Government

Does efficient irrigation technology preserve groundwater? A new GAO report says the answer is probably no.

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Note: This story is embargoed for republication until Nov. 24, 2019

Efficient irrigation may produce more crops, but it doesn’t appear to preserve groundwater, according to a federal report released this week. Decades of irrigation has already depleted aquifers that many irrigated farms rely on, according to the report from the Government Accountability Office, and efficient systems appear to not help. Minus a few exceptions, GAO researchers found “there is no change in the amount of water farmers apply to a field with more efficient technology,” according to the Nov. 12 report.

#agalerts

#AgAlerts: Water: unaffordable; contaminated; flooding results

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A new report finds nearly half the residents of Martin County, Kentucky, cannot afford water service. Local activists with the Martin County Concerned Citizens are ringing alarm bells about water affordability as the beleaguered county faces another likely water rate increase in the coming months.

Drinking Water

Crisis in our wells: Iowa’s private well water often goes untested, presenting unknown health risks

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Many Iowans may not know what is in their water because their wells’ water quality is unregulated. Moreover, many well owners IowaWatch spoke with during an investigation this past year in counties across southwest Iowa said they largely were unconcerned about their wells, even though tests revealed high levels of nitrates and bacteria in some of their wells.

Clean Water Act

Waters of the U.S. comment window set to close

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The public comment period for a proposed rule defining "Waters of the U.S." is set to close on Nov. 14, more than half a year sine the rule was first introduced. During that time, thousands of national lawmakers, state authorities and agriculture officials have criticized the rule.

Agribusiness

EPA roiling the U.S. waters

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In March, the EPA issued a proposed rule to define what is considered a water body under its jurisdiction. Since then, farmers throughout the Midwest have expressed concern over the rule. Some have even claimed it could drastically change the way farmers run their businesses.

Agribusiness

In Wisconsin’s karst area, even good farming may pollute groundwater

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Two new studies of private well water in Kewaunee County, Wis., have linked contamination to fertilizer, livestock manure and human waste — laying bare a situation that county conservationist Andy Wallander, after 25 years on the job, can sum up in a sentence.