Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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An $80M cleanup made Muskegon Lake trendy. Will ‘eco-gentrification’ follow?
May 14, 2025
Not long ago, the shore of the 4,232-acre Muskegon Lake, a drowned river mouth that connects the city to the big waters of Lake Michigan, was so fully dominated by polluting factories that you could tell which ones were operating by the color of the water that day. It took decades of activism and more than $80 million to repair the damage, mostly on the public dime.
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Trump’s EPA blocks effort to reduce toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in West Virginia drinking water
May 07, 2025
Over 700,000 state residents are at risk of serious health problems from cancer-causing pollution in drinking water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency canceled a small grant to start tackling the problem, saying it was eliminating discrimination.
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A community left behind: PFAS crisis unfolds on Lambertville’s Connaught Hill
April 17, 2025
Today, the people of Connaught Hill have been stricken by a new wave of adversity, in the form of so-called “forever chemicals” turning up at high levels in their well water.
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Many Nebraskans still under threat of high nitrate in drinking water, report finds
February 14, 2025
In 2022, the Flatwater Free Press spent months examining the scope and history of nitrate contamination, a byproduct of decades of nitrogen fertilizer excessively applied to corn. And rural Nebraska’s nitrate problem doesn’t appear to be getting any better.
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Water Releases from the Shasta Reservoir Will Double
February 07, 2025
Increased water releases beginning February 7 will be utilized for hydropower before the water is stored in the San Luis Reservoir for use farther south by California farmers, communities and wildlife refuges, later this year.
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Cities are dumping this chemical in NC rivers — and getting paid to do it
January 28, 2025
Is 1,4-dioxane dangerous? Opinions vary. But that hasn’t stopped cities, like Reidsville, from releasing the chemical into the drinking water of communities.
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Minnesota finalizes new feedlot permit system, prompting some backlash
January 23, 2025
New state system prioritizes manure application tracking for groundwater protection reasons.
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Nowhere to hide: Microplastics are polluting western North Carolina watersheds
December 11, 2024
A year-long study finds an alarming trend about the distribution of microplastics in a remote section of a mountain watershed.
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The Biden administration weighs in on Colorado River management
December 03, 2024
Amid mounting drought, changing federal leadership and stalled state negotiations, new federal proposals aim to chart a forward path.
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Rural water utilities in North Carolina are still reeling from Helene
November 22, 2024
Dozens of rural water systems were knocked out by the hurricane. Full recovery may take years.
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For tens of thousands of West Virginians who need clean water, a $1 billion investment is a drop in the bucket
October 31, 2024
Mountain State Spotlight reporters spoke with residents in all 55 counties, folks everywhere brought up water quality and access. Despite the increased investments from state and federal officials in recent years, the need still outweighs the available funds.
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Scientists are closing in on an explanation for what contaminated Orange County’s water supply — and it’s not making residents feel safer
September 18, 2024
Despite the early suspicion that the contamination came from the river, now the investigators from the Virginia Health Department and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality think that it originated in the Wilderness Water Treatment Plant.
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Cattle Production That Enhances Water and Environmental Quality
August 08, 2024
Michigan State’s Jason Rowntree is out to prove that ranching is an ecological asset.
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Warmer temperatures mean devastating E. coli outbreaks like the one at Lake Anna could become more common
August 06, 2024
Considering that there are dozens of beaches closed nationwide this summer due to high E. coli concentration in the water, there are reasons to be more cautious and thoughtful before entering the natural waters.
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Texas Water Board details how it will spend $1 billion for water infrastructure projects
July 29, 2024
About $45 million will go to Texas towns with fewer than 1,000 residents — a boon for municipalities without a viable tax base.
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