Susitna River approved for Dam

Alaska Governor Authorizes $4.5 Billion Dam Project

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Throughout many parts of the United States, old dams are being removed. But in Alaska, the state legislature and the governor want to build what would be one of the nation’s tallest hydroelectric facilities. If built, the 200-meter dam on the Susitna River would be the nation’s fifth tallest.
Interactive Map: U.S. Cities Acting Now to Reduce Water Risk from Climate Change

Interactive Map: U.S. Cities Acting Now to Reduce Water Risk from Climate Change

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A report from the Natural Resources Defense Council describes water threats and adaptations in a dozen American cities.
EPA

St. Louis Sewer District and U.S. Justice Department Reach Record $4.7 Billion Clean Water Act Settlement

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The sewer district joins more than 40 American municipalities…
Flag of China

China to Cap Energy Use by 2015 in National Low-Carbon Plan

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The energy target will be the highlight of a document to come later this year, as well as a cornerstone of China's efforts to curb soaring greenhouse gas emissions, which currently stand at a quarter of the global total. Cutting coal consumption will inevitably also cut water use, as coal is China's largest industrial user of water.

Infographic: Wild Rice is Keystone Species for Upper Great Lakes Region

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Wild Rice is an aquatic grass that is harvested annually for…
Wild rice on the Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin is in the floating leaf stage by early June, with a single shoot lying on the water’s surface. This is considered one of the most critical—and and dangerous—stages in the rice’s life cycle. The plants are just beginning to change physiologically from exchanging gases with the water column to exchanging gases with the air. Therefore, they are very susceptible to heavy rains and flooding events that can either rip out the young plants by the roots, or drown them. June 6, 2011.

Where Food Grows on Water: Environmental and Human Threats to Wisconsin’s Wild Rice

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For generations, the upper Great Lakes region has boasted harvests of wild rice, growing in Lake Superior and other watersheds within the basin. But disease, dams, and climate change are now endangering the uncultivated bounty.
UNESCO

United Nations Urges Ethiopia to Suspend Gibe III Dam Construction

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In June, a committee concluded that the construction of the dam endangered the existence of Lake Turkana, the largest desert lake in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
train

Coal Conversion in the Rust Belt: Will It Be a Diamond for Small Ohio River Town?

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An energy company has plans to withdraw water from the Ohio River, the potential site for a coal-to-liquid fuels conversion plant, which would be the first of its kind in the United States and the sixth in the world. Though it will bring jobs to the region, the proposal is facing strong opposition from environmental groups.
Infographic: Map of Pollution Levels in China

U.S. House Passes Bill to Accelerate Decision on Tar Sands Keystone XL Pipeline

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If the Republican-sponsored bill passes the Democrat-controlled Senate, the final decision could come by the beginning of November.
Map Weather Extremes Floods Droughts Tornados

Weather Extremes: Floods, Droughts, Tornadoes, and Extreme Heat Plague Much of U.S.

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Extreme weather events in 2011 have been numerous and diverse, prompting some analysts to link the natural disasters to climate change. Most recently, many states are under exceptional-drought and extreme-heat advisories.
The Horn of Africa

Worsening Humanitarian Crisis: Unprecedented Drought and Famine in Horn of Africa

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The drought has gripped large regions of eastern Africa, leaving an estimated 11 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, and is likely to continue for much of the year, according to the United Nations.
Infographic: Map of Pollution Levels in China

Infographic: Map of Pollution Levels in China’s Major River Basins

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The seven major river basins, as a whole, have had steady improvements in water quality over the past decade.