A memo from the Environmental Protection Agency dated Aug. 18, 2003, stating that clean-up work at a 3-acre Superfund Site on the Hoopa Reservation was complete, included this curious phrase: “The ore concentrates were trucked off-site for further processing.” It’s curious because, having listed contaminants resulting from two years of work extracting copper and zinc […]
pollution
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State Unveils Long-awaited Standard for Drinking Water Contaminant
On Monday, California proposed a long-awaited standard for a cancer-causing contaminant in drinking water that would require costly treatment in cities throughout the state. Traces of hexavalent chromium are widely found in the drinking water of millions of Californians, some naturally occurring and some from industries that work with the heavy metal. The proposed standard […]
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L.A. Times: Scientists Concerned over Potential COVID-19 Exposure from Beach Walks and Swimming
The Los Angeles Times is reporting potential COVID-19 infection risk at California beaches, not just from other people out for walks and surfing, but from the ocean and its spray. The piece quotes Kim Prather, an atmospheric chemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who “worries SARS-CoV-2 could enter the ocean from sewage spills and outfalls, and […]
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A Listicle to Save the World
With all the bleak environmental news out there — climate change, rising sea levels, endangered species, starving abalone — it can be easy to feel lost and disheartened, unsure of what you can do to make a difference. With that in mind, we reached out to a handful of local environmental nonprofits and asked them […]
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Survey your sins
Ah, the magical storm drain. Alligators live down there, we know, and escapees, and gourmand rats — fantastical beings swimming around in lurksome joy. Plus, of course, all that junk you’ve let wash into it, too: pet poop, cigarette butts, wrappers, caps, oil, chemicals and other detritus that drifts from fingers, drips off cars and […]