H2ORadio

What Happens to All the Tear Gas After Protests? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: There are worries about what chemicals in tear gas will do to the environment—particularly the water. That sinking feeling—four California "hotspots" are vulnerable to subsidence and sea level rise. A common mineral used in cellphones or computer batteries may also be in d...

A 4,000-Year Drought in the Southwest? It Could Happen. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: A cave in Nevada is revealing some dire implications for the American Southwest. A group of heavy hitters from the world of finance are warning of economic disaster without urgent action on climate change. There's a mysterious hole off the Gulf Coast of Florida abou...

A Major Source of Ocean Pollution You’ve Never Heard Of. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: Methane emissions are skyrocketing and the two biggest sources are fossil fuels and cows that release gas when they burp. COVID-19 is making weather forecasting less accurate. A new study says the world’s paved roads are releasing potentially toxic pollutants into...

Could Beavers Be Making Climate Change Worse? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: Despite decent winter snowfall, runoff in the Colorado and Rio Grande River Basins is not looking very good. The number of dust storms in the Southwest has doubled in recent decades—a situation that could strain ICU units already dealing with COVID-19. Beavers might make the...

Could PFAS Contaminants Make the Coronavirus Worse? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: The EPA is moving to craft exemptions for PFAS chemicals as another federal agency questions their connection to COVID-19. It's not just oceans—fruits and vegetables have microplastics in them, too. Programs that plant trees to mitigate climate change could backfire. Th...

To Stop the Coronavirus, Put a Lid on It. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: The great American outdoors just got a lot greater. The EPA defied a court order and will not set a drinking water standard for a known endocrine disruptor. Public restrooms could spread the coronavirus, according to a study published last week. There's a plume of dust from the S...

It’s Raining Plastics on the National Parks. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. We may soon have more discarded face masks in the ocean than jellyfish. Plastics are being carried high in the atmosphere and then depositing in remote areas when it rains or snows. A Russian diesel spill shows how buildings in the permafrost are vulnerable to global warming. Abandoned c...

While the Nation Protests, Trump Rolls Back Environmental Protections. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Trump ordered federal agencies to bypass critical environmental laws for projects, including oil and gas pipelines, highways, and mines. In another order, Trump rolled back protections for an East Coast marine monument established by President Obama. The EPA was...

Could Turning Beaches Green Fight Climate Change? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Forests have been getting shorter and younger over the past 50 years and that might have broad impacts on global ecosystems. A nonprofit wants to turn the tide on climate change by turning beaches green. Less snow could fall in North America by the end of the century unless greenhou...

How Thunderstorms Can Make Your Allergies Worse. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Dam failures in Michigan point to a larger problem with aging infrastructure and climate change. Urban street trees are declining and one reason might be leaky natural gas pipelines. Bumblebees have a hack to get plants to bloom. People with hay fever might hope that rainstorms will...

Could a Textile Coating Repel COVID-19? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. The EPA will take no steps to regulate a water contaminant that presents serious health risks to as many as 16 million Americans. The 1987 Montreal Protocol got rid of dangerous CFCs—but their replacement has unintended consequences. A fabric coating has been able to repel viruses—and might b...

This Week in Water for May 10, 2020 by H2ORadio

Richard (Rick) Bacon talks about the WAVES Project, which helps wounded veterans to heal.

When veterans retire from the military—whether voluntarily or from injury—it can be a difficult transition. Gone is the camaraderie that gave their lives structure and often lost is a sense of purpose. A partnership with the National Park Service is helping wounded warriors to heal and restore connections by giving them a mission underwater.

Kristopher (Kris) Moorehead talks about scuba diving with the WAVES Project, which helps wounded veterans to heal.

Will COVID-19 Make Wildfires Harder to Fight? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Critics say the Trump administration's new plan to mine for uranium near the Grand Canyon could threaten water supplies. How the coronavirus pandemic could complicate fighting wildfires. Ninety-nine percent of plastic in the oceans ends up in these hotspots. How do koalas, which live hi...

The Latest Threat to Oceans? Face Masks and Gloves. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. In a win for environmentalists, the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s position on groundwater pollution. Could the coronavirus make the beer industry go flat? Changes in snowmelt threaten farmers in the West. Gloves, masks, and sanitizer bottles are being left in p...

When Schools and Offices Reopen, Will the Water Be Safe? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Buildings that have been shut down for weeks could have contaminated water in their pipes. The American West is suffering from a "megadrought"—something that has not occurred for about 500 years. Flooding that used to occur once every 50 years could happen daily by the end of...

The Coronavirus Is Leading to Fruits and Vegetables Rotting in the Fields. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Farmers are dumping milk, throwing out eggs, and plowing under crops because of reduced demand from restaurants. There's a slowdown in commercial fishing due to the coronavirus and that could allow some species to flourish. A new study speculates that a grou...

The Time Has Passed to Shut Down Wet Markets. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Wet markets are known for selling dead and living animals—and are ripe for infection that can jump to humans. How coronavirus spreads may depend not only on social distancing but also on our indoor environments. "Blue energy" has increased tenfold in the last decade and is set to go hig...

Tracking the Coronavirus Through...Sewage. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. The EPA announced that due to the coronavirus it’s suspending the enforcement of laws that protect air and water. Some people in the U.S. can’t wash their hands to protect themselves from COVID-19. Crowded refugee camps around the world are breeding grounds for the coronavirus because of a...

Vaccines We Need May Be Threatened by Mining. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Seabed mining could threaten a source for a possible coronavirus vaccine. A new species found in the deepest part of the ocean was named after the plastic found inside it. In the midst of the current health crisis, officials all over the world are pleading with the public not to flush w...

Not to Worry—Your Tap Water Is Safe from the Coronavirus. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Congress is urging utilities across the country not to shut off water to customers with delinquent accounts in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. Dissolved organic carbon will be a problem for half of the world's population. Los Angeles is looking to the Navajo to provide elec...

Coke and Pepsi Are Being Sued for Lying. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Houston, we have an infrastructure problem. The largest carbon sink you've never heard of is threatened by oil development. Ocean gyres have been creeping toward Earth's poles by about a half mile each year since the 1980s. A new lawsuit claims that companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Nestl...

Are Potty Habits Spreading the Coronavirus? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. The rapid spread of COVID-19 is believed to be through coughing and sneezing, but new research suggests it may also be transmitted through human poop. JP Morgan Bank, the single biggest funder of fossil fuel companies in the world, is freaking out about climate change. The small snapping...