drinking water

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Millions May Be Drinking Contaminated Water: US Report

USGS ties risk to private and public wells

(Newser) - The drinking water of one-fourth of the US population could be contaminated by PFAS, a new federal government report says. The warning applies to water drawn from aquifers through private or public wells, the Guardian reports, for a total affected population estimate of about 95 million people. Using sampling and...

EPA to Set Deadline for Replacing Nation's Lead Pipes

Biden is expected to announce new 10-year EPA rule during stop in Wisconsin on Tuesday

(Newser) - A decade after the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, raised alarms about the continuing dangers of lead in tap water, President Biden is setting a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace their lead pipes, finalizing an aggressive approach aimed at ensuring that drinking water is safe for...

Drinking Too Much Water Is Also a Problem

Overhydration appears to be a growing problem in a hotter world

(Newser) - Reminders to drink more water are common, but here's a reminder not to drink too much. The Wall Street Journal reports that health experts have growing concerns about overhydration—known as water intoxication or hyponatremia in its most serious form— particularly as the nation experiences more heat waves. Details:...

NM City Illustrates Problems of America's Drinking Water

Sunland Park has had illegal levels of arsenic for years, with no resolution

(Newser) - Big headlines occasionally surface about serious problems with drinking water in American cities, as with Flint, Michigan , and Jackson, Mississippi . But the Washington Post reports that the issue may be more widespread than is realized five decades after the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The newspaper zeroes in...

EPA Goes After Forever Chemicals in Your Water

Biden administration sets new, enforceable drinking water standards

(Newser) - In what some are calling a "huge breakthrough," the Biden administration on Wednesday laid out the first national standard to limit "forever chemicals" in drinking water. These long-lasting chemicals, found in the blood of nearly every American, help nonstick cookware, outdoor furniture, disposable packaging, and other products...

129K Kids in Chicago Exposed to Lead in Water
68% of Kids
in Chicago
Exposed to
Lead in Water
NEW STUDY
Mar 19, 2024 7:33 AM CDT

68% of Kids in Chicago Exposed to Lead in Water

That's 129K children under 6, researchers say

(Newser) - More than two-thirds of kids aged 5 or younger in Chicago are exposed to lead in drinking water, which can mean many harmful consequences, according to a new study. The Guardian previously analyzed 24,000 city water tests, finding water from a third of homes contained lead above 5 parts...

California OKs Drinking Recycled Wastewater

Wastewater to be treated for all pathogens and viruses before reaching tap

(Newser) - When a toilet is flushed in California, the water can end up in a lot of places: An ice skating rink near Disneyland, ski slopes around Lake Tahoe, farmland in the Central Valley. And—coming soon—kitchen faucets. California regulators on Tuesday approved new rules to let water agencies recycle...

They Thought Their Drinking Water Was Safe. Now, a Lawsuit

Wisconsin city of Wausau sues PFAS makers, insurance firms over groundwater contamination

(Newser) - A Wisconsin city has filed a lawsuit against more than a dozen manufacturers of so-called forever chemicals, claiming the contaminants have polluted the city's groundwater. The complaint filed Thursday on behalf of Wausau is against 15 makers of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), as well as 61 insurance companies,...

Along the Mississippi, a 'Serious Situation'

Saltwater intrusion could mean salt water for close to 1M people in Louisiana

(Newser) - A summer of high heat and low rainfall has created a serious risk to New Orleans' drinking water. In the coming weeks, water levels on the Mississippi River are expected to reach historic lows for the second year in a row . That means salt water flowing north from the Gulf...

Congressman Holds 'Thirst Strike' on Capitol Steps

Greg Casar urges Biden administration to mandate water breaks for workers

(Newser) - On a sweltering day in Washington, DC, Rep. Greg Casar held an all-day "thirst strike" on the Capitol steps to demand federally mandated water breaks for workers. Casar is from Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed a law to nullify local ordinances that mandate water breaks for construction...

Philly Residents May Want to Drink Bottled Water for a Bit

Drinking water thought to be OK through Monday after chemical spill in Delaware River

(Newser) - Philadelphia residents were told Sunday that they may want to drink bottled water following a chemical spill into the Delaware River in a neighboring county. Bucks County health officials said Sunday that a leak late Friday evening at the Trinseo Altuglas chemical facility in Bristol Township spilled between 8,100...

EPA Makes Big Move on 'Forever Chemicals'

Agency proposes first federal limits on toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water

(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed the first federal limits on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water, a long-awaited protection the agency said will save thousands of lives and prevent serious illnesses, including cancer. The plan would limit toxic PFAS chemicals to the lowest level that tests can...

Ex-Michigan Governor Catches Big Break in Flint Case

Judge dismisses criminal charges against Rick Snyder, 8 years after water issues began

(Newser) - A judge dismissed criminal charges against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in the Flint water crisis, months after the state Supreme Court said indictments returned by a one-person grand jury were invalid. Snyder, a Republican who left office in 2019, had been charged with two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect...

Houston Residents Can Drink Their Water Again

City lifts boil advisory

(Newser) - Houston officials lifted an order Tuesday that had called for more than 2 million people in the nation's fourth-largest city to boil their tap water before drinking or using it. The boil order had been in effect since Sunday, when a power outage at a purification plant caused pressure...

Governor's Joke About Capital City Does Not Land Well

Mississippi's Tate Reeves says it's 'a great day to not be in Jackson,' which has had water trouble

(Newser) - The governor of Mississippi has raised eyebrows with a jab at the capital city of Jackson, which has recently endured serious drinking-water problems . Speaking at a function in the city of Hattiesburg, Tate Reeves told the crowd it was great to be in the city. "It's also, as...

Drinking Water of the Future May Come Increasingly From Toilets

In the face of climate change, recycled water could be a solution

(Newser) - Garden hose bans are in place across much of Britain, where rivers and reservoirs are at unusually low levels following months of low rainfall. In the future, part of the solution will be "to reprocess the water that results from sewage treatment and turn it back into drinking water,...

Amid Worst Heat Wave Ever, China Shoots Rods Into Clouds

Silver iodide rods intended to spur precipitation

(Newser) - China is experiencing its worst heat wave on record, a two-month-plus streak that's seeing hundreds of cities and counties experience temps of 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. But this extreme weather isn't just causing bodily discomfort. It's helping to dry up the Yangtze River, one of the...

White House: Deal to Replace 100% of Lead Pipes

Infrastructure agreement includes $55B for water projects

(Newser) - The version of President Biden's infrastructure spending plan that Republicans and Democrats agreed to last week includes replacing every lead pipe in the nation. A White House memo said the legislation "will replace 100% of the nation's lead pipes and service lines," and White House press...

Drought Brings 'Earthy' Taste to California Water

Sacramento suggests adding lemon

(Newser) - Some people like their wines to have earthy notes. Their drinking water, not so much. With much of California in extreme drought, Sacramento residents have been complaining that their water smells strange and tastes like dirt, CBS Sacramento reports. Authorities say it is the result of harmless organic compounds found...

Pope: Racism Shows Our Lack of Progress

Francis calls for greater efforts to provide clean drinking water around the world

(Newser) - Pope Francis on Sunday denounced racism, likening it to a virus that lurks, then surfaces to show that "our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive" as people think. Francis tweeted on racism on the date that the United Nations marks as International Day for the Elimination...

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