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By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer The West is currently in the middle of a severe drought, and Lake Powell, the region’s second-largest reservoir, is at its lowest level in decades. The lake, located on the Colorado River, is effectively a human-made storage basin that keeps the regional water supply in balance under the 100-year-old […]
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by Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Nevada’s Congressional delegation wants Las Vegas to be able to expand beyond its boundaries, currently constrained by federally managed land. Their proposal: to give up 48 square miles of currently protected land for development in exchange for an area the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined additional protections. Proponents […]
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This year’s historic drought has intensified a century-old dispute over water in the Klamath Lake region on the Oregon-California border. One hundred years ago, the federal government drained lakes and re-routed rivers to make farming easier, but this year’s drought has sent the region into crisis.
Why this Matters: This drought may be the worst in a century — but the trend is likely to only get worse due to climat
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by Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer California’s ongoing drought has forced state authorities to drastically cut water allocations for farmers, even to zero, while water transfers have delayed. As a result, farmers have had to abandon crops that require too much water, like almonds. Despite the USDA making projections for a record almond season, growers […]
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From 2018 to 2020, over 61 million people were exposed to water with more lead than is safe to drink. President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, if funded, would fix this problem by spending $45 billion to replace more than 6 million lead-pipe service lines across the country. Infamously, in Flint, MI, thousands of children were exposed to water contaminated with lead, in one of the worst public health disasters in recent memory.
Why this Matters: Lead pipes predominantly impact low-income, nonwhite communities across the nation — they are a major environmental justice flashpoint.
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The world’s glaciers are melting faster than ever before, and it’s having significant consequences on the oceans, wildlife, and our coastlines. A study published Wednesday found that nearly all the world’s glaciers are melting, and some are withering at rates 31 percent higher than 15 years ago.
Why This Matters: As glaciers melt, habitats for critical species disappear, water sources deplete, coastlines recede, and dangerous glacial bursts threaten communities.
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