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

Kansas Farmers Cut Ogallala Water Use – And Still Make Money

March 6, 2018/in Water & Food, Water News/by Brett Walton

Groundwater conservation helped the imperiled aquifer and did not hurt the bottom line, farmers find.

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, March 5: Fisheries Service Considers Endangered Species Listing for California Salmon Group

March 5, 2018/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown Fisheries regulators consider endangered species status for Chinook salmon in the Klamath and Trinity rivers, while the U.S. Geological Survey analyzes a Sacramento River diversion’s effect on salmon. The EPA proposes changes to coal ash regulations. The GAO looks at federal contracts for hurricane response. The Interior Department proposes regional offices based loosely […]

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

Straight Pipes Foul Kentucky’s Long Quest to Clean Its Soiled Waters

February 28, 2018/in Sanitation/Health, Water News/by Brett Walton

A two-decade mission to reduce sewage pollution still has a lot of work to finish.

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, February 26: EPA Discards Stronger Financial Rules for Hardrock Mining

February 26, 2018/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown Existing regulations and modern mining techniques reduce the risk of environmental cleanups, the EPA argues in deciding not to strengthen financial accountability rules. The Bureau of Reclamation announces a low initial water supply for some Central Valley Project farms. The EPA begins discussing its lead-reduction initiative, but little information about the meeting is […]

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

International Conference Discusses Remedies to Lake Chad Crisis

February 26, 2018/in Water News, Water Policy & Politics/by Brett Walton

Ambitious engineering project on the agenda. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue Few political conflicts with environmental roots are more worrisome to security experts than the crisis in the Lake Chad basin. The drying of the most important water source in Africa’s Sahel region has propelled the growth of the Boko Haram terrorist movement, cut […]

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, February 19: Spy Agencies Repeat Water Warning

February 19, 2018/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown America’s spy agencies warn that water scarcity and climate change are national security risks. The EPA wants guidance on how to regulate pollution of groundwater that flows into rivers, lakes, and oceans. The Trump administration releases a budget proposal and infrastructure investment principles — but Congress will have the final word. And lastly, […]

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 Political Quarrels over Cape Town Crisis, Engineers Prepare Dams for Day Zero

February 13, 2018/in Water News, Water Policy & Politics/by Brett Walton

Squabbles between South Africa’s politicians over who is to blame for Cape Town’s water emergency reached such a pitch in recent weeks that leaders, in an attempt to soften the debate, invoked the country’s icon of peace and resolve.

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, February 12: Reservoirs in Colorado and Texas Gain Endorsements

February 12, 2018/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown The Army Corps approves a reservoir in northern Texas while energy regulators weigh in on Denver’s proposal to store more Colorado River water by raising a dam. Congress passes a budget deal with additional disaster aid. The Defense Department submits its first National Defense Strategy — which omits climate change in the unclassified […]

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

Many Questions as Expert Committee Begins Study of Legionella in Plumbing

February 9, 2018/in Water Management, Water News/by Brett Walton

The National Academy of Sciences addresses risks from deadliest U.S. water disease.

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. Courts Issue Contradictory Rulings on Groundwater and the Clean Water Act

February 7, 2018/in Groundwater, Water Law, Water News/by Brett Walton

Courts grapple with pollution cases that pit the law against nature.

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

Cape Town Pushes Back Day Zero by Nearly One Month

February 5, 2018/in Water Management, Water News/by Brett Walton

Pointing to declining agricultural water use, Cape Town officials moved Day Zero back nearly four weeks, to May 11.

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, February 5: Every Week Is Infrastructure Week

February 5, 2018/in Federal Water Tap/by Brett Walton

The Rundown The EPA administrator testifies before a Senate committee and then delays the WOTUS rule. President Trump dangles a huge infrastructure investment amount in his State of the Union speech. Bipartisan bills address water infrastructure financing. The CDC investigates a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at a Memphis hotel. And lastly, hurricane researchers bump up Harvey […]

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