On August 5, while investigating the Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency accidentally triggered the release of approximately three million gallons of acidic, metal-rich mine wastewater from the Gold King Mine into…
Four Vermont State Agencies Collaborate to Deploy Green Stormwater Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 7, 2015—Demonstrating Vermont’s ongoing commitment to flood mitigation, pollution reduction and energy preservation, four…
New Cool Roof Solution Promises to Reduce Heat Load of Cities
SYDNEY, May 27, 2015—Sydney materials scientists are claiming a breakthrough in cool roof technology with a surface they've developed that will stay…
NOAA Tool Useful for Protecting Corals from Runoff
Feb. 26, 2015—Local officials are using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s OpenNSPECT, the Nonpoint Source Pollution and Erosion Comparison Tool, to estimate the amount of runoff, sediment, and pollutants that drain into coastal waters…
EPA Awarding Grants to Protect and Restore Wetlands
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding $1 million in grants to strengthen the capacity of states and tribes to protect and restore wetlands. The National Wetland Program Development Grants provide interstate agencies, intertribal…
EPA, States and Automotive Industry to Reduce Copper in Motor Vehicle Brake Pads
Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the automotive industry and the states signed an agreement to reduce the use of copper and other materials in motor vehicle brake pads. The Copper-Free Brake Initiative calls for cutting copper in brake pads…
Great Lakes Pollution No Longer Driven by Airborne Sources; Land, Rivers Now Bigger Factors
NARRAGANSETT, R.I., Dec. 17, 2014—A chemical oceanographer at the University of Rhode Island who measured organic pollutants in the air and water around Lake Erie and Lake Ontario has found that airborne emissions are no longer the primary cause of the lakes’…
Urban Stream Contamination Increasing Rapidly Due to Road Salt
Average chloride concentrations often exceed toxic levels in many northern United States streams due to the use of salt to deice winter pavement, and the frequency of these occurrences nearly doubled in two decades. Chloride levels increased substantially…
EPA, USDA and White House to Highlight New Market-Based Water Quality Trading Program in Virginia
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2014—On Tuesday, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy will hold a press conference with U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Tom Vilsack, Mike Boots of the White House Council on Environmental…
How Roadside Drainage Ditches Reduce Pollution
Stormwater can pick up chemicals and sediments that pollute rivers and streams. Roadside drainage ditches, also known as swales, lessen this effect by absorbing water. But until recently, MnDOT didn’t know how to quantify this effect and incorporate it into…
