Water

In some parts of Kansas, groundwater is polluted with enough nitrates that it can fulfill some of the fertilizing needs for farmers.

Across the country, data centers have attracted controversy for everything from overuse of utilities to tax breaks. Now, some Missourians are trying to track down those details through public records requests, appearances at public meetings and other grassroots efforts.

Four Minnesota paddlers set off Tuesday from western Montana, attempting to break the record of 33 days, 18 hours and 45 minutes. The team will remain on the Missouri River nearly nonstop, but will have a 30-person support crew helping.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway was the lead Republican attorney general behind the letter, claiming "the upsurge in home-setting chemical abortions has serious implications for the Safe Drinking Water Act." Environmental experts say there is no such evidence.

Massive data centers powering artificial intelligence have sprouted across the country in recent years, drawing opposition for their water consumption. But in rural Kansas, boosters of one project argue that it could represent a huge savings in water use compared to irrigated farming.

Development of large-scale data centers is booming across the Midwest and South. As some communities push back, local and state governments are trying to catch up on how to regulate the new development.

Kansas’ Ogallala Aquifer has been losing water for decades. And while dedicating funding to a strategic water plan was a priority of Kelly’s during the 2026 legislative session, no measure passed. But she’s optimistic the state will continue to make progress after she leaves office in January.

Kansas City wants your permission to borrow $1.7 billion, which would fund improvements to water infrastructure, affordable housing, and repairs at the convention center and City Hall.

Kansas City’s Blue River Biosolids Facility is using an innovative wastewater treatment process to convert sewage into energy and fertilizer while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Some Kansans are spooked by data centers as the likelihood of the state hosting more big tech facilities is rising. One positive to all the hullabaloo? Heightened civic engagement early in local proceedings.

A project to divert water away from the Missouri River in North Dakota has sparked a new fight in a decades-long conflict about how to manage the river’s water in times of drought.

Across the central U.S., nitrate from crop fertilizer and livestock facilities is seeping into water underground. Many family wells are no longer safe to drink from without pricey treatment.