News, Articles and Interviews

News briefs and articles about water footprints, water use and availability, as well as interviews with key people in the fields of water footprints and water use.

Algal Doom: The Growing Threat of Harmful Algal Blooms

July 10, 2017

Why are algal blooms bad? They are a growing threat in water ways around the country. This series provides context on how they form, where they are located and how harmful they are.  Check out other posts about what causes them, their potential toxic hazards and hot spots around the United States. Go to FoodPrint to learn more […]

Toxic Algae Blooms and Agriculture: 5 Things to Know About Their Connection

July 5, 2017

The increase in frequency and severity of harmful algal blooms are a reminder that we need to make significant and lasting changes to the way we farm and produce our food, especially in reducing nutrient pollution. 5 Things to Know About The Connection Between Toxic Algae and Agriculture Those who follow environmental or climate news […]

Algal Doom: Mapping Harmful Algal Bloom Hot Spots Across the United States

July 2, 2017

Where do algal blooms occur? This series provides context on how they form, where they are located and how harmful they are.  Check out other posts about their growing threat, what causes them and their potential toxic hazards. Go to FoodPrint to learn more about how industrial agriculture can negatively impact our water. Where do Harmful Algal Blooms Occur? […]

Interview: Clean Water and Industrial Agriculture with Kelly Hunter Foster

April 6, 2017

Factory farming is devastating rivers, lakes, and estuaries from industrial agriculture at swine, poultry, and dairy facilities. Waterkeeper Alliance senior attorney Kelly Hunter Foster manages the organization’s Clean Water Defense and National Pure Farms, Pure Waters campaigns to regulate runoff from factory farming. Kelly Hunter Foster’s background and experience with factory farming pollution has made […]

Your Diet Uses a Lot of Water. Here Are 9 Tips to Help You Cut Back

October 11, 2016

Your diet makes up the vast majority of your water footprint. Here are nine ways to make your diet more water-friendly and reduce your water footprint. Your Diet and the Water in Your Food The connection between your diet, food and water is an obvious one. If you grew a lima bean in third grade […]

Farm Country Faces Water Pollution from Droughts and Rains Spurred by Climate Change

July 5, 2016

Farm country and rain might not always mix because, sometimes, when it rains it pours…nitrogen pollution into rural waterways especially after periods of drought. A recent study makes that link and begs the question: What will happen to water in farm country if this pattern keeps up? Farm country around the world heats up from […]

To HAB and HAB Not? Harmful Algal Blooms Plaguing Our Waters

September 29, 2015

Harmful algal blooms crop up because of excessive amounts of “nutrients,” primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, that act as super-charged feed for naturally occurring algae. These toxic blooms are a growing threat to public and ecosystem health. Check out other posts about what causes them, their potential toxic hazards and hot spots around the United States. Go to […]

Lake Mead: How Low Can You Flow?

July 20, 2015

Lake Mead supplies 90 percent of Las Vegas’ drinking water and frequently goes low enough to make water managers at the US Bureau of Reclamation nervous. Fluctuating Lake Mead Water Levels Threaten Las Vegas’ Water Supplies It was a sweltering 108-degree June day when I landed in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was there to give […]

50 Alternative Uses For Your Empty Pool

June 16, 2015

Got an empty pool? With drought a perennial topic in the news and outdoor pools requiring major water inputs (just like grass), back in 2015 when the drought was pretty bad, a lot of communities placed restrictions on pools that some people found severe. Although the drought has lingered and last summer’s water restrictions were equally severe, they didn’t […]