September 18, 2009 by Jennifer E. Cooper
Health ills abound as farm runoff fouls wells. Runoff from all but the largest farms is essentially unregulated by many of the federal laws intended to prevent pollution and protect drinking water sources. New York Times [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/us/18dairy.html
Gov’t stands by as mercury taints water.Abandoned mercury mines throughout central California’s rugged coastal mountains are polluting the state’s major waterways, rendering fish unsafe to eat and risking the health of at least 100,000 impoverished people. Associated Press
http://cbs13.com/wireapnewsca/AP.IMPACT.Review.2.1190767.html
The danger of livestock waste.As Idaho dairies have grown, so has the environmental problem of coping with all the fecal waste. Much of it is spread over fields, where it can seep into local aquifers that supply people’s wells. But the issue is not limited to Idaho. And it appears to have big human health implications. New York Times [Registration Required]
http://video.nytimes.com/video/playlist/us/1194811622217/index.html
Task force calls for National Ocean Council. President Obama’s Ocean Policy Task Force on Thursday released the first draft of a plan to improve the health of the nation’s oceans, coasts and Great Lakes, and coordinate a federal response to pollution, rising sea levels, and ocean acidification, among other problems. Associated Press
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ijGVJ-MyGrHoeeprhoa7r8AjxhZgD9APBL802
Scores of walrus carcasses spotted on coast.Up to 200 dead walruses have been spotted on the shore of Chukchi Sea on Alaska’s northwest coast. Environmental groups calling for measures to slow greenhouse gas emissions say walruses on shore are evidence that global warming is altering the Arctic. Associated Press
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/story/938656.html
Keeping the breadbasket from drying up. Right now, America’s Bread Basket relies on an aquifer that’s nearly drained. And, many say, it will dry up if farmers keep pumping water from it at the current rate. So, the government plans to pay farmers as one way to get them to cut water use. Environment Report, Michigan.
http://www.environmentreport.org/story.php?story_id=4663
Turf battle heats up over limits on water-guzzling landscapes.Later this year, the EPA plans to expand its WaterSense conservation program to include a voluntary label for newly built homes. The program has a landscaping clause that could strictly limit the amount of turfgrass participating builders plant. Wall Street Journal [Subscription Required]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203278404574416990861394378.html