’s Shifting Epicenter – It’s New Mexico’s Turn

July 16, 2013/in Agriculture, Climate Change, Drought, North America, Water News/by Brett Walton

Reservoirs are nearly empty, wells are being drilled deeper, and litigation abounds. Photo © J. Carl Ganter/Circle of Blue A purple haze hangs over Cabezon Butte, west of Madrid, New Mexico. A drought lasting more than a decade has intensified in the state since 2011, setting off a host of water supply problems. Click to […]

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, July 15: Colorado River Basin Sniffs a Shortage

July 15, 2013/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

Because the outlook for Colorado River reservoirs gets gloomier every month, I might soon have to drop the question mark from this subheading. Why? The July 24-month study from the Bureau of Reclamation forecasts that a first-ever water shortage on the iconic river could be declared as soon as April 2015. A shortage is triggered […]

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

30 Events In the Last Decade Show the U.S. Energy Sector’s Vulnerability to Climate Change

July 12, 2013/in /by Brett Walton

Rising temperatures, decreasing water supplies, and wacky weather are all threats, says the Energy Department. Image © U.S. Department of Energy A Department of Energy report claims that the American energy sector will have to quicken the pace of adaptation to meet the challenges posed by a warming world. This map shows 30 events in […]

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

Study: Texas Lost Enough Water in the 2011 Drought to Fill Lake Mead Nearly Twice Over

July 11, 2013/in Drought, North America, Water News/by Brett Walton

Most of the water evaporated from soils, according to new research using satellite data. Photo © Flickr/Creative Commons user TexasEagle Sand blows on the shores of Lake Whitney, south of Fort Worth, Texas in 2011. During the drought that year water reserves in Texas dropped by 62.3 billion cubic meters (50.5 million acre feet) — […]

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, July 8: How to Make Strategic Cuts to Groundwater Monitoring Networks

July 8, 2013/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

Eliminate the Redundant A U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist developed a model to help water managers decide which groundwater monitoring wells to cut in order to maintain quality data while reducing costs. Jason Fisher tested his model, which is based on how chromosomes interact, on two groundwater monitoring networks in Idaho. The tool works in the […]

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, July 1: President Obama’s Climate Change Plan

July 1, 2013/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

Regulate, Innovate, and Adapt That is the crux of President Barack Obama’s climate change plan, unveiled in a speech last Tuesday at Georgetown University and in an accompanying 21-page document. The president proposed actions, with the exception of his budgetary aspirations, that need no endorsement from Congress. In a move sure to face legal challenges, […]

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

This Seattle Office Building Has Composting Toilets…

June 27, 2013/in /by Brett Walton

And solar panels. And rainwater tanks. Plus geothermal heating and sustainable timber. But is it the right model for the next generation of urban infrastructure? Photo © Brett Walton The Bullitt Center in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood is designed to make you say, “Wow.” To capture enough sunlight to generate its own electricity, a solar […]

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

New Evidence Shows Fracking Contaminates Groundwater in Pennsylvania

June 25, 2013/in Fracking, Groundwater, North America, Pollution, Water & Energy, Water News/by Brett Walton

A Duke University study finds methane in drinking water wells, along with two additional gases associated only with shale gas extraction. Photo © Robert B. Jackson A natural gas drilling site operates adjacent to a farm in northeastern Pennsylvania. Drinking water wells within one kilometer of drilling sites show higher levels of methane, according to […]

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, June 24: EPA Fracking Studies Delayed and Terminated; President Obama to Speak on Climate Change

June 24, 2013/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

Fracking Studies The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s comprehensive study of the effects of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water supplies will be delayed for two years, until 2016. An EPA official made the statement at a shale gas conference in Ohio last week, according to the Associated Press. The EPA also announced that it would abandon […]

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

Western U.S. Water Utilities Take Financial Responsibility for Reducing Watershed Wildfire Risk

June 20, 2013/in Drought, Infrastructure, North America, Water News/by Brett Walton

When residents in Santa Fe, New Mexico pay their water bills, they are now also paying for forest restoration. Photo © US Forest Service/Mike Stearly An AmeriCorps crew performs bank stabilization work at the site of the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Projects like this will be enhanced with the partnership between […]

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