Salt is finding its way into freshwater sources primarily from de-icing efforts in the winter, when the granules are thrown onto roads, parking lots, and sidewalks to keep people and cars from slipping. But recent research has also identified acid rain caused by air pollution as a major driver of salt into freshwater.
The city of Phoenix is working to reopen a reclamation plant that was shut down in 2009 thanks to the economic recession, with a recently approved $30 million budget to fix the facility, add reclamation technology, and prepare it to treat as much as eight million gallons of wastewater per day in a practice known as direct potable reuse (DPR).
Are there forever chemicals in your closet? Read more to find out where else PFAS or "forever chemicals" may be hiding in plain sight.
One of the world’s most historically innovative water managers has now implemented a decidedly futuristic solution for protecting source water quality.
When phosphorus enters source water, typically as a result of agricultural runoff, it can exacerbate the presence of toxic algae, which poses dangers to wildlife and drinking water. These harmful algal blooms are becoming a growing problem, so the ability to remove phosphorus from wastewater and use it to improve soil health offers a much-needed solution.
“If you give somebody a glass of water and tell them that it’s been purified from wastewater, more than likely one person out of two will not drink it,” Guillaume Clairet, the chief operating officer of a water technology company, told BNN Bloomberg. “But if you convert that same water to beer, then all of a sudden nine out of 10 will.”
"Despite alarm over numerous reports of dead fish in Rhode Island rivers, experts have assured consumers that they are not the result of water contamination."
“If you haven’t heard of the great Atlantic sargassum belt, or even if you have, chances are high that you’ll see it pop into your news feed at least once this summer,” reported NPR. “After a decade of record-breaking blooms, 2023’s sargassum mass is again shaping up to cause headaches (literally and figuratively) for beachside towns and tourists.”
As water scarcity worsens in the West and beyond, one of the country’s thirstiest industries is embracing a pairing you thought you’d never see: wine and worms. “We’re installing a…
“A scientific research project is using algae to extract biofuel and precious metals from toxic water in abandoned mines, while simultaneously restoring the ecological health of the area,” Positive.News reported. “Algae is cultivated within the water to remove harmful elements, such as arsenic and cadmium — some of which can be recycled back into the electronics industry — with the remaining waste transformed into biofuel and fertilizer.”
