Background Articles

The ACAT report reveals that the Arctic Ocean Basin has the highest global concentration of microplastics, posing significant health risks to local wildlife and residents.

Alaska's impending water quality regulations may necessitate advanced treatment for contaminants like phthalates in wastewater, posing challenges for local systems to comply with stricter EPA standards.

Rivers and streams in Alaska are changing color – from a clean, clear blue to a rusty orange – because of the toxic metals released by thawing permafrost, according to a new study.

Recent discoloration of 75 streams in Arctic Alaska reflects increased iron and trace metal loading following climate-driven permafrost thaw. These findings have considerable implications for drinking water supplies and subsistence fisheries.

Alaska's legislature has passed a bill to ban PFAS chemicals in firefighting foams, addressing the contamination of drinking water.

Washington State declares a statewide drought emergency due to significantly low snowpack levels, with expectations of less than 75% of the normal water supply.

Emergency measures are in place in Kotzebue after a failure in the Swan Lake Loop left 74 households without water, prompting local and state officials to declare an emergency and take action to provide services and repair infrastructure.

Alberta's water allocation data reveals regional disparities in usage and availability, with agriculture dominating in the south and oil and gas in the north, amidst concerns of overuse and drought.

Melting permafrost in Nunapitchuk is causing severe structural damage to homes, leading to erosion, instability, and health issues for residents.

"I am concerned about high levels of PFAS contamination in the drinking water?"

For countless US veterans, the Army’s mismanagement and careless disposal of hazardous substances since the early years of the Cold War have been an enduring source of debilitating and fatal consequences. Notorious instances such as the pervasive contamination at Camp Lejeune, where toxins leached into groundwater for over 30 years.

The virtual reality project Qikiqtaruk: Arctic at Risk is transporting people to Yukon's northernmost point without them ever having to leave home.

The Friends of the Landfill works with community partners to recycle aluminum cans and tech waste.

This rural part of the island of Oahu is not connected to city sewers — and waste from toilets, sinks and showers is mostly collected in hundreds of pits called cesspools. Rising seas are also pushing groundwater closer to the surface, allowing cesspool effluent to mix with the water table and flow into the ocean.

Tenants in the Forest Park trailer court say they have few, if any, affordable options. Some officials see a warning sign of a worsening housing crisis to come.

State officials say Unalakleet will see work to improve conditions on its water system in the near future.

The relocation between from Newtok to Mertavik has taken time and community members stay patient as local, state, and federal agencies figure out the complex funding and logistical hurdles.

World leaders already have many options to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and protect people, according to the United Nations report.

Atmospheric river boosted California's snowpack, especially in Central and Southern Sierra. Now the levels are record level creating safety issues such as roofs collapsing and helping with drought conditions across the western states.

The decision caps a decades-long battle over a region that is home to both the world’s largest wild salmon run and one of the world’s largest deposits of copper and gold.