water

Environment

What are the environmental impacts of large data centers?

3:49pm June 09, 2025

Large data centers like the ones recently announced in Richmond and Rockingham counties come with significant energy and water needs. Data centers can require 200 megawatts of power or more, and they use millions of gallons of water every day for evaporative cooling.

What does water look like on the moon? A new lunar probe is on a mission to find out

6:00am February 26, 2025

by Joe Palca

The Lunar Trailblazer orbiter's launch window opens Feb 26. It's catching a ride with Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission which is landing on the moon near the south pole. Both have instruments for looking for water.

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Powerful Winds Fuel Multiple Fires Across Los Angeles Area

Ahead of LA fires damage tour Trump makes false water claims. Here's what experts say

5:05am January 15, 2025

President Trump and others are spreading false narratives about water and the LA wildfires. These include the notion that the city didn't have enough water to fight the fires.

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A man walks by flooded road in Asheville, North Carolina.

Health & Safety

The many impacts of flooding on health and institutions

3:39pm October 04, 2024

by David Ford

Infectious disease expert Dr. Christopher Ohl describes Asheville's aging water infrastructure and backup system, both of which were submerged following Helene. He outlines the many uses of water — hydration, sanitation, cooling for hospitals and schools — disease risks following major floods, and health-related impacts of major flooding on individuals and health providers.

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A person carries bags of fresh water after filling up from a tanker at a distribution site in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene

Health & Safety

A week after Helene hit, thousands still without water struggle to find enough

2:04pm October 04, 2024

by Michael Phillis, Jeff Amy and Brittany Peterson, Associated Press

Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene brought devastation to western Nor

Why the most climate-resistant glaciers are hiding in plain sight

2:54pm September 30, 2024

In the American West, white glaciers and snow fields are outnumbered by long-overlooked “rock glaciers.” The rock covering these vast hunks of ice makes them far less affected by warming temperatures.

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As Drought Affects Rio Grande River, Federal Government Opposes Water Deal Between Texas And New Mexico

Water treaty between Mexico and U.S. faces biggest test in 80 years

5:05am August 16, 2024

The water-sharing systems between Mexico and the U.S. are facing one of the biggest tests in their 80-year history after Mexico has fallen behind on billions of gallons of water deliveries.

Health & Safety

A boil water advisory has been lifted for D.C. and Arlington ahead of July 4 influx

9:27am July 04, 2024

by Ayana Archie

The water boil advisory had been announced Wednesday night for safety reasons. It had posed a challenge as the nation's capital prepares to stage its annual Fourth of July celebrations.

An aerial view of Colombia's Regadera Reservoir in Usme, near Bogotá, April 16. Colombia's capital of Bogotá imposed water rations due to a severe drought aggravated by the El Niño.

El Niño weather is leading to droughts and power cuts in South America

5:00am May 01, 2024

by Manuel Rueda

A drought has upended life in several South American cities, leading to water rationing and power cuts as well as forest fires.

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Richelle Dietz holds an empty five-gallon water bottle at her home in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Monday, April 22, 2024, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Dietz family relies on bi-weekly water deliveries for basic needs since their water was tainted in 2021.

Military families in Hawaii spark trial over 2021 jet fuel leak that tainted water

2:31am April 29, 2024

by The Associated Press

A trial for a mass environmental injury case begins in Hawaii on Monday, more than two years after a U.S. military facility poisoned thousands of people when it leaked jet fuel into drinking water.