Water

Flash droughts come on quickly and can wilt crops and waterways faster than long-term droughts. New research finds the dangerous dry spells will become more common in the future.

Bioreactors work; the question is whether Polk County’s promising new approach to an old problem can be expanded enough to finally address nitrate pollution.

Water utilities in Iowa and across the country would be required to monitor their treated drinking water for six “forever chemicals" under a proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A wildlife biologist discusses the waterfowl who spend their winters in Iowa and what their presence can tell us about our state.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently released new rules regarding the Waters of the United States that decide which bodies of water fall under federal protection. But a case the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on soon throws those rules into question and could mean less protection for wetlands.

A Nebraska regulator is asking a news organization to pay thousands of dollars for the to compile a public records request.

Iowa Agricultural Mitigation will use the $684,000 grant and matching funds to close the last two remaining agricultural drainage wells in Wright County.

Think of this year’s drought as a sort of dress rehearsal to consider the drier, hotter future that scientists predict climate change has in store. Long-lasting droughts could alter the way we live.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a grant to Iowa State University engineers to help small, rural communities reclaim wastewater and rainwater for other uses.

Health experts warn problems with these "underground poisonous straws" can strike suddenly, and states are getting cash to replace them. But no one knows how many lines exist or where they are.