Water

Legal agreements govern the Great Lakes and some river systems in the U.S., but the Mississippi River doesn’t have a compact. Some mayors on the waterway think it’s time to change that.

As Kansas Citians begin a holiday season of feasting, a rising number of people don’t know where or when their next meal will be. Plus: The Ogallala aquifer is a critical source of water in western Kansas, and it’s running dry.

State lawmakers want farmers in western Kansas to take action by 2026 to halt declines in the Ogallala aquifer. But the region’s whole agriculture system is built to produce irrigated grain at a high volume.

The Ogallala aquifer is a critical source of water in western Kansas, and it’s running dry. It plays a major role in the daily lives of Kansans, even for people who don’t live on top of it.

Artificial floating wetlands naturally filter water from contaminants and excess nutrients. There are about a dozen in the state, and the Missouri Department of Conservation wants to add more.

Researchers at the University of Missouri college of engineering have designed a filter to fit on standard faucets with the goal of removing lead and microplastics.

The signs released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers warn of "low-level radioactive materials present" near Coldwater Creek in St. Louis.

The Heartland Conservation Alliance is working with local organizations to eradicate invasive Bush Honeysuckle on 40 acres along the Blue River. The non-native Honeysuckle grows so thick it blocks sunlight, keeps animals from foraging and limits bird and wildlife biodiversity.

For more than a century, bird hatcheries and farmers across the country have used the U.S. Postal Service to ship newborn birds. But recent shipment delays have led to many birds dying in transit. Plus: Climate change could bring more water scarcity to the Midwest and Great Plains and, with it, more legal battles over water.

Water scarcity could threaten the Midwest as climate change puts pressure on water systems. With that scarcity, legal fights over water could become more common.

Restoring oxbow wetlands is gaining momentum in the Midwest. While it started largely to support a federally endangered fish, conservation experts say these floodplain habitats offer a host of benefits, including cleaner water downstream.

Worsening local effects on health and recreation in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin are spurring action on problems that also cause the Gulf of Mexico’s chronic “dead zone.”