ARTICLES BY RILEY KLEEMEIER

• Groundwater Extraction Is Sinking Major Cities

  5/15/2025

  From New York to Los Angeles, cities in the United States are sinking. According to a recent study, which looked at the 28 most populous cities, all were sinking to some degree. The authors of the study point to massive ongoing groundwater extraction as the most common cause.

• Trump's 2026 Budget Cuts: What Will They Mean For The Water Industry?

  5/8/2025

  On May 2^nd, a letter to Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins revealed that President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for FY2026 calls for a sweeping $4.2 billion in total funding reduction for the U.S. EPA. $2.46 billion of this will be taken from the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, or SRFs.

• U.S. And Mexico Strike Water Deal Amid Growing Rio Grande Crisis

  5/1/2025

  As of Monday, the United States and Mexico have reached an agreement on how water will be shared from the Rio Grande basin. This agreement comes in response to Mexico falling significantly behind on its water delivery obligations, exacerbating drought conditions in South Texas.

• Arizona's New Water Plan: Treating Wastewater To Tackle Drought

  4/24/2025

  From April 2020 to March 2025, Arizona has endured its fourth driest stretch of drought on record, underscoring the urgency of water conservation efforts across the state. With water resources strained and climate conditions remaining unpredictable, both state agencies and residents are being urged to take proactive steps in managing water use.

• Trump Demands Water Owed From U.S.-Mexico Treaty

  4/16/2025

  Amid three years of drought, Mexico has struggled to deliver on its promises to the U.S. made per a 1944 water treaty. Under the treaty, Mexico agreed to send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. every five years. However, the country is currently experiencing the most widespread drought since 2011.

• Fluoridation Under Fire

  4/9/2025

  Beginning on May 7, 2025, Utah’s ban on fluoride in drinking water will officially take effect, making them the first state in the U.S. to ban fluoride in drinking water.

• Millions Of Hours Of Sewage Spills Put Millions At Risk

  3/27/2025

  In a new report released on Thursday, the UK’s Environment Agency (EA) revealed a staggering figure: water companies released raw sewage into England’s waterways for 3.61 million hours in 2024. While some spilling is legal, scientists are raising alarms about the potential danger to the public.

• Is Texas On The Brink Of Running Dry?

  3/20/2025

  As warmer months approach, Texas communities are bracing for another summer of water scarcity. With demand rising and supplies dwindling, what do state leaders plan to do about it?

• Trump's Funding Freeze And The Fate Of The Colorado River

  3/13/2025

  For years, the fate of the Colorado River has been a point of contention amongst lawmakers and environmentalists. Now, amid the Trump administration’s flurry of new regulations, the river’s future is further up for debate.

• Supreme Court Rules Against EPA In Water Permitting Case

  3/7/2025

  On March 4, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 vote that the U.S. EPA has overstepped its authority under the Clean Water Act. According to the majority opinion, the agency does not have the authority “to include ‘end-result’ provisions” when setting specific discharge limits.

• Trump's Deregulation Push: How It Could Reshape The Water Industry

  2/27/2025

  Under another executive order from President Donald Trump, federal agencies now have the authority to review existing regulations and recommend changes or eliminations based on federal rules that are seen as overly burdensome.

• Detroit Streets Lined With Frozen Cars After Major Water Main Break

  2/20/2025

  In the early hours of the morning on February 17, a catastrophic water main break in Southwest Detroit sent a flood of icy water into the streets, causing panic and extensive property damage. According to AP, this break of a 1930s-built pipe left 72 homes without electricity, 190 with flooded basements, and 174 without heat. 133 households stayed in hotels.

• China-Made Cameras May Be Used To Spy On U.S. Infrastructure

  2/13/2025

  In October 2024, America’s largest water utility, American Water, was hit by a cyberattack — an event that underscored the growing vulnerability of U.S. critical infrastructure. For a utility that provides drinking and wastewater services to more than 14 million people, such attacks pose serious risks to public safety.

• 1,000 EPA Employees Could Be Fired 'Immediately': What Does That Mean For The Water Industry?

  2/6/2025

  Last week, more than a thousand employees at the U.S. EPA received a worrying email: “As a probationary/trial period employee, the agency has the right to immediately terminate you.” The email, obtained by CNN, was primarily sent to employees who had been with the agency for less than a year.

• Trump Tables PFAS Rule, Causing Concern

  1/30/2025

  It has been a busy first week in office for President Donald Trump, who has wasted no time in issuing executive orders and reversing Biden administration actions. Among these actions was an executive order withdrawing from any U.S. EPA regulations that were still under review. Included in these regulations was the EPA’s proposed limits on PFAS in wastewater.