water quality

New EPA data show contamination across Missouri. But removing the forever chemicals could cost millions and take years.

Kansas City is exploring ways to manage stormwater naturally, using parks, gardens, and special pavement to soak up rains. The effort could reshape neighborhoods, improve water quality, and create more green space across the city.

Many Midwest residents distrust their tap water. Some purchase water and ice from standalone kiosks. University of Iowa researchers found at least trace levels of lead in most of these kiosks.

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.

Southwest Kansas farmers have a tough task: Decide on a plan to reduce their irrigation or have the state decide it for them. Groundwater Management District 3 is proposing an unprecedented districtwide conservation area. But a lot of farmers think there are some holes in this plan.

Groundwater in western Kansas is a precious commodity. Hays and Russell are back in court to defend a plan to transfer water from a ranch in another county.

A volunteer-led Stream Team is using kits to test their local waterways quarterly for phosphorus, ammonia and nitrogen, and survey for small aquatic species, such as clams, snails and insect larvae. Otherwise, funding cuts means that nobody is looking out for Missouri's water health.

Next year, Kansas City’s only drinking water treatment plant will celebrate its 100th birthday. It’s a milestone worth applauding, for sure, but it’s also a reminder that the city has only one place where it makes clean water.

For nearly a century, the city’s drinking water purification process has taken place with few major hiccups at a lone Briarcliff facility. But KC Water leaders say maintenance costs are climbing and aging concrete is a concern. They’re urging support for a new treatment plant in Kansas City.

The program provides a long-term look at water quality in some of Missouri's most famous lakes. It will end in 2027 after a state agency will no longer provide federal funding.

An ARPA grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources allowed the city to invest $5 million to restore the Blue River. Once a favorite for outdoor recreation in Kansas City, the river has become polluted as a result of urbanization.