Explore the Great Lakes like never before!
This Earth Day, we’re joining Great Lakes Now and Hidden Below Great Lakes to dive into the fish city in the waters near one of the largest nuclear power plants on the planet. Plus have your questions answered in real time!
🗓️ April 22nd at 10am.

U.S. Government Orders Emergency Actions to Protect Glen Canyon Dam Difficult decisions for the Colorado River are starting to be made. In what will be a defining year for the struggling watershed, the federal agency that manages the basin’s dams took unprecedented actions on Friday to store more water in Lake Powell in order to preserve hydropower generation and protect water-delivery infrastructure at Glen Canyon Dam that the agency says is at risk of damage due to low reservoir levels.

U.S. Government Orders Emergency Actions to Protect Glen Canyon Dam

Difficult decisions for the Colorado River are starting to be made. In what will be a defining year for the struggling watershed, the federal agency that manages the basin’s dams took unprecedented actions on Friday to store more…

War Threatens the Gulf’s Water Lifeline Missiles tracing dragon's tail flames across the Middle Eastern sky were alarming enough. But it was a threat President Trump issued on March 30 that truly stopped people cold across all six Persian Gulf (GCC) nations and Israel, regardless of background or allegiance. That day, amid his escalating rhetoric toward Iran, Trump floated a reckless and illegal proposal: achieving victory by "blowing up and completely obliterating" vital civilian infrastructure, including Iran’s desalination plants.

War Threatens the Gulf’s Water Lifeline

Missiles tracing dragon's tail flames across the Middle Eastern sky were alarming enough. But it was a threat President Trump issued on March 30 that truly stopped people cold across all six Persian Gulf (GCC) nations and Israel, regardless of background or…

USDA pause on manure-to-gas loans extended through the year Originally published by The New Lede The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) extended its moratorium on loans for anaerobic digesters — many of which are issued for large-scale farms that turn animal waste into gas — through the end of 2026 due to “persistent and escalating concerns.” The directive this week extended an earlier pause announced in January that halted federal loan guarantees for new anaerobic digester projects due to high loan delinquency and project failures.

The USDA just extended its pause on manure digester loan guarantees through 2026. Environmental groups are cheering. The biogas industry says 4 troubled projects don't define the whole sector. Who's right?

#USDA #AnaerobicDigesters #WaterNews #USDALoans #CAFOs

Mega manure digester project in Washington state meets community resistance Originally published by The New Lede A proposal to build a mega-manure digester in a small Washington state community is sparking uproar among citizens who say the project to convert waste from dairy cows into fuel will add to the region’s already significant pollution problems. At issue is a proposed manure digester project called Sunnyside RNG, LLC, that would be one of the largest in the US.

A proposed mega-manure digester in Sunnyside, WA — 83% Hispanic, 18% in poverty — is drawing fierce pushback over air pollution fears. Critics say the permit relies on outdated data. The community isn't backing down.

#Agriculture #Washington #ManureDigester #WaterNews #Pollution #ManureEmissions

Fossil fuel companies couldn't stop Dakota Access protesters, so they changed laws. Now, 18 states criminalize pipeline protests, and a $345M verdict threatens Greenpeace. Congress may deport non-citizen demonstrators.

Full story: https://circleofblue.pulse.ly/yqxbr7vjwm

States Challenge Right to Protest Damage to Water, Land, Environment Behold the “No Kings” protests last month. Millions of Americans in the streets opposing the Trump administration’s reckless governing principles. Thousands of communities expressing the solemn right to push back against a clear and present danger. At least for the time being. For real. As public attention is diverted by the daily diet of strategically outrageous presidential distractions, fossil fuel companies and their industrial allies have been quietly advancing a new form of corporate vigilantism.

States Challenge Right to Protest Damage to Water, Land, Environment

Behold the “No Kings” protests last month. Millions of Americans in the streets opposing the Trump administration’s reckless governing principles. Thousands of communities expressing the solemn right to push back against a clear…

Executive Order Puts Oldest Polluting Coal Plants Back in Action Until May 2025, utility executives like those at Consumers Energy in Michigan operated in the world of orderly oversight of electricity generation. In coordination with MISO, the regional transmission agency, and the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), Consumers Energy decided when to build new power plants to meet energy demand. When plants grew old and too costly to operate, as happened with the coal-fired J.H.

The Trump administration ordered Michigan to keep a 63-year-old coal plant running — costing ratepayers $615K a day. It's the first time the feds have ever done this unprompted.

#CoalPlants #WaterandEnergy #Trump #EmergencyOrder #Michigan #Pollution #ConsumersEnergy #Environment #WaterNews

April 1st snowpack report for the American West — and it's not good.
CO hit its lowest snowpack on record. AZ lost 90% of its snowpack in just a few weeks. Many basins started melting in February.
Read our coverage of the Western water crisis at the link.
https://circleofblue.pulse.ly/kwyun5geon

Federal Water Tap Weekly water news in the United States

EPA asks for public comment on water utility financial assessments.
This newsletter gives you access to the latest U.S. government water policy trends. Sign up today: www.circleofblue.org/water-tap/
#WaterNews #WaterPolicy

Federal Water Tap Weekly water news in the United States

EPA’s internal watchdog assesses wildfire and inland flood risk for federal Superfund sites.
This newsletter gives you access to the latest U.S. government water policy trends. Sign up today: www.circleofblue.org/water-tap/
#WaterNews #WaterPolicy

‘We’re harvesting the sun’: A huge solar project grows in California By Jeff St. John; Originally published by Canary Media Photography by Adam Perez Harris Ranch Resort isn’t close to much. Residents of California’s major cities know it mainly as a rest stop about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on Interstate 5’s long run through the San Joaquin Valley. The sprawling stucco building has a Western-themed gift shop and a couple of good restaurants where travelers can enjoy regional specialties like tri-tip tacos and almond-smoked prime rib — perhaps while they charge their EV at one of the Tesla stations outside.

California's biggest water district is turning fallowed farmland into the world's largest solar project. 21 gigawatts. 136,000 acres. One last bet to save the San Joaquin Valley.

#California #SolarEnergy #WetlandsWaterDistrictSolar #WaterNews #Environment #ValleyCleanInfrastructurePlan #Water

Federal Water Tap Weekly water news in the United States

Water bills introduced or passed in Congress include data center water use, non-flushable wipes, and a Glen Canyon Dam modification.
This newsletter gives you access to the latest U.S. government water policy trends. Sign up today: www.circleofblue.org/water-tap/
#WaterNews #WaterPolicy

Federal Water Tap Weekly water news in the United States

An Interior Department watchdog’s audit finds that three of four federally-funded projects to place solar panels above irrigation canals are not proceeding due to the administration’s priorities.
www.circleofblue.org/water-tap/
#WaterNews #WaterPolicy

Federal Water Tap Weekly water news in the United States

EPA loan program will support a project to bring Lake Michigan water to Illinois communities with unsustainable groundwater use.
This newsletter gives you access to the latest U.S. government water policy trends. Sign up today: www.circleofblue.org/water-tap/
#WaterNews #WaterPolicy

Federal Water Tap Weekly water news in the United States

GAO testifies on ways to reduce federal exposure to the financial risk of flooding.
This newsletter gives you access to the latest U.S. government water policy trends. Sign up today: www.circleofblue.org/water-tap/
#WaterNews #WaterPolicy

Federal Water Tap Weekly water news in the United States

Without saying climate change, the USFS revises the definition of a ski area that operates on federal lands to allow for more non-ski activities.
This newsletter gives you access to the latest U.S. government water policy trends. Sign up today: buff.ly/x5x2YVq
#WaterNews #WaterPolicy

Federal Water Tap Weekly water news in the United States

EPA’s new biofuels mandate, the highest yet, is likely to put more pressure on soil and waters.
This newsletter gives you access to the latest U.S. government water policy trends. Sign up today: www.circleofblue.org/water-tap/
#WaterNews #WaterPolicy

The Stream Daily water news across the globe

An airborne snow survey found that a basin in Arizona lost 90 percent of its snowpack in the three weeks ending on March 12.
The Stream newsletter gives you access to the latest global water news: www.circleofblue.org/stream/
#WaterNews #GlobalWaterNews #EnvironmentalNews

The Stream Daily water news across the globe

Airborne snow survey finds that a basin in Arizona lost 90 percent of its snowpack in three weeks between February and March, reflecting terrible snow conditions across the American West. www.circleofblue.org/stream/
#WaterNews #GlobalWaterNews #EnvironmentalNews

The Stream Daily water news across the globe

New research identifies patterns of household water insecurity in the Americas, where Peru, Honduras, and Venezuela rank as most water insecure.
The Stream newsletter gives you access to the latest global water news: www.circleofblue.org/stream/
#WaterNews #GlobalWaterNews #EnvironmentalNews

The Stream Daily water news across the globe

Kuwait electricity and water ministry reports damage to a service building at a power and desalination facility from an Iranian airstrike.
The Stream newsletter gives you access to the latest global water news: www.circleofblue.org/stream/
#WaterNews #GlobalWaterNews #EnvironmentalNews

The Stream Daily water news across the globe

UN food agency warns of a ‘systematic shock’ to global food production from the U.S. war against Iran.
The Stream newsletter gives you access to the latest global water news: www.circleofblue.org/stream/
#WaterNews #GlobalWaterNews #EnvironmentalNews

As the West’s Scant Snowpack Melts, Coloradans Brace for a Lean Water Year By Annie MacKeigan, The Water Desk Call it the winter that wasn’t. Throughout Colorado a record-warm and dry winter has come to a close. Attention now pivots to spring and the potential for additional snow to allay increasing drought concerns. Though, there appears to be little relief in sight.  The Denver-metro area went months without measurable snowfall this winter. The city’s daytime temperatures often surpassed 60 degrees.

As the West’s Scant Snowpack Melts, Coloradans Brace for a Lean Water Year

By Annie MacKeigan, The Water Desk Call it the winter that wasn’t. Throughout Colorado a record-warm and dry winter has come to a close. Attention now pivots to spring and the potential for additional snow to allay…

The EPA just exempted all 199 U.S. coal plants from mercury emission limits.
Stated goal: save coal from cheaper energy sources. Actual result per EPA's own data: 0% change in electricity prices.
What will change: mercury in Great Lakes fish. Full report: buff.ly/zqvLeux
#Mercury #GreatLakes

Could waste heat power the Great Lakes region? | The Narwhal Wastewater from sewers and data centres is an untapped clean energy source that could cut climate costs in a growing region

Our energy systems are incredibly wasteful with an often overlooked resource: heat. But a movement is underway to mine the Great Lakes region’s power plants, data centres and sewers for waste heat to develop cleaner, cheaper energy. Via @circleofblue.bsky.social: thenarwhal.ca/great-lakes-...

Lake Powell is 75% empty — and dropping.
Glen Canyon Dam is approaching a crisis point: no hydropower, no water for downstream users. The Bureau of Reclamation is running out of options.
Watch Brett Walton's dispatch from the dam & read our stories on the Colorado River at www.circleofblue.org

81% of migratory freshwater fish gone since 1970 — and the UN says only global cooperation can stop the collapse.
The fish don't recognize borders. Our policies need to catch up.
Full story: www.circleofblue.org/2026/water-c...
#FreshwaterFish #WaterCrisis #Biodiversity #Fish #Environment

EPA Reversal Opens the Door to More Mercury Pollution The practice of reporting on the environment starts with a working knowledge of a range of scientific disciplines. One of them is chemistry. To wit: since the 1960s, when Americans and visionary lawmakers voted to hold polluters accountable for their wastes, a specific chemical pollutant has emerged in each decade as the leading environmental and public health menace prompting legal and political action.

EPA Reversal Opens the Door to More Mercury Pollution

The practice of reporting on the environment starts with a working knowledge of a range of scientific disciplines. One of them is chemistry. To wit: since the 1960s, when Americans and visionary lawmakers voted to hold polluters accountable for…

Consumers seeks to delay millions in flood control upgrades as it pursues dam sales Consumers Energy is looking to delay hundreds of millions of dollars in planned safety upgrades at the largest dam in Michigan while it seeks approval of a hotly-debated plan to sell the facility and 12 others. In a filing March 16, the company asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for permission to put off a long-planned $350 million replacement of the spillway at Hardy Dam on the Muskegon River.

A 95-year-old Michigan dam needs a $350M safety upgrade — but the utility wants to delay it while selling to private equity. Tens of thousands live in the flood zone. Who's responsible if something goes wrong?

#ConsumersEnergy #WaterNews #GreatLakes #WaterandEnergy #Dams #HardyDam #Flooding