With warm summer days at the beach on the minds of millions of winter-weary people, scientists are reporting that use of a new water quality test this year could prevent unnecessary beach closures while better protecting the health of swimmers. A study analyzing the accuracy of the test appears in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology. Meredith B. Nevers and colleagues point out that de ... read more >>

Scientists show a nomad (in reflection) how to assemble a "waterpod" near the village of M'Hamid El Ghizlane in Zagora on March 16, 2013. The "waterpod" allows desert-dwellers to turn water extracted from wells into clean drinking water through evaporation and condensation. Omar Razzouki gazes intently at the wooden box, marvelling at what might be the solution to the perennial water woes that he ... read more >>

Cholera is perhaps the most widespread and serious water-related disease, directly associated with the failure to provide safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. Billions of people lack this basic human right and suffer from illness as a result. Millions die unnecessary deaths. The World Health Organization has reported that in 2011 (the last year for which comprehensive data are available) ... read more >>

The largest harmful algae bloom in Lake Erie's recorded history was likely caused by the confluence of changing farming practices and weather conditions that are expected to become more common in the future due to climate change. ... read more >>

Pharmaceuticals commonly found in the environment are disrupting streams, with unknown impacts on aquatic life and water quality. So reports a new Ecological Applications paper, which highlights the ecological cost of pharmaceutical waste and the need for more research into environmental impacts. ... read more >>

The factories generate high levels of heavy metals and toxic chemicals, posing severe risks to health after being dumped in unprocessed water. The seven plants, including chemical and metallurgical plants and a container producer, in Lianmeng Village had been blacklisted earlier this year for causing severe water pollution, officials from the city's Qixia District said.
They were given a May dea ... read more >>

Produced in the beautiful Upper Murray, this video provides a glimpse of the many ingredients that contribute to overall water quality in our waterways. It portrays people and their attitudes towards water and reminds us that like our own health, our rivers and waterways also suffer from neglect, abuse and overwork. ... read more >>

Sometimes, little things can add up to a lot. In short, that's the message of a research study on small dams, streams and pollution by Steve Powers, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Notre Dame's Environmental Change Initiative (ECI). ... read more >>

The number of UK beaches failing to meet minimum standards for water quality and pollution has risen after one of the wettest summers on record in 2012. The Marine Conservation Society's (MCS) annual Good Beach Guide found that 42 beaches failed to meet the minimum European standards for bathing water quality – 17 more than in last year's guide. It recommended only 403 of the 754 bathing beaches ... read more >>

More than half of the nation’s thousands of miles of rivers and streams are plagued by poor water quality, including harmful nutrient pollution and mercury, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

That was the key finding of the agency’s first comprehensive examination of the health of U.S. waters, made public Tuesday. ... read more >>