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, October 14: EPA Issues New Lead Rules

October 14, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown The EPA issues a long-awaited draft proposal to modify federal rules for lead in drinking water. The EPA also announces a low-interest water infrastructure loan for Indiana, and its inspector general audits the agency’s response to Hurricane Irma. The BLM acting director calls proposals to ban new oil and gas leases on federally […]

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 7: EPA Initiates First Major Action in PFAS Response Plan

October 7, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown The EPA begins the process for requiring industries to disclose toxic PFAS releases. The BLM opens 722,000 acres of federally managed public lands in central California to oil and gas leasing. The EPA gets a six-month extension to finalize its regulation for perchlorate in drinking water. President Trump signs a bill to allow […]

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

116 Confirmed Cases in North Carolina’s Largest Recorded Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak

October 3, 2019/in Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

Outbreak investigation centers on a fairgrounds in North Carolina’s western foothills.

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

Tracking the Atlantic Ocean’s Inland Creep in Miami-Dade County

October 3, 2019/in Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

It’s a gentle intruder, moving stealthily underground, out of sight but not undetected. Salt water continues to move farther inland in Florida’s Miami-Dade County, albeit at a slower rate, according to new USGS mapping.

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

Clean Water Act Showdown at Supreme Court Might Be Avoided. For Now.

October 2, 2019/in Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

A lawsuit with broad implications for the country’s waterways and pollution permitting system might be resolved out of court, avoiding, at least for now, a showdown in the nation’s highest court over the scope of the Clean Water Act.

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 30: Trump Administration Escalates Environmental Showdown with California

September 30, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown EPA letter targets California’s oversight of water programs. The Air Force agrees to pay a portion of a Massachusetts water utility’s PFAS treatment costs. Congress moves on water legislation, including harmful algal blooms, aquifer storage, and reservoir operations. The Senate’s 2020 budget bill includes a 2 percent increase for the EPA and $25 […]

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

Mountain Regions, ‘Taking the Heat,’ Face Growing Hazards As Ice Melts, UN Climate Panel Warns

September 26, 2019/in Water & Climate, Water News/by Brett Walton

IPCC special report describes mounting disaster risks that connect mountains and polar regions to oceans.

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

In Australia, Echoes of Past, Glimpses of Future As Country Braces for Hot, Dry Summer

September 25, 2019/in Australia, Water & Climate, Water News, WEF/by Brett Walton

A record-breaking drought is pushing rural communities in New South Wales and Queensland to the breaking point.

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 23: TVA Moves to Safer Coal Ash Storage at Gallatin Plant

September 23, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown In settling a lawsuit, the Tennessee Valley Authority will revamp its coal ash storage at a coal-burning power plant in Tennessee. A water funding bill advances in Congress while a separate measure seeks to establish a revolving fund for disaster preparation. NOAA tracks intense rainfall from Tropical Storm Imelda and proposes an expansion […]

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 Rapid Rise of Legionella: Q&A with Patrick Breysse of the CDC

September 18, 2019/in Water News, Water Quality/by Brett Walton

For public health “you have to confront Legionnaires’ disease,” Patrick Breysse, the director of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, said.

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 16: Trump Administration Finalizes WOTUS Repeal

September 16, 2019/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown The Army Corps and EPA move to reduce Clean Water Act protections. The EPA seeks to define a harmful algal bloom or hypoxia event of “national significance.” Defense Department officials say that PFAS cleanup costs will be bigger than initial estimates. The USDA sets rules and formulas for disbursing $3 billion in disaster […]

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: Inadequate Groundwater for Current and Potential Demands in Basin Targeted by Las Vegas

September 15, 2019/in Water News/by Brett Walton

Spring, creeks, and wetlands on the Nevada-Utah border are at risk in “worst case” pumping scenario, U.S. Geological Survey finds.

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