Environment

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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Environment

Environmental Groups Take Legal Action Against Large Factory Farms

7:59pm April 15, 2015

by Keri Brown

A lawsuit was filed Wednesday that could impact industrial meat producers.

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Peeling lead paint in a New York City apartment. Many buildings built before 1960 still have high amounts of lead.

If Walls Could Talk: What Lead Is Doing To Our Students

2:04pm April 15, 2015

by Jasmine Garsd

A new study says Massachusetts' aggressive effort to lower lead exposure has also improved student performance.

The mountain lion known as P-22 is seen in Los Angeles' Griffith Park in November 2014. He hid out for a time in the crawl space of a Los Angeles home.

Mountain Lion That Hid Out Under LA Home Appears To Have Left

2:30pm April 14, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

P-22, as the mountain lion is known, typically lives in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. Attempts to dislodge him from under a home Monday failed.

Students at the Pennsylvania College of Technology are learning a technique called "tripping pipe," moving a pipe from a stack into a horizontal position and lowering it down into a well. The students train on a practice drilling rig to learn how to be r

In Pennsylvania, Employment Booms Amid Oil And Natural Gas Bust

1:44pm April 13, 2015

by Jeff Brady

While lower oil and natural gas prices are great for the wallet, they've led to layoffs. NPR visits Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale region, which is still seeing growth in high-paying natural gas jobs.

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