Municipal water system leaders and nonprofits gathered in Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress as part of Water Week 2026. They want to secure funding to update water infrastructure and restore a federal program that provides grants to low-income households for paying water and wastewater bills. Last yearâs conference took place a month after the EPA canceled several grants dedicated to air and water quality improvement and extreme-weather resilience.
Michigan and Wisconsin are in the midst of a historic flooding event in spring 2026 due to heavy rainfall on top of snow. The region's aging water infrastructure was never designed for the volume of water it is facing. Many of these dams were built over 100 years ago, with some long forgotten. The warming climate is worsening the flood risk.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf is the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. The theme for 2026 is 'Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063'. Water scarcity and inadequate sanitation undermine economic growth and human dignity. Waterborne diseases remain among the leading causes of death in many parts of Africa.
India's Meteorological Department has forecast a below-average monsoon, after two successive years of above-normal rains. In Australia, a shortage of farm inputs and persistent dryness has pushed planting acreage to a seven-year low. In South and Southeast Asia, farmers are already reeling from soaring fertiliser prices driven by the war on Iran.
In honor of Earth Day, organizations and tribal nations across Minnesota stand together to affirm six shared principles that should guide every decision about our waters: Water is the foundation of life. Water is a shared responsibility. From towns to cities and Tribal Nations, we all have a duty to protect clean water.
Sea levels are much higher than expected. Coastal lands are subsiding faster than anyone realized. 80 million people live on land in coastal areas below sea level, almost twice previous estimates. For many low-lying coastal areas, scientific forecasts of how soon they may flood may be off by several decades.
The Santa Ynez Reservoir was empty during the Palisades fire in 2025. The Department of Water and Power is replacing the floating cover of the reservoir. Community leaders are worried about the water quality of the water. The project will cost $19.5 million. It will be completed this fall.
UCLA Emmett Institute hosted a symposium on climate policy and affordability. The goal was to think deeply about the path forward for ambitious climate policies at this critical time. Panelists explored the tradeoffs between electricity regulation and pricing, the move away from fossil fuel extraction, infrastructure and dependence, and building more housing without losing environmental protections.