What our sewage can (and can't) tell us about the spread of Omicron

Mankato, where treated wastewater is used for everything from irrigation to industrial cooling, is one of the few places around this water-rich state where water is being recycled in this way. But as concerns about the availability of groundwater rise in certain parts of the state, interest in reusing wastewater is growing.

El Paso Water Utilities is designing an advanced-purification plant in which water will be scrubbed through five additional steps before going into the city's water supply.

Israel has an abundance of water and independence from climate conditions through public ownership and government management of all water, a water-respecting culture, and innovative agriculture practices.

Water pumps often break and no one locally has the skill or parts to fix them. Two columns on Water Aid’s program in India to train women to be handpump mechanics.

Lack of access to sanitary bathrooms in the village of Kivalina, Alaska led to the implementation of a novel, home-based water sanitation system, currently being tested for effectiveness. The hope is that it proves to be a solution for areas all over the state with lack of access to clean water systems.

New York City black tar roofs cause a number of environmental problems, including air pollution, heat absorption that raises energy consumption, and storm water runoff in the sewer system. Efforts to turn these old roofs into green spaces cool the buildings, enable the containment of more rainfall, reduce sewer discharge, generate energy, and absorb carbon emissions. New York City has a pilot program offering financial help for green roofs.

Prescription drugs are greatly polluting the national water supply, causing researchers to begin looking for a method to better filter water and dispose of unused medicine.

In war zones, people have a difficult time finding clean water and safe areas to inhabit. Social media, smart phones, and technology applications are aiding in people’s survival. In Aleppo, Syria, the International Committee of the Red Cross posted a map on Facebook to show alternative sources of clean drinking water that reached approximately 140,000 people.

In India, 620 million people openly defecate outdoors, causing harm to hygiene, sanitation, food, and water resources. The president of India funded an initiative to build public toilets for the people in his country, but the people did not use them because of traditions and behaviors. The Total Sanitation Campaign is starting to change villagers’ minds by having local leadership persuade those who resist the toilets by holding community activities and creating special committees to maintain the sanitation.

The El Paso Times reports from the heart of the Rio Grande Basin - where drought has led to dramatic decreases in water supply, and serious changes in management of river resources are called for - on how the region plans to tackle the effects of climate change. Citizens work to increase water regulations and frugality in order to find a solution to the dwindling water problem.