2018 — February/March
(Un)Well Water
Melissa and Chauncy Easterling first discovered that something was wrong with the well water that fed their Jolo, W.Va., home in late 2016. Neither they nor their local health department could pinpoint the cause. “It had a real strong odor to it, and then it started looking kind of red, like it was rusty,” Melissa…
Read MoreCan We Save the Mighty Hemlock?
As the threat posed by the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid grows, so do efforts to save “the redwood of the East.”
Read MoreWater Systems: The Invisible Infrastructure
Most Americans don’t think twice about the ability to turn on a tap and have clean, safe water pour out. “Water is something we take for granted,” says Glenn Barnes, associate director of the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina School of Government. “We just assume we’re going to turn on the…
Read MoreThe Tiny House Revolution
More and more people are building tiny houses as a sustainable alternative to traditionally large American homes.
Read MoreFighting the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in N.C.
Measures from predatory beetles to chemical treatments are being taken to combat the invasive insect.
Read More1,000 Days on Bottled Water
Jan. 11 marked the 1,000th day that hundreds of North Carolinians living near Duke Energy’s coal ash basins have lived on bottled water. Affected residents spoke at press conferences in Raleigh and Charlotte that day along with lawmakers and representatives from environmental groups, including Appalachian Voices, the publisher of this newspaper. According to Caroline Armijo…
Read MoreContaminated: Drinking Water Problems in Appalachia
By Hannah Gillespie Springs Harbor Potentially Harmful Bacteria Leigh-Anne Krometis, associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Biological Systems Engineering, began studying the use of Appalachian roadside springs for drinking water in 2016 to determine whether they could be a public health risk. Krometis studied how often and why people collect drinking water from 19…
Read MoreDecades in the Making: A Mine Reclamation Backlog
Several charts and maps show the enormity of the abandoned mine problems that still need to be cleaned up — and the inadequacy of the current cleanup fund.
Read MoreThe Ongoing Cleanup of Abandoned Coal Mines
A key federal mine reclamation program is up for reauthorization in 2021 — and the work is far from finished.
Read MoreBays Mountain: Lakeside and Fire Tower Trails
The network of trails at Tennessee’s largest city park allows hikers of any skill level to design an outing to suit them.
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