water quality

After debates where local dentists made the case that fluoridated water was a crucial part of dental health, and out-of-town opponents argued it was dangerous, Rolla City Council has postponed a vote on a measure to remove fluoride from the drinking water.

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.

Utah's governor recently signed a bill into law banning the addition of fluoride into the state's public water systems. City councils in Rolla and Hannibal have proposed banning fluoride in response to unsubstantiated claims from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Almost half of the nation's tap water is estimated to contain PFAS, or "forever chemicals." University of Missouri associate professor Frank Xiao and his team believe they’ve found a partial solution.

Missouri state Sen. Mike Henderson said the bill protects farmers’ privacy. Public information advocates and environmental groups worry about the loss of transparency.

Under a 40-year-old law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture can withhold subsidies, like crop insurance and disaster payments, from farmers who clear, drain or convert wetlands. A company that owns farmland in Iowa says it’s unconstitutional.

The debate in Abilene, Kansas, could be a precursor to other communities considering the move because members of the incoming Trump administration are advocating to get rid of fluoride in drinking water. Experts say dental health is at stake.

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.

Several south-central Kansas counties are seeing a dramatic increase in groundwater contamination. The region’s nitrate pollution comes primarily from agriculture.

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.