Following a year that was marked by drastic, historic drought conditions, California was hit with winter storms and widespread snow that dramatically shifted its ongoing battle against water scarcity.
A wastewater treatment plant discovers a new and effective way to combat its Daphnia problem.
Leading researchers may have made a significant breakthrough in the ongoing battle against one of the country’s most notorious — and notoriously difficult to treat — drinking water and wastewater contaminants.
While many consumers and water experts alike may have their doubts about water dowsing, the use of Y-shaped or L-shaped “divining rods” to locate buried water has endured for centuries. Though studies have sought to reveal more about this ancient practice, evidence that it truly works remains dubious.
The health of the Great Barrier Reef is a prominent gauge for the overall health of our planet, and the impacts that trends like global warming and pollution are having on the world’s source water. Many scientists were surprised to see this latest recovery, as the reef — along with many of the world’s drinking water sources — has been imperiled by these trends recently.
An imaginative and enterprising young man may have just cracked the code for battling one of the world’s most pervasive and difficult-to-treat water contaminants, as 18-year-old Fionn Ferreira took home the top prize at the Google Science Fair for his technique of removing microplastics.
While the use of exhaust “scrubbers” on seabound vessels may be benefiting air quality, it now seems that this trend is coming at the expense of the world’s source water. “The toxins do not just disappear,” The Guardian reported. “Aside from being acidic, scrubbers contain heavy metals that accumulate in marine food chains… What most concerns experts, though, are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These have been linked to several types of cancers and reproductive dysfunction in marine animals.”
As warmer weather, increased flooding, and the continued use of nutrient-laden fertilizers all combine to drive harmful algal bloom in source water this season, a major project in Florida is exploring an innovative solution to the problem.
While it’s well known that source water scarcity is presenting numerous drinking water problems across the country — forcing consumer cutbacks, interstate conflicts, and more — recent innovation has uncovered a silver lining, right in the heart of this historic drought.
Recent university research has identified an unlikely tool for battling one of source water’s most challenging nemeses. “According to new research from scientists at Tarleton State University in Texas, okra…
