water quality

Four towns and one county have received funding to upgrade their water and wastewater infrastructure, an urgent need across much of the rural U.S.

Brush Creek is stinky, dirty and poorly maintained. Can Kansas City turn it into an attraction? Plus: Ranchers across the Midwest and Great Plains are battling black vultures that prey on newborn livestock.

Kansas City has been trying to make Brush Creek somewhere people gather for almost 100 years. Now, the city is giving it another shot with a new master plan based on community feedback in the hopes that focusing on amenities instead of flood control will finally make the creek a destination.

State regulators are considering a request from Missouri Prime Beef Packers, which processes more than 3,500 cattle per week near Pleasant Hope, to treat wastewater from its operation using microorganisms and discharge it directly into the Pomme de Terre River.

Kansas City has been putting odor blockers in the sewers for over 20 years. But the city is now strategically placing the devices based on data and residents’ complaints.

The Missouri River Relief cleanup drew more than 150 volunteers, even with the threat of severe rain. Volunteers picked up a 10-mile stretch of the riverfront in Kansas City, finding everything from tires and lawn chairs to headlights and fenders.

The state will get $106.4 million for water infrastructure upgrades through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Kansas City’s water was last tested for toxic chemicals by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 2013 and found to be safe. But the new EPA rules would set higher standards for what is considered “safe.”

The rooftops, pavement and lawns surrounding the Blue River and its creeks take a toll. Efforts to clean it up and restore native vegetation could help.

The dead zone encompasses thousands of acres in the Gulf each summer and results in a significant impact to marine life.

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

Environmentalists have asked the state Administrative Hearing Commission to overturn a water permit for a silica mine in Ste. Genevieve. Residents and environmentalists say the permit would allow the mine to release contaminants in the local water supply.