 | | Cary Pioneer Farms sits on the outskirts of Alma, Michigan. It is one of 27 CAFOs in Gratiot County. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue |
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| The Pine River runs through five mid-Michigan counties, including Gratiot County. Gratiot County is home to 27 CAFOs—the third highest of any county in Michigan—according to data from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).
CAFOs aren’t the only suspected source of pollution in the Pine River, whose history with contamination dates back to the 1930s. Locals can recall a time when high levels of dangerous chemicals like DDT were found in the river, dumped there by Velsicol Chemical Company, which operated from a riverside factory in St. Louis, Michigan. The company was also responsible for the infamous PBB disaster from the 1970s, in which toxic fire retardants were inadvertently mixed into livestock feed, resulting in one of the worst mass poisonings in U.S. history. The site where Velsicol once stood is now one of three EPA-designated Superfund sites in St. Louis.
But as cleanup of those legacy chemicals begins, new threats to the Pine River are taking center stage: dysfunctional septic tanks for one, but also runoff from local farms and CAFOs. These contemporary pollutants are the center of lively argument about water quality in the 21st century, a discussion whose consequences can be measured in regulatory costs, environmental degradation, and farm profits. How much waste comes from any one pollution source is highly contested — and contentious. |
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 | | A coal-fired power plant operates in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue |
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| Technologies that pull heat-trapping carbon out of the air and store it underground, one option for cooling the planet, have significant drawbacks and consequences for water, energy demand, and food production, a new study finds.
Delaying emissions reductions now and having to deploy carbon removal at large scale in the coming decades could worsen water stress at the same time that water is already expected to become scarcer in some regions and seasons due to warming temperatures, said Andres Clarens, one of the study authors. |
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The largest refugee camp in Europe caught fire earlier this month, destroying most of the camp and leaving an estimated 12,000 residents homeless and without water, basic hygiene, and food. |
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What's Up With Water - September 21, 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 Panama, where managers of the Panama Canal are considering water supply projects to keep the vital shipping route viable during extended drought.
Additional international coverage looks at northern Mexico, where violence erupted this month when about 2,000 protesters seized control of La Boquilla dam on the Conchas River.
For news in the United States, a new study reveals a significant link between water insecurity and psychological stress.
This week's featured story from Circle of Blue reports on drinking water systems in Louisiana that were damaged by Hurricane Laura. You can listen to the latest edition of What's Up With Water, as well as all past editions, by downloading the podcasts on iTunes, following Circle of Blue on Spotify, following on iHeart Radio, and subscribing on SoundCloud. |
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| From Circle of Blue's Archives: |
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 | | Alpha Clark is a veterinarian who lives in McBain, Michigan, where he has doctored sick animals for six decades. In the late 1970s, he was at the frontlines of a chemical contamination crisis that engulfed the state and was one of the worst mass poisonings in U.S. history. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue |
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| Polybrominated biphenyl, or PBB, was a fire retardant manufactured by Michigan Chemical Corporation, in St. Louis, Michigan. An error at the factory in the spring of 1973 changed the state’s health history. Workers mistakenly placed bags of PBB, a highly toxic chemical, in a shipment of livestock nutritional supplements. The supplements were destined for a Farm Bureau center where they – and the PBB – were mixed with cattle feed and distributed to farmers across the state.
Tens of thousands of animals were stricken ill. Cows developed digestive problems. They stopped eating and milk production dropped. Calves died. The chemical worked its way into the fat of the mothers and then into the milk, which was shipped to supermarkets. Soon, PBB was found in the breast milk of Michigan women. |
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