Entries by Brett Walton

The Colorado River Basin’s Daunting New Math

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The basin’s big reservoirs have fallen to uncharted territory. The forecast isn’t any better.

Dry Wells in Northern California Bring Home the Costs and Stresses of Drought

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A relentless interval of hot, dry weather, made worse by the buildup of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, has turned Glenn County, California, and the surrounding area, into a cauldron of flame, dust, and smoke.

Federal Water Tap, August 9: Infrastructure Bill Edges Forward in Senate

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The Rundown Senators muster enough votes to overcome a filibuster in Senate debate over the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. The Senate Appropriations Committee boosts spending for Bureau of Reclamation water programs in a 2022 budget bill. Feds propose a settlement over a 2014 incident in North Dakota that was the largest inland spill of produced […]

Federal Water Tap, August 2: Senate Begins Infrastructure Bill Debate

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The Rundown Senators release details of their infrastructure deal. The EPA offers grant funding to research public acceptance of recycled water. The EPA also prepares to strengthen pollution limits for coal-fired power plants and outlines its plan for defining waterways protected by the Clean Water Act. A watchdog agency says FEMA should make better use […]

Constant, Compounding Disasters Are Exhausting Emergency Response

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Fires, droughts, floods, power outages. The interval between disasters is shortening, or in some cases disappearing altogether.

Federal Water Tap, June 28: Infrastructure Deal Details Yet to Emerge

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The Rundown Ten senators settled on an infrastructure package. A federal watchdog says that the Defense Department should report more information to Congress on PFAS cleanup costs. The Army Corps of Engineers will proceed with an environmental impact statement for the Line 5 oil pipelines, in northern Michigan. Three water-related bills move out of the […]

Drought, The Everything Disaster

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When water stops flowing, painful days are at hand.

Federal Water Tap, June 21: Klamath Dam Removal Takes Another Step Forward

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The Rundown The administrative preparations for the country’s largest dam removal clear another hurdle. The EPA delays the effective date of the Lead and Copper Rule revisions. A House subcommittee approves bills related to household water debt and PFAS contamination. Federal energy regulators will undertake a new environmental assessment of the Mountain Valley natural gas […]

As a Hot, Dry Summer Begins in California, More Water Wells Are Failing

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Government agencies and nonprofit groups are preparing for difficult months ahead.

Federal Water Tap, June 14: Biden Administration Will Rewrite Trump-Era Clean Water Act Rule

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The Rundown The EPA and Army Corps will take yet another attempt at defining what waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act. Senators propose $10 billion to test for and clean up PFAS contamination at Defense Department sites. A House committee advances a wastewater infrastructure bill. Federal agencies and local partners aim for a […]

Feds Release First Slice of Water Bill Assistance Funds

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The Department of Health and Human Services released $166.6 million in federal funds for the new, Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP).

Marine Blooms of Harmful Algae Increasing in Europe, Much of the Americas

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Brett WaltonBrett 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 […]