East of Tacoma, across Highway 18, down a packed gravel road, and behind a locked metal gate, Tacoma Water churns over the Green River. This is the source for most of Tacoma’s drinking water. Read More
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists Rochelle Labiosa (right) and Lil Herger examine the Columbia River for toxic algae as Jason Pappani leans over to reach into the water. (Credit: Rajah […]Read More
Ashtyn Harris of Ellensburg ties a small caddis-type fly to her line in the Yakima River Canyon. She watches them in the river area, to decide what to use as […]Read More
The Naches River is the main source of drinking water for the City of Yakima. Credit: Cmh2315fl, Flickr Creative Commons.) Listen (Runtime 1:02) Read Thunderstorms high in the Cascades recently […]Read More
Cherry Coke can still be had at the Wayback Cafe on the east side of Lewiston, but the soda and ice have to be trucked in after a city-owned water […]Read More
The shore of Soap Lake is gray and gritty Listen Soap Lake’s unique healing properties can be explained by it’s even more unique ecology (Runtime 4:39) Read The recognition of […]Read More
Dry conditions across Washington have prompted the state’s Department of Ecology to declare a drought emergency. Read More
A secret cache of clean energy is lurking in sewers, and there are growing efforts to put it to work in the battle against climate change.Read More
Hundreds of farmers who rely on a massive irrigation project that spans the Oregon-California border learned Wednesday they will get a tiny fraction of the water they need amid the worst drought in decades, as federal regulators attempt to balance the needs of agriculture against federally threatened and endangered fish species that are central to the heritage of several tribes.Read More
Some infrastructure concerns go far less discussed than others including, notably, the issue of wastewater and sanitation. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the country’s wastewater treatment plants are functioning at an average of “81 percent of their design capacities,” and 15 percent have “reached or exceeded” that capacity. Drinking water service Read More
With nearly two-thirds of the United States abnormally dry or worse, the government’s spring forecast offers little hope for relief, especially in the West where a devastating megadrought has taken root and worsened.Read More
Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was charged Wednesday for his role in the Flint water crisis, an environmental disaster that contaminated the majority Black city's drinking water with lead nearly seven years ago.Read More
Water fluoridation has been proposed – and rejected – before by Spokane residents. Supporters such as Dr. Elisabeth Warder believe it’s time to consider it again. The city council is considering a request by dentists to fluoridate the city’s water supply.Read More
A federal judge has ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to produce a full environmental review. Until then, oil must stop flowing through the controversial pipeline.Read More
A group of Coeur d’Alene tribal students is learning how to tell stories and make podcasts. The program they’re making tackles a pretty weighty subject. The tribe is working with the University of Idaho and the state University of New York at Buffalo to prepare young people to become tribal leaders.Read More
For much of the Northwest, snowpack is above normal. That’s a good sign this time of year, when snowpack usually reaches its peak. Having enough snowpack is critical for spring and summer runoff that will supply water for irrigation and salmon runs. But that doesn’t mean everywhere has that much snow.Read More
Uproar in Lewis County has pushed the Washington Legislature to the verge of closing the tap for water permits for new water bottling plants statewide. Business groups are mounting an 11th-hour push to stop what they consider to be an overreaction in Olympia that they say could cost jobs and unfairly tarnishes a healthy product.Read More
In Bozeman, Mont., the Water Reclamation Facility treats more than 6 million gallons of water every day from sinks, showers, toilets — really anything that goes down a drain. That includes liquid waste from more than 10 breweries in this city of nearly 50,000.Read More
The Trump administration is stripping clean water protections put in place by President Barack Obama, and some in the industry worry that the regulatory changes will threaten their business.Read More
A mysterious die-off of freshwater mussels has scientists scrambling to find a cause. Freshwater mussels clean water and provide habitat to countless other species.Read More
A new report from DigDeep and the U.S. Water Alliance found race is the strongest predictor of water and sanitation access. This has implications for public health.Read More
A new study on the nation’s Safe Drinking Water Act has found that low-income residents and communities of color are especially vulnerable to health-related problems because of unresolved drinking water violations. In the Northwest, 16 counties in Oregon and Washington were identified with the highest rate of drinking water violations Read More
The Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon has been without safe drinking water all summer. Some people don’t have running water at all. In May, a burst pipe led to a cascade of infrastructure failures. That leaves around 4,000 people improvising for an essential human need.Read More
WSU Engineering Professor creates boats to model dolphin adaptability on waves using digital science and student researchers on the WSU campus. Read More
According to a new federal drought monitor map, the long-running dry spell finally looks to be over in most of the Northwest. Heavy snows and precipitation in February and early March have made up the difference. That’s good news for ranchers, irrigators, river rafters and salmon. Read More
The U.S. Senate Tuesday passed a sweeping public lands bill, with measures meant to protect lands across the country. It’s expected to have a big impact on Washington’s lands, rivers and more.Read More
For six years, Yakima County has been dealing with a complicated problem – nitrates in the groundwater. This month, after missing two other deadlines, a group of citizens tasked with finding a solution finally came up with a plan. For about 2,000 people, that’s good news because they’re closer to clean water. But some critics aren’t so sure. Read More
For six years, Yakima County has been dealing with a complicated problem – nitrates in the groundwater. This month, after missing two other deadlines, a group of citizens tasked with finding a solution finally came up with a plan. For about 2,000 people, that’s good news because they’re closer to clean water. But some critics aren’t so sure. Read More
Despite the growth of population in the western U.S., water use in cities such as Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego and Phoenix is going down. The reason? High-tech, low-flow toilets.Read More
It’s September, so the hops harvest is in full swing in Washington’s Yakima Valley. At the Carpenter family’s farm in Granger, workers are making their way between rows of trellises, pulling down vines and feeding them into a sorting machine.Read More
When toxins from algae made Salem’s drinking water potentially hazardous earlier this year, the city was unprepared to deal with both the public relations fallout from the breach and the more concrete matter of helping citizens access clean water.Read More
Our region’s booming growth is also part of the problem. More overuse of fertilizers, pet waste, leaky septic tanks, people feeding ducks and geese — all give cyanobacteria the nutrients it needs to grow.Read More
Nearly 100 public water systems around Oregon—including the state’s largest—will be required to begin testing for harmful contaminants from algae blooms under new rules unveiled by the Oregon Health Authority.Read More
Oregon has already declared drought in several counties, and two more counties are under review by the governor's office. That's a common theme -- drought is stretching across the Western United States.Read More
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon’s 2010 water quality report has earned a mixed review from the U.S. EPA. This week, the EPA gave the report a thumbs up for listing nine-hundred […]Read More
