Water
All The Players But Massachusetts Join Housatonic River Cleanup Mediation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric Co. are funding a new approach to negotiating an agreement on the cleanup of the Housatonic River. Just last week, many of the stakeholders met with an independent mediator. But one key player is choosing not to participate.
Read MoreAt Coakley Landfill Site, Government Assurances Meet Public Fear
The Coakley Landfill on New Hampshire’s Seacoast is back in the headlines, more than 30 years after it became a Superfund site. Neighbors are again worried the site could be poisoning their drinking water, after a rash of childhood cancer cases nearby and the discovery of dangerously high levels of PFAS chemicals at the landfill.
Read MoreAs Storms Become Stronger, What’s In Store For Coastal Drinking Wells?
Hurricanes can push extra sea water toward the shore. And that water, called storm surge, can flood streets and basements. But scientists at the University of Rhode Island are wondering, how can that water impact coastal drinking wells?
Read More‘Welter Of Jurisdictions’ Complicate Efforts To Clean Up Connecticut River
A very old sewer system is still in use at about 800 wastewater treatment plants in the U.S., including along the Connecticut River. It’s called “combined sewer overflow,” or CSO. What overflows into waterways is a mix of storm water, street runoff and raw sewage.
Read MoreDevils, Damselflies, And History: A Trip Down Connecticut’s ‘Wild And Scenic’ Eightmile River
The trees are dense, the path is narrow, and everywhere, there’s the sound of water. I hike to a clearing and hear a waterfall dashing against rocks below, sending clouds of mist wafting over my trail. This is my first stop on a journey down New England’s southernmost “wild and scenic” river, the Eightmile.
Read MoreSouth County Beach Community In Rhode Island Continues To Retreat As Ocean Creeps Inland
The cottages in these rows are in a prime oceanfront location, but they won’t be here for long. Within the next two years, they will be moved about a quarter mile inland, because the ocean is creeping in closer and closer every year.
Read MoreMassachusetts Residents Worry Time Is Running Out For Salt Marsh Islands
Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that span up and down the East Coast. They help protect coastal properties from strong waves during storms, absorb carbon from the atmosphere, and serve as nurseries for fish and critical habitat for birds, such as ospreys. However, residents and fishermen started noticing these marsh islands, especially in the west branch of the river, rapidly disappearing.
Read MoreFor Residents On The Connecticut River, Hydro Dams’ Relicensing Is A Rare Opportunity
Right now, a group of hydroelectric dams on the Connecticut River are undergoing a once-in-a-generation process – a federal relicensing.
Read MoreTo Understand Great Bay’s Decline (and How to Stop It), Start on the Water
New Hampshire’s Great Bay and the Piscataqua River estuary have been in bad shape for years – and the latest data doesn’t show a lot of improvement.
Read More
To Restore Healthy Rivers, Conservationists Find Success Removing Small Dams
Unlike large hydropower dams, where there’s often serious political and emotional resistance to removal, conservationists are finding many landowners of small dams are happy to have them removed.
Read More