The head of Three Mile Harbor, and Georgica, Wainscott, and Hook Ponds are among the water bodies that continued to be compromised by harmful algal blooms or high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. Georgica Pond’s water quality improved last year, Dr. Gobler told the trustees, which he said was likely the result of the aquatic
A new report says some levels of pollution are down in the Potomac River, but cautioned that the once-troubled waterway isn’t out the woods yet. Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments analyzed data collected between 1985 and 2016 and found that “water quality improvements have reduced pollution significantly.” MWCOG’s 27-page report said two substances in particular
A half century after the passage of the federal Clean Water Act, 50% of U.S. river and stream miles are so polluted that they are classified as “impaired.” Not only are these waterways impaired, but so are 55% of lakes, ponds and reservoirs and 25% of bays, estuaries and harbors. This means that none of
More than 85% of the world’s oyster reefs have been lost since the 1900s, through over-harvesting of the species, increased coastal development, destruction of wetlands and increased water pollution. Oysters could one day be the answer to the complex question of how to protect California’s disappearing coastline. While a project to restore oyster populations is
A new study maps the potential of wetlands – an ecosystem flooded with water and supporting a vegetation of aquatic plants – to improve water quality. Through the study, the researchers claim that regrowing wetlands can act as a key strategy for improving water that is laden with contaminants like nitrate. Nitrates reach groundwater, rivers,
In southwest Minnesota, the Okabena-Ocheda Watershed District is tagging and tracking carp in an effort to find out where they congregate in the winter. The data is hoped to reveal the potential for a wintertime seining event. Lake Okabena has two to three times more carp than a healthy lake should have. It’s been determined
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has developed a new initiative to acquire and restore wetlands in response to funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Lake Champlain Basin Program. The initiative is strategically focused on acquiring marginal agricultural farmland in the Lake Champlain Basin and working both independently and with conservation
The water of Hamilton Harbor in Ontario, Canada, has been used and abused over the decades, as sewage water and industrial by-products have flowed into the port since the 1800s with devastating consequences for the harbour’s flora and fauna. Today, treated sewage water, which isn’t fully cleansed of algae-causing nutrients, is still released into the
The Great Lakes are worth an estimated $13 billion annually, said Jill Thatcher, communications coordinator for the Invasvie Species Centre in a release. “Asian carp have the potential to devastate the Great Lakes ecologically and economically if they were to establish. They grow very large very quickly with huge appetites to match and would easily