Tag: water
-
Water Industry Admits Fracking Compromises UK’s Water Supply
Today, two industry groups signed a Memorandum of Understanding stating that their members will minimize the impact of onshore oil and gas development in the UK on the country’s water resources. The memorandum accompanies a report released by Water UK. The report concludes that “where water is in short supply there may not be enough available from public…
-
Prescription Drugs Entering the Great Lakes at Alarming Rate
By Brian Bienkowski Only about half of the prescription drugs and other newly emerging contaminants in sewage are removed by treatment plants. That’s the finding of a new report by the International Joint Commission (IJC), a consortium of officials from the U.S. and Canada who study the Great Lakes. The impact of most of these “chemicals of…
-
First Nations Furious Over Mishandling of Canada’s Largest Coal Slurry Spill
Imagine for a minute that for generations, you and your family lived on ancestral lands abundant with wildlife and a beautiful river running through it. Like every youngster born in your family, one of your elders took you out to the river and patiently taught you how to swim and fish in the warm summer…
-
Could Artificial Reefs Help Restore the Gulf After Years of Damage From BP Oil Spill?
By Ryan Fikes Over the past few decades the five Gulf States (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas) have built artificial reefs both inshore and offshore with the aim of enhancing recreational fishing and diving opportunities. State and local governments on the Gulf Coast have expressed interest in creating additional artificial reefs with some of…
-
Plastic Debris in Oceans Spawns ‘Plastisphere’ of Microbes
The plastic debris that litters the world’s oceans has developed its own unique and diverse microbial ecosystem, researchers report. [caption id="attachment_311995" align="alignnone" width="500"] Members of the rich microbial ecosystem living on plastic debris in scanning electron microscope images: a) a diatom and bacterial filaments; b) filamentous cyanobacteria; c) a predatory ciliate in foreground covered with…