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Wide-Ranging Water Infrastructure Bill Easily Passes House

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Amena H. Saiyid and Kellie Lunney

Legislation authorizing the Army Corps of Engineers to boost the nation’s water infrastructure, protect waterways from emerging contaminants, and bolster coastal shorelines sailed through the House Wednesday.

On a voice vote, the House used a procedure reserved for mostly non-controversial legislation to pass the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (H.R. 7575), which lays out a two-year road map for projects that the Corps’ civil works program must tackle.

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Migratory River Fish Populations Plunge 76% in Past 50 Years

/in , /by /The Guardianby Damian Carrington

Populations of migratory river fish around the world have plunged by a “catastrophic” 76% since 1970, an analysis has found. The fall was even greater in Europe at 93%, and for some groups of fish, with sturgeon and eel populations both down by more than 90%.

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21 State Attorneys General Sue Over New Trump Water Rule

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Don Thompson

Attorneys general in 20 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, alleging that new federal rules undermine their ability to protect rivers, lakes and streams within their borders.

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Gold Rush-Era Mercury Mine Closed in 1972 Is Still Contaminating

/in , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. Dooley

Nearly half a century after a Gold Rush-era quicksilver mining operation shut down in northern California, mercury continues to flow into a nearby creek, and federal officials blame the mine’s state landmark status for cleanup delays.

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350 Facilities Skip Reporting Water Pollution Under Temporary EPA Rule

/in , /by /The Hillby Rachel Frazin

More than 350 facilities nationwide have taken advantage of a temporary Environmental Protection Agency rule that lets companies forgo monitoring their water pollution during the pandemic.

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SD Beaches Make Heal the Bay’s Honor Roll for Ocean Water Quality

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby City News Service

San Diego County beaches earned nearly one-fourth of the spots on Heal the Bay’s annual Honor Roll for excellent year-round water quality, according to the environmental group report released Tuesday.

According to Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay, 42 out of more than 500 beaches across the state earned spots on the Honor Roll, which is reserved for beaches that score grades of A+ for water quality during all seasons and weather conditions.

Of those 42 beaches, 20 are in Orange County, the most for any county in the state. San Diego County has 10 beaches on the list, including five in Carlsbad. Los Angeles County has three — Palos Verdes Cove, Palos Verdes Long Point and Redondo State Beach at Topaz Street.

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Federal Judge Considers States’ Bid to Block Trump Water Rule

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Alexandra Yetter and Ellen M. Gilmer

A California federal judge is weighing whether to block the Trump administration’s controversial water rule, as requested by more than a dozen states suing over the regulation.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California spent three hours Thursday hearing arguments on whether to halt the Navigable Waters Protection Rule from taking effect on June 22, as planned.

A preliminary injunction will “prevent widespread harm to national water quality, and disruption” to water pollution control in cities and states while the claim is litigated, the 17-state coalition led by California and New York argued in a motion filed last month.

The rule “seriously undermines water quality and seriously is contrary” to the Clean Water Act, New York attorney Timothy L. Hoffman, representing the coalition, told Judge Richard Seeborg.

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San Diego and Tijuana Announce Plans to Improve Tijuana River Water Treatment

/in , , /by /KPBS-FM/TV (City News Service)by City News Service

Both United States and Mexican officials announced separate plans Tuesday to upgrade Tijuana River wastewater facilities.

The international river has been a longtime problem for residents of Imperial Beach and Tijuana, as sewage and trash from the river have spilled into the Pacific Ocean for decades, often closing beaches near the border and damaging natural habitats along the river.

The Tijuana River straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, picking up sewage and trash along its winding and cross-border path. Over the last 40 years water- treatment facilities have been overrun with sewage and trash, especially during the rainy season.

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PFAS Limits in Drinking Water to Take More Than a Year, EPA Says

/in , , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Sylvia Carignan

The EPA won’t be able to set drinking water limits for two PFAS chemicals in the next year, agency administrator Andrew Wheeler told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Wednesday.

The Environmental Protection Agency determined that it’ll set maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for the two chemicals—PFOA and PFOS—in drinking water, but hasn’t proposed what those limits should be.

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9 States Sue EPA for ‘Blanket Waiver’ As Nation Fights Pandemic

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Jennifer Bjorhus

Nine states have sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for curtailing enforcement of rules on air and water pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the pullback puts the public at even greater risk.

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