CLIFF NOTES Virginia Beach found contaminated groundwater during the 17th Street road project. The water must be treated before it can be discharged. Pumps and filtration units were set up on Arctic Avenue to handle it. Costs rose from about $43 million to about $48.8 million, but the city says it’s within budget. The Pacific-to-Arctic … Read more
CLIFF NOTES A new study says nanoplastics in U.S. drinking water were badly underestimated. Plastic levels in tap and bottled water were 10–100 times higher than earlier estimates. Bottled water had three times more nanoplastics than tap. Nanoplastics made up over 50% of particles found in both types of water. Health risks are still unclear, … Read more
CLIFF NOTES EPA is accused of spinning PFAS progress while weakening protections. EPA is said to be taking credit for work started under Biden. PFAS reporting was set to start in July 2025. A delay and importer exemptions were proposed. Standards for six PFAS were finalized with five years to comply. EPA sought to drop … Read more
CLIFF NOTES More than 650,000 Valley Springs bottled water units are recalled. The FDA said the water was bottled under “insanitary conditions.” The recall covers six Valley Springs products, including 1-gallon, 2.5-gallon, distilled, infant, fluoride-added, and “Daisy’s Doggy Water.” Distribution was limited to Illinois and Wisconsin. The recall started Feb. 6 and was upgraded to … Read more
CLIFF NOTES A collapsed 72-inch sewer pipe near Clara Barton Parkway sent about 250–300+ million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac starting January 19. Sewage flowed into the river for about a week before DC Water diverted it, though small overflows have continued. Testing found E. coli as high as 10,000× above EPA standards … Read more
CLIFF NOTES PFAS “forever chemicals” have contaminated drinking water, soil, and rivers in Northwest Georgia, with impacts reaching downstream into Alabama. Investigators linked major PFAS releases to stain-resistant chemicals used in carpet manufacturing around Dalton, the “carpet capital of the world.” Records reviewed by journalists show Shaw and Mohawk received warnings about PFAS risks dating … Read more
CLIFF NOTES Brain-eating amoebae like Naegleria fowleri survive in tap water. They tolerate heat and disinfectants such as chlorine. These amoebae can carry and protect harmful bacteria and viruses. Climate change is expanding their reach into new regions. Experts urge better water treatment and public health monitoring. Microscopic Carriers Thrive in Drinking Water Despite … Read more
CLIFF NOTES A 72-inch sewer pipe in Montgomery County, Maryland, ruptured on January 19, 2026, spilling about 40 million gallons of sewage daily into the Potomac River. The spill occurred near Clara Barton Parkway and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, upstream from Washington, D.C. DC Water is installing pumps to divert sewage from … Read more
CLIFF NOTES Robeson County supplies drinking water with unsafe PFAS levels to 66,000 people. The Rocco Plant has the highest PFAS levels in treated water in North Carolina. A nearby county-run landfill likely causes the contamination by leaking PFAS. Every home tested near the plant had PFAS levels above EPA limits. SELC plans to sue … Read more
CLIFF NOTES Parkinson’s disease cases have surged too fast for genetics alone to explain the increase. Research shows long-term exposure to chemicals like TCE can damage dopamine-producing brain cells. Veterans at Camp Lejeune faced far higher Parkinson’s risk due to contaminated drinking water. Lab and population studies now link environmental toxins directly to Parkinson’s development … Read more