Water treatment

People living in Punta Chueca, home to the Comcáac, have struggled with a lack of fresh water for generations.

Desalination brings fresh water — and concern — to an Indigenous village in northern Mexico

Environment

A lack of fresh water has plagued the Comcáac people of northern Mexico for generations. There’s new hope in desalination plants, but some worry about its impact on marine life.

Poseidon Water employees stand between rows of reverse osmosis filters at the Western Hemisphere's largest seawater desalination plant, currently under construction in Carlsbad, California.

Desalination is an expensive energy hog, but improvements are on the way

Environment
A visitor walks near the receding waters at California's Folsom Lake, which is at 17 percent of its capacity, On April 1, California Governor Jerry Brown announced unprecedented mandatory water restrictions and ordered the State Water Resources Board to r

California faces the worst water emergency since the Dust Bowl, and it needs solutions fast

Environment

Government rethinks fluoride in drinking water

Health & Medicine

Millions sick due to lack of clean water in Pakistan

Health & Medicine

Clean water for Kenya

A new technology that takes just a plastic bottle and six hours in the sun is helping provide clean water and reduce sickness in a slum community in Kenya.

The World

Southern States Water Crisis

As the sprawling capital Atlanta gobbles up green space, it’s also siphoning off a critical portion of the region’s water supply. As David Pollock reports, officials in Alabama and Florida are duking it out with Georgia in a conflict that pits the interests of area farmers against local fisher folk.

The World

The Thirst for Safe Water: Part 2 – Water Quality and Disinfection

Before reaching our homes, most tap water has gone through treatment plants where it is filtered and disinfected. The process is designed to make the water safe. But, research shows that the most common way to treat water adds chemicals that can get turned into cancer-causing agents. The Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to […]

The World

Swimming in Bleach

For health reasons, chlorine has been widely used in swimming pools for most of this century. Yet there are some alternatives to chlorine use, and some health professionals think consumers should weigh the benefits and advantages to decide which methods are best for them. Stephanie O’Neill reports from Los Angeles.

The World

Chlorine’s Costs and Controversies

David Baron of member station WBUR reports on the growing call for a near-complete ban on the use of chlorinated chemicals. Scientists say that many chlorine compounds are a central cause of environmental pollution in the Great Lakes region and elsewhere, affecting, fish, waterfowl and possibly people. A US-Canada commission which oversees the Lakes has […]