Environment

Sad And Smelly: Massive Fish Die-Off At Rio's 2016 Olympic Site

3:13pm April 21, 2015

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

More than 50 tons of dead fish have been removed from a Rio de Janeiro lagoon slated to host Olympic events. Specialists blame algae blooms but water quality has been a concern for Olympic organizers.

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Geologists Dave Tucker (left) and Pete Stelling at the Mount Baker hot springs in Washington's Cascade Mountains. The springs are within the large tract of federal land that could soon be open for geothermal development.

In Northwest, A Push To Protect Forest As Geothermal Projects Near

6:23pm April 20, 2015

by Ashley Ahearn

The Forest Service is set to open more than 80,000 acres for clean, renewable geothermal power in Washington state. But environmentalists are worried about damage to streams and old-growth forests.

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Environment

Burlington Sewer Waste Spill Raises Concerns

6:19pm April 20, 2015

by Keri Brown

City officials in Burlington are closely monitoring a local waterway after 20,000 gallons of sewer waste spilled into a creek over the weekend.

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Purdue University students are testing new software that may track and warn about tornadoes, such as this one which struck Rochelle, Ill., in early April.

Social Media Can Help Track Tornadoes, But Was That Tweet Real?

7:49am April 20, 2015

by Stan Jastrzebski

Researchers at Purdue are using software to mine tweets for data that can help warn that a dangerous storm is approaching. But the data may not always be reliable and analyzing it can be tricky.

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How Almonds Became A Scapegoat For California's Drought

12:17pm April 18, 2015

by Richard Gonzales

The relentless drought has turned almonds into a target for water conservationists who bemoan that it takes one gallon of water to grow one almond. Growers say the bad rap is unfair and misleading.

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Environment

Desalination Plants: Drought Cure Or Growth Enabler?

12:17pm April 18, 2015

by Daniel Potter

Desalination facilities are under construction across California that would make ocean water drinkable. Environmentalists debate whether more plants would only worsen long-term water issues.

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A bio-filtration basin, pictured during installation in 2007, captures water runoff from the Pelican Hill golf club's maintenance facility. The water is filtered through grass, gravel, sand, soil and filter fabric into an underground drainage system.

In Record Drought, California Golf Course Ethically Keeps Greens Green

12:17pm April 18, 2015

by Sonari Glinton

Golf courses are water hogs, and that thirst is especially notable as California's drought grows in severity. At Pelican Hill, a top golf course near Los Angeles, water conservation is an obsession.

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Why Water Markets Might Work In California

10:59am April 18, 2015

When Australia suffered a drought in the 2000s, it set up markets to trade water rights. NPR's Linda Wertheimer asks McKenzie Funk whether water markets could help California.

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India, China Seek To Capitalize On Nepal's Water Wealth

7:35am April 17, 2015

China and India are each spending billions of dollars on infrastructure, especially hydroelectric dams, in Nepal. Steve Inskeep talks to journalist Donatella Lorch about what China and India want.

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Joshua Haggmark, Santa Barbara's water resources manager, is in charge of getting the city's desalination plant back online.

Will Turning Seawater Into Drinking Water Help Drought-Hit California?

5:42am April 16, 2015

by NPR Staff

During its last major drought, Santa Barbara built a desalination plant. It was never used. Now it's being reopened, but critics say desalination is costly, energy-intensive and may harm marine life.

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