pollution

Urban rivers are struggling with water pollution, as the Blue River in Kansas City shows. Restoring riverside woodlands and other natural areas could lead to a healthier river.

Restoring woodlands and protecting undeveloped areas near the Blue River and its creeks are a few of the steps that could mitigate pollution and flooding.

The fish and rare mussels hiding in the Spring River that flows through Kansas and Missouri are signs that environmental cleanups are helping river wildlife recover from a century of mining pollution.

State officials say Missouri's current standards, last revised a quarter century ago, are based on outdated science. For small rural communities, it could require major upgrades for water treatment facilities.

Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are found in substances from cosmetics to nonstick pans — and end up in our bloodstreams, unable to break down. UMKC engineering professor Dr. Megan Hart studies how to get rid of these substances, and shares the everyday changes she has made for her health.

Americans are losing their starry views to light pollution. But some communities are make lighting decisions to help preserve night skies – while benefiting wildlife and human health.

The cattle feedlots on the western side of Kansas produce a significant amount of the beef in your grocery store. But a small town in the region is now opposing a feedlot because of health and environmental concerns.

The first state park in Kansas or Missouri to earn recognition from Dark Sky International is fixing lights that cause unnecessary glare and skyglow. Similar work is taking place at Truman State University, too, to benefit people and wildlife.

For more than 50 years, the Columbia Environmental Research Center has produced research about contaminants and their effects in the water and on land. President Trump's proposed funding cuts to the U.S. Geological Survey would lay off all of its employees.

The Trump administration wants to rewrite the definition for what counts as protected ‘waters of the United States.' The rule has caused frustration among farmers, but environmental attorneys worry a change could lead to more pollution.

Each spring, hundreds of millions of birds fly north through the heart of the continent to breed in Canada. But light pollution leads many of them to their deaths, and Kansas City is one of the deadliest cities for migrating birds.

Friends of the Kaw volunteers dig 2 to 6 tons of battery cases out of sandbars each year. They tackle items as big as septic tanks. Now they’re eyeing an ambitious cleanup target for 2030.