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HOW POLLUTED RIVERS RECOVER
In 2012, Indiana began protecting Flat Creek, a 54-mile stream affected by pollution. 10 years later, multiple stretches had recovered enough to be removed from the listFlat Creek in Indiana experienced significant water quality issues for years. A 2012 plan initiated watershed improvement efforts and best ...
In 2015, scientists released fluorescent dye into Florida’s Silver River: Here’s what they discoveredA 2015 University of Florida experiment used five gallons of fluorescent dye to track water movement through a 5.1-mile section of Florida’...
In 2011, Illinois' Algonquin secured $1 million for a Woods Creek watershed plan. 10 years later, 27 projects costing $4.8 million had reduced pollution and improved the watershed for residentsThe Woods Creek watershed in Illinois became the focus of a long-term restoration effort after the Village of Algonquin received more than ...
NASA satellites compared the Aral Sea between 2000 and 2014; river diversion left its eastern basin as exposed desertNASA's satellite images illustrate a dramatic transformation of the Aral Sea from 2000 to 2014, driven by the diversion of rivers for agric...
Nepal floods bring strange fish to Bihar, govt warns against eating or selling it; consumption may cause vomiting, diarrhoeaNepal unusual fish found in Bihar: Nepal flood has swept an unusual fish into Bihar’s Gandak basin. The floodwaters from Nepal have prompte...
In 2012, Cleveland Metroparks surveyed Beecher’s Brook after Ohio listed the Chagrin River as impaired, then restored 350 feet. 8 years later, fish scores improved againBeecher's Brook restoration project removed a fish passage barrier and enhanced habitat. This work led to marked improvements in fish and m...
In 1998, officials listed Arkansas' L’Anguille River as impaired for siltation and turbidity. Six miles of Lateral 1A were restored; today, landowners have restored two more milesL’Anguille River restoration is gaining ground in eastern Arkansas, years after the river was listed as impaired. In 1998, officials cited ...
In 1996, West Virginia's BRWA and WVWRI developed a plan to treat Swamp Run’s acid mine drainage. 28 years later, 2 projects had dramatically improved the stream’s pH with lasting gainsSwamp Run in Upshur County, West Virginia, faced decades of water quality problems caused by acid mine drainage from buried coal refuse lef...
In 1995, North Dakota's Richland County SCD began monitoring Antelope Creek for bacteria. 10 years later, a watershed project tackled septic, livestock and farm sources to cut bacteriaAntelope Creek and Wild Rice River saw reduced bacteria levels after conservation efforts. Best management practices addressed animal feedi...
In the late 1990s, Arkansas agencies urged landowners to use BMPs to keep cattle from streams. Today, 2 agencies and local owners protect these sensitive waters togetherFulton County faced water quality issues, prompting conservation efforts in the late 1990s. Landowners embraced livestock exclusion and con...
In 2006, Arkansas DEQ listed Clear Creek for E. coli. 12 years later, the creek attained the recreation standard in 2018, restoring contact recreation after BMP projectsClear Creek in Arkansas has seen remarkable recovery since battling E. coli contamination back in 2006. Persistent water quality checks and...
In 2006, Virginia flagged the Rapidan River for failing swimming standards. 18 years later, DEQ removed it from the impaired list after BMPs restored water qualityRapidan River water quality in Virginia has finally turned a corner after nearly two decades of concern. A section once flagged for failing...
Nepal flash floods: 13 bodies recovered from Gandak in UP districtsThe recent Nepal floods have led to a somber recovery effort, as Uttar Pradesh police and SDRF retrieved thirteen bodies from the Gandak ri...
In 2012, Maryland's Greensboro launched 2 projects to curb stormwater flooding. 9 years later, its firehouse gained permeable pavers and step pools, helping reduce pollutants reaching the riverGreensboro, Maryland, has successfully implemented modern stormwater control practices, improving water quality. These projects, funded by ...
In the 1990s, 17 cities joined Germany's Emscher regeneration programme. 30 years later the polluted industrial region had become a green hub with a 70-km landscape parkEmscher story is a powerful example of how environmental regeneration can take place across generations. The region did not become green ov...
In 1972, a 3,300-acre preservation effort began protecting the Elk River Chain of Lakes in Michigan. More than 50 years later, monitoring shows water quality remains healthyMore than half a century ago, a conservation effort in northern Michigan set out to protect an extraordinary network of waterways, and its ...
In 2002, Idaho listed the South Fork Palouse River as bacteria-impaired after livestock grazing. 14 years later, restoration helped remove it from the 2016 impaired listThe South Fork Palouse River restoration began with a problem Idaho could not ignore. In 2002, the river was listed as bacteria-impaired, w...
In Chicago, a Shedd Aquarium-backed team built floating gardens, and after years on the Chicago River, they've now spread to Bubbly CreekIn Chicago's Bubbly Creek, innovative floating wetlands are taking center stage in the fight against pollution. These modular systems not o...
Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave's hidden plumbing system allows rainwater to reach underground quickly through sinkholes, but these water routes can also carry sewage, chemicals and other pollutants into the caveKentucky’s Mammoth Cave has a vast underground water network fed by rainwater entering sinkholes and cracks in the limestone. The same rapi...
Every day, 50,000 litres of polluted water flow from South Africa's Stiebeuel River into natural filter beds, where stones, sand and biochar clean it in 5 days, removing 99% of harmful bacteria and creating water for irrigationResearchers in South Africa are using a nature-based filtration system to treat polluted water from the Stiebeuel River in Franschhoek. At ...