 | | The former train depot in Bethel, North Carolina, is now a branch of the Pitt County library system. The State Water Infrastructure Authority designated the town as financially distressed on November 18, 2020. Photo courtesy of Flickr/Creative Commons user davebailey |
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| North Carolina officials took a decisive step on Wednesday in a years-long process to identify financially struggling water and sewer providers and assist them in a transition toward financial stability and reliable service.
The State Water Infrastructure Authority designated four local governments as “distressed,” a label that unlocks assistance from a $9 million fund established by the General Assembly and approved by Gov. Roy Cooper in July. |
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 | | Enbridge Line 5, the controversial pipeline, carries oil and gas under the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue |
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| By Kelly House, Jonathan Oosting, Bridge Michigan
Following a state review that found the Line 5 petroleum pipeline is putting the Great Lakes at risk, Michigan has ordered Canadian petroleum company Enbridge Energy to shut down the pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac by May.
The announcement came following a long-awaited review of Enbridge’s compliance with a 1953 state easement that allows Enbridge to operate its pipeline in the Straits.
This story made is available from our partners through the Great Lakes News Collaborative. The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation |
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Tropical storm Etau passed through central Vietnam last week as Typhoon Vamco, which struck the Philippines the same week, arrived Sunday. After months of intense storms and flooding, Etau is the twelfth to hit the country this year and the eighth in the past month. |
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What's Up With Water - November 16, 2020
For the news you need to start the week, tune into “What’s Up With Water” fresh on Monday’s on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and SoundCloud.
This week's episode features coverage on the United States, where in Wyoming, state regulators approved an application from Aethon Energy to inject millions of gallons of oil and gas wastewater into a freshwater aquifer.
Additional U.S. coverage looks at the state of New Jersey filed lawsuits against three companies over water pollution stemming from so-called ‘forever chemicals.’
And in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has reached a decision in one of the state’s most scrutinized environmental disputes.
This week Circle of Blue reports on California’s efforts to better understand the pandemic’s impact on water utilities and their customers. |
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| From Circle of Blue's Archives: |
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 | | North Carolina authorities took control of Eureka’s finances three months ago because the sewer system was bankrupting the town. Photo © Earl C. Leatherberry |
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| Rising sewer bills, a result of inadequate infrastructure and heavy rainfall, are driving small, rural communities in North Carolina toward bankruptcy.
Dozens of small towns are running chronic budget deficits in their sewer system operations. These towns are challenged by aging and declining populations, low incomes, and sewer rates that are already some of the highest in the state. State officials say that economic hardship, deficient infrastructure, and an inability to manage and maintain delicate engineering systems have contributed to the stirrings of a rural financial crisis rooted in public sewer system failures. |
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