Wildfires increase mercury in Pacific Northwest headwater streams, USGS study shows • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Wildfires increase mercury in Pacific Northwest headwater streams, USGS study shows | Timber | capitalpress.com
Researchers found wildfires are increasing mercury concentrations in Pacific Northwest headwater streams. Mercury is a naturally occurring metal but under the right conditions, it can be converted into methylmercury, a
In long-sought change, states must consider tribal rights when crafting water rules • Stateline
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently issued a revision to the Clean Water Act that requires states to consider tribal treaty rights when crafting water quality regulations.
U.S. and Canada update 60-year-old Columbia River Treaty | Cascade PBS News
Politicians are celebrating the tentative agreement, while activists and tribal leaders say it doesn’t do enough to protect endangered salmon runs.
UPDATE: EPA says there's not enough data to support salmon-killing tire chemical rule - Columbia Insight
But advocates call new federal guidelines for chemicals used in tires an important step in ending “urban stream syndrome”
Officials outline new Columbia River Treaty agreement | Water | capitalpress.com
The modernized Columbia River Treaty agreement-in-principle provides certainty hydropower certainty, flood risk management and salmon and ecosystem health, U.S. officials said in a July 11 media call. Changes include a new body to allow tribes and indigenous nations to make recommendations on the timing and quantity of flows for salmon in the Columbia River Basin, and more conservative flood-risk management in the U.S. in wetter years — changes which would have been more extreme without the modernized treaty.
Priorities for Lacamas, Round and Fallen Leaf lakes? Alleviate the algae - The Columbian
Amended rule on federal WOTUS waterways impacts farmers | Water | capitalpress.com
Water management a tough issue to address, legislators say | Columbia Basin Herald
The EPA finalizes a water rule that repeals Trump-era changes : NPR
Farm Bureau chapters seek to limit Ecology's reach on CAFO permits | Livestock | capitalpress.com
Stuhlmiller said that small farms should have a chance to work with conservation districts or the Voluntary Stewardship Program before being required to get a CAFO permit.
Washington Snowpack Dwindles To Start February – PNW AG Network
Washington’s statewide snowpack is sitting at 99% of average for this time of year, but according to NRCS the snowpack is dwindling.
NASDA registers concerns over WOTUS rulemaking | Water | capitalpress.com
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture has told the federal government it has significant concerns with the rationale used in the proposed rulemaking for the “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act.
Ranchers tout bill to douse Ecology stockwater policy | Livestock | capitalpress.com
Washington ranchers told legislators Thursday they were betrayed and blindsided by the Department of Ecology's plan to require livestock owners to have a water right to draw stockwater from creeks and rivers.
Department of Ecology hosting online meeting about Nooksack River adjudication | 790 KGMI
The Washington State Department of Ecology wants you to learn more about their plans for protecting the Nooksack River.
Draft revisions to policy 1025 - Washington State Department of Ecology
Washington Ecology: Cows need water right to sip from a creek | Livestock | capitalpress.com
Washington Department of Ecology plans to adopt a policy stating that livestock owners whose animals drink from a creek need a water right.
EPA ditches Navigable Waters Protection Rule | Agriculture | capitalpress.com
The Biden administraton on Thursday announced a proposed rule that would reinstate the pre-2015 definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act, flushing President Trump’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule down the drain.
This Whiskey Is For Protecting Salmon - Northwest Public Broadcasting
“Salmon-Safe is substantially about water quality,” Scribner said. Good for farmers, and good for salmon, too.
Infrastructure bill includes funding for Western water systems | Water | capitalpress.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House Nov. 5 voted 228-206 to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that includes $8.3 billion dollars in water-related investments.
The package, HR 3684, includes investments in dams, waterways, flood prevention efforts, drought resilience, groundwater storage and conveyance, aquifer recharge projects and other water works.
North Carolina farmers dig in as EPA considers redefining 'waters of the United States" - ABC11 Raleigh-Durham
(142) Partnerships for clean water - YouTube
Inland Northwest tribes getting EPA money for water quality projects | The Spokesman-Review
Eastern Washington and North Idaho tribes are getting a combined $200,000 in Environmental Protection Agency grants to improve water quality .
The EPA is sending nearly $2 million to 15 tribes in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska. The money will be used for projects that restore habitat, improve or protect water quality and benefit wetlands.
Virtual fencing technology improves grazing and water quality | Morning Ag Clips
STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State University researchers have received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to examine how virtual fencing technology could improve the water quality and ecosystems of cattle grazing lands.
The new EPA grant totaling more than $800,000 supports research on how GPS-enabled collars worn by cattle can help producers not only better manage grazing, but also improve water quality and other natural resources, such as wildlife habitat and soil health.
Looming battle: NW Washington farmers brace for water-right lawsuit that Ecology is preparing | Water | capitalpress.com
WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — At the request of two tribes, the Washington Department of Ecology plans to sue water users in Whatcom County, raising the possibility of severely curtailing irrigation in Western Washington’s top farm region.
Salmon need more water, the tribes say. Receptive to that, Ecology invokes equity, climate change and environmental justice to justify the adjudication, in which a local judge will sort out the region’s water rights.
Oysters to the Rescue — The Nature Conservancy in Washington
So, as a leader, how do you keep your team motivated and engaged during your company’s transition? Of course, some of that will be determined by factors outside of your control, like the degree of flexibility your organization is offering. But the more say employees have over their work structure, the less resistance they’ll feel to the transition. Setting aside the things that are out of your hands, here are a few things you can do to ease everyone’s transition to whatever your company’s version of “next” looks like.
Tracking nitrate in farm fields | Morning Ag Clips
Harter, a member of the Soil Science Society of America, is trying to solve one of the most complex puzzles in farming: how to track nitrate as it moves through farm fields....They found that a complex quilt of different soils lies underneath the almond orchard. These different soil types made it very hard to predict how nitrogen from one part of the farm would affect another area. Nitrogen levels varied widely across the farm, even though it was managed consistently by a single grower.
After decades of uncertainty, Nooksack Tribe and Lummi Nation aim to finalize water rights in Whatcom County | The Western Front
The Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe have partnered to advocate for water rights resolution in the Nooksack River basin.