Entries by Kayla Ritter

The Stream, May 28, 2020: U.S. Department of Agriculture Plans to Invest $281 Million in Rural Water Infrastructure

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The Global Rundown The U.S. Department of Agriculture announces plans to invest $281 million in rural water infrastructure. Greece faces increasing water stress as demand outstrips supply. Good rains boost corn harvests in Zambia. A new study finds that drinking water contaminated with perchlorate is more dangerous than previously thought. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer calls […]

The Stream, May 27, 2020: Heavy Rains Boost Great Lakes Michigan and Huron by 2.4 Trillion Gallons

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The Global Rundown Heavy rainfall in Michigan boosts already-high water levels in the Great Lakes. A tropical disturbance douses South Florida with torrential rains from a storm system expected to continue through Wednesday. A train crash last year in the United Kingdom was reportedly caused by poor flood management. Washington state seeks to regulate water […]

HotSpots H2O: Powerful Cyclone Amphan Uproots Millions in Bangladesh and India

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Parts of Bangladesh and eastern India are reeling in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit the region in more than a decade. 

The Stream, May 26, 2020: 3 Billion People Are Unable to Wash Their Hands at Home, Charity Group Estimates

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The Global Rundown Charity group WaterAid estimates that 3 billion people worldwide are unable to wash their hands at home. Colorado’s wettest day in months eases drought conditions. Officials report that Midland’s water system is safe following two dam breaches last week. Water cuts spark protests in southwest Iran. Cocoa crops in the Ivory Coast […]

The Stream, May 22, 2020: Mid-Michigan Floodwaters Mix with Contaminant Ponds at Dow Chemical Plant

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The Global Rundown Mid-Michigan reels from two dam failures, and officials say resulting floodwaters mingled with contaminant ponds at Midland’s Dow Chemical plant. The death toll mounts from Cyclone Amphan, the strongest cyclone to strike Bangladesh and eastern India in more than a decade. Covid-19 reveals water inequalities in rural areas of the southern United […]

The Stream, May 21, 2020: Two Mid-Michigan Dams Overflow, Forcing 10,000 to Evacuate

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The Global Rundown Two dams overflow in mid-Michigan, forcing 10,000 people to evacuate and threatening to leave the city of Midland under 9 feet of water. Cyclone Amphan hits eastern India and Bangladesh, killing at least five people. Some residents of Detroit, Michigan, remain without clean water despite a moratorium on shutoffs. Tampa Bay Water, […]

The Stream, May 20, 2020: Chicago Sewage Washes Into Lake Michigan as Heavy Rain Overwhelms Infrastructure

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The Global Rundown Sewage sweeps into Lake Michigan as heavy rain overwhelms Chicago’s $3 billion Deep Tunnel sewer system. Health experts in England warn that businesses closed due to Covid-19 should flush out their water supply before reopening due to concerns about Legionnaires’ disease. Drought in Colorado continues to expand, boosting the likelihood of forest […]

The Stream, May 19, 2020: Global HotSpots “Seesawing” Between Drought and Heavy Rain, Study Finds

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The Global Rundown A new study finds that certain global hotspots are prone to swings between drought and torrential rain. Bulawayo, the second-largest city in Zimbabwe, cuts tap water to just one day per week as water shortages worsen. Heavy rain brings flooding to parts of Michigan. A dry winter and spring threaten wheat crops […]

HotSpots H2O: First Case of Covid-19 Confirmed in Crowded Rohingya Refugee Camps

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The first case of Covid-19 has been confirmed in one of the world’s largest refugee camps, in Bangladesh, which has been preparing for months for the arrival of the illness. 

The Stream, May 15, 2020: U.S. EPA Forgoes Regulations on Water Contaminant Linked to Fetal Brain Damage

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The Global Rundown The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) elects not to set limits on the water contaminant perchlorate, which has been linked to fetal and infant brain damage. Two Covid-19 cases are confirmed in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps. The U.S. EPA weighs whether to grant Superfund status to the West Van Buren site in […]

The Stream, May 14, 2020: Drop in Pollution During Covid-19 Could Alter Temperatures, Monsoon Rains

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The Global Rundown The abrupt changes in pollution levels caused by the Covid-19 crisis could alter monsoon rains. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) independent science advisers argue that a proposal by the on tackling lead contamination is too weak. A dam project operated by Brazil and Paraguay plans to release water for Argentina’s parched […]

The Stream, May 13, 2020: California’s Coachella Valley Water District May Cut Budget by $40m Due to Covid-19

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The Global Rundown California’s Coachella Valley Water District revises its annual budget in response to the Covid-19 crisis. A U.S. federal judge upholds an April ruling cancelling an environmental permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Laos prepares to move ahead with a sixth dam along the Mekong River. NASA satellite data shows continued flooding […]