Category Archives: Water Issues

In Lawsuit, Scientists Push Back Against EPA Advisory Board Policy

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) this week filed to sue the Environmental Protection Agency in federal court.

The lawsuit is over an EPA policy that changes who can serve on its advisory boards.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Scientists Sue EPA Over Who Can Serve On Advisory Boards

Gila River Indian Community to Drive Back Salt Cedar

The upper Gila River. Photo by James Hatten, USGS.

The Gila River Indian Community Council in September approved plans to reclaim an 80- to 100-square-mile section of the Gila River and floodplain from invasive salt cedar, or tamarisk.

Removing invasive salt cedar reduces the risk of wildfires, but it also offers a chance to restore native plants and wildlife.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Gila River Indian Community to Restore River Habitat

Report: U.S. Fire Seasons are Only Getting Worse

Red Canyon wildfire at night. Photo courtesy of inciweb.nwcg.gov.

Bigger, hotter wildfires — and more of them — are becoming the new normal, and a combination of climate change, sub-par fire management and budget limitations are to blame, says an October 2017 National Wildlife Federation report.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
Why U.S. Wildfires Are Bigger, Hotter And More Frequent

Understanding the Reach (and Limits) of the FDA Antimicrobial Ban

Photo by Lars Klintwall Malmqvist.

A Food and Drug Administration ban on over-the-counter antiseptic  soaps and cosmetics containing certain active ingredients goes into effect Sept. 6.  But it’s up to consumers to avoid products the ban doesn’t cover.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
FDA Antimicrobial Ban Leaves Many Products Unchanged

Endocrine Pollutants Spike in U.S. Rivers During Low-Flow Periods

The Santa Cruz River just north of Sahuarita, Arizona. Photo by $1LENCE D00600D.

The pipeline leak that spilled sewage into Arizona’s Santa Cruz River is sealed, but another pollution problem persists — one many other American waterways share.

Contaminants of emerging concern, or CECs, are chemicals from drugs and personal care products that most wastewater treatment plants don’t filter out. Some, including estrogenic compounds from products like synthetic birth control, disrupt the hormones of aquatic wildlife, harming reproduction.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:
U.S. Streams Like Santa Cruz River See High Endocrine Pollutant Concentrations During Low-Flow