Entries by Sarah Haughn

Utah mining corporation indicted for water pollution

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Discharging selenium into watersheds remains a major problem in the American West by Sarah Haughn Circle of Blue Mining mogul Johnson Matthey, Inc. is pleading guilty to allegations that it conspired to cover up illegally high levels of the toxic mineral selenium in the industrial run-off of its silver and gold refining plant in Utah. […]

Information flow obstructed: Millions in flooded India lack safe drinking water

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PATNA, India – The current irony of eastern India is that while water is pouring from the sky, people are almost dying of thirst. Reuters reports that the Indian government has decided to investigate a possibly negligent response to the crisis, after pleas from victims of the monsoon-stricken areas. At least 3 million people have […]

IBWA testimony suggests bottled water is a way of life

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WASHINGTON – The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) recently testified before Congress, suggesting that bottled water is an indispensable component of the American lifestyle. President and CEO of IBWA, Joe Doss, spoke before the U.S. Senate, Environment and Public Works Committee, Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security and Water Quality’s hearing on the quality and […]

CSRwire turns spotlight on Circle of Blue

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CSRwire’s new monthly series profiling selected member organizations has chosen Circle of Blue as its first feature. CSRwire, a news initiative committed to promoting corporate social responsibility, calls Circle of Blue’s reportage “accessible, relevant and personal.” “With a mainstream media that often lacks the resources and time for in-depth reporting, their value is immeasurable. Watching […]

FLOW: Documentary humanizes international water politics

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Described as water’s Inconvenient Truth, recently released documentary For the Love of Water (FLOW) takes important steps toward provoking public discussion around the crisis threatening one of humanity’s most critical resources. “The film questions the very nature of water and our relation to it,” says director Irena Salina. “It shows how local action can challenge […]

Wasting away: Effluent water bolsters urban agriculture, but poses serious health risks

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Farmers cope with water pollution in their efforts to feed millions by Sarah Haughn Circle of Blue Cities above and below the equator rely on the fruits of urban agriculture, literally. According to a new report, many farmers use human sewage to irrigate that agriculture. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) estimates that 800 million […]

EPA says ‘no’ to pumps in Mississippi River wetlands

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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Corps of Army Engineers is proposing to install Yazoo pumps in the Mississippi River Delta, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making public their veto of the plan. The wetland their veto protects is greater in size than all five boroughs of New York City, notes American Rivers. For the […]

Sewer Insolvency: Possible Alabama bankruptcy filing largest in history

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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Jefferson, the state’s most populous county, is considering filing for bankruptcy to alleviate its $3.2 billion sewer debt. Governor Bob Riley is currently talking with creditors, AP reports. If Jefferson does file, it would “double the previous record for a municipal bankruptcy.” According to bankruptcy expert Jack F. Williams, when a county […]

Fishes and loaves: Miracle needed to restore Sea of Galilee

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Water levels in the Sea of Galilee are at their lowest level on record, reports The Telegraph. For four years a drought, combined with high demand for agricultural irrigation, has been sucking the sea down to what Gidon Bromberg, the Israel director of Friends of the Earth Middle East, calls ‘the black line’ — a […]