water

A survey of over 400 young farmers and ranchers in the western United States found that finding water was even more of an issue than access to land and capital, says Civil Eats.

California's $53-billion agriculture industry is rallying behind a bill for the November ballot that would move money intended for the state’s high-speed bullet train to new water projects.

Iowa’s water woes seemed slightly less woeful after the state received a $97 million federal grant for water quality and flooding projects, reports The Des Moines Register.

A study of 235 lakes representing half of the world's freshwater supply found that climate change is warming lakes more rapidly than the land or ocean, said research presented at the American Geophysical Union meeting this week. Researchers looking at records over the past 25 years found that lakes warmed by an average of 0.61 degrees F per decade.

Only a quarter of the contiguous United States is in drought after heavy rains soaked many regions, particularly in the southern Great Plains and the Mississippi Delta, says the weekly Drought Monitor, down from 35 percent in mid-October. The worst conditions are west of the Rockies.

EPA surveys have shown that chemicals draining from crop fields have become the leading source of pollution in U.S. rivers and lakes. Because many municipalities source drinking water from these rivers and lakes, the issue has gotten contentious.

The EPA began enforcing its clean-water rule in all states except the 13 that had sued to block it, The Hill​ reported.​

U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson issued a preliminary injunction against the EPA's so-called Waters of the United States rule one day before it was due to take effect, reports Agri-Pulse.

Ahead of a House vote scheduled for today, the White House threatened to veto a water bill backed by California Republicans, saying it overrides state water law and the Endangered Species Act, "thereby resulting in conditions that could be detrimental to the Delta fish and other species."

Two Pennsylvania officials said the state will work harder to reduce pollution runoff into the Susquehanna River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay, reports Lancaster Online. The river is the main source of fresh water for the bay.

A study led by U-Minnesota scientists says emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, from Midwest streams may be much larger than thought.

"For many Californians, the state’s long drought has meant small inconveniences such as shorter showers and restrictions on watering lawns.

The government will spend up to $50 million over five years to reduce flooding and improve water quality, soil health,and wildlife habitat in the Red River of the North basin. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the project at Moorhead, Minn, across the Red River from Fargo, ND.

Nitrate pollution affects communities in Iowa ranging from the state's largest cities to "many of its smallest," says the Des Moines Register, "evidence of a contamination problem that reaches across the state."

Thirteen states filed suit in federal court in North Dakota against the "waters of the United States" rule that defines the upstream reach of the Clean Water Act, said Agri-Pulse.

California Republicans in the U.S. House proposed "an ambitious new, but familiar," drought relief bill "that once again includes hot-button items like scaling back a San Joaquin River restoration program," reports the Fresno Bee.