Local officials want to reassure residents about their drinking water, even amid questions about health risks and who will pay to clean up the contamination.
Category: Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Midwest cities have plenty of vacant land. Why can’t urban farmers buy it?
Urban farmers are trying to buy vacant lots to bring fresh, healthy food and green space to their neighborhoods, but they face challenges in acquiring that land.
Posted inEnvironment
Wisconsin case raises question: Who pays, profits from energy transition?
Critics say a proposed rate hike by We Energies for new solar and natural gas generation pits low-income residents against clean energy advocates, taking too much profit for shareholders
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Mayors call for federal assistance as Mississippi River reaches record lows
Impacts of dry conditions range from barge slowdowns to water main breaks caused by shifting dry ground.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Wisconsin regulators should look to Iowa for third-party solar model, advocates say
A pair of cases before regulators seek to clarify Wisconsin’s position on third-party-owned solar installations, in which the entity that owns the array is different from the property owner that will use the electricity.
Posted inEnvironment
Making room for the river: Mississippi River communities examine nature-based solutions
Solutions might make river communities look different in 100 years: greener, safer and more sustainable. But they’ll need resources to do it.
Posted inEnvironment
We answer your questions about increased rain across the Mississippi River basin
The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk asked for audience questions and perspectives while reporting its series, When it Rains.
Posted inEnvironment
A wetter world is changing Midwest farming. Can growers adapt?
A changing climate is causing rain to fall in harder bursts that push back planting seasons and drown crops in the Mississippi River farm country.
Posted inEnvironment
Gripped by drought, drenched by rain, Mississippi River basin sees climate extremes
States across the Mississippi River basin are experiencing drought more commonly found in the arid Southwest, federal data shows. As of Oct. 20, nearly two-thirds of Wisconsin’s land was experiencing at least “abnormally dry” conditions, while swaths of western and northern Wisconsin saw moderate to severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Posted inEnvironment
To stay or to go: Increased flooding forces choices along the Mississippi River
As increased rainfall strains aging infrastructure, residents along the Mississippi River ask the same question: Do we pack up and move out?
Posted inEnvironment
The Mississippi River basin is getting wetter as climate change brings era of extreme rain, floods
Unprecedented heavy rains are increasing throughout the Mississippi River basin, changing communities and posing new challenges for farmers.
Posted inEnvironment
Nitrate pours into Mississippi River and other U.S. waterways, report says
Regulated industries in 2020 released at least 94.5 million pounds of potentially harmful nitrates into the Mississippi River basin. But some releases go untallied.