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The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian

America's water crisis

August 2021

  • Wildfire smoke casts an orange glow over W. Miner Street in Old Town Yreka, California, on Monday, August 9, 2021.

    ‘I don’t believe anyone is safe’: drought rules spark accusations of racism in California outpost

    Siskiyou county says water restrictions are aimed at pot growers. Hmong American residents say they’re being targeted

July 2021

  • SALTON CITY, CALIFORNIA - July 20th, 2021: The view from the original shoreline of the Salton Sea in Salton City, California. CREDIT: Alex Welsh for The Guardian

    ‘The air is toxic’: how an idyllic California lake became a nightmare

    The shrinking Salton Sea was once a tourist destination. Now it’s home to dangerous algal blooms, endless dust and noxious air
  • Lake Mead Falls To Lowest Level Since Hoover Dam’s Construction<br>LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, ARIZONA - JUNE 15: A view shows Lake Mead behind the Hoover Dam from the Arizona side of the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge on June 15, 2021 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Arizona. Last week, The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reported that Lake Mead, North America’s largest artificial reservoir, dropped to 1,071.53 feet above sea level, the lowest it’s been since being filled in 1937 after the construction of the Hoover Dam. The declining water levels are a result of a nearly continuous drought for the past two decades coupled with increased water demands in the Southwestern United States. The drought has left a white “bathtub ring” of mineral deposits left by higher water levels on the rocks around the lake. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

    Severe drought threatens Hoover dam reservoir – and water for US west

    The wellspring of Lake Mead created by the dam’s blocking of the Colorado River has plummeted to a historic low as states in the west face hefty cuts in their water supplies
  • Southwest Faces Worsening Drought Conditions<br>HENDERSON, NV - JULY 1: In an aerial view, Urban sprawl spreads across the desert and, increasing water demands as drought continues to worsen on July 1, 2021 in Henderson, Nevada. Large portions of the West are now classified as being in exceptional drought, the most extreme drought category. Many major reservoirs have reached historic low levels and fire officials are warning that another devastating wildfire season has already begun. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

    ‘We live in a desert. We have to act like it’: Las Vegas faces reality of drought

    Water investigators track down wasteful homeowners and public turf torn up to conserve scarce water supplies

April 2021

  • Haw River Water Pollution<br>January 28, 2021. Pittsboro, North Carolina. Jim Vaughn works at the Community Lunch Program at St Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Pittsboro, North Carolina. He is helping to raise awareness about the town’s water PFAS contamination issue after testing water a the church and finding PFAS in the supply. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS and GenX. They have been detected in the Haw River in quantities that give concern to nearby residents, especially the in Pittsboro where their water comes directly from the river.

    America's water crisis
    A town's water is contaminated with 'forever chemicals' – how did it get this bad?

    Testing by the Guardian and Consumer Reports found high levels of potentially harmful PFAS in Pittsboro, North Carolina, and regulators have struggled to keep pace

February 2021

  • A woman fills up drinking water containers from a kiosk in Orosi.

    America's water crisis
    'It's a toxic blend': where the kids are warned not to swallow the bath water

    Predominantly Latino towns in California like East Orosi face huge obstacles getting clean drinking water
  • The most heavily Latino areas of the US are violating federal drinking water rules twice as much as those serving the rest of the country

    America's water crisis
    More than 25m drink from the worst US water systems, with Latinos most exposed

    Guardian investigation shows systems in Latino areas violate federal drinking water rules twice as much as those serving the rest of the US
  • Maryann Jacobs and her son, Oliver Bussey, at their home in Hoosick Falls, New York.

    America's water crisis
    ‘Am I going to regret it?': forever chemicals dilemma for breastfeeding mothers

    Many health experts and advocates say breastfeeding is the best choice for babies but the threat of passing on contamination from PFAS is prompting new questions
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